First day of impressions.....

I made to Emily’s house utterly painlessly - the second flight was just as luxurious, but of course I was a seasoned business class person by then ! It was a shorter flight of 8 hours 10 minutes and leaving at midnight Bangkok time meant a small snack after take off then flatbed down and about four hours sleep. This meant that miraculously, by the time I was picked up at 1.30pm lunchtimes in Melbourne I had not even the smallest trace of jet lag - utterly brilliant and it meant the day felt normal and the night was a full sleep and I awoke this morning at 7.30am ! Both Emily and Steven say that the layover, even though it was unplanned, is the key. Getting the jet lag over in a hotel in Bangkok meant that my body clock had already altered and was up and ready to go when we landed in Melbourne!

It was an hours drive to Frankston which gave Emily and I lots of chat and catch up time and thankfully the weather was, and still is a breezy 20 degrees, quite perfect for a northern hemisphere woman ! We watched the resident ringtailed possum come out of his daytime slumber and wander up and around the trees and porch on the hunt for food as soon as it was twilight, no photos though because his eyes can’t stand the flash and I don’t have a posh camera ! It was quite wonderful, tiny pointed ear, huge spaniel eyes built for he dark and a long tail with a white ring around it half way down. He turned and looked at us with no fear at all. He is about the size of Mac the cat, but with a bulkier body and very very sweet !

Standing in the drive in the early evening Steven pointed out all the wild Rainbow parrots in the trees and flying overhead - what a treat, in the U.K. we know them only as zoo animals or in a parrot cage, here they are all around, pink, blue and yellow and quite gorgeous. No photos as yet, as none of the mynah birds which are here all the time - not a starling or blackbird but rather more flamboyant and colourful native Australian birds.

Later, after Emily has made a loaf of bread which is suitable for me ( how nice is that, she waited to make sure all the ingredients were allowed ) we are going to Surrey Hills to pick up the food I ordered online before I left a couple of weeks ago, and to visit an Australian supermarket, the biggest of which is Woolworths ! She explained that Woolies is the Tesco of Australia! However I was told it is like going to tesco so not terribly exciting !

We drove back home from the airport by the sea drive and it is very spectacular with a blue sea bay and lots of old sea facing properties from the 1930’s with intricate ironwork and balconies - if anyone has watched the Miss Fisher 1930’s crime series which  is set in old Melbourne they clearly still us  the many period houses and buildings. 

Tom and Steven were home when we arrived back, and the remote controlled helicopter went down a storm ! I had made an 8 year old friend in an hour or so. Steven didn’t get a look in once Tom got the hang of it ! See below.......breakfast and helicopter!

Action shot

Dad looking on fingers itching to have a go !

Emily making the bread and of course,

WORLD OF COFFEE 6........Frankston style !