Summer Diary 2013 – Week Eight.
Friday 23rd August.
The lotto winner went swimming with us this morning but had
calmed down considerably compared to last night. She decided to join in with
the Aquarobics class again. I think that was mainly to stop Suze blabbing about
her Mum’s good luck if she wasn’t there.
After dropping the kids off Mum decided that today she'd like to go
to Serpentine Dam and Falls. I had to admit I hadn’t been there before but Mum
told me I had, when I was about three. Mum drove across the coastal plain and
then into the Darling Hills where falls are located. They reminded me a little of
Hardraw Force in the Yorkshire Dales but without all the trees. We were the
only people there but lots of wild roos had decided to come and look at the falls
too, or at least to explore the car park and picnic area. They were all Western
Greys by the look of it and some were tame enough to allow themselves to be
stroked. Mum said we ought to have brought some rabbit pellets as the roos
would probably feed from our hands if we had. [I didn’t know that.]
To get from the Falls to Serpentine Dam we had to go back into
Jarrahdale. This was a really quaint bush town. It was definitely one of these
one horse places I have described before. Although this time probably literally.
There was one pub/restaurant and when we walked in we experienced one of those
classic film moments where everyone stops what they are doing to watch the
strangers arrive! It was definitely an un-nerving experience. Fortunately the bar
person was friendliness itself [and also female]. We asked if it was possible to
have a cup of tea and she told us they did it by the pot if we wanted! That was
a surprise. An even bigger surprise was the fact they had Earl Grey!
We ordered sandwiches and chips for lunch and were staggered
by the size of the plateful of sandwiches we were given. We had ordered the
same filling for our sandwiches [I know, we can’t help it]: Ham salad. The bar
lady brought us a platter with over a dozen quartered ham salad sangers and a
bowl of chips that looked like a scale model of Bluff Knoll [WA’s highest
mountain]. The ham was smoked and delicious. The chips were so obviously
home-made and the nicest tasting ones I have eaten for quite a while. Mum said
they reminded her of the chips we get in the Plough at Bradfield [where I
sometimes take her for lunch at the weekend]. She was right, they were just the
same. When we had finished eating (and were on our second pot of tea) Mum asked
if the chips were double fried. It seems they were and the bar lady was pleased
we had noticed, she was very proud of her chips.
From here we drove on to Serpentine Dam. On our arrival I had a sort of
vague recollection of it, although whether that was a real one or one brought
on by a couple of photographs, I don’t know. Mum used to have one of her and
Dad standing by the railings of a huge dam wall, with the reservoir snaking off
into the distance, in a frame on the sideboard. It was this very spot! Mum may
have mentioned where it was taken but it hadn’t registered at all, until now. I
said, “This is where….” She interrupted, “Yes, where the photo at home was
taken. That was a marvellous holiday. It was also the last time you were here,
too! Phil was holding you in his arms while this stranger took the picture for
us. There is one of all four of us somewhere too. I think I gave it to Phil.”
Wow, it just goes to show how powerful memories are doesn’t it?
I suddenly remembered, really vividly, something which happened
when we were here last. This was where I dropped Dad’s camera case into the
water, wasn’t it? Phil climbed down the rocks to get it from where it had
lodged by the out fall. I can’t remember much but I do recall feeling scared
that he might fall in too. She told me that was exactly right. I had been
really upset because I thought Dad would be cross, it was a new camera [Canon
Sureshot] bought especially for the trip and because it was simple enough for
us kids to use –even me- I had been entrusted to hold the case. Probably I
wasn’t told off, mainly because that happened so rarely I would have remembered
it. Phil had played the hero and scrambled down to the water’s edge where the case
had got stuck. He was able to fetch it out and give it back to Dad. The case
wasn’t leather and wasn’t damaged at all. It’s funny how stuff comes flooding
back, isn’t it? I haven’t thought about that for years and years.
We pottered back to Warnbro in time to collect the kids from
school. Mum drove us the scenic route back – down to Rocky Beach then along the
route I had walked and cycled during my stay. I had a brain wave whilst we
were driving. Because I love the shore here so much I have asked Mum to drive
me along it again during the week, so that I can film it on my camera. That way I’ll
have a real time record of what it looks like. My camera will film for several
minutes as I put a 32Gb micro SD card in it. Rah rah rah!
