Week 3, already, how did that happen?
3 weeks, and 3 Airbnbs. Not sure if this is some kind of record, but we sure are getting to see a lot of inner city Perth. The last Airbnb was only for two days, to tide us over until we completed all the formalities on our new home.
On Wednesday we got the keys to our new rental apartment. And when I say “we got the keys”, this is literally what we got. I thought we had rented an apartment. Not a whole jail. The letting agent couldn’t even tell us what they are for. And we still don’t know!
We had viewed several apartments, and we were lucky enough to get accepted for our first choice. As all our possessions are currently in storage, in Sydney, we needed a fully furnished place. This slightly limited our options but we did see some good places, one of which had fabulous views of the Swan River right from the balcony.
However, the one we really wanted is in the quiet, leafy suburb of East Perth. Very close to the historic WACA (West Australia Cricket Ground), and the impressive Optus stadium. At the viewing, which we had to do separately from each other, we immediately knew it was the place we wanted. So, we were very happy this week signing a 6 month lease on this spacious, ground floor, 2 bedroom apartment.
In keeping with how things have been going, we again have a bottle shop around the corner. Better news still, there is also a highly regarded Italian restaurant even closer, doing wood fired pizzas and take home Italian dinners. We need to keep up our daily step total of over 25000 just to burn off all the lasagne and cacio e pepe that I will be eating.
Yesterday we moved in and are slowly getting settled. Moving away from takeaway dinners, we are now able to do a “big shop” at Woolies, and get back to a level of normality that we haven’t had since we left Sydney 3 weeks ago. Obviously, being the time of year that it is, a couple of chocolate bunnies, and an egg (or two) may have found its way into our trolley.
We have also been walking around, investigating the neighbourhood and imagine my surprise (and joy) when we found not only a whisky distillery, but also a brewery, just minutes from our front door. And to top it off, the whisky distillery also has a cafe serving good coffee. I think all my bases are covered. I may even decide to put the all important purchase of an espresso machine on the back burner, and use those funds for a bicycle. The bike paths in and around Perth really are second to none. Flat and segregated from traffic, they make getting around this beautiful city a breeze.
In less positive news, the job market is not looking the best. I suppose this is what you would expect in the current crazy times. But it is even worse than I expected, with job vacancies down 65% on this time last year. After this Easter weekend we need to start hitting the job market, so wish us luck. Our first option would be doing the kind of work we are used to, but failing that we will need to work through any available options. I don’t think now is the time to be choosy when it comes to having to pay the rent.
In the interim, to cheer ourselves up, we took ourselves for a small gelato. Guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face, the team at Gelaré on Beaufort St in Mount Lawley.
Until the next time, keep safe, keep talking to each other, and keep making grand plans for when this is all over. I know we are!
[…] it really a week since my last post? They say time flies when you are having fun. Are we all having fun? Even when the world is as crazy […]