Christmas Highlights

Jessie and Goofy are not the only two characters to have joined our household over the last couple of months.  A few days after we first brought Jessie home we rescued a young couple from the Wicked Witch of the West(ern Australia).  Adam and Coralee both used to work with Barnadi at the Green Park Brasserie in Bath and the have recently been travelling the globe.  Their first stop in Australia was Perth where they stayed with Coralee's Aunty and although she might describe herself as a witch, she is not really that wicked.  She believed the place where Adam had been working was haunted, so every night would have to perform an exorcism in order to purge the house of the evil spirits he inadvertently brought back with him.  The tensions eventually got too great and so they cut their time in Perth short by a couple of months and came to stay with us, just in time for Christmas.

Instead of staying at home to cook Christmas dinner Barnadi decided this year he wanted a traditional Aussie Christmas, a BBQ on the beach.  Instead of going to the overly popular and crowded beaches like St Kilda or Brighton, Barnadi had a very specific stretch of coast line in mind, the Bellarine peninsula.  The little bit of land that sticks out into Port Phillip bay just south of Geelong is a very underrated bit of coastline, with more people heading down its counterpart the Mornington.  It is quite a long drive so we had planned to leave early, but unfortunately Adam and Coralee had other ideas, they had gone out on Christmas eve and were not prepared to be seeing anything of the day until after noon. Even once they were up, the journey was pretty torturous with sudden turns bringing on waves on nausea in our hung-over back seat companions.  By the time we arrived at the Bellarine peninsula, the hangovers had lifted, but all the available BBQs were in use.  So instead we found a nice quite beach hidden behind a small cliff and went for a swim/paddle in the calm shallow waters.  Goofy was a little undecided over his first swim but he took to it like a duck to water, or in his case a dog to water.  As we came back up from our swim we saw that all the BBQs had become available and so a Christmas dinner of Sausages, steak, lamb and turkey burgers could go ahead.  With suitably full bellies my four passengers slept the whole way home. 

Starting a family

I would be the first to admit when we started looking to buy our own house, one of my biggest incentives was being able to have pets.  Proper pets I mean, of the mammalian variety (no offence to our lovely goldfish Lilo, Lila and all that have gone before).  No sooner had we moved in to our new house than we begun looking, but problems beseeched us every step of the way.  Promising adverts for free kittens ended up leading to disappointment when we called to find they had all been taken.  Puppies became available, but not in the breeds or colours Barnadi was after.  We got close to getting a kitten from one of Barnadi's customers at work, but it ran away from home before we could even pick it up.  Our search went on a back burner as pre-booked holidays approached and priorities got realigned. 

Then on a perfectly ordinary Saturday I opened up Gumtree and saw her, one of a litter of four ginger kittens, available immediately.  Cautiously, after previous disappointment, I phoned the number on the advert and spoke to an old Greek man who informed me there were still two left and it was a first come first served operation, so if we were interested we should head over.  We didn't need to be asked twice and got straight into the car.  When we arrived we were shown around the side of the house by the old man's daughter and entered what appeared to be a zoo of domesticated animals, rabbits, birds, dogs and eventually the kittens.  There where still two left and despite Barnadi's desire to take them both, the old man informed us someone else was also on their way, so he couldn't give us both.  He handed me the slightly larger of the two, a completely ginger kitten and unto Barnadi he bestowed the smaller ginger and white kitten, with whom he instantly fell in love.


Jessie

"Don't ask me what sex they are" grumbled the old Greek man as we pondered the decision of which of the two irresistibly cute bundles we would take with us.  To Barnadi however, it was no contest, the kitten in his arms won outright with her white socks and bright blue eyes (which incidentally have no turned green).  The kitten cried and hid under Barnadi's jacket the whole way home, whilst we discussed unisex names, a quick look indicated the kitten was female, but it wouldn't be the first time a mistake like that has been made.  Using one of my own middle names as inspiration we decided on Jessie, or Jess for short.  Once we were out the car and we had her fed and watered and settled in she started to look a little more relaxed and even begun to purr.  This is how we adopted our first child.