I Skyped Laura this evening, around midnight so that she’d
be back from work. She was at Dad’s! She had gone round there as Dad &
Louisa were upset so she and Molly had gone to find out why. Dad & L had
gone to Gilbert’s in Crosby Villa yesterday, this is a small village just down
the lane from Tallentire. One of my friends lives there Sue (and Iain her
husband) too. They live just round the corner from Gilbert. It seems they had
gone walking from Gilbert’s place, up the road a little and then down to the
railway line, from there they followed the railway line south intending to end
up in Crosby at the Stag Inn. They didn’t get that far. It seems Charlie, one
of Gilbert’s Chocolate Labs got through the railway fence and was killed by a
passing train! OMG. I am not surprised Dad & Louisa were upset. It is horrible
news. Not only did Gilbert have his two dogs with him Dad had his three and
Callie. I just started crying when Laura told me this, I asked her to put Dad
on and he was quite shocked still.
He told me the other dogs hadn’t gone through the fence at
all and were never in any danger. It still didn’t stop the awful feeling I had
in the pit of my stomach that I could have lost my precious puppy. Charlie had
been nicknamed Houdini by the people of Crosby Villa because he was always
getting out of Gilbert’s garden. He used to be brought back home at least once
a week. Barney, the other dog, was far more laid back and used to wait in the
garden with his tail wagging waiting for his mate to come home. Gilbert is
heartbroken, as you can imagine.
The train driver stopped and was pretty upset too. He called
the British Transport Police and they were there quite speedily. They had brought a
replacement driver and retrieved Charlie’s remains from the track. Apparently
hitting animals on the track is more common than you’d think but they are
usually sheep or cattle. The Policeman couldn’t remember a dog being struck by
a train before.
Laura was stunned by it all you could tell and very pale –
even more pale than she usually is! She got some colour back when I reminded
her I would be home next week. She can’t wait for me to return. I will be back
to give her mega hugs on Friday [around lunchtime]. I will drive down to
Sheffield on the Sunday so I can report in for work on the Monday morning. Dad
tells me this will be a formality, they have a couple of new lecturers etc
starting from September 1st too, they will be given their formal
induction and then told to return about two weeks later. I hope the same
happens for me because I will be straight back to Dad’s and Laura.
Saturday 24th August.
Swimming again this morning and once more Mum went to the
Aquarobics class instead of swimming lengths. She really seems determined to
stop Suze blabbing about her lotto win to the other ladies in the class.
We went to Subi Oval to watch the Dockers against Port
Adelaide. Apparently, it was on the TV news last night, the game has sold
out! It must be all of us closet fans creeping out of the woodwork, eh? They
also said the club wanted everyone to wear something white for the match too,
so this morning we spent some time assembling our wardrobes accordingly. The
Dockers do have a white strip as well as their usual purple, so the girls and
Suze had their replica white Guernseys to wear. Even Pete and Jeff went in
white. I found a white top to wear which I didn’t know I’d brought with me,
embarrassingly it has the slogan “Queen Bitch” written in lurid pink across the
front. Mum has surprised us all with a sweatshirt she bought when she was here
last, which is white, with a huge, black, letter F on the front surrounded by
black and white drawings of sea birds and the word Fremantle written at the
bottom. I have never seen it before and she admits that she has hardly worn it
at all in the UK. It shows. It looks brand new. We did the usual trick of parking in Freo and
catching the train into Subi. Like we did last time we had a bite to eat,
before the game, in Subiaco. Kick off was at 5.40pm.
Match report: We won. Again Freo’s score went into the
hundreds (134pts) while Port Adelaide couldn’t even scrape half that total.
(60) The win has moved the Dockers up to third in the ladder. It will take the
other clubs in the league to do us a favour if we are to hit second spot, but
who knows? There was no respite from the Dockers attack for PA they were just
outplayed and quite frankly, hapless in every quarter of the match. One anomaly
though – the TV news said the match had been sold out but when the attendance
figures were announced on the Tannoy it said 35 and a half thousand spectators
were present. For the Derby match with the Eagles there were nearly 42 thousand
in the crowd. Shome mishtake there then, hic!
