Time to make the donuts...

Today I drove Rob to the airport and he took off to Hobart in order to have his first shift at Calvary Hospital tomorrow.  We didn't exactly plan it this way.  Our intention was for the both of us to be in Melbourne while Maggie served her quarantine sentence and we had hoped we'd see more of the mainland while we holidayed here during April.  We did accomplish many goals in the past two weeks and we feel more established in the land of OZ.  I guess going back to work is just another way of feeling right at home.

Rob neatly packed his bike box with all his clothing.  We'll bring his freshly assembled bike by ferry to Hobart

Now, I understand that Rob needs to start work and how its better for me to stay in Melbourne to check on Maggie and provide her a ton of treats.  But this city suddenly feels bigger without my favorite companion.  Rob and I are getting married in June and if this traveling experience has taught me anything thus far, it is that Rob is the man for me.  I literally thank God for his love and friendship and cannot imagine life without him by my side.  I'm the lucky one.  Ok, I'll stop being sappy.

After dropping Rob off, I "wandered" over to the mall to dampen my sorrow and lighten my wallet.   Believe it or not, it was a successful shopping excursion.  There are up sides to being in Melbourne by myself.  I had left- overs for dinner tonight and with the TV remote, completely under my finger tips, I watched the shows: "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding", "Everyone Loves Raymond" and the movie, "What to Expect when Your Expecting".  Note: I am not expecting, I repeat, I am not expecting- its just a chick flick with a lot of popular actors.  It was a very cute movie.

Born to shop

As Rob goes back to work, my plans are to catch up on emails, wedding plans, reading for leisure, people watching, cafe/bakery visits and Facetime appts.  I may venture out to a few tourist attractions in Melbourne on my own but only if I can fit it into my schedule :)  As usual, I'll update the blog with anything of interest.  Rob will fly back late Friday night for the weekend then return to Hobart for one more week before the three of us are completely reunited. We have booked Maggie and I's flight out to Hobart on May 12th.  Freedom day.

Maggie enjoying a meat pie during our last visit. She hated it.

Pause the ball throwing for some petting

I welcome any suggestions for what I should do here in Melbourne during my solo time.  And by the way, Maggie continues to do well in Spotswood.  During our last visit, we met a woman who was blurry eyed from tears and appeared upset, much like myself, two weeks ago.  She just moved from Canada and her dog has not been eating and appears very distressed to her. We related our experience with Maggie and shared the news about the possible shortened quarantine period from 30 to 10 days.  She stood there, snot nosed and exasperated, "how does that help us now!"  At that point, I wanted to throw my arm around her shoulder and say, "oh, honey- it doesn't help us a bit but at least we are not the only ones who think this is too long".  Instead we continued talking about our dogs and how they seem to adjust over time. I hope she sees some positive changes in her dog soon.

A view of downtown Melbourne through the docks in St. Kilda.
 I went for a walk several days ago and snapped this pic.

Looks like we're staying awhile...

Rob sampling scotch at the Lark Distillery

Rob is giving us a "cheers" for the good work we've accomplished and the fun we've had in the meantime.  On Monday, our final day in Hobart, Rob, Alicia, Griffin and I started the morning with a whisky tasting.  Two years ago, Rob flew out to Hobart to participate in a four day scotch experience at the Lark Distillery.  This experience was provided by Alicia as a wedding gift to Greg and Rob was invited along.  Greg and Rob purchased a barrel of whisky which is now ready for bottling, how convenient!  We each had a sample from the barrel, decided on bottle shapes and sizes for the whisky then continued on with our day.  The single malt should be bottled and ready to enjoy in a couple of weeks.

The Lark- a sculpture sitting outside the distillery

Tapping into Greg and Rob's barrel
(removing the sealing plug to draw a sample)

Ah, the Tasmanian devil

Next, Alicia suggested we enjoy mid-morning tea over in Richmond, TAS.  Richmond is known to have some of Australia's oldest colonial architecture. We drove a short distance to this small town and stopped in a bakery for meat pies, scones, apple tarts and Chai lattes.  It was a lovely autumn morning, perfect for a picnic next to the second oldest working bridge in the world.  Alicia laid out a blanket for us all and we looked upon the bridge, ducks, water and grassy plant life.

