Ed's e-mail address

Hello one and all. I thought I'd put a very quick blog on to let you know my e-mail address.

ed.knight@anz.com

This weekend the plans entail exploring Melbourne's 'laneways'. There are quite a lot of tiny little lanes in the city, many with no names, all with lots of funky cafe's and bars, mostly with no names!

Then on Sunday, a short walk to our local fruit and veg market for 'A market within a market'. From what I can gather as well as the usual bananas, mangoes and tomatoes, plus the odd snapper and lamb, there will also be a carnival type affair going on in the market with international cuisine, dancing and jolliness.

As you can see - it's all about the food!

Next week is another short week as on Wednesday the Aussies remember ANZAC day (a memorial for the Australian and NZ soldiers that lost their lives in the first battle at Gallipoli in WW1). There is a huge Aussie rules game we are going to - a 100,000 plus affair at the 'G', and it is the only day of the year that 2up can be played in the pubs, which essentially is gambling on heads and tails of two coins.

Have great weekends everybody - I see from the BBC website things are starting to warm up in the UK now. No sign of a cool down here yet, still a balmy 25.

The Zoo

Just wanted to let you know how everything went at the Zoo Interview...

When I arrived there were 20 people there who were also being interviewed for the same position. Felt lucky though as we were told that they had had over 100 applications for the job. The morning was filled with group activities where we had to show our team working skills, plan lessons in 5 minutes and present to the whole group...very scary and full on! After lunch we were split into two groups - very Pop Idol/Fame Academy, where one group was told they were going home and the other remaining for individual interviews in the afternoon...I got to stay! Yeah, down to the final 10. Yesterday I received a phone call where I was asked to provide names of people for references...if these go alright then I have GOT THE JOB!!! I was the only person to be wanted both my Melbourne Zoo and the safari park a little bit out of town. Fingers crossed I will start my training in about a week's time...this will involve learning how to handle small mammals and reptiles. I am very excited!!! It will be a supply teaching job, so I won't be doing it everyday but am thrilled with the oppotunity it has given me to embrace Australia and its wildlife. WOOO HOOOO!!

Another Busy Weekend

Melbourne's International Comedy Festival is well under way. As you know we've been trying to attend as much as we can when the huge variety of festivals crop up.
D-Cuppetry was first on the list...a stand up where two big busted women use their boobs as puppets. I think I will leave that to your imagination!

The Busty Babes

Then something a little more main stream as Claire and I headed off to see Ed Byrne, the popular Irish comedian. Very funny.

Not feeling like that was enough we headed off to the 'G' to check out the AFL (Aussies seem to abbreviate everything - as if MCG was not short enough!). Having chosen our team, Carlton, the strugglers of last year we loaded up on chips, pints and prepared ourselves for the worst as we noticed the score near the end of the second quarter...oh dear!

Preparing for the inevitable

The packed MCG

Routine punch up

VICTORY!!!

You will be pleased to know though, that we thrashed them!!!! What a game!

Sunday surfaced with sore heads and more surprises as we headed to the 'Travel Exhibition' opposite our house and met up with these familiar faces.

A yummy lunch (thanks boys!) and a couple of bottles of wine on Lygon Street, what more can you ask for on a Sunday lunchtime?!

Set for negotiations the boys headed off to work leaving us with full tummies and the Sunday papers - that's the life!

Another busy weekend...back to work today and wishing for the weekend once more. xxx

Our Street...

Easter has meant shut down at the tele sales office thus leaving me at a bit of a loose end. Thought I would give you a little insight into the street that we spend most of our time on...Brunswick Street. Move your eyes a little higher in this place and you see loads of

Just a little bit of what makes Melbourne...well, Melbourne!

Easter Weekend

First of all, a massive Happy Easter to you all. A bit belated I know. We hope that you all had fabulous weekends, sore heads from too much fun and full bellies from the wonderful roasts you no doubt enjoyed on Sunday.

Our Easter weekend began with a trip to Melbourne Zoo, somewhere we've been planning on visiting since arriving. A little urgency was required though as I have a job interview there next week - supply teaching for school trips that come in. Thought a little visit in preparation may help. We will just have to wait and see if it pays off. Not holding my breath but very excited about the prospect. Here's just a few piccies to give you an idea of who I may end up sharing my lunch with should all go well.

The remaining part of our weekend was supposed to be spent at Bells Beach, Torquay, where the annual Rip Curl surfing championships were to take place. All excited about checking out the talent we jumped in the Bongo our poor ignored van and headed for the Great Ocean Road once again. Flags were flying, everywhere looked busy, excitement was running high...no surf...bugger! We were just two of the disappointed faces littering the beach as we considered what to do for the rest of the weekend. Not wanting to be put off we jumped back in the van and headed for the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne.

Just so you can see where we went

We ended up catching the ferry from where the 'mount' of Mount Martha is written and landed just across the water in a beautiful spot called Sorrento. I would love to show you some pictures. Sadly too much fizzy wine (it's just too cheap!) and fiddling with the camera means I can't! Another night in the Bongo - forgotten just how comfy (hmmm) that van is!

