Wheels and Baseball

Part of the Long Beach Trail.

 The Honda CVR

 Bon Beach Blue Jays

 Top men's league

Noel

Sunday, January 31^st.
I have been mulling over getting a car or a motorcycle. I have decided to get a car instead because as much as I would love to have a bike to ride the countryside, it rains a lot here and the weather is very changeable. So today I rode my bike to go looking for a car. Found the dealer I wanted to go to on Google Maps and headed off along the Long Beach Trail. But again I got lost. The roads around here are not on a grid and in my opinion not well marked. It was supposed to be a 10 km ride and after going all around Mordialloc for 35 kms I finally stopped at a police station I stumbled on and asked directions. Turns out I had gone past Wells Rd twice without seeing it.

When I got there I met Josh, the young salesman who responded to my e-mail yesterday. He showed me a number of vehicles and we talked about my price point and what I was looking for. I had decided I wanted something in which I could carry my bicycle so I could use it in the country. So after a while I decided on a used Honda CVR. After discussing payment options and a year's warranty I left so they could get the car ready for later in the week.

I rode towards home again along the trail but unfortunately did not see the cockatoos. I did however find baseball players at the Bon Beach Blue Jay Field. I stopped and talked to two men about baseball in Australia. There are a number of different level leagues and I found out they play Sunday afternoons. I talked to Noel who is an ex-catcher and now is the base coach. He is the one who looks like Santa. We had a good talk and he introduced me to a Canadian from PEI who plays for them.

After that I rode to Woolies to buy a few supplies and head home for dinner. I spent the evening updating and watching Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in the men's final, poor Murray, always in Djokovic's shadow.

I felt a bit like I wasted the weekend but I did accomplish two important things so that now I can be more independent and mobile and can make the most of next weekend. Next is meeting the students of Caulfield Junior College.

I've Joined the Dark Side

 Legal tender

 Their $2 is smaller than their $1

 The darkside, the Alcatel Pixi 4.5

Saturday January, 30^th.

I have decided that I need to get a cellphone and a car. I spent today trying to do that. I have no landline in the house and I need a way to phone people locally. I went on the internet to research used cars and the first thing I found was in order to contact the dealers I needed to give them a mobile number on the e-mail inquires or I needed a phone to contact them directly. They also wanted my postal code, and luckily there was some mail in Cassie's box that had it on it.

So off I went to Woolies. I was served by a very nice young helpful woman who explained the options to me and after I paid for the Alcatel smart phone ($49) she set it up for me. I paid $40 for air time and went home and did a lot more car research. I would like to get a hatchback so I can take my bicycle with me out into the country.

I tried using the phone by phoning myself from Skype and couldn't figure out how to answer it! What a nerd I am. Then I tried to make a call and was told I didn't have enough credit to call out. What?

Mid afternoon Cassie came over to cut the grass and bring me the modem for my internet connection. Up to now I have been using the neighbour's. We spent a bit of time setting that up and then she left.

So I headed back to Woolies and and asked a different woman why I had no credit when I had paid $40. She couldn't find any record on the cash register of me having paid and thought that maybe it hadn't gone through. So I paid again with my credit card and went home. There I entered the voucher number and was told my credit was now $10. What?

I tried calling the Alcatel help line and heard a recording “our hours are 9–5 Monday to Friday.” What?

So I went back again and explained all of it to the manager and he told me that I do have unlimited phone time and the $10 credit is for long distance overseas. What? So I will take his word for it and see what happens on my credit card bill, will I get billed twice? What a waste of a day. I thought with a phone I could get a car today, but maybe tomorrow.


I decided to go for a bicycle ride and go by the tennis court. Again no one there on an evening that was perfect for playing. So I continued riding on a bike and walking path called Long Beach Trail, that I thought went inland but as it turned out actually went parallel to the beach. It brought me out onto the Beach Road at Mordialloc by the Pompeii Bridge about five train stations closer to the city. I ride by the bridge on my way to the school. I found an outdoor theatre there where they had several bars and food trucks set up. Looked like a great place to spend an evening, however I had not brought my wallet, so I headed home. 

