Hi from Hamilton! Week 7

Hello! Haha I'm seemingly writing my posts illiterating the name of the town with the greeting of the post which is kind of pleasing and annoying at the same time so bear with me!

I'm in Hamilton at the moment which is in The Grampians in Victoria. I love that word, "Grampians" it sounds like what it is (big mountains and rocks) but like a human version of them, like big stone grandparents.

Monday we had two shows in Griffith at the Griffith Regional Theatre. Still feeling a little bit under the weather, throat getting sore and a bit headachy. Again I can't remember the shows much, they are all starting to blur into one unfortunately! But I do remember I had the best deli sandwich from the Italian deli down the road for lunch. It looked like it was on a whole loaf of bread and it had salami and ham with antipasto and sundried tomatoes. The bread was so delicious and crispy too but still soft! After we bumped out, Thom, Neridah and I went to try a gelato place which was amazing! I had a passionfruit gelato which was very creamy.

I went back to my room and thought I would do some exercise in the hotel gym. It was the weirdest gym I've ever seen! It was underneath the hotel and there were no windows in this white room with a low ceiling. All the workout equipment was mismatched and there were no mats or anything to do exercises on. It was very claustrophobic and I just went for a quick run and got out of there! I felt like I was going to get trapped down there. The pool was also weird, just an aboveground pool in another concrete room - not very relaxing. The hotel was weird altogether with the receptionist and her cat keeping watch over the place. I  had my microwave soup for dinner which actually wasn't too bad!

This is the gym. It was weirder than it looks.

 The next day was a travel day to Mildura. We stopped off at a place called Balranald along the way and I had a great fresh chicken sandwich from the Balranald bakery and a small cupcake. I was pleased to find a yummy lunch instead of a sausage roll from the servo. After about 5 hours drive we arrived in Mildura. It was exciting because the beds at this hotel were actually firm! It was nice as well because the rooms opened out into a little courtyard between the buildings and there was a place to sit under cover with chairs and tables.

After completing bump in we went for dinner at a Malaysian place which was very good but unfortunately they had run out of the prawn omlette I wanted and I had stir fry veggies. It was alright but I really wanted that omlette! Back home for bed.

The next morning we had two shows and I felt like the spring was back in my step! Perhaps it was the firm bed or the way the weather was getting a bit colder. The Mildura Arts Centre was a very nice venue, modern and welcoming. Unfortunately in our first show there was a small child who had a massive tantrum and right at the crucial bit of the story! Oh well that's what happens when you do a children's show! I didn't mind so much. The second show went better but unfortunately Cam hurt his back during it. Time for him to lie down and see the physio! Neridah took Cam home and the rest of us bumped out. That afternoon I decided to go for a run and went for 16 minutes down the long street we were on. It started to rain just at the end of the run which was nice. I then did some exercises back in the hotel courtyard. It was nice to get moving (other than doing the show!). Even though the show is tiring it's not the same as doing exercise! Felt good, had a shower and ate my microwave pasta. Cam was the only one with a microwave so we all used his. Off to Hamilton the next day!

Yesterday we arrived in Hamilton after another 4hr drive. This time seemed better, the road was more interesting so we all got less sleepy! We had to drive in convoy because Cam couldn't drive with his back. The drive was alright at the start with a rainy gloomy day but the best bit was driving past The Grampians at the end. Because of the weather they were all lit up kind of blue and you could see the outline of them really well. It was really hard to capture with my phone camera but it was very beautiful to look at especially on a misty day. Neridah told us how once she had done a performance out in a shed in a field around there for a festival and it didn't start til midnight. Sounded like a bit of an experience!

The Grampians through the clouds.

After lunch in town (Subway - oh well), we checked into our accommodation. It kind of looks like a posh old people's home. At least I thought the old people's home bit until I worked out I was in the access room and was the only one with nonslip mats and chairs in my shower. Kind of feels like I'm living in grandma's house, it is all dark as well with dark pink curtains and dark brick walls. We went grocery shopping and I got some cooked and suctioned packed salmon, pasta and tabouli salad as well as some lunch and snacks. I thought we had to do a lighting plot but we didn't so I went for another run! This time I ran all the way to Lake Hamilton which was quite beautiful. The weather is getting a bit nippy here which is nice. I ran back and ended up doing 4km!

Lake Hamilton

Chatted to Will on the phone for a bit while I heated up my dinner (in the guest laundry... microwave located here for your convenience apparently). It was awesome though because the lady at reception gave me a knife and fork AND a plate!! Luxury! Dinner turned out well, I made a kind of salmon pasta salad and had a coke from the minibar and some mint dark chocolate for dessert! Same thing on the menu tonight.

My microwave dinner

We only had one show this morning and it was at the Hamilton Performing Arts Centre. The theatre was beautiful. It was an old town hall that had been made into a theatre (tiered seating back added, stage lowered to ground). The stage was framed by a decorated proscenium arch so it looked like the set was sitting inside a little frame. The audience was quite small and quiet but very friendly. I think the show went alright and Cam's back seemed to hold out.

After bump out Neridah, Cam and I went for lunch at a cafe. I already had lunch but got a brownie and a coffee. Was a nice cafe inside what looked like an old house. I wanted to go upstairs to see what was up there. We are all being a bit split up this week, Neridah is catching a bus to Melbourne this afternoon to catch a flight for her friend's wedding tomorrow. And Cam is catching a flight from Melbourne tomorrow as well to go and see Macbeth at QTC (Queensland Theatre Company). So there's just 4 of us til Sunday night when the others get back.

Tomorrow we head to Melbourne! I'm so excited because we get to stay there for ten days! I'm going to unpack my clothes and maybe even buy some flowers! More than that, it's only five sleeps til Will comes to visit! After that there's only one month left til I'm home!

Hope to hear from you all soon,
Steph x