Home sweet home (again)

It was much easier than we thought possible-- we now have a Melbourne home! After checking out that first doorless dump, the place we moved into was that much more fantastic. We signed the lease right away, and moved in a day later. It's actually a renovated former refrigeration warehouse that's down a little lane off a main street, but it's quite nice inside- ceramic tiles, big kitchen, large furnished bedrooms with exposed brick (reminds Dayle of her bathroom in Cabbagetown!). It's a little pricey-- Toronto rents have NOTHING on Melbourne-- but it's in the heart of Carlton, which is the university/Italian neighbourhood, and just a five-minute walk north of the CBD = millions of cafes, shops, restaurants, gelato shops, and bars to hit. And the perks: free wireless internet, laundry, all bills paid, nice landlords who pop by with coupons for attractions and 2-for-1 ice cream... hell, we can't go wrong. We're committed for two months, and will probably stay more, so feel free to send us mail-- there's nothing better than snail mail in this electronic age. :)

OUR ADDRESS:
18 Powell Lane
Carlton, VIC 3053
Australia
(SEE OUR HOUSE ON A GOOGLE MAP)

We also have some cute kitties who roam around at night, waiting for belly-scratching, which is cool. Last night we went for a stroll and stumbled upon a park full of small, tamed possums that stumble around like they're wasted (we promise you a video soon). Our biggest problem is parking-- and we love Daisy way too much to give her up! We were almost able to get a street-parking permit from City Hall, but then we read the fine print and our car has to be registered in Victoria (and Daisy's a true-blue Queenslander). Since we live down a "lane"- kind of a cobblestoned alleyway- we can't park in there, it's illegal. And while the city street-parking permit is only $20 for the whole year, the cost of changing Daisy over to a Victoria van- safety check, roadworthy certificates, rego fees, changing insurance- just isn't worth it. I think we're going to have to rent a spot for her in a parking garage, and hope she doesn't hate us for neglecting her. On the bright side, we did buy a detailed manual on our trusty Toyota Hi-Ace, and now we actually know which spot to pour the radiator coolant into... tee hee!

Happy New Year all- hope you have an enjoyable one! They're calling for 44 degrees here, so we're going to have some drinks and watch fireworks from the St. Kilda beaches, and go for a midnight swim (or maybe a toe-dip, for those afraid of sharks). For a few hours there, we'll be in 2008 and Canada will be still in 2007- how strange! We'll let you know how the future looks...

...well actually, it kind of looks like this:

Behold the Future from BigQuestionMarks on Vimeo.