…as and when…

Merry Christmas dear reader – I hope you had/are having an enjoyable time.

Today was, by far, the warmest Christmas I’d ever experienced…

The day started at a sensible hour and to bacon sandwiches; something of a tradition at John and Meg’s on Christmas Day. Sue – a good friend of John and Meg’s – had stayed over and was tucking into her bacon sandwiches as we joined those already assembled in the backyard. We sat around the tables, under the shade of the umbrellas, and were soon tucking into bacon sarnies of our own.

The house was quite full of folks already as people had arrived last night (whilst Lyn and I were sleeping). John and Meg’s daughter, Katie, had stayed over and was already on the PC. She was busily downloading songs for her new i-Pod… which shed hadn’t yet received but already knew she was getting… Katie had spent the night sleeping in the games room to avoid distrubing Sue and anyone else who might have been sleeping in the lounge. Her pet dog, Sid, was being a bit of a nuisance and her mobile phone was active pretty much all night – hence her reason to relocate. Chris also had his girlfriend, Zoe, stay over.

Clearly the suspense of having to wait to open the presents was too much for some (*cough* Katie *cough*) so we all made our way to the lounge for the Grand Gift Opening Ceremony! But, first things first, it was necessary to grab a few photos of the tree with all the gifts around it.

It wasn’t long before the gifts were being distributed (Katie was the nominated Distributor of the Gifts) and both Lyn and I took the opportunity to grab a few photographs as the gifts were opened.

It wasn’t long before the lounge floor was completely covered in discarded wrapping paper due to the sheer number of gifts. It was quite a sight and the dogs, Brodie and Sid, would no doubt have fun ripping the paper to shreds when they were let in later for a bit of a Christmas treat!

Among the novelty items and Christmas socks, there were some very nice and unexpected presents handed out. John received a laptop computer and was quite taken aback; being completely unexpected and something that would make his wome and working life all that much easier. Meg received many gifts for the garden (in the form of sculptured animals) and various trinkets, as well as some earrings and a watch from John. Chris received many gifts, too, including Wii games and framed poster artwork from his girlfriend. Katie was also not disappointed and received many gifts, including her new i-Pod.

Lyn and I generously received gifts, too – including bottles of wine, memory cards, flash drives, chocolates and a Top Gear board game amongst others. These were unexpected and a very pleasant suprise. In terms of gifts for others, Lyn and I had already sorted out most of them well before Christmas Day. The gifts we had bought for others seemed to go down well – especially the various framed photo arrangements we’d created for John, Meg and Chris.

It took quite a while to open all the gifts but, now done, it was time to let the dogs in for a bit of fun. They both came bounding into the lounge and then froze momentarily as they surveyed the chaos before them. A second or two later and they were in the thick of it, tearing up the larger pieces of gift wrap and chasing thrown balls of gift wrap from one side of the room to the other. Seeing as everyone else had had fun opening their gifts, why shouldn’t the dogs have a bit of fun, too?

After the dogs had tired themselves out, the clean-up operation began. Gifts were carefully moved to one side and the shredded gift wrap collected and bagged for disposal and recycling. Soon enough the lounge floor could once again be seen and some sort of order had been restored; albeit with a lot of gifts piled high around the room.

Later in the evening guests would be arriving to join us for a meal but we had a few hours to pass before they turned up. The music system in the games room was switched on and some folks moved outside to chat and to enjoy the weather. Inside the games room, someone (or something) could be heard singing Christmas carols… followed by Katie’s shouting to “stop with the damn Christmas songs!” I think that, with her working in retail, the Christmas cheer had finally got to her! Incidentally, the Christmas carols were being sung courtesy of a rather clever reindeer that was sat on the bar. A press of it’s hoof would start or stop the cheerful little fellow singing Christmas carols. It didn’t look quite so clever with it’s head removed and Katie threatening it with a large knife though…!

After the headless reindeer debacle, I returned to my quick game of darts whilst John took suitable precautions to protect himself behind the bar. I’m not that bad at darts.

Later in the evening, the guests arrived. Dot turned up from next door and friends Mark and Gemma, with son Justin and his partner, arrived too. Before long we were all sat at the tables eating our meals and busily chatting away (with Lyn having spoken to her mum, dad and nan on the phone beforehand, wishing them a very merry Christmas). Sat at the far end of the table, we were some distance away from John, Meg, Dot, Sue, Mark and Gemma and we couldn’t really shout to talk to them. Very kindly, Dot beckoned us over and Lyn and I joined the guys at the other end of the table, leaving the youngsters to chat enthusiastically to each other at the other end!

Food was eaten, drinks were drunk and conversation flowed; making for a very pleasant evening. It was great to be able to chat with Mark and Gemma about travelling and, especially with Mark, about his work and his enjoyment of driving and exploring (something that Lyn and I obviously enjoy, too). It was also great to see that folks liked the photo books that we’d created for John and Meg – one for the recent trip we took with them to Fern Gulley, and the other book being one we created for John in 2008 when we visited the Lake District.

Night had well and truly descended and the guests had left, with Meg soon turning in for the night (she had to go to work tomorrow). Sue, John, Lyn and I remained chatting in the backyard until tiredness got the better of us. It had been a long day and, as usual, a day full of too much eating and too much drinking!

December 25th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Comments (1)

Christmas Eve already?! It’s come around so quickly…

A lot of the locals were still in work today so Lyn and I decided to make the most of our Christmas Eve and visit a well-known beach. We set off late morning and, courtesy of Perth’s bus and train services, made our way towards Scarborough Beach (not to be confused with Scarborough, England…)

Being a hot day, I decided to leave the camera bag at home to minimise the amount of items we were carrying around. Today we’d simply take a look around Scarborough (as we’d be visiting again at a later date) and enjoying an hour or two on the beach.

The Perth public transport system got us to the Scarborough bus terminus without any issues whatsoever and we were dropped literally within a stone’s throw of the famous beach (a beach enjoyed by those who worship the sun and/or those who like to surf in one form or another). Although we could see the beach and ocean in front of us, we first took a short walk around the nearby shopping arcade and storefronts; getting a little familiar with the area and stopping to grab a drink and ice-cream before making our way down onto the beach.

Suitably refreshed, we made our way onto Scarborough Beach, kicked off the sandals and walked north along the soft sands to find a spot to set down our towels. The northern end of the beach was a little quieter and a few minutes later we were settled and the suntan oil liberally applied to protect against the blazing sunshine. Despite a stiff breeze (with, dare I say, a bit of a chill in the air) the sun’s UV was still plenty strong enough to burn. The stiff breeze also made for some fairly large waves, which were not wasted on those kitesurfers already out in the waters.

Testing the water with a careful dip of the big toe I decided I wasn’t going in! I was already feeling a bit of a chill sat on the beach in the constant breeze, and the icy blue ocean was also icy cold! (Ok, it wasn’t icy cold but it was cold enough…) Perhaps a wetsuit might have been a good idea. With no change of clothes and wearing only my bathers, the beach would be my place of refuge for the afternoon.

Lyn, however, was feeling brave and she donned a snorkelling mask and headed out into the water and the crashing waves. Now and again a larger wave would come along but, undeterred, she inched her way into the deeper water and started to swim for a while (no doubt to keep warm!) After a half hour or so she returned to the beach and dried off before changing into some dry clothes. At this point the “tourist types” were starting to leave the beach and more local windsurfers and kitesurfers were arriving to ride the waves and seek fresh adrenaline highs. Lyn and I were hungry so we decided to seek an eatery!

We decided to try Zanders and were soon seated and the meals ordered. It wasn’t the cheapest of places around but it looked good, the food looked good and it was close to the beach. Perfect. After a short wait the food arrived at our table (courtesy of a waitress who was either lacking in intelligence, deaf or struggling to understand our accent – or a combination of those. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I’ll say she was struggling to understand our accents). I tucked into my Club sandwich and chunky chips and it was delicious. However, Lyn’s meal was cold! Tasting one of her chips, yes, it was cold. Beckoning to the waitress, we got the meal taken away and the meal was returned a short time later and this time it was as it should be… hot! Despite this minor issue the meal wasn’t too bad and we eventually left to wishes of “Merry Christmas” from the staff.

After a short walk along the beach front (and, subsequently, a walk back) we sat down near a wall – still in the setting sunshine but out of the chill of the stiff cross-shore breeze. We watched the numerous surfers out on the waves (of which there were now many) and, as Lyn put it herself, “watched the eye-candy” – of which there was an awful lot for us both to see! We must have spent a good hour or so just sat chatting and watching the world go by…

As evening arrived, it was time to catch the bus and train back to Wanneroo. It had been a bit of a lazy day but a good one nonetheless. We’d be visiting Scarborough Beach again…

December 24th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Comments (1)

Yeah, yeah, yeah… another lazy day; although, Lyn was far from lazy as she very kindly spent hours doing the ironing and washing up whilst folks were in work. She’s a bloomin’ star.

In the afternoon, and into the evening, we visited the local shops at Wanneroo Central. We were collecting the last of the Christmas gifts and taking a bit of time to ourselves to relax and enjoy the finer things in life… such as the raspberry and white chocolate muffins from the coffee shop! I also took half an hour out to go and get my hair cut as I was beginning to look like some 80’s throwback pop star (according to Lyn). Little does she know that I’m a visionary trend setter and my fashion will soon, again, be all the rage.

Arriving back in the evening, we wrapped up the remainder of the gifts and popped them under the tree. We also took a few photos of the Christmas tree, decorations and gifts. The evening was finished enjoying ham and cheese toasties and, shortly after, it was time to call it a day.

December 23rd, 2009 | Category: General | Comments (1)

Day One

A new week had begun and we were today off on our mini-break to Rottnest Island! A chance to relax and to enjoy some of WA’s finest snorkelling in the clear, warm waters of the Indian Ocean…

The day began early and, as he had to venture into work, John kindly gave us a lift to the jetty in readiness for our departure. Due to the early arrival we walked next door to the coffee house to have a drink and to pass some time. As departure time got closer, more and more people were arriving at the jetty and readying themselves for the trip over to Rottnest Island. Despite having booked the ferry with Rottnest Express, the first stage of our journey (along the Swan River to Fremantle) was with Captain Cook Cruises so we boarded the boat and were soon on our way.

