Crazy Weather

I have been meaning to post a blog entry for some time now and have had many topics in mind to write about since moving. Here are some items that have been on my mind for the past 2 months:

- Birds
- TV reception
- Washing machines
- Pizza
- Backyards & Bathroom renovations
- Biking
- 2010 vacation possibilities

Today I want to write the weather we have been experiencing lately in Melbourne.

Over the past 3-4 weeks Melbourne has received a lot of rain as well as varying temperatures.

Rain

The rain is a good thing as Melbourne and the state of Victoria has been in a drought for many years. Over the last few weeks there has been lots of rain and at times heavy showers. This has been really good for the garden and greening of grass. It’s a little novel to get so much rain, as the past three years I have lived here, it’s hardly rained.

But despite the rain the dams are still not near the levels they use to be. It has helped though; a few months back the dam levels were around 32-33% and are up to 38% but not where it used to be like 5 or 10 years ago.

The government of Victoria has implemented since late last year a water target each person in a household should use. That target is 155 litres per day and the aim is for each person to limit their water consumption to this target.

Some ideas the government suggest to achieve this are:

- 4 minute showers (in use now for many years in Oz)
- Install 3 star rated water-efficient showerhead
- Purchase 4 star washing machine
- Use grey water or rainwater to wash your car or water your garden
- Grey water can be collected from the shower or your washing machine

Since moving to our new home, we have implemented the following:

- Bought a 4 star front loading washing machine
- Installed a hose from the washing machine to garden
- Installed a hose from the shower to the garden

Since moving to Australia, I have had to think of water as a resource that is very valuable and important part of our daily lives.

Temperatures

In early to mid November, Melbourne experienced a mini heat wave. The temperature got up to the mid-30’s. Since then the temperature has cooled to a mid to low 20’s. But it’s interesting how the weather changes. December is officially the start of summer and it feels more like spring lately, with cool mornings, warm afternoons, and cooling down again in the evenings. Add the rain and it feels like spring or autumn.

But I don’t expect it to last long. January and February will bring the heat. I just hope it doesn’t reach as hot as last February when it was 47 degrees and Victoria had the fatal bush fires.

It’s interesting living in a warm country that gets cool, versus Canada which is a cold country that gets warm-hot.

In Australia the seasons are broken down like this:

Summer: December – February
Autumn: March – May
Winter: June – August
Spring: September – November

My northern hemisphere reader’s I hope you have a mild winter and for my southern hemisphere readers I hope you have a warm-hot summer and not a stinking hot summer.

A new chapter to my Aussie adventures

If there are any readers of this blog still reading, you may noticed I have not posted lately. Not much new has been happening. Just been living in Melbourne and working. I recently returned to Toronto for 3 weeks for a nice vacation at the end of the Canadian summer, but other than that not much has happened over the last 5-6 months or so.

A new adventure awaits me as Lauren and I are moving this weekend to a new area of Melbourne – Pascoe Vale South.

We have lived for close to 3 years in the inner-city suburb of Fairfield. Fairfield is located NE of the city and is about 10 kilometres away from the city. I lived on the main street of Fairfield, about 10mins away from a strip of shops that contained restaurants, retailers, services and groceries. Less than 2 kilometres west is the trendy area of Northcote, with the restaurants and music venues of High street.

To the north about 10 kilometres is the Preston market, a market to get all your fruit and veg & fish and meat. The same distance is also the Northland shopping mall which has a cinema. To the south are the areas of Westgarth and Clifton Hill, yet more areas for restaurants, shops and services. I was very spoilt and very lucky to be living in Fairfield. I really enjoyed living in Fairfield, I became comfortable and content. Some weekends it was enough just to wander the neighbourhood.

So when it came time to move the North West area of Melbourne I was not pleased initially. I would no longer have the luxury of a train stop being a 10 minute walk away which would get me into the city in 20 mins. No longer have access to a variety of shops and services, steps away from my door step. I would no longer be living near Northcote, Preston, Westgarth, Clifton Hill and Ivanhoe. Though all of these area’s I rarely visited on a daily basis, it became the neighbourhoods I knew.

