Tulip Cheeks

Mr TC's 30th Birthday cake - part one

I wanted to show you Mr TCs 1st Birthday cake. Its supposed to represent a Caterpillar cake famously sold in good old Marks and Sparks and bought by Mrs TC senior every birthday in the T household. Can you believe there is NO WHERE in the surrounding area that does anything similar. Thats why ive had to mock up a Caterpillar of our own - what a good wifey i am.

The cakes here are without doubt some of the best in the world - but individual cakes or carrot cake etc. To get a decent birthday cake Im guessing people improvise - or make do with whippy icing. One shop even suggested I get a plain old square cake and pick a stencil and they would spray on an image. I dont think so. 

Eureka Tower

Our Brisbane mates came to see us for the weekend. As usual, when we are with them, we laugh and laugh and laugh - and this weekend was no different. Mr TC and I thought we would base the weekend in and around the city as Melbourne's charm (in my opinion) is where its at.

So, after a spot of ice-berging (yes TC friends - I actually did it - I didnt love it or hate it, but Ive done it) we trotted into the city and had a lovely mooch around. Melbourne's weather was putting on a bit of a show for our Brisbane hotties (its nearly always hot in Brisbane) and it got up to about 23 degrees. Mr TC had forgotten to put any underpants on (?how can you forget?) so he ducked into a shop and bought some - avoiding any chaffing issues.

After a spot of table tennis action at Mr TC's office (thank God he got the underpants first) we headed to the Eureka Tower - the highest building for thousands of miles. Up we go to the 88th floor and have 360 degrees of our lovely Melbourne to view.

Here you can see the MCG (the massive sports arena), the river Yarra and the Dandenongs in the background....

My picture above was taken from the open-air balcony which cost a mere $16.50 to get to - that was well worth it. What was to follow was not.

For an extra $12 we could wear these blue shoe covers and go out on 'The Edge'

"Skydeck 88 is the only observation deck in the world that can thrill you with 'The Edge' - a glass cube which projects 3 metres out from the building - with you in it - suspended almost 300 metres above the ground!"

The view from the glass box was just the same as from the viewing balcony and didnt feel remotely suspended. We weren't allowed to take cameras and had to share the box with about 6 others - AWKWARD! 

The box slowly moves out and the glass is frosted. Then, when you a re all the way out it pings see-through and then sound effects of cracking noises are turned up. The floor is glass, but there are metal struts at regular intervals. Im guessing we had to wear the blue socky things so we keep the glass floor clean, and maybe even have a positive effect of giving it a little polish while we are supposed to be crapping ourselves at being so high up, in a very safe and sturdy viewing platform, with no danger WHAT SO EVER, seeing less than what we could before we paid our $12!

I think you can get the idea that I wasnt that impressed. 

You can see here what happens - that protruding glass room moves out of the main building.

And here what it looked like from inside the box - minus 6 other strangers blocking the view.

So, if you come here  -go up the 88 floors - with my blessing, it really is a good view, but save yourselves £6 and 20 minutes and give 'the Edge' a miss.

Sorry Ive been so long.....

It comes to something when you consider moving back to the UK for the NHS.

What was I thinking? But really, as much as us brits complain about it - its a wonderful service.

I must have been at a real low to be thinking about this - and believe me - I was. Mr TC got really sick - and I mean really sick. It was sunday night when he started to feel poorly and by midnight I was pacing the floor. I googled 24 hour chemists and phoned one for advice. They recommended I take him to a 24 hour clinic - right, I can do this. Where is it - i ask....Berwick. Multi map later - its a 50 minute drive. So I bundled Mr TC in the car - duvet, hot water bottle and all and off we set - both in our Pjs i might add.

Im so tense Im practically hugging the steering wheel. in my hurry the last page of the directions had'nt printed properly so Im driving blind. I eventually find the clinic and we are seen in about 10 minutes. Only after a medicare care is produced and signatures are given. (medicare cards are what everybody has to have - its the small subsidised bit by the government - every little helps I suppose).

The doctor is foreign - another amorous italian me thinks - a little too interested in me for my liking - he keeps asking if i have the same symptoms - no I bloody haven't - Id tell you if i did!

So he kinda concludes Mr TC's diagnosis and prescribes anti-biotics. then recommends an ultra-sound, and more and more procedures. It then comes to my attention that this, unlike the UK, could turn into a money making scheme - I mean - when does it end? Because the UK is subsidised for all medical procedures they do the minimum they need to get you better - if that doesnt do the job, then fine, onto the next. Here its never ending - Im suprised that there arent more skint hypochondriacs. - there probably are.

So we come home and Ive been nursing Mr TC to my best abilities. I even made chicken soup. 

Went back to the doctors yesterday as Mr TC isnt still fully recovered. I sat in the waiting room - taking it all in. there are business cards for all the doctors on the reception. There's are posters up displaying costs of appointments. There is even a poster with an image from a stock library of a palm tree with the slogan... 'Traveling overseas? Take a look at our great products' - what - 2 for one on malaria tablets? Buy two Hepatitis - B injections get the third free? I ask you - im almost making myself ill trying NOT to get ill!

Mr TC is well on the way to recovery now and has even managed to get back to work today - a little too soon for my liking mind - I kinda liked looking after him.

 

Yikes!

I ask you - where have we landed?

The coin is actually $1 and is bigger in size than an actual British pound. 

The toes of the shoes here are more than often square. Mr TC had an awful job trying to find 'normal' shoes in the shops - and hes got self named 'Master Frodo' feet anyway.

These shoes were found and highlighted in a charity shop - so someone's actually worn these and they fit them...? I was tempted to buy them and leave them beside our front door - that way (God forbid) we are ever burgled - the burglar would take one look at these  -  sh*t his pants and f*ck off! Excuse the language just really hate thieving tw*ts.

Hi everyone, just to let you know where we are up to... we have put an application in for a house - a beauty of a house! In Brighton (our favoured area) and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the landlord likes the cut of our jib. We hear back today hopefully so will keep you informed.

We are now staying in South Melbourne, in another appartment, but this time we know people! The next door neighbours are the people who own, and have kindly let us stay at this beautiful 1 bed, Victorian terrace appartment. They are the closest we have to friends over here and will hopefully be (if not already) considered so. They have a really cute todler - Alfie, and a great sense of humour (ie - framed picture of Syed outside our bathroom!) I think we have been very lucky so far, infact I KNOW we have.

So, the plan for the rest of the week....if we get the house we can start to get things like - bank accounts, mobiles, a car, suits for Mr TC and more lovely pics of our explorations to show you guys!

If we dont get the house then its back to house hunting! 

We are missing, and thinking about our family and friends in the UK most of the time. I never thought i'd say this, but Facebook has been a God-send! Although it does make me wish away the mornings over here as I cant wait for everyone to get up and get on-line!

Test

Category Test