I have to say that despite the fact the Eagles may miss out
on the play offs Pete and Jeff were swept along in the euphoria of the win.
Maybe it was Mum’s infectious enthusiasm and partisan yelling which brought
them round? Who knows? Mum was a picture of righteous fury at several points
during the game although I think her grasp of the rules is even scantier than
mine!
We did Mum’s trick again to get ourselves a seat back into
Fremantle on the train. I hope the
weather is fine tomorrow as I am looking forward to a family Barbie in the bush
out at Wungong Reservoir. Mum went and bought a whole load of steak for us and
some ready-made kebabs from the butchers at Warnbro Shopping centre this
morning. There will be a whole pile of green salad and some home-made dressed salads
too – we spent the morning making a pasta salad, a couscous salad and a potato
salad. It should fill a gap. [I didn’t know until we got back from the game
that Mum has invited Alex and Chris to join us. That’s why we have prepared
enough food for an army!]
I had an e-mail waiting for me from Laura, when I fired up
my tablet back at Chaos Castle, it just had a huge number 6 as the message and
lots of small kisses at the bottom! Ah, bless.
Sunday August 25th.
We went swimming with the Sunday Swimmers again this
morning. I lost my goggles somewhere between the bedroom [study] and the pool
so I had to swim without them. My eyes were stinging like billy-o for ages
afterwards. When we got back to S & P’s they were on the telephone table,
waiting to be picked up. Durr! That’s where’d I put them down when someone
called at the ungodly hour of quarter to seven this morning! The ‘someone’ was
the clinic in Mandurah where Suze works, asking if it was possible for her to
make a half shift this afternoon. She turned them down because she was taking
Mum and me out for the Barbie. It is strange to hear yourself referred to as
”the Kid sister”.
When Pete came back from collecting the Sunday Papers he
asked me if I was alright and had I been crying? I explained about the red
eyes and forgetting the goggles. He told me that the more your eyes sting
at the pool, it means the more people have been weeing in the water! Yuck or
what?
I have been to Wungong Reservoir before but, as Mum told me,
I was a toddler once again! I don’t remember this one at all. We drove across
the dam wall and then down a track that brought us to a picnic spot right by the
water’s edge. Here Pete put up a gazebo (!) and then started to collect fire
wood for the Barbie. There was a cast iron Barbie, shaped like a half barrel, but
no wood near it. Usually the wood provision is done by the ranger service, they
must have been too busy to do it this week. Once the fire was lit we waited for the thing to get hot
by walking along the lake shore and trying to spot lizards. There is an
extensive set of walks around the bush area [which Mum says weren’t here
before] and we trooped off – that’s Mum, Suze, Jill, Annabelle, Jeff and me -
on a way-marked stroll that said it was three to four kilometres. Being close
to the lake shore most of the way it was fairly flat, the only time the path
rose was to take us up to the visitor car park and café to the east of the dam
wall. From there we tracked down through the woods coming back to the lake
shore and a Barbie hot enough to cook on.
Mum insisted on putting aluminium foil on the hot plate
before putting the food on! I mean the heat would have killed off any nasties
lurking on there. We had the Kebabs first and just as they were ready Alex and
Chris arrived [late] having got lost and spending an age finding the right road
out of Bedford Dale. They came down Admiral Road OK but then ended back up on
the Albany Highway! Alex refused to turn round but was adamant he could find a
way back - which took them even further away. In the end he had to retrace his
route and eventually found us. Just in time to eat.
They had brought masses of food too, so we ended up not
cooking some of our meat and put it back in the esky to eat at home tomorrow. A
& C were miffed that they’d missed our little walk so we went off again for
a post prandial digestive walk, the direct route, back up to the visitor café
to fetch some ice cream to go with the dessert which Chris had brought. They
had a small fabric cool bag in their car which was handy and we bought four
litres of ice cream which just fitted in nicely. Two vanilla flavour, one
Cherry Swirl and One Chocolate. One of the dessert items was barbequed bananas
in their skins. I normally hate bananas being cooked in anything but these were
delicious; especially with a dab of chocolate ice cream.
