Marvellous Melbourne: home for the summer/winter!

Another summer break rolled around and the challenge was on to find ways to fill the 9 weeks of holidays! We had planned a trip back home to Melbourne in the middle of the break, but still had 3 weeks prior and 3 weeks post to fill. Daniel's daycare runs a swimming programme through the summer break, so while his school schedule continued much as per usual, he has enjoyed plenty of swimming and waterplay.

For the first couple of weeks, Isabella accompanied me on my usual errands for shopping, lunches, yoga, as well as a few scheduled activities at the local library, which promotes reading among young school-aged children through fun challenges and prizes centred around a theme. 

This year's theme was "Every Hero Has a Story", and one morning Isabella and her buddy, Sophia, challenged themselves with obstacles, targets, bubble-blowing and rock-lifting! It's a great programme and I think one of the reasons Isabella got some into reading last summer. There's something about getting stickers and vouchers for the local pizza and frozen yoghurt joints to motivate a girl to read as many books as possible. Miss Penny, our local librarian did say that books read includes books read to little brothers - handy for Mummies and Daddies!

Summer camps are big here, probably as the summer vacation is soooo long and many parents work, but what surprised me was that there are a number of "camps" during school hours with no overnights, so we chose one of those for the last week prior to leaving for Melbourne. "Camp Invention", a nationally endorsed camp aimed at developing children's STEM skills - Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths - was run at a local elementary school, and looked appealing in that it actually looked like it might develop some skills and confidence, something we're working on.

Isabella's "invention" was an ingenious creation, borne out of a brainstorming session on "a problem that needs a solution". For this little avid reader, who likes the idea of being able to read whenever and whereever she likes, a "Book Dryer" seemed like an obvious yet curiously yet unchartered creation. She had to draw a design, and create a prototype, which was presented to us at the end of the week. In addition to their invention, the kids worked on their own little circuit boards, complete with battery packs, switches, and flashing lights! I was really impressed, as was Daddy, who seemed to actually understand the machinations of it all!

The weekend after Camp Invention, Isabella and I scarpered back to Melbourne for some family and friend time, and respite from the long, hot Georgian summer. As someone once said, "the cold never bothered me anyway!", and it wasn't really cold - more "refreshing"!

Helping pack: Cat, not Crop, Circle!

Saying "good-bye" at ATL airport...luckily for us,
he had no comprehension of what "we're going away for a little while" meant!

Daddy Daycare (or Nightcare) slipped into gear and Dave got on with the business of being full-time breadwinner and sole parent...not a job he'd willingly take on again, I think, especially with his 90+ hour weeks, but it was much appreciated, by yours truly, nonetheless, and it did recharge the emotional batteries for both mother and daughter, in addition to providing some father-son quality time. 

My dear Poppa, 94 this year, has been struggling on his own since Nanna, the "love of his life", passed away last October, and it had been a major motivation for this trip. I certainly didn't want to miss out on time with a precious and very much loved member of our family, so Isabella and I were looking forward to some quality time with Poppa during our trip.

Enjoying a little browse around our mate, Dan's!

Mazzie, Aunty Rebecca, Uncle Paul, Cousin Miles and Grandmama, Uncle Bernie and Aunty Kathy were also high on the list of nearest and dearest we wanted to spend quality time with, along with Aunty Wendy and Barry.

Loving each others' company!

Although we didn't see as many friends as we would have liked, it was fantastic to see the ones we did, and we appreciated the efforts made by some who really went out of their way to make time for us - with one lovely friend travelling from interstate to catch up - love you, Ms A!!

Isabella and I ate TOO well, drank a bit, and laughed a LOT, with all our precious loved ones over an action-packed 2 1/2 weeks. It really was "chicken soup for the soul" for both of us, and at our mid-way point for the US post, it was perfectly timed: not too early in that we hadn't accumulated any stories to tell, but with enough time to go to feel freshly energised and motivated to stay the course!! I sound like a long-distance runner, don't I, but living in a different country, among folk with very different world views, and values, does seen like an endurance test at times.

The two of us saw and did more in our time home than we'd probably done living there for more than 5 years! We went to the Melbourne Museum with our dear old Kensington buddies and new Dubai residents, we enjoyed the National Gallery of Victoria with our beautiful neighbours/friends from Yarraville, and we had fun reaquainting ourselves with native Aussie fauna at Healesville Sanctuary with family.

Isabella and Charlotte, her best buddy from kinder!

Brilliant foodie highlights included gorgeous Greek in Clifton Hill, irresistable Peking Duck in Box Hill, a delicious home-cooked roast lamb in Templestowe, scrummy Vietnamese food in Springvale, a homely meat pie with Poppa in Doncaster, woodfired pizza at Innocent Bystander in Healesville, and groovy fusion in Fitzroy! 

Surprising our cousin, on our first day in the country...he wasn't expecting this!

 

First culinary port of call - Peking Duck, which I hereby declare to be my "last supper" - see below!

Simon, aka Duck Nazi - "fold it like this, or no duck for you!"

Catching up with our precious friends and former neighbours, Poppy, Sevi and the girls in Yarraville... 

Poppy's famous food - always tasty, and always with a smile!

 A side trip to a Seddon cafe, the Sourdough Kitchen, for a croissie and a cuppa!

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 A quick trip to Isabella's old school to catch up with a few besties...

 

Guess who's happy to see each other?!

Our old neighbourhood...

 

Precious time with Poppa included a few trips together to the supermarket, along with several shared meals, and some really, really good cups of tea and accompanying tall tales! 

