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Published: August 16th 2010
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Hi from a cold and damp Melbourne although, of course, it’s great to be here. It was very sad waving good-bye to Sarah and Darryl at the airport. Poor Darryl had had to drive through torrential rain to get us there but we arrived with hours to spare. This meant we had plenty of time to have a farewell meal in Frankie and Bennie’s and relax for a while. Then came the most stressful bit - going to “check-in” and having our cases weighed! We had weighed them a million times before we left but how accurate were our scales? It turned out they were pretty good as both cases came in under the 30kg limit although one was perilously close. Frighteningly the cabin bags were also weighed but, with a bit of “prestidigitation” we got away with that too. Then it was finally time to go and the realization hit us that we probably wouldn’t all be together again for 12 months. Thank you Sarah and Darryl for everything you did to get us this far so successfully - what a shame we couldn't have smuggled you in the suitcases! We're not sure how we will cope without our technical
support and our practical solutions top man.
So, after some tearful goodbyes, off we went to face the usual x-rays and grilling by the security staff. We were flying with Emirates who we had never used before but everything was fine. The seats were comfortable with a reasonable amount of leg room and all with an extravagant entertainment system. It wasn’t long before the first meal was served - it was very funny as I had ordered a low cholesterol meal for Graham. His face was a picture when he saw that it was made up almost entirely of fruit! Still, he persevered and quite enjoyed it. We flew through the night but only managed a tiny doze before we arrived in Dubai. It was a bit of a shock having to be “bussed” to the terminal as we had expected 21st century facilities. The 35 degree humid heat hit us hard so we were glad we had decided not to stop-over in Dubai. A couple of hours later we were airborne once more and en route to Singapore where we arrived after about 6 hours. It was supposed to be just a quick turn-around there as we were
due back on the same plane in the same seats. But we still had to go through another security check. It was all a bit tiresome but we fully understand the need for it. After a further 6 hours or so the plane was coming in to land at Melbourne when suddenly, at the last moment, it pulled out of its descent and went back up - it was unnerving to say the least but the conditions were so blustery that the pilot felt that a second attempt was called for. Thank goodness this attempt, completed in absolute silence, was fully successful and we landed safely albeit some 45 minutes late. Now, with Graham carrying a large quantity of prescription tablets, we had to go through the ‘something to declare’ channel which was a bit worrying when the sniffer dogs approached. However, neither the dogs nor the customs people seemed at all interested so we passed through with ease and set off to find nephew Grant following precisely his instructions to his preferred “pick-up point”. But, with the plane being delayed, he had done the sensible thing and gone off to have a coffee whilst waiting for us to ring.
After making contact he soon appeared and in no time at all we were making our way along the new Melbourne freeway through the city to sister Daphne’s house in Camberwell. We mustn’t forget that August is still winter-time in Melbourne but, nevertheless, we did find the 9 degree temperature a bit on the chilly side and not what we had been used to in Moira!!
Soon we were at the house in Barkly Street and it was lovely to see Daphne again. Second son Bert (actually christened Mark) was also there to greet us with girlfriend Kim. Everywhere looked much the same as when we were last here just over 6 years ago. There is a new cat in residence, the beautiful Rosie, who is the opposite of Tiger being thin (yes, thin!) and noisy but she is a sweet little soul. Daphne needed some shopping from the local fruit and veg market so, with Graham having a doze, and not yet having collected the car, I went with her on the bus to Box Hill Central Market. Us car users wouldn’t normally dream of going on the bus but Daph doesn’t drive so she uses the local
buses, trams and trains all the time and it was a good excuse to re-acquaint myself with the lovely Aussie markets. We weren’t gone too long and came back laden with a fabulous selection of fruit and veg, fish and chicken. The rest of the day soon went by and Daphne cooked us a delicious dinner of rainbow trout and then we were thankful to be able to collapse in Daphne’s very comfortable bed which she had kindly given up for us. Night night everyone!
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Darryl and Sarah
Wallaby Wanderers
Safe and Sound
Great blog and written so soon after arriving! Good on you! Have fun x x