The trip along the Swan River was a slow one. Very slow. It was quite obvious that it would be a while before we’d get over to Rottnest Island – some 20+ km’s away. This was a little annoying as we wanted to spend as much time as possible on the island itself; and only having two days to explore the island didn’t really give us much time. Admittedly, we’d have liked to spend more time on the island but the cost (being in peak summer season) was ridiculously high – the ferry alone had cost us $160 and the nightly room rate (for a standard room) was $275 per night… a real rip-off in my opinion. Anyways, I digress…

The cruise down the Swan River was accompanied by a narrative, personally delivered by the captain of the vessel upon which we were boarded. He was presenting information about the river and the local surroundings, the history, the various yacht clubs, the expensive mansions and suchlike. As wonderful as this may sound, the reality was something completely different. It was painful to listen to! The captain had a monotone voice and a voice that had no trace of passion or interest anywhere. It was as if he didn’t really want to be there and that he was simply going through the motions. All I can say is that he must have been a fantastic captain because he certainly wasn’t hired for his public speaking…

To our dismay, it took well over an hour to make the short journey to Fremantle. We had no idea that it would take so long and we still had to board the high-speed Rottnest Express ferry that would take us the remaining 18km to the Island. Leaving the Captain Cook Cruise vessel, we were soon aboard the Rottnest Ferry and leaving the Port of Fremantle. As the ferry left the river mouth and entered the Indian Ocean, the captian powered up the engines and the ocean waves began to grow in size. Now this was more like it! A high-speed boat skipping across some pretty choppy waters on the way to the island – much more fun and entertaining.

About half an hour later, we arrived at Thomson Bay jetty on Rottnest Island – finally! Sadly we had already lost the morning and lunchtime was almost upon us. (It was good that we had an overnight stay otherwise we’d have to be returning to the ferry within 4 hours for the return journey back to the mainland… the ferry departing from the jetty at 4pm in the afternoons. See what I mean about a rip-off?) As soon as we alighted, we made our way directly to our accomodation – The Lodge Resort. It was only a short distance and, after a short wait at reception, we were checked-in, had located our room, unpacked and ready to go exploring.

The first port of call was the Tourist Information Office. Lyn and I were wanting to know the best location on the island to view the sunset from; such that we could attempt to grab some sunset photographs for the holiday album. We were informed that the best place was Vlamingh Lookout (only a few minutes walk away) as it was too far to venture to the far west of the island otherwise. With it being close by, we took the short walk to the Lookout so that we’d know exactly where it was for later in the evening. Sure enough, it wasn’t too far away so we returned to the main bus stop to go in search of some good bays for snorkelling.

Last time Lyn had visited the Island, the bus had been free and passengers would simply jump on and off as they wished (there are no cars on the island, other than the bus, a small train and a few delivery/maintenance vehicles; people travelled using pushbikes or on foot). It was obvious that the free bus was no more. Staggeringly, the bus fare was $24!!! Yes, twenty-four dollars! This fare allowed the passengers (Lyn and I) to visit any of the bays around the island at will… or at least when the bus was doing it’s rounds. Now remember that this island is only 11km by 4.5km in size and the bus only operates from about 8am in the morning until 5pm; and the time was now approaching 1pm in the afternoon… Due to our time running out on day one, we skipped lunch (deciding to grab a decent meal later in the evening) and paid the $24 dollars to board the bus. The first place we’d try would be Parker Point.

We jumped off the bus and made our way down the wooden steps to the beach of Parker Point. Before us was the clear and inviting waters of the ocean, with the coral and fish clearly visible before even setting foot into the water. With bags and towels safely stowed near a handily placed outcrop of rocks, we ventured into the waters. The beach itself was pretty much empty and the water even more so. Even as we entered the water, the beach cleared and we were soon alone and free to explore as we wished. The water was quite choppy and, being a less competent and less confident swimmer than Lyn, I stayed in the calmer waters whilst watching her snorkel among the coral and fish a little further out. In addition to her normal snorkelling equipment, Lyn had a specialist snorkelling mask that was equipped with an underwater camera for taking photographs and videos. This mask was a generous gift from Ann and Malc – thank you! Having not used it before, it took some getting used to and we weren’t sure what results we’d get from it. The best thing to do was to click away and we’d review the photos (and videos) when we returned back from Rottnest Island. Parker Point was quiet and it was picturesque, but there wasn’t all that much in the way of fish and marine life to be seen whilst snorkelling. Lyn returned to shore a little disappointed so we quickly collected our belongings, grabbed a few more photos and decided to take a short walk to the next bay, Little Salmon Bay.

We arrived at Little Salmon bay and, despite being much smaller in size, there were quite a few more people present. Again, the ocean was choppy as we made our way into the clear waters. Quite a few people were snorkelling along the edge of the reef and Lyn had soon joined them with the photo mask. Unfortunately, the choppy waters meant that she was struggling to control the camera whilst swimming to avoid being swept towards the rocks, hence we weren’t sure how the photos would turn out. Despite seeing a little more marine life this time, she was still surprised that there wasn’t more to see. It wouldn’t be long before the next bus was due to pass by so we dried off, packed up our belongings and jumped back onto the bus. The next place at which we wanted to stop was over the far side of the island – Little Armstrong Bay.

Jumping off the bus, we had a short walk to Little Armstrong Bay. Three guys also decided to get off at the same place so we literally followed them down to the beach. It was a little awkward walking over the rocks to get to the bay itself, which was small with a secluded beach, but the effort would be worth it. At one end of the beach (only some 150 yards away) the guys had set down their towels and we set up camp at the other end. Within minutes we were in the water, which seemed noticeably colder at this side of the island! Straight away it was obvious that the marine life here was much more plentiful. Only a short distance out the coral reef began, the waters not quite so choppy now. Large fish swam gracefully alongside smaller fish, flashes of colour dotting around here and there. Under the craggy outcrops, shoals of small fish could be seen hiding together and a small reef shark was busy scouring the ocean floor. It was fantastic.

It was also a bit intimidating at times, two moments of which particularly stick in my mind. The first was when I swam back into the shallows to adjust my mask and snorkel. As I was about to set my feet down I quickly looked to check the floor below me and noticed I was above a rocky outcrop. As I looked for a place to rest my feet, two black octopus passed by and disappeared straight under the rocks! They weren’t big by any stretch of the imagination (perhaps the size of a dinner plate) but they gave me a start nonetheless. I quickly beckoned Lyn over with the camera but, sadly, they were no longer to be seen and there was no way I was going to attempt to entice them out from under the rocks! The second moment was, again, as I swam from the deeper waters back into the shallows. I had never seen a ray before (apart from in an aquarium) and to see one swimming between me and the shore was quite a spectacle. Again, it wasn’t huge but it was a good few feet in size and I did not expect to see such a graceful creature so close to the shore. It was an amazing personal experience as I’d never experienced anything like it before. Due to the vast array of marine life around us, we spent a longer time at the bay before heading back towards the road to catch the bus. Back at the road we realised that we weren’t far from Parakeet Bay so took a short walk over to take a look.

Parakeet Bay was empty, apart from a couple of fitness enthusiasts that were running up and down the sand dunes. They soon departed and we were left alone with a completely deserted bay before us. The sand was white and the ocean was crystal clear and a beautiful blue colour. We took a few moments to take in the scene, and to grab a few photographs, before returning to the road to catch the bus.

It was at this point that something niggled in my mind and I pulled the bus timetable from the backpack. Ah heck, we had missed the last bus and we were quite some distance from the resort and ‘business end’ of the island. Deciding on what to do, we traced our steps back along the road in the hope that another bus of some sort would come by (or face the fact that we had a walk of several kilometres to get back to the resort!) We got lucky. The final bus of the day must have been running late and the lady driving kindly stopped to pick us up (we were between stops at this point). We returned to our room, only a short walk from where the bus route terminated, and quickly showered and changed into our evening attire. The sun would soon be setting and we had plans to catch the sunset before grabbing our evening meal…

Leaving the resort, a lone quokka stood outside and Lyn bent down to call it. It was very tame and friendly and Lyn tickled it behind the ears. The more she tickled the more the quokka enjoyed it! Everytime Lyn tried to move away, the quokka gently reached out and pulled her hand back towards it. It was hilarious! It was also very surprising at just how gentle the creature was with Lyn; no attempt to bite her, no grabbing, no scratching. (Remember that these are wild animals, natives of the island, and are not kept as pets). This was the perfect photo opportunity so…

The quokka was the animal that gave Rottnest Island it’s name. Long ago, a Dutch sailor landed on the island and mistakenly took the creature to be a large species of rat. Hence, he named the island “Rottnest” (Rat Nest).

We walked upto Vlamingh Lookout as the sun began to set and immediately I set to work trying to capture the moment. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky so, sadly, a dramatic sunset was out of the question. Even so, I played with the settings of the camera trying to capture at least a few good images that would do the sunset justice. This continued until the sun had slipped below the horizon and the bright glare of the disappearing sun was no more. Together, Lyn, Rebel Ted and I made our way back to the mall area for some much needed food and drink!

On the way back, we passed a small cemetery. Rather than pass straight by we took a moment to wander around the graves and read the gravestones (where they had not weathered beyond legibility). Most of those laid to rest there died in the 1800’s. As we wandered around the graves, the quokkas had begun to appear in larger numbers and some of them ran, some skipped and others simply lazed around. Very adorable creatures are those quokkas!

Arriving back at the mall, things looked decidedly… quiet. Restaurants had closed, or were closing, so we made our way towards Subway and a fast food outlet. To our surprise, these were also closed! It was just short of 8pm and the mall had closed down, apart from the general store (which closed at 8pm!) Being unfamiliar with the island, we didn’t know of where else to eat – apart from the resort’s own restaurant. However, the meals weren’t particularly enticing to Lyn and I and the prices were enough to put us off, too. As a result we quickly darted into the general store, grabbed a basket and picked up a few items that we’d take back to our room. Bread rolls, bananas, roast chicken slices, cheese and bacon bites, spreadable butter, drinks and chocolate. That would do the trick. The only problem was that the room had no catering facilities whatsoever (apart from tea / coffee and a very small fridge-freezer).

