We have settled back in to our Australian routine. Thankfully, neither of us had jet lag. It has been very springy here the past week. September 1st is the official start here and the days have been sunny and warm enough to be in a t shirt. Leaves are budded out on the trees that had actually lost them, and there are flowers blooming everywhere. It is lighter earlier in the mornings and later in the evenings. Spring has Sprung! In September….so weird still! Australia has its own Labour Day in October. This past Sunday was their Father’s Day. It is hard to keep all these holidays sorted!
After we got settled in Saturday, we went for a walk in the sunshine around nearby Cremorne Point. So many flowers blooming and birds singing. We even saw a kookaburra. The city view was beautiful as always and we are happy to be back. Sunday, after church, we met Heidi in Newtown for lunch. We had time to kill before we got there so we explored the main street and went into a comic store and a bazaar. After lunch at the Newtown Hotel, we went to Alfred Hotel to watch the Mayweather vs McGregor fight. (Fyi: Most Hotels are bars, just called hotels because some used to have rooms fore rent) Heidi had been house sitting and in Hawaii, so it had been four weeks since we saw her. All the bars showing the fight were packed and the first one we tried was already at max capacity. We found one further up the road. Heidi was the most interested in seeing it and none of us really understood boxing rules, so it was amusing. It was over pretty fast; we didn’t even have time to get a drink. We went to a more interesting bar down the street and had a cocktail and talked about our upcoming apartment search. There was much to discuss and we are all prepping and looking for our future place together. Sunday evening was quiet; complete with cat cuddles and tea.
Monday night was the finale of Game of Thrones so Jax had some friends over for charcuteie, pizza, and wine. I got to watch too since I am all up to date. 🙂 It was a good episode; good resolution for some things and scariness for season 8. We shall see when it is on again…in like 2019. My return to work went well. We had a slower week since one of the doctors was off. Friday Jax was off to Brisbane for the weekend and Heidi had a work thing at night, so we were left to our own devices. We decided to go out to eat at a local supper club-like restaurant called The Oaks. It was a huge, busy place, with a cool lit up tree in the courtyard. The food and drinks were delicious and the portions huge for Australia. Saturday I had to work and Brandon and Heidi were going to go out apartment searching, but then Heidi got the flu. Brandon was off by himself to look at the places we had picked out. It was a good experience for him, never having gone to inspections before. He said there were quite a few people at each one, which is troubling. When Heidi and I had gone weeks ago to see what was out there, there was like one other group/family besides us. Now that it is spring, I think a lot more people will also be hunting. How the rental market works in Sydney is a bit more intense than in WI. Apartments are advertised through agents that list them online. There are inspections scheduled, typically on Saturdays, that are like 15-30 min open houses of the unit. The agents are there to answer questions, and if you are interested in the place, you apply online and find out the following week. It can be very competitive and apartments can even go into a bidding war with people offering to pay more per week than the asking price. It is all quite the adventure and I know it will be a bit stressful I am sure, but we will find a great place for us.
When we got home Saturday, Heidi had gone to the doctor, but was still unwell, so she scheduled a doctor to come to the house. She was pretty much bedridden/possibly contagious and so I waited up for him to get here to let him in. After he left Heidi, went down to get something in the kitchen and screamed. I rushed down, hoping she hadn’t hurt herself in her weakness, and found a baby Huntsman Spider. I used a cup and a coaster and ushered him outside. They can move fast!! He was not going to be allowed inside because I am afraid the cats will try to play with them and get bit and die. They are poisonous after all.
Sunday Brandon and I went to church, then went out to explore the suburb of Glebe. It is an area that would work out well for all of our commutes. We had lunch outside in the sun at a Turkish restaurant and walked around the main street. There were a lot of shops, cafes, parks, and restaurants all over. A very nice area, even complete with a nearby mall. 🙂 Kmart and Target, YAY! We shall see where the open listings for apartments are every week and go from there. So far the neighborhoods/suburbs of Balmain, Rozelle, Pyrmont, and Glebe are all in the running, depending on location. It has to be close and easy for public transport for Brandon and I, and driving for Heidi. So far the ones at the top of our lists are the most expensive, of course. When we do decide, we will have to jump on it fast, because usually most places are rented within a week of being posted. Very competitive!! We ended our Glebe tour at a chocolate shop with ice cream since the day was so sunny and warm. We also bought a puppy. I am still working on his name, but he was so well behaved on the bus, just sat in my lap. 😉 See picture below.
After we took the bus back home, we discovered that Heidi was still no better. Brandon drove us in her car to the hospital around 6:30p. I had been to the doctor for routine stuff already in Australia, but never the hospital. It was eye opening. The whole human medical field is run very differently than the US and I am still getting used to it. I can explain more about in a later post. They were crazy busy, since it is apparently flu season and a Sunday night, so everything took a long time. We actually sent Brandon home for a few hours when it was apparent it would be a while. She finally had tests and IV fluids and we got to leave at 11pm. I felt/feel so bad for poor Heidi. She is so miserable. We have been masking up and wiping everything down so we don’t get it. She has been just isolated to her room and emerging for the bathroom and that is it. She is feeling at bit better today though so hopefully that streak will continue. Being sick sucks!
Have a happy rest of your Monday everyone! The first few pictures were on my phone from before we left; extra cat pictures and ones of my hang out place by the bay before work. (when the buses go well) Then it goes on to last Saturday’s pictures. Enjoy!
