flu....

Everyone has been asking "where have you been?", well I'll tell you....I've been sick, I never get sick and what's worse is the fact that I have the flu in 30 - 32 degree heat! The house I am staying in right now, the 2 girls both had the flu and then I went to Melbourne and Peter had the flu..I guess I didn't stand a chance.

I have been taking it easy for the last few days, haven't been able to exercise and I feel really weak and exhausted just walking up the stairs!

I made some soup my dad used to make, his mother's old recipe, it is a vegetable soup with tons of white vinegar in it. I forgot about it but remembered yesterday and made myself a pot and have been having bowls of it every time I regain consciousness, I know I am getting better because I can now taste the vinegar.....it's a terrible soup to have if you are well as it is basically vinegar but when you are sick it seems to clear everything out!!

Hopefully I'll be up and about tomorrow, I have plans to visit the Sunshine Coast...my favourite spot to relax.

What a winter!

As most of you know it is winter here in Queensland and I bet what you didn't know is that the temperature has not gone below 22C which translates to about 74F for those of you who do not use celsius.

Based on the temperatures this winter it is going to be a long hot summer which a lot of people are not looking forward to....not me, I love the heat and humidity, although my friends are telling me I have forgotten what it's like. If it gets too hot then it will be a good excuse for me to take another trip to Melbourne or Sydney. I have yet to visit my friends in Sydney, might have to time that visit around Mardi Gras...if I can wait that long. The Sydney Dykes on Bikes are having a ball sometime in September, so that could be another excuse to visit Sydney, although I would certainly need my bike before then as they have a little scoot around the city before the ball.

Tomorrow will be 33C, gonna be a hot one....ummm what shall I wear??

still in Melbourne

I must say, I am loving Melbourne despite the cold!! It helps to have wonderful hosts, thank you Peter and Andrew.

My first night here we went to Boxhill and ate at a great Chinese restaurant, then we went to St Kilda......and those of you that have been to St Kilda know what I am going to say next.....the cake shops!!!!!!!!! I could not choose one, so I had 2 cakes and a coffee! The only other place I have seen so many delicious cake shops lining the streets is in Europe. The little shops have rickety old floor boards and small wooden tables and chairs to add to the ambience, there are big glass display cases full of every imaginable cake.

Tuesday we went to Brunswick Street to all the neat shops and cafes the weather was a bit cool and it was nice to wrap up in a warm scarf and a beanie that my friend in Brisbane made for me before I left for my trip. We wandered around the shops, had lunch then headed off to Smith Street in Collingwood to look at some more shops. I'm not a great shopper but just to wander the streets among the amazing shops and admiring the work of little known artists is fun for me.

Last night we went to a great Vietnamese restaurant owned and run by a young vietnamese couple on Victoria St in Richmond, the wife does the cooking and the husband serves the meals, they have only had their business for 4 months and I wish them all the best...the food was superb and very reasonably priced. The name of the restaurant is Fiafi, so if you get the opportunity, go eat there, enjoy the delicious meals and give the young couple a go. The night didn't end after our meal, we then went on to Lygone Street in Carlton for some more coffee and cakes at Brunettis, the place was pumping it was just like being in a street in Italy. People sitting outside under the heaters enjoying coffee, the inside of the place was huge with beautifully tiled floors and big display cabinets displaying...yup, you guessed it...CAKES! The whole cafe was charged with an amazing energy that made you want to stay in there all night drinking coffee and eating cakes....thankfully Andrew had to go to work the next morning otherwise I would still be in there eating cakes!

Today we went into the city, walked through all the graffitied alleys and then on to the lanes full of cafes to eat lunch, we wandered around the city a bit more and then it was time to head to the airport.

It was a fleeting visit to Melbourne but it was enough to remind me of how wonderful that city is and how much I have missed that sort of culture and atmosphere.

Melbourne here I come!

This was day 2 of my road trip to Melbourne, what a trip it's been so far. I decided to travel south by the inland route, through 'never never land' as the Aborigines call it.....I can see why, it's real Australian bush out here. The roads are long, the traffic minimal and the wildlife abundant! I've seen the roos and a huge number of different cockatoos, the most popular being the grey and pink ones that just line the road and don't move when you drive past, if they do decide to fly....just keep driving don't brake or swerve or you'll end up in the ditch! They have a habit of flying in front of your windscreen and shitting all over it.....little buggers!

As for the kangaroos they just stand at the roadside and watch you go by, some roos decide to take a closer look and.........well I don't need to elaborate, they can do alot of damage to your car. The big road trains just fly along the roads and god help anything that gets in their way, they can hit anything and not feel it (let's hope the victim doesn't feel it either!) as they have their big roo bars on the front of their truck.

I popped in to see the 'dish', the big satellite dish at Parkes, it was the satellite telescope that recorded man's first walk on the moon and there was even a movie made about it here in Australia called 'The Dish', it's quite a funny movie so if you get a chance, rent it out....all my American friends be prepared to laugh at yourselves!

The sunset was spectacular as I was pulling into Moree last night and the cloud formations during the day were also a sight to see, I'd forgotten what a show the sky can put on.

The land is so vast you can see for miles and the old houses on the cattle ranges certainly have a story to tell, some are just falling to pieces, some have been restored and some just need a lick of paint. The small towns I drove through have nothing more than a post office (if you're lucky), a pub, a cop shop and a couple of houses and thats your town, blink and you miss it! Most of the people live out on the big cattle or sheep ranches so most of the town's population is scattered around the area.

The highways don't have MacDonalds, Wendys, Motels, Petrol stations, advertising billboards or things like that, its about 100 kilometers, sometimes more, between each town and during that 100 klicks its just you and the outback......and who knows what lurks in the outback!!

I got wheels!

Progress has been made! I bought a car and now feel much more independent. I met this guy, called Nick, by chance and found out that he attends car auctions looking for cars for his clients....what a stroke of luck, the universe works in mysterious ways! He took me to the auctions last week and we looked at and test drove some cars, he got me a really good deal on a 2004 Mazda 3 maxx in this really nice green colour called nordic green with a mica finish, the colour subtly changes depending on the light reflecting on it...sometimes it looks black and sometimes it looks like the colour of dark seaweed, I love looking at the colour. If you want Nick to help you get a car his website is www.automotiveconsultants.com.au he charges an admin fee but he does all the running around, you can just give him your order and sit and wait at home, he will deliver your car all ready to drive. Nick gets the car mechanically checked out as part of his service, he's also a mechanic so he can spot a dud when he sees one. I am very happy with his service...oh and guess what......he knows a Harley mechanic who can check out a bike when I get one!!....I am so lucky to have met this guy, he is going to be a brilliant contact for me as I find my way around Brisbane again!