Goofy

Barnadi has always wanted to get another dog, preferably a border collie in either brown or blue Merle.  I have never had a dog, but out of principle have always been in favour of cross breeds.  The same weekend we found Jess we found another advert for a litter of 11 border collie and maremma cross puppies.  In one of the photo's on the advert sat away from the rest of the litter was a fawn, white and black boy, which as soon as Barnadi saw, he knew had to be the one.  We phoned straight away, not expecting to get that lucky twice in a row, but all the puppies were available including the one in the photo that they had already christened Goofy.  The puppies weren't going to be ready to take away from their mother for another couple of weeks, but to ensure they kept Goofy for us we put down a deposit.  The two weeks seemed to drag on and on, but in that time Jess got braver and braver exploring more of the house and garden, and making it hers.  Then the day came that we could pick up Goofy, so we got up early and drove down to Frankston, he was the last of the litter to be collected and his mother watched us with immense distrust and resentment as we walked off with her last remaining baby.  The trauma of being separated from his mother affected Goofy as badly as it had affected Jessie and he cried and cried in the car.  We did not go straight home however as we had driven so far we stopped and had lunch in Mornington before heading off. 

The introduction between Goofy and Jessie was an unnerving experience, we first brought Goofy around the back into the garden, then I went to fetch Jess.  She came out bounding around as usual, until suddenly she saw him.  The transformation was instantaneous.  Her back arched, her hair stood on end and her whole body shook with terror.  I took her back inside quickly and calmed her down.  Once she was calm I took her back this time to the kitchen window, when she saw him it immediately elicited the same reaction.  So we gave her a bit more time to calm herself back down before we tried again.  This time Barnadi held Goofy and I held Jess and we edged closer to each other until they could cautiously sniff each other.  That night they slept side by side as if they had been friends for life.  They still fight like Cats and Dogs during the day, but as they sleep they are like angels.  This is how we adopted our second child.

Little Angels?

It seems we are now well and truly settled into our life in Australia, we both have full time permanent jobs, we have our own house and we have now started our own family.  What more could we possibly need.

Trick or Treat

Halloween is not anything I have ever before paid much attention to except through the Simpsons or other American sitcoms.  Usually Halloween night involves closing all the curtains, turning all the lights off and pretending I'm not at home.  This year was no exception, Barnadi was working and I was home alone, sitting watching TV in the dark and trying to ignore the doorbell. After the third pack of trick or treaters had been and gone, I get a call from Barnadi to inform me he had bought some chocolates for the very purpose of giving to our neighbours kids.  An unexpected change of heart from Barnadi based on an idea that now we have bought a house we should be more friendly and involved with the local community.  So for the final ring of the door bell I reluctantly opened the door to a little 5 year old devil and his big sister and filled his pumpkin basket with as many chocolates as he could carry.

We have been experiencing a lot of treats ourselves of late, making use of presents we received almost a year ago.  The first was a night down at Lindenderry winery at Red Hill, and the second a 5 course dinner at Estelle restaurant in Northcote.

Lindenderry, Red Hill

Driving down the Eastlink last weekend, it looked at first like we had picked a bad day to use our voucher for a night down the Mornington Peninsula, the rain getting heavier the further south we went.  But as we arrived in Portsea in time for lunch the weather had pretty much dried up.  After some fish and chips we drove on into the Nepean park where we parked our car at the Nepean cemetery and took a walk along the beach and over the hills towards Fort Pearce an old abandoned military barracks.  We didn't get as far as Fort Nepean or the tip of the peninsula however, as we hoped to get back to Red Hill into time for afternoon tea which was being served from 2-4pm.  We pulled up at the winery with only minutes to spare after a longer than expected winding journey up Arthurs seat  road and enjoyed High Tea in the library.   The Voucher also included dinner in their restaurant, Barnadi wasn't too impressed with his starter, but we both enjoyed our mains, and the bottle of Semillon Sauvignon Blanc went down well.  The following day rained and so we headed home earlier than planned, after a little detour through Point Leo and some other smaller towns on the eastern coast of the peninsula.