On the way back I saw a flock of white birds on a field that I assumed were seagulls. I startled them and they flew away. They were white cockatoos, there were dozens of them. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera either! I will come back here another night. At home I watched Kerber beat Serena in the finals. Another crazy thunderstorm now!

Health Training

The health workshops in the new open area junior division building.

The CPR agenda

My room as ready as it is going to be.

A beautiful paper mache.

Friday January 29^th.

Woke up this morning and it was 'chucking down' rain so I decided to take public transit. I took the train as far as I could before I had to get off and take an express bus around the construction to Caulfield Station. Most people got off their and were getting back on the train to continue downtown. I was looking to catch a tram to my school. As we filed out there were employees apologizing to us for the inconvenience and offering us a snack, a banana, apple or tart! Can you imagine the Toronto Transit Commission doing this?

The morning workshops focused on the health issues of the student population. There were two workshops, one on asthma and one on annaphylaxis. There are a number of students with asthma or annaphylaxis, and a couple with both. After lunch there was a a St. John's CPR course. We were trained and tested in order to earn our certificate.

It was announced that after school there was a meet up at a local pub to met the new teachers on staff (there are six of us). I finished as much as I could in my classroom, including putting away my $2000 stock order before another of the French teachers, Christelle, drove me to the pub. We were met there by Leora. The two of them are teaching the Prep biome. Prep is our kindergarten. Unfortunately only three of us showed up as everyone else was feeling stressed about getting their room ready or had other things to do. After a beer Leora drove me home as it was her way home.

I spent the evening watching Milos and Andy Murray and updating the blog. Sadly Milos incurred an injury and although leading 2 sets to 1, lost in 5 sets.

Royal Enfield, Wine and Kangaroo

Viviene, Martin and Anne

Thursday, January 28^th.

Rode the bicycle to work again. We spent the morning in professional learning with the office administrator (called the business manager) giving us all the details about attendance, trip forms and money collection. After morning tea we were introduced to the new Victorian Curriculum which is apparently very similar to the all AusVers (it's an acronym for something).

There was an intense thunderstorm late this morning and I saw on the news later that a couple of people were surfing on the streets pulled by a pickup truck in Chelsea.

In the afternoon we worked in our grade teams matching up similarities and differences between the two curriculum and planning the math and language for the first term. Don told Carol and I to go and work in our rooms as that would be more useful for us.

After school I rode home. Anne came to pick me up and take me to her place to meet her husband Martin and check out his motorcycle. Anne is one of the French teachers who have come to work here from France. Her and her French husband have made Australia their home. I also met their friend Viviene from France and both their sons. We all shared the bottle of New Zealand wine I had bought her for picking me up from the airport. Then he showed me the bike and let me go for a test ride with his jacket and helmet too. Martin wants to sell the bike because he is having a hip replacement in the near future. It's a Royal Enfield single cylinder 500cc bike. It felt great to be on a bike again, even on the wrong side of the road. It handled well and made some interesting backfiring sounds when decelerating. The only thing I wish it had was a windshield.

When I got back they invited me to stay for dinner and we finished off the wine while enjoying kangaroo burgers. They tasted very much like beef. I asked if I bought the bike would he be interested in buying it back when I left, he said yes. He also agreed to lend me his helmet and jacket. We also talked a lot about life in Australia, what to see and their experiences here. Martin drove me home again about 11:00pm.

Caulfield Junior College

Caulfield Junior College and my bike. My room is above the sign.

 My classroom as I found it.

 The library/resource room.

The staff room.

Wednesday, January 27^th.

Up early, got organized and rode my bike the 25 kms to school. It took just over an hour to get there. The route is along the Napean Highway, but it's a city highway including traffic lights and it does have a service road beside most of it so I can distance myself from the traffic. I think riding to work was probably faster than people driving as the traffic was very heavy due to the train construction.

I met Amanda, the principal and Megan the office administrator. We gathered in a large room where we had meetings until lunch time. Lunch and morning tea were catered, so I bought my salad for nothing. There was sushi, chicken breast, brie and avocado on French bread, sandwiches, and lots of fresh fruit including yellow watermelon.

