A Cat And Dog Story

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Saturday 3^rd December – After a few hectic days in Camberwell, when we had cake recipes and ingredients coming out of our ears, our attention was devoted to getting ready for a week away to the delightful location of Peterborough. Before we were all ready, though, we all became astonished at the new antics of mad Micky who excelled himself with the ingenuity and daring of his latest escapades. He scaled the full height of a floor to ceiling blind several times to the point that we had to roll the blind up so he couldn’t reach it. He then found a special toy that Daphne had purchased at the RSPCA Centre yesterday but which she had “hidden” in order to keep for Christmas. He soon hunted it out and dragged it away and played with it – wrapping and all. His adventures seem to know no bounds and we’re all a bit concerned as to what might happen while we’re away. Bert and Kim made a note of our mobile number just in case they have anything serious to report but, as they’re both as fond of Micky as the rest of us are, we’re sure they’ll have an enjoyable time with him.

Eventually we had loaded so much stuff into the car until there was only just enough room for Daphne to fit in the back (so we decided to leave the ‘kitchen sink’ behind!). We finally got away just before 11:00am for the 270 kilometer journey to Peterborough but almost immediately hit severe traffic congestion on the Westgate Bridge where road-works had caused a long tailback and it was a slow crawl for some time. Beyond the road-works, though, traffic moved swiftly so we were soon by-passing Geelong on our way to Colac. It’s a journey that Graham and I had done only recently when we had our first visit to Peterborough a few weeks ago. Then we had used Colac as a stopping place for lunch and we did precisely the same thing again today even to the point of using the same restaurant. It was a well-timed and convenient stop and I was able to do bit of last-minute shopping at the nearby Coles and Daphne was able to get a paper so we were all happy.

We arrived at the house in Peterborough in good time and began to make ourselves at home – not difficult given the size and comfort of the place. We did hit one immediate snag - unlike last time, no-one had been here immediately before us so we had to go through the “starting up” procedure. This wasn’t difficult but as the water heating is an overnight process it meant that we wouldn’t get a hot shower until the morning. We settled in nicely and decided that, if the weather got any colder, we may have to light the wood-burning fire to warm the place through. It was just about border-line although we thought it would be nice to have a fire occasionally just for the “ambience”. We had dinner and then Graham sorted out the TV in time for the last episode of the latest series of Doc Martin which we all enjoyed. Daphne, being a bit of a telly addict, then sat through a Miss Marple story during which she discovered from her paper that Cliff Richard would be appearing on a Graham Norton programme so I couldn’t go to bed until that had finished. We all then “turned in” for an excellent night’s sleep after what had been quite a tiring day but exciting day.

Sunday 4^th December arrived with the recent cool spell continuing – what’s happened to the famous hot Aussie Summer? It’s more like the UK!! We were all cheered up by the fact that the water in the taps was now hot and we could have a lovely warming shower. Following breakfast we sat and chatted about how our stay in Peterborough would pan out. Today was to be a rest day following yesterday’s tiring journey. We decided, though, we would walk into the village to show Daphne the scenery and to see if she could get a paper at one of the two shops. Meanwhile Graham assessed the possibility of lighting a fire this evening but that meant the wood-burner would have to be cleared out as the previous occupants had left it full of ash and charred wood remains. But he happily took up the challenge and did an excellent job. With plenty of paper, kindling and logs to hand he should have no problems, as an ex Boy Scout, in getting the fire going. The poor dab is still fragile after his “mauling” by a caterpillar. Actually, his finger is still very red and very swollen with an odd shaped lump on it so he ought to wear gloves if he’s going to be gathering wood in case any red-back spiders take a fancy to him.

After an early-morning cuppa with a piece of orange cake, we all strolled to the village. It was as well we were all wrapped up as the nearer to the sea we got the fresher the wind became. Daphne kindly came to the rescue because, at one of the shops there is a lovely café and bakery so she bought us all a nice warming drink and she and Graham had some delicious looking lemon tarts. I resisted the cakes but they did look tempting. To Daphne’s delight she was able to buy the Sunday paper she normally gets so, apart from the chilly wind, she was a happy bunny! We bought some crusty rolls to accompany our lunch – we thought we would have some soup to keep us warm. Before we strolled back to the house, though, we braved the elements and walked to the “front” which overlooks the very rough Southern Ocean and the attractive remains of small islands which are gradually crumbling into the sea. It’s sad that the rough seas have such a devastating affect but it does make for some stunning scenery and this stretch of coastline is famous for it - the Twelve Apostles (only seven left!) are just a short drive away. It’s also famous for shipwrecks in bygone years and it’s easy to see just how treacherous navigation could be in this area. Back at the house we relaxed, had our soup for lunch, watched Australia demolish New Zealand in the cricket and then sat outside for a while. The sun was shining on the back verandah and it became an ideal, sheltered spot to sit and read. Towards late afternoon/early evening we drifted back inside and read some more. Unknown to us ladies relaxing in the big lounge, Graham had lit a fire so when we eventually made our way to the main kitchen/lounge area it was lovely and warm and proved to be an ideal area to settle down for the evening. After dinner we spent time listening to some old LP records, a mixture of The Beatles and Elton John, and reminisced about memorable times gone by. The warm cosy glow from the wood-burner made for a very relaxing atmosphere and it was soon approaching mid-night and time for bed.

