Day 22 Tuesday 22nd July
Bob got up really early this morning to play golf at Burswood near Perth City with Damian, Rachael’s partner. Adam was at work so TJ and I had a lazy breakfast and set off for the internet and library, we still haven’t found jobs for them or accommodation in Brisbane for any of us. There appears to be 2 large conferences in Perth while we are there so most of the accommodation is booked or far too expensive. When Bob finished golf he phoned to say come home and let me in as he didn’t have a key. As it was early afternoon and he said that he had forgotten to take his camera with him, we went back to Burswood Golf course and took some photos of him with the magazine he is carrying everywhere with him and then we went into the Casino next door. Tj was wide eyed, bless her she had never been in a Casino in her life and was so amazed by the bright lights and the difference faces of people, happy or sad or just concentrating on winning. We were now getting close to the time that Adam finished work and as it was only 16 klms away we phoned him to say we would pick him up. Adam had downloaded the road maps of Australia to TomTom when he arrived and it has been so invaluable. We picked him up at 5pm and were home for 6pm, just enough time to cook tea and change to go to the cinema, being Tuesday is cheap day so this week all but TJ went to see the new Batman film, The Dark Knight and Tj watched Get Smart, a comedy.
Day 23 Wednesday 23rd July
It was TJ’s turn to take Adam to the railway station at 7am this morning so Bob got a lie in. Another day of trawling the internet, some food shopping and a walk in the mall as the weather was terrible – the rain pounded down so hard you couldn’t hear yourself speak in the shopping mall. Not wanting to go out in the evening we hired a DVD “Wildhogs” and watched that.
Day 24 Thursday 24th July
This morning the weather was better, a bit of sun so after taking Adam to the station I made breakfast for Lyn and we all managed to get out by 9.30am to spend some time in Perth. TJ wants a new handbag and some maps for places she will visit later so we called into the map shop locally on the way and got some of them. In Perth we couldn’t park in our usual carpark so ended up in a very expensive one so we were limited in time. I was, however, persuaded by the girls to buy a “man bag” I think they ganged up on me as they were both fed up with carrying glasses, wallets, camera’s etc in their handbags. Anyway its very useful. After leaving Perth we went looking for estate agents in Joondalup to see if they had any contacts in Brisbane for rental houses. Unfortunately they weren’t so we dropped Tj back at the library for a couple of hours while Lyn and I went home to prepare dinner. Adam arrived home at 6.50pm and Tom and Shiela arrived at 7.10pm for dinner. A very pleasant evening was had, chatting and catching up on life over the past 20 odd years.
Day 25 Friday July 25th
Today is Dans 2nd birthday but I can’t phone him now as it’s about 2am in the uk but we are hoping to get online with webcam later in the day. With all the washing up to date and the broom through the house we set off for Hillary’s Marina to see if we can go on a boat tomorrow as the weather forecast is good. Unfortunately they are closed for a couple of weeks and the cost of the boat trips are expensive (justified if you can sunbathe on the islands but not in the winter with weak sunshine). So we headed for Scarborough on the coast as it’s supposed to be a touristy place. Unfortunately the rain is hacking down again so no point getting out of the car so we drove round looking for something to do and saw Ikea – I know sad isn’t it but as none of us have heaps of warm clothes then we don’t last long in the cold so we went in for a nose to see if it’s the same as the Uk and Spain – it is. We found a glass dish to replace one that Bob broke in the house and stood for 20 mins trying to pay for it, only to be told that it was a display one with the correct tag so they couldn’t let us have it. Bob went to find another, unfortunately they didn’t have one so we had wasted 30 mins. Bob dropped TJ and I at the internet café with the webcam and went to pick Adam up from the railway station but as we went into the café we were told that he was closing early on Friday so we only had 45 mins. It was a disastrous afternoon as Lucy didn’t hear my text to say come on line now, then she couldn’t get her computer to run properly and eventually Bob turned up with Adam and we got thrown out of the café as we had run out of time so I didn’t get to see Dan on his birthday but I did talk to him over the phone. So very fed up we headed for home.
Day 26 Saturday July 26th
Its SUNNY and warm, can’t believe it ! Adam has done a week working and is looking forward to a lie in this morning but with the sun shining we soon finished our cooked breakfast and having discarded most of the ideas of things to do, we set off to drive the coast road. We spent all day, driving along, stopping, having an ice cream, watching the locals, driving some more, looking at the houses for sale, then when we got to Scarborough again and Lucy text to say she was up so we headed for the internet to say hi to here and the boys. It was a very good session as we booked the house and a car in Brisbane, and we found a fantastic offer for the hotel we wanted in Fiji so we booked that too. The men were now very hungry so we walked back round to the sea front and we had fish and chips sitting outside a café in glorious sunshine . Bob was happy as there were many bikers about who stopped at the café for a beer or a snack too. Home for dinner as Adam and TJ are making a curry for tonight.
Day 27 Sunday 27th July
We had a late start this morning as once again the weather was terrible, when it cleared we went for drive to Marangaroo Golf course to hit a bucket of balls and watch the wild kangaroos at play, Tj and Lyn said they would like to have a go too. The sun was lovely and warm so we sat in it having a drink. On the way home we bought some food for our evening meal which we were going to share with Racheal, Damian and Ken and Teresa. Having such basic equipment in the house we were renting meant that the meal would be simple and we had to rearrange the furniture to get everyone in. Racheal and Damian arrived first to tell us that Racheals daughter-in-law Mary Ann, had had a baby boy early that morning, Jackson Matthew born at 5am weighing 8lb 12oz. Ken and Teresa (Mary Ann’s parents) would be along later. We had a lovely evening, eventhough the potato wedges didn’t cook quickly enough and the garlic bread burnt !!!
Day 28 Monday 28th July
Adam was back to work this morning, bob was playing golf at Marangaroo and TJ and I were off to Racheals to have our hair done. As we sat in the salon the rain came down very heavy and we wondered if Bob was still playing. We arrived at the golf course as the sun came out but an official said that Bob had just gone out on the course again after spending some time under the trees waiting for the storm to pass soaked to the skin. He went out on the course to find him to tell him we were waiting. He played a couple more holes but the sky went black again so he gave up and we headed home to change into something dry. The evening was spent at Tom and Sheila’s where we had a lovely lamb dinner and said our goodbyes to them as we were due to leave Perth in 2 days time.