The afteroon was given over to team meetings. My team leader is Don and there are 7 of us on the grade 3/4 team including two immersion teachers. I am teaching in a 'biome'. This is a really unique setup. I start the year with 23 kids and teach them in English. My partner Claire teaches 22 in French. Then the next week I get the her 22 students and Claire gets my 23. So in essence I teach the same thing for two weeks. I will have kids who are Australian English speakers who are learning French in this type of immersion and there are French nationals here to learn English in their immersion situation. In addition there is a high Jewish population who take Hebrew classes after school. There are specialist teachers for art, music and gym.

Carol and I have a steep learning curve ahead of us in the next few weeks. It was interesting to hear about the budget shortfalls and the cutbacks, reminded me of home.

Don helped me move desks into my room which had been the music room last year. At the end of the day Stuart, the technology technician, brought me a computer and set it up for me. I also have an interactive data projection system. We talked for a bit and told me of some of the politics of teaching here.

When he left at 6:00 I decided to ride home, in the rain! I got good and wet but at least it was not cold.

I ate my salad at home and watched Milos Raonic beat Monfils.

I'm sure that most of this was not very interesting for non teachers, but this is why I am here. I have to work. So most likely once I settle into routines I will not be posting much during the week and will focus on the activities on the weekends.

Australia Day

Frankston Beach

Some of the sand sculptures.

Jet pack riding, the power comes from a jetski.

The Frankston pier.

Aussies celebrating Australia Day in a beach shed.

Tuesday, January 26^th.

This morning I went to the Woolworth's to buy the makings of my salad. I also bought a couple of containers to put it in. It's time to get ready for work.

Then I came home and decided to ride the bike to Frankston which is10 kms away, the next town south of Chelsea and the furthest that my train line goes. It is also where the 'bogans' live according to a couple of teachers I met at the ITA meeting. Bogans are Australian rednecks who apparently slur and mumble their words.

Today was hot and I worked up a good sweat pedalling there. The good thing about cycling in this area is that it is primarily flat. When I got there I checked out the beautiful beach and the pier where people were fishing or jumping off for fun. There were lots of families and friends having picnics on the beach. I watched a girl trying the jetski jet pack ride.

I also saw the Sand Sculpting Australia display which was billed as a trip through a sand zoo and was all about animals from the different continents.

I pedaled home again and watched the last of Federer's match before going to 'my' beach. It was much busier today because of the weather and the holiday. I saw some people sitting in one of those colourful sheds and asked what they were all about. They told me they used to be boat houses but now most of them are sheds where people keep they beach stuff and furniture and where they can hide from the intensity of the sun. I went for a short swim and then read on the beach before picking up dinner and going home to eat. I spent the evening chopping salad and watching tennis.

Cycling, Birding and an Aussie Barbie

straw necked ibis

Australian magpie

pied cormorants

Australian darter

pelican

Australian neighbours

Monday, January 25^th.

Today I was a windy cool day, so I decided to go for a bike ride on a couple of trails I found out by the tennis court and the baseball field. I cycled up a crushed gravel trail along the Patterson River and past the National Water Sport Centre, where I thought they might have a pool. But sadly apparently it is only open on Tuesdays and Fridays during the day.

Anyway, along the water course and the wetlands around it I found a number of different water birds. There were very few people around. I cycled to for about 15 kms before turning around and returning. When I got back to the Sports Centre I rode down the other side of the river and stumbled across the Patterson Lakes gated communities. These remind me very much of Florida. The houses are all on canals and everyone has boats. Obviously an upper class community.

I got home about 5:00 watched a bit of tennis and fell asleep. I woke up to Cassie knocking at the door to make sure I was coming to the barbie. I had been invited to a barbecue with some of the people who live in this row of town homes.

We had dinner and they gave me a couple of boutique beers to try. It was a nice evening and I enjoyed listening to their accents and slang as they told me about all things Australian. Bed by midnight.

Cycling to Find Caulfield

 The artificial turf of the Caulfield Junior College's playground.

 The entrance to Luna Park at St Kilda. The outside wall is the old fashioned wooden roller coaster.

