The big move

After three months of life in the apartment in South Perth, the time has finally come to fly the nest and shack up with Jess in Peppermint Grove for the remainder of my Australian stay. The Billinghams have become my temporary parents and Prachie my sister, so leaving their care is going to be pretty hard, but I'm too excited about moving in with the lovely Miss McKiernan to worry about it too much.

My two Perth homes are very different and each has its benefits. My daily bike ride to work is definitely something to consider; my cycle thus far has been on safe trails the entire way and only 5km, whereas Peppermint Grove is a little further away from UWA and requires me to ride along the highway for the first couple of kilometres before heading through the suburbs. I can only hope that Australian commuters are less angry and fonder of cyclists than those in England, else I'll be spending half my ride being rammed off the road. On the bright side, I'll be swapping the nearness of the city for being within walking distance of Cottesloe beach (perfect for post-work sunbathing sessions) and there'll be direct trains to both the city centre and Fremantle if needs be. It goes without saying that I'll miss having all my meals cooked for me, but I'm used to cooking for myself when I'm in Bath and I've been promised regular invites to South Perth for dinner! I’ve also been eating far too much with the Billinghams, so it’s time to take control of my diet. Above all, I'm so excited about the prospect of living with Jess and having a little more eventful social life, not that I haven't enjoyed our evenings of playing cards and watching Lost reruns!

The move also draws attention to the fact that, as of this weekend, I've been down under for three whole months. With a third of my placement already under my belt, it's safe to say that time is absolutely flying by and I know I need to make the most of the time I have left, as I'll be home before I know it. Not that I'm not looking forward to being back with my family and friends of course, I just want to stay true to my word and do as much as possible while I'm over here. There are still a lot of exciting things to look forward to before I return to rainy old England! I spent Friday and Saturday gathering my belongings, realising during this process that I appear to have accumulated loads of stuff since arriving. Sending home a box of clothes via post/purchasing an extra bag at the airport may be necessary by the time June comes around.

This morning (Sunday), I was treated to a slap-up breakfast and packed a few last things; turns out a Greek couple are moving into my room this afternoon, so they’re not hanging around to replace me! I said goodbye to Prachie, who gave me a little friendship bracelet as a leaving present (she is adorable) and Vic and I piled all my stuff into her car. My bike wouldn’t fit in the boot, but John saved the day and rode it over to Peppermint Grove to save me exerting myself on such a busy day. By the time us girls got our act together and pulled up outside my new place, John was already there. They helped me inside with my bags, we had a hug, I thanked them for everything they’ve done for me and they left me to settle in with Jess, who had come up from Dunsborough especially to help me move in; such a star! I dumped my stuff in my new room, but unpacking would have to wait until we got the shopping out of the way.

Call me sad, but one of the best things about moving to a new place is the obligatory trip to IKEA. Sian left me a bed, desk and clothes rail and I didn’t want to go buying lots of things for the sake of just six months, but the need for some hangers and various items of storage gave Jess and I an excuse to enter the realm of cheap Swedish furniture and run amuck “500 Days of Summer” style. I’ve decided that I want a house of my own ASAP, just so I can deck it out entirely with stuff from that glorious place. Sadly, we found no Fluugs and resisted the Fnastig, but we did purchase a Skubb and several Sakis. I could have spent all day in there if the place wasn’t filled with screaming kids… From there, it was on to Clarement Quarter to do a food shop; basically my least favourite job ever. However, it was reasonably quick and painless; Jess directed me around Coles to everything I wanted with excellent efficiency and we were back in the car bound for Peppie Grove by 1:30.

Back at home, I went about unpacking and making my room homely while Jess eleviated the task by bringing me tea and chatting to me. We are basically a married couple already with our designated drawers in the bathroom and I’m very glad to see that she shares my love of organisation; the flat is so pretty and tastefully decorated. I managed to get the Dongle working (going back to the 90s as there’s no phone line or Wifi here) and have spent this afternoon reading my book on the sofa and listening to Ben Howard; bliss! Jess is heading home in the morning, so I’ll be left to fend for myself for a few weeks until I head down south for Christmas; she updated me on all the plans for the break and I’m feeling pretty excited about escaping the city for two whole weeks! Her parents have organised a Secret Santa for all us “young ones”, which is pretty cute; any advice on what the eldest Boundy boy would want for Christmas would be greatly appreciated. Tomorrow morning is my first attempt at negotiating the death trap that is Stirling Highway on my bike… wish me luck!