Jul 26, 2008
Jul 25, 2008
Week 3 July 15th - 21st Perth
Day 15 Tuesday 15th July
Well, once again we woke to rain – this is not what we came for ! So we had a lazy morning, reading and deciding what to do. Our decision was to go to Hillary’s about 10 mins away – this is a marina with a boardwalk and shops, all undercover, and an aquarium. We started at the aquarium and found it very interesting, laid out very well with staff giving you information at all the major places. We went in the longest glass tunnel in Australia and watched sharks and rays glide over our heads. We had a late lunch in the aquarium café as it was throwing it down with rain again and the outside shows by the sea lions had been cancelled due to the weather. I overheard a lady saying that they could not remember it being so bad in Perth before. Adam received a phone call from the agency looking for a job for him to say that he had been accepted for a job in IT in Canningvale (south east of Perth) with a company who deal with energy, oil, petroleum etc. – he starts on Monday next week. To celebrate we drove to the cinema and as Tuesday is “cheap” day we could all see the film “Hancock” for only $9 each but we would have to wait an hour so Bob and Adam raced each other on the game machines in the foyer and TJ and I sat and had an ice cream. When we came out of the film we were all hungry so we tried the Sizzler Restaurant, it was 8.45 as we entered and the notice on the door said they closed at 9pm but the lady took our order and money and we sat down. It was a buffet salad bar and the boys had ordered steak and chicken, by the time we got to the dessert bar the staff had their coats on waiting for us to finish ! Bob and I have noticed this huge difference in lifestyle more than Adam and TJ because when the restaurants are closing here, they would be just opening in Spain.
Day 16 Wednesday July 16th
Another one of those days when the weather looks bad before we left home, but we needed to check emails, send off for info on jobs and apartments and Adam wanted to look up information on public transport to get to his new job, so we set off for the shopping mall to use the internet and intended to spend some time at the library too but Adam wanted to buy a pair of work trousers and a couple of shirts so we had a wander round first. We stopped for lunch and then finally went to the library while Bob did the food shopping. The day just whizzed by and we got thrown out the library at 6pm so we went home for dinner and an early night.
Day 17 Thursday July 17th
This morning we were up at 6am – yes you read it right 6am! Adam wanted to do a dummy run on public transport to Canningvale so we all left at 7am and drove to the railway station and dropped Adam and TJ off. Bob and I drove to Canningvale via the freeway, (using the Tom Tom which has been invaluable) about 45 klms and parked outside the offices, arriving at 7.40am. Adam and TJ arrived, after catching a bus from the nearest railway station at 8.25am – perfect as he has to start at 8.30am. We had been waiting for some time with the heater on in the car and the Tom Tom still plugged in so when we went to start the car, the battery was flat ! Oh dear ! Very luckily we were parked next to a petrol station with a service garage next door so Bob managed to borrow a jump start kit from them to get us going again. The weather this morning was sunny although still cold, none of us had had breakfast so we decided to drive to Mandurah for breakfast. Mandurah is a small Marina but not much more, we found the Sailing Museum Café was open so we had fresh fruit, muesli and pancakes for breakfast and set off to the Marina. We wandered round the few shops that were open, there is a lot of building going on and the apartments overlooking the Marina are up for sale from $525,000 (over £260,000). Suddenly Tj spotted dolphins in the marina – we watched for 5 mins while 3 of them swam past us, turned round and swam back – we also noticed a pelican following a man who was trying to fish along the waters edge. Having seen all there was to see we got back in the car and turned, heading towards home, stopping at Rockingham on the way. This place was the pits, I think they need to rip what’s left down, it was cold, wet and windy, we took a photo of us on the sea front and ran back towards the car. However, Adam was still hungry, having only had fruit and muesli for breakfast so we went in search of a burger which we found in a greasy café – Tj had a kebab and hoped she didn’t get food poisoning , Bob had fish and chips without a knife and fork and my pizza came in a cardboard box – they certainly needed to upgrade their service!!! Leaving Rockingham it was still only 3pm so we headed towards Freemantle, when we visited last week we didn’t get round to visiting their prison so we thought we would see if they were open. The notice outside said they were open til 5.30 and the next tour would begin in a few minutes so we paid our $23 each and set off on the “great escapes tour” which was taken by a guide called Julie who told us about some of the 270 escapes, only 1 of which was ever totally successful. This prison closed in 1991 and was a maximum security prison for the last few years. It was built 150 years ago by convicts sent to Australia and it housed a womens and mens prison although they were always separate. In modern times it was very over crowded and had over 1700 prisoners in the mens side and in 1988 there was a riot and the inmates set fire to the place, which burned most of the roof off. It took 18 months and $2.5 million to replace it with Jarrah wood (a very hard wood equivalent to the English oak) but because the prison was so antiquated everywhere else they closed it only 18 months later ! What a waste ! At the end of the first tour we joined in for the second tour which was about the history of the prison. Brendan a very Irish Australian was very entertaining in his regaling of prison life, telling us about the terrible conditions that they lived in and how the prisoners were locked up for 14 hours or more a day as there was only 83 wardens to watch 1700 prisoners. Apparently Perth is hot for 9 months of the year (obviously not in July though) and in the height of the summer it would be 40+ degrees in the prison and over 50 degrees in the prison yard and prisoners would sleep on the floor of the cell just to get the slightest draught through the air vents in the bottom of the doors. After an excellent tour we finally left the prison at 6.15pm and headed for home, dinner and bed – this was a long day.
Day 18 Friday 18th July
The weather forecast for today was wet windy and cold and that’s exactly what it was. So bad in fact that Bob stayed in bed til 1pm reading his book ! The TV station was reporting a mini hurricane passing thru Freemantle and Perth overnight which uprooted trees, took off roofs and closed roads, one of which was the Freemantle bridge which we had crossed last night ! During the afternoon the rain gave over for a couple of hours so we rushed out to get something in for dinner and returned for a quiet night in with a roaring fire and a game or two of cards.