 The main drag of the community of St. Kilda,

 A section of the excellent bike path along the Beach Road.

 One of the kite surfers.

The skyline of Melbourne to the north.

Sunday, January 24^th.

This morning I decided to ride the bike to my school. I know that there is construction on the train line for the next ten days from here to the school and that there are shuttle buses which will add time to the trip. So maybe I can ride to school instead. It's 24.6 kms. So away I went, only I got lost and had to ask directions a few times. I finally found it after riding 40 kms!

I decided to take the Beach Road back as it is more scenic. After leaving the school I rode to the bay and stumbled across an amusement park called Luna Park. I locked my bike and wandered around inside looking at the rides. This place is more like the CNE than Wonderland.

After that I had lunch at a little sushi bar on the main drag. From there I pedaled along the bicycle path, stopping here and there for the views or to watch some kite surfers. By the time I arrived home, 29 kms later, I was good and tired, and my sits bones were really sore.

I went home, changed and went down to the beach and had a short swim before hanging out and doing some reading there. Then I bought a few groceries from Woolworth's (Woolies as they call it) had dinner and watched some more tennis. The Australians are in love with a young Russian girl who has just received her Australian citizenship and has been playing really well in the Open. Unfortunately tonight she lost in three sets after winning the first one 6-0.

One funny note from the grocery store: what we can skim milk, the Kiwis call 'trim' milk and the Aussie call 'skinny' milk. It's all good.

Giant Bicycle

 My new wheels.

 Chelsea Beach

 Go figure

 Beach sheds on Chelsea Beach

Saturday, January 23^rd.

This morning I organized some of my stuff and then went for a jog and again it rained on me. When I got back I worked on the computer for a bit and then decided to go bicycle shopping. When I went out I saw a man across the street wearing a biking shirt, so I asked him where there was a good bike shop. We talked for a bit, he told me he was visiting a friend and then he took me into the house to introduce me to the neighbour, Ivor. We talked for a bit and then I took the train to a bicycle store at Mentone Station. I bought a Giant hybrid bicycle. I decided on the hybrid instead of a road bike because it was considerably cheaper, more versatile for different riding conditions and the tires are more durable. So now I have a set of wheels.

Melbourne and area are very bicycle friendly. There are bike lanes everywhere and there are hundreds of kilometres of biking trails too, so I will make good use of the bike.

I rode back from the shop (13kms) and then rode around my neighbourhood and found a large sporting complex into a community centre, the Chelsea Heights Tennis Club with six clay courts, a running track and the Bonbeach Baseball Club, complete with the Blue Jay logo. I got the contact numbers for the tennis club.

Then I rode down to the beach for a bit. It was really windy and rough, so I just walked and waded. While I standing by my bike, my neighbour Ivor came by. We had a good talk about biking and the like and then he introduced by to his wife Glynnis.

After buying a bite to eat I went home to eat it and watch an evening of tennis.

The Australian Open

Rod Laver Arena (with the roof opening)

Maria Sharapova

Open the roof on a rainy day and the court gets wet, and ball kids have to dry it.

Roger Federer

Swiss and Aussie fans

The American Bryan brothers

Friday, January 22^nd.

Got up early, did my laundry and hung it out to dry and then went for a run. It started to rain, so I had a shower outside and my clothes got washed again.

I headed into the city to go to the Open but not sure what I would find on this wet day. It turns out the Rod Laver Arena has a retractable roof, so although there were no matches on any of the 14 outside courts there were inside. I watched the last half of match between Belinda Becic and Kateryna Bondarenko, and then I watched Maria Sharapova defeat American Lauren Davis.

Right after the match they opened the roof and Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov began. After one game it started raining! This caused a half hour delay as they had to slowly close the roof and the ball kids had to mop the floor. Federer eventually won in four sets.

When all the day matches ended I headed outside where I watched a bit of a doubles match with the Bryan brothers before exploring the Open Festival which is an area of restaurants and activities for families and kids. Then I walked back to Flinders Station to catch the train back home where I watched the last of the Nick Kyrgios - Tomas Berdych match and was happy to see Kyrgios dispatched.