In Clifton Hill I would get a facial every so often. I bought my bike in Clifton Hill, but got it serviced and fixed in Ivanhoe. In Northcote I had a travel agent from Flight Centre at the Northcote Plaza. I first came to know Preston for its market, but worked for the City of Darebin in Preston, just across the street from the Preston market. On occasion, usually when in between jobs I would take the bus to Northland shopping centre and go see a movie. When I first moved to Fairfield, I would ride my bike north to Bell Street and buy technology at the Dick Smith’s and check out Harvey Norman and Office Works on pricing.

All I could want were just a bike, bus, train or walk away east, west, north or south of Fairfield.

So it was with great apprehension and not much enthusiasm I looked forward to moving. Why are we moving ? The simple answer is space.

We have lived in an apartment in Fairfield and are moving to a house with a massive backyard. To get that in Fairfield we would have to pay much more than we are paying for it in Pascoe Vale South. In the summer time we did not have the opportunity to do things like host BBQs and have a large amount of people over. Lauren wants me to experience and live the Aussie life by extending the living to the outdoors. Living in an apartment which was next to the driveway meant we could not get lots of light in to apartment without exposing our apartment. In this house, we will have lots of light and nobody walking past our windows.

Over the past week, as the house we are about to move in has been cleaned and painted and personal items have started moving to the house I have become more excited about it. I’m not thinking about what I used to have and how convenient life used to be. This is not Fairfield! As I learned in Thailand, a Tuk Tuk ride is different from a bus/train ride or a taxi. We are moving from an apartment to a house. For me I would have liked it to have been in Fairfield but it’s in Pascoe Vale South. I will have to learn new ways of getting to and from work, where the shops are and learn the surrounding areas. I may have to shop at work, as I work near the Queen Victoria market and bring it home.

This is a new chapter in my Aussie life and though parts of me are still unsure how it will pan out. The only thing I’m really losing is convenience and time. We spend the majority of our time during the week at work. Home is where you come home to relax, unwind and spend time and with family and friends. In our new home hopefully we will be able to have more friends and family over with the addition of an outdoor area. As well as have a more enjoyable time at home by being able to have more sun both inside and outside. It will be nice during the summer to sit outside in the evening and not being confined to just the indoors.

Pascoe Vale South, here we come!

Things I like about Melbourne

As I prepare to come home for an end of summer visit, it makes me think of my current home. Melbourne is a pretty good 2nd city to live in if you weren’t living in Toronto. These are things I like about living in Melbourne, Australia:

The Napier Pub – Good pub food, especially the Kangaroo served with thin fries.


Limited Express trains - The train line I live on has some limited express services which by-passes some of the inner-city stops to head directly into the city or directly to northern hub station if coming from the city. It sure makes the trip go more quickly.


Free to air Television: In Australia they have a free to air digital TV system which can show standard or HD TV. You just need to buy a set-top box and hook up your antennae to the box and you have access to 9 channels. Also PVRs are sold here which can record high definition content from the air. Something that is not available in Canada or the US unless you have your service with a cable or satellite provider.


The CBD (Central Business District) – The heart of Melbourne is a grid which contains 5 major streets east/west spanning 2.3 KM and 9 major streets north/ south just under a kilometre. Within these streets are all the major businesses in their tall towers, shopping, eating and drinking. Also contained within the CBD are the funky lane ways with cafes, restaurants and bars.


Triple R radio station – Is a community radio station, which relies on sponsorship and listener subscriptions to pay the bills. Since listening regularly in December 2007 to the breakfast show I have heard a wide variety of music that I would not be exposed to on commercial radio. I have heard music on Triple R before it became mainstream such as M.I.A, The Ting Tings and MGMT. www.rrr.org.au


Parks and bike paths – In Melbourne and all around the inner and other suburbs there are many green spaces to walk, play sports or just have a picnic. Although I don’t use it a lot, I do appreciate having these spaces for people to use. Also there is a great bike path that you can ride along the river into the city, which takes you through many different terrains.


8 more sleeps till I arrive in Toronto!