The handle of a teaspoon was used to spread butter onto the roles and Lyn was soon enjoying her banana sandwich whilst I tucked into a chicken roll. It wasn’t perfect, but it was food and we were hungry! As we ate we switched on the television and searched for something to watch. There were only five channels available so viewing was quite limited. However, one of the channels available was National Geographic so this provided the perfect viewing whilst we settled down for the night and relaxed.

The relaxation part didn’t quite go to plan though. Lyn and I were in the middle room in a block of three. Either side of us, as it later became apparent, were two families with kids. The kids were obviously excited at being away on their holidays and their excitement continued quite late into the night. When peace did finally descend, the parents/guardians of said children then took over and the result was only an hour or two of sleep at most.

Day Two

We were awoken from our two-hour slumber by the sounds of splashing and excited shouting outside of our room (which overlooked the pool). The resort kids were up extra early and making the most of the pool! It was pointless trying to catch another hour or so of sleep so we got up and made a plan for the day. We decided to skip breakfast (it was still too early for breakfast at the resort anyway as this did not start until 7:30am) and instead finished off some of the food we had bought the previous night.

After our makeshift breakfast, we packed up our belongings and made our way to reception to check-out. Having decided on what items we’d need for the day, we left the remainder of the items in the storage room at the resort; we’d collect them later prior to our departure. The first place we wanted to visit today was The Basin.

The Basin was on the northwest coast of the island and a short walk from the resort. As we followed the signs to the bay, we noticed that it was already getting quite busy – even though the ferries full of day passengers had not yet arrived. Sure enough, we arrived at The Basin and it was already full of folks enjoying themselves in and around the small bay area. Looking out across the bay, it was fairly obvious why it was so-called – the rock formation creating a basin-like structure in which people were swimming and snorkelling.

Already in our swimming gear, we walked across the basin rock and stepped down onto the sandy floor. The water was a little choppy again but, more so than yesterday, it felt a fair bit colder! It wasn’t too bad once the body had adjusted and once we had started swimming, but it wasn’t as warm as yesterday! Sadly the water was not as clear either and there was a lot of swell and particulates – caused by the tail end of a cyclone that had been raging further north. Visibilty was much reduced but we still were able to snorkel and see a few different types of fish as we swam out into the deeper waters. Despite the cooler water, the sun was extremely hot (even at that relatively early hour in the morning) so we made sure we were covered in waterproof sun lotion and that we didn’t spend too much time swimming under it’s strengthening glare.

As we left The Basin it was getting on close to lunchtime so we walked down towards the southern end of Thomson Bay. Here we found a Dome restaurant so we ducked in quickly to avoid the lunchtime rush. Judging by the lengthening queues we had done this just at the right time, too. After ordering the food I was surprised at how much it had cost… so I queried this with the head waiter. For some reason, the girl taking my order had mistakenly entered into the system that I’d wanted SIX fresh orange juices… ok… The meal was very disappointing (nowhere near as good as the Dome restaurant we’d visited with John and Meg during our earlier weekend away) so we left the eatery somewhat dismayed – but the banana milkshake, to their credit, was pretty good.

Heading back towards the centre of Thomson Bay, we walked around and took a few more photos of the place. We were heading for the jetty to find out the time of the next glass-bottomed boat tour (Lyn had done this during her previous visit and suggested we do it together). The boat was moored at the jetty but there was no information that hinted when the next tour would be taking place. In fact, the boat looked as though it wasn’t currently in use and there was nobody around to ask. A small information board stated that we should contact the Adventure Centre for more information so we headed back to locate the centre, only to eventually find that it was closed. I guess that pretty much ruled out the opportunity to take a glass-bottomed boat trip.

Other trips and tours were available (such as the Wadjemup Aboriginal Bus Tour) but these didn’t really take our interest sufficiently to make it worthwhile. Instead, we decided to spend the remaining few hours taking in some of the nearby sights before relaxing and walking along the bays that were not too far away from our departure point. After wandering around the grounds near to the Information Centre, we ventured into the small Rottnest Island museum. It was very hot in there but nevertheless allowed Lyn and I to pass an hour or so whilst reading up on the history of the island and it’s inhabitants, from yesteryear to modern day. After perusing the exhibits and display cases, we made our way to the far end of the museum as this is where a small souvenir shop was housed. After a quick look around the shop we exited the museum; thanking the guide and making a small donation on the way out.

Once back at Thomson Bay, we headed north along the beach towards one of Rottnest’s lighthouses. Out in the bay area, various small speedboats and larger yachts were coming and going. Nearer to the shore, smaller vessels were moored to large wooden posts that stood proud from the shallow waters. At one point we came across three pelicans that were stood preening atop consecutive mooring posts. Unless you’ve seen these birds firsthand, it’s difficult to appreciate just how large they are! After grabbing a few photos of the birds for the album, we continued our walk towards the lighthouse. As time was pressing on, we didn’t walk all the way to the lighthouse (which appreared to be open to the public) and so took a few photos from a distance before turning back.

The quokkas, despite being primarily nocturnal creatures, were already out in force and again provided great photo opportunities. Sadly, these particular quokkas weren’t as tame as the little guy that Lyn met yesterday but they would still come towards you and check you out; probably looking for food! The wild pink and grey gullahs were also out in force as we made our way back the The Lodge to pick up our luggage items. They were more nervous than the quokkas and I wasn’t able to get too close for a decent photograph as a result. I could have changed the lens on my camera but decided not to on this occasion…

Arriving back at the jetty for departure, and after confusion between ferry companies as to who should take passengers where, we eventually boarded a ferry back to Fremantle. The upbeat captain suggested that we remain seated during the journey as the crossing was likely to be rough; and he was not far wrong. The high-speed ferry rocked and rolled as it skipped across the waves and Lyn and I were both enjoying it. The same could not be said for others on the ferry, especially the young girl sat to my left. She was not having the best of times aboard the ferry and had turned a funny shade of green. To her credit she did hold it together and, half an hour later, we were docked at Fremantle and transferring back onto the James Stirling for the cruise back along the Swan River to Perth. It had been a long couple of days and we were hoping that the captain of the Stirling was not the same monotone drone that had piloted us only a couple of days earlier. Thankfully, he wasn’t at the helm and there was very little in the way of commentary on the return voyage. A wine tasting session was taking place on the lower deck but we were happy to ignore it and simply enjoy the slow journey towards Perth; chatting about our two days on Rottnest and whether or not we’d go back again.

All in all we had enjoyed our time there, even if it had become extremely commercialised and overpriced. Being such a small place, with no easy transit to and from the mainland, there was little that the traveller could do. You either paid your money and made the most of it or you didn’t go. We’re glad we saved the money and went. Even if the flies did drive us to the brink of madness. Would we go again? Yes – we would… but probably only for a single day to enjoy more snorkelling.

Photos coming soon!

December 22nd, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Leave a comment

Another day of relaxation… Most of the day was spent catching up with these blog entries for your viewing pleasure! In the evening we enjoyed a barbeque and dip with friends.

Good friends of John and Meg, Brian and Shirley, had kindly invited us all over for an evening barbeque and it was suggested we take our bathers along with us. (Both Lyn and I had met Brian before when we had spent the afternoon on the golf course among all the kangaroos – two of which had been accidentally hit by Brian’s golf ball!) We arrived at their lovely home and were introduced to Brian’s wife, Shirley, as well as one of their daughters, Emily, and her partner, Dave. The nibbles were put onto the table, the barbeque was fired up and the beers were pulled from the fridge.

As the food cooked on the barbie (the smell was great) Lyn and I had a couple of games of darts whilst joining in with the conversation from the table nearby. Beyond the table, the outdoor pool looked very inviting and, beyond that, the covered spa looked even more inviting. Brian had been cleaning the pool all day and preparing the spa for our arrival so we’d definitely be using them after the meal!

The meal was delicious; a mixture of salads, cheeses, pickles, potatoes and various barbequed meats. This was accompanied by sides of coleslaw and pasta salads and fresh bread rolls. Mmmmm mmmm mmmm! I really like my food so, as you can probably imagine, this went down very well. The dessert did not disappoint either. Fresh berries on a bed of meringue and/or brandy snap baskets, topped with cream or ice-cream. These went down very well, too! When all had finished there were still berries and meringue left over and it was suggested that “hollow legs” Andy help himself yet more. I obliged out of politeness…

Shortly after we had finished eating, two more of Brian and Shirley’s daughters made an appearance (they have three daughters). Conversation continued and the stars soon started to make an appearance above us. It was at this point that Lyn and I decided to jump into the inviting pool. (Ok, so we decided to walk down the steps into the pool rather than jump in all truth). As we entered the pool, we were pleasantly surprised by the temperature of the water. Despite being a very warm evening, we were both expecting the water to be cool. However, the water was in fact very warm. Brian informed us that the pool was actually heated and was currently at a steady 29 degrees C – the perfect temperature for a night swim! An array of solar panels on his roof provided the means for heating the pool’s water throughout the day and into the night.

I enjoyed the pool so much that I stayed in there for the remainder of our stay. Lyn decided to try out the spa and she absolutely loved it, especially when the bubbles were turned on and Shirley explained how the various seating positions within the spa would massage various parts of the body. With a wine glass in hand, Lyn looked as if she was very much enjoying her time in the spa… I reckon that a spa may now be on our list of things to get for the backyard in 2010! Despite enjoying my time in the pool, I do wish I’d at least spent a few minutes in the spa now.

After drying off and a change of clothes, we said our goodbyes and thanked Brian and Shirley for a very enjoyable evening; wishing them both a “Merry Christmas.”

December 20th, 2009 | Category: General | Leave a comment

Despite being the weekend, and possibly busier than on a weekday, Lyn and I decided to take a trip into Fremantle to visit a couple of places that we had not previously had time to visit. Today we would be visiting the New Maritime Museum, HMAS Ovens and Cicerello’s (and any other places that looked interesting along the way).

