Day 20 - Fremantle

Our last day and a one of mixed emotions, we were looking forward to our day in Fremantle, sad in the knowledge that this would be our last day of this very special holiday but a little bit looking forward to getting back to the UK to see the people we've missed. None of us was looking forward to the journey though!

Still, putting the thoughts of our return to the back of our mind we set about going to enjoy our day. "Freeo' has an array of shops (a little a kin to those you would find at Hockley in Nottingham), a harbour, street performers, lots of cafes, bars & restaurants and a little beach.

Jodie still had some birthday money to spend and Jenny spotted a hoody she skilfully made Simon aware he needed to buy for her!

We had lunch at the Little Creatures Brewery Bar which was a funky bar on the harbour which as the name suggests brewed their own beers on-site. It was a funky building with a mix of clientele. A leisurely lunch was followed by a stroll along the harbour.

Simon had his photo taken against a statue of someone, an ACDC band member, but as usual I should pay more attention and can't remember exactly which band member but I think it ended in Scott!

A trip to the ice-cream shop and another casual walk through the town was taken before returning to the cars and driving home (via the supermarket for things for our impending return).

I spent the remainder of the day and evening packing whilst Simon and the girls had one final dip in the pool. Oh yeah, and then writing blogs!

A few more pics here

So now for my oscars bit..........

I would like to thank Paul & Biz (and Porter) for allowing us to invade their wonderful abode and take over the last 3 weeks of their lives. We have had some amazing experiences and it was extra extra (see what I did there?!) special to share it with my little brother and sister (in law). It was a joy to see the girls laugh and joke with them and we really have created an abundance of memories which will last a lifetime. Whilst we have been here though there are some super super special people back home who have been holding the fort, looking after the animals, our house and our business. Thank you soooooooo much Mum, Dad, Holly & Lucy (M) for all of your hard work which has gone above and beyond, I really really do appreciate it. Also thanks to Megan, Jess, Lucy (W) & Millie for being an amazing team, rolling your sleeves up and getting on with it...... your'e the best :) I'd also like to thank Jerry for reading my blog, it was really just for Mum & Dad to keep up to date, but I'm so glad you have enjoyed my ramblings too.

Anyway, it is now 23.26 and we are leaving in 3 hours and 24 minutes so I suppose I had better try and have a little nap (although I know I won't!)

So long, until the next time..........

Lots of love, Trudy x

Day 19 - Mandurah

So for our penultimate day we took a trip on the train to Mandurah which is South of Perth city.

It was a relatively early start and we got there in good time for our allotted time slot to skipper a little boat. There was a few cafes around so it seemed rude not have have breakfast out! I was good and had a fruit salad, whilst the girls had a full english, Simon & Paul a bacon and egg baguette and Biz a raspberry and white chocolate muffin. Everyone seemed pleased with their choices. The boat jetty for Mandurah boat hire was only a short amble away so we completed the necessary paperwork and climbed on-board the the boat.

Not quite the one we hired!

Before being casted off

Paul had 'bagsied' first go, and skilfully negotiated the instructed 'path' through the yellow buoys, and then onto the green buoys to begin our adventure. 'Bill' the boat hire man, had talked Paul through the maps so we were confident he knew exactly which way to go.........erm, only it didn't quite go to plan! Then around the corner appeared a cruise boat, which was fairly intimidating in the middle of an estuary with no road signs or white markings! We decided to just follow the boat, which turned into Dolphin Quay and then back out again, so not too adventurous! It then all started to come back to the skipper and we were then headed on the right path.

We passed through the canals and OMG were there so palaces out there, each with their own private jettys and some of the yatchs dwarfing even the palace! Certainly an insight as to how the other half live!

The waterways then opened up into an estuary and we all had a go at steering. The best bit though, was seeing so many dolphins, I can never tire at the sight of them. One pod even had a baby dolphin with them which was so nice to see.

After our two hours were up and Paul had very successfully manoeuvred the vessel to the dock we made our way to San Churos and indulged once more before returning home for a dip in the pool.