Mild winter in Melbourne

My last post I mentioned some things I have done during winter. This winter in Melbourne has been a pretty mild winter. It doesn't get as cold as Toronto, but the cooler weather means our apartment gets cold. With concrete walls, no insulation and no permanent heating in the apartment it means the apartment can get quite cool. But it's been pretty mild in the apartment this winter and for that I am grateful as it makes the winter go by more quickly.


Coming home for a visit

Winter will be ending here soon and it will be spring in September. Towards the end of August and into early-mid September I will be back home in Toronto for 3 weeks. I am looking forward to it and counting down the days till I arrive. Only 2 weeks left till I leave. Although I hear it has been a cooler summer this year in Toronto, I am looking forward to spending the end of summer in Canada.

See you in the TO!

Winter in Melbourne

I am sorry for the delay in postings. Work has gotten busier and I haven’t had the time or desire to blog. Work looks like it will be busy up till the end of September this year. In a time of economic upheaval it is best to enjoy these busy times, especially when you are a contractor.

I would like to take some time off and come home to Toronto. I was hoping I could come in August or September but it doesn’t look it may happen. It all depends on what happens with time lines on various projects at work. I am still hopeful I can visit sometime in the 3rd or 4th quarter of this year.


Winter Clothing

It’s officially winter time here in Melbourne. Back in May I bought a winter coat, at the time I thought I would not use it very much, as the temperatures in the morning would be cool but then warm up to 16-18 degrees during day and early evening. But now in June it is cooling down in the evening time and I’m glad I have a warm winter jacket.


A visit to the Symphony

A few weekends back Lauren took me out for a date to see the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform music of the Superheroes. Music that was played included the theme’s for Superman, Batman, Spiderman, James Bond and music from movies such as Indiana Jones, Gladiator, Robin Hood (1938),The Incredibles and Harry Potter. As well as classic music such as the William Tell overture, part of it is used in the 1950’s TV series the Lone Ranger, Khachaturian Spartacus: Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia and Wagner, The Valkyrie: The Ride of the Valkyries. It was great hearing such classic and well known music performed live by a 90 piece orchestra.


Enjoying time in Fairfield

With a hectic work schedule Lauren and I have enjoyed spending time in our own neighbourhood of Fairfield. We have used Saturday’s as a day to walk around our neighbourhood. To have an objective we decided to go to home inspections and house auctions. One weekend we went to about 5 home inspections. Another weekend we went to 2 auctions.

In Australia the majority of apartments and homes are sold via auction. At an auction you can have a crowd between 20-40 people looking on but only 3-5 people are really interested in buying a property. There will usually be 2-3 real estate agents and one will lead the auction by doing a pre-sell about the neighbourhood and the property and how great it is to be in the neighbourhood and there is no better time to put your money in real estate. They will discuss the rates and the rules of the contract and then start the bidding process.

Sometimes they will start with a starting price and other times just ask people to bid. At first no one wants to bid, but inevitably a brave soul will start the bidding. In my experience at auctions there are just 2-3 people really interested. Two parties will go back and forth and sometimes a 3rd will pipe in towards the end. Depending how determined an interested buyer is in buying the property it can usually go about 50K above the high end of the advertised asking price.
Most properties will list a price range that the seller is looking for. Usually the seller has a set price in mind that must be met before he sells. So if it is not met then the property will not be sold. But in Melbourne that rarely happens. If there is no bid, then is it open to private talks between the buyer and seller. This process can also happen before an auction occurs.

It is a very fascinating and entertaining way to buy and sell property. It also provides free entertainment for the neighbors and locals in the community.

The Melbourne Int'l Comedy Festival

For 3+ weeks between March and/or April every year Melbourne welcomes hundreds of comics that participate in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Since arriving in Melbourne in 2007, I have attended the Comedy Festival every year.

My first year was not a great experience. Lauren and I went to see a UK comedian Daniel Kitson, he was getting rave reviews from The Age critics and other critics. I learnt my lesson don't trust critics when it involves something subjective as comedy. Lauren and I didn't really laugh nor were we entertained. His routine was the story of his life and the humour in it. We were not amused.

