Tomorrow marks our 10th week in Melbourne, and the last 4 weeks have just flown past, a sure sign that we have found our routine, and no doubt the count will now turn to months and not weeks. Immy and Riggers have both found a good number of friends at school, and are having a great time there. I see very little evidence of any actual work going on however, with the emphasis being more on play! I was impressed with Immy's Japanese language skills, although confused as to why this is a core subject when Science is not, nor is Chinese for that matter!
Steph is enjoying her daily routine of exercise, tanning and housework! oh and the occasional helping out with school activities. The idea of going back to work seems to be slipping away!
I have now accepted my second Job which I am actually quite excited about, and this kicks off in early March, I quit my current role at the end of this week, so will enjoy a few days off, although the big bike race is this sunday, so I may need to rest up for some of it.
Immy had a great birthday on the 14th, the teachers were on stike so she had the day off school and enjoyed it with 5 friends on the beach, mainly having water balloon fights. Felix also had a friend over and got a present, as his last birthday was spent on a train in Vietnam!
The weather is overcast today, but we have basically had clear blue skies and temperatures in the high twenties to mid thirties for the last 10 weeks - Its tough!!... will be interesting to see how bad the winter gets.
Monday 18 February 2013
Saturday 9 February 2013
Friday 8 February 2013
Thursday 7 February 2013
Wednesday 6 February 2013
Tuesday 5 February 2013
Monday 4 February 2013
Morning Rides
I have signed myself up for an endurance bike race on the 24th February, which is now only two and a half weeks away! it is 155km through the Melbourne countryside, with a couple of vicious hills thrown in for good measure. This means I am now in training and spending as much time as I can on the saddle. Biggish rides at the weekend, and as many little rides as I can cope with during the week.
One of my favoured rides, and the ride I did again this morning, takes me north from our house on the Esplanade up the Beach Road towards St Kilda, the time is approximately 5:50am and the sun has not quite risen, but the first signs of day are there. The beach road is busy with cyclists from about 5:15 am onwards, as cycling here can only be described as a national obsession. I attach myself to the back of whatever group passes by at the right speed and off I go, falling off when the pace gets too much, or jumping ahead if they slow too much (this deosnt happen very often)
St Kilda at sunrise is a very different place to the bustling entertainment centre it becomes during the day, and the hedonists playground it is by night. The beach front is deserted except for the occasional reveller who's beer legs let them down the night before, and the high street with its multitude of restaurants sleeps with just the occasional sign of the previous evenings excesses on show. St Kilda is the bohemian centre of Melbourne and the people much alike to the residents in Brighton back in the UK.
At the top of the high street I turn right into Albert Park, a tranquil grassy setting with a large lake in the middle that invites runners, sailors, rowers and cyclists to enjoy the surroundings and test themselves in their chosen exercise. Albert Park is of course more famous as the home of the Formula 1 race held each year in March, and as we approach that date, the park is slowly transforming itself from sleepy hideaway into an upcoming centre of global sporting interest. This morning I saw significant change from my last ride as the home straight now has full grandstands on both sides, and the safety fencing stretches round most of the circuit. Cycling round the circuit makes for a very exhilirating ride. Well the difference between my Giant road bike , retail value $2,000, powered by one ageing Brit, and a formula 1 racing car, retail value $BIG, powered by a thousand horses, is significant, but the ride doesnt stop giving you a small feeling of what it would be like to burn round this road at extroadinary speed, with the backdrop of the Melbourne skyscrapers on one side and the sailing boats on the other.
The scene is made ever more dramatic as the morning hot air balloons reach up over the city skyline, there are usually half a dozen balloons each morning, and whilst the view from up there must be great, they make quite a decent view from the ground as the sun peeps up and catches the skyscrapers to dazzle them in orange. I zap round the circuit a couple of times before making my way home in time for another day in the office, it is a great way to start the day!
N.B Lycra is definately the national dress of Melbourne!!
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