Day 19 Saturday 19th July
Two shopping trips today, firstly to Lakeside where there is a Blockbusters Video Rental shop, if the weather doesn’t improve we will need a DVD or two ! Bob had a look round a Golf Shop but said it was very expensive and not that interesting. While the rain was holding off we decided to try the Harbour Town which is an outlet shopping park and mostly indoors. However, after an hour we realized that it wasn’t what we were used to, no golf stuff at all !, and the quality of the shops was very poor, in fact some of the prices in the suburban shopping malls were as cheap. Lyn did manage to find a pair of joggers and and long sleeve jumper and a pair of trainers as she has been frozen the past couple of days and none of us have enough warm clothes with us for this extreme weather. We had an invite to Racheal and Damian’s house in the evening for a barbeque to meet Matt, her son, who went to school with Adam, and Matts wife’s parents Ken and Teresa. We arrived an hour early so that Rachael could cut Adams hair (ready for his new job on Monday). Damien cooked a fantastic barbecue of steak, lamb chops and sausages and we had homemade soup for starters which was just what we needed. At the back of their house is a patio, covered with a gazebo with a patio heater, perfect for entertaining winter or summer. We had a very enjoyable evening chatting to Ken and Teresa who are from Rhodesia and have lived in many places, including the UK. Ken is a golfer and kindly offered his clubs on loan to Bob for the duration of our Perth visit – we said we would call Sunday morning and pick them up. After several glasses of wine and lots of laughs we left at sometime after midnight.
Day 20 Sunday 20th July
We woke to a bright sunny morning and after collecting the golf clubs headed for Scitec (a science discovery museum and planetarium in Perth.) Unfortunately this week is holiday for the children so the museum was very busy but we spent some time playing on the many exhibits which explained the basics of sciences for the children (we enjoyed it too) then we went into the planetarium to watch a 40 min “look the stars”. It was very interesting and informative but the behavior of some of the children spoilt the experience as their parents didn’t keep them in check. Then followed another 40 mins “astronaut” talk and film, the young man who introduced us to the constellations was very clever but he did say “real cool” about a hundred times !! Having had enough of the naughty children we left the museum and headed for Kings Park, which is above the harbor of Perth and has the most fantastic views of the city and the Swan River. We walked round the botanical gardens and the water gardens and luckily we were in the right place at the right time and saw the planting of a huge Boab Tree which had been donated by the Aboriginal people to the city. It had been paraded through the streets on its way to the park on Saturday, where it had gotten stuck in one of the suburbs and some of the branches had had to be cut off, so it was planted on Sunday instead. We took photos and clapped the workmen and set off for a walk over the glass bridge, high in the trees, and on through the park. As the light began to fade we headed back to the car and continued through the park by road and on to home. Bob and TJ had chosen the film “Meet the Spartans” from Blockbusters so we sat down to watch it – after 10 mins I retired to my bed with my book and Adam fell asleep – what a terrible film !!! When the film finished we had booked a table at the Hogs Breath Restaurant as last time it was full to overflowing and we only just got a table. This time it was almost empty so we had a lovely meal and went home to bed for an earlyish night as Adam was going to have to get up at 6am to go to work.
Day 21 Monday 21st July
The alarm went off at 6am and Tj drove Adam to the railway station about 10 mins away and then came home and went back to bed. He had to get the train to Canningvale (about 45 mins) then a bus to the job (20 mins) and he was to start at 8.30am, he arrived at 7.45am. Tomorrow he would get the next train he said ! Tj Bob and I set off for the post office to post a parcel back to the uk with some of the souvenirs and wedding reception stuff in it, returned the DVD to blockbusters and checked emails and the blog (thanks to those of you who are reading all this gobbledegook I am writing) it is nice to hear from you. Teresa works at a physiotherapy place 2 mins from the house and she recommended Darren for my continued neck problem so we called in to make appointments to have our backs and necks put right with him tomorrow. Then onto Lakeside shopping to do some food shopping. We stopped for a bit of lunch (healthy I might add) and then Bob left us to go and have a practice with the golf clubs that Ken had loaned him. Teresa’s daughter Mary Ann(that’s Matts wife) is expecting a baby boy this week so we bought a present for the baby and then went to find a shop that sells just maps as we still need one for Brisbane but haven’t up to now been able to find a decent one. The lady in the map shop was very nice and offered to order the ones we needed for the rest of our trip and was telling us how much the price of living had increased in the last 2 years. We said that we thought that Perth was expensive to live in, especially the cost of food, they are retiring in September and are concerned that they won’t be able to survive on their pensions. She said that a house that cost $200,000 (around £100,000) 2 years ago would now be up for sale at $600,000 and a loaf of bread that cost $1.20 was now $3. The problem is that the gold, diamonds etc. that are being mined in the north of Perth has made the state the most wealthy so the cost of living has rocketed. Adam phoned not long after we returned home to come and get him from the railway station, he had had a very good day, working life in Perth was fairly relaxed, the job he had to do was to re-write some of their excel software for forms and information for the company and he said it was not going to be too difficult. The manager who had employed him told him that originally he had only planned to keep him for 3 days to see how he worked but he was so impressed with his skills that he said he would keep him as long as he could as he a lots more projects that he wanted him to finish off or sort out !
Well, once again we woke to rain – this is not what we came for ! So we had a lazy morning, reading and deciding what to do. Our decision was to go to Hillary’s about 10 mins away – this is a marina with a boardwalk and shops, all undercover, and an aquarium. We started at the aquarium and found it very interesting, laid out very well with staff giving you information at all the major places. We went in the longest glass tunnel in Australia and watched sharks and rays glide over our heads. We had a late lunch in the aquarium café as it was throwing it down with rain again and the outside shows by the sea lions had been cancelled due to the weather. I overheard a lady saying that they could not remember it being so bad in Perth before. Adam received a phone call from the agency looking for a job for him to say that he had been accepted for a job in IT in Canningvale (south east of Perth) with a company who deal with energy, oil, petroleum etc. – he starts on Monday next week. To celebrate we drove to the cinema and as Tuesday is “cheap” day we could all see the film “Hancock” for only $9 each but we would have to wait an hour so Bob and Adam raced each other on the game machines in the foyer and TJ and I sat and had an ice cream. When we came out of the film we were all hungry so we tried the Sizzler Restaurant, it was 8.45 as we entered and the notice on the door said they closed at 9pm but the lady took our order and money and we sat down. It was a buffet salad bar and the boys had ordered steak and chicken, by the time we got to the dessert bar the staff had their coats on waiting for us to finish ! Bob and I have noticed this huge difference in lifestyle more than Adam and TJ because when the restaurants are closing here, they would be just opening in Spain.
