The Melbourne Winter Blues
Winter seems a bit longer for us this year as we chose to do things a little differently this year. Normally, to help get us through the coldest season in Melbourne, we head over to Europe right in the middle of winter. This year, we got adventurous and headed over to Japan for the first time (in our quest to always try something new) at the beginning of Melbourne’s winter. That was before we even started to feel the cold! We chose to do it at that particular time because it was off-season in Japan. That country is crazy-busy enough and we did not want to experience it at it’s peak. Also, the weather was forecasted to be at it’s nicest from the beginning of June as Japan’s summer can get unbearably hot. The weather was in the low 20’s to low 30’s while we were there – just perfect for sightseeing in that beautiful place.
Blogger’s Block
So now we have to sit through the bleakest period of Melbourne’s winter. Looking out on a day like today (it’s warmish and sunny), spring promises to be just around the corner. The sunshine is a relief from the winter clouds which have shaded a lot of our creative flow. We’ve sensed that Melbourne bloggers all over have been stuck in a rut as well – unless they travelled to the other side of the world to warmer weather! Yep, I was filled with envy at seeing photos streaming in from people who were enjoying the European summer. This was where we would normally be at this time of the year, with so much content to share with our followers! We were normally one of those who were envied by others!
Oh well, we can’t complain too much here as we’ve been kept rather busy with photography and other work commitments.
We’ve found that keeping busy was the only way to make it out of winter without being too affected. Ok, so we were a little affected – there was a dramatic decrease in blog entries! We’ve done a lot of fun stuff, but to write about it was a big ask of the brain. I’ve suffered the blogger’s block! Seeing the sun shining and the rise in temperature during the last couple has sparked some enthusiasm into creating blog posts again. There is a huge back-log of stories to share with you! Stayed tuned for lots more from our Japan trip!
The Brain Game – Cubescape the Escape Room
While having to make space on my computer for more pics, I came across some photos we took a little while back in our friend’s brand new and very empty apartment in Saint Kilda. They’re a little arty and reminded me of what my first thoughts were when I heard of an interactive game series called ‘Cubescape’.
It’s where you and your chosen friends are stuck in this room together and have to make your way out by finding solutions for puzzles using clues which are around you. You have 50 minutes to complete the mission at hand. We had no clue as to what to expect. I seriously thought that we were going to be in this empty white cube of a space with some computer, working out the answers to problems. We were recently invited to experience the game ‘Shutdown’ at the Strike arcade in Melbourne central, and our curiosity was put to rest.
It would have been fun to grab a few adult friends and head there for some brain-challenging fun, but I thought that my teenager and some of her friends deserved a little pick-me-up during this winter as well. It didn’t even cross my mind if the teens would enjoy such a game! It really didn’t cross my mind if their brains were capable of the challenge! How hard could it be, right? We weren’t allowed to take photos so I don’t have any to share with you so you get to see some lovely photos from our friend’s empty apartment instead. I don’t want to give away too much about the game, but we had such a great time working our way through it.
Take the Mission – Melbourne Entertainment
It’s something worth experiencing which doesn’t cost the earth ($150 for a group of 6 on a weekday or $200 for Friday – Sunday). We used our brains to the max, screamed and laughed at times and were so proud of ourselves until the computer declared us all dead at the end. Mission failed. We were among the very average. On the up-side, we were told that only one team had completed the mission with only 5 minutes to spare. This game has also has jump-started my brain and I’m ready to blog again.
The girls were fantastic at solving the puzzles! It proves that the game is suitable for teenagers upwards. We wouldn’t recommend it for the very young, unless they are above average. If you’re wanting to complete the mission, grab the brightest friends you know or just take a team of fun-loving people for a great time regardless. There are a few different versions of this game around Melbourne. Next time, I’ll grab some of my adult friends and see how well they do compared to my team of teens.
More info here: Cubescape Melbourne
Photography in an empty room in a new apartment building in Melbourne:
