It's the final countdown

Da-da-da daaa, du-du-da-da da...

The passage of time is a funny old thing eh? I suppose, more specifically, our human perception of the passage of time. I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that this long-awaited trip, which has felt at times so epic and expansive and into which we have packed so much, seems to have gone at double speed for the last few weeks and is nearly over. Tempus fugit. Soon this will no longer be our view.

Knowing that time is short has led to a combination of seeing what remaining wish list items we can tick off alongside enjoying our Melbourne faves one final time. With that in mind, not to be outdone by my ‘room with a view’ in the Blue Mountains, last Saturday saw James and the girls heading to Melbourne’s Eureka Tower and the 88th floor ‘Skydeck’ for impressive views across the city.

It’s safe to say that both girls have a head for heights and spent an hour and a half captivated by the panoramic vistas whilst spotting familiar landmarks.

They also managed to track down some artisanal (and gigantic) lamingtons: Australia’s national cake made of sponge, coated in chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut. Nom!

I returned from the mountains in time for a memorable Palm Sunday service involving a REAL donkey, followed by a successful afternoon trip to Scienceworks Museum.

On Monday, James and I independently, and without knowing the other was going, visited Melbourne General Cemetery, soaking up the peaceful atmosphere and views of the CBD. Turns out you can tell when you’ve been together for 20+ years as we took a near identical picture of the same tree! Oh dear!

Hankering the chance to see even more of the city, Wednesday had me donning my trainers for the rather eccentric challenge of walking the Capital City Trail, a 30km loop path circling Melbourne’s CBD and inner suburbs. Although footsore by the end, the fascinating and varied route gave me an awesome day of sights and memories.

James, meanwhile, has managed some last minture big hitters of his own: a walking tour of the laneways to see some of Melbourne’s iconic street art, a coastal bike ride via colourful Brighton beach and an AFL game at the packed MCG!

This week has also involved a lot of ‘lasts’:

• A last trip to Brunswick Baths for a post-school swim and Brunswick Library to return all our books

• A last Shining Light yoga class for me and sauna at Sauna Goose

• A last trip to Savers thrift store to purchase an additional suitcase (ahem, we may have bought a few souvenirs) and denim jackets that the girls convinced me were necessary (you can see why the suitcase was required!)

• A last AFL game for James with his team and a final pub quiz with colleagues

Despite the relatively short length of our stay, we’ve been lucky enough to meet some wonderful people in our time here so there have inevitably been some bittersweet goodbyes to friends, school pals, teachers and colleagues. The girls had a fun-filled last day of Aussie school and a lovely post-school play. Thanks BEPS!

Reflection: helping the girls navigate the mixed emotions of this ending - the excitement of returning home to see our loved ones (and favourite cuddly toys!) alongside the sadness of goodbyes and leaving a place that has felt like home, is proving a poignant process.

I am reminded of the beautiful Japanese concept of ‘mono no aware’ (the ‘pathos of things’) which encourages appreciating the transience of life, relationships and nature, particularly finding beauty in fleeting moments, rather than resisting change.

With that in mind, I shall bring these thoughts to a close in order to watch the sunrise, snuggled in a cosy blanket with a cup of coffee in hand. Here’s to appreciating the final Melbourne weekend!