Fast forward a year

Luna Park, St Kilda, Victoria

We find ourselves in Melbourne. Here's the abridged version of how we got here:

Arrive home to Australia.
Emma ponders navel at Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Carl sent to work.
Emma ponders navel over coffee and lunch with friends.
Carl sent to work.
Melbourne? Sydney? Melbourne? Sydney? Melbourne? Sydney?
Okay. Melbourne.
Emma goes to interviews. Emma turns down jobs.
Carl gets new career with free car. YAYYY!
Carl says Emma must choose a job.
Emma fights but loses battle to become perpetual navel-gazer.
Takes crap job.
Look for house with backyard. Can't find one.
Get apartment without backyard.
Move in and unpack backpacks, slowly.
Slowly admit we need things. Like furniture. Like cutlery. Like a TV.
Fill house with stuff that can't fit in a backpack. Emma looks uncomfortable. Melbourne Cup.
Two weeks of summer.
Family onslaught for festive season.
New Year camping in sub-zero temps on Great Ocean Road.
Inherit two dogs. Small white fluffy things that need a home after Emma's family abruptly leave town - is their departure linked to our return? Don't dwell on it.
Maybe we should buy a house? Look at houses.
Camping in Grampians. Ignore weather warnings. Drink wine instead.
Emma turns 30 and flips out.
Camping at 90-mile beach inspires big decisions: no more houses, no more big commitments. Emma breathes a sigh of relief.
Kingscliff for birthday weekend. So this is where summer went.
Carl turns 30 and gets drunk.
Melbourne Comedy Festival.
Emma gets new job, books a holiday and finally stop whinging.
Melbourne Grand Prix.
Work. Play. Drink coffee. Work. Play. Drink coffee.
Winter.
No heating.
Work. Play. Drink coffee. Work. Play. Drink coffee.
Still winter.

Sunset at 90-Mile Beach in Gippsland, Victoria

So when you get down to it, not much has really changed since our London days. In fact, these days we call Melbourne our mini Stinktown. The weather is still crap. We still drink too much. And our skin is still a pastey sickly shade of white.

We've not lost our lust for travel but we've taken to coffee and brunch like native melbournians, probably more so, and Emma has certainly found her shopping mojo after so long subsisting on a stingy travellers budget. And we're not in a share house, which after four years of bathroom schedules is liberating.

Sure, our overseas jaunts are much MUCH less frequent, and that certainly takes some getting used to but we have been re-acquainting ourselves with this amazing country and our fantastic friends here. Believe it or not, that actually does make up for the trips to Europe and other far-away places. At least for now.

In disguise at the Melbourne Cup