It was another stinking hot day (not that we were complaining) and it was also more humid than we’d anticipated. Thankfully we had our backpack and camera bag full of bottled water so it wasn’t long before we were depleting those! The walk from Fremantle train station to the New Maritime Museum wasn’t too far, probably no more than 5-10 minutes walk, so we made tracks directly towards it. As we wandered down Victoria Quay we noticed that there were a series of indoor markets and made a mental note to return there later in the day. If nothing else, they’d offer us a little shade as the strengthening sun showed no signs of easing up! In hindsight, this was not too big an issue; within seconds of setting foot inside the museum, both Lyn and I were hit with the cool blast from the air-conditioning system – a stark contrast to where we’d been only a few seconds prior!

As we waited in the queue to pay our entry, I overheard the lady behind the ticket counter state that she’d just sold the last two tickets for the HMAS Ovens Submarine Tour. The next tour was not for another good couple of hours so Lyn and I were a little undecided as what to do. After a short wait we were at the ticket desk and asking the friendly lady for more details regarding the submarine tour. It was at this point that she actually recommended against it! Asking her why, she responded by saying that the submarine had no air-conditioning units within and that the heat of the day meant that the temperatures inside were considerably higher than those outside. Apparently, the fans used to keep the air moving around the vessel didn’t do a great job hence why she ultimately suggested that we, should we decide to take the tour, return another day and early in the morning when it is significantly cooler. Well, we couldn’t really argue with that logic so we thanked her, decided to give the HMAS Ovens tour a miss and made our way into the first area of the museum (where a special exhibition of swimwear was being presented).

Entering the swimwear exhibition, we were reminded that photography was not allowed due to the sensitive nature of some of the exhibits; consequently the cameras remained in the bag. The room was quite dark and no UV light entered the room at all – in a bid to preserve some of the older and rarer items on display. As our eyes adjusted to the dimmed light levels, we started our journey around the numerous displays.

Following the displays in order, we effectively followed a timeline of how swimwear had evolved since the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. From early all-in-one garments to knitted woollen outfits, from skimpy bikini’s to topless outfits; there were many varied items to see. Dotted throughout the historical details and displays there would be magazine features and iconic images of the time, such as famous stars of screen and stage whom wore the very outfits we were looking at.

The exhibition finished with a glimpse of what the future held in terms of swimwear for the masses. A few prototype designs were shown depicting the sort of thing we might expect to se over the next few years. Despite my initial reservations about the exhibition (just how exciting can swimwear actually be?) I exited having quite enjoyed it… it’s just a shame that photography was not permitted within the hall.

Finding ourselves back in the main foyer area, we took out our cameras and made our way into the main lower-area of the museum. All around were models of various vessels, from the very old to the fairly modern. These also varied in size from small scale models to actual sized vessels into which you could venture and explore. Suspended high within the vast open area of the museum’s ceiling space, full-size ships and boats would hang as if frozen in time. It was quite some feat to fit all of them into the confines of the museum to be honest!

Behind glass walls and cabinets were many smaller displays showing maritime and nautical themed items from over the years. From primitive guidance systems and lobster pots to GPS receivers and boat engines, there was quite a diverse range of things to see. Some of the displays were interactive too so Lyn and I were able to attempt steering a sailing ship in strong winds, winding a sail winch and rowing against an experienced oarsman!

After watching a short movie about the history of Australian sailing (through which an extremely ignorant family continued to chat and allow their kids to run riot all over the small movie hall) we made our way to the staircase so that we could continue our maritime journey on the upper level.

On the way upto the upper levels, Lyn was able to grab a few photos of the HMAS Ovens Submarine (an Oberon Class Naval submarine that was decommissioned mid-90’s). It would have been great to take a tour and see inside the vessel but, as already mentioned, the heat would have been too much!

Upstairs, many of the initial exhibits were military themed. Items from the World Wars were on display; depth charges, mines, models of allied and enemy vessels and medals and bio’s of those who played key roles in Australian maritime history. I personally found this the most interesting part of the whole museum experience and I only wish there had been more of it.

Moving on the theme turned to trade and import/export via the port of Fremantle, WA. A huge harpoon gun brought home some of the horror of the whaling trade (this harpoon was huge) whilst other exhibits depicted the trading of gold and precious items, as well as livestock and the arrival of foreign persons looking to seek a new life in Australia (often with little more than the clothes they arrived in).

As we descended the stairs and made for the exit, wrapping-up our trip to the museum, we reflected on the past couple of hours we’d just spent there. Despite the number of items on display we were left feeling a little cold by the whole thing. It certainly wasn’t bad and it certainly wasn’t money wasted, but it didn’t quite live up to the expectations we had. The nearby Shipwreck Galleries Museum (of which we’d already visited and written about in an earlier entry) was much more interesting in our opinion. Perhaps we should have visited the New Maritime Museum first… Still, we weren’t complaining and it was definitely worth the time and effort to visit.

Leaving the museum, we walked back along the quayside and past the site of the old Fremantle Motor Museum (which is, oddly, still very much advertised in local information leaflets and centres. I hope nobody turns up purely to visit the Motor Museum as they’ll be sorely disappointed). On both sides of the Swan River were vessels of various sizes; huge container freighters and smaller tourist/scenic cruisers. After a short walk along the quay we made our way into the indoor markets that we’d noted earlier.

Inside the market area was a bit cramped. Stores were literally packed in tights and were almost tumbling over one another (which made it all the very more ‘market’ like in my opinion). Stalls were selling everything from beach footwear to exotic stones and fragrances to fresh food. We even found an English Candy Stall so we did the honest thing and bought a few items for our own personal enjoyment! The various sights, smells and sounds were as diverse as the people wandering amongst the stalls and we spent a good half hour simply walking around before finally making our way back outside into the heat of the afternoon sun.

Crossing the railway line, we made our way towards the centre of Fremantle and walked along a few store-lined streets; ultimately on our way towards Cicerello’s. We popped in and out of a few shops along the way before getting a little bit lost… Reaching the end of a road we sat down on a bench and pulled out a map to determine where we were. It was at that point that we then looked across the park and both realised just where we were. In fact, we were practically at the place we wanted to be – Cicerello’s Fish ‘n’ Chip restaurant. A short walk across the park and we were there.

Three large aquarium tanks drew the eye inside the restaurant; housing fish and various creatures that could be found in the oceans and rivers around Fremantle. A mixture of freshwater and saltwater, the tanks held life that were native to those sorts of conditions. Large fish swam with smaller fish and starfish slowly moved along the rocks and sands within the tanks. The odd [small] shark would now and again circle the tank and sea slugs and worms would climb the glass walls as they fed and went about their everyday existence. However, the most impressive creature had to be the octopus. Every now and again it would emerge from under a rock and take a swim around the tank. They are amazing creatures to watch, all tentacles and suckers, yet move so gracefully through the water. We watched the life thriving in the tanks as we ate our fish ‘n’ chips – wondering if the fish in those very tanks ever got nervous considering where they were…

Following the meal, we took a short walk along the beach and spent 10 minutes sitting and watching the ocean waves roll in. By now the evening was drawing in (still very hot though) and we started our walk back towards the train station. Sadly, I took a wrong turn and we ended up going the wrong way… which resulted in us having to turn around and retrace our steps back towards the beach! Fortunately, it was not a major detour and we soon found ourselves back at the station. The train was already waiting so we purchased our tickets and jumped onboard, Perth then Wanneroo the destination. It had been a good day and another item had been ticked from our itinerary.

December 19th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Leave a comment

After a few beers and some hearty tucker last night, we had a bit of a lie-in this morning. I didn’t feel too good it must be said, although it was nothing to do with the drink! Walking out to see Lyn (who had got up just before me) I ventured into the sun on the backyard… it was stinking hot! I spoke to Lyn and she informed me that John had had to dash out to work to deal with some crisis, which also meant his holiday had been cut short.

A little later in the afternoon I felt a bit better, so we took a short walk to the local shops to pick up a few items for our forthcoming island break (which both Lyn and I are very much looking forward to). On our return, we lounged around and decided to engross ourselves in a bit of Aussie daytime television. This, in all truth, didn’t last all that long because it’s very much the same as our own UK daytime television… but with a different accent and a few unfamiliar words here and there. It was surprising how many UK programmes and shows they were showing on the various channels though…

With it being Friday night, there was only one real option as far as food was concerned. Takeaway! The order was placed, we waited a short while, we collected the order. And we tucked into that good old Aussie takeaway tradition – Fish and Chips!

December 18th, 2009 | Category: General | Leave a comment

As I said in my entry yesterday, today was going to involve a lot of walking… and it did. I have no idea how far Lyn and I walked today but I reckon 10 miles would be a conservative estimate. It might not sound like much but, believe me, in today’s heat and humidity (and carrying camera equipment) it was plenty far enough! So… why all the walking?

We had decided to spend the afternoon walking around King’s Park, Perth. But – there’s always a ‘but’ – we had to get there first. And that’s where the walking really began. You see, there’s no real easy way of getting there on foot. Whichever way you go, it’s quite a hike and ultimately requires a uphill ascent to reach the park itself. Having walked out of central Perth (following the signs I hasten to add) we were closing in on the park. Following another sign towards the park we soon came across another sign… and found we were somehow further away than we were before. As a result we consulted a map, which was handily displayed on the side of a bus stop, and decided to make our own way up there. That’s when we noticed a short-cut called Jacob’s Ladder…

As we looked at the steps before us (all 240 plus of them) we still thought it would be a good idea to ascend them and to reduce the time it would take to get to King’s Park. The steps were clear apart from a lone woman who was quickly descending, dressed in workout gear and listening to her i-Pod. There was little in the way of shade and protection from the sun, so it was going to be a hot and steady climb to the top. Still, it would be better than walking the longer route through the streets of Perth.

Having reached the top, we both grabbed a drink from the nearby water fountain and looked back at the view and what we’d just climbed. It might only be 242 steps (a height of 141 feet) but it felt like a lot more. By now others had arrived at the steps and were ascending or descending them.