Day 16 Wednesday July 16th
Another one of those days when the weather looks bad before we left home, but we needed to check emails, send off for info on jobs and apartments and Adam wanted to look up information on public transport to get to his new job, so we set off for the shopping mall to use the internet and intended to spend some time at the library too but Adam wanted to buy a pair of work trousers and a couple of shirts so we had a wander round first. We stopped for lunch and then finally went to the library while Bob did the food shopping. The day just whizzed by and we got thrown out the library at 6pm so we went home for dinner and an early night.
Day 17 Thursday July 17th
This morning we were up at 6am – yes you read it right 6am! Adam wanted to do a dummy run on public transport to Canningvale so we all left at 7am and drove to the railway station and dropped Adam and TJ off. Bob and I drove to Canningvale via the freeway, (using the Tom Tom which has been invaluable) about 45 klms and parked outside the offices, arriving at 7.40am. Adam and TJ arrived, after catching a bus from the nearest railway station at 8.25am – perfect as he has to start at 8.30am. We had been waiting for some time with the heater on in the car and the Tom Tom still plugged in so when we went to start the car, the battery was flat ! Oh dear ! Very luckily we were parked next to a petrol station with a service garage next door so Bob managed to borrow a jump start kit from them to get us going again. The weather this morning was sunny although still cold, none of us had had breakfast so we decided to drive to Mandurah for breakfast. Mandurah is a small Marina but not much more, we found the Sailing Museum Café was open so we had fresh fruit, muesli and pancakes for breakfast and set off to the Marina. We wandered round the few shops that were open, there is a lot of building going on and the apartments overlooking the Marina are up for sale from $525,000 (over £260,000). Suddenly Tj spotted dolphins in the marina – we watched for 5 mins while 3 of them swam past us, turned round and swam back – we also noticed a pelican following a man who was trying to fish along the waters edge. Having seen all there was to see we got back in the car and turned, heading towards home, stopping at Rockingham on the way. This place was the pits, I think they need to rip what’s left down, it was cold, wet and windy, we took a photo of us on the sea front and ran back towards the car. However, Adam was still hungry, having only had fruit and muesli for breakfast so we went in search of a burger which we found in a greasy café – Tj had a kebab and hoped she didn’t get food poisoning , Bob had fish and chips without a knife and fork and my pizza came in a cardboard box – they certainly needed to upgrade their service!!! Leaving Rockingham it was still only 3pm so we headed towards Freemantle, when we visited last week we didn’t get round to visiting their prison so we thought we would see if they were open. The notice outside said they were open til 5.30 and the next tour would begin in a few minutes so we paid our $23 each and set off on the “great escapes tour” which was taken by a guide called Julie who told us about some of the 270 escapes, only 1 of which was ever totally successful. This prison closed in 1991 and was a maximum security prison for the last few years. It was built 150 years ago by convicts sent to Australia and it housed a womens and mens prison although they were always separate. In modern times it was very over crowded and had over 1700 prisoners in the mens side and in 1988 there was a riot and the inmates set fire to the place, which burned most of the roof off. It took 18 months and $2.5 million to replace it with Jarrah wood (a very hard wood equivalent to the English oak) but because the prison was so antiquated everywhere else they closed it only 18 months later ! What a waste ! At the end of the first tour we joined in for the second tour which was about the history of the prison. Brendan a very Irish Australian was very entertaining in his regaling of prison life, telling us about the terrible conditions that they lived in and how the prisoners were locked up for 14 hours or more a day as there was only 83 wardens to watch 1700 prisoners. Apparently Perth is hot for 9 months of the year (obviously not in July though) and in the height of the summer it would be 40+ degrees in the prison and over 50 degrees in the prison yard and prisoners would sleep on the floor of the cell just to get the slightest draught through the air vents in the bottom of the doors. After an excellent tour we finally left the prison at 6.15pm and headed for home, dinner and bed – this was a long day.
Day 18 Friday 18th July
The weather forecast for today was wet windy and cold and that’s exactly what it was. So bad in fact that Bob stayed in bed til 1pm reading his book ! The TV station was reporting a mini hurricane passing thru Freemantle and Perth overnight which uprooted trees, took off roofs and closed roads, one of which was the Freemantle bridge which we had crossed last night ! During the afternoon the rain gave over for a couple of hours so we rushed out to get something in for dinner and returned for a quiet night in with a roaring fire and a game or two of cards.
Day 19 Saturday 19th July
Two shopping trips today, firstly to Lakeside where there is a Blockbusters Video Rental shop, if the weather doesn’t improve we will need a DVD or two ! Bob had a look round a Golf Shop but said it was very expensive and not that interesting. While the rain was holding off we decided to try the Harbour Town which is an outlet shopping park and mostly indoors. However, after an hour we realized that it wasn’t what we were used to, no golf stuff at all !, and the quality of the shops was very poor, in fact some of the prices in the suburban shopping malls were as cheap. Lyn did manage to find a pair of joggers and and long sleeve jumper and a pair of trainers as she has been frozen the past couple of days and none of us have enough warm clothes with us for this extreme weather. We had an invite to Racheal and Damian’s house in the evening for a barbeque to meet Matt, her son, who went to school with Adam, and Matts wife’s parents Ken and Teresa. We arrived an hour early so that Rachael could cut Adams hair (ready for his new job on Monday). Damien cooked a fantastic barbecue of steak, lamb chops and sausages and we had homemade soup for starters which was just what we needed. At the back of their house is a patio, covered with a gazebo with a patio heater, perfect for entertaining winter or summer. We had a very enjoyable evening chatting to Ken and Teresa who are from Rhodesia and have lived in many places, including the UK. Ken is a golfer and kindly offered his clubs on loan to Bob for the duration of our Perth visit – we said we would call Sunday morning and pick them up. After several glasses of wine and lots of laughs we left at sometime after midnight.
