It rained for most of the weekend.

This may seem a topic unworthy of a blog post, but when you realise how long we’ve been in drought you’ll understand why I mention the rain.

Australia has now been in drought for about ten years. I kid you not. To see the pavements shining, to need an umbrella, to be dripping wet just from stepping outside – these were sensations I barely remembered! The weekend was marvellous. All day Saturday, all Saturday night, then again on Sunday afternoon – rain! I really felt like I lived in Melbourne, instead of the Sahara.

When Melbourne decides to be itself, it’s time for indoor pursuits. So we went to the Old Melbourne Gaol. (Archaic spelling is deliberate, that’s how they still write it!) I expected it to feel creepy, particularly at the scaffold... but no. Nothing. Perhaps the endless parade of tourists has scared away all the ghosts, instead of the other way around. There’s nothing like putting on a dramatisation to kill atmosphere.