Melbourne, we're back!

I know I'm due to write a huge post on St. Lucia and things you absolutely have to do if you ever go there but whilst that is in the process of being written I thought I would give you all a little update.

On Wednesday 8th August the boy and I set off to Heathrow Airport accompanied by my parents and boarded a flight to Melbourne on a one way ticket.  This is my new home - yikes!

A little background on the situation: I originally moved to Melbourne in September 2009 for (a different) Australian boy.  After almost two years of long distance and therefore much anticipation, things did not quite go to plan with that relationship and five months after arriving I found myself newly single and halfway across the world from all my friends and family.  Sadly the end of the relationship coincided (to the day) of my grandmother's death.  I headed home for the funeral and got my head together.  Instead of wallowing in self pity and staying home to lick my wounds I came back to Melbourne to see out my visa (much to the annoyance of the ex, I'm sure [in fact I believe "Melbourne is my city, not yours" was a phrase that was used during one conversation about my return].) and partied like I'd never partied before.  Enter Aussie boy number two:

This relationship, however, was not to be a "happy ever after" for me either (yet)!  

Due to the difficulties of being in a relationship where two different nationalities are involved I had to head home for a few months whilst the boy holidayed in Thailand with his friends (that was easy!).  I found my way back to him but it was very difficult not being allowed to work and having to leave the country every three months - especially without knowing if I'd be let back in every time I returned to Australia.  Eventually we found ourselves living in London and preparing for our "Offshore Temporary Partner Visa" (on the basis of a de facto relationship) so that I could return to Melbourne with full working rights and finally live "happily ever after".  Hundreds of pages (I'm not joking my application was honestly about two inches thick) and thousands of dollars later I have ended up in Melbourne.  

The journey is not over yet as I am still a tourist and have not been granted the visa.  However, it should be granted between October 10th and November 11th (grants take 5-6 months and we only applied in May).  This does leave me at a slightly loose end because I still cannot work so I spend my days trying to think of fulfilling ways to fill up my time.  I feel like Hugh Grant in About a Boy...

"I find the key is to think of a day as units of time, each unit consisting of no more than thirty minutes. Full hours can be a little bit intimidating and most activities take about half an hour. Taking a bath: one unit, watching countdown: one unit, web-based research: two units, exercising: three units, having my hair carefully disheveled: four units. It's amazing how the day fills up, and I often wonder, to be absolutely honest, if I'd ever have time for a job; how do people cram them in?"

Except unlike Hugh Grant I don't have the joys of English day time television to keep me occupied (honestly Australian day time TV is incredibly boring and full of adverts/infomercials).  If only I had a Roberta-Flack-singing-bobble-hat-wearing young boy to buy trainers and offensive rap music for.

Anyone have any ideas of things I can do (preferably non-expensive ideas so I don't have to spend my boys hard earned cash!)??