Yes, so, I think we are deciding to move to Melbourne for the rest of our time in Australia. On one level it's a purely financial decision, almost a financial no-brainer, though there must be some sort of catch somewhere. Our house here in L___, which we paid relatively little for, will fetch a great deal of rent due to its location and the prevailing economic conditions here, while a house or flat appropriate to the size our family will be during our Australian stay, in a decent, well-connected suburb in Melbourne, will be almost $400 less a month to rent (though a great deal more to buy). Even after the agency and gardening fees we're still likely to be comfortably ahead.
And then, as I discovered to my disgust while we were in Melbourne last week, everything is cheaper there. Gas, food, clothes, every fucking thing.
And then on a less financial level I think the F-word and I have discovered we're not country people. We're not even suburb people. We haven't fucking gardened since Godzilla was born and if you think that'll fly on a 1200 square meter lot in the subtropics you've got another guess coming, buddy. The jungle is closing in Apocalypse Now-ishly. A large part of me is thrilled at the possibility of renting this place out just so we can get an agency to take over the garden.
Anyways, on a less getting-away-from-this-shit and a more getting-into-some-new-shit I'm a little excited. I like Melbourne. It's an ersatz Toronto, which is limited but fine, and the weather is shitty there, but a) it can't be worse than Brussels was and we won't be there as long and b) living in the subtropics has taught me the limits of the happiness-inducing qualities of good weather. Particularly in terms of insects. It turns out cockroaches loooooove good weather. And that good weather periodically involves typhoons and rainy seasons which aren't fucking good weather at all.
Also when we got back from holiday we found out that our next-door neighbour had died - a really delightful woman. Very old but quite hearty; it was a surprise. She was out in her garden all the time and very fond of Godzilla - she was the first person who wasn't medical or parental who held him. I miss her terribly. She'd have been a delightful neighbour anywhere but I really treasured her in a place like this, where people don't tend to be awfully friendly. Anyone who replaces her will be worse and I'll be sad and resentful every time I look at them.
And then, as I discovered to my disgust while we were in Melbourne last week, everything is cheaper there. Gas, food, clothes, every fucking thing.
And then on a less financial level I think the F-word and I have discovered we're not country people. We're not even suburb people. We haven't fucking gardened since Godzilla was born and if you think that'll fly on a 1200 square meter lot in the subtropics you've got another guess coming, buddy. The jungle is closing in Apocalypse Now-ishly. A large part of me is thrilled at the possibility of renting this place out just so we can get an agency to take over the garden.
Anyways, on a less getting-away-from-this-shit and a more getting-into-some-new-shit I'm a little excited. I like Melbourne. It's an ersatz Toronto, which is limited but fine, and the weather is shitty there, but a) it can't be worse than Brussels was and we won't be there as long and b) living in the subtropics has taught me the limits of the happiness-inducing qualities of good weather. Particularly in terms of insects. It turns out cockroaches loooooove good weather. And that good weather periodically involves typhoons and rainy seasons which aren't fucking good weather at all.
Also when we got back from holiday we found out that our next-door neighbour had died - a really delightful woman. Very old but quite hearty; it was a surprise. She was out in her garden all the time and very fond of Godzilla - she was the first person who wasn't medical or parental who held him. I miss her terribly. She'd have been a delightful neighbour anywhere but I really treasured her in a place like this, where people don't tend to be awfully friendly. Anyone who replaces her will be worse and I'll be sad and resentful every time I look at them.
3 commenti:
I don't know if a subtropical climate makes one happier but, I can tell this...northern winters are utterly and completely soul crushing for me. I'm just not built for it.
Of course...you are correct. If you blink on the yard in these places you need a machete to get to your car.
We have kudzoo too.
Yes - even in Melbourne I'm pretty sure I'll be welcoming SAD back into my life - but at the moment that feels like a price worth paying.
This was a loveely blog post
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