Getting settled...

So...loads has happened it seems since I last wrote...I've got somewhere to live! It's a fabulous place in North Fitzroy, quite suburban, but near to some lovely eateries, like 10 mins max away and a new wine shop I spotted on the way home this evening and a supermarket (I enjoyed doing the first shop and looking at all the things they have for sale in a supermarket, obviously similar to back at home, but with tweaks and extras - the meat particularly looks so tasty you could almost eat it raw :-) My old dentist does that, eats raw meat, funny creature!). The house is really nice and am living with one guy, Cormac, who's very nice and interesting too and he's been in the house a while. It's a bungalow, which lots of them are around here with lovely shiny wooden floorboards. 'Twas weird emptying out all my suitcase and hanging things up, I knew the suitcase was big, but already my room feels quite full! Kate helped me choose a doona (aka duvet cover) and the cover's a bit embarrassing, funny though. Cormac also lent me a lamp and a milk crate as my bedside table, ace! Got the place by leaving ad advert 'seeking a room' in 'The Readings' on Lygon street that I mentioned on the previous entry - had quite a lot of people contact me through that advert since as well which I'm having to decline politely - so worth noting for others wanting to find a place to live...think possibly more effective than gumtree...maybe?

Also on Sunday went to look at a family home type house in Ivanhoe, decided Ivanhoe was too far out, particularly whilst only living here for a while...the main 'town' of Ivanhoe doesn't seem very exciting, although we did try out Zanetti's for breakfast and the breakfast was good. But not as good as Cafe Quince (43-45 Spensley Street in Clifton Hill. http://www.cafequince.com.au/), that breakfast was reeeally good, that was Saturday morning...have been trying to take the cards from each place I eat in so I can name drop them here, but not been consistent with it.

Friday night on me own tried Curry and Spice in Clifton Hill, not so excited about that food...this evening actually was my first home cooked din/non-eating out and it was ace - my flatmate cooked us Snapper, coz of course fresh fish is the thing to have here too which was rather lovely too!

Sorry, jumping around the days all over the place here but still...on Saturday night Kate drove us around the city for a look at things - both very keen on Lygon street, then a wander round the main city with the drunkards - spotted a couple of guys getting pulled for J walking...'are you serious' I heard as we walked by. Traffic lights seem to keep you waiting a long time so I can totally relate to why they would have walked...you feel like an idiot waiting for as long as the lights make you sometimes!

Also got a phone on the weekend, went with Optus which seems to have good deals for us foreigners who still want internet usage and to text our friends back in the UK obsessively. Bought a phone too so Brits can still text me at normal prices...so paying like $40 a month for unlimited texts and stuff...reasonably chuffed with that.

Went to a music festival in Brunswick on Sunday, lots of stalls on the streets on Sydney road...loads of bars there with music, also some clothes shops, which I must go back and take a look at some day...that evening ate in Gurkas, 414 Sydney Road, food was OK, but not spectacular.

Had another day of work on Monday, went quite well, but difficult to get through stuff even though the work is very similar to my job in Oxford - quite intimidating. The people are lovely though. One of my work colleagues has offered to lend me her bike whilst I'm here and another gave me a lift home at the end of the day, my boss has suggested meeting up on Saturday to take me to her favourite cafe in Lygon street, fun! Sorted out 'People and Culture' on Tuesday, today, silly amounts of paperwork. Apparently I don't need private healthcare because I get medicare through having a permanent residency visa...also realised today that due to Perm residency visa, I don't need to get a visa for New Zealand when I go later on this month either... Filling in the tax file number forms also I count as full resident so that they can't charge me 45% tax or whatever it is they would otherwise....ermmmm....for the interview they also needed to make up 100 points to show I was who I said I was, passport is 70 points and apparently, weirdly, the work staff card, which was photo ID, was valid...odd, catch 22 confusion. I brought over all sorts of bills, proof of address, degree certificates, birth certificates...all I pretty much needed was my work contract, my passport...ermmmm....yep, and I think that was it to set up a bank account and set myself up with payroll. Even my bank are happy to leave my address down as my work address...it's almost too easy to set yourself up...all that panic I had in advance, what a waste!!! Maybe I should take that as a lesson for future anxiety should it arise...I think we're all fully aware that I'd do it the same way again...

Ooooh, I should also at this point thank Kate, and flatmates too, for letting me stay at theirs - Kate had only moved in herself two weeks beforehand. It would have been a lot more difficult to set myself up if it hadn't been for having a place to stay meanwhile with people who knew a bit about Melbourne on hand and without Kate and her car too. Also Joanna, her flatmate has kindly lent me her mattress in the new house until the weekend where I should be able to pick up a new one from a salvation place on Barkly street.

You know Australians have a bank holiday next Monday, Labour day, to celebrate the 8 hour day, which is weird because the majority of them won't be working on it...including me...I fancy going to see the Penguins sometime this weekend on Philip Island...