Victoria Market

My parents are here! They arrived on Sunday morning after the long flight from Edinburgh via Manchester and Doha. They have coped admirably with the jet-lag and are almost feeling back to normal. Isla has enjoyed meeting her Scottish Granny and Grandpa - my mum has had lots of cuddles with her. It's great for me to see them too. This is the first time they have seen me in my new role as a dad. They are here for 2 weeks and we don't have too much planned. We just want to catch up and let them see Isla as much as possible. If the weather's nice we'll try and have lots of barbecues and trips to the park. My mum and dad are enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures - it is still winter back in Scotland.

Yesterday I went into the CBD with my parents on the tram. We had a look round the immigration museum, went for coffee on the South Bank and then had a quick look round Federation Square. The immigration museum had a really interesting display on Child Migration from the UK to Australia over the last two centuries. So called Orphan children were rounded up and sent to live in children's homes and institutions all round Australia. Normally they weren't orphaned children at all but came from families too poor to care for their own. It was considered to be a great solution for both countries as Australia was desperate for more immigrants from 'home'. The children were treated terribly and often suffered abuse at the hands of their carers. This practice went on right up until the 1960s which is almost hard to believe. The exhibition was very well done and quite moving.

Today we took the tram down to Victoria Market and this time Julia and Isla came with us. I wouldn't recommend taking a baby and pram on the tram! It was difficult getting on and difficult getting off and the pram blocked half the aisle of the tram. At least Isla didn't seem too bothered about it.
    Victoria Market is the largest open air Market in the Southern Hemisphere covering around 17 acres. It dates back to the 1850s and is named after Queen Victoria of course. It is popular with locals and tourists alike in Melbourne and I would recommend a visit if you're in the vicinity. It consists of big warehouses full of aisles of stores and stalls selling absolutely everything under the sun. It is especially famous for its seafood, deli food and fresh cheap vegetables. It is a great example of how multicultural a city Melbourne is and each culture has brought with it it's own distinct cuisine. It's also a lot cheaper than the supermarkets. We filled up our shopping bags with giant tiger prawns, blue-grenadier fillets, lamb chops, stuffed olives, Tasmanian brie, eye fillet steak and fresh tomatoes and bananas. Next I go back I might be a little braver and try some of the amazing looking crabs, crayfish and Morton Bay Bugs.

Glasgow Kiss

Thanks for the T-shirt Ali, it is Isla's favourite

We now know that Isla is definitely Scottish as she has perfected the art of the Glasgow Kiss. You lift her up for a cuddle when she's all nice and sleepy, her head lolls around for a moment and then suddenly snaps back and goes flying into your face. I almost lost my two upper central incisors the other day. She strikes most when you are not expecting it. The secret is to give her affection at arms length, that way you can stay clear of the head butts and projectile vomiting. Aside from the odd mishap, Isla is going great guns. She is a month old already! She is still feeding and sleeping relatively well - sometimes she can even sleep up to 4 hours at a time. Other times she is doing the usual baby thing of grunting and groaning and being unsettled for no apparent reason. Babies are a mystery.
She now opens her eyes a lot more and she has been doing some little smiles (mainly to her mother much to my annoyance - it's never too early to start competing for your child's love). While it's nice that she can look us in the eye and smile, it does mean that when we're putting her to sleep her eyes are wide open watching everything we do when she should be snoozing. I've discovered if I put her in the cot and then commando crawl out the room on my belly she cannot get a lock on my position and quickly forgets all about me.

The week before last we took another trip up to Ballarat to stay with Julia's parents. It was our first holiday with Isla and things went very well. She didn't sleep good the first night but was great for the next two. Isla got to meet some of her Great Australian Aunties and Uncles. Everyone was excited to see the new baby. Ange enjoyed getting to spend extra time with Isla and it meant Julia and I could have a rest from nappy changing duties. It was cooler in Ballarat than it has been in Melbourne recently and I even had to put a jumper on. We went into town one day and I picked up some new running shoes - I have been running everyday since. After my most recent shoulder injury and incapacitation it is brilliant to feel that I'm starting to get fit again.

The weekend after Ballarat I went out to the football with Paul (see my previous blog "Fitba"). What I didn't mention in that piece was that I made the mistake of trying to keep up with Paul in beer consumption. I was incredibly hung over the next day and discovered that hang-overs and babies do not mix. It is not an experience I wish to repeat and I don't think Isla enjoyed it much either. It took me 2 days to recover from Saturday night!

Last week I was doing paper work and more job hunting. The job situation is still slow and I'm getting restless and frustrated. Julia is also getting restless and frustrated with me. I think we've done well living with each other 24/7 for some four months now but we are getting to the point where we need a bit of space to ourselves or we will strangle each other. I am desperate to get back to work now. Next week I plan to contact some of the bigger Dental Practices in my area to see if they have any part or full-time positions available. I'm sure the right job will come along soon enough and I just have to be patient. I'm also hoping to get involved in some local hobby or sports groups - I'm looking forward to making new friends but I know the process will be a slow one.To compensate for my lack of dentistry I've been cooking more and more elaborate meals to give me something I do. I'm not sure what Julia makes of the masterpieces I present to her each night. I've been making her eat lots of weird Indonesian recipes I got from a book I was given at Christmas and the other day I made pizza from scratch (yes - including making the base). The kitchen looked like a bomb-site afterwords. Paul, Simone and Claire came round to visit on Friday and we had fish and chips. It was a welcome change from all the crazy cooking.

A big thank you again to all the presents for Isla we received from Scotland - a lot of them arrived just last week. Isla is most impressed with all the new stuff, though I have told her not to get used to it. It is the Age of Austerity after all.

je m'apelle Isla

THANK YOU!