Alex and Pete shared a case of beer. [Swan
Gold] and we had wine or watered down wine [the kids]. This proved very silly
because at about three pm we all realised we had to drive back. Chris said she’d
had only the one glass so she was OK but the Rhodes and Jay-Smith adults had to
play a rock paper scissors game to see who would have to attempt a quick sobering up.
Suze lost! She said she’d be fine if she had a lot of coffee and ate some more
carbohydrates. We’d brought four large
flasks of boiling water to make hot drinks so Suze had two huge mugs of hot
coffee and three burgers in buns. She then came for another stroll along the
lake shore with us girls while the blokes continued to guzzle their beer.
At about five the wind got up, probably the edge of the
Doctor blowing in, so we packed up and set off back in convoy to Rockingham. It
was a really good day. We had a good giggle. Played several games of jumbo
Jenga on the picnic table and had a mammoth pass the pigs-athon. We got very
silly at this; developing unusual techniques for our throws and calling
them mad names. Maia’s Misguided Muddle proved quite successful, I think this
was because I threw a pig from each hand crossing my arms just before the
release. I scored no ‘pig outs’ at all using this method! That has to be a
statistical anomaly.
At home we watched the fiasco that was the end of the fifth
test. I thought the Aussie declaration was a very sporting gesture and that
England was certain to win but then the Umpires pulled the idiotic stunt with
the light. Four overs to go and 21 runs to win! How stupid was that? I suppose,
in all fairness, a draw was the best result, especially in light of the Aus declaration.
I had a whole slew of e-mails arrive for me: another large number
from Laura; one from Mrs Briggs telling me they were looking forward to me
coming back in September and to apologise for giving Christopher my e-mail
address; one from Julie saying the house was fine, it smelled a bit unloved
when she did the post the other day but then she realised my reed-diffuser had
run out. She set the second one going on the kitchen table, left there for that
very eventuality. There was one from Phil and Jane – Jane’s kid sister had
passed her A Levels with the grades she needed and was definitely going to
Leeds Uni in September. A long rambly, chatty, silly one from Kaybers,
commiserating about the Nadia incident. Another one from the mad woman herself.
One from the landlady of the pub where we have been winning their Thursday
night quiz. One from the restaurant where Laura will be working in September,
they’ve lost her e-mail address [but had mine?] and wanted her addy. Plus one
from Christopher.
Christopher is a guy [from the law firm] who had been
accompanying me to concerts at the Sheffield City Hall, as I wanted a change
from going with Mum. I’d asked in the office for a companion and he’d piped up.
Sadly, after a few concerts, he started to think I was really wanting him to get into
my knickers too, so I stopped going with him. I had made it so clear I only
wanted a concert companion but no, he had to be a pillock! Anyway, the reason for his e-mail isn't knickers diving related [I think] he has
recorded one of the BBC Proms for me and made a copy – it is of Nigel Kennedy’s
new interpretation of the Four Seasons and, according to Christopher, it is
unbelievable. I had seen this concert in the proms guide which came with the BBC Music
Magazine [I’m a subscriber] and I thought it sounded good. He says he has put
the recording on to a DVD and I will be stunned by the interpretation. Oh Dear, I hope
this won’t mean he start trying to be lovey dovey again. I mean he is a nice
guy and everything but he looks [and dresses] like an insurance salesman!
Monday August 26th.
We went to the pool again this morning and Mum went to
Aquarobics again! I went into Rockingham by myself after dropping off the kids
as I wanted to get something to take back for Laura. I had seen a beautiful
matching pair of necklaces, they are gold hearts with a bright blue Lapis
Lazuli centre on a gold chain. They are absolutely gorgeous. I bought one for
Laura and one for me. The gold holds the Lapis in place and when you hold it up
to the light they are translucent. They are simply adorable. I think she’ll
love it. I hope she does.
They were a bit expensive, especially as the exchange rate
is so terrible, but I had taken my passport and return flight ticket to the
jewellers’ and they have taken off the sales tax. Rah, rah, rah! I showed it to
Mum when I got home and she wanted to know which jewellers’ they were in and
were there any more different pieces? I told her where it was and she is going
to have a look sometime before she comes back home. [That is in mid to late
September, I think.]
