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Published: January 31st 2008
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Claire and Gav
Before the cinema January has came and very nearly gone!
Actually - the trip to the Gold Coast seems like years ago, and we’ve settled back into Melbournian life once more!
So what’s been going down in Melbourne in January? We’ve just had a look over the pictures and, actually, quite a lot!
Firstly I have been seriously busy at work - like stupidly busy (over 85 hours last week), but that’s was ok and the project I was doing is now over - so hopefully there will be a wee break before the next one kicks off.
But even with that we seem to have packed in loads more. Its 11.15 pm at night as I write this - so this’ll be a quick blog with lots of pictures (I’ve been sitting at my laptop for far too long these past few weeks!).
Firstly - we had some Scottish visitors to Melbourne which was awesome!! Gavin and Claire (who we spent our hot sunny afternoons in Thailand in the pool with) did an Aussie trip and ended up spending a week or so in the Melbourne area.
When Gavin and Claire were here we
went to the moonlight cinema, which is a very Melbournian thing to do in the summer - basically an outdoor cinema where everyone takes picnics / booze / bean bags etc. Can you imagine doing that at home?! Was a really great night and we ended up having a wee party back at home to finish it off.
The next weekend one of Claire’s old school friends, also called Claire, was passing through town - so we caught up with her, boyfriend, his daughter and their two pals. Again, the weather was awesome so we ended up sitting in Fed square all afternoon. They were all really great company and we had a fab afternoon.
Gavin and Claire then met us for a game of 10 pin bowling - what Gavin didn’t tell us was that he was a former Scottish lawn bowls champion or something (did he have any shame?!) and needless to say had won the game before we even started. For once Claire wasn’t her competitive self, I think she realised when she was in the company of a pro (or maybe she realised that she was never going to win after an
all day drinking session).
So that was Claire and Gav off to continue the rest of their trip down under, after their final day in Melbourne at the Australian open. I couldn’t help but wonder where we’ll next meet up - first it was Aberdeen, then Thailand then Oz...
I had bought Claire Phantom of the Opera tickets for Christmas - well, I guess I maybe bought us both them and gave her them at Christmas - anyway, whatever - we went mid January and it was unreal. I’d seen it 3 or 4 times before, but this was like nothing else. I think because the theatre was so much smaller than other times - but whatever it was totally unreal. At the break Claire commented that she felt as though she was sitting in Disney world or something! Really glad we caught it as that was the final week (I’d bought the tickets a way back in September and that was the first night where there were two seats together available!).
Next came Burns night - well, we couldn’t let it pass without doing something. So, a group of ex-pats organised a Burns
Claire, Ewan and Robyn
Claire's pal from school in Fed Square night in true Aussie style - a night BBQ in Albert park! Out of about 30 people, only Ryan, Steven (another secondee at work from Edinburgh) and me had any kind of tartan to be seen - we did have bagpipe music (which lasted 5 mins) and the proclaimers (which lasted all night) though!
Totally bizarre really - 1am in the middle of a public park having a BBQ using the public BBQs with the Proclaimers pumped up drinkin beer out of our coolers - first Burns night I’ve ever done that!
Next came Australia Day - a chance to “celebrate what is good” - and it is good, so we celebrated!! Melbourne had literally hundreds of things organised in the name of Australia Day - we lay by the pool and recovered from Scottish day the night before - but I did enjoy the air show four F18’s put on over the city - we also went down to Caroline and Tucker’s for a BBQ that evening and then headed into town to watch the fireworks show - and what a show that was, it seemed to go on forever. And that was our first Australia day!
Gav and me
At the bowling - at lease I was holding my pint correctly Sunday - Sunday really needs a blog of its own to be honest! Tucker had organised a private winery tour to the Yarra Valley. We were picked up at 9.30 - and whisked by private bus out to the Yarra Valley where we visited four different winerys. The first one, Yarra Warra, was for tasting - the second one, Train Trac, was where we had lunch (and more tasting) - then came Yarring Station (more tasting) and then finished it off with Chandon - again much more tasting. You get the idea...! (excuse the spellin of those places by the way, its now 11.45pm and I can’t be bothered looking them all up!!)
We went back to Caroline and Tuckers, played some drinking games and went to the beer garden for a couple - the Beer garden had an awesome band on - best band I’d heard for ages (may have been to do with the winery tour!!).
Monday was a public holiday so we both had the day off - Claire got up to something a bit different (literally up to something!) on Monday - but I’m going to leave that for her to tell
Burns night
Ryan and Kel recite their best Burns... you about!!
Hope all is well at home - miss you all loads and loads.
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