A job finally...

I've got a temp position in Melbourne as a contractor again. Still no word on the visa. But at least I'll be earning above subsistance now. I'd never realised just how little money someone on the doll gets. It's scary. I'm not sure I'd be able to survive on it for long. Glad I don't have to now.

Wet Castlemaine

My dearest younger brother Tim was over for the weekend visiting mother and I and so I took him for a drive so he could catch up with Dad and Carol at the same time.

We went to Castlemaine, pronounced Caasellmain not Carselmain, and it was raining of course. It is a bit of country Victoria I've driven through many times but never stopped at so nice to be able to have a look around. We had a lovely brunch at a very cozy cafe. We visited a barn full of amazing miscellanea including a seat made out of the front end of a cadillac and a chandelier made out of oil lamps and which bosted a room full of porcilain plates - it was antique heaven and a good one at that. Carol and I spent an hour drooling in a patchwork shop whilst Dad took Tim somewhere else. And then we all visitied Book Heaven, "where good books go", a lovely second hand book store of the maze variety where you can get lost five meters from the door. It's not quiet as good as the secondhand bookstores in Bendigo as far as sci-fi and fantasy go but well worth visiting.

It was lovely to see and hug kiddo and I am very much looking forward to Mum's 60th when the whole crew will get together again.

Melbourne Craft Fair

Holy Guacamole!!! This thing was HUGE! It topped the London craft fair by a good three wearhouses. Carol and I spent something like four hours there and we were wizzing by a lot of stores.

But the quilting... Oh. My. God.

I have seen quilt shows before but not since I started quilting myself and so have previously had no understanding of the amount of work involved. I was litterally speachless. I ... gosh. A photograph just doesn't do any of the quilts justice, but I'll put some up anyway when I find room. I certainly won't be in the league of these ladies in my lifetime I can guarentee. Which is what I love about quilting really - there is so much to learn, and so many new skills to acquire that you can go on acquiring and honeing new techniques for years and years.

So, yeah. A good, a VERY good day.

One more day.

Sorry I haven't written anything lately but there's nothing really to tell. I finished my part-time work at the end of last month and I've been bumming around ever since.

The only piece of news I do have is that I'm 400 pounds poorer. Which means that this time my application has gone through the wringer of the BIA payment centre and been sucked of all it's nutrients. Now to see if it makes it to the BIA itself when I will either I get an acknowledgement that they have my application and will hence be looking at it, or a return of the app itself as I don't qualify.

Thumbs twirling in boredom.