We are back, after 7 days of blessed lovely fantastic weather in Melbourne. Being back in Singapore is like living in a constant furnace. I miss the weather so much!! I think Jovann too. MELBOURNE is lovely! I wanna go back.....and bring Jovann back when he is older...
Some friends have asked me how I survived with a 1 yr old overseas. I know many of my friends have done this, so I am confident I am able to do it. Its not easy, as he still prefers home cooked food, and has his fussy times. But I wouldn't exchange that for anything. NO matter how many times I am allowed to re-do things, I still will bring him with us. :)
It was a LOVELY LURVELY stay. The Bed and Breakfast was perfect. The hosts were lovely people. They cook sinfully. The weather was heavenly, ranges from 8 degress to 20 degrees. The people, the sights, the food, the shopping, the entire experience, especially with Jovann by our side, was priceless. I have endless things I wish to say about the trip and don't know where to start. Friends, apologies for this late post, just wanted to start with this before bombarding you with photos. :P You won't believe it if I tell you we remember every single meal we ate....coz we took photos!!! hahahaa... HUbby said we are behaving like Jap tourists. :)
Preparation for the trip is no joke. His stuff filled our luggage bags and his own cabin bag. In total, we have 2 big luggages, 1 cabin bag, 2 carry bags between us. Jovann has lotsa cold wear.
- 1 denim jacket
- 1 fleece jacket
- 1 fleece cum windbreaker (very important for windy cold days and places like Mornington)
- 1 woollen pullover
- 2 thick cotton jackets (birthday gifts from Auntie JOanne and Auntie Jen).
More than us! I don't wanna take any risk where he's concerned. And not to mention the medicine for just-in-case situation. We have a checklist to help us make sure everything is in. We were so busy we didn't finish packing till 2 hours before going to the airport. But thank goodness for the checklist, we didn't forget ANYTHING. (pls email me if you want a copy hehee).
THE FLIGHT
It wasn't a nightmare like what I feared. ON the contrary, it was a real experience as its the first time we flew with him, and its interesting how a baby perceived the world around him. no matter how foreign and strange the experience is to him (sleeping in a plane full of strangers in all funny states of consciousness, the loud humming of the plane's engine, the occasional turbulence, the unusual noises and people talking), he feels secure coz his mommy daddy are with him. Such lovely innocence don't you think?
At Changi Airport, Gong Gong Ma Ma sent us off.....We all had dinner at Pasta Fresca, and Ma Ma fed me. I was in a rather food mood, flirting with the waitresses as usual. Mommy want me to mention that she ate the worst Spaghetti vongole there that she has ever tasted. :P
Bye bye Ma Ma Gong Gong, see you in a week's time! Don't miss me too much. :)
After going through the gates, we were busy walking around, buying my book, looking at Melbourne maps, that we were rather late for the boarding.
Me first time taking aeroplane!!!
(I looked as bored as a frequent flyer......)
Mommy changed me into pyjamas just before the boarding gate. She plan to nurse me during take off so that my little ears will not be subjected to the painful pressure that may disturb me...Our flight is at 9pm. The grand plan was that I will sleep for the entire 7hours till we reached Melbourne at 6.10am (4.10am Singapore time).
BOarding boarding...so exciting! The flight will be 7hours LOOOONGGGG....The smile on Mommy's face belies the apprehension she feels inside...hehe..
The airstewardess taught Mommy how to use the infant seat belt, and then she secured the bassinet for me. Cool! During takeoff, Mommy nursed me until I fell asleep. I was covered with blanket so the lights will not disturb me. Then come the challenge. The lights in the cabin are still on, noisy environment, will I stay sleeping when put into bassinet? They tried...and I cried once I knew I am being moved from Mommy's warm arms. But Daddy used his soothing techniques to lure me into dreamland. Daddy succeeded, Jovann is down!
This is my little bassinet in which I slept.....for THREE HOURS! aiyoh. 3 hours later, I woke up. fresh and happy, with 3 more hours left till we reached Melbourne. Eerrr....fresh? Mommy Daddy looked at each other in helplessness, but they were thankful I was in a good and quiet mood. talked to myself, played with my hands, with my toys...and basically looking around in amazement at things around me. Think being on a plane interests me so much I forgot I am supposed to be tired.
We reached! Through the rush of checking out, collecting luggage, renting our Camry from Budget Rentals, I fell asleep in Mommy's arms again.
In the car, I slept in the carseat while Daddy Mommy found their way to our Bed and Breakfast, Binnowee Club. :)
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Mommy says...
Choosing Binnowee Club was one of the best decisions we made on this trip. Thank you Douglas and Chris, for making this stay in Melbourne so warm and comfortable.
Binnowee Club is a Luxury Bed and Breakfast, manned by a Father and Son team. They live in the back half of this sprawling period house, a 2 storey Edwardian home of grand proportions. The front half houses 3 guest rooms, and we booked the biggest, named the McIntrye Suite, which comes with an adjoining drawing room for that cosy afternoon tea, and a lovely bathroom with a period bathtub and shower area.
The bedroom
The drawing room
The dining room, where we will have our meals for the next 7 days..
LOtsa crawling space for Jovann! Thats one of the things that sold me to this place.
The place is beautiful, no doubt, but its more than the gorgeous rooms that makes the stay memorable. Its the people. Douglas, the dad is such a warm and sincere character, even Jovann took to him at once. He is one of the few that Jovann ASKS to carry him, and then refuse to come back into my arms! And Chris the seemingly quiet but cheeky character, cooks up a mean breakfast every morning, and a lovely dinner when asked! We love Binnowee because
* They allow us to use their own kitchen to cook Jovann's meals. Their own pots, cooking utensils anything. Not for a moment were I made to feel intruding upon their home, when this is actually the kitchen they used to cook their own meals.
* Douglas insisted I leave the dirty pots and cooking utensils there for them to wash in the dish washer. For this I am extremely grateful, else I will feel as if I am back home and its the endless washing again which will take away precious time from our holiday.
* They asked about our plans for the day, and helped us with the route and answered our endless questions about whats nice to see.
* They will always pop up in the evening to check how our day has been, to chat, to make sure we are happy.
* The breakfasts served to us were different every day! and each one is nice! We usually start off with muesli with fresh fruits and fresh milk, followed by a hot cooked breakfast.
my favourite is this..... Sauteed spinach served with homebaked bread toasted with garlic and roasted capsicums. Nice right?
* And Chris's dinner.....(we were able to order lunch or dinner from a menu they have, and to give them some notice before the meal so they can prepare the ingredients.) The first time, I ordered "Beef braised in red wine, garlic, fresh tomato, lemon juice and spring onion, served on Linguini pasta". It was one of the nicest pasta I ever eaten. Apparently, this recipe was lovingly created by Chris's late mother. They referred to it as Mom's Pasta...
The pic looks messy coz I was so hungry we digged into our food before remembering we have not taken pics hahaha.
(stay tuned for more)
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