Marshs Down Under

Can you believe it has been 3 months since we arrived in Melbourne? The time has passed so quickly, soon be Christmas and Sam & Tom will be here!

Well, we haven’t played tennis since my last blog update, the weather has been very wet and the courts have been waterlogged.It has rained at some point every day for the last week, on some days raining constantly! They announced on the news that the water restrictions will be lifted in spring, think it’s the first time that’s happened in a while, but  at least I’ll be able to wash the car! Don’t think I would have been able to play tennis properly though as I have injured my ankle. Went for a 3o min run at the gym and felt my ankle twinging a little, later on it really swelled up and has been painful to walk on ever since. Chiro thinks it’s where the ligament inserts into ankle, probably caused by poor trainers, so I have bought some Asics trainers, if I ever get to use them, as its 10 days now and doesn’t feel like its getting any better- so much for keeping fit!!

Had a nice weekend, tried Aussie fish & Chips last Fri (chippy tea night). A bit different here, you have a choice of 6 different fish, and they batter and deep fry it or breadcrumb it and grill it, much healthier. The chips of course just aren’t the same, but then if the boys have to come back up north for ‘proper’ chips, not much chance of getting them at the other side of the world! Went out for a meal on Saturday evening with Patrick & Michele, our neighbours from Sandringham, to an Indian restaurant in Hampton, it was really nice and was similar to English Indian food- no Irish heartburn afterwards! Ellie had a sleepover, her friend Maddie and Georgia came over, they had pizza delivered and watched a film. Sunday we went into the city, Steve went to watch Melbourne strorm ( rugby league) and we went shopping on our own. We did well, didn’ t get lost and managed the train routes ok, but the weather turned, sky went black and wind really whipped up so we made an escape and got inside just as the hail storm started! Steve said they had to stop the match as all the advertising boards blew across the pitch and everyone ran for cover!

Ellie has found a new footy team for Steve to support, they are top of the league and are called Collingwood Magpies as their colours are black and white, but at least he can shout for the ‘pies’ instead of saints!! Much happier…

Went to Ellie’s school on Thursday evening, an information night on choosing their electives (options). They don’t start their actual VCE work  until year 11 &12, so leave school at 18, then go straight into Uni then. The VCE is in-between GCSE and A level standard apparently. We have just completed an application form for a part scholarship into one of the top girls grammar schools in the area, but she has to sit a test etc, and then if she does get a place, whether we can afford the fees, but it’s worth a try.

Not heard anything on the job front yet, so I have decided that it is my destiny to be a lady of leisure! I phoned the district nurses and they thought that I needed to be sponsored by them, so I have put them right so things should move on now. They did say they are getting another 10 sponsored positions, so any of you DN’s that fancy coming over, the RDNS over here will sponsor you, airfares etc and you could be here in 8 weeks!

We have just booked a weekend away in the country, it is a spa town with natural springs and beautiful day spas and treatments, in a lovely studio cottage in its own grounds overlooking the Wombat forest, it’s a place called Daylesford.We have our own jacuzzi, but have booked into the ‘bath house’ for 2 hours in the sanctuary – steam rooms, water jets etc, then 60 min relaxation massage, cant wait. This is our treat to celebrate our silver wedding anniversay on 24th Aug, Ellie is staying at Maddies. It was Sam’s birthday also on 5th Aug, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM!!!! Poor lad hasn’t got any birthday cards yet, they are coming back t’North at the weekend though, hopefully will catch up with family and get his cards then, got his state of origin stuff I sent over though, that’s good.It’s very hard when its a special occasion and you are so far away.

Hope you are all keeping well, I believe the weather has not been much better over there, staying light until nearly 6pm now, and daylight saving starts early Oct here so will be lighter ’til later, cant wait!!!