Day 20 Sunday 20th July
We woke to a bright sunny morning and after collecting the golf clubs headed for Scitec (a science discovery museum and planetarium in Perth.) Unfortunately this week is holiday for the children so the museum was very busy but we spent some time playing on the many exhibits which explained the basics of sciences for the children (we enjoyed it too) then we went into the planetarium to watch a 40 min “look the stars”. It was very interesting and informative but the behavior of some of the children spoilt the experience as their parents didn’t keep them in check. Then followed another 40 mins “astronaut” talk and film, the young man who introduced us to the constellations was very clever but he did say “real cool” about a hundred times !! Having had enough of the naughty children we left the museum and headed for Kings Park, which is above the harbor of Perth and has the most fantastic views of the city and the Swan River. We walked round the botanical gardens and the water gardens and luckily we were in the right place at the right time and saw the planting of a huge Boab Tree which had been donated by the Aboriginal people to the city. It had been paraded through the streets on its way to the park on Saturday, where it had gotten stuck in one of the suburbs and some of the branches had had to be cut off, so it was planted on Sunday instead. We took photos and clapped the workmen and set off for a walk over the glass bridge, high in the trees, and on through the park. As the light began to fade we headed back to the car and continued through the park by road and on to home. Bob and TJ had chosen the film “Meet the Spartans” from Blockbusters so we sat down to watch it – after 10 mins I retired to my bed with my book and Adam fell asleep – what a terrible film !!! When the film finished we had booked a table at the Hogs Breath Restaurant as last time it was full to overflowing and we only just got a table. This time it was almost empty so we had a lovely meal and went home to bed for an earlyish night as Adam was going to have to get up at 6am to go to work.
Day 21 Monday 21st July
The alarm went off at 6am and Tj drove Adam to the railway station about 10 mins away and then came home and went back to bed. He had to get the train to Canningvale (about 45 mins) then a bus to the job (20 mins) and he was to start at 8.30am, he arrived at 7.45am. Tomorrow he would get the next train he said ! Tj Bob and I set off for the post office to post a parcel back to the uk with some of the souvenirs and wedding reception stuff in it, returned the DVD to blockbusters and checked emails and the blog (thanks to those of you who are reading all this gobbledegook I am writing) it is nice to hear from you. Teresa works at a physiotherapy place 2 mins from the house and she recommended Darren for my continued neck problem so we called in to make appointments to have our backs and necks put right with him tomorrow. Then onto Lakeside shopping to do some food shopping. We stopped for a bit of lunch (healthy I might add) and then Bob left us to go and have a practice with the golf clubs that Ken had loaned him. Teresa’s daughter Mary Ann(that’s Matts wife) is expecting a baby boy this week so we bought a present for the baby and then went to find a shop that sells just maps as we still need one for Brisbane but haven’t up to now been able to find a decent one. The lady in the map shop was very nice and offered to order the ones we needed for the rest of our trip and was telling us how much the price of living had increased in the last 2 years. We said that we thought that Perth was expensive to live in, especially the cost of food, they are retiring in September and are concerned that they won’t be able to survive on their pensions. She said that a house that cost $200,000 (around £100,000) 2 years ago would now be up for sale at $600,000 and a loaf of bread that cost $1.20 was now $3. The problem is that the gold, diamonds etc. that are being mined in the north of Perth has made the state the most wealthy so the cost of living has rocketed. Adam phoned not long after we returned home to come and get him from the railway station, he had had a very good day, working life in Perth was fairly relaxed, the job he had to do was to re-write some of their excel software for forms and information for the company and he said it was not going to be too difficult. The manager who had employed him told him that originally he had only planned to keep him for 3 days to see how he worked but he was so impressed with his skills that he said he would keep him as long as he could as he a lots more projects that he wanted him to finish off or sort out !
Jul 14, 2008
Week 2 July 8th to 14th Perth
Day 8 Tuesday July 8th
Firstly I hope that Lynda and Andy got your anniversary card – Happy Anniversary anyway. Adam and Bob went to Joondalup Golf Course for a round of golf, it’s the no. 1 golf resort in Australia apparently – Bob says that it was expensive and gave it 3/5 for value and 5/5 for condition. They had a good round, the weather was lovely and they had a couple of spectators that they hadn’t expected but made it a more interesting round !. See picture
In the meantime TJ and I went looking for a spa session but everyone seemed to be booked for the day so we ended up in a shopping mall and then in the library on the internet looking for jobs for the kids and accommodation in Brisbane –
When the boys had finished their round of golf they walked back to the house and we all went to the local swimming pool where we had an hours fun on a mini rapid ride in the pool and where we were given a history lesson from a Bosnian man in the sauna !
Day 9 Wednesday 9th July
Chill day today, so lazy morning and a big brunch before we set off for the library again – still looking for jobs – so far everyone seems to want 3 months contracts not 1 month or less. Adam managed to find 2 jobs and organized an interview for Thursday morning in Freemantle. While we were out and about we came across a fluffy zebra called Nici, we introduced her to Ziggy (Adam and Tjs travelling companion) and they seem to like each other !
Day 10 Thursday 10th July
Adam dropped us off in Perth City and set off for his interview in Freemantle, we took an orientation walking tour of the city with a nice lady called June who had been in Perth for 38 years, amazingly she came from Bedworth !!! We noted a few places of interest and after the tour we sat in the Lucky Shag Bar having a drink, overlooking the Swan River and going through the leaflets we had collected. We decided that after Adam returned from his interview we would go and see the Australian Mint.
The Perth Mint produced the medals for the 2000 Olympics and we watched an ingot of pure gold being made! It was worth around au$ 200,000 – they wouldn’t let us touch it though- can’t think why not ! After the tour we bought a wedding present for Adam and TJ – you will have to wait and see what it is until after the wedding ….
Day 11 Friday 11th July
Friday is apparently the best day to visit Freemantle aas they have a market on from 9am til 9pm. However, nobody said it was the best day so long as it didn’t rain !!! It appeared to be a big market but in reality it is more than half fruit and veg so we spent an hour wandering through as the rain pounded the tin roof. We all bought a clip for our belts to hang our bottles of water onto – very useful – and Bob bought a baseball hat (as if he needs another one !) and TJ bought a really nice Australian bush hat. As the rain stopped we walked to the docks and found another market with a food hall so we sat down for lunch and the rain came again. Once it was finished we walked across to the Maritime Museum but it was 3.30 by now and we had missed the last tour of the day so we wandered around, looking at the boats and information on the history of Freemantle and an art exhibition of mine sites in the north of Perth. We caught the CAT bus which is free back near to the carpark and after looking around for somewhere to eat, realized that they were all fast food shops so we decided to drive towards home, not on the freeway, but along the coast road and eventually we came across a restaurant called Trigg – it was nautical themed inside, the food smelled delicious and we could just about see the sea through the windows overlooking the beach. Tummies full again we drove home, lit the fire and got the cards out for another round of Sevens.