In 2008 we decided to skip the Comedy Festival, but I won free tickets to see an Australian comedian, whose name I no longer remember. He was in a small venue and was riffing on his life. He was not funny and again neither entertaining. Because we were out on a Saturday night to see comedy, I also booked tickets to see another comedy act, a Canadian improv group. I had a great time at this show, it was funny and entertaining. I laughed a lot during the show.

In 2009 Lauren and I decided to take Lauren's father to see a female comic who is also a ventriloquist - Nina Conti. Lauren and I had seen her on various TV shows and specials. We found her quite entertaining. At her show Evolution, she was very entertaining, but I would not say funny. She did get laughs from the audience but I didn't find her or her monkey funny.

So overall after seeing 4 shows, I have only found one show to be really funny and that was a Canadian improv group.

Last year we did go to a local venue to see comedy that was hosted by Ross Noble. He was very funny, but the acts that were performing were not very funny.

Comedy is a very subjective thing and there are many styles of comedy and comedians for all the variety of people out there. I feel this urge to experience live comedy but so far have not been fulfilled. But I will keep going in the hope of experiencing something new or truly funny.

Australian Comfort Food

Last week Lauren and I decided to go out for dinner and I was in the mood for something tasty, hearty and just plain delicious. As we had the use of a car we decided to head to the inner-city suburb of Fitzroy, which is only about a 10-15 minute drive from where we live. We went to the Napier Hotel, a pub which is not on a major street. You would have to know where it is located to go there.

The Napier Hotel

It's a place which serves hearty pub food, Australia pub food at a great price. You can get Chicken Schnitzel sandwich, Lamb shanks, Steak Sandwich's, Seafood, Curries, Pasta and variety of other food listed on the blackboard specials and what Lauren and I came for the Kangaroo.

This isn't your typical pub, the food served at the Napier is of high quality and relatively cheap for the amount you get.

For the first year I was in Australia, I did not have Kangaroo. It wasn't until sometime probably in the second half of 2008 when I first had Kangaroo. I had it at the Napier and was it ever delicious.

The Kangaroo is severed like a steak, about 3 small thick pieces. It is served medium and it is tender, it is marinated in oil and black pepper. It is served with a bearnaise sauce and comes with shoestring fries and a green salad. The salad is made up mostly of various type of lettuce, a few slices of cumber and tomatoes.

The taste of the kangaroo with the bearnaise sauce and the shoe string fries is a taste to die for. It is so tasty that you just want to keep eating and eating and you don't want the feeling and taste to stop. But alas it must but you can wash it down with a local (Melbourne/Victoria) or Australian beer or a very tasty Lemon, Lime and Bitters, my drink of choice at the Napier.

The Napier pub is one of those pubs which is welcoming, friendly and serves great food. Now when I want some comfort food or just a good feed, the Napier Hotel is my first choice.

What’s happening in Australia ?

Here is a brief synopsis of what’s been happening in Australia recently:

Stimulus Money

In February the Federal government announced a stimulus package to help combat the economic downturn. In April the money has started flowing to individuals.

- If you earn less than 80,000 a year you will receive $900
- If you earn between 80,001 and 90,00 you will receive $600
- If you earn between 90,001 and 100,000 you will receive $250

In the past few weeks there have been many sales enticing people to spend their stimulus package money. It will not be known until the next quarter if this will help stimulate the economy. But many analysts are predicting people will save the money for a rainy day.


Qantas cuts jobs

Qantas is the world’s second oldest airline and is an Australian institution, similar to Bell in Canada. Qantas employs about 36,000 people in Australia and around the world. On Tuesday April 14, 2009, Qantas announced it was cutting 1,750 jobs, which is in addition to 1,500 jobs cut last year.

