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Published: December 17th 2009
Merry Christmas!
It took three attempts to get us looking this good! From left to right we have
Back row - Sarah, Cody, Bae, Mark, Simone, Zoe, Darryl, Maurizio, Mirella, Dee, Carin (Simone's sister) and Elaine (Simone's Mum).
Front row - Lachie, Kenny, Dylan, Nigel, Beth, Bel, Zali, Naika and Sean!
Happy travels indeed!Day 230 - Karrinyup, Perth
The weather forecasters have struck gold again, the weekend weather is totally as predicted - hot, darn hot. We got an early start to the day, Darryl went off doing the washing and I did some blogging just for a change. It will be great when we’re all caught up and it can go back to being a very nice, relaxing activity for the early evening!
Today is our last day in Perth so we wanted to get out and see something different again so decided to take a closer look at Whiteman Park where the tag line is ‘The best things in life are free’. It sounded like an opportunity not to be missed! This huge woodland park has its own train and tram running through it, has a motor museum, a tractor museum and a big water fun park for the kids to play in. You are able to book the various picnic shelters dotted around and several groups had bouncy castles and quite large functions going on. It was a great place for a Christmas party.
We found the tractor museum which was just a gold coin donation for entry
and chatted to the lovely chap meeting and greeting the visitors. He’s going to start our petition for immigration to Australia, bless him. It’s always a shock to the natives when we tell them how difficult it is to emigrate out here these days. We hope those that have been blessed with residency visas realise how lucky they are, it’s amazing the amount of people we’ve met that have a residency visa but moan on and on about the country, the government and have the audacity to slate the indigenous culture - unbelievable! Sorry, I didn’t realise that I’d pulled out my soap box. I’ll tuck it away immediately.
Harley Coulsell should have been with us today, Harley you would have loved our visit to the museum. There was a tractor there that’s been around Australia three times and there were plenty of your favourite John Deere tractors too.
We wandered back out in the park and sauntered across to the Motor Museum and the tram stop. We had no intention of going in or on either but it was nice to have a nose around and watch the kids playing in the water park. We drove around
to Mussel Pool, just because the park is so big and the temperature is starting to soar by this point. It’s surprisingly unpopulated around the west side, it’s a beautiful spot for a picnic but we’ve left ours back at the caravan.
With the morning taken up with our wandering we needed a quick trip to a shopping centre to finish of our present collection for Secret Santa when we reunite with the travelling group later at the Reeves apartment. Perth’s shopping centres don’t normally open on a Sunday but it’s pretty busy when we get there so plenty of people are taking advantage of the extra opening hours on the run up to Christmas.
There’s enough time for us to get back to the camp site, wrap the remaining pressies, grab a shower then hot foot it down for the Christmas party. We’re the first to arrive and therefore the first to yell ‘Merry Christmas’ at the apartment door! They’ve decorated the place out and have opened the party atmosphere box already so there was nothing left for us to do but join them! Good on you Reeves family!
With several families meeting up here tonight
we’d given up our dibs on the Reeves camp trailer and to be perfectly honest we needed to be in a fit state for a long drive in the morning. That left Dar with a beer in his hand and me with a pile of pistachio nuts, seemed like a fair deal.
We were shortly joined by the Elliotts, the Palmas and Mckibbins. It was just great to see everyone again especially in such civilised surroundings! The kids just nestle back in like they’ve never been apart and the adults are soon sitting in the back garden swapping stories old and new.
As the kids were chorusing a loud version of Jingle Bells there was a knock at the door, very strange indeed because everybody that had been invited was already here. Who could it possibly be? It was of course Santa and what a fine, jolly, rosy faced chap he was. He seemed familiar, like somebody we’ve known for a very long time. Anyway, he had presents for all the kids and enlisted me as his elf to make sure that the right presents went to the right child (his eye sight is a bit dodgy at
times and he’d forgotten his glasses). The last present in the laundry basket (!?) was for little Zali (Elliott) but she seemed a tad unsure about Santa so Mum Bel had to come up with her so that she didn’t go without her present. To try and put her at ease Santa asked the Elf for some lollies so that all the children could have a treat, this seemed to help a little bit! With all the kids happy Mirella suggested that the ladies should have their photo taken on Santa’s lap, he didn’t seem to mind at all and hopefully somebody will email me a copy because as Santa’s Elf I couldn’t take a snap myself! Hint Hint!
And then he was gone! All the kids had rushed into the back yard of the apartment and Santa climbed back on his sleigh ready for his next deliveries. Drive safely Santa!
In the back yard it was time for the adult Secret Santa present opening but first Simone had some other gifts for some of us, firstly there was a present from Zoe for Darryl - a bag of plastic spoons so he doesn’t have to use the
same one when taste testing produce!! Mirella got a handful of forks (one of hers went missing after a party at her caravan back in Exmouth and we’ve all had the finger jokingly pointed!). I got a bottle of lemon cordial with a note saying it should be served with warm cheap wine! How rude!! Sean and Dee got a packet of cotton wool to hand to the neighbours when they have their next Champagne Friday but Nigel’s was the funniest, he got a cookbook with a note on the front saying ‘How to win a cooking competition’! A throw back from the curry night which Simone is adamant she won!
The Secret Santa proper was a scream. We all took a number out of the hat and Mark scored #1 so chose his present from the laundry basket first. Now the rules of the game are that your present can be ‘stolen’ from you by those with a later number so ultimately in this game the number you want to pull from the hat is #9 as everyone else will have already unwrapped their present so you can see what’s ‘on offer’! Will it all end in tears?!
