Get on your Lamarck - Go!

Regrettably, my new apartment doesn't have the same free wireless internet access which the old place did so there has been some delay in getting back onto this blog.

I am also yet to upload my photos so you will have to wait a bit longer for those too.

Anyway, I last left you just before the big move. Kirstin and I had a fabulous apartment cooling party on the Friday night before we left with the invaluable help of Gabi and Andrea who worked hard to ensure that we were all ready for the hordes who descended on us. Pretty much everyone came and had a great time. We ended up with a crazy amount of empty bottles at the end of the night and the girls' killer punch was the end of a number of our guests although delicious! Actually, on second thoughts, probably because it was delicious!

We had a great time dancing the night away to our hastily assembled stereo system, connected by Kirstin and I after a couple of glasses of wine the night before.

There was an even spread between my friends and Kirstin's who all mingled like champions for a great atmosphere. All too many people kept coming up to us asking why we were leaving such a cool place.

In any event, after finally vacating the dance floor at a bit after 4am, the girls and I got up and made a great cleaning effort the next day as I did a very slow and methodical pack of all my gear. Fortunately, Ignacio was unable to come on Saturday to help move and we were able to adjourn the actual move to Sunday and thus relax with some takeaway Chinese on Sat night.

On Sunday we proceeded with the move up to the new place, fourth floor apartment with my friend Nicky behind Montmartre and Sacre Coeur and just a short walk from Lamarck metro station.

I was horrified to discover that the lift had broken down just for that day and poor Ignacio had to help carry all of my stuff up all four flights in the dark a lot of the time.

Once back to the flat, the girls and I decided to go for a quick coffee at about 5 to treat ourselves. That turned into beers at the pub followed by top burgers at Little Holland nearby and then to the Scottich pub for a quiz night. We didn't win but surprised ourselves and others around us by doing very well on the sports round. It helps when you are the only people in the room to know the name of Adelaide's AFL team! The upshot of the night was Kirstin and I spending the first night at the new place getting in at about 1am and quickly making beds before collapsing to end our big weekend.

Thankfully, I am now fully settled a couple of weeks later. Kirstin has also lined up a great place from June only a short distance from our old place. At the moment she has got a temporary place near work.

Nicky and I have been enjoying the last few weeks relaxing into the new place as she moved in only a short time before me. A couple of weeks ago we had a nice four day weekend where I was able to unpack at a leisurely pace and pick up some bits and pieces to make the place homey. Last weekend I did much of the same while Nicky went to Amsterdam for a hen's night. It was good to simply hang out and enjoy the area with Nick who lives less than 50 metres away now.

We are in fact set up with walkie talkies to communicate with Celine and Nick at their place and are getting quite good at our "Delta Tango over and out" style conversation!

I had a nice dinner at Brasserie Bofinger this week with my aunt and uncle who were over from Australia and have plans tonight to go to a concert in French with Nick. I am all set for concerts at the moment having just got tickets for Morcheeba, Beck and Jamiroquai, three of my favorite artists in the next two months.

Well I think that is me up to date and you up to speed so I will let you all get back to your busy lives.

Lots of love to all XX

Marvelous Montmartre

OK, April slipped away from me without a post but I am trying my best to get back on track.

I went to the party mentioned in my last post for my friend Javier's birthday. It was a really good night and we spent most of it dancing before walking home at about 4am past Notre Dame. It turned out later that it was the night the Pope died so I was later surprised not to have seen too many vigils although I can't say that I was looking too closely! On top of a good party, it was a very relaxing weekend spent mainly in the sunshine up on Nick and Celine's balcony.

I had a lovely dinner at Nicky's place the following weekend. It ended up culminating in a decision to take the spare room at her new apartment.

I had dinner on the Saturday at a really nice French brasserie with my cousin Margie and her mother and niece. While I was out to dinner, Gab and Andrea flew back in from Italy and went back to my place.

The following day, the three of us took Kirstin out and we had a long and leisurely brunch on the ile St Louis near the apartment and then went for a walk around Paris. We wandered around the shops at the Louvre but didn't go in. We then adjourned to a very retro little bar near home for a number of kirs and peanuts before heading home quietly.

On the Tuesday the girls flew out for Turkey (see links to their blogs on the right). The same day my aunt Pam arrived to stay with me and we had drinks after work here for a conference group that were in town.

On the following night, Pam picked me up and we went to dinner at a little souffle restaurant and then on to the Lido to see the dancers. It was certainly an amazing show and very polished.

Pam headed off on the Wednesday and then on Friday my aunt Julie arrived, to be joined on Saturday by my uncle Steven. We went up to the flea markets and had a great time wandering around. I got the velvet jacket I have been wanting for ages at a bargain price as well as some gorgeous jewelry. Afterwards, we went down to Sacre Coeur and climbed up there and then back down and along past the Moulin Rouge before having a drink in the cafe where they filmed Amelie. On the Sunday, we had a beautiful day wandering around the palais de Versailles and admiring the over the top decoration and the fabulous gardens.

After Julie and Steven headed off, I got to go up to stay with Alix for five nights up in the Hague. We had a great time with dinners out and catching up with Adrian, Dean and other friends of Alix's as well as Kirstin coming up to join me for the weekend. Luckily for me, I was not too involved in the conference over the weekend and we were able to benefit from some amazing weather and sit at the beach and out in the squares of the Hague on the Sunday after shopping in Amsterdam on the Saturday. Unfortunately we missed out on the tulip gardens as the queues were too long but we saw fields from the train which was nice.

Following my return, preparations had to be put underway for my move this last weekend and party on Friday night. I will blog and post photos about those later but for now it is back to work.

Bisous XX