Where's Our Stuff?

Our stuff is currently in customs in Melbourne Port. We got an email last week giving us an update on the progress of the shipping. We've paid the custom fees and now it is hopefully just a matter of them clearing the paperwork and we may get the delivery of our stuff even by the end of this week. We both can't wait. The novelty of sitting on the floor and using plastic cutlery wore off a while ago and now we are dreaming of comfy sofas and proper crockery and pictures to hang on the wall and books, books, lots of lovely books (more so me with the books). We are looking forward to putting our own stamp on the house, making it feel more like our home; especially as the baby is due in 7 weeks.

I went to see a physio last week as per the instructions of the surgeon. I explained the situation and she was very gentle with my tight elbow. Again I was braced for terrible pain afterwards, but was amazed to find things weren't too bad. The physio has managed to get more movement back in my elbow in a few days than I have over the last 3 months. She has even managed to get the darn sling loosened, and I might look forward to getting rid of it altogether for a while. I am due back to see the physio again tomorrow.

On Saturday Julia and I had our second and final baby parenting class. This time we focused on everything that happens after the baby arrives. We covered breast feeding, sleep, settling the baby, medical conditions to look out for and even how to deal with difficult family. It looks like we'll get lots of support at the hospital - Julia is booked in to stay for 5 nights after the baby comes. The real hard work will begin when we get home.

Julia has been busy catching up with her family and getting things ready for the baby. She had shopping trips last week with her mum, Nicole and Simone on separate days. She is thoroughly shopped out - she doesn't like shopping that much! We are also in the midst of planning how things will work when Julia goes into labour. We need to arrange transport to and from the hospital. We need to work out how to get the baby home when I can't drive. We need to think about food and shopping and housework. There is a lot still to do.

We got our home phone connected at the end of last week and we will email you all our land-line number in Melbourne soon. We'll also give you a budget international calls number which keeps down the cost of phone bills. You can normally find ways to phone for about 1p or 2p a minute.

Looking out the front door this morning

The weather has been nice over the last week. Perfect Spring weather - up to about 26C in the day and then cool at night. There have been blue skies most days with the odd shower. On Thursday night a big thunderstorm swept into Melbourne. We only got the edge of it here in Essendon. It was exciting to see the dark clouds pile up and the sky strobe with light. Thunder boomed over our heads and rain lashed down. Parts of the city were flooded. We don't get many thunderstorms in Scotland but here in Oz they come in often through the summer. I'm starting to understand better how the weather works here. It tend to roll in from the West, coming all the way from Perth and then Adelaide. You can often predict what the weather will be like in Melbourne tomorrow by seeing what the weather is doing in Adelaide that day. Southerly winds bring cold from the Antarctic. Northerly winds bring hot desert air from off the red center of Australia.

Here's another couple of interesting facts about Australia: the water flows anti-clockwise down the plug hole (back to front!) and they don't say 'flip flops' they say 'thongs'. If you said your thongs were sore in the UK you'd get some very funny looks.