You remember all that news we’ve been getting about droughts in Australia? Well that didn’t include Melbourne. As far as rain goes, Melbourne is a bit like Manchester – if it is not raining, then it is about to do so, and it will do so even if the skies are totally clear and blue. Fortunately it will not rain very heavily, nor for very long. If you are lucky you may not even notice it.

And to be fair, most of the time I didn’t notice it. I was either in shops, or indoor shopping malls. I collected maybe 20-30 drops of rain dashing across Bourke Street and that was about it. And I don’t mind that at all because I have had a lovely day shopping in one of my favorite cities. I have the gloves I was looking for; and I have a lovely new coat that I wasn’t looking for at all but I am delighted with, and which cost me all of US$54. I also got to catch up with my friend Kim who I used to work with when I lived here, and thereby caught up on all of the extended gossip about former work colleagues. It has been a good day, at least as far as Australia goes.

New Zealand is another matter. While I was having coffee with Kim I got a txt message from my friends in Auckland whom I was supposed to be staying with tomorrow and Monday. They have been hit with work issues, and so I have just been on the phone to the convention hotel to book another two nights. I don’t know what I have done to New Zealand, but clearly the place doesn’t like me because it keeps doing bad things to my friends.

I now have a couple of hours to kill before having to go and meet Terry and Sally for dinner. I am tempted to have a nap.