Griffin with treat in hand. The seagulls behind him are hoping he'll become careless with his snack

Our first meat pie in Australia!

Griffin feeding the ducks by the stream under the bridge
(with Mum, Alicia, & Berto)

Behind us, the bridge is stamped with the date: 1823... WOW!

On our way back to Hobart, we stopped at a cheese factory called, "The Wicked Cheese Co."  We were able to peek into the cheese making process (there didn't appear to be a tour running but several large windows gave a view into the factory).  We were able to try a few cheese samples and purchased a whisky infused cheese- it just seemed appropriate for the day. 

Rob entering the cheese factory

Bearded Cheese Man
He is dipping fresh cheese wedges into black wax

The rest of the day in Hobart consisted of Rob and I furniture shopping for our new diggs.  We turned in the application for the home rental and drove to several different furniture stores in search of a new couch, love seat, kitchen table and mattress.  Our new place is furnished but we'd like to add our own style into the house.  We have some ideas and will return to the two main stores we liked when we are ready to move in.  I am happy to say that today (Wednesday) we learned we got the lease!  It's official, we have a home in Hobart :).

Back in Melbourne, Rob and I had an easy Tuesday morning and waited to hear back from our car salesman regarding the repairs and paperwork for the car.  Rob applied for car insurance in the meantime so we'd be covered starting that day.  We are now the new car owners to... drum roll please... a 2004 Mazda Tribute!  We picked up the vehicle that afternoon, after our Maggie visit and we really like the car.  We had such an easy time purchasing this car that I decided to fondly name it after our car salesman, Loris.  Being that we had a rental car up to this point and needed to return it to the airport, I had to get behind the wheel of Loris and follow Rob to the car rental.  I'll be honest, I turned on the radio to calm my nerves as I drove awkwardly down the streets and freeway but it helped to be strictly following Rob.  Once we returned the rental, we headed home, in Melbourne traffic, through the heart of the city (to avoid toll roads) and I only was honked at twice... from what I can remember... smile.  Not too shabby if you ask me.  And no one was harmed.

Loris!

My new back side

So we have a house, a car in Hobart and a car in Melbourne which we will ferry over come May 12th.  We have cell phones, a new coffee maker/grinder, Vegemite in the fridge, what else do we need...?  Our girl, Maggie.  We saw Maggie yesterday and once more she is looking well.  One of the keepers informed us yesterday that she hasn't been toileting in her pen (no potty on concrete).  The keepers have been taking her out of her pen, twice a day, to a grassy area for her to do her business.  You see, Maggie is no fool, she'll get out of that pen anyway possible.  It also explains why she is going potty frequently when we visit her.  During our visit, she gets a lot of ball throwing and treats as well.  18 days and counting to freedom...

Roly, this picture is for you...

Amateur video, please excuse the fact that 

the screen is on it's side.  Enjoy anyway!

Action shot

Tomorrow is a holiday for Australia, Anzac Day, so Rob and I will be hanging out in Melbourne and may catch a parade.  It will be fun to see the festivities around the city... walking, not driving.  :)

House Hunters International

The last few days in Hobart have flown by as we've become acquainted with our new home town.  I would describe Hobart as quaint, old, beautiful, green (trees, bushes, and such) hilly and quiet.  Honestly Hobart is what I expected it to be (besides the steep hills around town) and I know I will get a better idea of the area once we've been here for some time.  We completed our first full day by visiting the Lark Distillery tasting room/bar in town and enjoyed live music as well as spirits.  Afterward, we walked over to the fisherman's wharf and had amazing fish and chips for dinner.  You can see why Rob wanted to move here.  I have been romanced by the views of the ocean contrasting with the mountains, the small shops, cafes and friendly people.

Welcome home, Rob (with Greg and Griffin)
Just to be clear, Griffin did not partake in any adult beverages as he is 20 years shy of the drinking age
Note: sorry the picture is a bit blurry

This weekend Rob and I have had a wonderful time with the Stanton family, viewed several homes for rent and lined up another car for Rob to primarily drive.  We've done some light shopping and have indulged in Alicia's home cooking as well as tasty lunches in town.  To counteract our indulgence, we had our first jog on the beach this morning.  From Greg and Alicia's house, we were able to jog down hill to a public, dog friendly beach and really enjoyed the cool autumn morning.  Sail boats were available  for rent today and they peppered the sea side as we ran.  Jogging home, we had to run up hill which provided us a good cardiovascular workout.

