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Published: December 8th 2009
Thanks for all your comments and messages. Yes Ged, February’s fine, we’ll see you then! and Trish, make sure you and James pay us a visit in March please.
My next blog will be topic based and a bit shorter, but first, as promised, here’s Part Two of the day by day stuff:
Mon Nov 23
Today was mostly spent in pursuit of gainful employment. I’d already started looking for JOBS and the hunt goes on to this day. Neill is always ‘helpfully’ handing me newspapers with a few circled suggestions! I’ve applied for loads of office stuff, some of which looks quite interesting, and despite a couple of rejections, most places have said they’ll take a few weeks to select interviewees so we’ll see. Rosie’s written me an excellent reference for the events management positions I’ve found, and I’ve talked myself up at length on a few forms as well, particularly for an exciting looking role in digital sports marketing, that requires an encyclopaedic knowledge of sport, good written communication skills and a working knowledge of Facebook…
Sarah and I went out for LUNCH as well, purely because you never know when you’ll next both be free to have a long leisurely lunch on a Monday - although in our case, as it turned out, the next time would have been the following Monday! I had a great steak but Sarah’s calamari was a bit too chewy (I thought it was meant to be like that?) and we over ordered with what turned out to be a truly epic portion of potato wedges. On the way back I made it my business to buy some BEER to augment Neill’s supply, thus allowing me to dip into it at will. We drink Victoria Bitter in this house, 375ml cans, 4.6%!,(MISSING) not a bitter but a lager - all very weird. The search for a substitute for the Vine and its lovely Trad goes on!
Tue Nov 24
I went on a pilgrimage to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, or MCG (just known as ‘The ‘G’, it’s that special!) for a guided tour and to visit the National Sports Museum. It’s a truly remarkable STADIUM, with a capacity of 100,000, and the finest example of a cunning Aussie trick: they invented Aussie Rules, a mass spectator sport played on a cricket sized oval; this subsidises cricket stadia to an extent of which Lords and Edgbaston can but dream, and at test matches a full house pay a fraction of what us English do. I could’ve stayed in the museum for days, but gave my feet a break after exhausting the audio guide; any sports fans who come to visit are guaranteed an unforgettable bit of tourism.
That cheered me up after watching Murray lose to Federer in the TENNIS. Later in the week I stayed up until four to see him beat Verdasco in three sets, only to learn the next morning that he’d been eliminated by one game due to other results. Another breakthrough today was being asked to pick Alison up from the train station in the family CAR. I was a bit nervous taking to these roads for the first time, not least about the possibility of getting lost, but the car and I both came through unscathed, and since then it’s actually been really liberating to be able to borrow a vehicle from time to time to get my own stuff done, as well as help the family out now and again. They drive on the left anyway, so it’s all good.
Wed Nov 25
Come to think of it, I haven’t checked whether I’m actually insured on any of the three cars I’ve been permitted to drive, but I’m a trusting soul, so the next day I got behind the wheel and did some exploring. Lilydale’s museum and theatre were closed, but I enjoyed a stroll through Melba PARK. Dame Nelly Melba, the legendary opera singer after whom the (delete according to your age) Peach Melba was named, hails from up the road in the Yarra Ranges, in fact we drove past her old house once and it’s ever so fancy. Melba wasn’t her real surname, but a stage name inspired by her native city, so it’s actually a yoghurt named after a pudding named after a singer named after Melbourne!
I then ventured further still, on one of the state’s highways - three lane roads that look like motorways but you can only do 80kph - to Nunawading, where I successfully negotiated the LIBRARY to copy (illegally) some sheet music that I needed. I’ve got through lots of paperwork since arriving, including converting my driving licence and registering for health care, and I must say it’s a lot less bureaucratic here than it is in France. Then again I guess that’s a bit like saying it’s hotter than Siberia… Anyway, a pleasant day of pottering about then ended with hanging out the LAUNDRY, on a properly huge outdoor rotary line, most impressive. Anyway, yes Mum, I’m helping out around the house, ok?
Thu Nov 26
That sheet music I picked up was for my AUDITION. That’s right, I’ve wasted no time getting into the local amdram scene! Well, I was hoping to waste quite a bit of time and join a company in about February once I’ve settled in, but it turned out that in order to start rehearsals then it was now or never for auditions. The show is Kismet, and having found the place and met the usual committee types and old people who just make tea, I busted out On The Street Where You Live from My Fair Lady - an audition staple of mine - and read a few lines in what I hope was, for them, quite an exciting English accent. Well, I’m in, which is all you can hope for as a newcomer, and we go on in June. So, how many tickets would you like…?
It was good that I achieved something that night, because I’d had a gloriously lazy day, following three cricket TESTS simultaneously. Australia were (or as they say over here, ‘was’) on the state channel, with New Zealand on cable and India online. The various television networks are still a bit confusing; the most annoying element is that you trawl through the on screen guide and finally choose something, only to discover that most of the channels aren’t available. I did get out and stretch my legs - thought I’d better get some fresh air and exercise so headed out for a good long walk… to McDonald’s. Well I hadn’t been yet and I had to do a ‘compare and contrast’, ok? I had an enormous BURGER and it was great.
Fri Nov 27
Back to The ‘G today, this time for some live action, as Victoria took on Queensland in a four-day Sheffield Shield match. It’s CRICKET by the way, for those still confused. There were a good few hundred there, but in a stadium of that size it feels like one man and his dog. I spent a great day watching David Hussey make 150, reading through my educational books from the Aussie Survival Kit and soaking up some rays - and I didn’t get burnt! Lotion, hat and shades, you see. I had to leave early so that there was time to walk and feed
Heidi the DOG, the one family member whom I haven’t introduced to you yet. She (well, Neill and Sarah call her ‘it’) is lovely, quite old but sometimes very excitable.
Then I was off out, for a proper night of drinking with the lads, in a CLUB! It’s called Club Kubis, because it takes place every Friday outside three houses on Kubis Drive. Lots of guys bring their cars, line them up on the road, drink beer, talk about cars, drink beer, criticise the cars of anyone driving by and drink beer. I’d been invited by Callum, and I did the beer bit, but having turned up in a Ford I was persona non grata before exposing my lack of car knowledge. You see, in Aussie V8s (a bit like Touring Cars) you’re either a Ford or a Holden man, and these guys are most definitely Holden men. I’ve learnt my lesson now, and of course managed to get everyone to like me pretty quickly, so that’s my Friday nights sorted.
Coming soon on ToobzInOz!
Other stuff I’ve done since then, including a barbecue, getting some actual paid work, new friends and one seriously funny film.
Stuff I’m doing soon, including Lorne by the sea, New Year in Rosebud, house sitting, and… NEIGHBOURS NIGHT!!!
Some blogs from in my head, including ‘Australian Sport’, ‘Travel Plans I Can’t Afford’, ‘On Vegemite’ and ‘It Should Be Government Policy To Kill Flies’.
Have you any requests or suggestions? I’ll go where you tell me to and write about it, or answer any Aussie questions you may have. G’night!
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Nina
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Enjoy Lorne!
Lovely to get an update, have a great time in Lorne - send us a pic if you get time (or ask Sarah to do it if the technology is too challenging!). Seeing Peter and Zoe tonight as they e picking Ben up (Uncle Paul no longer available) - mum and dad go skiing today. x