Well, had my first tennis lesson, went quite well, I only hit 3 balls completely over the high nets and out of the court, it looks so easy on TV! My arm and wrist are aching now, should just recover in time for the next lesson. Think Steve may have a go also, its a very casual tennis club and have social events also, when it gets lighter in the evenings we can go after work. I’ve been keeping my running up also, jogging along the coast pathway overlooking the beach is beautiful, there are so many joggers, usually looking much more serene and less red than me though!

Went into the city on Saturday, we walked through the Crown Towers hotel, which is where Tiger woods and all the other famous people stay when in Melbourne. It is very posh, has its own casino (they call the machines ‘pokies’ here) and is very like the big hotels in Las Vegas. We also went to Victoria market again, Steve had a leather belt made to measure choosing his own buckle etc for only $20,bought some stubby holders as well, an guesses??

They are neoprene type jackets that cover the bottom 2/3 of your small bottle of beer (stubby), prevent your hands warming up your beer,  most important in Australia!

When you walk around the city a few times you begin to realise why the Aussies love the history of the UK, there are not many historical buildings. We walked past a wall plaque that identified the place where the first building was sited in Melbourne, in 1835! The advantage of it being a new city though is that it is arranged on a grid system like America with blocks, you can get around really easy, the roads are the same, at least 3 ways of getting to any destination. Probably why there are no traffic jams, and if there is a crash, just U turn (they are big on those here, even have dedicated U turn lanes) and off you go!

Melbourne was brought to a standstill on Tuesday, a cable had broken on the train line and no trains could go anywhere. Steve had to take the car to work, luckily I didn’t need it, but as way of apology, they have offered everyone free train travel tomorrow.

Haven’t heard anything about the jobs I applied for yet, probably the typical laid back Aussie attitude. I phoned the practice and she said she hadn’t had time to speak to the doctor yet, but not to worry as she would. If I don’t hear soon, I will just join the agency and do hospital work.

Was chatting to another Brit the other day. He came to adjust the patio doors and other doors as they wouldn’t lock. Turns out he was from Hale in Manchester, been here 2 years. He overheard me moaning to the project manager about tradesmen not turning up when I had waited in all day and he chipped in “welcome to Australia, they’re all the bloody same!” He has found it strange adjusting into his job as the PVC windows and doors here are a good 10 – 15 years behind the UK, very basic. Mind you, when most of the houses are built from timber with tin roofs, why would you put plastic windows in!! They just demolish the houses after 30 years and rebuild, it’s really nice though that no two houses are the same, you get some stunning homes and the next block of land has a little shed type home. Ellie was showing some of her friends where we lived in the UK and they were fascinated  that all the houses look the same,” just like the opening scenes of the first Harry Potter movie, when he flies over the roof tops”. They asked how  she knew which was her house! I know we lived on an estate but it wasn’t that bad was it?

We have just had a couple of lovely days, the temp got up to 17 deg, clear blue skies and I was relaxing on the lounger in the garden, not bad for winter! The first day of spring is Sept 1st, starts getting hotter then apparently, bit grey and drizzly today.

Just got back from Xmas in July, quite a strange experience. We went to a restaurant called ‘Cuckoo’ which looked like a Bavarian lodge, there were  17 of us. There were lots of christmas decorations and a tree, but that’s as far as the Xmas theme went.It was basically a Bavarian thigh slapping, yodaling (how do you spell that?) affair, we sang along to the song out of sound of music (Do-a-Deer etc!), with the singers in their ladenhosen, jingling cowbells. We laughed so much, they thought we were really enjoying their show and said we could buy their DVD if we liked! The food was good though, and we had a good time at  the aptly named restaurant! Afterwards we went to the little village of Sassafrat, bit like Grange over sands, tea rooms and gift shops. The area was really nice, very Lake district – called Dandenong Ranges, it is a national park, quite high up, much cooler, and lots of trees, just like Grizedale forest really, so it is in an area that we will definatley exploring more, and its only a 40 min drive away.

