Sports day...in October and beautiful long walks with the dogs. Can life get any better?

17 October

I've been to many sports days over the years thanks to Cal, Ben and Ellie but never one in October.  Still it makes perfect sense as the weather is certainly a lot warmer at this time of year.  As per usual, the teachers were crying out for adjudicators so Marcus and I stepped in to help.  It was quite fun actually, particularly as the kids were quite competitive.  Still, Sasha won her race and I was pretty proud to have witnessed it.

22 October

I've now been away almost 4 months and today has been my first 'down' day.  The family have all asked what has triggered it and truthfully I don't know.  It's not that I want to pack up and go home because I don't.  It's more the fact that I have spent the last month sitting in the house, day in, day out waiting for the kids to come home.  Making friends is difficult as I'm not living in a backpacker environment but thankfully I have Georgia to keep me sane.  

So to cheer me up, Bri and I went on a little trip to walk the dogs.  Having lived by the sea for most of my life, beaches don't particularly excite me but this one did.  There is something about walking with the sand between your toes and not freezing to death that is quite appealing.  Leighton beach is beautiful and just what I needed to clear my head.  In the evening, Marcus decided to take me to Hans Cafe for dinner.  Truly authentic Asian food for next to nothing.  Loved it but most importantly I loved spending time with him, just simply chewing the fat!

Roadtrip to the Pinnacles and Keep Australia Beautiful clean-up!

12 October

Georgia and I decided it was about time we got off our bottoms and did something touristy.  It's all well and good being a 'local' but now and again, we need to remember why we are here!  Having been offered the use of Bri's car for the foreseeable future until it can be sold, we opted to hire a car anyway.  Why?  Well because Bri's car is an old girl and judging on the terrain and sheer outback of this country, it's much safer to driver a newer car.  

The drive itself was magic.  I love driving anyway but there is something quite liberating about driving on an open road.  It took us approximately 3 hours to drive the 300km from Perth to Cervantes.  The scenery was quite spectacular as all you can see for miles around are these wonderful limestone formations, each one totally unique.  I can now see why it's been cited #1 attraction in WA.

13 October

Bri signed me and Jai for a morning of volunteering with Keep australia beautiful.  They are a charity who promote recycling along the country's coastline.  At first we were a tad reluctant but actually it proved to be a pretty fun morning.  It's incredible what you find littering these beautiful beaches.  Let's just hope that their hardwork continues to pay off!

Eat Pray Love - The story of my trip

10 October

Having braved public transport and battled the streets of Perth, Sasha, Jai and I finally made the family meal.  It was the first time most of us had been together, which made it special.  Dinner was great apart from the delay in Stomie's food.  Still, it was nice to be around family after a few months away.

11 October

Marcus went away for the weekend down south, so I had the house to myself.  It was quite nice at first but then loneliness kicked in.  It's the first time, in over 3 months that I'd been on my own and had time to think about where I was or rather how far I was away from home.  During my Roadtrip in Vietnam, I picked up a book called "Eat Pray Love".  I'd been wanting to read it for a while but for some reason, I couldn't get into it for love nor money.  It was only during a chat with an old friend that she pointed out that this film reminded her of me.  But why?  It's based on a true story about a lady (played by Julia Roberts) who after a tubulant year (much like mine) decided to book a trip of a lifetime.  She chose to go to Italy so that she could EAT magnifent food, PRAY in the temples of India and find LOVE in Bali.  The latter certainly wasn't listed in my "reasons" but the basis of the story is definitely similar.  Apparently, I remind a few of my friends of Julia Roberts and if I meet my own Javier Bardem, then I certainly won't complain!

http://youtu.be/mjay5vgIwt4

Glory 'fun day' and our day trip to the largest aquarium in WA-AQWA

6 October

Having spent the morning watching Sasha play Futsal, we headed over to Freo to attend the Glory 'fun day'.  The Glory are Perth's professional football (soccer) team and every year, they put on a free event for the kids.  This year, they had games, soccer tournaments and a BBQ but most importantly, the players were left to wander around and take pictures/sign autographs for the kids.  It's such a terrific idea and one that other international clubs should adopt.