We zoomed off to RSHS as soon as S & P were home and
sure enough the kids were bounding out to meet us at the gate by 2.35pm. Pete
drove us along the Kwinana Freeway up into Perth and then across Narrows
Bridge. This gives you the most wonderful view of the city centre sitting being
the Swan River, looking so clean and modern. Surprisingly, the traffic was very
light for the time of day and we made uninterrupted progress all the way to
Osborne Park. We came off the freeway by the big lake [Lake Monger, I think] the
route was pretty easy to find as was Lotterywest HQ. There was a big car park
in front but it was almost full, there was extra parking on Walter’s Drive
itself so we parked there.
I don’t know what we were expecting but it was quite a
disappointment. There was no ceremony or bells and whistles. The HQ itself is
very modern and mainly glass with a huge quarter spherical canopy over the main
entrance made from glass, too. Inside the receptionist was quick and efficient
and directed us to accounts where Mum was presented with a cheque after her
ticket was verified. The cheque was printed out there and then in accounts and
the whole transaction was quite slick and a bit anonymous really. It could well
have been a person using a post office. We all felt a bit deflated after all
our excitement about winning. Pete drove us onto Scarborough beach, Walter’s
Drive is just off Scarborough Beach Road, where we pulled up at one of the
beach front cafés and had huge ice-cream desserts. This place has also been so
redeveloped since Mum was here last. It is quite astounding how much money must
have been spent in Western Australia making it an extremely attractive place to
want to live [so long as you don’t mind being in the most isolated capital city
in the world – at the end of a 2000 mile cul-de-sac from Adelaide].
We drove home the coastal road way and as this crossed the Swan River quite close to Bicton we detoured there to show Mum Suze and Pete’s old house. It is on Birdwood Circus West
and was a lovely house but in a really densely built up area. Mum wanted them
to stop and ask the new owners if she could have a look at where her daughter
used to live. Eventually Pete relented and we stopped. There was no-one home.
Never mind.
I remember the place really well from my Gap Year [2005/06] and
then after Richard died I spent over a year there as well. It is quite high
up and has a view across the Swan River [although the Swan itself isn’t visible
from the house] and it is a house – two storeys high. This is unusual for
Australia, most are single storey homes. If Suze and Pete could have moved the
house they would have, it really was a smashing place to live. You did feel
surrounded though, which at Warnbro you don’t. Partly this was because the house was behind another one and you reached it via a long driveway, that was all that is visible of the house from Birdwood Circus. Plus, their new house at Warnbro is just a
short step to the beach which is a lot more interesting than the river, in my
humble opinion.
We got home to a huge chicken casserole for dinner which was
left to cook itself while we were out. I was prevailed upon to do my vegetable
rice again which is so easy but they like the way I make it – I use saffron in
it, you see. We cracked the most expensive bottle of wine we had brought back
from Margaret River as a compensation and celebration combined. Jill was
allowed an un-watered down glass! She didn’t like it all! We refused to turn it
into a spritzer, with lemonade, and Mum drank it instead. One does have
standards!
Tuesday 27th August.
I don’t want to go home. I have only two days left and I am
going to miss everyone so much. It was easier at Christmas when I left the family
up in Broome on their yacht, flew down to Jandakot Airport alone, and spent the
last two days before my departure pottering about in Bicton by myself. This
time Mum’s here and Suze, Pete and the kids are too and I get a lump in my
throat when I think about leaving.
When I left to take up my job in Sheffield, in 2010, that
was the dawning of a new chapter in my life and I was leaving behind the
darkest time of my life, after Richard’s death. It was easy to leave with
optimism and a newly invigorated sense of adventure. I'm starting a third
chapter in my life since then when I get back. New job [again]; my girlfriend
is moving in with me, I have a lot of new experiences and challenges ahead. I
guess it is leaving the comfort of family and stepping into the unknown again.
It is safer and easier to stay where you are and do the same old thing.
I am frightened about Laura moving in. She is making a huge
commitment, changing University mid-course. Going to a city she hardly knows.
Starting a part time job. I don’t want to be responsible for messing it all up.