Last night we caught the tram down to our old home of Northcote for a posh 5 course degustation menu at Estelle restaurant.  The courses seemed small, but were surprisingly filling, and with a "snack" at the start and the end it ended up being 7 courses.  Our meal included a starter of corn and fetta, some tuna shishami, a beautiful steak and a flavoursome fillet of john dory.  The New Zealand Pinot Gris  was a good accompaniment and the cocktails that followed left us feeling rather merry as we headed out into the fresh air to get our tram home.  Unfortunately the tram was cancelled due to an accident somewhere along the line, so we were forced to stay out and enjoy a few more drinks.  Time slipped away and we didn't crawl into bed until 3 this morning.

Throw another shrimp on the barbie

Being born in October and growing up in the northern hemisphere, the concept of being able to celebrate my birthday with a BBQ was something I had never even contemplated.  Yet here we are living it up in the southern hemisphere, swapping the unpredictable Autumn weather of Bath to the equally unpredictable Spring weather of Melbourne.  So as a combined birthday and very belated housewarming celebration, we opened up our house and garden to around 50 of our friends for a BBQ of epic proportions.



A selection of Barnadi's baking

Barnadi went all out in preparation, baking, cooking and decorating to create an event that was so well prepared it seemed almost effortless.  A clever illusion.  All that preparation payed off as the weather not only stayed dry, but it was the hottest day so far this Spring, the only downside was the insatiable wind that insisted on either popping or blowing away all the balloons, and removing all the table cloths.  The turn out was much better than I could have expected, with several friends we hadn't had a chance to catch up with since we first moved to Australia making the effort. 


Still in order to keep with tradition for my birthday itself, it rained.

Life goes on

Nine months ago I started taking Isoniazid to treat latent TB that was diagnosed after I started working at the Alfred hospital.  Today I took my very last dose, my liver is still intact, I still have complete feeling in all my peripheries and I can finally start to enjoy the pleasures of alcohol again.  But did the treatment work or do I still have latent TB?  The answer to that question is something I will never know, as I now have antibodies to the mycobacterium that causes TB I will always give a positive result to the Quantiferon Gold test.

With the mixed sunny/wet weather our garden is going crazy, with the lawn needing mowing almost every week, all 45 rose bushes coming into bloom and a never ending supply of limes.  We have even set up a small veggie patch at the back where we are growing 4 varieties of tomatoes, courgettes, spring onions, carrots and radishes, add this to the banana plant, rhubbarb, 2 chilli plants, peach tree, lemon tree, lime tree, passion fruit vine, cherry tree and plum tree we are well on the way to becoming self sufficient, at least in the way of fresh produce.

Barnadi is becoming increasingly addicted to Groupon, spotting deals for items he has never even thought about wanting before, and instantly realising he can't live without them.  It is not just items that Groupon sells, but tickets to events, activities and experiences.  It was on Groupon that Barnadi found a deal for a half day photo tour, which we both attended on a beautiful sunny Sunday.  Starting at Federation Square and ending along Southbank, the course covered all the basics in exposure. We both learnt a lot on the course and I have definitely noticed a change in the quality of both mine and Barnadi's photos.

With the financial security of having a permanent contract, and no longer needing to save every penny to put into a deposit on a house, Barnadi and I have started to exploit the cultural offerings that Melbourne provides, going to the theatre twice in the last week.  On Wednesday we went to watch the Graduate at her majesty's theatre, which was an unfortunate disappointment, much better was the Opera Cho Cho we went to see on Saturday at the Arts Centre.  Cho Cho is a collaborative piece sung in both Chinese and English, and is a reinvention of the classic opera Madam Butterfly.

A bird in the hand

We got back to Australia in time for the general election, as I am not an Australian citizen I have no vote, but for Barnadi who is, it is his legal obligation that he votes.  It wont come as a surprise to anyone following Australian politics over the last few years, but Tony Abbott and the Liberal party won the election.  The constant infighting between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd destroyed any credibility the Labour party had detracting from all the positives the party had achieved during its time in power.  Perhaps the more surprising outcome is the large number of smaller parties that have secured seats in the senate.  Australian voting works on an overly complicated preference system which means you either vote for every single candidate in order of preference (this year the ballot contained approximately 100 names), or you vote for your preferred party and accept their preferences.  Now most people will not have had the time or the motivation to study all 100 of these candidates, so the majority of voters will just take their preferred party's vote.  This allows parties and other independent candidates to make a series of convoluted preferences deals until you get to the point where the Motor Enthusiasts Party (whose sole policy is to allow drivers to make any modifications to their cars they like with no let or hindrance) gets a seat in the senate.

