breaking the drought (part the second)
As with all predictions on ends of droughts, the last forecast was a little over-optimistic. Not quite as over-optimistic as Melbourne's water planners - we've gone below 30% reservoir capacity two weeks ago (45% when I got here), not enough rain, so we'll be drinking recycled piss in about six months time (already doing it in Brisbane).
Moved into a very nice house, top of a hill in Richmond (house! only neighbours one side and made of solid enough construction we (me and J from last place) can't hear the neighbours (unless they shout, which they do rarely).) We've got a yard rather than a garden, but it does have a workshed, a lemon tree and access to some of our neighbour's pomegranates. It feels comfy to come back to in the evenings.
Which I sometimes do - I've brought in a 'not after seven' policy on work after pretty much running myself into the ground a month ago. Still ended up doing a couple of weekends at the end of this episode, but they were tolerable as I'd had enough sleep and food in the leadup.
My ma visited for a few weeks around Easter - she got to stay in the spare room (note for any of yers thinking of dropping by). Demonstrated how big Australia is - yes the Great Ocean Road is very pretty, but it's like driving to Torquay from Birmingham to go for a daytrip to the seaside. Went to Healsville Sanctuary , an Aussie wildlife centre and saw platypuses (platypi?) and Tasmanian Devils (I want! - they're like staffies but with much bigger jaws and heads).
Outside of work I've been:
Sailing - at an open day of the St Kilda yacht club and as I thought I would, I enjoyed it. Got someone who's probably willing to have me along as novice crew at some point. So - learn to sail, next task (after learning enough terminology to understand yelled instructions).
Climbing - still going, found a bouldering gym round the corner from my house, been with K my climbing partner and boy did I ache the morning after - way more tiring than climbing. Gone up to about a 15 from 11, which probably is 5C from 5B I reckon. Need to work on stamina stuff.
Acting - come to the end of the 12 week short course at the National Theatre, which was run by a guy called David Myles who's directed at the UK National and, of course, this being Melbourne, on Neighbours. It was good fun, occasional points where I really managed to spark off other people and get it working between us. Going to do a short 15 minute piece at someone's birthday with a few of the people, probably do more after that. Went to a play directed by Dave, which I enjoyed.
Eating out - very difficult to have a bad meal in Melbourne - most European national foods are around, plus East Asian, (entire Vietnamese food street near me in Richmond) and most places are owner-run so folk are friendly and genuinely interested in whether you've enjoyed your food. Good meal for a fiver typically. Managed to find the Yeah Maan Rastaraunt to get some Caribbean food, although ackee can't be got in Aus apparently. Really good Japanese places, still trying to find a quality Indian - though I've been told where there may be one. Tea and cake has become a kind of ritualized meeting with D & E of a late evening, places like Brunetti
Goth stuff - not as often as I'd like - most places here open around 10/11pm and as I like daylight, I tend to leave early enough to get up in the mornings (and quite often am at work on Saturday mornings). Also don't know that many people who like dancing to badly mixed 80s/techno. Went to Resurrect, a suspension event run by the Hanged Man team, which was a bit like going to a meditation centre full of spiky people.
Getting tattooed - finally started. After a lot of trying to get the design finalised, trying to get a Rackham/ deco water to look right, we've gone with basically what I've wanted on my back since I was 18. Last week (six month waiting list) was a half day off work, lots of blue carbon stencilling (repositioned three times), then three hours of sitting on a massage chair whilst having a sharp implement dragged through my skin. Which hurt as much or as little as you might expect. The most uncomfortable bit I found was starting to get achy legs from sitting in one position so long and thinking "hmmm... I'll need to have a toilet break" towards the end. Got the outline done and about an eighth of the shading. I'm happy so far and no-one else will ever give me a truly honest opinion, so it's good for me. Now feeling a little sunburnt, a little healing itchy, and greasy from the four times a day lanolin based nappy rash cream I need to apply for the next week and a half. Ever tried putting suntan lotion on your back with no help? - like that only more fiddly and sticky.
Seeing films at Australian Centre for the Moving Image - they had a punk(ish) season, saw Suburbia, Repo Man and probably best, Made in Britain - and will be showing 'Turpie' as part of the Melbourne International Animation Festival (it also got into the Australian International run by the same people, but couldn't go to that as I was working last weekend).
And I think that's it. I got told (by SS, back in Montserrat half a lifetime ago) that on moving abroad you have six months of thinking the new place is terrible compared with where you're from, three months of being convinced it's much better, then settle down to seeing that both places have good and bad points to some degree or another (or stay permanently locked in 'new = good'). I think I'm starting to move into the three months (mainly based on the quality of cake), but it will be good to see people when I'm back in August (which should coincide with the even-out point).
