Six weeks!! We’ve survived the first six weeks in Melbourne. I may sound surprised by this, that’s because I am! The summer holidays was never going to be an ideal time to move, especially as Christmas falls slap bang in the middle, but we have survived…pretty much alone!

We arrived in Melbourne, in a rain storm, the skies were grey and to be honest I was dreading it. I spent about a day thinking “oh shit, we’ve done the wrong thing” and “everyone was right about the weather’, then the clouds cleared and the angels started to sing! We love it!  We really, really love it! We picked a great location to settle. We can walk to the beach, walk to school, walk to the train, it’s brill. It’s almost surreal how friendly and downright bloody wonderful the people are.

We have learnt that Christmas on our own at home is probably not going to be repeated. Christmas is just the wrong time to be away from everything Christmassy you have ever known. Christmas is not Christmas without a dark, cold morning, a thick dressing gown, that Christmas smell ( you know the one.. the cinnamony, pine tree one), and that nervous excitement that your drunk old aunt might say something really outrageous at lunch. It’s family time, it’s getting everyone together, playing games, laughing, eating too much and drinking even more. This Christmas was not like that at all. The first few hours of opening gifts, eating lashings of Nutella on toast and downing prosecco was fine; even a few ‘odd’ hours on the beach surrounded by lots of families (granny and all) laughing and hugging, and well… just being bloody family like, wasn’t too dreadful. It was when 3 o’clock hit, and I brought a feast to the table, in the style of my idol Nigella, (minus the heaving breasts) enough to feed about 18 people, that’s when the crapness crept in. Monty had passed out on the sofa clutching his remote control car, so it was just the three of us at the table. No sooner had I plated up, Poppy had cracked her cracker, practically poured her lunch off her plate straight into her mouth and asked if she could leave the table and go out to play with her friends. So Christmas lunch, enough for a small army, was left for Tim and I to tackle alone, whilst listening to Monty snoring on the sofa, like someones very drunk uncle Bob.

Table for 1!

Thank god I had worn my ultra stretchy trousers, the pavlova for 12 went down beautifully, even after 45 roast potato’s (well they were super crunchy) and almost a whole Christmas ham! I had completely forgotten the neighbours had invited us over for a drink later in the day! I had to Vaseline my whole body so as I could slide into something that blatantly didn’t fit, and pop next door to meet more new faces and drink more beer. I honestly resembled a sweaty pink toad, you know when they puff out their bubble chin!

This wouldn’t have been so bad if this wasn’t the same neighbour who had rescued me when I managed to lock myself and the kids out of the house on day two of being in the street….. in my smallest pyjamas… When I say pyjamas, what I really mean is a teeeeeeeeny pair of shorts (only legal in the dark), and a baggy vest top with no bra. Nothing like making a good first impression. And second…..

So thankfully Christmas is over, and the summer holidays are coming to an end. The pressure to entertain the children, feed them real food, not just gummy worms, and keep the house tidy is becoming too much. We have crammed so much in to the last 6 weeks, I am almost spinning in my shoes. We had an awesome day at the Big Bash, the first cricket game we had taken the kids to and they had a ball… (sorry!) We had a fab day at The Melbourne Museum, Monty was in his element! We raced into the city to Slide the Square. We went to Philip Island to see the penguins and the koalas, what an unbelievable day! I was thrilled we got home without a penguin hiding in Montys backpack! 

We have even popped our cherry when it comes to Aussie camping. I know, I know, you feel like you want to cheer for me, pat my back and shake my hand. I was proud of myself too. Two nights in a tent, in 35 degrees of heat, spiders, mosquitoes and no power was never going to be easy for me. The rest of the Wilson’s absolutely loved it, they didn’t mind the dried mud between their toes, grass in their beds and their hair all furry. I would have rather shaved my eyebrows off and had my nipples pierced. There’s still time! Tim is threatening to buy even more camping equipment and make me go again. I have suggested it would be great bonding time for him and the kids, so maybe I should stay home and make time to really scrub the bathrooms. Here’s hoping.

So, we made it, we’ve settled, and we’re ready for school! We’re ready to make more friends, join some clubs, and maybe just maybe some adult time for me and Mr W if we ever find a babysitter.

We never dreamt another move would be easy for any of us, but dare I say it, this feels like the best move yet!! Fingers crossed for some more adventures, lots more exploring, and heaps more happy times ahead! A new chapter begins!

And suddenly you just know it’s time to start something new & trust the magic of beginnings.