Initial Life in the Big City

If I have been quiet in the social media world over the past few days it all comes down to finalising The Big Move. Furnishings were moved from Kew to Southbank on Monday and, since then, every spare non-working moment has been spent on unpacking my mountain of personal possessions. I gave credit to Move It Movers who did an excellent job. The main driver was a former tight-beam wireless techie who is also doing a Master's of Finance. In these coronavirus days, you take whatever work you can. Being the sort of person who lives in a small library they had a bit of a laugh at the idea of someone moving to even a large inner-city apartment with 17 bookcases (hey, I've cut down). The trickiest part was getting the custom-built double bookcase from the Unitarian Church into the apartment and then into the bedroom. We had to make some minor temporary modifications to the building itself for that one.

Anyway, the move is done now and I'm semi-settled in. Even Sabre cat, who I expected would be a real problem, settled in quite quickly once she realised that her bed, her food, and her litter tray were all present. Maybe she's even a little glad that her human servant is around as well. The unpacking is about half-complete now, and I'm getting a better idea of the space that's available and a few small quirks of the place (what do you mean there's no power points in the dining area?!). I've even had my first house guest over for dinner, caseopaya, my bubble buddy in this quasi-lockdown state. I am even beginning to get a sense of the local area as well; despite being near the corner of two major roads and being surrounded by glass and steel (very cyberpunk, n'est-ce pas?) there is the Boyd Community Hub practically next door, and behind me a new-ish major shopping centre (Melbourne Square). I am also very surprised how quiet life in the apartment is; there are neither significant sounds from the outdoors or from the neighbours.

Circumstances at the time led me to nickname the new abode The Grand Mausoleum. However, I no longer feel that way and there's even a sense of cautious optimism in the paragraphs of the new chapter of my life. But if it is no longer The Grand Mausoleum, I am not quite sure what the place is yet. It does not have the sense of historic sanctuary and natural surrounds of The Asylum in Kew. Nor does it have the splendour of the South Pacific Base in Dunedin (which is equally as historic with natural surrounds). It is, in many ways, quite unusual for me to be in a place that is so anonymous and relatively hidden, yet at the same time, so central. But beyond the door there is comfort, sanctuary, and, of course, my extensive library. Maybe the Old Man of the Mountain has found Alamut.