Let's change the date of the wedding!

Tonight, Thursday 1st March, in a good night phone call, Ai has asked to change it to the next day, Monday, April 9, because of the pressure of the Easter week and famly commitments.

And she asked to see a picture of the train on the journey each day from lara to Melbourne.

Here is a picture I took at 8.20 this morning on Lara Station as the Warrnambool to Melbourne express arrived.

As you see, it is a very old but powerful diesel locomotive, ant the carriages are 25 years old. But comfortable, and there is a buffet on board.

PREGNANCY

"Hon, this is awful bad suffering. Knowing that worse is to come. Ur sweet body will be distressed and distorted. Then the birth will be the worst pain. Shocking!"

"Ya! But we have this baby bcoz it serves as the certificate of our love. I could antagonize these sufferings hon, but please promise me that u are always there."

TRAIN

The small town of Lara
is connected to
the city of Melbourne, (population 3.6 million), by an expressway and a high speed rail link.

The freeway suffers from congestion over the 10 km long West Gate Bridge, which carries traffic over the estuary of the Yarra River.

The railway has been upgraded, and new diesel cars travel at 160 kph (100 mph) over the faster sections.
These blurry pictures were taken this morning on the Warrnambool express into Melbourne.

Wednesday 28 February 2007

Today, Ai travelled by bus to Tacloban.

But it was a difficult day. The compulsive sickness returned.
Needing to throw up every few minutes. but an empty or dry feeling.

So in Tacloban, I asked to meet her on Yahoo Messenger.
This allows us time to exchange ideas without the high cost of
the phone. It also enables an exchange of webcam pictures.
- Ai does not have a camera, and in santa Rita,
she does not have access to the internet.



Feeling unwell, Ai sked not to do the webcam.
But I persuaded her to meet.
She appeared looking very good, her face and lips just a little fuller.
We sat online almost two hours.
For two people who have had only a few days together,
it was satisfying to have this webcam link, however fragile.

It's a train station! ......is it?

This was melbourne's oddball Southern Cross Station
this morning,
as I arrived there on the Warrnambool train,
which I boarded at Lara.
["Where's warrnambool?????", you say!]










Daylight enters through panels in the curvaceous roof,
which are cushions,
plastic cushions,
maybe 5o metres long.















The view out of the station is the end of Bourke Street, Melbourne's central shopping street.
It is almost the ninth month in the sun's solstice,
and you can see the autumnal effect.
Sun losing its brilliance.
Trees ready to turn golden
before losing their leaves.
The winter in Melbourne can be bleak!

ANMUM

"Am here drinking milkfor the baby's brain development.
It's branded ANMUM - high in folate. Choco flavoured but doesn't taste good.

Good night honey, this is last load. Mwah!"

f

The Mom Factor

"They don't care how i feel. That's my Mom when I no have money to give them.
My salary is on Wedesday, end of month.
Am tired and moody hon.
I sleep now.
Goodnight!

"Maybe it is better to obey your mom, sweet?
If she feel you can work. And that at your age you are strong
enough and can ignore pains and cough, and not act like a baby?"