The views around this area were just stunning. Think we had forgotten just how green landscape can actually be and how gorgeous the beach is after being in the city for so many weeks.

Old habits die hard - Ed heading for the rock pools

We headed back to Melbourne on Sunday, chilled out in the park with a picnic on Monday, enjoying eachother's company now that work seems to have taken over once again. So all in all not a hugely eventful weekend but one we both enjoyed.

Another Busy Weekend

Another busy week with more events to attend. Saturday morning we headed for the Rod Laver arena to check out the world swimming championships, an arena usually used for the tennis. Despite the severe water shortages over here it was decided that a brand new pool should be created just for the championships - good use of water? You decide! Unfortunately for us tele sales wages couldn't buy us tickets to the finals so we had to make do with the heats. We did however, manage to see not only swimmers that we could have given a run for their money but also a couple of aussie favourites such as Leisel Jones.

Rod Laver Arena

Commentators...we like to think they were important ones!

Leisel doing her stuff

A random swimmer, but we liked the photo!

During the afternoon we headed for our local 'Tesco', aka 'Victorian Market'. This part particularly appealed!

Stall at the market - like to think that these ducklings are bought as pets for Easter and not as an addition to plum sauce!

For the past week or so the park opposite our home has become home to the 'International Garden Show', thought I should give it ago seeing as it was practically on our door step. Ed declined. Probably a good decision!

Sculptures at the garden show

This was the best bit though - the bit that's always there for free. Never mind.

Saturday night found us back on Lygon street for dinner with the usual suspects. A few more water pipes, baclava and VB. Needless to say, Sunday was a write off!

Work is going well. I made top seller two weeks in a row and Ed has made good impressions so far. Monday has come around too fast again, but I have only got two days work this week and then off until week after Easter. Should be fun investigating a bit more of Melbourne.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

As you have probably gathered from our previous messages, there is always something to do in Melbourne at the weekend. We keep on planning on leaving the city but end up staying as it's so much fun! At the moment the swimming championships are just down the road giving the city an excuse to provide live entertainment varying from the down right fantastic to the down right surreal! During our walk around the city we witnessed street theatre with people dressed as ships (?), people dancing in and I mean IN a large fish type tank filled with water. Live music on the city centre stage, and other weird and wonderful things.

Saturday marked the beer part of the food festival so we headed for Federation Square to sample the delights of Victorian mircro brewery beer. $20 for 20 tastes, what more could you ask??

After enough beer was consumed, including 'The Barking Duck', 'The Beast'...to mention just a few, we headed for the food festival, lining the river and filled our tummies from a variety of tents offering food from all over the world - this city is gonna be the death of us!

Having never been out in the city's Italian quarter, Ed and I pulled ourselves away from offers of drinks in a variety of Melbourne haunts and headed up town to Carlton. The streets were filled with people and the roads congested (10pm at night!), it was obvious that we had made a good decision. It was here that we landed in a Lebanese restaurant - not very Italian I know. Where we sampled the delights of the water pipe, lebanese coffee and the not very authentic belly dancer!

The biggest news of the weekend however, had to be this dramatic change...

After 10 years of talking about it, I have finally had it all lopped off. If you can't do it on the other side of the world where can you do it??

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

Thought I needed to put a bit in that wasn't all about the booze. Sunday was the start of Melbourne's food and wine festival (something we can't resist but something we should perhaps be avoiding as our bodies are definitely taking on that chunky look!!!). The festival began with a Thai themed day...a Buddhist celebration in Federation Square, dancing, beauty contests and of course a variety of delicious food tents. A fab way to spend a Sunday morning.

Just wanted to show you that we do manage to make it out of those Melbourne bars occasionally!

The Jolly Green Giant and St Patrick's Day!

Having been promised a full Irish Brekkie and a pint for only $10, even the hangovers couldn't keep us in bed on Saturday... unfortunately we actually missed the breakfast and just had to make do with the guinness instead. A worryingly refreshing drinking to be having at 10am!

After a long awaited breakfast we eventually headed into town and found ourselves in the Celtic Club, a bar filled with people celebrating St Patrick's day. Ed even managed to find himself his very own leprechaun!

A little out of place not wearing green, big hats, etc we quickly got a few resources and sparkled ourselves up with green glitter, shiny clover sequins and a variety of other green sparkly bits. Not long after and we slowly began to look the part!

It was then that things got slightly out of hand. Ed armed with a pot of glitter proved to be that bit of treasure at the end of the rainbow and began to bestow the glitter on one and all.


I think by the end of the night Ed had actually managed to 'glitter up' over 200 people...in fact at one point he had a queue of people waiting for the magic stuff - oh lord! I shan't mention the chests he covered in glitter...the fact that he was tipping the stuff down the back of ladies (when they asked, of course) trousers or that I ended up having to almost carry the boy home.

A sign I spotted on the way home summed it up completley!

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