I hope I don’t. She is making an enormous sacrifice coming to live with me and I am
doing sod all in comparison. OK, I will have a new job, but it is really just an
extension of what I was doing for the latter part of my MA. The only difference
will be the hours of teaching I have committed to and being part of the staff. I
should breeze through these changes. Loll has to start again, almost, new
tutors, new friends etc - all that as a second year. It might be tough for her. She is a bit of an innocent at large really. She was a virgin when we started
our relationship [I suppose technically, by dictionary definition, she still
is]; she is quite naïve at times and a little too trusting in people. These are
things I love her for. I hope moving her doesn’t change her too much.
Another worry is the thoughts I keep having about wanting a penis
inside me from time to time. Why am I thinking that? What can I do about it?
Should I tell little Loll or not? I
wasn’t a lesbian before I began my relationship with her and she knows that. I
don’t fancy other women either. Why does
life get so bloody complicated?
Enough navel gazing. We had another good swim, Mum did
lengths today and I suppose Suze must’ve told the other women in Aquarobics
about the win and our disappointment in collecting the winnings. Quite a few of
the ladies came over and offered congrats to Mum in the changing room as we were
drying off. We caught the train up to Perth, after dropping the kids off at
school and spent the day looking at Perth from a tourist’s point of view. It is
very clean and modern and if it wasn’t for the glorious weather most of the
time, it could be anywhere really. We hired bikes for two hours and cycled
through King’s Park. Again I had done this as a child but couldn’t remember. It
is brilliant really, a real life example of pure, unadulterated bush in the
middle of the city. There are the cycle ways through it but that’s all! What a
great idea. So many European cities couldn’t do this if they wanted to because
the land had been used and reused so many times in those places. There are a
couple of viewpoint towers in the park and, of course, we climbed those. The
ones which overlooked the Swan had magnificent views. It is when you come and
do stuff like this you can see the attraction of living here all the time.
We couldn’t find the car back at Rockingham Station. Until
we realised we were looking for the old Hyundai hire car Mum had last week, not
the van! What drongos! We made a pact not to tell Suze and Co or we’d
never hear the end of it. We were getting pretty desperate at one point and I
was on the verge of going to report a stolen car to the attendant when I realised
what we’d been doing! OMG, what a pair of dozy pillocks we must have been.
I guess I could have met up with Nadia while we were in
Perth but, to be honest, I didn’t feel like opening myself up for any more grief.
I know she’s left apologetic messages on Suze’s answer machine and sent a few
e-mails saying she’s sorry but… I don’t know, I think I am not going to let her
off the hook that easily. I may go and see her in Northern Ireland before the “Derry, City
of Culture” thing finishes and I’ll take Laura with me to assault Nadia’s
sensibilities and prejudices! Although that wouldn’t be fair on little Loll at
all.
Dinner was quite a subdued affair really. I hope I haven’t
infected everyone with my sense of melancholy at the thought of me leaving.
Also we were eating the uncooked meat from the Barbie on Sunday which made it feel
like a cast off meal.
It’s my last full day tomorrow, and then I’ll be flying back
on Thursday. There will be tears. I just know it.
Wednesday August 28th.
Not the final swim! I am going to do one on the morning of
my departure. My flight isn’t until the end of tomorrow almost, so I could do
all sorts of things. So that is exactly what I did.
Today I decided I wanted to go to Mandurah again and have a
last look round before going home. Mum and I drove down in the van, after
dropping the kids off. We found a cycle hire place just over the River and
hired bikes again. This was a great idea. We cycled round Hall’s Head and went
to places in Mandy I’d never been to before! Coming back over the old wooden
bridge we saw that the dolphins were back in the shallows alongside the
promenade so we zoomed down there to watch them.
We cycled round the new development towards the mouth of the
river and went to the beach areas along there too. I showed Mum the theatre
where I’d taken the kids at Christmas. She didn’t even know the place existed.
It is actually called the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre which I suppose
allows it far more scope in its booking policy. There looks like there is a
great kids’ show coming up about a cleaning lady and a Dinosaur but it’s on
October. I will have to write the date on the kitchen white board.