Day 12 Saturday 12th July
For once we got up reasonably early and set off for CavershamWildlife Park about 30 minutes away. The weather was fairly good but the park looked empty so we weren’t sure about it but once inside we had a great time. We looked at all the birds, owls, possums and funny looking ratty things etc. but then we came across the kangaroos who were loose in a field where you could go in and stroke them and feed them – we found a couple of kangaroos that had joeys in their pouch and we got them to pop their heads out. Then we were passing the koala enclosure when the keeper called us to come in, so we stroked them and he told us that they sleep for 20 hours a day because they only eat eucalyptus leaves which only give them 3% of protein so they don’t have any energy. It was now time for the farm show to start so we ambled over to find, a big mummy pig and about 12 baby piggies, a donkey, some ponies and a lama and goats along with rabbits and guinea pigs. Once again they encourage us to stroke and feed them with food pellets. Then the show began, with swinging a billy can full of water (Bob had a go and didn’t spill a drop. Then cracking a whip – TJ had a go at this (especially as she had her new hat on) and impressed everyone by making it crack. Then we watched 2 dogs round up half a dozen sheep and pen them so that the shearer could show us how to shear a sheep. Amazing these were Marino sheep so their wool is the most expensive, the farmer took 10 mins to shear her, (he gets $2.40 per sheep and can shear up to 150 on a good day) and he said the fleece was worth about 25$ to him but after it had been cleaned and ready for use it would make 3 wool suits which would retail at about 1500$ each! Then it was time for the cow to be milked so TJ and I joined the queue to have a go – it was very warm and with instruction fairly easy to do. We were very hungry by now so we set off for the café for a sandwich and a drink and then decided to go and find the chocolate factory. When we arrived the place was packed and after squeezing into the shop we realized it was just that, a shop, so we squeezed out again and went across the road to try out some wine tasting. This was a bit expensive so we tried another one up the road and liked it much more so we bought a dozen bottles – that should keep us happy for the next 3 weeks.
Day 13 Sunday 13th July
Well, we decided to have a lie in this morning, Bob and I read our books, and Adam and TJ updated their blog. Bob said he would make brunch and put a glass plate in the oven thinking it was pyrex – it wasn’t and it cracked. After breakfast/brunch outside in the sunshine we phoned the owner of the house we are renting to say that we had the cash now to pay for the house so she called in for it. Then Bob and I went out looking for golf courses for him and Adam to play on Monday as Adam is hoping that he will have a job by Tuesday. The afternoon was spent, relaxing, and writing up dairies, watching tv then we all dressed up as we were going out for dinner with Rachael (an old friend from Coventry).
Day 14 Monday 14th July
This morning I couldn’t get out of bed so TJ took Bob and Adam to the Carramar Golf Course and returned for me by which time I had managed to shower and have breakfast. Bob and Adam tied up with a guy called Mike who was 75 yrs old and South African and had lived in Perth for 11 years. Mike showed them round the 1st 9 holes then waved bye. The course wasn’t in too bad a condition considering they had only paid $19 (£9.50) for 18 holes. The greens were very wet and soft but very fast with clever undulations so they got a lot of getting used to but Bob managed to birdie the first one, value for money was 4/5 and condition 2.5/5. In the meantime TJ and I went to the internet café to check our emails, which cost us around $5 for half an hour, then into the library as internet is free in there, although we can’t receive or send emails from there. By now we were ready for lunch so we stopped for a sandwich in the sunshine and then made our way to pick up the boys so that we could all go for a swim and sauna. During our time at the library we had gathered lots of info on jobs and accommodation for Brisbane so we wanted to go back to the internet café but we decided to make a drive to one in Scarborough, about 25 miles away, as they had a webcam and there was no restriction on plugging in computers, memory sticks etc. As we powered up Tj shouted there’s a mouse, the owner thought she was asking for a mouse and was coming across the café with a computer mouse! He was shocked when we explained that she had seen a real mouse run into the café. Anyway, after a short chat with Lucy and Daniel and Charlie we logged off and set off for home, starving hungry and ready for dinner.
Firstly I hope that Lynda and Andy got your anniversary card – Happy Anniversary anyway. Adam and Bob went to Joondalup Golf Course for a round of golf, it’s the no. 1 golf resort in Australia apparently – Bob says that it was expensive and gave it 3/5 for value and 5/5 for condition. They had a good round, the weather was lovely and they had a couple of spectators that they hadn’t expected but made it a more interesting round !. See picture
In the meantime TJ and I went looking for a spa session but everyone seemed to be booked for the day so we ended up in a shopping mall and then in the library on the internet looking for jobs for the kids and accommodation in Brisbane –
When the boys had finished their round of golf they walked back to the house and we all went to the local swimming pool where we had an hours fun on a mini rapid ride in the pool and where we were given a history lesson from a Bosnian man in the sauna !
Day 9 Wednesday 9th July
Chill day today, so lazy morning and a big brunch before we set off for the library again – still looking for jobs – so far everyone seems to want 3 months contracts not 1 month or less. Adam managed to find 2 jobs and organized an interview for Thursday morning in Freemantle. While we were out and about we came across a fluffy zebra called Nici, we introduced her to Ziggy (Adam and Tjs travelling companion) and they seem to like each other !
Day 10 Thursday 10th July
Adam dropped us off in Perth City and set off for his interview in Freemantle, we took an orientation walking tour of the city with a nice lady called June who had been in Perth for 38 years, amazingly she came from Bedworth !!! We noted a few places of interest and after the tour we sat in the Lucky Shag Bar having a drink, overlooking the Swan River and going through the leaflets we had collected. We decided that after Adam returned from his interview we would go and see the Australian Mint.
The Perth Mint produced the medals for the 2000 Olympics and we watched an ingot of pure gold being made! It was worth around au$ 200,000 – they wouldn’t let us touch it though- can’t think why not ! After the tour we bought a wedding present for Adam and TJ – you will have to wait and see what it is until after the wedding ….