The house is getting there, we have heat now, though its not great, have bought bar stools for breakfast bar and bedside cabinets, just waiting on delivery of a low level entertainment unit for living room, and our new bed has arrived, called a queen size in Aus, but equal to kingsize in UK. A lot of Aussies get king or superking (6ft6″ wide) but it would never fit in a UK house when we come home!

Have put my application in for the district nursing bank, and went to speak to practice manager. The nurses over here only get 4 weeks annual leave plus bank hols (8), so said that I may need more hols for christmas when Sam & Tom are over, or when we come home on hols, so she will speak to the doctor who manages the nurses when he is in on Tue. If that doesnt work out I will just try to work casually.

Ellie had her first tennis lesson on Wed, she did well, learning forehand etc, next week is learning to serve. I have my first lesson tomorrow morning with Caroline, so we’ll see how that goes.

Hve ordered our Marks and Spencer underwear! Ordered and paid online, Maria will pick it up at the store and bring it back over with her on 10 days when she comes home – cant wait! Knickers are $15 a pair here, dont know why, can get cheaper ones but rubbish. Have found out that M&S deliver to Aus, 15 pounds postage regardless of the ammount ordered, plus you dont pay VAT because they are being sent out of the country. The rumour is that they are going to open a store in Melbourne because of the demand! Wonder if they will do the sandwiches aswell?? I really miss TK Maxx and M&S, there aren’t any bargain shops here like B&M either, no cheap toiletries or makeup, just have to watch the supermarkets and chemist’s for special offers!

Have put a few pics on Flickr

Just a quick update on the job front. Found the district nurses office eventually –  after getting lost through the stupid sat nav, anyway they were really nice and we had a good chat. The job is similar to the UK, don’t have patients attending treatment room(don’t have one), do a lot of medications, which is going to patients houses and giving them their tablets, not sure about that one! They offered me a position on the casual bank as that’s what I want, so need to complete the forms etc now.

Also got a phone call from a practice manager, she had been passed my details by the lady I met the other night. Apparently I am exactly what they are looking for, as practice nurses do a lot of dressings and all the other things our treatment room nurses do. There is lots of scope to develop the role and extra qualifications also, so I have arranged to go and see her on Thursday for a chat. There are 4 other practice nurses there also, so I may do a bit of each to see what its like!

How gutted is Steve by the way, comes over to Melbourne just as the three best Melbourne storm players and go and join Wigan……..

Few more pics on Flickr

Still having house issues – had about 6 different workmen in the house on Thursday,  most of them Russian, and the guys ripping out all the huge foil tubing ducts for the heating. It still isn’t working properly, they are coming back next week, I don’t think this will ever end! At least they have fixed the spa bath, no-one had thought to turn the power on before they boxed it in and tiled around it, so they had to cut a hole in the bedroom wall to get to it!

I have completed my CV and phoned the district nursing service, I am going in for an informal chat with the manager to find out about the service on Monday. They have a casual bank so that may be a way of finding out if I would like it. Also phoned a nursing agency to make general enquiry, they wanted me to come in for a chat so I said I would come in next week, they said OK…………… or we can come and see you tomorrow! They are so keen and desperate for nurses, but I put them off for a few days so I can ring a few more and compare them. Went to Caroline’s for a drink yesterday and she had a friend there who is a practice manager at a large  GP surgery, they have 9 practice nurses. She wants my CV also, but wanted to know whether I had any experience in wound care, as most of the practice nurses role is wound management. She nearly fell off her chair when I told her my experience!! She thinks I will get snapped up, and to shop around to get the best deal- so beware all you potential referees, you may get calls from Aussies to verify my identity and experience!

Have arranged tennis lessons, Ellie starts with her friend Maddie on Wed after school and I have one a week Mon, also visited the informal tennis club, nice to see they are all about my level and keep hitting the ball into the net, so should fit in then! Ellie wants to resume her swimming also, there are a few clubs around so will go and enquire about that also. I have been increasing my fitness by jogging! I run around the oval with the dog, can run around it 1.5 times without stopping now, (about the size of the sports club cricket field) Xena is loosing weight as I make her run to! went on the running machine at the gym and ran for 20 min also, so I am improving.