Sandy Bay Beach: our jogging track this morning

Mission accomplished this weekend... We've decided on a house which happened to be a favorite on Rob's list and we will turn in the application for it tomorrow to the rental office.  As long as the application is approved, we'll finally have a home of our own again.  Bear in mind, last November Rob sold his house and moved into my house for four months, then we moved out of my house and stayed with friends for six weeks, traveled over seas and are renting a flat for four weeks in Melbourne... We are ready to settle.

The gray and white house you see will, hopefully, be ours to rent

The house is furnished but we may buy a few furniture pieces to make it feel like home for us

Basically, the first floor of the home. Open concept with large window views!

This is a side yard but the house has a full back yard complete with an apple & apricot tree, olive tree, chicken coup and professional gardener (included in rent)

Master bedroom with an en suite bathroom and AWESOME views

One of three guest rooms for our world traveling folks

I will have more pictures posted as soon as we have the placed fixed up and "Doyle'd" out!

We will fly back to Melbourne tomorrow night and in one week, Rob will come back here to start work while I hang out in Melbourne and continue regular Maggie visits.  Cheers to being one step closer to living in Hobart, Tasmania!

Hello from Hobart!

G'Day Hobart! View from Greg & Alicia's Home.

Today I sit at a picture window, facing the bay in Greg and Alicia's beautiful home.  I can't help feeling incredibly grateful and privileged to be gazing at such beauty this morning.  Greg and Alicia live in Sandy Bay, Hobart, an area not far from the hospital or downtown Hobart and they have gorgeous views of mountains and water.  The house is still and silent with the exception of my typing and the sounds of the trees outside, swaying in the occasional sea breeze.  Where is everyone... ?  At work :)  Greg and Alicia's son, 14 month old Griffin, is at daycare and I get to write this post with full gratitude for some peaceful, blissful, quiet time... :)

Rob and I arrived in Hobart last night around 9pm.  We didn't see much of the town because it was dark but today, after Rob gets done with paperwork and orientation to Calvary Hospital, we will tour two homes for rent and see some more of the town.  More to come on that with the next blog post...

We boarded a small jet plane for the hour flight from Melbourne to Hobart.

I am happy to share with you that our visit with Maggie yesterday went really well.  Maggie, for the first time in about a week, looked great.  She has lost some weight, we can see it and feel it when we pet her but she was in such good spirits yesterday, she looked and acted a lot like her old self.  Some of her facial expressions have resurfaced... call me crazy, but dog's do have different looks and you get to know what they are thinking once you know them.  She was more loving as well; letting us pet her for long periods of time and licking us on the face while we sat in the grassy area with her.  We gave her treats galore while we were there and we brought left over chicken from the previous night's dinner to share with her.  Gone in 15 seconds.  We started up a conversation with a nice couple next to our grassy run and they have two dogs in quarantine.  They told us that one of their dogs had bloody paws from continuous pacing on the concrete and supposedly snapped at one of the keepers so their dog was labeled as "vicious".  The owner said her dog has never bit anyone before and likely snapped out of pain in her paws.  Hearing this story, makes us feel (I'm sorry to say) better about Maggie.  It seems like she has finally adjusted to this new environment.  She may not prefer it, but I think she sees that we come back to see her and bring plenty of treats for penance.  Yesterday, Rob and I felt like we had true hope in that Maggie will be alright.  Our new friends also informed us that come August, there is chance the quarantine for animals in Australia will be decreased to ten days.  Do not tell Maggie this... it will be our little secret.

Walking down the green mile, err, pins #60-70 to the grassy area.  Maggie says hello to the dogs as we go. Or she is saying, "look at me busting out of jail!"

Hello Pretty!

Look at it...

Go get it!!

