The Final Countdown

I hope you all had a nice Christmas and are looking forward to Hogmany and 2012. Julia and I have been busy over the last week catching up with people and getting ready for when the baby arrives. Not long now! Her due date is the 3rd of January, though obviously most first time mums go a week or so after that.

Christmas Day itself was very relaxed - we had a roast dinner over at Paul and Simone's house and Simone and Ange did very well getting so much lovely food prepared. Larry and Ange stayed with us for a couple of nights after Christmas and we had a chilled Boxing Day, watching the cricket (Australia versus India in the first match of the Test Series) and drinking a few beers. Simone and Claire came over on Tuesday night and we had a Barbeque.

My integration into Australian culture is proceeding at a great pace. I've learnt more about cricket in the last few weeks than I have in 10 years or so in Scotland, and my barbecuing skills are coming along nicely. I got a special bbq apron and a bbq kit for my Christmas including tongs, a spatula and a funny scrapey thing. I cooked steak and chicken kebabs on Tuesday night, and then for our friends Martha and Penny on Thursday night I cooked Indonesian style prawns and chicken with rice and papaya salad. It was delicious, though I did end up drinking far too much and paid for it on Friday.
Last night we were out with Paul and Simone at a Mexican restaurant. Basically we are getting all our socializing out the way before the big day comes and we are at the beck and call of a spewing pooing crying cute and cuddley monster.

We saw the doctor again on Thursday and she is getting geared up for when the baby is due to arrive. She even said she wouldn't let Julia go too far beyond her due date and might start inducing things a week after if nothing was happening. I don't know if we'd prefer to have it all happen sooner rather than later. There's still lots to do.

It's New Years Eve today and we're planning a very quiet one. Also it's above 30C outside today and forecast for about 36C tomorrow, so its another day for staying in with the air conditioning. On days like this they often declare a total fire ban which includes not having any bbqs at all. I don't think its quite got to that yet today but we are just having salad for tea. Maybe tonight we'll get out for a small walk.

So the baby's bag is packed, Julia's bag is packed and today I'm going to pack my bag as well (I don't want to be left out). Julia's belly is very big now and the baby is doing lots of squirming as if its practicing what to do when it comes out. We've borrowed a car from Larry and Ange and I did a practice drive to the hospital on Thursday. It really is the final countdown now. I even had a dream last night that the baby had arrived. Though I did also have a dream where Julia was up a tree having a fight with a pigeon.

We are on red alert and I'll let you all know when we have exciting news to report.
In the mean time have a great New Year.

Barbecue Man

No Wasps!

Carlton Gardens, near the Hospital

Weird Weather

We had weird weather on Christmas Day. It was hot and sunny in the morning, and then just after we'd finished our Christmas lunch the heavens opened and giant hail tore down. It made a tremendous racket, battering off roofs and cars. The hail was about the size of pickled onions (see above). In other parts of Melbourne it got as big as golf balls and even smashed holes through car windows. Everyone now has little dints on their car roofs - the insurance payout could be huge.

The strange weather continued the rest of the day as thunderstorms and torrential rain blew through the city again and again till dark. There were weather warnings out for drivers as many roads had flashed flooded. Lots of people had to cancel their Christmas parties. I've checked with my Australian family and this kind of weather is not normal - it maybe happens only once every couple of years. Today things are back to normal. It has cooled right down. After a cloudy morning the sun came out and now I am watching the Boxing Day Test (cricket) and drinking beer. Happy holidays.

Have a Hot and Happy Christmas

Christmas in the middle of Summer is just plain wrong. All the imagery and mythology around Christmas (or at least its precursor,Yuletide) is based on the depths of winter: chestnuts roasting on an open fire, footprints in snow, little robin redbreasts, stockings hung above the hearth, reindeer, sleighs etc. It makes sense, in the midst of the winter solstice to go chop down a tree, drag it inside the house and string it with colourful lights. Its the darkest time of the year and you need the lights to keep you going through the long nights. But Santa Claus in sunshine? Tinsel against perfect blue skies? Chestnuts and ice cream? No no no!

