From coffee city to pineapple state.

Last Melbourne coffee (above) courtesy of Cafe No. 5 (left) as I leave for Brisbane on a balmy summer morning. Heading north, closer to Australia's tropics, but should find it cooler in Queensland's capital city. Sam, Cafe No. 5's proprietor, thought my move to Brisbane was months away. Everything about this move has been off-the-cuff, on-the-fly, flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, leaving little time to say goodbye to Melbourne friends and cafe acquaintances.

Took the train into the CBD with Aradhna, as usual. I stopped at the cafe, she went to her office to print my flight details, and we met at Southern Cross Station (right) where I caught a Sky Bus to the airport.Melbourne lacks a rail link to its two airports. Dumb. Even Brisbane, a smaller city, has an Air Train, which I'll hop upon arrival this afternoon and take to Brisbane's CBD. Aradhna found me short-term accommodation in South Brisbane, not far from my new workplace.

So here I sit at Melbourne Airport with a window view (left), waiting for boarding call. A family chats to my right. My flight lands in Sydney, where I'll switch to a Brisbane-bound plane. Thinking of the 2 years Aradhna and I have spent in Melbourne, how much we've experienced together, what awaits us in Brisbane. Not sure exactly when we'll pack up everything and move north. We'll be apart for at least a couple of months. [sigh} Miss her already ......