It's my birthday and I'll wear shorts if I want to

G'day

Inevitably when you spend a year in a place you're going to have a birthday there. For me it was my 43rd and deciding what to do was tricky. Organising drinks with friends was the easy part. As was going out until 5am (getting up the next day wasn't quite so easy). But what to do on my actual birthday which fell on a Monday? Obviously I would take the day off work but I was at a loss as to what to do in Melbourne that I hadn't already done. At least three times. Read on to find out what I did!

So, after a lovely lunch with a lovely friend, I decided to take a walk through one of Melbourne's lovely parks. The weather the whole weekend had been great and on my actual birthday it was sunny and 28 degrees, and the park (Fitzroy Gardens, just east of the CBD) was in a very spring-like mood. The conservatory in the middle of the park was full of flowers (answers on a postcard telling me what they are) - nice eh?

One of the very few things I hadn't done in Melbourne was visit the Johnston Collection. This is a huge number of antiques and artworks displayed in a beautiful East Melbourne house (above). It was collected by an Australian who was slightly ashamed of his humble beginnings and so appropriated anything connected with wealthy aristocrats as he amassed more and money as an antiques dealer in London (he owned 33 properties in East Melbourne - one of the city's most expensive neighbourhoods). When he died he left his collection to the public and the house is now run by a charity with guides who take you on a tour. All very refined (though I did switch off when we were being shown the 52nd table with carved rosettes on the legs).

And then it was back across the park into the city centre and to the Hopetoun Tea Room for afternoon tea. Well, not exactly tea, more a chocolate ice-cream sundae and a huge piece of toblerone cheesecake. Bit full after all that. (Meant to take photo before I started but forgot, hence you get the remnants)

And then in the evening it was off to a pub quiz with some more friends. Bit of a rubbish quiz (lots of Australian sports questions) but a great end to a great day.

And on a less happy note, just four weeks till D(eparture)-Day and counting. Sad face.

G'bye for now.

Cliff