Must Keep My Eyes Open!!!

Melbourne

Believe it or not, though I've done two blogs about just my first day in Australia, my day wasn't quite done after going to the William Ricketts Sanctuary.  Nope...far from being done!  From the Sanctuary we continued up to the top of the Dandenong Mountains to look out over the valley and Melbourne.  Even though it was a hazy day you could still see Melbourne in the distance.  It would have been nice if the sky had been clear but still think the picture looks ok even if I did it in black and white. 

There was another lovely garden of sculptures to wander through on top...seems like everywhere one turned you would find some type of sculpture garden and that became one of my favorites...especially if there were flowers to be photographed which usually had the Tour Guide rolling her eyes.  Come to think of it that did happen quite frequently!  I guess she did put up with a lot with my obsession with taking photographs...oops...I guess I kind of downplayed that habit of mine.  LOL

After going through the garden and looking out over the vistas it was time to head back down to get ready for dinner with the Tour Guide's mum Helen and her husband Bob.  I was so looking forward to finally getting to meet Helen as we had been corresponding back and forth for a couple of years and I had spoken briefly with both of them this past Christmas.

Helen & Bob

Finally they arrived and I was taken aback at how warmly I was greeted by both of them.  It soon seemed as if I had known them for years.  The dinner the Tour Guide prepared was scrumptious though she would profess throughout my trip that she was just an average cook...if she was only average I am barely competent to be a cook in a greasy spoon and only if they are hard up!! 

After dinner it was decided that an Australian movie with none other than Paul Hogan called Charlie and Boots was to be the evening entertainment.  Sounded good to me but little did I know that I would soon fall victim to all the fresh air, great food and wine we had had and I soon found myself struggling to stay awake.  The first 20 minutes or so of the movie was ok and then the wall started to tap me on the forehead...soon the tapping became a thumping!! 

You all know that feeling where you're fighting with all your might to keep your eyelids from spasming as they struggle to close.  Well, I'm not so sure just how long I tried fighting the good fight...it seemed like a long time and then I would hear my name said with authority and my eyelids would spring wide open like I'd just seen a ghost.  Once in a while I thought I heard some comment and laughter but really it probably was my imagination and before I knew it I was being woken up by the Tour Guide telling me that the movie was over and Helen and Bob were leaving and I really should go to bed. 

I soon found out that the comments were in fact real and the laughter was caused by me.  Seems that I wasn't putting up much of a fight to stay awake though I'd swear on a stack of bibles that I was and that when I would hear my name called out it was because my snoring had become too loud for them to hear the movie.  OMG...talk about being embarrassed!!  All I can say is I truly did try and fight the good fight against sleep but just couldn't win it.  Oh...and those comments I thought I had heard...well I really had though no one would tell me exactly what was said but seems I supplied a bit of humor with my losing battle against sleep.  OMG I hope I didn't drool...snoring was bad enough!!  Nothing like making an impression on the first day in Australia I mumbled to myself as I shuffled off for my first sleep in Australia.

If you would like to see more pictures taken up on top of the Dandenong Mountains here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow