Sight and sounds of Melbourne

It's been three months here, in Melbourne, Australia's second largest city and the state capital of Victoria. That's long enough to know my way around on foot, and to have found a game of football on a Saturday, long enough to have found a good Indian Restaurant and a place to buy quality fruit and veg, and long enough to have an opinion on the state of the local public-transport network. Certainly long enough to have caught an Aussie twang to my speech, according to Rebecca, Joe Kloska, and Mum. Not long enough however to have bought a bicycle, or to have found a copy of Joyce's Ulysses, or to have chosen a favourite Australian Rules Football Team (I have been told to choose anyone but Collingwood, who seem to be the Manchester United of AFL, incidentally). The public transport is really really good by the way.

For Ellen's birthday we have had guests here from New Zealand and so we got out and about plenty, enjoying a drive in the countryside, and cruising Melbourne's many fancy restaurants and watering holes. Here we are outside the picturesque cafe on the Mornington Peninsular we visited. That's Claire, Ellen, Bronwen, and Michaela, from left to right. Bronwen is our new housemate and she very kindly included us on this visit to write a review of the cafe for Melbourne's daily broadsheet, The Age. After eating we took a walk along the sea-front and saw a seal, before driving on to some local vineyards and tasting some of their produce. Well, what a lovely way to spend a Sunday!

Ellen has completed two weeks at her new job with Greg Burgess Architects. She has enjoyed the return to employment and is already grappling with several projects. It is very exciting for Ellen to be finally here, doing what she came to do. It is a definite success, already impressing her employers with her prescience and conscientiousness. Not to mention her cooking! We are hoping she will be able to continue her internship through New Year and that she will be able to take a break with me in October for the wedding of Mum and Mike in England. Watch this space!

I have been listening with excitement to news from both England and Aotearoa; there are weddings galore to look forward to, and the exciting news that Paul and Joella Andersen are expecting has recently put the icing on the cake for us, 2007 is set to be a very exciting year indeed. I am also glad to see that Joe has left RADA and walked straight into work with the BBC, well done Joe! Also special mention needs to go to Daniel Huggins for being awarded a summer internship at Bristol University Astronomy Department, now that's pretty cool!