Day 11 Friday 11th July
Friday is apparently the best day to visit Freemantle aas they have a market on from 9am til 9pm. However, nobody said it was the best day so long as it didn’t rain !!! It appeared to be a big market but in reality it is more than half fruit and veg so we spent an hour wandering through as the rain pounded the tin roof. We all bought a clip for our belts to hang our bottles of water onto – very useful – and Bob bought a baseball hat (as if he needs another one !) and TJ bought a really nice Australian bush hat. As the rain stopped we walked to the docks and found another market with a food hall so we sat down for lunch and the rain came again. Once it was finished we walked across to the Maritime Museum but it was 3.30 by now and we had missed the last tour of the day so we wandered around, looking at the boats and information on the history of Freemantle and an art exhibition of mine sites in the north of Perth. We caught the CAT bus which is free back near to the carpark and after looking around for somewhere to eat, realized that they were all fast food shops so we decided to drive towards home, not on the freeway, but along the coast road and eventually we came across a restaurant called Trigg – it was nautical themed inside, the food smelled delicious and we could just about see the sea through the windows overlooking the beach. Tummies full again we drove home, lit the fire and got the cards out for another round of Sevens.
Day 12 Saturday 12th July
For once we got up reasonably early and set off for CavershamWildlife Park about 30 minutes away. The weather was fairly good but the park looked empty so we weren’t sure about it but once inside we had a great time. We looked at all the birds, owls, possums and funny looking ratty things etc. but then we came across the kangaroos who were loose in a field where you could go in and stroke them and feed them – we found a couple of kangaroos that had joeys in their pouch and we got them to pop their heads out. Then we were passing the koala enclosure when the keeper called us to come in, so we stroked them and he told us that they sleep for 20 hours a day because they only eat eucalyptus leaves which only give them 3% of protein so they don’t have any energy. It was now time for the farm show to start so we ambled over to find, a big mummy pig and about 12 baby piggies, a donkey, some ponies and a lama and goats along with rabbits and guinea pigs. Once again they encourage us to stroke and feed them with food pellets. Then the show began, with swinging a billy can full of water (Bob had a go and didn’t spill a drop. Then cracking a whip – TJ had a go at this (especially as she had her new hat on) and impressed everyone by making it crack. Then we watched 2 dogs round up half a dozen sheep and pen them so that the shearer could show us how to shear a sheep. Amazing these were Marino sheep so their wool is the most expensive, the farmer took 10 mins to shear her, (he gets $2.40 per sheep and can shear up to 150 on a good day) and he said the fleece was worth about 25$ to him but after it had been cleaned and ready for use it would make 3 wool suits which would retail at about 1500$ each! Then it was time for the cow to be milked so TJ and I joined the queue to have a go – it was very warm and with instruction fairly easy to do. We were very hungry by now so we set off for the café for a sandwich and a drink and then decided to go and find the chocolate factory. When we arrived the place was packed and after squeezing into the shop we realized it was just that, a shop, so we squeezed out again and went across the road to try out some wine tasting. This was a bit expensive so we tried another one up the road and liked it much more so we bought a dozen bottles – that should keep us happy for the next 3 weeks.
Day 13 Sunday 13th July
Well, we decided to have a lie in this morning, Bob and I read our books, and Adam and TJ updated their blog. Bob said he would make brunch and put a glass plate in the oven thinking it was pyrex – it wasn’t and it cracked. After breakfast/brunch outside in the sunshine we phoned the owner of the house we are renting to say that we had the cash now to pay for the house so she called in for it. Then Bob and I went out looking for golf courses for him and Adam to play on Monday as Adam is hoping that he will have a job by Tuesday. The afternoon was spent, relaxing, and writing up dairies, watching tv then we all dressed up as we were going out for dinner with Rachael (an old friend from Coventry).
Day 14 Monday 14th July
This morning I couldn’t get out of bed so TJ took Bob and Adam to the Carramar Golf Course and returned for me by which time I had managed to shower and have breakfast. Bob and Adam tied up with a guy called Mike who was 75 yrs old and South African and had lived in Perth for 11 years. Mike showed them round the 1st 9 holes then waved bye. The course wasn’t in too bad a condition considering they had only paid $19 (£9.50) for 18 holes. The greens were very wet and soft but very fast with clever undulations so they got a lot of getting used to but Bob managed to birdie the first one, value for money was 4/5 and condition 2.5/5. In the meantime TJ and I went to the internet café to check our emails, which cost us around $5 for half an hour, then into the library as internet is free in there, although we can’t receive or send emails from there. By now we were ready for lunch so we stopped for a sandwich in the sunshine and then made our way to pick up the boys so that we could all go for a swim and sauna. During our time at the library we had gathered lots of info on jobs and accommodation for Brisbane so we wanted to go back to the internet café but we decided to make a drive to one in Scarborough, about 25 miles away, as they had a webcam and there was no restriction on plugging in computers, memory sticks etc. As we powered up Tj shouted there’s a mouse, the owner thought she was asking for a mouse and was coming across the café with a computer mouse! He was shocked when we explained that she had seen a real mouse run into the café. Anyway, after a short chat with Lucy and Daniel and Charlie we logged off and set off for home, starving hungry and ready for dinner.
Jul 7, 2008
Week 1 July 1st - 7th Singapore and Perth
Day 1 Singapore Tuesday 1st July
After a very long flight of 12 hrs from Heathrow we arrived in Singapore at 8am, the heat and humidity hitting us like walking into an oven. We took a taxi to our Hotel in Bencoolin Streeet but were too early to checkin so we left our luggage with reception and went out for a walk. Unfortunately we went into a shopping mall called Suntec which was in 5 towers and we got lost (partly due to being so tired) we finally found our way out and stumbled upon Raffles so we had a look round, took some photos and then returned to the Hotel, 4hrs after arriving. It was nearly 1pm so we didn’t even unpack, we went straight to sleep and didn’t hear a sound until 5.30pm.
After a shower, we went out for something to eat, heading for Orchard Street, the famous shopping street full of designer shops and shopping malls and restaurants. We found a food court that had, Thai, Indian, Chinese and local food, so we had some chicken and rice and headed back to the Hotel after a 4 hour walkabout. We slept like logs that night and nearly missed breakfast the next morning.
