Life Down Under (Part 3)

Spring has hit in Melbourne and it feels like time to share another update from Down Under, particularly as it’s been a whopping 4 months since I last did. I can barely believe I’ve been in Australia for over 5 months – it’s literally flown in the blink of an eye. On one hand I feel like I’ve been here 5 minutes, yet I’m also so settled I feel I could have been here for years.

Of all the updates I’ve shared, I currently feel at my happiest. There have been lots of changes over the past couple of months which has made for some stressful moments, but for now things are sailing along nicely. I changed jobs at the end of September and that has really helped to contribute to my overall happiness – I work with a really great crowd of people and it feels like a good fit for me. There is nothing better than having a job you enjoy – it’s not something that enough people take into consideration. You don’t have to hate your job!

I love the neighbourhood we live in, Northcote. It’s a little further away from my new job but the commute isn’t difficult and it’s worth it to live somewhere so lovely. We have a large balcony and it’s so nice to sit out there whilst it’s still light after work – we just need to buy a BBQ! This last week the weather has hit around 29° which has been heavenly – and I finally feel like I live in Australia and not in a slightly warmer version of London. I know everyone back in the UK is gearing up for Autumn with candles and blankets, and part of me misses that– but my FOMO quickly evaporates with promises of the beach.

We spend our weekends experiencing the multiple brunch spots on offer and just generally exploring. I have a list as long as my arm for places I want to go, and we’ve even booked our flights to the Gold Coast for Christmas. I cannot wait for my first Australian Christmas spent on the beach! Even better, my sister and her boyfriend will be here for 2 weeks for New Year and I can’t wait to share a slice of Australian living with her.

For any Billie Jean fans, he’s a champ as usual. Although he was originally totally free roam, we found that he’d end up getting into trouble during the day (note accidents on our sofa) which I grew pretty tired of. So now he has a really large area during the day to run around in without getting in any mischief (and we have a new sofa that’s so far unharmed) and then in the evenings we let him have the run of the house, just under supervision.

I’ve even made some friends! Making friends is so hard when you move to a new city, but we have great neighbours who have introduced us to their wider circle so I’ve found I’m constantly busy and don’t feel lonely at all – something which I was concerned about before I moved over. I miss my family and friends back in London so much, but I don’t actually find the time difference a challenge at all so with the help of WhatsApp and free international minutes I’m able to keep a fairly constant stream of conversation.

Blogging is still as inconsistent as ever, but I’m definitely posting more – even if there isn’t any routine to it. I still love this blog, and I have a feeling that now I feel more content, I’ll have more physical time and mental clarity to actually get back into it more regularly. We’ll see…