Happy New Year.

Sunday 1st January 2017

We wish all our friends and family a Happy New Year.  I know most of you will not have had the New Year yet but I'm sure it will be good when it comes.

We are rather tired but not too hungover.  The water drinking tactics seem to have worked.

I think it could be a quiet day!  

We had a walk down by Merri Creek and then I made a lamb curry for tea.  Our last night in Melbourne, picking up a hire car tomorrow and driving the great Ocean Road to Adelaide.   However, we are coming back here after we have been to Adelaide to fly back.

My New Year resolution is to join a community choir and Janice is going to join a yoga class.

Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Dinner......................

Saturday 31st December 2016

Today's word challenge is.....what is the next word in the sequence of the title?  I will reveal the answer at the end of the blog.  Here is a clue, it isn't 'Dinner'.

Of course today's activities revolve around tonight's celebration of New Years Eve.  We are booked into a Northcote Pub called the Peacock, for drinks and food.  It should be a good Aussie night.  Hope so!

Our day was filled with a trip to St Kilda beach.  The weather was just right, sunny but mid twenties and a breeze.  Here are some snaps of the area.

Nice city view from the pier.  The sea is the Port Philip Bay which is just south of Melbourne City.  

We walked along the pier and a stone breakwater where we were surprised to find some Fairy Penguins keeping cool in the cracks of the rocks.  The pictures weren't great but here goes...

You can just see a beak and another penguins tummy.  

We moved onto the beach and I managed a swim.  The water was quite warm, certainly none of the monkey noises I make when I usually get in really cold water and it gets to my middle!

Egg sandwiches on the beach for lunch and then another little stroll.

Here is a nice one of Marg in Janice's hat.  I was pleased we had visited St Kilda as it is the beach that Janice had told me about on her previous visit to Australia and it wouldn't have been fair if I hadn't seen it too.

Back to Northcote on the tram and train to get showered and ready for the evening.

The answer to the word challenge is of course, 'Batman'.  I hope you remember the original music to the Batman cartoon!  The link to the challenge is Melbourne history,  the city was founded by a man called John Batman.  He was a farmer who was born in 1801 in New South Wales but had land in Tasmania before he sailed to the river Yarra to begin a colony.

Batman negotiated a treaty (now known as Batmans Treaty but also known as the Dutigulla Treaty, Dutigulla Deed, Melbourne Treaty or Melbourne Deed), with Kulin peoples to rent their land on an annual basis for 40 blankets, 30 axes, 100 knives, 50 scissors, 30 mirrors, 200 handkerchiefs, 100 pounds of flour and 6 shirts.  You could say that the Aborigines were 'fleeced' but it would depend on what kind of blankets were handed over!!!  The treaty was signed at Merri Creek, which is at Northcote very close to where we are staying with Marg.  

Here is a park close to Marg's.

So, in a sense, Melbourne is the first Gotham City.

Our New Years Eve was great.  Early drinks and nibbles at Paul and Kathy's

Then out to the Peacock.  I wore a Western Bulldogs (Aussie Rules Team) baseball cap so that I would fit in as a 'local'.  The Bulldogs are Kathy's favourite team so she was chuffed that I wore it.

We had food and dancing at the pub

For midnight we moved to a flat that Paul and Kathy own that has a superb view over the Melbourne City Skyline.  The flat is currently unoccupied so it was a good vantage point for us to see the city fireworks.  Then back again to Paul and Kathy's house for last drinks before going back to bed at 2am.  

I hope feel OK in the morning! 

Happy New Year to everyone.  Hope it's a good one.  It will be good for us!

Prospecting for Gold.

Friday 30th December 2016

We woke in Andrew and Lynn's home and had a tour around the property to the billabong.

We trod carefully because there can be large brown venomous snakes.

I tried the Aussie staple diet of Vegemite on toast.  Marmite with a slightly different taste.

Lynn then took us on a little tour of the Ballarat area and to a place called Lake Wendouree where the 1956 Olympic rowing competition took place.

There was also some stones set in the grass that had the names of Olympic event winners including....

My son John has often been 'for the high jump'!

We also drove around Ballarat.  It is a lovely looking town with many grand buildings.  It's history is directly linked to the Gold Rush.  I believe there is still one gold mine active in the area.  

