Melbourne

We did it - drove number two and his stuff 700 km down the road to university and settled him in. The room was as small as we thought but doesn't feel cramped, and the building has some lovely shared kitchen and social spaces, including outside, which is great, and is very close to lots of parks. His room mate hasn't arrived yet, which was quite good for unpacking - they have their own rooms and share a bathroom and little kitchenette. We did a big grocery shop, got things like bus cards and pillows, checked out the campus a little bit, and then left him there. How strange.

I am a bit limited in what he will let me post but here is a view from his floor back to the city. About four km and on a main tram line. It is very exciting for a small town suburban kid. 

Number one made me take this photo of the sun as it set exactly in line with the alleyway we were walking down after dinner. Slightly more spectacular in real life. We stayed in a hotel in the middle of town so managed to get in a little shopping and mild tourism - the weather was beautiful and it's nice to be out and about after so much pandemic. I have slightly lost my taste for crowds and big cities which could be pandemic or might just be old age. Here we are walking back over the bridge from Southbank to the city. 

We took two cars so I drove back on my own and didn't cry at all ... not that I thought I would. He was so excited and looking forward to it that it would be hard to be sad, but the house is emptier. It is strange not keeping track of him after seventeen years! I have spent a lot of time remembering my first year and just how exciting and scary it was. Different times though, I was allowed to ring home collect once a term, and otherwise just letters. On paper. Through the mail, and delivered to pigeonholes in the foyer. We now have a discord chat :) 

Yesterday his cooker was broke, and in the course of that he discovered that the maintenance guy for the building went to my secondary school in NZ and remembers playing basketball with my brother ... not only that but his wife is ALSO from my school and was a year ahead of me and I remember her quite clearly, she was lovely, and her mother worked at the school too and that is the lesson, number two son, you cannot escape from people I know, no matter how far you move. Haha.