Sit and give me a shake

One of my favorite pictures so far: Man and dog and... ball

Yesterday we also verbally purchased a car. It's a 2004, Mazda Tribute and I will have pictures to share once we pick it up on Tuesday.  Prior to making an offer, we had a mechanic look over the small SUV and he gave us some insight on what needed to be fixed.  The car is being repaired this weekend while we are in Hobart.  Before we left, we negotiated a price which seems fair and we are pleased.  This means, however, I'll be driving next week... for the first time in Australia... There will likely be some quick jerks to the left followed by curse words.  And I may need to buy Rob a drink (or four) after my first driving duty.

That's all for now!  I'll update soon on our home search!  It feels good to be in Hobart, finally.

Maggie see's grass...

Hello Maggie

Yesterday Rob and I set our alarm clocks to have time in the morning to have breakfast, catch up on the news (unfortunately Boston was the main story and we feel very sad about the bomb and people deceased or injured) and hit the gym for an exercise class.  We specifically choose South Pacific Heath Club because we saw a class called, Body Pump.  The description mirrored a gym class in the states called, Group Power.  We've been attending group power in Fort Collins for the last few months.  For those of you who don't know, this is an aerobic weight lifting class set to music that works all major muscle groups.  The hour goes by before you know it, you get a full body workout and most of the time, we are sore the next day.  Sure enough, the body pump was exactly group power and I felt as though I was home again.  I couldn't help but smile for the first 15 minutes as life felt familiar.  After our sweat session, we walked around St. Kilda and eventually got home, ate lunch, showered up and set out to visit Maggie.  Note: for those who are not dog or Maggie lovers, the next part of this blog will not really interest you.  Maggie is part of our family pack so I will write a lot about her at least while she is having experiences separate from us.

Happy Dog

We arrived to Spotswood (the quarantine center) right at the start of visiting hours with treats and toys in hand.  Maggie, of course, went ballistic when she saw us and bolted out the gate of her pin into Rob's arms.  We had to leash her and walked her out to a grassy area that is sectioned off by wire (of course) to "runs" for the dogs.  We stayed the full two hours of visiting time in the grassy run.  Thankfully, the place wasn't overly crowded with visitors so we didn't have to share our grassy run.  This is the first time in five days since she has left her pin or seen grass.

Maggie this is grass

Overall, she seems better than the first day she arrived.  She looked and acted more like herself with a few exceptions.  She doesn't seem to able to relax, she wants to stand or sniff around rather than be petted.  She drank a ton of water with us present.  This is very unusual for Maggie because we normally have to encourage her to take a drink during play or hikes or long walks.  She ate a lot of grass as well.  She also "toileted" often in the grass while we were there.  We brought and threw the ball with Maggie repeatably but she tired out very quickly.  Almost like she is de-conditioned.  It wasn't very warm outside, a lovely day really, but she panted heavily and even though she wanted to continue fetching, we gave her a break.  She did take all the treats we gave her and when we left, closing the pin door, she didn't try to bolt out and leave with us.  I do believe she howled after she lost sight of us.  It's heartbreaking.  We plan to return on Thursday and hope she is not drinking so much water and is closer to baseline but Rob and I know she wont be the same until she is free and with us.

Eating grass

Maggie dropped her ball right in front of the dog next to our run and the dog snatched it to play for some time.  How sweet is that?!

Tired girl

This picture is a little blurry but we are back in her pin with her new beds

This trip has been really awesome thus far and we still feel blessed to be here at this point in our lives but leaving Maggie in Spotswood is horrible.  Rob and I agreed we will never do this process again- move and quarantine an animal.  It just doesn't seem fair.  We were sad and quiet for some time after the visit.  Eventually we met up with our friend, Alicia and enjoyed chatting with her over dinner.  Another homey feeling for the both of us to have dinner with a friend.  Thanks, Alicia!

Quick thanks to Mike and Jen who gave us this picture of the world with the words, "Home is where I'm with you".  We have it displayed next to our digital photo frame, thanks to Mike and Jess too... it makes us feel at home!

