Wednesday Aug. 21.….I did it!

Ok after procrastinating for the last week and then more procrastination this morning I decided I was going to try to drive the manual car!   So off I went around and around and around and around the block……making only left hand turns……remember I’m driving on the left side of the road, so the left  turns are the easiest. 

Then after about 15 time around the block I headed off for the grocery store and market.  They have Woolworths here….apparently they bought out Safeway.  I got there safely and parked.   Yea!!!  Shopped, backed out and headed back to the house……..I only stalled once and did some right hand turns without stalling…….I will try it again tomorrow!

I headed into Melbourne after 3.….I tried for one cache and didn’t find it and then headed over to the GPO to have a hot chocolate at Cocao.  Curt didn’t get off until 6:30 so I went west towards Southern Cross station and found a couple of caches there.  Then went back do a little browsing at Target (yes they have a Target downtown!) and then met Curt.

Royal Arcade

We went back to their apartment and chatted with Natasha and went out to find someplace to have dinner.  We ended  up at The Blue Railway which is on the south bank of the Yarra river….very nice dinner, Curtis and Natasha both had pastas and I had a pulled pork sandwich.  They walked me to the station and I caught he 10:00pm train home. 

Federation Square at night

Southbank at night

Veiw from the restaurant

Thursday August 22.….Lazy day

Today it called for rain all day (at least on my computer) but it didn’t rain until late afternoon.   I stayed in most of the day….I finished the JK  Rowling book Coukoo’s Calling and tidied up around here. 

I needed a cache for the August challenge, so I had picked an area a little further afield than I had driven yesterday.   First I drove around the block about 15 times…a little more jerky than I did before but when I was smoother I headed south on Spring St to Darebin Art Centre….a possibility of 4 caches…..I plotted my route…I stalled once at the lights.   Then when I got to where I wanted to turn in to the centre,  somebody was parked in front of the drive-way so I had to drive another block down, so much for my planned route.  By that time I was stressed about the traffic and my driving that I only found one cache!!!  And then drove home with a few detours so I could turn at the right street !!!  Whew!!!!!

Curt arrived about 4:30.…we headed back to Woolworth in the car, he’s not as impressed with my driving as I am….( but then he’s is not impressed with my driving at the best of times!)  to get a few thing for the dinner he cooked for me.  He  made perogies from scratch!!!!!!   Filled with sweet potato, leek and a smoked cheese….so yummy.   We had it with lamb sausages and a kale (from Joan’s garden) salad!  After dinner Curt finished making the rest of his perogies so that he could freeze them and take them home, I downloaded some more books on my Kobo and  we chatted….a pleasant evening.

Yummy!

Friday August 23.…Visiting

I got up about 8 and Curt slept in until about 1030.  We headed into Melbourne about 1pm…..we dropped off  Curt’s overnight stuff and the extra frozen perogies at the apartment.  Natasha was at school.  We picked up  some lunch for us and a fruit salad to take to Diane, Natasha’s Mom who we were off to visit.  We caught the Craigieburn line to Ascot Vale where Diane lives (she has MS and lives in a nursing home), it is a suburb I haven’t been yet.  We visited for about and hour and then walked around for a while.   It is another interesting little area (Melbourne has many many suburbs all little towns in themselves)  with lots of little shops, restaurants and of course a cache.  Also a huge op shop (thrift store) where Curt found a couple of work shirts. 

We took the train back to Flinders Street about 5, Curt went home (they are going out dancing later tonight) and I headed over to Federation Square and the information centre.  Lori is arriving on Sunday night and I have a little road trip planned that starts Monday morning, so I wanted to get some maps and pamphlets for the Great Ocean Road!