You can see more photos here

Day 18 - Lake Monger & South City Beach

Day 18

So, today, our last official 'pool day' before returning home. We had a lovely relaxing morning and afternoon. We left at 3.00 to visit Lake Monger, Biz said they have lots of nice birds there for us to see (she knows I enjoy seeing them). There is a 3.5km walk all around the lake and we came across a beautiful black swan who was more than happy to pose for us (it actually waddled closer for us!) We also saw black signets, ducks, rainbow lorikeets (they are beautiful and hang upside down on branches!) Biz, Jenny & Jodie had a very brief sighting of a long necked turtle but unfortunately I missed that one. Porter had fun locating all the sprinklers which hadn't receded into the ground. It was a gorgeous evening, the weather was perfect for a stroll.

The most bizarre image of a long necked turtle I've ever seen

View of the city from Lake Monger

A black swan posing for us against the backdrop of the city

A couple of Lorikeets

Today had been pencilled in to watch the sunset from the South City Beach, so after our walk we did a quick stop to Domino's, where the language barrier really did make me wonder what exactly I had ordered, it was all very confusing. All but Jodie were pleased with the outcome, she ordered a Margherita which in England is simply a tomato sauce base with cheese on top. However, a blipp in translation meant that it had real life proper cherry tomatoes (which are obviously unacceptable!) She managed to piggle the tomatoes off though so all was not lost.

Enjoying our dominos pizza's and Porter looking on wishing he had one too!

We had reservations that the sunset wouldn't be as nice as normal due to lots of clouds, but, we waited it out and were rewarded eventually with yet again beautiful skies. So, camera at the ready we took the opportunity for more shots and think we may even hang one of these on our wall at home.

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Day 16 & 17 - Perth - WACA

Sunday 13 April (day 16) was BBQ day with Paul and Biz's friends the Johnston's coming over for the afternoon.  Paul cooked a more than ample supply of sausages and burgers and Biz made some Blondies, white chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies, all washed down with suitable liquid refreshments. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Day 17 was designated as a shopping day in Perth for Jodie to spend her birthday money and for us to pick up some souvenirs.

These feet were made for shopping

Simon and Paul, much to Simon's relief (Paul also pretended he wouldn't mind going), excused themselves from shopping to take a tour around the WACA cricket ground.  They also took a tour around Perth on the free Number 2 Red Cat bus, by virtue of the fact that they got on at the wrong stop and went west before heading out east to the ground - and they call me for bad navigation!!  It cost them vital time and meant they missed out on a beer and some food before the start of the two hour tour (an hour too long even for Simon). Everyone was a winner, the girls got shopping (with Simon's card), Mcdonalds & pancakes and the boys got lost, hungry and a tour around the WACA.

Paul looking suitably impressed with his surroundings!

Simon on the hallowed turf in front of the iconic scoreboard (or so I'm told)

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Day 15 - Photo's and a Ruby

Day 15 started with Auntie Biz collecting the kids from their sleep over and was followed by a lazy pool day, sunbathing, editing pictures, writing blogs and playing with Porter in the Pool.

An evening meal at the Festival India curry house had been booked for 7.30.  The restaurant is owned by a friend of Paul & Biz and had their favourite Gobi Manchurian on the menu.  Simon had his first taste of cauliflower.........ever....... and actually enjoyed it, as did Jenny, Jodie thought it was 'ok'!

We thought it would be nice to go to South Perth to do a photo shoot as the sun was setting (in the West) using Perth as the backdrop.  The sun sets at 6.00 ish and the news that the curry was not until 7.30 did not go down well with the "starving" Jodie.  Anyhow she did tolerate it and we got a few family shots, our favourite one taken by Uncle Paul.

The changing skyline was beautiful and mingled from blue to purple to orange to pink and a whole spectrum in-between, it was awesome.

Uncle Paul taking some great shots..........

like this one (one of our favourites)

another fave

Simon's tripod had it uses, and it was amusing watching him dash into place once the self-timer had been set!

Just before it was 'dark dark'

After an eternity (according to Jodie) it was finally time to head off to the curry house for dinner. We had a lovely meal and it was yet another great evening. Uncle Paul pretended to be a 'down wiv the kids, innit' kind of guy, not quite sure if he pulled it off or not...... you decide..........