Just one of the old buildings.

We travelled back to Melbourne and walked around the river areas....

And then down to South Melbourne Market.

It was a good bustling market with a great range of products.  Certainly not the load of tat that is at many markets.

The Polly Woodside is a Belfast built ship that is harboured on the river.  It was one of the last ocean going cargo ships of the sail era.  It is now an attraction of the Yarra river but it wasn't actually open to the public when we saw her.

We walked back through the city past the Old Treasury Building...

And also past the Parliament Building again  to St Patrick's Cathedral....

It's about time we included a good Catherdral.

We caught the tram back to Marg's as we were hot and weary.  Ready for a quiet night.

Rockin, Rollin, Riding!

Thursday 29th December 2016

We are getting very used to sleeping in different beds now and last night we had a very comfortable sleep.  Ralph and Bronwyn were taking us for a tour of the Mornington Peninsula which is south of Melbourne.

The forecast had been for rain and some thunderstorms but it was marginally better for the morning.  In fact the morning was quite hot and pleasant but we did get some heavy rain later but only when we were driving thankfully.

We had an early walk on a beach at Bonbeach.  We had a paddle and I fancied a swim but resisted the temptation despite having my flannel with me.

We continued through Sorrento that was the first area habited by Europeans in the Victoria area.  We carried on to Portsea near the end of the peninsula as Ralph explained that a rite of passage was a meal at the Portsea Hotel.

A large old hotel that is very popular and we needed to get in early for lunch in order to get a table.

My meal was a Parma - breaded chicken steak covered by a slice of ham, tomato and Italian cheese.  Parma is a popular Aussie meal, so I thought it was about time I tried it.  It is like pizza on top of chicken, nice.

This is the view from outside the hotel.  We had a little walk along the pier, there were kids jumping in the water and some snorkellers near a boat.

We had recalled that the Seekers had a hit in the 60's with a song called ' Rockin, Rollin, Riding' that included the line, 'all bound for Mornington many miles away'.  It refers to Mornington Peninsula and used to get played on Junior Choice radio programme.  I think the girls were singing the song and getting a bit carried away.

We drove through Burnley Tunnel on the way back.  Hurray!

Ralph dropped us off at Southern Cross Railway Station back in Melbourne City.  We were really touched by the kindness and friendliness of Ralph and Bronwyn.  It was particularly nice to get to know a relative and know that we had similar roots but very different life experiences.  Ralph and I are great rugby fans too, so we had plenty in common.  Sorry we didn't get a photo of Louisa but we didn't get a photo last night and we missed her this morning.  We said our goodbyes but will keep in touch and hope to be able to repay their hospitality when they visit England.

Our whistlestop tour now involved meeting Marg at the railway station and catching a train to Ballarat, west of Melbourne and inland.  We are staying overnight with more of Marg's friends, Lynn and Andrew.

We caught the train from Southern Cross Station to Ballarat.  Andrew picked us up in his 'ute' and took us to his fantastic self sustainable house out in the wup wup!

The house is modern with an open plan living, kitchen, dining area.  It has a large veranda and bedrooms downstairs.  It uses solar power and batteries, gets its own water from the shed roof, piped and stored in a big tank and it used bottled gas for cooking only.  It sits in 20 acres of woodland with a dammed billabong. 

 

We had a lovely barbie and enjoyed clear starry skies the like I have never seen before.  Again, big thanks to Liz and Andrew for looking after us and listening to my ramblings.

We have packed so much excitement into one day.  I have to pinch myself.

Second Cousin (once removed), I think?

Thursday 28th December 2016

Slow day in the morning.  The weather is still cloudy and rain is forecast for a large part of the day but it is still warm, of course.   We were recovering from the fine wine we had drunk last night.  I was reflecting on the recent celebrity deaths, Rick Parfitt, George Michael and Carrie Fisher.  All bets are off for the celebrity who will manage to die last in 2016, Carrie looks dead favourite but Bruce Forsythe could be a late possible outsider.  Sorry Brucie!

I am quite excited about meeting a long lost Second Cousin who lives in the Beaumaris area of Melbourne.  He is called Ralph and we are invited to his home for a meal and we are staying over and then getting a tour of the coast tomorrow.  We have exchanged emails and spoken briefly on the phone once.  Ralph has a Grandad who was my maternal Grandad's brother....hope that explains the relationship.  Strangely, I had not known of Ralph's existence till about 3 months ago and it is a coincidence that he lives in Melbourne and we have this opportunity to meet.

This photo is at Half Moon Bay near Beaumaris.  

Ralph picked us up from Sandringham Railway Station and had a little drive along the coast before taking us to his home.  We met his lovely wife, Bronwyn, who is Irish and their 17 year old daughter, Louisa.  We had a lovely welcome.  Ralph and I talked a great deal about the Bolton family and we looked at old black and white photos of men in flat caps and stern looking ladies.  Ralph's parents emigrated from Doncaster to New Zealand when he was 6 years old.  Since then he has worked for periods in London, Hong Kong, Singapore back in New Zealand and now in Melbourne. Lots of interesting history to catch up with.

Just for the sake of clarity.

Grandads

Jack Bolton (my Grandad)-----------brother>>>---------William Bolton (Ralph's Grandad)

Mums

Eileen Bolton, married John Vernon    Cousins>>>        Elizabeth Bolton, married Ernest Goddard

Me.                                            2nd Cousins>>>          Ralph

Owzat!

Tuesday 27th December 2016

Indecision was rife this morning.  The weather forecast has been for clouds and showers.  We had wanted to see some of the cricket test match between Australia and Pakistan at the MCG.  However, due to the weather we decided to go to St Kilda Beach for a walk along the coast.....then.......I changed my mind and bought tickets for the cricket online at 9.30am.  By 10.30am we were at the ground!  Is that indecisiveness an example of good spontaneity or is it poor procrastination?  I can't make my mind up!

The statue is of Shane Warne.

The ground capacity is 100,000 so there was plenty of space.  The atmosphere was good though.  Pakistan were batting and Azhar Ali reached his century and he was sportingly applauded by everyone.  There some fans in fancy dress playing Christmas carols on trumpets.  Sadly, the rain was fairly persistent and we only saw about fifty runs and no wickets.  It's a good job that I'm not a serious cricket fan....I would be upset if I went to an international rugby game and only saw twenty minutes of play and no scores!  But we were glad that we had been.  I was persuaded to have a traditional meat pie at the match.  I was also persuaded to have a jammie doughnut and a slice of millionaire shortbread!  Not a healthy day.

We came away around 3pm because we were going out to some friends of Marg's for a barbie.

We got an early evening taxi to the Box Hill area of Melbourne, to Grant and Sue's lovely house.  We met Sue's sister and brother in law, Liz and Nigel, Marg's brother Paul and wife Kathy were in attendance and there was another friend called Carol.  We had a lovely evening of food, drinks and good banter.  Conversational topics were wide and varied but included all sports, (I gave Burnley a plug, trying to recruit Aussie supporters), Brexit, Political Correctness and wines of the world.

The food and hospitality was amazing.  Everyone had contributed a salad of some sort.  That dessert was superb.  My best description is..a chocolate covered panettone filled with orange, ice cream and flavoured with Cointreau.....mmmm!  We were a bit squiffy on our journey back to Marg's house.

Here is a picture of Janice and Marg, for no other reason than it is a good photo of them.

Four Seasons in One Day.

Boxing Day

Whilst in Melbourne we constantly hear people describing the weather here as having four seasons in one day.  Christmas Day was roasting for more than the potatoes but today was cool, cloudy and it rained in the afternoon.  So, we can't vouch for all the seasons in one day but we have had two seasons in two days.

The cool heat was actually a relief.  We woke and surprisingly felt healthy, which is not usual after the indulgence of most Christmas Days.  We even did a Pilates style exercise session for an hour and a half so we are smug.

 We went into the city in the afternoon for a river cruise on the River Yarra.

It wasn't the most scenic river cruise I have ever had, probably because we went upstream rather than our preferred option of going downstream (apparently the tides were high and they may not have got under the bridges).  We went past the sports stadiums, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Rod Laver Tennis Stadium, Olympic Stadium and Velodrome.  The cricket test between Australia and Pakistan had started today but got rained off in the afternoon.  We may or may not get to see one of the day's play but the weather forecast isn't great and we have a busy itinerary coming up, we shall see if we can fit it in.