This is my second Christmas in Australia and I'm only slowly adapting. In fact I keep forgetting it's Christmas, especially when its over 30C outside and the Summer holidays are just beginning. I did my Christmas shopping in the searing heat the other day, with the sun beating off fake snowmen and poor Santa's boiling head. Because its just been the Summer solstice, I feel I should be getting up at dawn to roll in the dew and dance with the fairies or something. But no - it's Christmas, whether its 35C outside or not. We've got the idea in the UK that Aussies all go to the beach on Christmas day to cook prawns on the barbie but its not true. They like a traditional roast turkey and ham on Christmas day with all the trappings, just like we do. Though interestingly, here they have meat and 3 veg, whereas back home its meat and 2 veg. Fascinating I know. They do have a lot of fresh sea food on Christmas day as well, and I'm looking forward to big prawns and maybe even crayfish.

Despite the heat, things are actually much the same as far as the day itself goes - opening presents and eating far too much then sleeping it off in the afternoon. In some ways its similar due to the heat - if it's too hot you can't do much except stay inside with the air-conditioning on, watching old movies and stuffing your face. Tomorrow we will be having Christmas dinner at Julia's sister - Simone's - house, and I'm really looking forward to it. It should be pretty relaxed.

That's probably the best thing I've discovered about having Christmas in the Summer - just how relaxed everyone is because, for a lot of people, it's the start of the summer holidays and trips to the beach and eating outside on warm evenings. There is still the usual stress about the day itself and family issues and getting all the shopping done but it does not seem to be cranked up to the semi-hysterical levels it is in the UK. The adverts on TV only start in December, not in October, and there's not quite the same level of violence involved in Christmas shopping.

And there is a quiet magic to having Christmas in the Summer. Julia and I went for a walk last night to look at the Christmas lights round our suburb. There was a cool and pleasant breeze that carried the scent of eucalyptus and gardinia. Bats flitted through the branches of trees above us. It was still warm enough to walk about in shorts and thongs. And the strings and strings of fairy lights, the luminous reindeer, the flashing Santas and glittering Christmas trees that decorated the neighbour's houses were beautifully impossible. It didn't need to make sense to be enjoyed. It's Christmas!

To everyone back in Scotland and to those in Spain, have a wonderful, happy, over-indulgent Christmas Day. We're missing you all lots and lots. Hopefully we'll speak to you all soon and perhaps even see some of you in the not too distant future.

Love David and Julia x x x

And thank you for the Christmas cards!

Zen and the Art of Barbecue

On Saturday night we had our first barbecue. This was a big moment for me. The barbecue is an essential part of Australian life. Over here it is almost a religion. It has it's own customs and rituals and is taken very seriously. Every man must know how to barbecue. It is an art that has been passed down over thousands and thousands of years, ever since the early aboriginals first threw a possum on the fire for dinner. The secret lore is passed down father to son in an unbroken line of heritage. There is Fire and there are Important Tools that one must know how to wield. Important tools like Tongs or The Wooden Spoon, or the mysterious Stubby Holder.
I've had plenty of barbecues at the houses of friends and family but this was to be the very first barbecue that I would be in charge of. It was to be my initiation, my baptism by fire.

And to cut a long story short I made a bit of an arse of it. Not knowing anything about the mystical art of barbecue except what I had learnt in the UK (as we know UK BBQ is very different involving cagoules and cheap disposable barbecues which make Aussies shake their heads in disbelief, and driving rain and wind, you know the situation - everyone else is inside the nice warm house while Dad is out battling with the elements and some sausages from Aldi) and with no tribal elder available to guide me on the path I set about burning myself and the food.

