She had awoken early despite trying to sleep in and use the opportunity to relax and take her time. It seemed her body and mind had other thoughts so instead she was up at the crack of dawn, wandering the streets of this beautiful southern city.
Melbourne had always reminded her of England, especially London, never more so than this time of year on a beautiful spring morning. The hidden laneways, streets lined with oak trees, the hustle and bustle and the old buildings, not nearly as old but just as imposing. The gritty and raw alongside the tall modern skyscrapers glistening in the morning sun.
Trams instead of red double decker buses rattled past her, their bells calling out like a mating call, ferrying the weary to work, too early yet for the bulk of the tourists that this city attracted in the millions.
Her view of Parliament House was unobstructed from where she sat in the small corner coffee shop. A sea of suits and well dressed women in their high heels and perfectly coiffured hair streamed past, heads buried in their phones, senses dulled by their headphones, oblivious and complacent to the beauty of the city awakening around them.
The coffee was sharp and strong and she hoped it would give her the energy she needed to get through the day. Office Christmas parties were always chaos and delight, a years’ worth of celebration packed into a few short hours fuelled by alcohol and merriment, catching up with her work friends she usually only saw on her laptop screen.
Her business was full of the young and beautiful leaving her feeling out of place and definitely feeling her age. She recalled her days as a young, thin, blonde – she never knew or saw her own beauty then, a natural country girl, bohemian vibe, she had spent more time in jodphurs and t shirts than anything else. She saw only the ghost of that young girl in the mirror now, greeted by a face she at times barely recognised, lines now etched on her face and the wrinkles and smile lines together telling the story of her life.
She was still wandering aimlessly with these thoughts running through her mind, winding her way through the arcades and skinny brick lined lanes, no destination in mind but rather losing herself amongst the shops and parks soaking up the vibe that belonged to this city alone.
The festive decorations were up in the shop windows and through the malls – koalas in Santa hats and kangaroos pulling sleighs across scorched landscapes – so vastly different from the traditional romance of a cold snowy Xmas.
The city was quickly coming alive around her now, people pouring out of the car parks, the trams, hotels and apartments, off to enjoy or endure their day. Her wandering had bought her back full circle to the hotel in time for her first meeting of the day before the bittersweet pampering and preparation would begin. Music and bubbles would see her through.
The travel she hated but here she was in a beautiful city ready to celebrate with beautiful people. The travel may be a chore but the destination was pure joy.
The She Diaries 
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