G'Day!

G'day! How ya goin'?
Come in, pull up a chair why don't you, though right now there's not an awful lot to sit on - just a couple of dusty old camp chairs or the floor.
I'll put the kettle on and we can have a cup of tea and a chat. Though the way this works it'll be me me doing most of the talking. But I've got lots to say. Let me tell you all about our new life in Australia so far.
The kettle's boiled! Tea? Milk? Sugar? Lets take our camp chairs out the back so we can sit in the courtyard. It's a beautiful spring day in Melbourne. There's blossom on the trees, blue skies, sunshine and a cool breeze. Sorry about the weeds. We've only just moved in and there's still quite a lot to do. The house is rather bare but at least we have electricity, hot water and a bed. And hopefully soon our furniture will arrive having made the long journey over the high seas. In the meantime we're just making do.
How's your tea? Biscuit? That noise? That's the bell on the tram on Mount Alexander Road as it heads into the city. If you look up you'll see a plane soaring overhead. They fly all day. We're only minutes from the airport.
Its nice to sit back and relax after a busy few weeks. The trees are creaking in the breeze. Birds are chirping and squawking, just don't ask me what kind they are yet. We've only just arrived and there's so much to learn.
OK. Where to begin?

Let me start by saying that this blog is an experiment for me. It's intended only for family and friends so if you are neither stop reading now! I thought this blog might be a good way of keeping everyone back home up to date with our lives in Australia. I'll tell you what we've been up to, show you some pictures and share some thoughts. It's also a good discipline to keep me writing on a regular basis. At the moment I've no idea of how often I'll blog or how long I can keep it going for, but I will certainly give it my best shot. Also I haven't bothered to research blogging rules, styles or etiquette so I will really just be making it up as I go along and seeing what happens.

Next I should get you up to date with our progress so far. We saw most of you in the week before we left but quite a bit has happened in that time. Don't worry - I'm not going to dwell on every detail but a brief recap would be helpful.

So a man with his arm in a sling and a woman 7 months pregnant flew out of Edinburgh Airport on the 16th of October. We were quite the comedy couple on the plane in our respective 'conditions' but despite our apprehensions the long flight to Oz turned out fine. In fact our situation has its advantages; the little stewardess at Hong Kong Airport took one look at us and then rushed us to the front of the que to get on the plane first. We both spent the flight dozing, eating and watching TV. We arrived in Melbourne on a crisp, cold Tuesday morning, tired but excited about our new start.

We spent the first few days staying with Julia's sister Nicole, her husband Mark and their 3 girls. As usual the first week in Australia is a blur of jet lag and disorientation. Julia was able to see a local Doctor to get a letter of referral and then we had her first hospital visit to meet the Obstetrician at St Vincents Hospital. We had a scan straight away and I'm glad to say that everything is fine with the baby. I plan to give you a proper description of health care in Australia when I've got more time but it is very different from the NHS.

Last week we also picked up the keys to our new house. THANK YOU SIMONE! Julia's sister, Simone, spent weeks house hunting on our behalf and has found the perfect base for us to begin our new life. It's a 2 bedroom unit in Essendon located near trams, trains, shops and restaurants. There's plenty of space, its very quiet and there's an outdoor courtyard where I can look forward to having my first BBQ.
Paul and Simone were also kind enough to lend us their car at the weekend. We drove up to Ballarat to see Julia's parents, Larry and Ange. They took good care of us, ensuring we got plenty of sleep, food and rest. Then we returned to Melbourne for another night with Mark and Nicole. They day after we moved into our new house.

THANK YOU again to everyone who has helped over the last week. Thanks to Mark and Nicole for having us stay, thanks to my mum and dad for driving us to the airport, thanks to Simone for picking us up from the airport. Thanks to Larry and Ange and Paul for helping us move in. Thanks for the fridge and the bed and the chairs and the TV! We seem to be living much on the generosity of others over the last few weeks. Julia and I and the bump really do appreciate all of it. The first night in our new home was very special. We now feel we're starting to get our feet on the ground.

Yesterday was spent back in the city center getting various jobs done: another scan at the hospital (all good), getting me a medicare card, arranging broadband and phones, going to the post office. The weather has gone from thunder storms to cool and cloudy to beautiful sunshine. Today has been our first day for a long time doing nothing. Though actually it turns out there's plenty to do.

So that's about it for the moment. Humble beginnings but lots to look forward to. All we need to do now is get this damn shoulder sorted and prepare for the baby coming.

We'll keep you posted.