The secret to successful barbecue, I now realize, is good planning. For my first effort I just set about it all wrong. We got the barbecue assembled fine and even connected up the gas bottle without any problems, but when I put the lava rocks in (basically hot coals to distribute the heat to the food), half of them ran under the grill so I tried to dig them out with my bare hands forgetting I'd just had the gas on a minute ago. You can imagine the screams of pain, but I would not let that stop me! It became a game of Operation involving fiery red hot metal and my delicate fingers. Obviously putting an oven glove on would have been the answer. After this set back I got straight on with cooking the meat and chucked the chicken kebabs on to the grill. It looked like they were cooking well but when I tried to turn them I realized they were completely stuck to the hot metal because I'd failed to oil either the meat or the grill. So half the chicken ripped off and what wasn't stuck fell onto the Lava rocks to become incinerated chicken nuggets that are now a permanent part of the barbecue. Oil was quickly applied to the remaining meat and then things went much better. However we'd set ourselves the task of  creating a Thai style chicken and mango salad, so while I wasn't doing the meat I had to help Julia with chopping all the veg and making the dressing. This involved a lot of running back and forth, in and out the house, and tripping over things in a Basil Faulty kind of way. It was a very hot evening to I was sweating like mad. Then by the time the meat was cooked and the outdoor table was finally prepared and looking all pretty and we were just getting ready to sit down to a perfect dinner al fresco (I was dripping with sweat and swearing my head off by this stage) wasps appeared!
Evil nasty drunk and disorderly wasps looking for a fight and a taste of the mango and the sweet chilli sauce.
Wasps everywhere, all across the world, are the natural born enemy of the barbecue man (or woman). How do you deal with them? Trying to whack one with a flip flop just makes it more angry! As does rolled up newspaper or wooden spoons or barbecue tongs - all useless.
We gave up and retreated inside to lick our wounds and eat our dinner. I now know why barbecue man is always seen with a beer in his hand - to deal with the stress.

The sunglasses are to hide the tears

In future I will plan my barbecue much better: get all instruments and cooking utensils ready, get the barbecue clean and prepared and fired up, assemble any salads well in advance, oil the meat, set the table and drink a lot lot lot more beer.

the fruit of our endeavour

before the wasps

Giant Flesh-Eating Kangaroos

Help!
They have discovered the remains of giant flesh-eating kangaroos in Queensland. According to reports these huge Kangaroos have long canine teeth like wolves, perfectly suited to tearing off flesh and crunching bone; and they gallop rather than hop. They roam the rain-forest in large groups, looking for prey. And not only that, they also found traces of what's being called 'the demon duck of doom.' The evidence points to some kind of massive water-foul that also eats meat. Julia and I were very scared when we first heard the news - we bolted all the doors and barricaded the windows. I was ready to jump on the next plane outa here. And I just know how worried all my little nieces and nephew back and Scotland would be. They specifically said 'don't get eaten by crocodiles OR giant kangaroos.' Then we discovered that these kangaroos died out about 15 million years ago. Phew! It is once again safe to come out from behind the sofa. I would like to reassure my little nieces and nephew that we are both safe and sound for now.

However on the news this morning there was a worrying article about snakes. Now we are into summer it is 'Snake Season'. Snakes love the heat and they love the sun. You have to particularly careful walking through long grass, where you might accidentally disturb one. Some of the most venomous snakes in Australia live in Victoria. The ones I am most likely to stand on in the next few months are:

The Red-bellied Black Snake - they can grown up to 2 meters, but are not too venomous
Australian Copperhead - can grow up to 1.5 meters, again only moderately venomous
Tiger Snake - these stripey snakes can grown up to 2 meters and a bite from one of them is very serious, however there is a tiger snake anti-venom available.
Brown Snake - about 1.5 meters in length, a bite from one of these and it's bye bye.

deadly brown snake

So what else have we been up to over the last week apart from fleeing deadly animals? Nothing very exciting. I had the hydrodilation injection in my shoulder last Thursday. It was fine. Not too sore at all. And it does seemed to have helped a little - I'm now getting more movement back in my shoulder day by day. I've had more physio treatment and today I'm going for my first hydrotherapy session in the local swimming pool.
Julia has been back at her doctor and the doc is really happy with how Julia and the baby are going. Only 3 weeks or so left! We've both been doing some Christmas shopping in the heat. Last week it was getting above 30C again. We needed the fan on in our bedroom overnight. This week it's a lot cooler, though the sun is still shining. Julia and her mum have been working on making a quilt for the new baby's bed. Julia's doing the design and Ange will sew it all together. At the weekend we went to Julia's sister, Nicole's, 40th Birthday Party at her house in Coburg. There was lovely food, plenty of nice sparkling wine and champagne and lots of kids running around.