Steve has managed to get tickets for the cricket on boxing day with Sam and Tom, two work colleagues are going also, they will enjoy that.

The weather has been a little warmer, about 17.oc, had some nice sunny days,going for a walk on the beach now and get a nice latte from the beach side cafe ( and a muffin!) Have to replace those lost calories somehow… then taking Ellie to her friends birthday sleepover, we may even go out for a nice meal just by ourselves for a change.

Thought I’d left the frost behind, If anyone else tells me they haven’t had a winter as cold as this for over 10 years I will scream! The nice pat of clear nights are the beautiful blue skies and winter sunshine that follow, Ellie and I were sat out on the decking at lunchtime, I swear it was about 20.0c, could have put our shorts on, sun now dropping and going cool again. The really good thing is that the car is in a big double garage that is accessed from the house and remote controlled, so no cold or frosty car!

We went to the dentist yesterday as Ellie and I have both lost a filling despite having them done just before we left. What a difference from the UK! The dental surgery was very hi tech, she even wore those glasses that surgeons wear when operating – like binoculars. She tut-tutted at the general poor standard of dentistry that had been done, and couldn’t believe that they still use amalgam silver fillings, as there is so much evidence to show that it is not good to use. She then used a laproscopic camera to show us exactly the condition of each tooth on a TV screen, fascinating. Outcome is I probably need 5 crowns over the next year or so. The insurance will pay 60% but there is a waiting period of 12 months before you can claim as it is so expensive, so another 10 months to wait. I should be ok until then, she can do white fillings and patch up until then, that is covered!

Still having problems with the house, woke up to no electricity yesterday morning, Steve had to get dressed by torchlight! Igor, the big but dozy Russian electrician came along eventually, I no speeek Engliish very well…….Fix it or I kill you, understand that!!!  The heating specialist came out to do a report on the heating , we asked the landlord to sort this as we are sick of being cold. The outcome is – its a pile of shite and needs totally ripping out and re-doing! No surprises there then, but we are going to have to put up with 3 days of workmen crawling through the ceiling and cutting holes etc, what fun. Told the landlord he could send us to the Gold coast for a for a few days but he just laughed. Think we are going to request some compensation though.

Just been for a walk on the beach with my neighbour Michele from Sandringham and her dog. Don’t think I’ll ever get fed up of walking along that beach with the sun shimmering over the sea, there was a chap in his red speedo’s going for a swim, very brave. Ellie is at the cinemas with her friends, she has been invited to a ‘Hollywood star’ themed birthday party next weekend, any suggestions?

I believe you now have a hosepipe ban! The world is going mad, you have no water and we have frost, whatever next?

Had a nice weekend, went into the city on Friday with Maria and Ellie, did some shopping at Victoria market, bought a pair of UGG boots for 35 pounds, sooo warm and comfy, just use them as slippers! We met Steve and Stuart in a bar at Docklands, had a few drinks then watched the fireworks over the Yarra river, they were really good. We then walked to a Thai restaurant and had a nice meal, don’t think Ellie was that impressed with Thai food though, but there are so many Asians it is very popular here.

Saturday we went to watch the X-Factor in the city again. We had to be there for 10.00, but were kept outside on the pavement until 12.00. The reason being that they set the crowd up on all sides of the theatre and had us all practicing screaming and waving for when the judges arrived! They arrived one by one, about 15 min apart, got bored of waiting, Maria’s son Mark and Ellie went to Starbucks at one point to get hot coffee as it wasn’t warm! It was really good once inside the theatre, they had this guy Dave who kept us entertained in between acts, and the judges were really good, they kept chatting with the audience and having a laugh. Most of the acts were ok as the ones that got through are going on to boot camp, so quite far through the process, we has a few weirdos though, a 50 year old overweight, balding guy in a football jersey bobbing his head to Black Sabbath’s Paranoid! The judges nicknamed him ‘budgie’ for his dancing style! He was really funny.

