Bins and Pockets

I have blood on my sweater and I only washed it two days ago!
No, I Haven't been in any fights, just a nose bleed to go with the fever.
I feel a lot better today, I was even whistling in the shower.

It is 10.40 am and I am sat outside the Victoria library on Swanston Street. It's quite chilly but the sun is starting to rear over the building onto my back. I'm waiting here because I'm moving into a new hostel, the Greenhouse in the centre of town. I cannot check in there until after 12 noon and i have already had breakfast. In or outside the library is my favourite place to sit anyway, plenty of seats and plenty of space.
Looks and feels like it'll be a clear fine day today, a perfect day for walking in the hills or something. I wonder if that's possible today.

People stop to smoke by the bins in Melbourne. The top of the bins look like this: You put rubbish in the big hole at the top and butts in the recesses in the corner. Sometimes you see piles of butts, maybe 50 - 100. I suppose somebody pushes them in when they have cooled off.

I still wonder if I could live in a city. I'm entranced by them at first, but after I've had a taste of everything wouldn't I yearn for a change? I suppose not, cities are changing all the time. A lot quicker than small towns anyway.

When you're travelling your pockets become your home more than anything else. Everything of importance goes into a pocket, and eventually each pocket becomes designated for particular things. ie. my rear right trouser pocket for loose change. My right jacket pocket for my wallet, my left for my passport. Now that I have a cold though, I have tissues in nearly all of them too. Some used, some unusable.

To begin at the beginning...

A black book and black pen to write thoughts from my tar-blackened head.
Sat in e-fiftyfive on Elizabeth Street in Melbourne. I can hardly hold the pen properly.
It is my Grandmother's 80th birthday tomorrow, I must think of a way to call her. She would be happy to hear from me I'm sure. If I wanted to speak to her at 6am their time I would have to call at 2pm...
Which doesn't seem so feasible.

-

Ah, a warm shower has just the same effect as a glass of cold beer in Summer or a cup of warm tea in Winter.
2 cold beers and I want no more. I need to have another night relaxing and reading by myself (although the one thing I've been craving for the past week is company - it doesn't apply here) and just basically taking a little care into my body for a change.

-

On seeing the snake earlier on in the trip:
Myself and Matt were following a footpath towards one of the great lookouts in Springbrook National Park when he gave me a halt sign from in front and said "Shh".
I saw ahead of me a black snake-like shape moving slowly across the path.
I almost lost my lungs in my throat when I saw the size of it. It must have been 2 metres in length and as thick as a barge pole.
"What kind of snake is that?" I asked.
"Only a python. Not venomous, but it has a nasty bite."
We waited a couple of minutes for it to move off the path, but it was still dangerously close (I thought) and so we walked through the undergrowth at the other side of the path.
This was a lot more dangerous as there could have been more dangerous beasts lurking there in the undergrowth. We were still extra cautious on the way back from the lookout and the python had only moved a couple more feet. It had noticed us, surely, but had not bothered to evade us, as we had it.

-

And it's about time I made some plans:

Tues 28 (Grandmother's Bday)


Wed 29
7pm. Pickpocket (movie) @ the ACMI


Thurs 30


Fri 1st


Saturday 2nd July
The Great Ocean Road with Ben
Duck Soup (movie) @ 5.30 and 7.30


Sunday 3rd
Recuperate? Spend time with Ben


Monday 4th
Leave for Sydney

Balance as of 28th June:
£953.96