I think I’ll have to work on keeping my expectations low all year till the Europe visit happens. Because arriving in Port Fairy (formerly Belfast I just read) after end-to-end podcasts detailing WoW patch 2.4 features, and rolling into a street not unlike a poor version of suburban Glen Waverley, we found the most charming place imaginable at Garden Pavillions. The ramshackle garden plantings and screenings hummed with seachanger energy. Figs, apples and lashings of pea straw, New Holland Honeyeaters, and then finally the cottages – windows on all possible sides, the Bagshot that could have been. Awesome. They have Scandinavian-style leather adjustable chairs and a hot, hot shower, plus decent in-bed lighting. We just love it. It’s a charming little town really, like Beechworth right beside a cute marina. We spent a good few hours looking at every gallery and antique shop within 20k’s. Not buying a thing though – most unusual. I had to be persuaded not to buy a Victorian postcard for the ordinariness of it – far better an exotic S.A one in a few days time. Books are starting to get read and newspapers devoured; no internet is weird and unsettling for us both. I rediscovered a great magazine called The Monthly and finally gave Kim an idea for my birthday present next month. Meanwhile, she annihilates every hard-level Sudoku in sight. So nice to break some routines. Who cares if it’s windy and showery? It’s a damn relief this time of year.