The job cuts are in response to the downturn in the aviation industry especially on international routes. In addition to the jobs cuts, Qantas is doing the following:

- Deferring delivery of 4 Airbus A380 aircrafts for up to a year
- Deferring delivery of 12 737-800 and 15 787 Dreamliners
- Grounding 10 planes and selling them
- Reducing capacity by 5% on international and domestic routes
- Capacity cut on high-frequency, low-cost routes such as Melbourne to Sydney

All of this is done to stop profit loss from the down turn and increased competition. Last year Qantas could charge $2000 in low-mid season for flights to London and Los Angeles. Now you can go to London for $1300 and Los Angeles for $1000 return all taxes and surcharges included.


Rudd-Net

In early April, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a national broadband network which would bring fibre to the home for 90% of Australians. The government would build this network through its own private/public company at an estimated cost of $43 billion dollars. It would take 8-10 years to be completed and would increase speeds by 100 times, faster than what is currently available.

For Mr. Rudd this is an election promise from 2007 that he is acting on. According to Rudd, “this is a huge enabler for the Australia economy for the 21st century” and “This is a very big project”.

There are many questions that have not been answered. Such as the real cost of the project over the 8 – 10 year period. How much it will cost the consumer to access this super fast network. Some industry estimates are saying between $100 – 200/month. At that cost who is going to pay for it ?

Vacation Time

For the month of February I was on vacation for 3 weeks, 2 in New Zealand and 1 in Melbourne. The week off in Melbourne was really to recover from the 2 weeks in NZ.

New Zealand

New Zealand is a very beautiful country, as so many visitors have commented on the past. But it’s not until you go there and experience it that you really understand how beautiful nature can be. To see rivers and lakes with absolutely stunning blue water ranging from clear ice blue to Caribbean blue to navy blue. To have backdrop of mountains, trees and water as you walk from your hotel into Queenstown. It’s an absolutely stunning country.

Highlights include: Wandering around the city of Wellington and Queenstown.


A Weekend in Sydney

2 weeks after going to New Zealand, I went to Sydney for the Victoria Labour Day long weekend. Our goal was to have a beach holiday. But we only spent one day on the beach, as on Sunday it rained. But the water at Coogee beach is very refreshing and fun.

I highly recommend anyone visiting Sydney to spend a few days in Coogee and the surrounding beaches, coves and bays.


Next Vacation

Nothing at this time, with the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) and job security it may a while before we head out of Melbourne. Which means I should have more time to blog ?

Hot fun in the city

Did you miss me ?

January has been a bit of a hectic month, going back to work after the holiday season and getting back into the daily 8 hour grind of working. It doesn’t help also that work is crazy at the moment and will probably remain so for the entire year.

For the 2 middle weeks of January I have been riding to work in 20+ degree temperatures. But this week I took the week of from riding as temperatures were in the 40’s. From Tue-Friday we had 40+ degrees, with the temperature not reaching its max: 42-45 until late in the afternoon between 3-5pm.

The heat has caused havoc with the train system, causing tracks to buckle under the heat. This has caused train cancellations. But according to the train operator Connex, this is not the only reason for the train cancellations. Apparently train drivers and their union have not been driving perfectly good trains for issues such as air condition not working, ripped seats or a sticker covering a window. I guess they are safety concerns, but when you have 50-100 train cancellations a day in 40+ degree temperature it sure does make the traveler grumpy. Luckily for me on my train line I only had one or two train cancellations. Only one day after work did I have to take the tram home.

After spending a really hot evening at home on Thursday we decided to go out on Friday night to get away from the heat. We headed just north of the city to area called Carlton and headed to Lygon Street. We ate at an Italian restaurant, wondered through the funky book store Readings and then crossed the street to the Nova Cinema to see Slumdog Millionaire. It was a thoroughly enjoyable movie, which helped take away the bad memories of a hot week. As we exited the theater and went into the open we could feel the temperature had changed. It was no longer stinking hot, but very warm and a cool breeze made the night feel wonderful again.

We took the opportunity to be outside again and walked from Carton to Rathdown village and grabbed a bus home. Because of the past few days of heat and train cancellations the government gave free transport to all for Friday. Glad our bus wasn’t cancelled.

Already January is over and February is here. I have one week of work then I’m off to New Zealand for 2 weeks and another week off to recovery from the vacation. I’m looking forward to it.

I will try to be more regular with my blog postings this year.