A whiter shade of pale

I'M trying so hard to fit into my new surroundings. Although something is holding me back.

I'm desperate to transform my whiter than white limbs into those that resemble something a little more Aussie-like.
Although I think a decade at the gym and daily classes of Slimming World may help me achieve my goal more than a little sunshine.

That said, most of the natives are as pale skinned as I so I don't feel totally out of it but it's true that we feel better with a bit of colour. I'm waiting patiently to move out of Blotchville at Pink City and am enjoying my times sitting in the shade without any need to follow my usual British form and head straight for the rays. I have all the time in the world to colour up like the rest of them.

As with everything, my tan will progress as equally as our life re-building programme. We were invited to our first authentic Aussie barby last night and I feel as if I've been here all my life. In fact, I feel a little guilty that I'm out here rolling out the good times while my kith and kin 'back home' are in constant touch saying how much I'm missed.

We have just moved from our bush fire 'high alert' cabin site at Warrandyte and are at a beach house overlooking the sea at Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula. The boys have gone out shopping for provisions and buckets and spades while I concentrate on getting some sort of routine in order ... and that starts with the laundry.

9am on a February morning and I'm hanging out the washing to dry in the shade of a lemon tree. The grass underfoot is crisp. But not with the white stuff that usually crunches under my size 7s on a February morning ... more the parched outside floor covering they call 'grass' out here.

I haven't seen a lush bit of greenery for ages, apart from the fake stuff that adorns the frontage of the showhomes we've been visiting ... and yes, it does feature on my 'Miss List.'
Never thought I'd see the day I'd be admitting to missing anything horticultural. The nearest thing I ever came to anything under this domain was when I was at my Evening Leader workstation subbing the press releases from Northop's college.

So, a week in and things are good. Still featuring prominently on my shopping list is a job, new driver's licence and stamps for postcards, not necessarily in order of importance, but it's a list all the same.
I'm still on my honeymoon period and waiting for any grief and sadness to set in. Without doubt it will, and hopefully, when it comes I'll be mentally prepared.

If my anticipated mobile phone bill is anything to go by though, it's that that will make me cry more than anything else!