We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure.

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

Day 14 January 7

Well that brings my little Melbourne journey to an end.

I'm writing this at Melbourne Airport waiting to board my flight to Finland, via China and Amsterdam.

5 days in Melbourne has been awesome, packed a lot into them, but it's been surprisingly relaxing and refreshing at the same time.

 

While the rest of Australia has been sweltering in a heat wave, Melbourne was cool enough that I though I might have to go and buy a sweatshirt, until i remembered I had a whole pack for Finland back in the hotel with warm clothes in it!

Caught up with old friends and relations, not seen for many years.

 

Admired old beautiful buildings.

Shopped.

 

Had massages and facials.

 

 

Lots of nice meals.

 

a quick flutter at the casino? I put in $10 which was gone in 5 mins. ang put in $5 and 15 mins later had $70! At least our cab to the airport was now covered!

 

Went to a couple of shows.

 

Thanks for the fun 5 "sister" days Ang.

 

 

Now it's time to move on with the next part of the journey.

 

See you again in a couple of weeks Melbourne.

 

Boarding for China in 30 mins!

 

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To reminisce with my old friends, to tell our stories and to play our songs again.

To reminisce with my old friends, to tell our stories and to play our songs again. Ricky Nelson

 

 

Day 12 Saturday January 4

 

Today was spent journeying into the past.

I left Angela with a number of things to suss out for us for our next two days in Melbourne, while I travelled about an hour out of Melbourne to catch up with Brianna and Merrin.

Friends from the good old days teaching in Fiji. We reminisced on days teaching and living in Fiji and listened to each other's stories from the last ten years since we last caught up.

 

( Brianna, Merrin and Lewis at the lookout over Ballarat.)

I got to meet one of their children, Lewis, and we had a lovely lakeside lunch. I caught them up in what the 25 year old Sam they used to baby sit as a 10 year old was up to!

The time went way too fast, and I was on my way back to Melbourne. we won't be leaving it for another 10 years to catch up. Maybe we will all meet up in Fiji one day!

The journey to the past continued with a stroll and some dinner in Chinatown, heading towards Her Majesty's Theatre where we had been lucky enough to get great tickets for a live show of the musical Grease.

 

What a great way to end a journey to the past. Angela hadn't stopped smiling yet!

 

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Expect the unexpected! Live life!

 

You can't spend you day wondering what's going to happen next. That takes the thrill out of living. Expect the unexpected! Live life!

BLOG Day 11 Part 2 January 3

I guess one of the great things about going on a journey is experiencing new things and going to places where you have no idea what to expect.

Last night we went to the Dracula cabaret and restaurant show.

 

 

(Having pre dinner nibbles and cocktails in the hotel bar,Angela wearing her Dracula sweater In honour of the show we were going to.)

 

A friend if Angela's said it was a definite must do in Melbourne.

 

We expected scary.

 

What we got was really funny, with a fairly liberal amount of x-rated action thrown in!

 

But all in good spirits. Lovely Meal, very slick operation, lots of laughter and noise.

 

A bit weird at times, but that all adds to the experience doesn't it?

 

Expect the unexpected the lesson of the day! I think?!

 

 

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“The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one

 

 

“The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one.”

― Erma Bombeck

 

 

DAY 11 January 3

 

So I didn't come to Melbourne to shop! I don't love shopping.

 

Ang came to shop.

 

I came to do girlie things like massages and facials, have nice meals and maybe catch a show.

 

But I might become a convert to the whole shopping thing. we walked for ages. Although some of that might gave been thanks to my dubious abilities to read a map! And we shopped up a storm. for someone who didn't come to Melbourne to shop I did a fairly good portrayal of being an avid shopper!

 

And after a Christmas week at mums we had also decided that eating was going to be very sensible. So who should booked the motel right next to the delectable speciality chocolate shop? and in the middle of restaurant heaven?

 

So we spent the day shopping and eating and then shopping some more. Left the hotel before 8am- damn the time difference- and didn't return until nearly 5!

 

Pretty good effort!

 

 

(The results of a days work, Ang would like you to pick which is her pile and which is mine!)

