Mail!

I was having a good day; worked out, talked to mom & dad, shopped at the Queen Vic Market, had lots of coffee AND THEN...
I got my first official piece of mail! Yay! It was my insurance confirmation, sent on July 15th from Ohio. Until now, I had only gotten a newsletter from the wine club I joined.
Maybe now I can get a library card!

Webcam!

Best thing ever! Makes it seem like I am not on the other side of the world!

Left Is Right

People drive on the left here. The driver's side of the vehicle is on the right hand side. Someone told me when they first got here they kept thinking the cars looked like no one was driving them.
It's critical to know left is right, especially when crossing the road.
At first, I kept walking on the right side of the sidewalk and I was like a fish going upstream. Even when on escalators, the waiters stand on the left and let the walkers pass on the right.

Public Ablution Rooms...ahhh.

One thing I find extremely helpful, is the frequency and convenience of public restrooms. Almost any city park will have a flushing toilet.
In downtown Melbourne, there are still many above ground loos, which was how it all started back in 1859. That was when the first one was erected on a corner near a post office. It would be another 40-50 years before the women could enjoy the convenience of the public restroom. Now, most of the above ground facilities have been modified to cater to either sex.
Until the 80's, the city subscribed to the underground restroom system, as you would have seen in the UK. I have noticed several of those once upon a time staircases completely sealed off with only the sign and wrought iron railing remaining. Upkeep was the main issue for their closure, as the traffic of the city grew in volume.
Don't forget the hand sanitizer!

Stuff makes me happy

It happened so conveniently. Americans move home, leaving things they no longer need, I pay them for these things, and wah-la, we now have an *awesome* apartment!
Sort of by happenstance, I met Mark and Nikki on a meet up group for Expats. The sad thing was that I met them at the tail end of their Aussie stint. I spent their last day with them out and about it Melbourne. They are great people, so much fun!
Anyway, for a small investment, I practically got a complete kitchen, minus the major appliances, and all of the creature comforts girls like and boys don't care about!
I love throw pillows for the couch! Every sofa should have them. And a blanky. Every couch should have a blanky! Lamps, geez, you totally need a lamp or two. Let's not forget the vacuum! I don't love to vacuum, but I love the outcome. They were getting rid of everything that I couldn't easily find it the thrift stores. It was brilliant.
I spent all day Thursday unpacking bags of the stuff and putting it in it's new home. It felt like Christmas!
Last week was a great example of "if you're patient, you just might get what you want"...After the stuff arrived on Wednesday, Jim later scored a rolling car with shelves out by our rubbish area. It wasn't in the garbage, just rolled next to it; great condition and free. Exactly what we needed too, along with all the other stuff. There's no place like (Australian) home.

Queen Victoria Market

Jim commented about this on his blog, but I was there again today.
It is also somewhat of a flea market too. I scored a wristwatch with a stop watch for $15.
According to our new German friends, the market is apparently mad busy with rock bottom prices at the end of close on Saturday. Sunday is good. But not as good as Saturday.
I was on the 1/2 price 2 hr train ticket so I had to get down to business. The fruit and veggie market is like the biggest farmer's market you have seen. Inside is the meat/seafood and deli section. I think I spent about $70 (including the watch) but got chicken, fresh orange roughy, deli ham, minced chicken (eh?), and a ton of fruits and veggies. I guess my hand cart is a trolley, so I loaded up the trolley and was back on the train in an hour and 1/2.

Shrine of Remebrance

I was out exploring last Thursday and ended up making an accidental find. I was meandering through the Royal Botanical Gardens and saw this big granite building. When I went to check it out. It had stairs, so I climbed those and walked around on it. As I came to the back, I noticed you could actually go under or inside it.
It was free! That was the first thing I liked, but it was also educational and that was nice too. It was the Shrine of Remembrance, erected in 1934 for the soldier of Victoria who fought in WWI. There is an eternal flame and monument on the premises for the WWII veterans as well. After watching a short video, I was guided on a private tour by Keith, a volunteer. He showed me everything there was to see. Awesome.