Summer is Slowly Approaching

This weekend we were blessed with some gorgeous weather, which makes me think summer is coming to Australia!

Saturday another au pair (Emma) and I went to a suburb called Richmond and explored the shopping scene on Swan St. and Bridge Rd. After that we went and watched one of Emma`s friends play a footy game, for the NFL league (and no not American football, Aussie football!).

Sunday I embraced the nice weather and did some walking around the Melbourne gardens and surrounding area. I visited the Shrine of Remembrance, which is a large, intricate, beautiful building in the centre of the Botanical Gardens and is Victoria's memorial to the men and women who served Australia in armed conflicts throughout our Nation's history.

After that I met up with a friend and enjoyed a few drinks at a cool bar called Ponyfish Island, which is located on one of the pillars of a bridge crossing the Yarra River.

That concluded my weekend, and fingers crossed the weather continues to stay nice!

Home Away From Home

One thing my recent trip to Sydney has made me realize is how much Melbourne really has become home. The sights and the sounds are so familiar. The way the city works and operates is like a second nature.

It has been 7 months and 13 days since arriving in Australia. Who even thought I would last this long? The time continues to fly by with days and weeks filling up with lifelong memories.

I know this maybe hard to hear but I can`t even picture myself back in Canada in 5 months time. I guess we`ll just see where the next 5 and a half months take me.

Beach, Beers and Beautiful Sites = Sydney Take 1

After 7 months in Australia, I finally made it out of Victoria to do some touristy exploring. On Friday I caught a bright and early flight to Sydney, which is only about an hour by plane away.

Friday upon arrival was a rather chill day, as the weather was extremely windy and stormy, but offered a good chance to catch up with some friends indoors.

Saturday myself and the 3 friends I was visiting with travelled into the city. First stop was Darling Harbor. This lovely smaller harbor offered a great place to grab lunch on an outdoor patio overlooking the water with fabulous sunshine and views.


After lunch and a walk around taking in the sights of Darling Harbor, we hopped on a ferry to take us to the main sights of Circular Quay. The ferry offered the perfect place to catch a glimpse of what one of the locals called ‘the money shot’, including the opera house and harbor bridge.

Upon reaching Circular Quay a drink was definitely necessary, and what a better place to do so then the Opera Bar directly underneath the Opera House. This was by far one of my favorite things on the short visit, giving me a perfect view of the iconic sites and allowing me to spend some time with magnificent friends.


After drinks it was time to head back to the accommodations and get ready for the evenings festivities. I was very lucky to choose one of the very few weekends where a fireworks display is set off over Darling Harbor at dusk. This was a wonderful treat for the weekend!


The next morning Taryn and I headed out on a 6km walk from Coogee Beach (where she lives) to Bondi. The walk took us just over an hour, but was a lot of fun getting to see everything the Sydney coast had to offer. Once in Bondi, lunch at a local café (Le Paris Go) was well deserved.


From Bondi we took a bus into the city to explore an area called The Rocks and the outdoor market that opens there every Sunday. Another walk around Circular Quay taking in other angles on the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge concluded my Sunday in Sydney.




Monday was my final day in Sydney and called for a trip over to Manly Beach. The half an hour ferry ride over gave some good relaxing time to take in the Sydney coastline. Although not swimming or beach weather, a short walk on the beach and a walk around the Corso looking in shops, concluded our time in Manly.

The ferry ride back to the heart of Sydney presented another great photo-op of the Sydney icons.


A final drink at my favorite Opera Bar and a good catch-up at a rooftop pub in The Rocks concluded my time in Sydney, before having to hustle to my plane which they informed me upon my arrival at the airport was leaving early.


Sydney is an absolutely gorgeous city and I am already scheduling my next trip to take in more of the beautiful sites. But I am happy to be back to my home Melbourne, all snug in my bed.

Pub Crawling My Way Through Melbourne

Every Saturday night there is a pub crawl that runs through Melbourne and gives you a taste of some of the hidden laneway bars that would otherwise go undiscovered. Last weekend myself and some other nannies took on the challenge, which was a lot of fun.


One of the great things about being a nanny is getting to meet so many different people from so many different parts of the world. On Sunday a large group of nannies got together in the city to grab some coffee and get to know each other. There were nannies from America, Canada, Sweden, Germany and Finland.


Were slowly coming out of winter here in Australia, and within the next few weeks the temperature should start to rise and become more 'Australian' like.

Homecoming

Things are going really well with the new family.
Josh is 15 months old and the one I spend most of my time with. He is extremely cute and a very well behaved baby.

Ben is 2.5 and this picture perfectly describes him; never sitting still!
Mia is 4 and the little princess of the family.

It`s really nice to have the middle of my days free, as it allows me to do some stuff for myself. Today was the homecoming for the Australian Tour De France champion Cadel Evans, so I headed into the city the gather with the crowd of thousands to watch and commemorate.


It was another great memorable experience to add to the many on my Australian adventure.

It`s the little things that remind you of home.

Finally.... an update.

For those of you loyal followers, you have probably thought I got lost somewhere in the Australian outback over the last 2 weeks without any updates coming in. Well that hasn`t been the case, things have just been super busy!

I have moved to a new family in Melbourne! There are 3 children ages 15 months, 2.5 and 4. It has only been a week, but I am really enjoying it. My work hours are a lot less and I have from 10:30 - 4:00 free everyday. My mornings are spent mostly with Josh going for walks and playing at the park, so it has been a lot of fun so far!


My new neighorhood is only a few minutes from my old one, but there is so much around to see and do on a daily basis. The main street is a 20 second walk from the house.


I promise to not go missing in the Australian outback anymore, and more detailed updates will be coming soon!