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I have been part of a select group for most of my life and not by choice. I am a member of a subgroup of the red head gang. I can be found on the branch of ginger. And what has being a member of this group blessed me with in life? A fear of direct sunlight, freckles and countless nick names. Well my gingerness has granted me some good fortunes as of late. The Irish community appreciate their red headed brothers and sisters from around the world and over the course of my time in Melbourne I have slowly been adopted by my Irish friends and invited into their social circle. So much so that when I my short term flat share was complete and I had no place to go (but back to the hostels) I was offered the couch at a 2 bed room apartment with 3 Irish friends of mine.
Let's just say I knew what I was getting into prior to accepting their courteous offer. Following their completion of work on Friday anything can happen before Monday morning dawns. Katie, Tommy and Richie are just straight up great hearted people. They are a pleasure to
deal with in everyday life. Over the course of my stay,we have shared laughs, parties and random acts of randomness. The couch is no guarantee of a good nights sleep, as other people in the Irish group could swing by at any time, day or night. Holding down a full time job of 50 hours a week and sleeping on the couch was a tough task. On some nights I may start my sleep on the couch only to wake to my flatmates coming home with friends. So then I move to one of the beds or maybe a floor, then likely be woken up to get moved back to the couch (if someone hasn't already taken it) then up in the morning to catch the tram to work. The rock bottom was a Saturday where I found myself at work, hungover and running on one and a half hours sleep. Its not that I worked early I just couldn't get any sleep that morning.
The inconvenience of it all is weighed out by the great conversations, the Friday and Sunday nights of pints and the Bad Penguins band. Tommy is a musician and on any given day
you may get an impromptu guitar session of his own material or asked to play a few chords while he works on a new song. The laughs and stories shared with Katie and the life talks and travel plans shared with Richie. It was three weeks I spent in close quarters with three people I now consider good friends. It was a time that has made itself another chapter in my book of travel memories.
Their are some tales worth telling from my couch surfing. One Sunday night I come home from work to discover that I was locked out. A quick phone call and Richie was there to realize that nobody had the right key. It was 10:30 pm and we were locked out. What were we to do? We decided that the $5.50 pints of Guiness at our local pub were more important and hurried down the street. After a few pints while enjoying the band, we faced the reality of not being able to get into our home. The front door knob is broken and we wedged and poked trying to spring the door open. After 30 minutes or so I had given up. “Lets go
find a place to sleep tonight” I said to Richie. Eventually we started to a friends house, then Richie picks up a stick and heads back for the door. Within 30 seconds Richie is screaming at me to get my card out as he had gotten the bolt to turn. A quick slip of the card and a pull on the door and we where inside, jumping up and down like excited little children. After a celebratory drink (we were lucky) the couch felt ever so nice that evening.
Tommy's first gig here in Melbourne was a few days ago. Instead of packing I spent the afternoon listening to Tommy practice, give advice on his set list and just let Tommy get the butterflies out. That night we all went to the Drunken Poet bar to listen to Tommy play his songs. It was a great show, and intimate little bar and Tommy did great. Maybe getting to know Tommy helped with my appreciation for his songs. He has a bigger gig next week opening for the Coronas at the Prince of Wales Bandroom, and I expect to be there because now I am a fan.
My good
friend Phil from my Wellington days, has arrived in Melbourne. It is always great to re-see somebody you have shared some travel stories with and Phil happens to be one of my best friends on this trip. We spent a few days of being tourists then started the search for a temporary home. Within days I found myself once again on a tram with all my belongings crammed into a backpack, a shoulder bag and a guitar case. This is my 5th postal code in 3 and a half months in Melbourne. This time back to the southside of the Yarra to a posh area known as Toorak. I moved into a large backpacker house, maybe 7 bedrooms (I'm not sure). It has a large back yard and is home to a few of us travellers that are working here in Melbourne. The street is lined with large homes that can be seen over the large fences that guard their fronts. Luxury cars line the street and then there is our home. Not so flash, no luxury cars parked out front and no fence either. It is a contrast from the Italian area of Carlton with its restaurant lined streets
and shopping areas that was the backdrop to my last home. Well at least I am accomplishing viewing Melbourne from a few different views.
There is no doubting or denying it, Autumn is here. The sidewalks are scattered with decaying leaves, the trees get closer to bare everyday. The wind has begun to bite on the odd day and the sunshine doesn't seem to make its appearance as often as it once did and when it does its rays are weakening. Winter is nearly here. I don't look forward to winter (at least it doesn't snow in Melbourne) but have been enjoying the autumn so far. I guess wearing a light coat and going for a walk is pleasant enough compared to the Canadian autumns that seemed to just disappear in a hurry and fling us into the depths of winter. I enjoy autumn and its peacefulness and hope that a Melbourne winter can remain peaceful because weather can make me make sporadic decisions. Its Australia, how bad could winter really get?
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Heather
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I enjoyed your post from Melbourne; it reminded me of my time there, and how much I loved it! My blog is looking for travel photos, reviews, etc, to share. We even feature music from around the world... Maybe we can help spread the word about Tommy? If you have the time, check it out at dirty-hippies.blogspot.com, or email us at dirtyhippiesblog@gmail.com. Continued fun on your travels! Heather :)