catching up

Okay, it has been a couple of weeks since we have put words to screen … let me catch you up on our goings on … when last we wrote we were off for a 2 day jaunt to the Mornington Peninsula to golf and stay at a lighthouse. The lighthouse stay was quite delightful. We were a bit concerned, given our last trip to the MP ended with our spending way too much on something worse than a rooming house and the price for a one night’s stay at the lighthouse was around the price of the rooming house. But we liked the idea of staying at a light house … so off we went – it was a Monday evening – we had played a round of golf in the afternoon (more on that later) and had decided that given the remoteness of the lighthouse we would bring our dinner (cheese, bread, fruit, a bottle of wine, and chocolate). Turns out we were the only guests that evening – the lighthouse has 4 rooms – ours which was not much more than a room and a clean bathroom, one or two of the other rooms have a bedroom and a kitchen, and the last room is what looks to be a cottage with three bedrooms, living room, and kitchen. The lighthouse closes its gates for day visitors at 4 p.m. – so we had the run of the land – the lighthouse is still operational but is done all electronically – so our quarters were the former lighthouse keepers quarters. There are several hiking paths and a great view of the ocean. Quite picturesque. We had a crystal clear day, not a cloud in the sky. So we were looking forward to a beautiful sunset – or not. Just before the sun was about to set, the sky filled with clouds. As you may know, neither Kevin nor I are into camping – so this is about as close as we are going to get to camping – having a comfortable, bug free bed, a hot shower, and the great outdoors … who needs a tent? We thought maybe we would see a kangaroo while there – alas, not to be seen – our quest for seeing a live, kangaroo in the wild continues.

The golf was also quite good. The first course we played was called the “Dunes” … and there is a reason for that – dry and hot when the sun is out … unfortunately the group ahead of us was quite slow so we got to experience the dry, hot, sunny course for quite some time … on the course, however, were limestone kilns – so limestone after it is “mined” has to be fired – it was what the early Aussie settlers used for bricks in their building (I think I have this story right). The next day, Kevin played the first course by himself (it is part of the clublink group and the fees were rather steep, under Aussie standards) – he managed to get through the course, yes playing all 18 holes, in about an hour … so my trying to get some work in while we were away only worked a bit … the last course of the day was next to the lighthouse (Cape Schanck) … a lovely (if not more challenging than the Dunes course) course that had lots of hills (fortunately we decided not to walk) and views of the ocean … we were the first ones off as there had been a tournament in the morning – so we managed to play it quite quickly (golf is really much more enjoyable when you do not have to repeatedly wait for the group ahead of you to tee off) …

After the second MP trip, Kevin returned to Toronto – he will be back in a couple of weeks. So since his departure, I have spent most of my time working (I am still required to put in a full days work while here) … So I have not done much that is exciting … I did go to a pre-season Footy game – second time I have been to see this kind of football – it truly is amazing and better seen live – the field is too big for a t.v. camera do give any justice to it … and boy the players have to be extremely fit – there are four 25 (or so) minute quarters, no time outs – so the players are constantly running from one end of the field (which is huge) to the other … I think I would collapse after running down the field just once. And coming up this week is the Formula 1 Grand Prix event – taking place just two blocks from our apartment – joy oh joy (just picture the engines on these cars as they make their laps) … the first day (the pre-events) of the Grand Prix has free entry as it is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Melbourne – I plan to check it out that day – but already the planning/work that is involved is amazing … several weeks ago they closed down the streets used for the race, the golf course near our house, and other things. I went for a run this morning and was amazed at all of the things they have arranged – on the busy street between us and the golf course (the one Kevin mentioned about being extremely busy and dangerous for jay-walkers), they have put up a temporary pedestrian bridge. Across the lake, they have put in pontoons to act as another bridge … even some of the tents have doors/windows and are much more elaborate than what we are used to at major sporting events …

Given I have not done anything interesting of late (other than explore Melbourne), I thought I would use this opportunity to tell you about some of the idiosyncrasies of this place. In no particular order …
1. If you go to a restaurant/pub you can order “take away” or “dine in” food. But if you dine in, there is a health bylaw that states that you cannot get a doggy bag (they will not even allow you to wrap you own food up)

2. Cafes and Pubs – sometimes one goes in, orders at the bar and then is served at the table; other times, a waitress takes your order. There is no rhyme or reason (at least none that I can figure out) for figuring out which way a given place operates (or on which days of the week they operate differently)

3. “Good morning” – as in North America, have you ever noticed that if you are walking down a street and walk past someone, he or she never says a word? Even if you are the only two on the street? So I tend to try to say “good morning” when I walk by someone (on the street, especially in the courtyard of our apartment building) … to my surprise, no one ever responds … they just look at me (or better yet dart their eyes) … until the other morning, when a bloke responded “G’day” … maybe I am the one that is not doing things right -- I have to use oz-speak in my greeting…

4. Aussies are great at being nice if you approach them for directions – telling you where to go, however, is another thing … often their helpful words will make you more lost than if you had never asked.

5. Aussie English is different from North American English – usually you can figure out what is being said (e.g. when I got my hair cut I was asked if I had a “fringe.” When I went in search of a blanket, I had to buy a “rug”). But there are times when you are just clueless about what was just said – so your mind goes blank and you do not respond. And you get a look of “what’s wrong, are you insane?”

6. The television stations, do not start their shows on time. Take a show that is advertised to start at 7:30: the previous show does not end until more like 7:33, 7:34, etc. so the scheduled show often starts between 5 to 10 minutes late.

7. Winter coats in summer? I am constantly amazed at the outer coats worn by people here. Today on the tram – a day where the forecast is for sun and a high of 35 (C, so very hot) … there was a woman wearing a winter coat and a knit scarf. On days where it is 20C (around 70F), I have seen leather jackets, knee-high boots … what can I say?

Finally, for those of you wondering “what ever happened to Fabio?” … he is one of the celebs on an Aussie show called “Celebrity Overhaul”: a group of overweight, out of shape celebs get into shape in the outback (www.ninemsn.com.au/celebrityoverhaul). Speaking of working out – it is different here. Running, biking, swimming, no problem. But finding a pilates or yoga studio – think again. They exist but are far and few between – so I ended up talking a gym that is a few blocks from the apartment into a temporary membership. They offer pilates, yoga, and other types of classes. But have decided that a given class should only be 30 minutes long. Just long enough to warm up, do one or two exercises, and then cool down. Mind you, I do feel like I am getting something out of these classes … but the notion of being fit, well, what can I say?