And now, the end is near…

… And so I face the final curtain. Well, not quite, but a return to the “real world” of slush, darkness and cold is fast approaching.
My friend, I’ll say it clear. I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain:

My trip is nearing its end. In a matter of hours I will be on a plane, bound for the north, then west. From there another plane will take me northeast, back home. Home, a funny concept, you may have noticed tat I have used home to mean Teo’s place, because that is what if feels like to me, even more so than my real home in Finland. This place has been wonderful, beautiful and welcoming.

My trip has been nothing like I planned. Originally I was meant to spend most of my time traveling, to Adelaide, to Tasmania. Spending my time diving and with friends. Instead, I have only traveled within Victoria and the only water I have been in has been Teo’s pool. But I am happy, happier than if I had forced myself to travel and dive in the 14 degree water that is the ocean here.

… And more, much more than this, I did it My way.

Thanks Frank!

Brands

I haven’t spent much money here, and because I feel that buying quality is always important, I decided to splash out a bit more on the final purchases. As I mentioned earlier, a new suitcase was required, bigger and sturdier than the bag I came here with. Also, I decided that I did not want to leave Australia without an Akubra hat. For both I decided that the premier brand would be a good idea, so the bag would be Samsonite and the hat an Akubra.

Just like Stetson is the generic term for cowboy hats in America, so is Akubra here. But both are also the premier makes. Akubras come in many different looks, with varying crown, brim and trim designs. After rather extensive pondering, I decided upon a Coober Pedy Akubra in Fawn colour. It has a triple pinched crown, a medium brim with bound edge, but most importantly, the hat trim is Kangaroo tail with an opal set into it.

The suitcase had to be 29″ tall, apart from that I was open to suggestions. The reason I wanted Samsonite was that it is one of the few brands that come with a proper international guarantee and repair service. I find that investing in their bags is a safe option, and probably cheaper in the long run. The bag I finally decided on was the 2006 Christmas model, so a year old, and thus on discount.

Both took a while to find, suitcases being easier. The hat took some hunting, but that was probably just down to the fact that none of us knew the right place to start looking. The hat ended up being $169.95 and the case $199.95. Funnily enough, I had left just enough for both on my bank account, leaving a mere 0.80€. This was cutting it close, and at the suitcase place when the eftpos machine malfunctioned, I nearly had a heart attack, thinking I was short by a dollar due to conversion rates.

Luckily it was not the case, and it saved me a surely embarrassing trip back home to move money back into the use-account and then back to the store. I haven’t been as nervous about anything in a long time, let me tell you. But after it was done I was quite, quite happy. I now had everything sorted. Which meant I was ready to go back… Wish I wasn’t.

Contd.

I lied, the previous post was only two days, not four. I just felt it was a better spot to cut off. So, here’s the rest.

Tuesday morning, I slept. I slept for quite a long while, but it was not a good sleep, like I am used to. It was much less restful. To be honest, it was one of the few times I have not enjoyed sleeping. But it turns out that I wasn’t the only one who slept late, Teo had planned to wake up at 5, but slept till 9. He had procured a local prepaid sim-card for me, though, at some point before I got up.

The two of us went up to Glenroy and the nursing home, which is also the construction site. The old building will be partially integrated and partially demolished, when the project is all complete. If they manage to buy the two remaining properties on that block as well, the complex will grow still further. It is quite interesting to witness.

After Teo had finished his business, he decided to treat me to a local delicasy. Fish and chips, Australian style. They call it “flake” but it is actually shark meat, from the so called gummy shark. We also had potato cakes and Dim Sim. I have to say, the potatos were the only less than delectable part of the meal. Oh, and we ate in the BMW, with the top down, on the freeway.

Once we got back home, I started to seriously plan what I want to do with the rest of the time I am here. I did get a pretty coherent list done, but also managed to get myself to be extremely sleepy. I decided that since I am on vacation, an afternoon nap wouldn’t be all too horrible an idea. And it was a nice nap too, not too short or long, not too deep. Just good.

When I got up, after having Oliver he dog stand on my chest and stare at me, Teo had finally agreed to open his presents, which had been laying in boxes in the bedroom corner, ever since the party. Barb, Teo, Oliver and I were all there, and it was quite a happy, relaxed moment before dinner.

After dinner, which was at home once more, we sat around and watched some TV. Oh, and the bats flying around outside too, of course. All of a sudden, my neck started playing up. And I do not mean a little discomfort, this was a full on Chuck Norris scale* issue. I managed to procure a beanbag thing, the type you heat up and use to ease muscle pain, and luckily it helped somewhat.

The next day my neck was still quite stiff and sore, and thus it was a day spent rather less productively than I had planned or hoped. However, I did manage to do my good deed for the day, in helping David install World of Warcraft onto his laptop. His own DVD drive was busted, so I installed it onto my computer and transferred the game files over to his. Great success. We went on to have Indian food at a small corner restaurant that evening.

* For those who were not aware, The Chuck Norris is the highest magnitude on the Richter scale.

Half a week in one go.

This post will detail Sunday through Wednesday of the first full week of December.

Sunday was spent in one part having a breakfast/brunch at another Hornung residence, this time belonging to Dinah. Yet again in Caulfield, a very large, yet rather uninvitingly empty house. Definitely not a home. We had something of a discussion and a look at the family tree there, as well. She also called Ruth Littner-Shaw in America, who I had been in correspondence with previously, and we had a talk.

When we got back, it was back to making the invitations and menu for the party. This took all afternoon, finishing the day’s portion just in time for dinner. I had a grand total of three steaks, although they were quite a bit smaller than the ones at Stefan’s.  This was at home, that is.

Monday, Monday the massage day. Because my neck had been acting up, Teo had arranged for me to visit his masseur that morning. He had an amazingly friendly and lovable dog, an Australian Terrier. I miss my Kulka, so very much. The massage was good, yet, probably due to his busy schedule, I feel he did not give me all the attention he should have.

After the massage, we went grocery shopping. Got some nice cheeses, fruit and the like. Took my father out, to buy a skirt for my sister in town, had a bit of a walk there. On the way back we had to go grocery shopping again, since there was more stuff needed. A less fanciful store this time, Safeway. I got myself a packet of Tim Tams, about time too.

Came home to finish the menus for John, which came out very well. So did the invites as well, by the way.  With evening approaching, and with it my father’s departure, we decided to watch the movie Bangkok Hilton, since we had discussed it in the preceding days. Highly recommendable, as long as you aren’t stuck in the Hollywood fantasyland.

Father left that evening, I escorted him to the airport, helping him find his way to the appropriate queue and so on. Despite his obvious nervousness, I feel he will do fine. He tends to excel when he has to work things out for himself, but is much too ready to let anyone else be his eyes, ears and mouth.

Delays

Just a quick side note here, before I get too carried away.I am writing this blog quite a bit after the fact, I am currently about three days behind, I think. We left on the 19th and arrived on the 21st. I am going to try catching up, but it will mean less detailed posts for a while. It has just been so hectic, and without wireless internet access at the places I am staying it is all a bit difficult. Why I am apologizing, I don’t know.  Its not like I have an obligation to write this, after all. I guess I just feel guilty for not doing a better job.