And we got our Christmas tree!

For Zahra

one picture of Auntie Julia's pregnant belly as requested

Essendon and Beyond

I thought I'd take a moment to give you a better idea of Essendon and Melbourne in general and also show you some more pics. It's where we live!

Can you find Essendon?

Essendon is about 10km out of the CBD of Melbourne (Central Business District) to the North West. So we're in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne. The town of Essendon came into existence in the 19th Century (like most things in this country) as a stop on the way from Melbourne to the gold fields of Castle Maine. Since then it has been swallowed up as the city got bigger and bigger and now is just one more part of Melbourne. Nowadays Essendon is known as a middle class suburb; home to affluent families with 2 kids, a dog and a 4x4.  It is known for good schools and desirable (and expensive) property. Some of the blocks (house and garden) here are huge. Intermixed with the big houses are some small developments of flats and units. Some are nice, some less so. We're lucky to be in one of the nicer ones - though where our 5 houses/units stand there was probably just one big house before. Houses round here and across most of Melbourne are built in the classic Victorian or Edwardian styles. Which means they're built out of either weatherboard or red brick respectively. The weatherboard houses are very pretty.

Victorian style houses

Edwardian

Jacaranda in bloom

There is no one central shopping area in Essendon. The shops and banks are spread out over maybe 3 separate streets, quite far apart. Fortunately the main shopping strip in North Essendon is just 5 minutes walk from our house. Up this part of Mount Alexander Road is a mix of butchers, bakers, banks, grocers, post office, hairdressers, cafes and restaurants and beyond that is a Coles Supermarket where we do our food shopping. The tram also goes right up the middle of the street though rows of palm trees - I think this scenic image is unique to this area: I've seen it on postcards.

The Tram!

Essendon is also known for Essendon Airport which handles mainly small charter flights - throughout the day small aircraft and helicopters often buzz overheard, and the Essendon Bombers, the local AFL team. They have been one of the most successful teams in AFL history though I don't think they've won the grand final (as its called) recently.

A local specialist sweet shop

One of the great views in Essendon is that of the CBD from Mount Alexander road. Rising up in the hazy distance beyond the palm trees and tram lines you can see the gleaming towers of the City's financial center. This is the distinct city skyline you see in calenders - its quite striking, especially as the rest of the city is relatively flat.

We were both a bit worried about how we would adapt to city life when we arrived having lived in the deepest darkest parts of Fife for so long. How would we cope being back in a big bustling city of 4 million people?
The good thing about Melbourne is it somehow doesn't have this busy, built up feel to it. The city is so spread out, there are so few high rises beyond the center and there are so many parks and trees that the city feels more like one massive village surrounding the bristling skyscapers of the CBD. The emphasis here is on the word MASSIVE. Melbourne is huge. The suburbs stretch for miles and miles. You can drive for a couple of hours and still be in the suburbs. The scale of the place is mind boggling. And Melbourne just keeps getting bigger. Each year more and more new developments and suburbs spring up. Would you really want to commute 2hrs into the city center to work? Maybe not

Another distinctive feature of Melbourne is how multicultural it is and how much of a melting pot the city has become. Immigrant Italian and Greek communities have had a huge influence on the character of Melbourne and have shaped its culture ever since they arrived in the aftermath of the World War II. The city is known for its Italian and Greek food. Lygon Street is famous for the amount and quality of its Italian restaurants. Its the place to go for a plate of pasta. The Greeks and Italians have also left their mark on the city architecture - many houses are festooned with white columns, fountains and ornate plaster work as if they're trying to transform themselves into Grecian palaces or Roman villas. The other great gift the Greeks and Italians have brought to Melbourne is coffee. Melbournians love coffee and can get very snobbish about it. They may spend weeks searching cafes for that elusive perfect cup of coffee. I prefer tea myself. Julia loves coffee but hasn't felt like drinking it for the last 9 months, so I have been spared being dragged from cafe to cafe.