A short walk later and we were walking on Mount Eliza, the natural base on which part of King’s Park stands. The road up lead through beautiful tall trees and into the park area itself; although this was sadly disturbed my major roadworks that were actively in progress (a real shame during the Australian summer and peak season). Moving from the road and onto one of the pathways, we walked around the outer edge of the park and were able to gaze at the City of Perth from up high. It was quite a view, too. In fact, we are hoping to go back again soon to take more photos, although on a still night so that we can capture all the lights and reflections on the Swan River (and maybe from South Perth side, too).

Various plaques and information boards detailed the region history as well as the flora and fauna that would be encountered as we took a leisurely walk around the park. It had to be a leisurely walk because the temperature was moving towards a threatening 38 degrees C (100 degrees F)!

A short distance further and we encountered the State War Memorial. The State War Memorial is comprised of the Cenotaph, Court of Contemplation, Flame of Remembrance and the Pool of Reflection. Underneath the Cenotaph, visitors can see a Roll of Honour that lists the names of those unfortunate servicemen and women (from Western Australia) who lost their lives in the Boer War, World War I, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam. It was quite a sobering moment taking in all the names that were listed…

After spending a few moments around the Memorial, we continued along the outer park pathways and eventually came across the LotteryWest Federation Walkway. As usual, we arrived at the entrance and there was not a soul to be seen anywhere. After only 30 yards, it seemed as if half the park had decided to descend on the Walkway at the same time! No problem, it gave Lyn and I a chance to take a break and to grab a few more photos. Having waited for a short time for the walkway to clear (including waiting for the two young kids who were trying to bring it down by furiously jumping up and down on the highest point of the Walkway), we were able to capture a few more photos without intrusion.

We stopped and sat at a few places as we continued the journey around the park, simply to take in the beautiful surroundings and capture the cooling breeze that would now and again blow in from the Swan River area.

Having identified the Water Gardens, we began to head back towards the centre of the park by passing through them. They were quite picturesque with various ornaments and plants adorning the small interconnected ponds. The overall effect was slightly spoiled by the off-putting colour of the water and the fact that there was little-to-no water running down the waterfalls between ponds.

At the top end of the Water Gardens we reached a larger pond. Within the pond stood a statue of an adult holding a child, surrounded by various fountains that would shoot jets of water into the air in a repeating pattern. Every few minutes, the small fountains would cease operation and a larger, more powerful fountain would shoot a jet of water high into the air. It was tempting to stand underneath it (or at least it would have been had we been able to).

The final part of our walk took us back towards the Visitor Centre and Cafe, past the Giant Boab tree (news story here). A brief stop at the tree was followed by a refreshing and much-needed drink at the Cafe (where I had the most delicious – and largest – banana milkshake ever).

Leaving the Cafe, we started our walk back towards the City and for somewhere to grab a light bite to eat before jumping on the train back to Wanneroo. Our journey took us past Jacob’s Ladder again. This time, there were many fitness enthusiasts using the steps so we opted to take the street route back into the heart of the city. This wasn’t such a bad idea as it may have been a little bit more direct in hindsight… As with the walk to the Park it was also a good walk from the Park, so we took our time and enjoyed the evening breeze that had appeared by this time.

After a light bite (to get the sugar levels back up as much as anything!) we made our way to the station and ultimately back to Wanneroo. John and Meg were having a barbeque so we kicked off the shoes, tucked into steak and burgers and relaxed with a few cold beers. This Australian way of life is really tough for us Pommies!

December 17th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Leave a comment

Today was another lazy day; and a chance to catch up with a few blog entries and to edit a few photographs. Lyn and I also visited the local shopping centre to pick up a few bits (including some new books to read) and strangely found ourselves drawn to the coffee store that sells the delicious raspberry and white chocolate muffins…

Today we need to rest because tomorrow is going to involve a lot of walking; much of it up and down steep hills (I believe). And it’s going to be hot. I look forward to it very much.

December 16th, 2009 | Category: General | Leave a comment

Lyn and I had planned to go and visit the Perth Museum of Western Australia today. We hadn’t perhaps got out of bed as early as we’d hoped so we quickly got ready and threw a few things into the camera bag. John was perusing through work e-mails on his computer as we entered the study; and mentioned that he’d be nipping into work shortly. Having asked what we had planned, he kindly offered to drop us in the city on his way into work. Thanks John!

Today the weather was noticeably warmer, and even a little humid, as we jumped into the glorious sunshine from the cooled interior of the car. Bidding a “g’day” to John we began the short walk to what we hoped was the musuem… we weren’t exactly sure where it was located (neither did John) but we knew we were within a block or two.

It was at that point where I did a very unmanly thing. I decided to stop and ask for directions to the museum… after all, it was hot and we didn’t have all day. Having spotted [what I believed to be] a suitably knowledgable local, I asked the old lady for directions to the museum. After a brief pause and look of confusion (as she no doubt struggled with my accent!) she indicated a building by pointing up the road and stating that it was, “on the right.” As we thanked her, she then added, “It’s closed on Tuesdays.”

Lyn and I thanked her and then looked enquiringly at each other, deciding what our next move would be. Lyn suggested that we may as well at least take a walk up to the musuem – it wasn’t far away and we’d knnow where it was for next time. This would prove to be a great idea!

Within a few minutes we were outside the museum and a large advertising board announced that, after 65 million years, the dinosaurs were back! The dinosaur exhibition (which we’d heard about previously) was running throughout the month of December. Strangely, however, the museum didn’t look closed… It was a good idea that Lyn suggest we check it out as it was fully open and people were coming and going in a very “museum is definitely open” sort of way.

In the main foyer, a dinosaur was growling and moving around; adults looking on with interest and their kids looking a little nervous. I guess the 20ft high beast could be a little imposing with respect the younger audience members. The air-conditioned museum was a welcome break from the heat outside and we paid the fee to visit the dinosuar exhibition first (the rest of the museum was free, although dontaions were welcomed and encouraged). It was a short walk to the dinosaur exhibition and, on the way, we passed the interesting (and rare) Megamouth!

Entering into the dinosaur exhibition area, we were greeted with darkness and the sounds of various dinosaurs; or at least what scientists believed they sounded like. It was fairly quiet and empty at that point and we slowly wandered around the animatronic/robotic displays. Some of them were very well done and executed, where as some of them were a little ropey and too mechanical in their movements. Even so, it was fascinating to see these huge creatures moving around. Lyn took a few videos of the dinosaurs in motion (which I’ll post up as soon as I am able to) and we captured the obligatory photos of the exhibits too. Of all the dinosaurs, those on display were Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Allosaurus, Iguanodon and Triceratops – all of them in motion. My favourite was T-Rex! He stood a few storeys high and the low-lighting conditions gave him quite a menacing look. I just wish that they’d added a little bit more around the display in terms of environmental surroundings – such as grasses, bushes and trees.

I know we shouldn’t laugh, but some of the younger children coming into the exhibition were very funny. They were so excited that they’d come running up to the beasts and point and shout, their eyes open wide. The creatures would then go into their ‘attack’ sequence and suddenly those same kids had looks of terror on their faces and many burst into tears as they ran to seek the security of their parents and/or guardians. As I say, I shouldn’t laugh but I coudn’t suppress a little chuckle to myself. Mind you, the first time the Velociraptor ‘attacked’, I was stood nearby and was not expecting it; I jumped a little and just hoped that people hadn’t seen me…

Disappointingly, the exhbition was over far too quickly and we had soon seen all the exhibits. But we still had the rest of the museum to explore.

The museum was split into various sections, such as “Birds”, “Mammals”, “People” and so on. Rather than plan a route, we just followed our noses to see where we’d end up.

Some of the animals on display looked decidedly unhealthy. Ok, yes, they were dead and had been stuffed but they still weren’t looking all that good. Lyn did remind me that some had been there for many decades though so, perhaps, my comments were a little unfair. Even so, I did enjoy myself as I wandered around them.

We moved from gallery to gallery, taking in the insects (with some stunning buterflies on display), the marine section, the land and people section, and so much more. (I won’t provide a blow-by-blow account as you’d soon get bored but hopefully some of the photos give a good indication of our time in the museum). Whilst in the butterfly section, a young Australian girl joined us and struck up a conversation with Lyn. She was very polite and courteous and would stand still (and duck down) whilst we took photos! I think she had found a new friend in Lyn and they were chatting about the various butterflies on display – where they’d be found and how colorful they were. As we looked to move on, the girl politely said goodbye and disappeared as quickly as she had appeared initially.

By a stroke of good fortune we found ourelves at our favourite ice-cream store once again (on the way back to the train station). I have no idea how it keeps happening. Anyways, the butterscotch and peppermint was delicious… although I think Lyn definitely prefers the black cherry.

December 15th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Comments (2)

Saturday 12th December

John and Meg had, a short while back, found a lovely retreat and are now regular visitors to it. Whenever they need to unwind and ‘get away’ for a few days, this is the place they go to. Very often, their good friends join them and enjoy a few days of relaxation; away from phones, mobiles, Internet and TV. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

This weekend, John and Meg were again looking forward to spending another few days away from the hubbub of their everyday lives. However, this time they very generously invited us along, too! We had heard many good things about the retreat and now we were going to be able to experience them for ourselves. Fern Gulley Retreat on the Blackwood River was the destination… (The ‘e’ in ‘Gulley’ is intentional and stands for ‘excellence’)

Saturday daytime, Meg was working; so the plan was to pick up her straight from work and then to head south towards Nannup in the evening. Whilst Meg was working, Lyn and I took a trip to the local stores to buy some fresh fruit, vegetables, salad along with the all-important steaks, burgers and sausages for the barbeque. Whilst we did this, John pottered around at home and made sure the car was ready to go and that the cases and other items were ready to go. As is often the case when busy, time passed quickly and it was soon time to collect Meg and to make our way south on the freeway. Despite being almost at the height of rush hour, the traffic into (and through) the city of Perth wasn’t too bad. Before long we had left the city limits and were heading down long, straight roads towards our private retreat for the weekend. The actual journey was quite uneventful and ‘interesting’ at the same time. For example, there wasn’t much in the way of things to see (apart from lots of vast sun-drenched scrub) but it was interesting in that I’d never travelled along such long and straight stretches of road before! Mind you, my interest soon waned… As the time approached 7:30pm we turned onto the last road that would lead to our destination. And this road was fantastic! From the straight, boring and sloooow freeways and highways, we were now on a tighter country-like road with twists, turns and dips and peaks; definitely a driver’s road. John couldn’t resist and took the opportunity to enjoy the road and the last few kilometres of the journey!

