A bit more exploring.

So I've been working (employed - they pay me!) for the past week. It's been fun. I've been answering phones and filing things mainly.

No photos of that though.

I went for a wander yesterday morning, just exploring the local area. I took Paul's camera (mine's just so heavy) so here's some pictures of the Melbournian outer suburbs.





And I came across the local tourist destination - remnants of a meteorite shower (large metallic lumps) which they stuck up on a metal frame above a path. Looks like a couple have fallen down already...




Still they seemed fairly well glued on when I walked underneath them.

Paul and I walked up the 'Thousand Steps' this morning. Loads of old concrete steps up the side of a hill, through a forest. Here we are at the top (no view but it was nice and tranquil).



Not really that cold here - no frost or anything.

Helen Gets a Job

Hello blog readers.

It's been a good week here in upside down land. Firstly, because I finally managed to find work. I got a job as a receptionist, which suits me perfectly at the moment - good hours, challenging (intellectually/socially), fairly close to home, and it lasts right up until the end of August. I started today. It went well.

Secondly because I got my uni degree results through and I'm very pleased with them. So that's that, I'm finished with education. For now. Bye bye philosophy.

In terms of things I've been getting up to - not a huge amount. I've been to see the Tim Burton exhibition which is on at the moment in the city centre. It was fairly crowded, which I guess it will be on a Sunday afternoon, but not too bad. They have some great drawings and sketches on display. Some of them are funny. All of them are weird.

Paul - the man who says he is not interested in sport - is disappointed about the world cup results. Aww.

Loads of Sweet Australian Animals

Loads of cute fluffy/feathery things today...

Firstly, here's a couple of parrots, and a Cookaburra.




We came across these birds on Sunday, at 'Grant's Picnic Ground' - a clearing in the woods with a cafe and several flocks of differently coloured parrots. There were white ones with yellow bits (known as Cockies?) and red-green ones, and more - there's names for them which I haven't memorized yet. I'll just call them all parrots for now.

This was on a walk in the woods with some of Paul's friends, which was fairly short and quite muddy, but good fun. We'll do it again sometime. Afterwards, a few of us went to a really nice tearooms (forgotten its name) where I had a very generous portion of scones with jam and cream. Mmmm.

I've also been to Healesville Sanctuary, which is basically a zoo full of native Australian animals. I spent pretty much the whole day there, with Sarah and Julian.

First, the pelicans' feeding time:


Weird, weird creatures. They were a little smelly too. Here's a lyrebird (below). These birds are known for mimicking other bird calls, as well as cameras and small children.



Here's a couple of reptiles.





And this guy was the star of the parrot show. He's an excitable cockie who's been trained to do various tricks - turning around, mimicking laughter, dancing - except all that he wanted to do was say 'wing!'. Sweet.



A bat.


My favourite creature of the day - a wombat. It was sleeping pretty soundly, and it just looked so solid. Cars hit them a lot because wombats stand their ground rather than scurrying away. Thump.



Birdy thing.


An echidna - strange legs on this one.


The Inevitable Kangaroo.


And finally, no need to introduce this one. And no, they don't fall out of the trees when they sleep!


So I'm animaled out. Maybe a more people-orientated post next week.