Moving in

So... we now have our new place. We went down the following day to the estate agent and signed our 12-month lease. We have to notify them in writing anytime we want to do anything so much as put a screw into the wall, and they seem to suggest a no-pet clause, but it looks like it's going to be fine.

Apartments in Australia tend to come unfurnished, so we're in the process now of gathering together various pieces of furniture on a budget. We decided our number-one priorities should be a fridge and a bed. We made a journey out to our local IKEA in a city suburb called Richmond. After a long and exhausting ordeal, we came away with a queen-sized bed and mattress along with other odds and ends for the kitchen.

Putting it together was another challenge, but we now have a brand-spanking-new bed in our apartment, complete with reversible quilt covers. We've got a second-hand fridge on eBay and are currently negotiating with the seller to work out a way by which to get it delivered.

Electricity, gas, and water are all due to be turned on tomorrow by 7 pm, by which point we'll be free to move out of our hotel and into our new home. We picked up a couple of garden chairs in the Salvation Army for our balcony, where we intend to have many breakfasts.

In other news, we went to take in a free classical concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, in the Botanic Gardens. It's an outdoor arena where they schedule different shows during the summer season. Thousands of people gathered for the last performance of the season, and although we arrived late, we were still able to get a spot off to the side.

Melbourne is in the middle of something of a drought at the moment. Although the temperatures are no longer in the high 30s (90s), it is still warm enough to walk around in shorts and t-shirts. Apparently they haven't had rain here for many many weeks, and all the locals are looking forward to cooler weather. For those of us who have just come from Ireland, though, we're enjoying it while it lasts.

I went to my orientation for international students at ICPP today. There were 10 of us, 8 of whom are doing my course. The layout of the college looks pretty good. They have two well-stocked darkrooms and three large studio areas. The orientation was mostly useless, covering basic stuff about living in Australia that we'd already picked up first-hand. The little he showed us of the college itself looked encouraging, though. Classes don't begin until this day week. Tomorrow we're taking a tour of the city to check out all the photography and camera stockists in the city.

Last night we went to a gem of a movie theatre called The Astor Theatre. Most nights of the week it shows a double bill of both old and new movies, classics and cult rubbish. Yesterday we caught a double bill of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" For a movie lover, it's a dream come true. It's an old-style movie house oozing with charm and Art Deco accutrements. Their ice cream is also pretty good.

We went into the city today and set up some home insurance. If a bush fire ravages our apartment in the next 48 hours, we will not be covered, but we're crossing our fingers. Other than that, we can now rest easy with all our camera equipment and laptops in tow.