BurbleChaz

We came to a couple of disturbing realisations today. The coffee from the shop downstairs is better and cheaper than we can make, and we spend more shopping for ingredients than we would spend eating out. City Living does not encourage good habits.

We checked out of the seviced apartment today. We had a great time there. Even after just a month, it still felt like leaving home. Again. Also, more heavy lifting.

The Absolutely Final Move Ever Really I Mean It only took us a couple of hours. We're getting too good at it. This left the afternoon free, so we did as little as possible for a bit.

Then, we went to Queen Victoria Market and had a good rootle round. We bought a birthday present that I really, really must send soon. It's going to annoy the recipient's family wonderfully. It's amazing what ten thousand miles of physical separation does for ones sense of social responsibility.

Then, we drove to Geelong. Soft 'G', emphasis on second syllable. Unless The Locals are winding me up again. Our sole reason for going was to get out of Melbourne for a few hours. It's the first time we've escaped for three weeks. It's at the start of The Great Ocean Road, on the west side of Port Philip Bay. We had a potter round the sea front. It's a very pretty place. We'd have spent longer there if it had been warmer. It's about ten degrees here, and the wind is a vicious southerly.

As we negotiated our way from the end of the freeway onto the road home, we were nearly caught by a lovely practical joke perpetrated by the local highways authority. There's exactly one sign saying 'Docklands - Left Lane Only'. The sign is 100 metres after the last point at which you can legally change lanes. I'm starting to think that the psychotic swerving and appalling lane discipline exhibited by drivers here is caused by long-term exposure to the sadistic joke that passes for a highway signage policy.

We braved the freezing gale to discover yet another pub that doesn't open on Sundays. So we took the tram all the way across town to our favourite, and drowned our sorrows there for a bit. Home, then, for a Hunter's Chicken (excellent - still need a source of smoked paprika), and a bottle of Jester 2004 Shiraz. Lovely, deep, rich, with a fair blast of oak. Will drink again.

I am about to try publishing this via 3G. The Phone Geek set things up for me, so it should all work.