It’s always surprising how quickly a month flies by. Last week we were having champagne at midnight ringing in the new year and suddenly it’s February with Valentines Day creeping around the corner. January is school summer holidays and peak summer heat, which makes Jan a lot more enjoyable in Australia than in Canada. Summer includes a bunch of festivals, events and beach time to be enjoyed thoroughly!
The big event that hits Melbourne in January is the Australian Open (that’s the tennis for those who could care less about sport). It’s always a great time and really good vibes if you go to the Grand Slam Oval or even just at a restaurant or bar in the city to watch on TV. Everyone really buys into it here and it creates a super enjoyable atmosphere.
The rest of summer hosts a bunch of outdoor cinemas (I think there’s one close by that starts up Feb. 3), rooftop patios, the Triple J Top 100 countdown, Lunar New Year, some festivals, markets and I’m sure a bunch of other stuff as well. We try to get out and participate in lots of different things and get together with friends when possible.
To end my summer holidays we took a drive down the Mornington Peninsula for some wine and beach time. We were lucky to see an echidna on one of our costal hikes! Cute little bastards they are.
School start up has gone relatively well which is good news. A new year is always a lot to juggle between learning school procedures/policies, meeting the new kids, navigating a new building, learning a new curriculum, getting to know new staff members and the myriad of other things to figure out as quickly as possible. I also did my first aid training here which includes a lot more about spider and snake bites along with what happens if you get bit by a blue ring octopus or stung by a cone snail (both are terrible outcomes…do not recommend).
We’ve got our April holidays already sorted which is exciting. Only 8 more weeks until another trip, but who’s counting? We have a dinner party next weekend and some other social outings like trivia on Sunday nights and watching a friends band play at a local pub.
We’re cautiously optimistic with 2024; we feel like we’re settling in a bit better and getting into ‘the groove’ as they say.
With love and well wishes,
Alex & Michael
