Plenty Of EGGcitement!

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Friday 22nd – Good Friday – and I had developed a bit of a chill, possibly from getting cold when snorkeling and also swimming in the pool yesterday, but more likely a mixture of that and the stress caused by our ant friends. Neither Graham nor I are sleeping well. Also, we were up in the early hours trying to cope with strong gusts of wind that were affecting the stability of the awning. Graham had pegged it down with added guy ropes but that didn’t seem to be enough to withstand the severe gusts. We tightened this and secured that but, eventually, we just had to concede defeat and, as most other people had already done, we put the awning away and put the pop-top roof down. We were a bit conscious of the noise we were making and the lady next door suddenly appeared. Thinking we had disturbed her, Graham went and apologized but, as it happened, she hadn’t heard us above the noise of the wind – she was just out having a ciggy!! We had a cup of coffee each and then retired to bed somewhat later than we had intended. Later, when we had recovered with a nice lie-in, Graham re-erected the awning but in such a way that it could be easily dismantled if the gusty winds returned.

We knew that no shops would be open (Good Friday) so a day of catching up with chores and minor tasks was in order. Because we had risen late, the morning soon passed us by. In the afternoon, after checking the time difference, we managed to contact Barb and were delighted to be able to speak with her and Claire and to view them on web-cam. Barb had undergone an operation on her throat recently so we knew she was still feeling a bit under the weather. But it didn’t show as we had a delightful conversation with no indication that her voice had been “hushed” for some time after the op - it was lovely to see and hear her appearing so well so soon. The day progressed relatively quietly and soon it was dark (about 6:00pm) and we were thinking of showering and turning in. One bad habit we’ve got into is watching certain pommie programmes on the telly. Friday nights mean New Tricks, a series we used to enjoy back home, so we usually make a point of tuning in on Fridays between 8:30 and 9:30 before we go to bed and tonight was no exception.

Early Saturday morning we drove to the nearby shopping centre (the one we had failed to find on Thursday afternoon). It was very simple to find, less than 2kms away, and was a large modern complex that contained most shops that we might need during our stay in Perth. We bought a few necessities to last us over the long holiday weekend and a couple of plastic boxes to give extra protection to some foodstuffs against the ant invasion. I spotted a hair salon and quickly worked out a good date and time to get my hair done and then went and made an appointment. By now it was virtually lunchtime so we gave Shelbeez Café a go, and jolly good it was too. Much the same as yesterday, the day drifted by with no major excitement or drama and after watching some Aussie Rules footy, we settled down for a quiet night in.

Easter Sunday dawned with a cloudy sky and even some rain but at least we didn’t get the gusty wind that had disturbed us a couple of nights before. The Perth area hasn’t had any rain to speak of for a few months but the local community probably didn’t really want rain over the holiday weekend. In fact it rained on and off throughout the day – mainly the drizzly type we get in the UK - and there were also a couple of good downpours. It didn’t make too much difference to us because I was busy emptying and washing out cupboards. One of the young lads from the caravan next door popped round with a couple of Easter Eggs which was lovely of him (I think they had enough to last them until next Easter!) then, a few minutes later, a lady from the office came round with a bucket full of small eggs distributing them to everyone – she was the park’s Easter Bunny! During a break in proceedings we Skyped Sarah and Darryl – Darryl answered initially as Sarah was in the shower! She soon appeared via the webcam clad only in her towel and we had a lovely chat (we hope you didn’t freeze to death, Sarah). We were shown around the newly decorated spare bedroom and then the still unfinished main bedroom – it was all very impressive! We had been waiting for the right moment to open our Easter present that Sarah had sent some weeks earlier with my birthday presents, and this was the perfect time! Wrapped carefully in bubble wrap were two lovely wind-up eggs. Only Sarah and Darryl’s closest friends will know about the intense races that have taken place over the years with a variety of wind-up toys. Eventually we had to let her go and get dressed but as always, having a chat made our day. The eggs were christened ‘Ginger’ (mine with the orange nose) and ‘Floss’ (Graham’s with the yellow nose). Ginger romped to victory in the first race but Floss fought back to win the second. The date of the next round will be announced later(!).

Sunday was also the day when we realized that the ants had finally disappeared, as detailed in the separate ANT blog. So, much of the day passed by with me cleaning out cupboards and drawers and re-packing things in an ant-defiant fashion. Graham, meanwhile, was keeping out of my way by checking the outside of the caravan and making sure the ants hadn’t retreated to the boot. We had booked a Sunday Roast at the camp café which was timed for 6:00pm so, for a change, I didn’t have to worry about meal preparation and the washing up. The meal proved to be excellent value for money (only $10 each) so we spoiled ourselves by sharing an apple-pie with ice-cream for afters. I had most of the ice-cream while Graham polished off the apple pie. Even with the diet cokes we had to start with and two huge mugs of tea to finish, it was still great value so I’m sure we’ll be making use of the café again. It was fairly busy but we had a reserved table so, as an experiment, it all worked very well. We wandered around the park to let our dinners go down and appreciated again the fact that we were located in a quiet corner. Parts of the park, well away from us, were a hive of noisy activity and family gatherings so it was a pleasure to get back to our quiet (ant free) caravan and relax before a relatively early night (but not before watching the last episode of the third series of Doc Martin!).

Easter Monday, the 25th, this year just happened to coincide with ANZAC day (it would also have been my Mum's birthday so it's always a special date). We have been impressed throughout our journeys around Aus at just how much time and effort is put into establishing and maintaining war memorials. From the smallest towns up to the largest cities, they all boast immaculate memorials to their war dead and today they will all be attended as part of Anzac Day parades, much the same as our poppy day parades.

We had tried to find out where the nearest parade would take place and had every intention of attending but, as with most of the days recently, time drifted by and, before we knew it, lunchtime was upon us. We had always intended that our days in Perth, with perhaps one or two exceptions, would be devoted to the domestic and practical requirements needed – insurance on the car and caravan are due, car needs servicing, caravan wheel bearings and brakes are due a service, our return air tickets need adjusting, Graham needs more tablets – all these things and more we intend to address now we’re in Perth. But several days have already gone by and, partly because of the public holiday period, we’ve done none of these.

Today though, after lunch, we decided to have a drive up in the hills just a few kilometers away. We could see them clearly from the caravan park and decided to head for Kalamunda, a hillside town which boasted a History Village. The small town of Kalamunda looked very pleasant and would be worth a wander on another day. At first we missed the sign for the History Village but saw one for ‘Perth Observatory’ so we went off in search of what we thought might be an interesting establishment. We travelled through Bickley Valley which we also thought might be an interesting area but turned out to be full of wineries. To add to our disappointment, when we arrived at the observatory it was surrounded by high level security – no public entry – so we began to wonder what sort of observatory it was. We drove back into Kalamunda and found the History Village – a collection of old buildings and machinery which, when we have more time, might well be worth a visit. We also found the Northern Terminus of The Bibbulman Trail we had learned about during our time in Walpole. The journey back down towards Forrestfield gave us the views we had been hoping for from Kalamunda – uninterrupted across Perth to the ocean. It wasn’t particularly clear so, as with the History Village, we’ll have to return one day when the conditions are better. Back at the caravan I cooked a chicken pasta bake which went down well and then, by accident (honest), we happened upon the first ever episode of Midsomer Murders so that became our evening’s entertainment before getting ready for bed.

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Photos

Graham's egg (Floss) just looks to have the edge in this race!
(Floss is on the right)

The Bibbulman Track starts here
and stretches nearly 1000 kms finishing at Albany