Smokey City
Victoria is being hit by lots of bush fires at the moment and I woke up this morning to the view in this photo. The entire city is shrouded in smoke, although it doesn’t smell as strong as you might expect.
My brain can’t adjust to a December in summer. Even though I’m totally aware on a conscious level, I get an uneasy and confused feeling every time I hear a Christmas song while it’s thirty-something degrees outside!
We have our work Christmas party next week, which should be a lot of fun going by the last two that I went to. They are rather extravagant affairs with people flying in from all over the world to attend. The only problem I have with this year’s event is the theme – Hollywood. It’s a tough theme. Any ideas?
Racing
The last couple of weeks have been all about racing. After winning at the Seymour Cup I lost all that money at Derby Day last Saturday! I was still standing at the end of the day, which is clearly not traditional for this particular day in Melbourne’s calendar, so I met Charlie for a fairly relaxed time at Tony Starr’s Kitten Club and hoped the others would find their way home.
The next day, having not had enough sleep, I went karting with a couple of guys from work. One of them has his own 100cc kart, similar to ones that I’d driven when I was at Imperial but that was a long time ago and I’d all but forgotten the experience. These things are in a whole different league to the type of karts that you might hire at a track – all I can say is they’re fast and a whole lot of fun! Not to mention hard work. I’m still aching four days later.
Winning Ticket
Seymour was the setting for the most recent cup in the Spring Carnival horse racing series. I travelled the 100km to this country town early on Sunday morning with Erin and Stephen. The day started off well, with Champagne in the rising sun. The local girls put on an impressive display of hats and frocks, in stark contrast to the largely casual dress of the men. Stephen and I felt good standing out in our sharp suits. I felt even better when my horse came in a winner!
My broadband connection at home is finally connected so hopefully I’ll be posting a bit more often than of late.
Room with a View
My new flat is really feeling like home now that I’ve stocked it with the essentials. I took this photo from my balcony last night but it needs a wider angle lens for the full effect. There aren’t actually any blinds on my windows but the omnipresent view far outweighs the lack of privacy.
Last Friday was a busy night, starting off in the cafe across the road from work, then on to meet Erin and Stephen in St Kilda where we were joined by Adrian and, finally, I rejoined the work crowd back in the city. Phew!
Read onLeaving Lennox
The apartment that I mentioned in my previous post is now mine. This photo is a view of my new home in the CBD from my old home, Lennox Street. The electricity’s not on yet, so I’m staying put tonight but tomorrow I’ll be bidding farewell to Lennox Street.
I’m not sure why I said the views aren’t very good from my new flat – it actually has a completely unobstructed view of the city from the balcony! I can’t wait to see it at night. Unfortunately, although the view improved on second viewing, the furniture didn’t. I can live with that though.
Oh, and I have a sofabed, so get your bookings in while there’s room :-)
Botanical Babies
Matt and Fred invited me over to Toorak Road today for a spot of lunch and a walk in the Botanic Gardens with their triplets, who are only three months old and cry a lot. They have a three-across pram that barely fits on the pavement and provokes some very surprised stares from passers by. Sometimes, Fred carries one of them in a sling whilst pushing the pram, making the entourage look like quads!
Travelling with a baby makes you instantly approachable by any woman, old person (especially old women!) or Japanese tourist; travelling with three babies increases your chances of being mobbed several times over!