It was dark by the time we parked up outside the chalet and thus was difficult to get an impression of the place immediately. Inside, the chalet was very spacious, fresh and modern with beautifully presented rooms and furnishings. Each room had very posh en-suite bathrooms and all the chalet systems were eco-friendly; using collected rainwater where possible (no mains water supply) and with all toilet waste being processed and ‘fed’ to the gardens. Initial impressions were definitely good and we were unpacked within a few minutes.

Shortly after, we opened the doors to the raised balcony at the rear of the property and suddenly the night had come to life… the crickets were chattering away, the evening birdsong could still be heard (including a peacock) and it was definitely a soundscape that shouted “Australia” at the listener. As John flicked on the outside floodlights, the trees suddenly lit up and we were able to appreciate the impressive scene before us. Trees towered over us standing some 10 storeys high and, not too far away, the Blackwood River flowed. Time for a beer and a few moments to take it in.

The balcony upon which we sat ran the full length of the chalet; at one end was the barbeque and at the other end was a spa bath. Beautiful. The spacious balcony also had a table, chairs and sun lounger for relaxation, along with a bird feeder and seed for the birds that would inevitably come visiting during daylight hours. After a light meal of chicken, bread rolls and salad we took in more of the surroundings before retiring for the night. But not before we’d spent an hour or so just gazing at the stars in the sky! It was so clear; I’d never seen so many stars and, of course, the Southern Hemisphere is completely different to what we see back in the UK and the Northern Hemisphere. It was stunning and we could also clearly see the Milky Way, which appeared as a cloud that was made up of millions and millions of stars. Stunning! I’d never seen so many shooting stars before either…

Sunday 13th December

By the time we woke up in the morning, the sun was already strong and we’d missed many of the early birds that had been for breakfast. Sadly, this meant that we had also missed Bertie bird… more about him later! Lyn did manage to capture one of the late arrivals though…

After breakfast, it was suggested that we take a drive to Augusta. On the way we would be stopping at Karridale (one of Meg’s favourite places). Karridale is a small and quirky store that sells nothing but Christmas items throughout the year. In among all the Christmas items are various jewellery sets and cuckoo clocks. Lots and lots of cuckoo clocks. John simply handed his wallet over to Meg and she purchased a couple of extra items with which to decorate their house… a wall mounted snowman and a large figurine Santa Claus (which had to be delivered via courier!) Lyn took a couple of photos of me as I started to get into the Christmas spirit.

After the brief stop ‘n’ shop at Karridale, we continued on towards Augusta and then on to Cape Leeuwin. We stopped at the Cape and took half an hour out to wander around the lighthouse and the grounds around it. Sadly we weren’t able to take the tour inside the lighthouse itself so instead took a few photos and read a little of the history surrounding the place. Out in the ocean, dolphins could be seen playing and Lyn and John spent a time watching them.

Interestingly, the last person that worked the lighthouse before it was decommissioned was the grandfather of one of John’s sales representatives. It is indeed a small world. A small world with one less lighthouse. It is claimed that Cape Leeuwin is the point at which the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean, with both looking crystal clear and inviting.

The sheer number of flies made for quite an uncomfortable experience and, the nearer you got to the scrub, the worse and more aggresive they became! A rather ‘pretty’ fly landed on my arm; it had lovely snot-green eyes and was quite a large thing. Lyn told me to hold still whilst she grabbed a picture of it… shortly after which it sank it’s large pincers into me and Meg came along and slapped my arm to kill it. Thankfully it wasn’t too painful and didn’t swell up much so no worries.

After an ice cream, we jumped back into the car and made our way towards Margaret River for lunch. After lunch at The Dome, we then headed to the Watershed Winery to sample some of their premium wines and, if the mood took us, purchase a couple of bottles to accompany the evening’s dining. I’m not much of a drinker to be honest, but a couple of the wines I did like; so Lyn and I bought a bottle of Chardonnay and Shiraz. John and Meg also bought a few bottles of their favourites, too. To the sounds of ‘clink-clinking’ bottles in the back of the car, we took an unsealed road back towards the chalet. This in itself was an experience as I’d never been down an unsealed road before. Due to the size of the country, Australia has many unsealed roads that cover vast distances. They are nothing more than compacted dirt tracks that are wide enough to take vehicles; it was quite strange to be travelling down a mapped route that didn’t have a tarmac surface. For mile after mile the road dipped and climbed, although it was largely straight. The amount of dust thrown up by a vehicle in front would cause the visibility to reduce a fair bit (as we found when we caught up with another vehicle). It didn’t take long to get back to the chalet.

Relaxing back at the chalet, we ventured out onto the balcony to watch the evening roll in and to watch the various birds and animals going about their business. It didn’t take long for the resident celebrity to turn up either… Bertie bird! A fluttering of wings announced his imminent arrival, followed by a cheery “Hello” as he landed on the balcony railings. I was immediately engrossed as I adore our feathered friends, especially members of the parrot family. John offered him a handful of seed and, in his excitement, Bertie took a chunk out of John’s finger as well as the seed – but I’m sure it wasn’t intentional! In between the “Hello’s” and the “Ha ha ha’s”, Bertie enjoyed having his head tickled and wasn’t at all shy of the camera. Suffice to say, we got many photos of him…

There were more animals roaming around under the balcony, too. Donkeys, goats, sheep and alpacas. They all lived locally and would drop by now and again to ensure that Bertie didn’t get all of the attention!

Before it got too late and too dark, Lyn and I decided to venture out into the trees; taking care not to go into the long grass and not to go too close to the river and the billabong. You never know what’s out there… There were a lot of flies, but thankfully not many mosquitoes as yet. However, there was a creature stalking us and it started to follow us pretty much as soon as we’d left the safety of the chalet…

The good news is that we weren’t in any danger as our stalker was Bertie bird! He had decided to be guide and chaperone for our impromptu walk and followed us as we wandered amongst the trees. High in the branches you could see him tilt his head to watch our every move and he was never too far away. Good old Bertie. Both Lyn and I had grown quite fond of the little bugger. Returning to the chalet, John fired up the barbeque (having had a soak in the spa beforehand) and we all relaxed after pigging out on steaks, burgers and jacket potatoes. It wasn’t long until the bed was calling; the end of another day.

Monday 14th December

We awoke on our final morning and began to pack up our belongings, ready to vacate the chalet later that morning. After breakfast we wandered out onto the balcony to see who/what was about… I’m assuming Bertie was not around because the wild 28’s (green parrots) were feeding from the feeder (normally Bertie would scare them off).

Whilst leaning against the balcony railings I noticed a rather strange looking spider. It had an interesting white pattern on it’s predominantly black body, and it was busy creating a web between several bars of the balcony. I picked up the camera to grab a few photos… and then got a bit of a shock when the spider jumped across to the next railing! Firstly, I wasn’t expecting it to jump and secondly I wasn’t expecting it to jump so far. Good job it wasn’t a particularly scary spider… I reckon that our good friend, Chris, would love this…

Having loaded up the car, we bid a fond farewell to the chalet and took a short walk to drop the keys with the retreat owner. Among all the other animals that roamed around the retreat, she also kept and reared doves. Don’t you just adore our feathered friends? The sign summed up our thoughts nicely…

Leaving Fern Gulley Retreat, we all headed towards a small local town for a drink and a light bite to eat. The steak and bacon pie was delicious and Lyn’s jam and cream scone was pretty tasty, too. This was immediately followed by an ice-cream from a nearby store, “Super Fudge Brownie” being my particular choice this time. Walking back to the car, I pointed out to Lyn the rather amusing name of the pie shop in which we’d just eaten…

Fortunately, I didn’t notice any strange after effects (or hallucinations) but I was feeling a little sleepy. With food in our stomachs we made our way to the final stopping point before setting a course back home to Wanneroo; the cheese factory! John and Meg were looking forward to buying some more of the Chili Cheese that they both enjoy. Sadly, it’s a little too hot for my tastes so left empty-handed. Mind you, outside the small factory store was a very friendly and affectionate parrot for sale (at a bargain price, too). He was chatting away and speaking to us and I very nearly walked away with him instead!

And that pretty much marks the end of our weekend away with John and Meg at the Fern Gulley Retreat on the Blackwood River. I would write more about the journey back to Wanneroo, but I think I was asleep much of the time…

December 14th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Leave a comment

Damn this dodgy Internet connection. It’s just taken me the best part of four hours to simply update yesterday’s post and I’m constantly playing catch-up…

In fact, I’m so cheesed-off I cannot even remember what we did today (as I’m currently writing this 4 days late). I vaguely remember Lyn and I having a lazy day and spending a portion of the day attempting to catch up with earlier blog entries, as well as spending a significant amount of time trying to Photoshop some of the photos from the raceway evening. Beyond that I really cannot recall.

Normal service will resume shortly with a bit of luck.

December 11th, 2009 | Category: General | Comments (2)

Gloria Jean’s Coffee… sure, the Latte was good but the white choc ‘n’ raspberry muffin was delicious. In fact, I’d happily say that it’s the best tasting muffin I’ve ever had. So light and tasty… I could go eat another right now. I just need an excuse to go up there. Anyways, moving on…

Red wine, Merlot Triple-9. That was what we were primarily looking for. Fortunately, the local wine and beer store had a few bottles in stock so we grabbed a couple (mostly to replenish the stock that had somehow ‘evaporated’ a night or two prior…) Thankfully Lyn knew what to look for as I really didn’t have a clue. (Ok, so that applies to me in most circumstances, but even more so when it comes to wines). With bottles in hand we took a walk back to John and Meg’s so that we could get ourselves ready for an evening at the Barbagallo Raceway.

