From Glasgow to Australia

Summer Diary 2013. Week Two.

 

Friday 5th July
I drove Laura to Wigton for the last time this morning, come next week she’ll be using my little car herself. I hope she is kind and gentle with it.

It has been like we are a proper couple this week, even though we are both in a house which isn't our own. Last night, at the quiz, Laura was wearing a bright red, mini shift dress. We were sitting in the beer garden prior to the match and when Laura came back from the toilet she had the sun right behind her. The wind caught her hair and made it billow out and her dress became momentarily see through. As she stood there her hair made a golden halo round her face and her slender body shape was so clearly delineated by the x-ray effect of the sun on her dress. She looked so beautiful, like a cat walk model. It brought a lump to my throat that this wonderful creature actually loves me. She asked me why my eyes were red when she sat down and I told it was because she had looked so gorgeous as she came through the garden, spot lit by the sun. I felt so proud and honoured and special that she had chosen to tell me how she felt for me way back in October. It had brought a tear to my eye. For the first time I felt the downside of our relationship: I just wanted to take her in my arms and smother her with kisses and couldn't. People are still so funny about homosexuality, they claim to be tolerant of it but I bet if Laura and I had taken a few moments for a passionate kiss we would have been asked to leave. Who knows? [I explained all this to her back at Dad's after our loss in the quiz. She said I should have kissed her anyway, not maybe a passionate one, but still shown her some sign of what I was feeling. Next time I get this desire, I will - and stuff the consequences!]

I went to see Will in Cockermouth after dropping Laura off at work. He is a hairdresser, and also a great guy. He is gay and he has known me for yonks as he's been our hairdresser for years and years [he works in a shop called Wendy's]. He was so thrilled when I first told him about me and Laura. Any way, he has given my hair a tidy up prior to my antipodean jaunt. He’s removed the split ends and given it a slight layering. I toyed with having my fringe put back but in the end I decided against it. It does make me look much younger when I have it, but it is also how I wore my hair when I was with Richard, so I probably won't. In the great flood of 2009 Wendy's downstairs was flooded out completely, luckily that is only the reception area, the main salon is on the first floor. So while all the other businesses were unable to trade for months and months, Wendy's was still open. Dad goes there for his haircut too, if you can call it that - he has a buzzcut - really short. It makes him look like a convict.

Saturday 6th.
Two Days to go. I have booked a room at the hotel near the aiport for Sunday night. Laura is driving me up and then will be having my little car for the two months I am away. It'll get her used to the idea of driving it when she moves in with me. Plus it'll keep the car active, rather than being laid up for another long time. Dad and Louisa volunteered to drive me, but I felt that I wanted it to be Loll who did it. She has agreed to come and pick me up as well at the end of August.

I can't believe the weather, all the country is basking in baking hot sunshine in the mid-twenties and poor old Cumbria is languishing in the mid-teens again! I should be used to it by now, having been coming here since I was a babe in arms. I am really going to miss the long light nights while I am away; up here it stays light until about 11pm, in WA it'll be dark by about 6pm. That is the only downside caused Aus. being so much closer to the equator, they don't get the long, drawn out, light nights that we get. Even in midsummer it is dark by about 8pm.

Suze has bought me a swim pass for the local Warnbro pool. It is doing early morning swim sessions their idea of early is 7am opening. It's a two month pass. I will be using it almost every day as she goes to Aquarobics there, as soon as it opens.  I said I'd give it a try, but I know I'll probably end up doing laps instead. Suze has said she is the youngest one doing aquarobics so I'll be like an infant among them.

I am so excited about going out there but saddened that little Loll won't be with me. I have told her that she definitely has to come the next time I visit and I will brook no arguments. I will be able to show her all the wonderful things I have seen out here. I have a whole lifetime's experience of the place. Taking the kids out will be fun, I know, but it will be no substitute for having her with me. I've had a really excited Skype session with Annabelle, who is nearly bursting in anticipation of my arrival. She has tried to persuade her folks to come out to Perth International to fetch me. [They aren't doing that at all, both will be at work when I arrive, so I am going to get one of the airport buses to the city centre, then take the train down to Rockingham.]

The girls have become Dockers fans, like their Mum [Dad and Jeff are Eagles fans]. They are apparently dying to take me to a game. The season is well underway so that should be no problem. Aussie Rules Football certainly arouses passion amongst its spectators. I have only been to live games a couple of times but I have suffered watching them on TV. I guess I will have to feign an interest. Although with all those hunky blokes in their body hugging Guernseys that shouldn't be too hard!