On Monday 5^th December we awoke to beautiful clear and sunny weather but the cool breeze still persisted. Graham and I sat in the sun on the front verandah to have our breakfast but it was just a bit too chilly for Daphne to venture out to have hers. Last night, the absence of a consistent “dongle” signal meant that emails, Skype calls, internet enquiries etc were proving difficult, virtually impossible, and this morning was the same. We just about had enough of a signal last night to receive contact from Grant and Anna inviting us all to Jordan’s birthday celebrations next weekend. That’s great news for Graham and I as we will have to miss his engagement party which is to be held in mid-January when we will be in Tasmania. At least last night we had intermittent access to the internet but this morning we didn’t pick up a signal at all. We planned a brief car journey today – not far but far enough to take in Port Campbell and the numerous tourist lookouts along that stretch of coast, perhaps as far as The Twelve Apostles. We settled on taking a picnic lunch so, after our mid-morning cuppa and toast, Daphne and I prepared some sandwiches, cake and a flask but with the proviso that we would find a warm coffee-shop if the sea breeze proved to be too chilly. We left at about 11:00am and our first stop was at Port Campbell. It looked absolutely beautiful and with the sun beating down and the small bay sheltered from the wind it looked a very inviting beach. I couldn’t resist having a paddle while Daphne clambered over the nearby rocks until she could go no further. Graham simply sat and enjoyed the scenery. Then we took the opportunity to do a little bit of shopping. Also, I needed to post an important letter to our Estate Agents – official confirmation that we wanted our house back - and Daphne had to get her daily fix of a newspaper.

We drove on out of Port Campbell along the beautiful coast road as far as The Twelve Apostles. At first glance, this is an area where conservation and preservation procedures seem to have gone overboard. Since our last visit many years ago they have built a large visitor’s centre, acres of parking spaces catering for cars, coaches, camper-vans and also cars with caravans, and an underpass for people to gain access to the numerous viewing platforms. The fact is, with the huge number of tourists that this magnificent coastline attracts, it was something that had to be done. Even today, a Monday in early December, the car-parks were virtually full and the footpaths, boardwalks and viewing platforms were all very busy. Without the control that the National Parks Authority has put in place, the area would be devastated by all the footfall of interested tourists. There is still evidence of the wear and tear of times gone by but, fortunately, the new measures have gone a long way to halt the damage and there are signs of good regeneration. The views today were absolutely stunning – we visited all of the lookouts giving many and varied views of The Apostles with a constant reminder from the powerful ocean of why they are gradually crumbling. As if they weren’t stunning enough, we then drove the short distance to Loch Ard Gorge – even more magnificent in many ways and with a poignant shipwreck history. Before we explored the area thoroughly, and as time was going on, we looked for somewhere to have our picnic lunch. If we have a criticism of these areas it’s that there is, surprisingly, no seating or picnic facilities there. So we drove the short distance back into Port Campbell and found a picnic table overlooking the beach. After lunch we went back to Loch Ard Gorge and completed all of the walks there, including climbing down some wooden steps to the beach. The wind was very strong by now so it was a little uncomfortable, but again, the stunning scenery made up for that. The legend of the ship-wreck of The Loch Ard is well signed here and a small cemetery contains a couple of graves and a plaque commemorating the deaths – over 50 of them – of the people who had sailed for 3 months all the way from the UK only to perish within a few meters of the coast of Australia which was to be their new home. Only two people survived.

On completion of the Loch Ard walks, and with time going on, we decided to make our way back to Peterborough but not before calling in at Port Campbell for some delicious Timboon ice-creams. Back in Peterborough we just “flopped” after what had been a very tiring day. Graham discovered that, by hanging the dongle cable over the back of a tall chair, we were able to pick up a positive and constant internet signal – weird but it works! So we’re back on line for the time being. It was great to be able to have a Skype conversation with Sarah without fear of the signal dropping out every five minutes. After dinner we sat and watched the charming DVD called Red Dog. It’s about a dog that befriended the people of Dampier in the north of Western Australia and which became a bit of a legend because of its ability to “hitch” lifts to various parts of the state and beyond and still find its way back to Dampier. A statue was erected there in the 1970s commemorating Red Dog and which we saw on our last trip around Aus. Graham and I then went off to bed leaving Daphne in front of the telly watching an episode of Silent Witness – her favourite programme.

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Photos

Sunday morning stroll to the ocean
but brrrr there was a cold wind!!

Not called 'The Shipwreck Coast' for nothing
at least 11 boats were lost on this stretch of coast

It was so cold we needed some heat
but first Graham had to clean the wood burner out

Curled up with a magazine and a cuppa
close to the fire!

With the famous statue of 'Red Dog' in Dampier
taken on our first round Aus trip in 2003