We cycled all around Breakwater Parade looking at the new
harbour and the new accommodation, we’d just got down to the beach proper when
it started raining! I don’t believe it. The first proper rain I’ve been in
since we were in Albany weeks ago. We dived into the nearest café and waited
until the rain passed over. It was a good thing the café was here as the
heavens really opened and it threw it down. It was a full two pots of tea and a piece
of cake each before it had eased off sufficiently to ride back to the cycle
hire place. Phew. We were quite lucky we had the bikes to get us out of the
rain pronto. I was quite amazed by the amount of building which has gone on
along the northern shore of the town. When I was out here in 2010 there was
hardly any, now there are masses of new houses there. Where is all the money
coming from to build these places? I hope there isn’t a housing bubble about to
burst like what happened in the mid 2000’s.
We drove back to Warnbro and then on the way to pick up the
kids Mum drove along the coast road so I could film the journey with my phone.
The picture is bit wobbly in places and the engine is much noisier than I would
have expected it to be and you have mine and Mum’s inane conversation going on
in the background. Hardly a Steven Spielberg production. Once we’d picked the
kids up we tried again and this time we got them to do a running commentary of
what we were driving past. This was still as noisy (engine-wise) but much
better than my first attempt. I have been made to promise that I will do the
same at home and sent them the results so they can see where I live and my
little house. I have talked about my home and the places I go dog walking with
Callie so much that they are all desperate to see what it looks like. This
could be a project for the first few days when I get back to the UK.
In places their commentary is really silly: “And here is
where Aunt Vicki was stopped by the police for riding her bicycle in a manner
that was likely to endanger others”- Jill. “That sand bar leads to Penguin
Island and last Christmas Aunt Vicki almost drowned us all by walking us out
across it to the island” – Jeff. “Here’s is where Aunt Vicki threw her
ice-cream cornet all down my neck and the back of my tea-shirt when I was
little and then tried to scrape it off and eat it because it was her favourite
flavour; Turkish Delight” – Annabelle [That was in 2006 and she was a tiny wee
thing, I’d tripped up the kerb. I hadn’t even eaten any of the damned thing
either. I am surprised she still remembered it!] You then get my Mum saying:
“She has often done that. She once spilled trifle down herself when she was about
five so she took off her dress and tried to eat the trifle from her dress.”
That’s followed by me going, “Oooh that’s a lie.” Long pause…. “It was my dungarees!”
They all rushed off when we got home as they were taking me
out to the Posh restaurant on Safety Bay Road for my dinner and they wanted to
get spruced up. As it was a school night we were booked in for just before 6pm.
Alex and Chris and Sally and Barry joined us at the restaurant and we had a
really enjoyable meal. I had mussels (Moules Marinere). They were local ones
and absolutely delicious. The dessert was Lemon Meringue Pie! Yaay! My all-time
favourite. The restaurant had a BYO licence, so we brought three Margaret River
bottles with us (they charge a small corkage fee) but I only had a taste of
each as I didn’t want to be flying back with a hangover! They were just as nice
as I remembered them from our tasting.
The guests went home after the meal, leaving us lot by
ourselves back at Chaos Castle. The kids were packed off to bed at about 10
(except Jill) and we sat and chatted about what we’d be doing in the next few
weeks. I asked if Loll and I can come out next winter [our summer] and all
three said “Yes!” almost instantly. I will not take no for an answer from my
absent partner; the balance in my savings won’t be depleted as the interest they
will have earned between now and next year will more than will cover what we’ll
spend. S & P, following Phil’s advice, invested their share of Gran’s
inheritance in a managed trust fund and it is earning them quite a lot more
than I am getting. [Although afterwards when I converted dollars to pounds it
actually works out at around the same!] They’ll have enough to put all three
through University without denting their capital amount at all! This is after
buying their really expensive boat, too.
The boat is still up in Broome, where one of Pete’s cousins
[he does have loads of cousins] is looking after it for them and sailing around
the coast taking “Bespoke day charters” in it. They are splitting the money
made 60/40 and letting him live on the boat until Christmas. [He gets the 40.] When we come next
year they’ll have the boat back at one of the moorings on the Swan and so we’ll
be able to go out with them on a weekend. [Or longer if we can manage to arrive
in time to hit the July two week school holiday! That would be brilliant –
assuming Laura is a good sailor.]
It was almost 1pm by the time we finally turned in!
Thursday 28th August.
Well that was it.