While Barnadi was busy helping decide the fate of the country, I was busy taking actions to decide my own fate.  Once again, I returned home to Australia to go straight into a job interview.  The interview was for a permanent position as a grade 2 clinical trials pharmacist at the Alfred hospital.  I did not go into the interview with much hope, my last few interviews have all turned into unmitigated disasters.  Despite my previous track record, the interview seemed to go surprisingly well and I left feeling unusually confident, but as the days went by and I heard no news one way or the other my confidence began to slip again.  Exactly one week after the interview I was called back into my bosses office to discuss the outcome, where she seemed even more shocked than I was at how well my interview went.  Rather than just offering me the clinical trials job (which would be a more office based job) she suggested that I should reapply for the current clinical pharmacist vacancy (the job I currently do).  So my options were to take the job on offer in clinical trials, or risk it for another chance to remain as a clinical pharmacist.  It didn't take me long to make up my mind, and so I will start my new job as a clinical trials pharmacist in March, after the current rotation ends.

The Scent of the Jasmine

Whilst we were back in the UK spring has finally arrived in Melbourne, the fruit trees have erupted into blossom and the early morning air is filled with bursts of fragrant Jasmine.  A positive sign that things are changing for the better.

Our time in the UK, was short but sweet, starting with a night in London to get over our jet lag and catch up with our friends who reside there followed by a wedding in Bath and an introduction to the newest member of the family in Kent.  But I am getting ahead of myself, let me start at the beginning.  Our flight with Qatar left late at night and was a turbulent affair leaving little opportunity for rest.  A brief stop over in Doha airport did little to ease the journey, not helped in the slightest by the excessively long bus ride from the plane to the terminal building and back again. It seems the people who designed Doha airport thought it would be a good idea to park the planes as far from the terminal building as possible.  The second leg of the journey was shorter and smoother and we arrived in London on a warm and Sunny afternoon.

After a short rest and freshen up in our tiny but centrally located hotel room, our first reunion was with our friend Pereta who we met for dinner at an Indonesian warung, before going for drinks at the Yard.  To be honest only Barnadi was drinking, as I am still on the Isoniazid and Pereta claims to be genetically incapable of tolerating alcohol.  The next morning we had Brunch with Graham in our favorite London cafe Ballans, walking it off along the Southbank before getting on the train back to Bath, the home Barnadi and I shared for nearly 8 years.

Bath, a city that will always be in my heart and the one place in the UK that I still think of as home.  We had returned to Bath on this occasion for the wedding of our friends Martin and Laura.  Our hosts for this visit were David and Kirsty, unfortunately we arrived too early to be guests in the new house they have just procured.  It does seem that house buying is the new fashion as Martin and Laura have also been busy shopping for property, as if planning a wedding wasn't enough to occupy their time with.  The wedding itself, although sometimes a little unorthodox in its choice of entertainment, went well with everyone having a good time.  I don't think anything could have wiped the grin off Laura's face that day.

For us however the most exciting part of the trip was yet to come.  On the day after the wedding, after catching up with Gemma and Dan as well as the rest of the remaining Green Park Brasserie gang, we headed back to Kent to visit my sister Rachel and her 4 month old son, Owen, my newest and cutest nephew.  At only 4 months old there were still so many things for him to do for the first time and we managed to get a lot of them done in our short visit; his first ride on a bus; his first trip to the seaside; his first game of pooh sticks.  So although I couldn't get him walking (despite my best attempts), he still achieved a lot.  It is only a shame that at 4 months old he is unlikely to remember us, especially as our next trip back to the UK wont be for another two years at least.  We will therefore have to rely on the power of Skype to ensure he doesn't forget who we are.

My nephew, Owen.

We returned back to Melbourne late at night, ready to start back at work the next day with a new found optimism, longer days and warmer weather being just the start.  Potential new job opportunities and only a month left of my TB treatment to go, things are finally starting to look up.