The house is still not fixed, the heating is a tiny bit better but still not warm enough downstairs, spa bath doesn’t work, ? a leak behind tiles in bathroom as the grout looks wet, alarm and video intercom not working, cant lock some external doors- etc….  I have sent an e-mail to the agent documenting all the faults, and asking if we should ask for a rent reduction or pay into an arbitration account until they are fixed. Shouldn’t really be paying full rent at the moment I’m sure! It could be such a lovely house though.

Went to Ikea on Sunday, it’s in Richmond right near the city and it’s as crazy as at home on a weekend, but instead of being full of scouser’s it full of Chinese!! Went to get a desk/dressing table for Ellie, but of course when we got home the legs were not the right ones.. Aarrghh!!!! Why does that always happen?

Went to watch Eclipse at the cinema’s on its release day, it was actually quite good, definatley team Jacob! The weather is still cool, about 12-14 oc, colder at night, dark at 5.30ish. Drove past the butchers yesterday and there was a sign in the window advising you to order your turkey now for Christmas in July! I wonder if people put their trees up? We are going up to the Dandenong mountains on 25th July for our Xmas dinner, cant imagine what it will be like!

There is a lot of snow in the mountains, only 2.5 hours drive away in the Victorian Alps you can be skiing, lots of people go up for the day. Might have to go up and take a look, it stays snowy until Sept.

Hope the weather is still good for you all and your enjoying your BBQ’s!

Had a nice weekend which went by so fast. Went to Caroline’s on Friday evening with Steve & Ellie, met a few other ladies also who seemed really nice and interested about life in the UK, some of the Aussies are fed up with their country too! Apparently Beaumaris is known for being tennis mad, there are 4 tennis clubs and it is only a small village, they are trying to persuade me to join one and have lessons , might consider it when it gets warmer. Going up in the world eh?? Steve sat with Caroline’s husband Mitch drinking beer and watching Aussie rules football (AFL) with Mitch explaining the rules. The team that is supported in this area is St. Kilda, known as the ‘saints’- Tut tut, Steve supporting saints now!

Saturday evening was different again with our posh South African MD neighbours coming around, much more refined with classy wine! Their dog Bailey has contracted kennel cough, despite being vaccinated in the UK, hope Xena doesn’t get it. Sunday was beautiful, so went for a walk along the beach, then came home to start packing (again)!

The agent said the house would be ready to move into on Monday, the removal firm said they would be there at 8.30, so arranged with the agent that we would meet at 8.00 to check out the property and do the inspection report. The flooky thing is that we walked in and all commented on the floor. The guy had been in on Friday to put the final finish on the floor, then buffed it, so all over the surface of the floor are superficial scratches! It’s not obvious unless you look close, but I’m more than happy because I don’t have to stress about the dog doing little scratches! I have recorded it as evidence and the agent has  also made notes in case of problems when we leave. We are also having problems with the heating, it doesn’t work downstairs. It is Melbourne’s coldest winter for 10 years, and they haven’t had this much rain for the past 14 years! How bloody ironic that your having a heatwave with a hosepipe ban, if it snows I’m coming home!  The electrician keeps promising he will call but just doesn’t turn up, so we are camped out upstairs at the moment! The trouble with this clever automated house is that more things can go wrong. We couldn’t turn any of the lights off last night, despite trying all the light switches and control panel, so we ended up just turning the electricity off to re-boot the system, seemed to work. I just know the next problem will be when I try to let myself in using fingerprint recognition, I hope they have given us a key as standby! This house is soo big, all the furniture from the downstairs from Speedwell has fitted into one room here, and still looks lost!  The bedroom furniture just doesn’t go, it’s such a modern house, I feel a trip to IKEA coming on!

Have got tickets to the X-Factor auditions on Saturday in the city, early rounds so it should be fun, Ronan Keating and Natalie Imbruglia are 2 of the judges, other 2 are Aussies I don’t really know.