We went swimming again this morning. I had no packing to do
as I had done it all yesterday afternoon when we got back from our epic
filming. I have given Mum the little presents I have bought for each of them [I
got those when I went to buy the Lapis necklaces] she will give them to
everyone when I am in mid-flight. Breakfast was a bit dour, to be honest. Today
proved to be a bit outside normal parameters. Mum and drove the kids to school
and then headed back to Chaos Castle. I asked her if she fancied cycling to
Rocky Front, so on we pottered to Rockingham beach, following the coast road
route. We parked the bikes up and had a stroll along the second jetty at RB, as
there were no fishermen on it
We had a slightly tearful scene as Mum asked, “Is there
where you, you know?” I had to admit it was. I was all set to swim out towards
Garden Island and beyond until one of Suze’s friends and her daughter happened
to stop me.
“You know… it would
have killed me too, if you had.”
I told her that I had loved him so much and my world had
fallen apart. Bloody Romeo and Juliet, eh? We actually laughed. There on the
jetty at Rockingham Beach, where her daughter had almost committed suicide, Mum
and I laughed about it. I told her I do still miss him. She said that was only
to be expected. We had pledged ourselves to a life together and it was all
cruelly taken away from me, what did I expect? I would miss him all my life but
I had moved on. She told me that although she hated Dad for what he had done, a
part of her wished she and him were still together. I reminded her that I knew
all this after our late night drunken chat in Margaret River. We had a giggle
about that too.
We wobbled on to Railway Terrace and had a pot of tea and a
cake in the big beach front café, cherry scones, chock full of cherries [but
without almonds, like I put in them]. It felt really strange to think I would
be leaving Mum here but in a few weeks time she’d be back in Sheffield and we’d
be doing all the Mum / daughter things we used to as normal. I asked her if
she’d miss school. She was adamant she wouldn’t but then revised her opinion
and was equally as adamant that she would. She’ll not miss the petty
bureaucracy but she will miss the people, the staff and more especially the
pupils. She was touched by the number of them that had actually given her good
luck cards or even presents before she left. It had almost made her want to
stay on!
We had a very leisurely cycle back and then sat reading
until it was time to fetch the kids back from school. Dinner was early and we
had done huge hot BLT baps with either a spicy relish or a thousand island type
dressing. The kids hadn’t had them before which I found surprising. I suppose
they may be more of an adult taste.
At about 7 we all piled into the van for the drive to Perth
International. My flight left at 10.30 ish and check in had to be two hours
before. [I’m writing this before hitting the land of nod in a Business Class
seat – I asked if there were any upgrades available and the guy on the desk
found me a BC Seat until Dubai. Good man!]
We said our goodbyes at the airport which were sad, as you
can imagine. However, my next visit is already pencilled in so I will be back
in not too long a time. I told them not to wait to watch the plane take off as
it would make them very late home. I don’t know if they did or not as I was in
the departure lounge. Even Jeff consented to be hugged. Annabelle insisted on
being last. I swirled her round and round and she clung on tight with her arms
round my neck. I told her to make the most of it as there’d come a time when
she’d grow out of this. She said “Never!” She also whispered, “Look in your
makeup bag when you get home.” What’s she put in there I wonder?
I waved them off and went into the departure lounge thinking
just how lucky I was. My family are brilliant. I love them all so much. I hope
they like what they find in the envelope I left before we departed. It’s on the desk in the
study. We had a picture taken at the Dockers vs Eagles derby match. It is of
the Rhodes family supporters (and me) in our partisan team colours, full of
excitement just before the game. A photographer was taking shots of people and
giving them a card with a number on. The number was the photo reference number.
We are all huddled together over one of the advertising hoardings outside the
Subi Oval, it has the match details emblazoned across it. I discretely contacted him and have had an A4
sized print made, which he also framed for me. I collected it from the Poste
Restante facility at Rockingham Beach this morning where it had been waiting
about a week. I hope they like it. I am sure they will. I have a 10 by 8 tucked
away in my luggage of the same shot – I’ll find a frame for it when I get home.
Go Dockers! [OK, and Eagles.]
Go Rhodes! Go Jay-Smiths!
Dubai here I come. I only cried a little. Honest.
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