My Day With Annemaree (and evening with Barbara)

The week before last I arrived in Melbourne on one of the hottest days the city had ever experienced in 70 years. The temperature peaked at 45C. The date, 29th January 2009.

As a result of the heatwave, there were power outages in the city and trains could not operate under the intense heat, leaving commuters stranded. My friend, Barbara (one of our former dance team member who migrated to Melbourne) was caught in the situation as she was heading home after work.

The heat in Malaysia is nothing compared to the heat that day in Melbourne. Imagine stepping into an oven turned to 45 degrees and standing right inside it; that would perhaps give you an idea of what it felt like. The heat was intense and dry.

Luckily, the temperature the next few days dropped to a more bearable level and on Monday I met up with Annemaree, a line dancer whom I had befriended online. Through our online conversations we found out that we had a couple of mutual friends in KL and Canada. So I had arranged to meet her before my flight out to Melbourne.

The day started at 10-ish am when Annemaree came to the apartment where I was staying to collect me. Then off we headed to a community hall in her area where she attends line dance class on Monday. John, her instructor, has been teaching line dance for over 15 years. I had a great time dancing and meeting all of Annemaree's friends. Everyone was just so friendly.

Annemaree enjoying herself

and me having FUN! :-)

Annemaree, myself & John

We danced for 2 and a half hours and then headed to the mall beside the community centre for a quick bite. John and several of Annemaree's friends joined us.

After that, Annemaree drove me to a town called Sassafras situated in the hills of Dandenong. A lovely place. Very much like a quaint little English town. We browsed through the small shops and I bought a few knick knacks to bring home.

Berries! Didn't know if they were edible so didn't dare try to eat them :-)

Real acorns!

Shop selling teapots

Unfortunately, most of the cafes there were closed, it being a Monday. We did however find a place open for tea and that's what we did...we sat down and had a cuppa :-) I enjoyed that cup of tea because it gave us time to chat and get to know each other a little better.

This was closed :-(

So was Ms Marples :-(

Finally, a place to rest our feet and have a cuppa

Time flew by quickly during our chat and soon it was time to head back down the hill to have dinner. I had made an appointment to meet up with Barbara who lives in Boronia, just about 5-10 minutes away from where Annemaree lives (in Scoresby) and so we had to hurry. We dropped by Annemaree's home for a while (she has a lovely garden) and then headed to the nearest mall called Knox for dinner.

Annemaree in front of her house

Her backyard & garden

Lavendar

Capsicum

Zucchini

By the time we got to Barbara's home, it was after 8pm. Yet it was still light. At this time of the year, darkness falls around 9pm.

Barbara is still her pretty self and motherhood becomes her :-). And her 8-month old son, Tristan....ooooh....soooo cute! He's a really happy and jolly little baby. Smiles and coos all the time and even tries to engage you in baby banter with him :-) Reminds me very much of my eldest son when he was a baby. Always had a ready smile for me and anyone else who was nearby. You can see that Tristan is the apple of their parents eyes.

Isn't he gorgeous!

Barbara & Tristan

But very soon the day had to end and Jerome (Barbara's husband) drove me home, together with Barbara and Tristan. Tristan dozed off during the ride. Heard him snoring, haha.

Thank you Annemaree for a lovely day. And to Barbara & Jerome, it was lovely seeing you again. Tristan is a lovely baby. You're both so blessed :-)

Hope it won't be too long a time before I get to meet all of you again.