Essendon at sunset

Alongside the Mediterranean arrivals the other big and obvious influence is that of South East Asia - namely China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea. When I first walked through the city center I remarked on the large number of Japanese and Chinese tourists there were walking about. Then I realized that they were the locals and I was the tourist! The South East Asians make up an important part of the city. There is oodles and noodles of brilliant Asian restaurants representing every area of the orient. Sushi is everywhere; in mainstream shops and corner stores alike. I love Asian food so this is heaven for me. I can't wait to try out more restaurants at some distant time in the future when we get arranged with a babysitter. I would also like to give cooking more Asian food a go. There is a big China town in central Melbourne and when we finally go I will endeavor to take some pics and tell you more about the local food. Yum.

Other features of Melbourne? That would be the Yarra River, which isn't so much a river but a huge brown stream though it is beloved by Melbournians and is an important artery through the city. Big sports grounds - especially the fabled Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) which is one of the few buildings massive enough to rival the skyscrapers. And the traffic, oh god the traffic. I'm not looking forward to driving in Melbourne. The main roads and thorough-fairs and motorways crawl constantly with traffic. Its bumper to bumper stuff. Patience will be the key to survival. God bless public transport (I never thought I'd hear myself say that).

And beyond Melbourne is the rest of Victoria. Victoria is about the same size as the UK!  It has a population of about 5.5 million, so basically almost everyone lives in Melbourne and the country is sparsely populated with gun totting farmers and wild men (ok I exaggerated this bit). Victoria does feel like a state with a split personality and perhaps much of Australia is like this. Bustling metropolitan city or remote bush-land and farming country. The culture and fashions reflect this - Melbourne is very progressive and international in its views whereas the country is much more conservative. I suppose this could be true for any country but the division here is stark. Driving out of Melbourne can be like driving back in time. Where Julia and I had our honeymoon, in Eden (which is admittedly just over the border into New South Wales), stonewashed jeans and mullets abounded. We were back in the 80s. Driving further on I we would have reached the 50s and then the turn of the century where we'd find horse drawn plows and townspeople excited by the arrival of the newfangled steam train.
But rural Victoria is beautiful. Massive and beautiful. I look forward to escaping the city and exploring and I shall update you on our travels when we do.

So that is my experience of Essendon, Melbourne and Victoria in a nutshell. I have only just scratched the surface and there is still a lot more to discover. I'm looking forward to it.

why are Julia's photos so much better than mine?

House Warming

It is now officially the start of Summer in Australia and things are slowly hotting up. Summer begins on the 1st of December, just when all the Christmas decorations come out and trees go up. This has actually been one of the coldest starts to summer for many years being only about 17 or 18 degrees C. There was even snow in the Alpine region of Victoria. How can it be 35C one week and then snow the next? I can't work it out.


The last few days have been spent getting our furniture organized, unpacking the last of the boxes and cleaning the house properly. We had a small house warming party on Sunday for family and friends. Sorry you guys in the UK couldn't make it. It was a relaxed and leisurely affair. We had a platter of food, a chocolate cake and fairy bread and jelly slice for the kids (these are particular aussie favorites). Larry and Ange brought over a cabinet that belonged to Julia's nana and it has settled into our living room well. The place is really starting to feel like home now and we're both relieved all the packing is done.

We were back at the Obstetrician on Friday for a routine appointment. There are only 4 weeks to go before the baby is due (if it comes on time - may be more like 6 weeks). The doctor is happy with everything. Meanwhile I have been booked in for a hydrodilation injection in my left shoulder this Thursday which is going to hurt, but it should speed up my recovery.

My shoulder continues to get better by the day and I am luxuriating in my new found use of my left arm. I have been cooking (and cleaning), writing and brushing my teeth with my left arm. You do not realize how important these simple things are until you cannot do them! Next week I will hopefully get back to driving and I might even start tentatively looking out to see what kind of jobs are on the go. . .  for now though just one step at a time. Today I finally got my hair cut and no longer look like captain caveman. I went to a local greek guy called Stratos who used a naked razor blade to apply the finishing touches rather than the usual buzzer. I made sure I kept very very still.