Did I mention that I was lucky enough to be loaned "The Volvo" for the entire duration of our trip? It was very much appreciated and certainly made it easy for us to zip around and catch up with folk.

  

 and sister...

Yes, the food was as good as it looks!!!

Happiness is good food, wine, and a friendly fellow - thanks Spiro!

Mm, zucchini fritters!

Catching up with familiar faces and places...

Fitzroy's street art

Carlton's Italian dessert-lovers' mecca

Anne trying to choose a Brunetti's gelato flavour...too many choices!

Pistachio, an old fave

 Bayside, in Brighton...

Good choice, Grandmama and Uncle Bernie!

Cuddles with Aunty Kathy!

Mm, I wonder who Daniel gets "it" from!??

The two mums/grandmas enjoying a brisk walk after lunch

With my beautiful Bubba!

And back to Yarraville, via...

Collingwood street art

 Lunch with my lovely and talented friend, Claudia...

Claudia at the Corner, Yazza

Gourmet doughnut shop in Yazza that opened just after we moved OS.
Where are they? Sold out, of course, and I tried on two different occasions!

A train station and pedestrian precinct...it's the little things one misses!

Gorgeous girls, and Claudia's magnificent Orange Cake!!

 Dinner with John and Sevi and the girls, our much-missed "normal" neighbours/friends...

Lunch with Kristen, my gorgeous, gourmand in crime...

Salt and Pepper Squid...divine!

And now for the close-up!

 Cafe breakfast in Templestowe...

Corn cakes, poached eggs, with bacon and avocado smash, an hour before...

 Homemade lunch with the garrulous and gorgeous, Geraldine, and her fab family...

Talk about the "Good Life"...homemade everything and their own chooks...

Being inspired by a real ballerina - thank you, Matilda!!

Girly drinks and goss with Linda in Spring Street...wish we'd had more time!

Fun times, being shouted drinks by loud lawyers!

 More family time...

  

Now, why can't I find these in Middle Georgia... 

  

 Getting out and about, again, for some Cuban Ballet...mmm, nice show!

Can't have a show without supper!

Blurry Melbourne by night...much how I felt by this time!

 Catching up with Yvonne and Kate...

Yvonne and I met 30 years ago while waitressing as students...is that possible!!!

 Marking a special milestone - five years with a certain jewellery store...

Chinese in South Yarra, with Mazzie and her theatre buddies...supper was way better than the show, which was "The Last Supper" - an arty-farty monologue detailing famous historic figures' and death row prisoners' last meals - yeah, right!! No wonder we sought out comfort food!

The Theatre Crowd!

A real Chinese restaurant, with real crockery AND chopsticks!!

The stand-out dish - eggplant in miso!! Talk about UMAMI!

Can't remember what we ate, but it was all tasty!

Brunch in Templestowe with old and dear family friends, Betty, Euan, Fi and Tino...

French in Toorak, with Elma and Leanne, a beautiful couple who appreciate being in a city where it's easy to "live to eat"...

Duck, of course!

Exhausted but never defeated!

My only remaining snail-mail pen pal, and Lower North Shore buddy, Ms Austen, I mean Amanda...thanks for making the trip!

   

 Enjoying the arts at the National Gallery of Victoria...

Starting the party early!

 

More cousin time...

The very shy and retiring Ms Meredith, a fun and fiesty chick, now residing in Dubai. We'd synchronised our trips home so there'd be some overlap for a bit of this...

At Jimmy Watson's, a Carlton institution, and Melbourne Uni academic hangout

...and some of that!

Charlotte and Isabella - apart for 2 years!?

Daniel would have loved to have caught up with Miss Millie!

  

Footy cards: it's a Melbourne thing!

Hangin' in our 'hood!

Kangas, koalas, and other critters, at Healesville Sanctuary...

 Live bird show...

 

Loving being with Aunty!!

Rainbow Lorikeet friend

Quollie, for you, Daniel!

Tawny Frogmouth, Mazzie's favourite bird

Emu, looking for a finger to chomp!

Elusive and mecurial platypus

 And now for some lunch-dinner - "linner"?

Master of the Woodfire!

Pear Tarte Tartin - YUM!

Need I say more?!

Officially off-duty, finally!

 Dropping in...

 Good old Monty - Nanna and Poppa's precious and not-at-all-spoilt puss-cat...

 A surprise early Birthday Party for a certain, soon to be 8 year old!

Trying out our new "onesie"

And before we left, Rebecca took me to visit Nanna and Daddy, in a beautiful, peaceful spot, and we took them some camellias from their respective gardens. It was an emotional time, but one worth doing, as I'd been in the US when Nanna died, and I really needed to be "with" her, to see where she was, and to be comforted by the fact that she's near Daddy.

The magpies were singing and swooping, and it really was a gorgeous and peaceful place.

Saying "good-bye"...

  

 Saying "hello", back in Atlanta!

Oh, how I miss Melbourne! But more than the place, which is familiar, and comfortable and easy, I miss "my" people; my family and friends who remind me of who I am, where I belong - from Templestowe to Yarraville and Sydney to Kensington...perhaps even Georgia will be on this list, in time and with distance?! 

It was a brilliant and action-packed time, and I don't think we could have squeezed in any more than we did, but we didn't waste a minute!!! Thank you, darling husband, for allowing us to escape!!! I think I came back happier and more grounded for it, that's for sure!

Home is where the "heart" is, and our hearts are right here, in the heart of Georgia...for now.