8 October

What is a better day trip for half term than a trip to the Aquarium.  Considering I only have the Sealife centre In Rhyl to compare it to, I was relitively impressed with the place.  The walking-tank was certainly the highlight for me as it allowed you to get so close to the sharks but for the kids it was the touch-pool.  Petting a stingray and a baby shark is something they won't forget in a hurry.

9 October

We headed up to Swan Valley to visit Sasha and Jai's nan. It was great to see her and get out of the city, into the countryside to feed the horses.  On our way home, we stopped off at Margaret River chocolate factory for free chocolate!  Who am I to refuse free chocolate?  On our way home, we stopped via Hungry Jacks for my first frozen coke.

In the evening, Becca and I went out to Leaderville.  We started at the Leaderville hotel which was a huge building with a different music scene on each floor.  Sadly, the place was full of seedy guys and thankfully it shut at midnight, so we headed to what looked like a shed in the middle of the car park- The Hippy Club.  Thankfully the night got better and we danced the night away until the early hours of the morning.  It was so good to get out of the house! 

Exploring the WA Coastline

3 October

Bri decided to take us on a family day out.  After months of being away from home, it was so nice being around a familiar face.  It was also great to see the beautiful coastline of WA.  We managed to pack-in Leighton, Cottesloe, City and Scarborough beaches before heading to Hilary's boat harbour for a spot of lunch.  Although the scenery was beautiful, it's true what they say about it being FULL of Brits!  I felt like I was in Scarborough,Yorkshire not Scarborough in Australia! 

Just before we headed home, we swung past my cousin's office/gallery.  It was great to see him after all these years but even better to meet 'Beans' the dog.  We also drove past Claremont which is where Iain used to live!  Surreal seeing the school where he used to work!

Funniest picture: Max drinking out of the tap. That's what happens when you get above 30C!

My first AFL Grand Final and trips to Freo

28 September

It's my first weekend in Perth and it's the AFL Grand a Final (Freo Dockers vs Melbourne).  This is the first time that Freo have ever made it to a grand final so the atmosphere around town was exciting.  All around the streets of Perth, there were banners, flags and people wearing purple.  Much to Marcus' disgust, Shona and I managed to persuade him to drive to Freo and watch the match.  When I asked him about the rules he replied "it's the only game where you get a point even if you miss".  So very true!

In the evening, Marcus cooked us a Roast Dinner.  It was amazing!  Then Georgia, Nati and I went out for drinks in Freo to the Norfolk hotel followed by the club Metros.

30 September

As it was Georgia's day off, we took the bus into Freo to do a bit of exploring.  Freo is a lot nicer than I'd pictured it.  It's a town with a lot of character and unlike the rest of Perth, the council have kept the forsades of the buildings.  It's also a quirky town with a Victorian twist which actually reminded me of Llandudno.  After wandering around taking photos, we headed off to Little Creatures for lunch.  The bar itself is attached to the brewery, allowing you to watch the beer being made as you sip your pint! The warehouse effect sort of reminded me of Shoreditch in London.  We then met up with Andrew to wander the markets and grab a hot chocolate (heated by candlelight) at San Churio.

First few days in Perth, WA

24 September

The flight to Perth was fine but the same cannot be said for the service I received on Tiger Airways.  I'd been pre-warned about them but decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.  I deliberately hadn't eaten as I was aware that Australia don't allow you to enter the country with any foreign food.  So, I went to buy dinner but the hostess refused to take my credit (close to expiry) and debit card (not as safe as credit).  Ridiculous!  To say I was annoyed is an understatement, especially considering the flight was 6 hours.  I won't be using Tiger again, if I can avoid it.

Having safely collected my bag, I met Marcus and Jai at arrivals and headed back to his.  It was so good to have my own room and a wardrobe again.  In the evening, Marcus and I went for dinner at his local - Bad Apples.  I loved the place, it's a great wine bar which even has automatic wine pouring machines - genius!

25 - 27 September

The next few days were spent today tedious tasks such as setting up bank accounts, getting a haircut and buying a pair of jeans as it's not as warm here as it was in Asia!  Sizes here are strange too.  I've also spent time with the kids (Jai and Sasha) and Max the dog, which has been nice.  They've all made me feel so welcome.  I also made a new friend (Georgia) who works at the local shopping centre.  She's British and used to live in London so we have a lot in common.