Homes, Cars and Cookies

This morning started with Rob cooking me breakfast: eggs, toast and coffee.  He is a good man and I think I'll keep him.  After breakfast we looked for homes to rent on-line in Hobart.  We made some phone calls and appointments to view several places this weekend when we take a short trip over to Tasmania.  We got ready for the day and descended two flights of stairs to the espresso bar/night bar just below our flat.  Rob has talked to the owner of the bar and conveniently, he had a friend in the car dealing business.  While we stood there, sipping on lattes, he gave his friend a call and sent us over to take a look at a few cars.  Rob and I drove over to an industrial part of Melbourne (not too far from our place) and questioned only for moment if our coffee mate delivered us to "stab town".  Luckily, not the case for the Doyles.  We were met by man who doesn't usually deal with private sells, he does wholesale for vehicles mostly to dealerships or auction.  He gave us a quick tour of a warehouse and we zeroed into one small SUV that will likely suit our needs.  Room for Maggie to comfortably sit (she is always in the forefront of my mind) and for friends with suitcases.  See below picture for an idea of what we saw today.  We are having a mechanic take a look over the car and may end up purchasing it tomorrow or Wednesday.

On to the bank to make sure we have cash flow for our new set of wheels. Then we finally just browsed a few shops in town, not out of necessity but pure enjoyment.  We stopped to have lunch at small bakery which was recommended to us and baked its own bread, cookies and pies.  Over lunch, I phoned the quarantine prison where Maggie is staying to see if we could drop off two beds (yes, I said, two) and some treats for our girl.  Visiting hours are not permitted on Mondays, only Tues-Fri but I explained to the lady on the phone that we just wanted to drop off the items and that's all.  She wasn't super excited to have us drop in but agreed to my plea.  Before leaving the bakery, we booked up about a dozen cookies as... you know... a thank you to the quarantine "angels" who are so sweetly caring for our girl.  Once in the office, the staff received the dog items but kindly declined our box of... how should I say this... gratitude.  Something about it being against policy to receive gifts while dogs are in quarantine.  Gee.  If there was a policy like this in the hospital between nurses and patients then nurses would: a) weigh less and b) smile less.  Just saying.  Rob says to me, as we walk back to our car, what on earth we will do with all these cookies?  I have a plan.

The rest of the day consisted of a few last errands and nice dinner again at home.  Tomorrow night we having dinner with our friend, Alicia who lives in Hobart but will be in Melbourne for the evening.  We look forward to seeing her.

Just kidding! This hot rod was in the warehouse where we viewed cars but we wont be buying this gem.  I'll post a real pic of our wheels when we are the new happy owners.

Nothing suspicious here.  Just a book of cookies from Maggie.  She is so very thoughtful.

Look away "My Fitness Pal".  Nothing to see here.
"My Fitness Pal" is an app that helps track calories for weight loss. Unfortunately, it founds its way down under with us.

Catching up a bit...

Today was more of a restful and relaxing day being that it is Sunday and most of our busy work has to wait until tomorrow.  Rob and I had a quiet coffee morning and while I finished unpacking my bags, Rob assembled his bike which now sits on our deck.  The day consisted of Facetime with friends and family, car shopping (unsuccessful as of yet), a fitness gym membership, a bit of driving around (purposeful, not lost) and one more run to the grocery store for a few forgotten items.  One funny thing we encountered today is we had a difficult time finding coffee creamer in the refrigerator or shelf sections.  We asked an employee of the grocery store and he looked at us like we were speaking Latin.  He attempted to help us look for our foreign flare with no such luck.  Just as we were about to give up, puzzled over how this request could seem so odd... creamer... coffee and creamer go together like... love and marriage... when I spotted a bag on the shelve that had single serving shots of coffee mate french vanilla creamer.  Thank God!  Apparently it's called, "liquid coffee whitener" here in OZ.  Anyhoo, our coffee enjoyment has now been redeemed.

Rob and I cooked dinner tonight at home in our very tiny but efficient kitchen.  Seasoned lamb steaks with roasted butternut squash bathed in honey and thyme.  Pretty darn good.  I loaded an electronic picture fame with pictures of family, friends, favorite places and of Maggie and have it displaying a slide show continuously as I type.  We are starting to feel more at home.

Car shopping

St. Kilda beach.  We are staying in St. Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne by the sea.  Our new gym overlooks the beach and ocean.  I know, life is rough.

Our new health club for the month.

Group power (or "power pump"), here we come!

Foreign Concept