Good news! I have finally found somewhere to live! And what a relief that is. When I think about it clearly with all the frustration behind me I realise that it only took about 10 days of physical searching and calling and visiting and emailing and... (I'm sure you get the picture). Apparently that's not so bad going here. I move on Friday to North Fitzroy, somewhere I have been assured is an awesome place to live. North Fitzroy is about 15 minutes by tram from the Central Business District. In Melbourne terms, that's pretty damn close.
So, what have I done with my new found freedom? (house hunting is a definite social life inhibitor) Erm. Not a lot. I have applied for a few jobs in a half-hearted manner, and arranged to sign up with an agency on Monday but I just couldn't bring myself to do anymore searching. Just generally, I am all searched out. I also know that it's going to be tough. Tough can wait til next week.
It's been blissfully hot this week. Mostly high 20s but yesterday it cooled to about 31 by 6pm, and 25 by 1am. Blazing sunshine and no clouds at all til yesterday. One of the great things is that for the most part, people don't moan about being too hot here! Despite my rather wet introduction to the country a few weeks ago, I am starting to see now why there are severe water restrictions here. It really is intensely dry. I hadn't really thought about it until I saw of a photo of my brother washing his car the other day... that's banned here, as is watering your garden - this is a snippet from the Melbourne Water Stage 3a Drought Procedures:
"The Drought Response Plan states that watering may take place ‘only as required’ within specified watering hours. We encourage you to abide by the Drought Response Plan and water only as required. The four-hour window, over two days, has been granted to provide for maximum flexibility for people with time constraints. We do not encourage watering for the full four-hour duration." There are no exemptions - if you cannot water between 6am and 8am Saturday and Tuesday if you live in an even or no-numbered property, or Sunday and Wednesday if you live in an odd numbered property, tough.
I can just see my mother shuddering as she thinks of all her plants dying. Strangely, most of the gardens here do not look half dead. The lawns do though. Apparently, when the heat hit the 40s in February the trees were literally burning in the sun. Scary.
I've spent a fair few hours on the beach at St Kilda this week. You know, just working on my tan. Ha ha ha. I am still paler than a pale thing despite any efforts I make. I went vaguely pink yesterday for about an hour. I think I just reflect the sun (trying not to blind people in the process). Still, that's probably a good thing. After spending a little while on St Kilda breakwater talking to an 82 year old Italian guy about penguins, the war (at length) and the fact that after 40 odd years of laying about on St Kilda breakwater he has skin like a crocodile (his word, not mine), I am not keen to follow suit. People seem to care less about my paleness here anyway. The penguins were cute though. That was pretty unexpected. I mean, in Australia you expect maybe a croc or a shark or a kangaroo (I know, I know, wrong part of Australia, but you catch my drift), but penguins? Maybe I should be more thorough in my reading of the guidebook...
I also rediscovered my love of food yesterday in one of the St Kilda cafes. French toast with bacon (real bacon too, and cooked to perfection), strawberries and maple syrup. In my excitement I forgot the time difference and texted a Kiwi friend in the UK at 3am (UK time) to exclaim. It's the small things in life that can be most (really? most? maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration...) exciting I guess. All the same, I'd recommend you turn your phones to silent at night time just in case.
I am going to get up (it's 9.40am and I'm still in bed) and try to think of something fun or at least vaguely interesting to do with the day. I'm becoming too philosophical and lazy. Seriously, I had to laugh at the zen-like state I reached yesterday on the beach. The zen disappeared pretty quickly last night when I discovered the bar I was meeting friends in was on the roof of a building (fake grass and everything) - 6 floors in a tiny lift followed by a couple of flights of open metal stairs are not good. My vertigo is getting worse at a steady pace.
