Bleeding Gums

This past week we have been enjoying Melbourne's pleasures. It has been a busy week for all of us - Jakob at the office and the kids and I around town. Jakob seems to really enjoy the central business district and spends as many of his daylight hours as he can there. The children and I have been impressed with what Melbourne has to offer - museums, libraries, parks, lively streets. Best of all there doesn't seem to be a lack of sights to explore and our next week is already packed with promise of activity. Everywhere we go seems to be followed by a chorus of "let's come back here!" So we will be seeing the science museum again, the adventure playground, the beach, the outdoor bouldering wall, the farm, the botanic gardens, the library and so on.

While it would take years for a person to tire of Melbourne it is also nice to admit that there is a whole world outside of the city. With this in mind we set out today on an outing to the thousand steps at the foothills of the Dandedong mountain ranges. The walk is a memorial to the Australian soldiers who died in Papua New Guinea during World War II. There's also a plaque commemorating the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels: Papuans caught in the middle of someone else's war who nonetheless succoured injured Australian soldiers, often at the cost of their own lives. Visitors are meant to experience a tiny sense of the exhaustion the soldiers felt. Given all the graceful gum trees, overhanging ferns, company of a friend, and parrots everywhere, we felt invigorated rather than exhausted. Plus, we both have always enjoyed climbing stairs. Nonetheless, we still commend the Australian fighters. And we commend the impressive array of parrots and birds - squawking cockatoos, colorful lorikeets, and laughing kookaburras were among our favorites. They did nothing for the war efforts but they still deserve an honourable mention. We also learned firsthand, or so we think, what it really means to be a red gum tree (please see photo below).

Melbourne atwinkle

Gum Forest

Bleeding gum

Kangarou has grown - Flopsy is impressed.