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Day 14 - Night's out

We had a lovely relaxing day by the pool, the pool was so inviting and there were definitely no jelly fish involved so I was safe!  Porter enjoyed using me as a lilo and was happy to be floated up and down, saving all his energy as he didn't have to swim.  It made him very sleepy and lethargic and it was a real effort for him to get out via the pool steps.  We also had a laugh at his expense, sending him to swim to Jenny, but then Jenny would hide underwater and this confused Porter muchly.

You move, you loose Jenny

The girls had been invited over to the Kalamunda Show by Casey whose family are friends of Biz & Paul.  We went for Pizza with them earlier in the holiday. Uncle Paul was delivering them and they had to depart by 3.30 so at 12.00 with only 3 hours 30 seconds for beautification the preparations began for the big night out. This left Simon and I with a lovely, tranquil afternoon by and in the pool....... pure bliss :)

Us adults were also having an evening out and with a table booked for 6.30 at Hippo Creek restaurant at Waterford we headed off. We reached our destination which was located in a retail village kind of place but it was quickly decided that the Hippo Creek at Subiaco would be a quieter and more pleasurable dining experience, so a quick call, table booked for 7.30 our excuses were made and we left for plan b.

Subiaco is a sophisticated and vibrant area where people gather for a night out with a selection of nice bars and restaurants.

Subiaco high street

We spotted a Nando's (Jodie's fave) so Biz & Paul posed for a cheeky shot to try and make Jodie jealous

Next stop was the Purl Bar for a pre dinner drink. We were sat next to a smoked glass screen so it goes without saying that Simon took the opportunity for another shot.

Hippo Creek was our next stop and we were shown to our table in the corner of the restaurant. Selections made we ordered our meals and looked forward to there arrivals (we were really hungry). Starters came and were delicious. Then mains arrived and mine looked spectacular I had ordered Rump steak cubes which dangled off a Skewer over a bowl of chips known as Hunters Assaghai. I was given specific instructions from the waitress on how to remove the said chunks of steak to avoid a catastrophic fall of the dish. So, with a photo taken I set to.

Hunters Assaghai

So, now you have an idea of the task ahead of me. I tried................... and I failed..........big time! I held firmly at the side while skilfully teasing the bottom chunk off which landed in the chips....easy peasy lemon squeezy. I then attempted to stick the fork in the chunk of meat to transfer it to my plate, this wasn't quite as easy as I had envisaged and enlisted the knife to stab it instead. Tooled up with both hands led to my demise and before having chance to shout out an expletive the garlic butter sauce resting on top of the chunks had catapulted through the air and splatted on my sleeve, all over the floor and my bag strap narrowly missing Simons camera resting inside. The table next to us gave a gasp and for a horrible second I thought I had got the lady sat to my right. Luckily she avoided any splash and handed me a hot towel to mop up with while praying that the waitress who gave the instructions didn't come back before the evidence was removed.

Simon, Paul & Biz all had fillet steak which melted in their mouths. My steak (once I had managed to get a chunk on my plate) however was as tough as old boots so when the waitress returned she took it away and replaced it with a fillet which was delicious but very filling, so Paul finished mine off (as well as Biz's!)

We visited Kings Park en route home to take in the city at night and Swan River, all lit up. A good chance to get a few night time landscapes with the Fuji X100S, resting on a handrail with pretty pleasing results considering we didn't take the tripod along.

Perth by night

On our return to the car I received a text from Jenny saying that they were 'back safe and were still alive', the girls were also sleeping over and it was good to know they were back safe.

More images can be found by clicking here

Day 12 & 13 - Caversham Wildlife Park

We spent day 12 travelling back down South to the homestead we have grown to know and love in the guise on the Anscombe residence.  We obeyed the road sign and were very careful of not hitting free range Kangaroo's, Emu's & whatever the other animal appeared to be. (Possibly a Bandicoot or an  Echidna, probably to latter).  The kids & I had gotten fed up by now of jumping out of the car for every photo opportunity available, so Simon settled for a quick snap with the window down!