The phone call came late in the afternoon. It turned out that my camera had been repaired and was ready for collection. Very kindly the camera repair store had performed my repair early knowing that I was several thousand miles from home and missing my baby. If we were quick, we’d have time to get to the store, collect the camera and then make our way to the raceway in time for the start of the event. (When I say “we”, I meant John, Lyn and myself… John had fooli- kindly offered to take me down to collect it). We made good time on the way to the store and, a pleasant suprise, it only cost me half as much as I would have paid if I were back at home in the UK. Bonus! Sadly, we weren’t so lucky with the rush hour traffic when heading out of the city so it took some time to get home and, eventually, to the raceway. But we did make it in time.

Being a twilight / night event, Lyn and I weren’t too sure how well the cameras would pick up the cars on the track. We didn’t even know how well the track would be lit. Upon arrival we found a good spot and began to take a few photos of the first cars on the track… and then realised that this was not going to be an easy event to photograph! The photos were very dark and the raceway didn’t offer much in the way of illumination. As a result the photos suffered and were very dark and grainy.

After only half an hour or so we were unable to take anymore photos of the cars on the track. We were too far away and weren’t able to position ourselves close enough to the floodlit sections of the track. Insurance reasons (as explained by the raceway officials) meant we weren’t allowed into the pitlane area either. *sigh*

Rather than put the cameras away, we instead began to take a few photos of the cars as they were parked in the pitlane area. They wouldn’t be the most dynamic photos by any stretch of the imagination but people still like to see their cars in photos so we snapped away regardless. Oh for some professional camera gear and lighting rigs… and a wallet large enough to buy them!!!

Chris (i.e. Godfather Junior) was on his first ever trackday outing and his first few laps were under the guidance of an in-car instructor (which is a great idea). This way he was taught the correct lines and approaches into and out of the corners. The instructor also took over the controls of his car for a lap or two to show how capable his car is and how it handles closer to the limit.

After several laps and sessions on the track, the instructor was happy with Chris’s progress and thus he proceeded to enjoy the rest of his time on track alone and under his own control. He looked like he was enjoying it, too. For a first time on track (in what is a very capable and powerful car – Evo 7) he did great. His mate, Mike, also did great in his auto-transmission 4.0l Falcon! Both Lyn and I were a little envious as we’d liked to have joined in.

The actual event started at shortly after 6pm in the evening and didn’t end until gone 11pm – giving plenty of opportunity for attendees to get out on track. Having spoken to Chris afterwards he said he’d be interested in going regularly to this sort of event. Or at least he would if he had his CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motor Sport) licence… Sadly, his girlfriend mistakenly thought the licence was an old receipt and used it to discard her chewing gum. A 3 month wait for a new one is now on the cards… There were some friendly guys who we spoke to during the event and Lyn wandered over to speak to the owner of the FN2 (Honda Civic Type-R, as pictured above). The gentleman was named Sena and kindly took time to chat to us and to allow us a look at his tastily modified car. He’s a very capable driver too it must be added! I do hope he makes it over to the UK sometime so that he can join Rebel Motorsport Club on one of our driving meets or tours.

December 10th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Leave a comment

Whilst enjoying our time here in Oz, we thought it a great idea to go and visit the zoo. We could view and learn about Australia’s native wildlife, be amazed at the diversity of their ecosystem, be astounded at the sizes of their spiders and snakes and, well, lot’s of other stuff that would make us go “ooh” and “aah”. With our expectations high (and tickets purchased), we took the ferry across the Swan River to be further educated at Perth Zoo.

It started fantastically well. I handed over the money for the entry tickets and the kind lady gave me half of it back. Apparently it was half price today. Good start. The only downer was the presence of many schoolchildren. I don’t mind schoolchildren (I could easily eat three or four for breakfast) but they were young, noisy and running about. But, in all fairness, they were enjoying themselves and had as much right as we did to be there. So we made tracks in the opposite direction and so began our wild zoo adventure…

I can’t really recall too much of the visit but I do remember that we first visited a pond with a Lemur enclosure in the centre. It had ducks and pelicans swimming around and half a dozen lemurs leapt and played on the trees in the middle. They got increasingly excited as the keeper waded across to the island to feed them. Good timing I reckon.

Having grabbed a few photos, we meandered onwards (it was too warm to do anything else other than meander) and decided to take a look around the informatively titled “Birds” section. We were impressed with the vast array of birdsong that encountered our ears as we walked along the leafy passages to the birds… all beautifully played through an aging public address system with only a small amount of hiss and crackle. But that did not matter because we soon arrived at the first area and were able to look at cage after cage of empty nothingness. Unkept and overgrown, many of the cages were empty and only one or two housed any birds. Disappointing. We put this down to “pending refurbishment” of the attraction and decided to visit the Nocturnal House instead.

The Nocturnal House was suitably dark and quiet and, upon entering the house, we saw two gorgeous owls perched high in the darkness. Below them were dead mice (obviously it was dinner time). Signs all around warned us not to use flash photography, to move steadily and to be as quiet as possible; this way we’d see and experience much more. We walked past the two owls to the next enclosure and then, well, we gave up! There was an almighty crashing and rumbling as two women came into the house pulling a plastic trailer with their younger children! The plastic wheels weren’t too quiet on the solid concrete and rock floors and the kids, bless ‘em, were obviously excited. Sadly, the nocturnal creatures were not too impressed and that was the last we saw of them; as they scurried away to their various hiding places and nests. Bugger. But we did have a plan. We went back to the beginning and waited for the noise to disappear and for all to become still and quiet once again. This time we got to the third enclosure before giving up; which was when a “know-it-all” young girl insisted on telling the entire zoo about this animal and that animal at the top of her voice! Again, this sent the poor creatures scurrying so we did likewise and left the Nocturnal House. Double bugger.

Sadly it kind of went downhill from there. To cut a long story short, half of the zoo was overgrown and clearly had not been looked after or cared for. The botanical walk (still open to the public) was not botanical, had nothing of interest, and also had the same awful animal-song piped through a cruddy PA system. The Australian Walkabout had one quokka, a few kangaroos, one kaola, one dingo, one Kookaburra (which was there due to a broken wing and hence could not fly) and that was about it. Another disappointment.

We were hoping that the African Savannah would be better and made a beeline to see the big cats; the tigers and suchlike! But there were none. We spent a while looking but, alas, I feared we were wasting time as there was no movement, no nothing. On the way out we saw a couple of elephants and a few orangutans but that was about it.

By now I guess you’ve pretty much sensed how disappointed we were. Things did not improve in the Wetlands section, nor did it in the Reptile House (although a couple of the snakes were impressive). In all truth we couldn’t be ars- bothered taking anymore photos so put the camera away and made our way to the exit. I have no idea how on Earth we managed to spend, nay, waste almost 4 hours at Perth Zoo. It was a real disappointment and a real shame. We won’t be going back there anytime soon.

Oh – the parrots were great though. Good company, good conversationists. Very friendly too.

Fortunately, the day was not completely wasted! Yay! On the way back to the train station we, by some amazing coincidence, found ourselves at our favourite ice-cream store. Naturally we made the most of this fortunate occurrence and tucked into $10 worth of deliciousness. Greedy? Perhaps a little… but it had been a very trying and tiring day.

I’ll finish this write-up with a quote from a very well-known Aussie, Godfather John (he’s very well-known to us anyway so that makes the previous sentence perfectly valid).

“We Aussies know how to make booze, but we don’t know how to make zoos!”

- Godfather John

December 9th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Leave a comment

Today we visited Hillary’s Boat Harbour and AQWA. Lyn used to enjoy scuba diving hence was looking forward to visiting AQWA and seeing the marine life on show. I was also very keen to experience the aquarium as I find marine life fascinating.

We arrived at Hillary’s around lunchtime (with thanks to John for kindly offering to drive us to the harbour) and immediately made our way towards AQWA. It was only a very short walk to the entrance and we were soon inside with cameras at the ready. However, it soon became apparent that photography would not be easy due to the often low lighting conditions and the restrictions on flash photography at certain points throughout the venue. Even so, we pressed on undeterred and within a few moments of setting foot inside we were already being impressed by the creatures we were seeing.

I cannot list or recall all that we saw (there was simply too much) but we saw many different types of fish, lobsters, jellyfish, coral, anemones, seahorses, rays, sea snakes, starfish, sharks… the list goes on and on.

As we wandered around the venue, the various exhibits were themed and split into sections. For example, one section covered the marine life typically found in Southern Australian waters whilst another section covered marine life typically found along Australia’s Shipwreck Coast. Another area of interest was the “Dangerzone” with various creatures that could cause nasty injury or worse!

One of the themed sections contained a “Touch Pool” and, as the title suggests, visitors are permitted to touch the various fish, rays and other creatures within that pool. I expected the ray to feel smooth (and a little slippery) but was surprised at how rough it felt to the touch. Whilst I chased fish around the pool, Lyn was picking up starfish and presenting them to young children who were around the pool; allowing them to safely handle the creatures without fear of falling into the pool or getting wet!

I was struggling to get decent photos with the new camera but thankfully Lyn was capturing some great shots with the point ‘n’ click Sony Cybershot she had in her pocket. It’s a great little camera and often does a better job than the Canon!

All in all it was a very enjoyable experience and I could have spent another hour or two there quite easily; simply by going around the various sections again! It’s quite eye-opening to see what creatures and lifeforms live within planet Earth’s seas and oceans. Never mind all the talk about space, aliens and UFO’s… let’s further explore our own planet first. Who knows what we will find lurking in the darkest, deepest places in Earth’s waters…?!

