AFL Final in a Small World
Yesterday saw Melbourne taken over by the biggest sporting event of the year – the AFL Grand Final. And an exciting match it was with just a single point differentiating the teams at the final whistle.
On Friday, the office had been decorated in the red and white livery of the Sydney Swans and there was a competition for the best-dressed supporter. In the end though, it was the West Coast Eagles that came through as the winners. Each team has a song that is played when they win. Unfortunately, the Eagles were formed in the eighties, so their theme song is particularly dire!
Read onFitzroy Dogs
I headed to Fitzroy last night to hook up with Charlie. I randomly bumped into Charlie (who I know from London) when I was last here, proving that the world is indeed a small place. There is a certain amount of reassurance in having an English friend over here.
I met Charlie in Black Cat, a bar remniscent of my old haunts in Old Street where the atmosphere is laid-back and the music varied. We drank jugs of beer and discussed the finer details of living as an expat in Melbourne (read, the accent “works”).
Read onNew Flat?
I put in an offer to rent an apartment today. The building that it’s in looks somewhat like the logo of this site! It’s in the CBD, right in the middle of the city.
Things I like about it:
- The location – very central and next to a tram line that’s easy to get to work on.
- The kitchen – it has an island and a dishwasher; what more can I say.
- It’s furnished – the only furnished flat I’ve seen so far, which works out a lot cheaper than renting furniture and white goods.
- The bathroom – well fitted out and a big shower.
- Gym, pool and spa.
Settling in at Work
I’ve been at work for two full days now. The picture is of my “cubicle”. It’s very grey and Office Space looking! Actually, it’s not really a cubicle – more of a corner desk with dividers. Anyway, it’s a lot bigger than my old desk in our London office!
I’m still without a phone because the IT guys didn’t know I was coming but that should be sorted soon. I have an Australian mobile number now, so get in contact if you want that.
Flat Finding
This picture is the view from one of the apartments I saw today, on the 13th floor of a building in the CBD. Unfortunately, there was barely room to even fit a sofa in there so I’ll be giving it a miss.
Work starts tomorrow, which doesn’t give me a lot of spare time to look at flats but there seem to be plenty about about so weekends and lunchtimes should allow enough time.
The First Day
It took a while but I finally finished the long journey to Melbourne. Knowing that Steve’s party was in full swing made the three hour delay at Heathrow all the more painful.
I’m now in a 4am wrestle with jet lag but hopefully writing this post will put me in a more settled mood. I’ll be arranging some apartment viewings in the morning. I’m still undecided as to whether I should share or not but there don’t seem to be too many shared places on the market at the moment so perhaps my fate will be decided for me.
Let me know if you notice any glitches with the site – I’m still tweaking the templates a bit.