Category: Melbourne

Oh, you got lay-yers?…

/ Renae / 1 Comment

I’m wearing so many layers at the moment I feel like an onion!

I used to pride myself on being able to get ready quickly, but that has gone out the window since moving to Melbourne, and I’m recalling I had the same issues when I lived in Scotland. It’s not like you only have to choose 2 items anymore – top + bottom – nnnnooooooo. Now you have to look outside and determine what sort of day it is and decide how many layers are going underneath your shirt (do you wear a singlet AND a thermal, or just an undershirt?) then you decide on your top, then you look outside again and realise it’s started to rain, so you add another layer, then you choose between leggings, stockings, or long socks to wear under your skirt/trousers/jeans, then you pick either skirt/trousers/jeans, then you realise the rain has stopped, the sun has come out, but the wind has dropped the temperature by about 5 degrees, so you add ANOTHER layer underneath! THEN you have to decide on a jacket – do you take the waterproof one just in case it starts raining again? Or the one with the hood? Or the super-dooper warm one that you might end up taking off and carrying around for most of the day?

But we’re not done yet! We now have to choose accessories! I start with the shoes – do I need closed-in boots for the cold? Or waterproof shoes for the wet weather? Do I take a scarf? (yes… ALWAYS take a scarf) and do I then top it off with my Barret to protect my poor little ears from the wind? (again, the answer is usually a resounding YES!!) And then we’re ready to go!

No wait, I have to go to the toilet first…. this could take a while…. 🙂

College Life

/ Renae / 1 Comment

We have been living on college for 10 days now, and if you had asked me yesterday how it was going, then I would have said “pretty good” but today I would say it’s going really well! We had our first SCR (Senior Common Room) dinner last night and it was really great. We now feel like we’re a part of a community, instead of being the newbies. Our room is starting to feel more like a home since we’ve found places for most of our stuff.


Here’s what the place looked like before we unpacked:



And this was during the unpacking: (eeeeeeeek!)

And these was taken Saturday after lunch. Home sweet Home!






We are quite comfortable in our 2 rooms plus bathroom. The meals are all eaten in “The Dome” and we are yet to have our first formal dinner, which take place Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Apparently it’s quite la-di-da! Hubsband has to wear a suit and tie and I can wear pretty much anything except jeans, as long as it looks classy! And we have our first Black Tie dinner and welcoming Mass next Friday which should be heaps of fun too.

There are quite a few people around our age and a few are in the same course as Hubs. I seem to be the odd one out, not currently adding to a HECS debt (I already have one!!) so I feel a bit out of the loop in some ways, but everyone is making us feel very welcome.

I’ll leave you all with the view we have every morning when we step out of our front door. We will be attending our first Mass tomorrow evening and we’re a little nervous about not knowing all the moves (Catholic services always feel like a carefully choreographed sequence, and I forgot to turn up to rehearsals!) Apparently the messages are very good though. We’ll keep you posted!

The Chapel

Restaureview

/ Renae / Leave a comment

I’ve decided that since we’re in one of the most well-known restaurant/cafe cities in Australia, I’m going to start reviewing the places we have been to for dinner and drinks. Tonight we’re going to look at a FANTASTIC Italian restaurant on Lygon street that we went to with some friends who are visiting from Brisbane. The restaurant is called Papa Gino’s and it is in the heart of the Italian Restaurant precinct of Melbourne.

We were treated to excellent service, nice ambiance, and FABULOUS Italian food. I couldn’t decide between the pasta and the pizza, so the waiter kindly suggested that I order an entree size of both! So I did! And what a great decision that was. The food was excellent value for money both in quality and quantity. We were not left wanting (and I’m still totally full an hour and a half later!)

Hubsband and our friend shared a calzone and a bolognaise pizza (I sampled both of those dishes too – yummmmmm!) and our other friend and I had the ravioli/tortellini with chicken and spinach in a tomato cream sauce. Oh…. my…. gawsh…. it was all just so good. We brought along some wine we had bought from the Yarra Valley (I still haven’t posted about that yet!!) and to top it off, we weren’t charged corkage. Now THAT’S my kind of place!

All in all a fantastic night out. I give it 4 stars out of 5.

Spoilt rotten

/ Renae / Leave a comment

Since arriving in Melbourne, Hubs and I have been staying with a family friend and have been treated to home cooking every night. Here’s what we’ve had so far:

Saturday: home made curry (delicious!)
Sunday: roast lamb (gotta love the Sunday roast)
Monday: lamb shanks done in the slow cooker (oh my gosh it was SO GOOD!!)
Tuesday: beef stroganoff (the beef melted in our mouths)
Wednesday: chicken with taties and veges (with gravy left from the lamb shanks)

And don’t even get me started on the desserts! I think I’ve found a replacement for Nanny’s.

I’ve only been a Wifey for 7 months, but I have to agree with other longer term wifeys and mothers when they say that the best meals they have are the ones cooked for them. We really have been spoilt and it’s been nice having time with each other while we settle in to this wild city.