Moved into a very nice house, top of a hill in Richmond (house! only neighbours one side and made of solid enough construction we (me and J from last place) can't hear the neighbours (unless they shout, which they do rarely).) We've got a yard rather than a garden, but it does have a workshed, a lemon tree and access to some of our neighbour's pomegranates. It feels comfy to come back to in the evenings.
Which I sometimes do - I've brought in a 'not after seven' policy on work after pretty much running myself into the ground a month ago. Still ended up doing a couple of weekends at the end of this episode, but they were tolerable as I'd had enough sleep and food in the leadup.
My ma visited for a few weeks around Easter - she got to stay in the spare room (note for any of yers thinking of dropping by). Demonstrated how big Australia is - yes the Great Ocean Road is very pretty, but it's like driving to Torquay from Birmingham to go for a daytrip to the seaside. Went to Healsville Sanctuary , an Aussie wildlife centre and saw platypuses (platypi?) and Tasmanian Devils (I want! - they're like staffies but with much bigger jaws and heads).
Outside of work I've been:
Sailing - at an open day of the St Kilda yacht club and as I thought I would, I enjoyed it. Got someone who's probably willing to have me along as novice crew at some point. So - learn to sail, next task (after learning enough terminology to understand yelled instructions).
Climbing - still going, found a bouldering gym round the corner from my house, been with K my climbing partner and boy did I ache the morning after - way more tiring than climbing. Gone up to about a 15 from 11, which probably is 5C from 5B I reckon. Need to work on stamina stuff.
Acting - come to the end of the 12 week short course at the National Theatre, which was run by a guy called David Myles who's directed at the UK National and, of course, this being Melbourne, on Neighbours. It was good fun, occasional points where I really managed to spark off other people and get it working between us. Going to do a short 15 minute piece at someone's birthday with a few of the people, probably do more after that. Went to a play directed by Dave, which I enjoyed.
Eating out - very difficult to have a bad meal in Melbourne - most European national foods are around, plus East Asian, (entire Vietnamese food street near me in Richmond) and most places are owner-run so folk are friendly and genuinely interested in whether you've enjoyed your food. Good meal for a fiver typically. Managed to find the Yeah Maan Rastaraunt to get some Caribbean food, although ackee can't be got in Aus apparently. Really good Japanese places, still trying to find a quality Indian - though I've been told where there may be one. Tea and cake has become a kind of ritualized meeting with D & E of a late evening, places like Brunetti
Goth stuff - not as often as I'd like - most places here open around 10/11pm and as I like daylight, I tend to leave early enough to get up in the mornings (and quite often am at work on Saturday mornings). Also don't know that many people who like dancing to badly mixed 80s/techno. Went to Resurrect, a suspension event run by the Hanged Man team, which was a bit like going to a meditation centre full of spiky people.
Getting tattooed - finally started. After a lot of trying to get the design finalised, trying to get a Rackham/ deco water to look right, we've gone with basically what I've wanted on my back since I was 18. Last week (six month waiting list) was a half day off work, lots of blue carbon stencilling (repositioned three times), then three hours of sitting on a massage chair whilst having a sharp implement dragged through my skin. Which hurt as much or as little as you might expect. The most uncomfortable bit I found was starting to get achy legs from sitting in one position so long and thinking "hmmm... I'll need to have a toilet break" towards the end. Got the outline done and about an eighth of the shading. I'm happy so far and no-one else will ever give me a truly honest opinion, so it's good for me. Now feeling a little sunburnt, a little healing itchy, and greasy from the four times a day lanolin based nappy rash cream I need to apply for the next week and a half. Ever tried putting suntan lotion on your back with no help? - like that only more fiddly and sticky.
Seeing films at Australian Centre for the Moving Image - they had a punk(ish) season, saw Suburbia, Repo Man and probably best, Made in Britain - and will be showing 'Turpie' as part of the Melbourne International Animation Festival (it also got into the Australian International run by the same people, but couldn't go to that as I was working last weekend).
And I think that's it. I got told (by SS, back in Montserrat half a lifetime ago) that on moving abroad you have six months of thinking the new place is terrible compared with where you're from, three months of being convinced it's much better, then settle down to seeing that both places have good and bad points to some degree or another (or stay permanently locked in 'new = good'). I think I'm starting to move into the three months (mainly based on the quality of cake), but it will be good to see people when I'm back in August (which should coincide with the even-out point).