My first venture in to downtown Melbourne the other day was grand! I made my way to the area of Carlton which has a bookstore with a reputable noticeboard of rooms to rent. It certainly maintained its reputation and I furiously wrote down all the places that sounded appealing. Afterwards my cupcake date and I went and got burgers (my first slice of Aussie meat) followed by a rather delectable dessert at a famous Italian bakery called Brunetti. We agreed cupcakes next time at a place she raved about and also she said some her friends and her get Thai food once a month and she would include me on the next outing for it. I headed back out and promptly fell into a rather deep jet lag coma that took me through till Friday!

Yesterday I called up all the listings I had written down which ended with a few places booked to see and lots of voice mails left. That afternoon my hostess daughter and I headed to a lecture her friend was giving at the National Gallery of Victoria. He spoke about a Canadian photographer by the name of Jeff Wall. I can't claim to know a lot about photography even if some of my very good friends are involved with it but none the less the piece we looked at and he talked about was interesting. Not sure if it was $1Million cool but eh. After a few of us including the lecturer headed out for some very sub par Vegetarian food. Incredibly good value for money ($5 all you can eat buffet) but just very, very bland. Dr Proffitt and Gee have spoiled me in the last year with all their phenomenal veggie cooking! After lunch the lecturer, his friends and I headed to a fantastic coffee shop nearby (I actually had peppermint tea) that you would never know existed unless somebody took you there. I hope I can find it again on my own! Jet lag once again came a knockin and I headed back out. That evening my hostess daughter and her brothers fiance had a very relaxed time eating lots of yummy Turkish food and watching bad reality TV.

And then today the flat hunting began! Oh my what a windy day it was to start. My Melbournite friends tell me this is by far one of the windiest days of the year. It certainly must have been the way it rustled me along throughout the day. In the short time I have spent out here I have fallen deeply for two areas to live in, North Carlton and North Fitzroy. And all the places I have lined up to look at are in that area. Unfortunately the first place was a total bust. Firstly the girl I would be living with I could tell straight off I would have nothing in common with and secondly the place she lives in is oh so dull. From the moment I walked in through the door I knew I could never live there. I had a few hours to kill before my next appointment so started to explore the areas and fell in love with them even more. Street after street of beautiful old houses. House after house that I want to live in. Shopping after shopping that I want to explore further. I really can't articulate anymore how much these areas excited me! They are perfectly wonderful. And then it was finally time for my next viewing. And it was in one of the oh so fab houses I lust after! A small one but one none the less! And the man living there is my retro twin. Fanbloodytastic taste. Could I live with him? I am not sure. I liked him but still hard to tell. Also the toilet is outside in a shed....quite common in Melbourne at times apparently! I really did like the place though so it is certainly a contender. After this and that I headed to my last appointment of the day which was set up through my hostess daughter in law to be. A wonderful, wonderful apartment that I could happily live in. Only snags though is that the room I would live in has no windows but a massive skylight. Could I hack that? Or would it drive me crazy? Secondly she has to pick me not me pick her. I mean I made it very clear that I loved the place but she was still seeing a few more people. She will let me know Monday....On my way back to the train station I picked up a few pairs of 50denier tights at Target...But not Target as we know it. And then back out to my lush temporary accommodation where we had lots of yummy grilled vegetables and watched the seriously weird Darwin Awards (a film). All and all a great day that had me bursting at the seams with excitement. Today ends on a particularly high note that I can stay out here in Brighton till I find my own place. What wonderful, kind, generous people! It will make looking for a place so much less stressful.

Tomorrow I am going to be meeting up with a friends friend for breakfast. Breakfast/brunch is a big deal out here and well that is fine by me as it is one of my favourite weekend rituals!

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