Day 2 Singapore Wednesday 2nd July
After nearly missing breakfast we headed for the local Metro Station (MRT) to buy a day pass which was only 8$ unlimited use. Firslty we went to the Marina, another huge shopping Mall and as Lyn had lost her sunglasses during our walkabout she decided to splash out on a pair of Oakley’s . Then we got on the monorail across to Sentosa Island as the weather was lovely and sunny. Sentosa is a pleasure Island, with beautiful beaches, an underwater seaworld, a dolphin sanctuary and much more. As we began to walk along the beach, the heavens opened and began to rain. We sheltered in a bar and as the rain seemed set for a while decided to have lunch. We watched as the children played in the sea and rain while we sheltered with our lunch, the sea was very warm and so was the rain. After lunch we visited the seaworld centre and stroked the stingrays then changed into our swimsuits and went for a swim in the sea, as we dressed, the heavens opened again and the thunder, lightning and rain came down again. We sheltered for a while, had a coffee and then made a run for it and bought a brollie from a beach shop . As the rain stopped, the Sea and Sound Light show was beginning so we joined the queue, the lazers and fountains were good but the story was rubbish. We found our way back to the mainland and a trip on the MRT back to Orchard Road for dinner. This time we had chicken in pepper with noodles but there was no cutlery, only chopsticks, half way through it we gave up, it was very hot and spicy and the noodles kept slipping off the chopsticks so we went for a walk further up Orchard Street but after an hour of walking couldn’t find the next station so had to turn round and walk back again and took the MRT to Bugis Street and 10 mins walk to the Hotel.
Day 3, Singapore Thursday 3rd July
Our final day so we decided to get up early and left for the MRT, buying a new daily pass and made our way to Raffles, however, we got off at Raffles City (you would think that Raffles would be here, but no) we should have got off at City Hall, so we had to go back 1 stop but still had trouble finding Raffles, maybe it was jet lag or maybe not but we found Singapore very difficult to navigate. Finally we found it , had a coffee and cake in the little bakery, visited the museum upstairs which was very interesting and looked in on the long bar, didn’t have a Singapore Sling as it was only 10.30 in the morning. Bob bought a golf towel with their name on but everything was really expensive. We walked through the Hotel and out the front door and back to the MRT to go to the Singapore zoo. After a 30 mins ride we got off the MRT and climbed onto a bus for another 35 mins to get to the zoo which was way out of the city. We didn’t realise it would take so long but when we arrived we were very glad that we made the trip as the zoo was set in a rainforest and was amazing. We had taken then brollie with us as Singapore seemed to have a lot of tropical storms but typically, it didn’t rain all day, however, the sun was so hot at times that we used it to for shade. We walked around for over 4 hours, stopping now and then to watch the antics of the animal, the whole zoo was open, very cleverly concealed electrical wires and fencing kept them in their compounds but you felt as if you were walking with them freely. We watched a very funny act by the elephants showing the way they learned to work in the rainforest. In one area which was netted overhead there were no fences or electrical wires, all the animals oamed free, limas, little hairy pig things, an iguana, huge bats and many birds.
As we left the zoo we realized that we hadn’t eaten all day so we stopped in the KFC at the entrance to the zoo as we knew we had at least an hours journey back to the city. As we walked from the MRT in the evening warmth, we were thinking of meeting up with Adam and TJ in Perth the next day. Adam had phoned during the day to say they had hired a car so they would pick us up at the airport. Just before the hotel was an internet café so we stopped to transfer some money and check emails and just let everyone know we were ok. We picked up some fruit and water from the 7Eleven Store before heading for an early night as we had to be up at 5am to get the flight the next morning.
Day 4 Singapore to Perth Friday 4th July
We didn’t sleep hardly at all as the rain pounded the windows, a delivery van emptied his load below our window and cars screeched in the street so heavy eyed we left the hotel at 5.50am and walked to the MRT to get the train as it cost $1.50 each to Changhi Airport against $25 for a taxi ! After a quick chechin we had breakfast and boarded the plane. The flight was very good, with a window seat and mostly clear blue skies we had a fantastic view of the Indian ocean and the islands, although Lyn slept most of the way. On landing, we went through customs with ease except they did query whether my golf shoes had mud on them ! Bloody cheek ! The house is nice, fairly big, a bit dated but comfortable. After refreshments and a shower we went out for dinner at Hogs Breath Café and home early to catch up on some sleep.
Day 5 Perth Saturday 5th July
We woke at 10am with breakfast in bed – fantastic – then we phoned Tom Daly and went round to his house only 5 mins drive away. His granddaughter Alicia was with him so we all jumped into his Jaguar Limousine, which he uses for his wine tasting business, and went to the Marina for a walk about, then we went to look at the plot of land he has bought to buiuld another house on. Adam and TJ had got interviews for a job at Hogs Breath Café at 3pm so they wnet off for that and we sat and reminisced about old times with Tom til then returned. We also phoned Racheal, his ex wife and arranged to meet up next weekend. We tried to get some food shopping on the way home but everywhere was closing so we cooked dinner with what was in the fridge and watched a DVD in the evening. The weather is ok, windy, a bit of rain and a bit of sun, around 15 to 20 degrees, cold at night. I think they are still 10 years behind us but are trying hard to keep up, it could be America except they drive on the left.
Day 6 Perth Sunday 6th July
We woke to warm sunshine this morning and after breakfast on the terrace we drove to the beach and watched the surfers riding the waves which crashed onto the beach. After spending a small fortune on stocking the cupboards with food we ate lunch and Adam and Bob rigged up the hammock they had bought in Singapore, (they put a mattress underneath when they tried it out – just in case). During the afternoon we went looking for job vacancies in Hillary’s Marina, a couple of possibilities but most said it was the slow time so they didn’t need any extra help. The nights are very cold , in fact the news said that last night was the coldest this year, so we bought some wood and Bob lit the wood burner and we moved the TV into the dining area where the wood burner is so that we can stay warm. During dinner we decided to drive to Perth City tomorrow.
Day 7 Monday 7th July
This was our first trip into Perth City, our first impression was that it wasn’t very big – well shopping streets are 2, plus lots of little arcades that run between. It was very cool in comparison to Singapore so we had to buy jackets, took some doing but we both found a bargain! We had some lunch in one of the many eateries (I think all Perth people must eat out) and spent some time in the internet café updating the blog and checking our emails, thanks to those of you who have emailed us with your news, glad to hear that you are ok. Finally after orientating ourselves (via free buses all around the city) we called in the tourist info to gen up on what was good to do.
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