We can’t remember exactly who got what but Mark definitely unwrapped a head torch, what a good present for people on a camping tour. Nice one, might have to steal that!! Mirella was next up and unwrapped a huge rocket! Son Dylon’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, he was very happy but there could be trouble brewing as these adults have no scruples and a steal could be on the cards! It wasn’t long before the rocket was removed from Mirella’s arms by Bel of all people. Sweet kind hearted Bel STOLE the rocket in front of the now crying Dylan. We tried to explain that his Dad Maurizio had ticket #9, the last one, so he would be able to steal anything he wanted but Dylan couldn’t be calmed. Bel sat uncomfortably with the rocket whilst Lachie (her son) looked on chuffed as punch. Simone was up next and unbelievably chose our Coles Christmas bag of goodies. Wrapped separately with their own little notes were
1) A packet of toy marine life animals with a note saying ‘These are the only things we’re having going to catch’ - our fishing trips have been less than successful since
Merry Christmas Take One!
.... we weren't all quite ready or looking in the same direction! losing Maurizio and his cray fishing abilities
2) Some jumbo dice ‘So you too can play Mirella’s dice game’ - it went on for hours! 3) A Mid strength lager tinnie with instructions to be served warm!
4) Something no meal should be without - a tin of Four Bean - which throughout our adventure with this lot Darryl has tried to introduce in every meal with varying levels of success
5) A very bent, dirty fork with the note ‘Please return to Mirella’
6) A bottle of Champagne bubble bath for the ‘ultimate’ Champagne Friday which Sean & Dee are nationwide famous for!
7) A bar of posh chocolate which Bel just can’t go to bed without
8) Last but by no means least a box of Custard with a separate envelope of ingredients should additives be required which paid tribute to one of the funniest nights we’ve spent with this group of people.
After unwrapping that lot Simone seemed quite happy to keep it all, the mad fool, so the present choosing continued with me and I scored a card game ‘Fact or Crap’ which I was very pleased with. My good friend Nigel had other ideas however
Merry Christmas Take Two!
Look at the scowl on Lachie's face!!!! For that alone we had to try again!! and stole it from right under my nose in the very next move exchanging it for a handy massager! Well alrighty then, that’ll do too!
The whole game was being played around, you’ve guessed it, the rocket! Darryl stole it from Bel in exchange for a cookbook (which to be fair was perfect for him as it was a book around 4 specific ingredients - I wonder if they were beans?!). Sean stole the rocket from Darryl in exchange for a Millionaire Starter Kit which is a tin with the Only Fools & Horses three wheeler on the front! How funny, this lot have no idea that’s Darryl’s all time favourite comedy!! Maurizio as predicted took a good long look around at all our Secret Santa gifts but there was only one for him, the rocket, so he proudly stole it from Sean and presented it to Dylan … who couldn’t have cared less!! Brilliant! Very, very funny indeed.
We’d decided early on that we had to make the effort tonight and get a photograph of us all together, through the entire time we’ve travelled in each other’s company there is no single photograph of the group. Tonight’s
the night and it was a laugh trying to set it up but we managed a few and everyone will get sent a copy one way or another.
With everyone in the party mood and the kids entertaining themselves so well with dancing shows, it seemed a shame to drag everyone down to the beach for the Christmas Carol concert so those who wanted to wandered along but in the main people stayed and chatted the night away. Maurizio took control in the kitchen because as is customary in the Reeves household back in Mansfield, they invite you to a party but don’t expect to get fed unless you bring your own. That’s true, I’m not being rude, I have that on good authority as being exactly what happens! Simone & Bel went off to get pizza for the kids while Maurizio hunted through the cupboards for some ingredients and came up with a sublime pasta meal for the adults. Divine, belisimo!
Me and Darryl wandered down to the beach and can report that the Christmas Carol concert was fantastic. They really make an effort and had the army concert band with several, well known and respected Australian
singers plus a Scottish Pipe band. It was all a bit surreal on the way back though when we came across a huge dog sporting reindeer antlers, he must have been the one that got away!
The fireworks rounded off the night down on the beach but we got a good show from the road outside the apartment. It was probably the best firework display we’ve seen outside of the good old US of A and considering it wasn’t New Years Eve that’s saying something! They went on for ages and the climax was just stunning. Three cheers for Scarborough!
With the kids getting tired it was time for people to start drifting off so along with the Elliotts we said our goodbyes to the Palmas and to the Mckibbins and promised to keep in touch. Hopefully the Reeves won’t be far behind us and will catch us either just before Christmas or just after but one way or another we’ll be seeing them again before we come home. And then it was time to say goodbye to the Elliotts which was a little too hard to do really so while we hugged it out we said we’d
meet them for coffee in the morning. Of course we won’t but it was a funnier way to say goodbye to a family we have loved since the minute we met them. Everybody falls in love with them, it’s not at all hard, they’re beautifully kind hearted, sweet, good natured, fun loving, patient and talented all rolled in to one and our trip has been sweeter for meeting them. Hopefully we’ll be writing a travel blog in a few years time that features them again, maybe even in Europe! Until then we’ll trust that Bel will read the blog and I’ll be emailing Nige with a torrent of photography questions anyway so we’ll keep in touch one way or another. Love love love you all, take it steady and enjoy Colerado, swimming with Whale Sharks back in Ningaloo, working at Williambury and Emu mustering in Toodjay!!
So that was us on our way home after a terrific night with terrific people. The roads looked a bit different through the misty eyes but the future’s bright, the future is a travelling.
Dar and Sar
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Lisa & Louis
non-member comment
Tractors
Hi Chick, How are you? We have been catching up on your blog this week as its been a while since we have read it, oops must try harder. We reckon that we could spend a fair few hours in the motor musuem & tractor musuem too. Its right up our street lol & its just like the tractors that we see at the steam fair. We all hope that you have a good christmas & speak to you soon :) Love the rugrats & lisa