It has been the busiest December-January period ever. We've made a big decision: we're moving out of the Arm, to Perth, Western Australia. In a nutshell, here was our life for the last little while:
- We got invited to spend 3 days in Wellington, NZ to find out if we could live there: the answer to this question is yes, definitely! Beautiful city, cool cafes, friendly people, not overly expensive and green, green, green and more green mountains all around! This seems just so refreshing after 4 years in dry Australia.
- Marc then flew to Perth for interview and things became tricky: we didn't know where 2 go...
- We had a quiet Xmas week, spending lots of time outside on the beach. Philippe is a real beach baby, not afraid of the water, and has really good balance in managing the waves. We watch the yatchs coming up the river during the Sydney to Hobart Sailing race.
- Back to work, we had made up our minds: it is Perth, provided we can have a look at the place before agreeing to move. First weekend in January, we fly to Perth to have a look. When we got out of the airport, it was 41 degres! It felt like walking in an oven. 2 hours later, the Fremantle Doctor (nice fresh sea breeze) had came in to cool down the city. The temperature dropped to around 30. It's like that every day, pretty neat! Provided you live close enough to the sea to get the breeze.
- We stayed in Fremantle, the cool suburb we would have lived in 10 years ago (before having a family). Lots of cafes, boutiques, beaches, etc. Unfortunately not affordable, unless you can pay the $1.5 million people are asking for a 4-bedroom family house!
So we'll be renting for a while. Hopefully we'll manage to find a place close to the beach. It shouldn't be too difficult as the city is built along the coast, and all the beaches are protected areas with sand dunes and natural vegetation (endemic species). I'm excited about moving but it's going to quick! I'll miss beautiful South Arm but that will be fun to experience a new climate (no winter there) and a new lifestyle. Imagine: not having to wear socks, ever again! It just seem sooo relaxing!
Happy 2008 from Tasmania!