Simon took advantage of the good exchange rate to purchase a new camera, the eagerly awaited Fujifilm X-T1 (bought on the pretext that as a lighter camera it would help my dodgy bones on long days shooting horses!) The parcel had attempted to be delivered whilst we were on our holiday holiday so Simon, Paul & I trundled off to collect the camera from the Post Office and I did a spot of food shopping.  I saw my first barefoot shopper!  Apparently its not unusual over here and some shops even have signs asking people to wear footwear.

Jodie, Jenny, Simon, Paul & Porter had an afternoon of fun in the pool. We had a quick Skype to Mum & Dad back home and finished with a yummy BBQ.

Day 13 - Caversham Wildlife Park

Today's road trip took 'about an hour' and we headed 'East North' (as Jenny would describe it much to our amusement!). It is situated within Whiteman Park and luckily as the Australia kids are still at school it was relatively un-busy. It was 35 degrees in the sun and beautiful clear skies, luckily the park was pretty shaded so although it was hot, it didn't feel 'hot hot'! Jodie & Jenny planned our route around the park.....

We saw a plenty of animals and birds en route to their first pit-stop. There were so many lovely animals to see and interact with but the highlight certainly for Jodie & Jenny was most definitely without a shadow of a doubt the Kangaroo's which were so friendly and soft and cuddly. There were a few who had baby Joeys in their pouches and we occasionally saw a cute little head poking out, to be replaced when they went shy with a leg and an ear instead! 

Smile

We stayed briefly as there was a 'meet the Wombat and friends' experience at 11.00 so we tootled off to where we needed to be. As well as the Wombat there was an array of other birds, reptiles and mammals (of which I should have paid more attention and I may have been able to name them, but I didn't so you'll just have to guess).

Not very dignified

Meet the Wombats

There are loads more to see via the flickr link, but too many to use in the blog! The next show was the farm show at 1.00pm. It was nearly lunchtime so we took the opportunity to have lunch at their cafe. Jodie took this chance to vet the photos which had been taken (now triple pronged as Simon, Uncle Paul & I all had cameras). Jenny hadn't checked her phone for at least 10 minutes and therefore tried to hook up to 'Davids' hotspot who was also dining (somewhere) in the cafe, but to no avail.

The girls wanted to go back to the Kangaroos en route to the animal show, so we walked back to the enclosure and probably could have stayed there for a good while longer. The 'Roo's' were mainly sleepy, but a couple of them did 'bounce' off which was great to witness. I didnt realise just how much they rely on their tails to balance and as an extra leg when 'walking' on all fours.

Very nice to meet you Jenny

We managed to tear ourselves away and made it just about on time for the farm show. Here we saw how the Australia farm dogs are used to round the sheep up for shearing. The dog they used 'Rusty' was still in training but he got there in the end. Uncle Paul was really inspired and can't wait to buy a ranch with sheep so he can have a dog to do that job. We saw a sheep being shawn and then were showed how the farmers crack their wips. A few people from the audience had a go with varying degrees of success, some of the 'fails' looked quite painful. 

One man and his dog

Following the show we had a wander around the rest of Molly's farm, I was really brave and accompanied Jen's into the 'loads of different animals ranging from goats, to lama's, to turkeys which were all loose together'. (I don't have a good track record with goats). As well as those there was also a Shire horse and miniature together, some really stinky pigs, an alpaca and no doubt a few more I have forgotten about.

one of the many goats

very little and very large

Chloie the Clydesdale

The next stop were the Koala's. They sleep for 20 out of the 24 hours in a day so it was unlikely that we would see one awake. We were only allowed to touch one particular Koala, and weren't allowed to touch their food as they would see it as contamination and refuse to eat it. They were super cute and looked very cuddly.

We exited via the gift shop and Simon purchased a hat for himself, a bag & some playing cards for me and a bracelet for Jodie, Jenny missed out on that one! 

The day was concluded with a dip in the pool and some Porter swim training followed by a Skype, to Mum, Dad, Dean & Mille. Dinner was sausages and chips and rounded off by a few games of card with my newly purchased playing cards.

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