Got a 'phone call from Mad Nad [I went to school with her in Norwich]. She knew I had been to Australia a lot and wanted to pick my brains about visiting Western Australia. She is going to New Norcia, where there is a monastery, to do some art work there. She did her degree in Fine and Applied Art in London. She has a few books published which illustrate the Catechism and other Catholic prayers. The monks have invited her over to come and do something for their monastery. The thing is she'll be in WA at the same time as me. I have given her Suze's number and she's going to get in touch after the 30th of July - when she gets there. She currently lives in Derry, Northern Ireland, doing some art based work there.

She knows nothing about Richard or his death or my three year celibacy or Laura and me. We have a lot of catching up to do. She still sounded quite mad. She did tell me she is divorced already! She has gone back to her crazy Polish surname, full of Ks and Cs and Zs so as not to be reminded of shit-head! I can't believe it. Woo hoo! Mad Nad! Rah rah rah!

Sunday 7^th

 
Laura’s driving went from nervous to formula one driver on the way up to the hotel. She was a bit scared at first, I think, but once we hit the motorway she clogged it. She came up to the room and we made slow, lingering, sensual love for a couple of hours. OMG, I am going to miss her so much. To stop us both being blubbering messes we planned for her to leave at about tea time. That gave her plenty of time to get back safely and have a beauty sleep for work again on Monday. I didn’t cry too much. Honest. {OK. I’m lying!}

Hotels are lonely places, aren't they? I hadn't realised until now. I think I should have taken Dad's offer of driving me up here in time to catch the plane rather than have Loll drive me up. I am quite pleased by the Hotel, I chose the Normandy and it has been very relaxing. It even had a restaurant which was a treat. I had a rib-eye steak which was delicious. I had a guy come across and try to chat me up after my meal, when I was sat in the lounge area, finishing my wine, which was a bit of a pain. He was quite handsome though. In the bad old days of my life I could quite easily have seduced him and then thrown him out. I have been a good girl since 2007 though, which is quite a long time really. So I ignored the poseur.

Monday 8th.
I had a totally leisurely morning. Deliberately, I woke late. I partook of a civilised and un-hurried breakfast, where handsome man was already eating. He waved, I politely waved back but went and sat elsewhere. I am a good girl.
Showered and spruced and completely refreshed after breakfast, I caught the hotel shuttle to the airport in time for check in feeling wonderfully calm and childishly excited at the same time. The departure lounge is not on the scale of Singapore airport, that's for sure. My tablet picked up a good wi-fi signal though and I found an e-mail from Annabelle telling me to expect a surprise at the airport in Perth [she just can't keep a secret from me].

The flight was long. There’s just no way to avoid it. Australia is at the bloody opposite side of the planet!
I read number two of the Jasper fforde “Thursday Next” books on my tablet before we got to Dubai. It is an utterly brilliant series. I would love to meet the guy in person to see if he really is as clever and literary in real life as his writing suggests. I had forgotten what desert heat is like in Dubai. I bought some more of the wonderful Arabic fabric, to match what I got last time I was here, from the duty free shops. Suze wanted some more to make the girls summer dresses for next year.

Tuesday 9th.
Bloody hell. In Esperance last night they had a record low temperature of minus 5.4! What is going on with the world's temperatures? I am so pleased I packed a few more clothes than I did at Christmas. Annabelle’s surprise was the whole family were at Perth International to meet me: all five of them. They had come in Pete's new toy - a Hyundai i800 minibus /van thing. Even Jeffrey seemed pleased to see me. Their even bigger news is we are going to a live footie match on Sunday in Subiaco when the Eagles play the Dockers [the two Western Australian AFL teams!]. They all seemed really excited about it. I may have told you that the girls are Dockers fans and Pete & Jeff are Eagles fans. Home will be like a battle field on match days! Jill and Annabelle had a present waiting for me in Warnbro, which I would "just love".
I tried to stay awake in the car / van but I am afraid I was fast asleep by Armadale!  According to everyone I snored like a chainsaw! I tried to dispute that but Jill has mobile phone footage of me buzzing away!
The pressie is a Dockers shirt, in the style of a rugby shirt. It is made from in your face, eye dazzling purple! It's brilliant! It's now about 9pm and I am feeling so washed out. When the girls hit the charp I think I may have to as well [Jeff has just taken himself to bed]. I phoned Laura when we got to Chaos Castle to let her know I had arrived safely - it was 7.45am in England and she was still fast asleep. We had a really disjointed, sleepy conversation. She promised to text Dad & Mum and tell them that I was safe and sound. Afterwards, Jill came and sat by me and said, "You and Laura are Very Good Friends, aren't you?" You could almost hear the capital letters. I will have to think carefully about what I say to her during this holiday. She's 16 in December so she may be mature enough to know the truth.

