Jelly and cake

No bother to Nick, I had a lie in. Yep, quarter to five is a great time to get up.

At that time of the day it was pushing 16° and we ( M was up as well ) needed a coffee or tea. Nicola and Trevor have an all singing all dancing coffee machine. According to your taste you hit a button and there you are. A perfect coffee. Only thing is though, it starts the process by grinding the beans. Have you any idea of the flippin noise that makes at this time of the morning? So it was tea then.

I chose this early hour to write the Blog, because of the quiet. Except for the chorus of singers sitting high in the branches outside, there is only the sound of the fridge. The only thing working at this time of day.

The sun is pouring through the wide wall of floor to ceiling windows and getting a tad warm. Not to mention the pain in the bum trying to see the screen, and stop myself from taking the laptop into the garden and doing this. Wonder what the neighbour would think if she saw me tapping away at six in the morning?

The troops stirred, time for breakfast and hopefully get the two birds out onto the street. This was our second full day, and we decided to do St Kilda beach and St Kilda gardens.

The gardens were a let down, it’s the height of summer here and the grass and vegetation are showing signs of bad nerves. It’s harsh here; when so many humans need so much water, plants take a second or third seat. They have a mini Botanical garden a fraction of the far more elaborate one in our hometown. The conservatory was built in 1990 and looks and feels at least 20 years older.

We proceeded in an orderly fashion me lewd, to the Acland Street area. Under no circumstances can our Kim or the kids come here. Nearly every other shop for a good two hundred yards is a cake shop. And what cakes? Wee articles of sheer beauty that you shove down your neck. Marvellous. After having just a coffee on the kerbside we went for a look around Luna Park. A funfair dating back a century; mind you some of the original bits are still there. And that’s just the staff in their cute purple suits.

24° is not a big lot, either at home nor on the Costas’. Here it’s bit different, it seems a good 6 or so degrees warmer. There are those that say the ozone is non-existent down here. Well if it’s missing I personally blame the Eastern Europeans. I went to get a haircut yesterday and the nearest barber was good, but Eastern European. Three chairs, three barbers zero conversations. A guy came in to the seat beside me and remarked to the barber girl about the hot weather. “ It’s summer,” she groaned, “What do you expect?” Anyway, that was first thing this morning. Who said, “You’re not going out with hair like that”? Mmm.

So we went from Luna Park, well famous and well old, to the foreshore. This is a big wide path that runs along the beach, just like any other coastal town. I love this kind of walk. It’s nearly always level, sunny, loads of different architecture, the call of the sea, and the waves breaking randomly on the beach. Oh, and the crumpet as well.

St Kilda has an old pier, part burnt down in 2003, and lovingly restored as new by the people. The walk along it was a bit windy, and a couple of hundred yards long. We were able to see Jellyfish and Starfish swimming in the bay. There’s a spur runs off the end of it and the local sailors have their wee boats berthed here. Melbourne is very serious about sport and sailing would be no different. Everything these guys do seems to be done with a passion.

We started to return towards home, I was barby meister today. We’d been walking for hours and needed another wee toot and a Pizza. We called into the oldest Pizzeria in town. Topelinos. Served some lovely food by an equally lovely Irish girl, who looked like one of the Minogues?

The twenty-minute walk home was tedious. Uncle Nick had just found two big blisters on the soles of his hooves…never mind, when we get home I’ll rinse them and get to lie down for a one-hour siesta. A bit perilous with J Lag.

Nicola's shopping ethos is to buy the daily food daily. This works brilliantly although I would say at a premium, because her favourite shops aren’t cheap. There’s not even a Lidl in sight!

We got some chicken fillets and I stuffed them with Avocado and onion. Wrapped them in smoked bacon, rolled them up like sausages and whacked them onto the barby, mate.

Dinner over we sat around talking for a while. N & T have three possums sharing their back garden. We have yet to see the wee friggers, but tonight they made an appearance. Might as well not have but. The one we heard, and it was dark by this time ran along the top of the fence, into some bamboos and shook the bamboos fiercely. Then pissed off. I’m beginning to think these two have employed a midget to let on he’s a Possum. Just to scare the shit out of mum.

Tomorrow is our first winery, and T is driving so there will be loads to interest in tomorrow’s version.

Can you do me a favour dear reader? Can you let me know if this is worth doing by either sending me an email or go to the link?

I’m really sorry you are all feeling the cold, but hey, I’d to put up with J Lag to do this………..