We continued to walk into the shops.  It was busy with 'the sales'!  

This photo is the State Parliament Building.  They do free tours but not on public holidays.

Back to Marg's house for food.  In the evening we stayed put watching a comedy selection on YouTube.  Our selection included The Harry Enfield Show, The Fast Show, Monty Python and Victoria Wood.

We had a good early..ish night.

Melbourne Police foil Christmas Terror Plot!

Christmas Day

Since we have arrived in Melbourne the police have raided houses in the city to arrest suspected Islamic terrorists planning to attack the City Centre on Christmas Day.  Do not be worried.  We had no plans to attack the city today just plans to attack a large quantity of food and drinks.  The terror plot story is a real story, involving the arrest of six terrorists.

The day was forecast to be hot....37 degrees!  Any thoughts of trying to get to a beach had been shelved because it is quite a distance away and we would be burnt in the process.  We were staying indoors and trying to stay cool.

We did manage a morning run (in different routes).  I have done a run each Christmas morning for at least 10 years.  It's my small attempt to mitigate the calories I will later consume.  I hope that it might improve my health and make me more youthful too!

This a 'before' picture wearing the Santa sunglasses that Rebekah had given me before we set off.

This is my 'after' photo.  I think you will agree that I seem to have achieved the youthful appearance I was hoping for!   Whoops you have noticed the discrepancy in the photo.....it's only the tattoo on the arm that gives it away....this is Josh, Marg's son, back on home leave from the Aussie Army.

The rest of the day was filled with a steady procession of eating and drinking.

I was having mango chopping lessons from Sian.

This was part of our healthy breakfast.

Paul and Kathy came over and we had a lunch of marinated chicken thighs and a fruit platter, with prosecco.  Later we walked over to Paul and Kathy's house which is only a few hundred yards down ther road for the main meal.  It was good to have an alternative Christmas meal.  We had ham, roast tatties, broccoli and mange tout with a mango and avocado salad.  

Paul had done a lovely pavlova too.

We had cheese and bikkies too.  

In the evening we made phone calls and video calls to family back home.  It was lovely to speak to the kids and give them our love.  

The last group photo....

Looks like the cast from 'Neighbours'.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

Wot no sherry!

Christmas Eve

I suspect this is going to be Christmas with a difference. In fact I'm sure.

Over all we have had a fairly quiet day by our standards, no rushing around tourist attractions.  We had a little rain early in the morning but became a scorching day of over 30 degrees.  Fortunately it cooled again later in the evening.

In the morning I went shopping with Marg to the nearby supermarket.  We spent far too long criss- crossing the supermarket to buy the food we needed for a Cypriot Salad and a BBQ.  We also visited the 'bottle shop' to get some Christmas booze.  I don't know if i have previously explained that most supermarkets don't sell alcohol in Australia.  It seems strange.  The Cypriot salad is going to be interesting. 

After lunch we braved the sun to go to a hipster area on Brunswick Street.  We have got a preloaded travel card for Melbourne and as we got on the tram Janice decided to throw her card into the gap between the tram and the platform!  Of course it was accidental.  Marg told us of the dire consequences if the Inspectors got on the tram but we got away with it and had to buy a new card.

Xmas looks a bit different doesn't it.  I didn't know Santa had a Japanese helper?

This was in Rose Street market.  Mainly jewellery and girlie stuff on sale.

This is Brunswick Street.  We had a drink in an old bar on the street...only coke, we are saving ourselves for later.

We travelled back and scoured the tram track to find the travel card Janice had lost.  Fortunately we found it untouched.....that is a first Xmas present indeed!

In the evening Paul and Kathy came round to Marg's and Paul did the BBQ, Sian and Marg did the Cypriot Salad and Kathy did a superb potato salad that involved bacon and eggs!  I did nothing...I'm not used to being a guest.  I'm usually doing the food or something.

The Christmas tree has photos of friends and family attached to the baubels and we were honoured to be included on the tree.

Josh and Sian are the two lower piccies.

Full selfie of everyone.  We played the Aussie national anthem....'I come from a land down under' by Men at Work.

But there was no sherry?  No carrot for Rudiolf either?  No mince pie for Santa?

The food was great.  We managed a few drinks too.  We celebrated at midnight and went to bed.  More to come tomorrow.