 

Wednesday 10^th and Thursday 11th.

Two days of early rising and going swimming. Nothing new there then. Except the early rising is a good hour later than I usually do and the adults only swim is suspended for the school holidays! Plus I don’t usually sleep for such long hours during the day. Wednesday was a bit of a blur to be honest. Not helped by Suze telling me, at dinner, “God, Vicki, you look really knackered!” I could only answer, “I am!” We got everyone in hysterics, though, by recounting the tale of the first time I climbed Helvellyn. I was about seven. Dad had booked a meal at the Queen’s Head Pub – in Troutbeck - as a celebration afterwards. I was so tired after my first Lakeland Munroe I literally fell asleep in my dinner. Everyone just hooted as they tried to imagine what a seven year old looked like snoozing with her head in her food!

Suze and the kids cycle round to Warnbro Pool in the mornings, which is a challenge for one who doesn't even own a bike any more. I have now used my new Swim Pass twice but I haven't joined Suze in her Aquarobics. I did pop my head into the training pool and have a look but it seemed to be full of women who were all Suze's age or even older, doing strange exercises with a long, bendy float, to music. Mmmmm.......... Not for me I think.

I swam lengths with the kids instead, although I have only done about 60 each day so far as the kids can't keep up with me.

S & P's new house is just around the corner from the pool [about 500 metres] which is quite handy. Its location, in Warnbro, is a bit far away from things of interest, unlike their Bicton house used to be.

We have spent ages pouring over Whale watching websites and accommodation websites, looking for our itinerary. The plan is this: Monday, drive down to Albany. Tuesday morning, Whale watching [$80 for adults, $50 for under 16s]. If we don't see any the cruise company gives you a free day until you do. As we are in the middle of the season for whales it shouldn't be a problem. Wednesday and Thursday am more time in Albany; Thursday pm drive to Esperance. Full day in Esperance, drive up to Kalgoorlie on Friday. Spend Saturday in Kalgoorlie [no we won't visit the famous brothel!] and back to Warnbro on Sunday.

We planned all this on Wednesday, during which I nodded off at the computer - which they all thought was hilarious.

I've booked the campsites and phoned a reservation through to the Whale Watching Company. So on Monday it will be Thunderbirds are Go! [My Dad says this all the time!]

I am so glad I packed sensible clothes. It is so cold! Yesterday it reached about 19 degrees but overnight it was close to zero! The ride to the pool was very bracing, to say the least. They have a wood burner in the family room which has been lit all the time I've been here so far. Pete is the one in charge but I'm keen to have a play. It's nothing like my wood burner. It looks like a huge ceramic box in the corner of the room - it is more like one my cousins have in Germany than mine. I imagine it isn't really ceramic, it is just the finish it has been given.

The only down side is the wood shed! At the start of the winter they found a huge snake in there. They aren't too far from where the "bush" proper starts, and as such they get far more wildlife than they did in Bicton. Rockingham Environmental came round to remove the snake, which turned out to be a dugite. Poisonous but not usually fatal. I don't think I'll be venturing in there in a hurry!

 

Suze's friend Sally was at the pool today [Thursday] with her brood: three boys and a girl. They seem quite nice although Jill tells me Connor is a pervert! He's the oldest boy. Apparently when they swim together he usually tries to touch her; accidentally he says, Jill thinks it is deliberate. He seemed far more interested in my bikini clad boobs than Jill, TBH, this morning. Which may be proof of his underlying "Perviness" or maybe he is just a typical adolescent boy?

Tomorrow night we have all been invited round to Sally and Barry's for tea and drinks. This could be interesting as Suze hasn't introduced me to many of her work mates or friends since I was out here on my Gap Year. She kept me pretty much hidden away after my breakdown in an attempt to aid my recovery. [Which obviously worked.] It seems Sally is in her mid 40s and worked with Suze in Freo hospital. They socialise more now Suze has moved to Mandurah, which seems a bit weird, TBH..

The whole family joined my Skype with Laura this afternoon. Annabelle said afterwards, "Wow, Vicki, she is gorgeous isn't she?" I am going to have to do something about telling them about Laura and me. I broke the ground when Pete said, "I bet she has the boys flocking round her, doesn't she?" I told them that she wasn't all that bothered by them at the moment as she was busy getting her Maths degree sorted. She hasn't even got a boyfriend! Jeff volunteered to be her boyfriend at once.

He is still not coming with us next week. I think he feels a bit embarrassed by what he believes will be a girly event. He is only 11 though.