December 8th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Leave a comment

The start of another week (if you take Monday as being the start of the week) and still lots to see and do. We had so many plans for today but it didn’t quite turn out as planned…

John had an early start to the day as he was having his windscreen replaced (the small stone chip had become a large crack and it simply could not be ignored). Thankfully the windscreen replacement guy came around early and got the job done in no time; he’d already been and gone before Lyn and I had got out of bed… After a light breakfast, Lyn and I decided to once again venture into Perth City and to make a full day of it. The plan was to finalise our bookings for the holiday-within-a-holiday (ferry and accomodation), to visit Perth Mint, to visit Perth Museum and to visit Perth Zoo. In hindsight, perhaps that was a little too much for one day…

Anyways, with information and bus/train timetables in hand we hit the streets of Wanneroo and made our way into the City. Once into the city we made our first (and most important) stop. The ice cream vendor outside the station. Mmmm mmm mmm, the ice cream is fantastic. The cookies and butterscotch were as good as the vanilla and strawberry I’d had the previous visit. And to make things even better the ice creams are totally natural and fat-free!

Full of ice cream we took a walk down to the jetty and to where our ferry would be sailing from (for our mini break). Here we were able to book the tickets and to confirm sailing times and transfers. (This was so much easier now my bank card was working again!) With the ferry booked I then called the resort and booked/confirmed our reservation for later in December; which was all straightforward enough and went through without any issues. I am now very much looking forward to the mini-break and seeing what the destination has to offer once we get there. The camera will naturally be travelling with us.

The next port of call was Perth Mint. After a pretty lady helped us with directions we were soon inside and on the guided tour. However, photography inside the mint was not permitted so we were unable to grab any photos of the experience. But, this is what the Perth Mint looks like from the outside!

We actually took a quick look around the store items before joining the guided tour. On sale were many items – obviously mostly gold items, although there were also many silver, platinum and other precious metals and materials. Jewellery, fine china, trinkets, souvenirs and much more. Some items cost no more than a few dollars whilst some of the more expensive items would cost several tens of thousands of dollars! The solid gold bars weren’t cheap!

Joining the tour we were given a brief history of the gold mining 1800’s and how the mint began it’s life. It was interesting stuff even if it did only last about 10 minutes! It wasn’t really a tour and we were simply directed towards the exhibits immediately afterwards. We were a little disappointed to be honest. We wandered around the many exhibits (including huge nuggets of gold worth thousands and thousands of dollars) and even had the opportunity to lift a real gold bar worth $500,000! It was shielded in a protective case behind toughened glass (security guard not too far away) and had a hole through which you could put your arm. Although only fairly small in size (imagine a small house brick) it weighed a whopping 12kg. There was no chance of easily running away with that sort of weight in the pocket.

On the hour there was a gold pouring display so Lyn and I jumped into the front row seats for the performance. After a brief introduction the gold pourer opened the furnace (the heat was tremendous at 1300 degrees C) and poured 6kg of glowing liquid gold into a gold bar mould. This was then allowed to cool temporarily (to around 900 degrees C) before being removed from the mould. Once this was done it was placed for a few minutes into a vat of water where it sizzled and steamed as it solidified and cooled. During this time the pourer explained how special gold [as a metal] actually is. For example, it is very soft – one ounce of gold can be flattened out thin enough to cover an entire tennis court. It also cannot be destroyed as such. As an example of this he explained how the very bar of gold sat cooling in the water had been melted down and reformed over 35,000 times since 1991. The molecular structure of gold simply does not degrade or break down over time and it’s also the least reactive with human tissue (hence it’s use in jewellery, surgery and dental work). During the performance he also pointed out that, when the mint had been opened to the public, the ceiling above us had been covered in soot. A team had gone up with wire brushes and scrubbed it clean, resulting in many bags full of soot for disposal. Luckily, one of the team noticed that there was gold dust in the soot and so the soot was sent of to a refinery for processing. The result? $18,000 worth of gold that nearly got thrown away…

As we left the mint, time really had moved on and there was no way we’d be able to get to the museum and zoo in time. Instead we took a stroll down the the Swan River and sat under the palms for a while. We spoke to some friendly locals and listened to their radio playing as the vessels sailed by and other tourists came and went.

A while later, and rested, we got to our feet and took a walk down the north bank of the Swan River towards Kings Park. It was quite a walk, too. By the time we got there neither of us particularly wanted to take the final steep climb up to the actual park itself so we turned around and started to walk back towards the city (which was another good walk away). By now the evening was drawing in and the sun had fallen towards the horizon. Lyn’s feet were also hurting (she didn’t have her walking shoes on and had done amazingly well to get this far!)

It was dark as we got back into the city so we wandered around briefly and took a few photographs of the Christmas lights.

And from there we made our way to the train station and began the journey back to Wanneroo. It had been a long, but enjoyable, day and we still have the museum and zoo to visit!

December 7th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Leave a comment

The problem with a good air-conditioning system is that, until you actually leave the house, you don’t necessarily realise just how hot it is outside. Even at 9:00am in the morning. John and Meg have such a good system and today was one of those hotter days…

Both Lyn and I were hoping that either the breeze would pick up or the temperature drop a little as we made our way towards Yanchep in the afternoon. John had invited me to join him for 9 holes of golf at one of his local courses and Lyn, bless her, was also coming along for the ride (with camera in hand, looking to grab a few photos of the wildlife). To me, golf is an absolutely fantastic sport and I really appreciate the amount of effort and practice that it requires to become proficient in the game. However, I also appreciate that golf is not to everybody’s taste and some may think it, well, boring. Someone even stated that, “Golf is a good walk spoiled!” And that’s why I want to say “thanks” to Lyn for coming along and watching my pitiful attempts as I tried to navigate around the challenging first 9 holes at Sun City. Her comments were “enlightening” and “encouraging” and, joking aside, I am glad she came along knowing how much she dislikes the sport. Lyn… thank you!

As you can see from the photos above and below, Lyn caught some great photos of the wildlife (not including golfers John, Brian and myself!) There were hundreds of kangaroos (no exagerration) and wild birds but, alas, the wild emus did not make an appearance. At times, looking down the fairway would resemble a scene reminiscent of Jurassic Park.

Lyn also managed to capture some great shots of us playing golf. I’ve never seen my golf swing captured in photos before so I found it quite interesting… stop laughing at the back!

What I will not thank Lyn for is my new look. She made me shave off the goatee. Ok, so she didn’t really make me shave it off but I did all the same and, well, I’m still undecided. After a decade or more of goatee-ness it’s a bit weird being naked again. I’ll stick with it a while and see how it goes.

As I write this entry I can happily say that we’ve certainly had plenty of exercise today and I’ve used muscles that I haven’t used in many a year thanks to the golfing invite. Bedtime is most definitely welcome tonight.

December 6th, 2009 | Category: General, Photography | Comments (3)

I’m afraid that today’s entry is going to be rather short as I don’t have much to write about (not much of interest anyway).

Within the last couple of days I’ve been trying to purchase items using my VISA card and been refused. Why? I didn’t know. There’s money in the account so there shouldn’t be any problem… So, I waited for my bank to open (UK time) and called them. After a long wait and having answered many questions I was finally put through to the Fraud Department as my account and card had been locked. Ah, that would explain why I haven’t been able to use my card then!

To cut a long story short, the bank thought that the transactions I’d attempted in Australia were ‘fraudulent’ and put a lock on the account. Apparently they had no idea that I was in Australia and I “should have told them” beforehand. Seeing as I’d purchased a large amount of Australian currency through them and that I also have my travel insurance with them (all paid for with the same account and card) I thought they might have had some idea. Obviously not! After a lengthy phone call (which will no doubt cost a small fortune) my account was finally unlocked…

…and we could begin the process of booking our “holiday-within-a-holiday” here in Oz. Of course, I would really, really, really like to tell you more about what we have planned but you’ll just have to wait and see. All I’ll say at this point is that, on the 21st of December, we are heading to a beautiful island off the west coast of Australia for a short break and then, on the 3rd January 2010, we are heading off to a hotel and beach resort for a few days break.

As the night wore on, John, Lyn and I sat down around this very PC at which I’m sat now and watched videos from the Internet and chatted online with family and friends. Lyn and John also enjoyed a couple of bottles of red wine and were a little merry. John used to be a motor racing driver and so you can probably guess what the majority of the conversations were about.

December 5th, 2009 | Category: General | Leave a comment

Today we didn’t really do all that much – sadly due to the little problem we had yesterday! Sorry, Lyn!

As you may have read in yesterday’s entry, my trusty *ahem* Canon camera stopped working whilst in the museum. Having done a little investigating on the Internet I was sure that the problem was due to a shutter failure. Thankfully, a suitable Canon specialist was found in Perth City (not too far away) so John kindly took us down to the store. As feared, the problem was due to a fault in the shutter mechanism! After a chat with the specialist I was told it would cost around $300 to fix and that it would take around 2 weeks… Well, it needed doing so I paid the deposit and now have to wait for the call to tell me it’s ready for collection.

Obviously, this posed a small problem for Lyn and I. We no longer had the ‘big’ camera and this was a bit of a setback (as we were looking to get a whole set of good photos for the entire time we are in Australia). Thankfully Lyn suggested buying a new camera (cheaper than in the UK and with money back thanks to Duty Free) so we bought a new Canon EOS 450D to allow us to continue taking photos. Ok, so we do have a Canon EOS 350D back at home as well but we figured we’d put this up for sale once we return as it’s an ideal (and cheap) entry level DSLR camera for someone… The new camera is great but I do miss my main camera. As they say here in Oz, “Bugger!”

Having left the camera store, and having popped back home for refreshment, we went into nearby Joondalup to do a little Christmas shopping. Obviously I can’t say much more here as I don’t know who’s reading (actually, is anyone reading?!) We also popped into the local K-Mart to see Meg and to say “hi” – she was working hard, especially as Christmas is now fast approaching.

The return journey saw us stopping at Drover’s to take a look around the outside furniture place; it had some fantastic items for sale. No wonder John and Meg says it costs them a fortune everytime they go there… Whilst at Drover’s we also took the opportunity to grab a few bits of food and to enjoy a pie and a chocolate eclair! Yum.

Late afternoon we simply relaxed in the back yard. The weather was noticeably hotter today – 37 degrees C / 99 degrees F. After a light evening meal Lyn and I took the dog for a walk and that was that. I now find myself writing this blog entry and will soon be retiring to bed. Night all.

December 4th, 2009 | Category: General | Comments (6)