 

Not sure what wins in the race between Melbourne shopping and eating at the moment!

 

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That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me

“That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations


DAY 10 January 2

So the next part of  the journey began today.

Angela and I caught a shuttle bus to Auckland where we checked in to travel to Melbourne.

I am writing this entry sitting on the plane an hour out of Melbourne.

And I could say all kinds of things about the first step of the journey on an international flight! But I get the feeling there will be many more chances to do that over the next few weeks.

So instead I have been reminded of the powerful journey books and movies could take us on.

I was introduced to the book Mr Pip by a friend and colleague in the middle of last year. It was seeming like a great book to read to kids  maybe helping them to see that there people in huge world much less fortunate than them. However Megan got so far through the book with the kids and had to stop reading it as the content got a bit too heavy.

When the movie came out Megan again recommended it but I've never had a chance to see it.

I'm not sure on a plane was the best place to experience this journey.

There were a few moments where I literally jumped out of my seat! and I'm sure at least one moment where I exclaimed loudly in horror at what was happening.

The queues of people linking up for the toilet right over my shoulder were also slightly off putting, I kept looking to see if any children were coming so I could turn the screen around! Not always the happiest of scenes bring shown.

And at least the sad young man on the other side of the aisle who spent the first hour of the flight crying, has cheered up as he laughed at me!

But what a powerful reminder of the importance of letting books and movies take us on figurative journeys.

 What an important message to impart and inspire in the young people of the world.

I read a really good "teacher" book a few weeks ago about the ways to inspire middle school kids to embrace reading and watching this movie about the power the book Great Expectations had on this remote community in Papua New Guinea has again rekindled my enthusiasm for making sure the young people I work with over the next year have every chance possible to immerse themselves in the journeys that books and movies can give us.


I know I am looking forward to grabbing some time over the next few weeks to immerse myself in some of the fiction I have downloaded on my kindle. Reading fiction is something I don't make enough of a priority for sometimes in term time. A few long flights in the next month might give me the time to sit and get totally immersed in those stories, whether it's reading them or watching them.



Fantasy is a good exercise bike for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can. Terry Pratchett

Cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family.

Cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family.
Joseph Brodsky

So today was a day six weeks in the making. It was Mum’s 70^th birthday celebrations. A bit of a surprise for her because she turns 70 in about 2 weeks. She was expecting the five of us and our respective partners and families for lunch.

At 10.30am we told here that there was actually a few more people than that arriving and that we would be having lunch at the rugby club instead.

The scheming of the last few days, the all going out at different times to decorate the clubrooms, to practice songs, to prepare food, all came together.

  

Mum and Dad before leaving the house

Everyone got involved and contributed different things, all using our various skill sets to their best use.

We ended up with about 70 people there for lunch. 

Friends and families. Connections from long ago, and connections more recent.

People we didn’t know but had ferretted out contact details for.

People who had last seen some of us 20 years ago.

Photo stories, grandchildren speaking, a daughter and granddaughter singing Ave Maria, speeches from all five children, some amazing food  and lots and lots of laughter marked the day a special one for Mum in ever so many ways.

 

Over the shoulder looks from the youngest and eldest grandchildren- born 25 years apart!

Children, partners and grandchildren.

And the fact we managed to keep it mostly a secret from her until an hour before it started was pretty special too.

So today was all about connections. 

Connections with family.

 It’s a pretty telling indication of the family connections that the parents of partners of the family were present. Connections spread everywhere in our family.

Connections with friends. Old workmates and friends. New neighbours. All there. All mingling and making connections together.

Mum speaking at the end of the day.

“Connecting with those you know love, like and appreciate you restores the spirit and give you energy to keep moving forward in this life.” 
― Deborah Day

Years end is neither an end or a beginning but a going on...

 

 

 

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instil in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” — Oprah Winfrey

 

 

So the last couple of days have been spent with family of all ages, eating, drinking and scheming.

 

The funniest site must have been Sam sitting at lunch today at the grand kids table with her bottle of beer while the rest of the grand kids had their juice!

 

She bought all her cousins a big bow to wear in their head and they formed the cousins club!

 

Very cute end to the year!

 

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