Sam and Tom both moved into their new flats also this weekend, so it has been a Marsh Moving weekend! Tom has started his summer job in Reading and Sam starts his new job on Monday, new starts all-round!

So, now we have a home with a guest suite, get saving up and come and visit!!!

So, we have witnessed a piece of political history. The prime minister Kevin Rudd has been stabbed in the back by his party, and a vote of no confidence has seen him replaced by a sheila!!! Australia’s first female prime minister is Julia Gillard, a red head from Wales originally. This has not gone down well with the men  of Aus, they are phoning in to radio shows to complain about a bloody sheila running the country, whatever next!! Very funny……

Went to Beaumaris to walk the dog again yesterday, met a few other ladies with dogs, Caroline (Maddie’s mum) was there also, she has invited us round to her house this evening for a drink. Ellie is going to the mall with Maddie and a few other girls, then going back to Maddie’s later on. They are on school hols for 2 weeks now.

Should have been going to the house this morning with the estate agent to do the inspection report prior to moving in, but when the agent dropped by yesterday, she said they haven’t finished any of the jobs that needed doing. She has been in touch with the landlord and he has promised to get them sorted over the weekend, I really don’ t want to stay in this rental any longer, so we’ll see what develops over the next few days. The delivery of the furniture and fridge is set up for Monday, so we will probably move in regardless of the condition, but he won’t be getting any rent until  it’s habitable!

I am just waiting for Maria to call around now, we are going to look at bar stools for the breakfast bar and a TV cabinet, then lunch.

At last, finally got my certificate of registration on the nursing board of Victoria, can start looking for a job now (eventually!)

Went to obtain our driving licence’s on Mon, same bureaucracy as in UK, being sent from one counter to another, was there over an hour, but got sorted in the end, will come by post in 2 weeks. I dropped Steve off at the station to go onto work, but his train got stopped a few stations up and was stuck there for a while, apparently there was a gunman on the loose, armed police were looking for him so they locked down the rail network in the area! Was on the news that night.

Have been meeting some nice people whilst walking Xena, Aussies seem quite friendly. Decided to walk Xena on the oval football field near to where we will be living for a change on Tue, got chatting to a lady with a black lab, turns out she is the mother of Maddie, a friend Ellie has made at school. She was very friendly, said she would do a little welcome party for Ellie and a few other girls from school at her house. Also  said that she gets together with a few friends every Fri afternoon for a glass or 2 of wine, and I am welcome to join them. Don’t need to ask twice! It seems that a lot of  dog walkers use this field every morning, all the dogs have a great time running together.

Went for a walk along the beach with Ellie and Xena yesterday as it was a beautiful evening, sun was setting over the sea which was very still, then two dolphins appeared! Really close to the shore just swimming around, it was amazing to see. Talking to a lady later who lives local and she said she has never seen dolphins in the bay before. Typical though, the only time I haven’t had my camera phone with me!

Michele, the lady in the rental next door has been walking her Irish red setter with us. I have been showing her the areas that dogs are allowed on, and the general area. Took her to the large shopping mall nearby but had to bring her home as she started vomiting –  that was a successful trip!  She’s feeling better now.

Going through the process now of sorting broadband, phone and TV packages, what joy. Cant order TV package til we have a phone line, don’t have that yet as it’s a new build, etc etc. why isn’t anything straightforward?

We can manage without direct internet as Steve has a 3G connection, but dont think Ellie willbe impressed with no TV for days. Went to watch Shrek 4 in 3D last night, it was brilliant and so funny in parts, highly recommended! Apparently its cheaper to go to the cinema on Tuesdays, known locally as ‘Tight Tuesday!’ (No comment please Kath!)

Just had an e-mail through to say that our container has been passed by customs and quarantine, so sounds like they have not confiscated anything, so the weeks of scrubbing, polishing and disinfecting were hopefully worth it.

Well, to the bath now, did a cycling class this morning and my backside is killing!