Moving On

My last week in Perth turned out to be rather eventful. Wednesday and Thursday were filled with work as I had two split shifts though I did manage to get home on Wednesday for a nap as Jonathan’s sister kindly chauffeured me home for my break. My last two shifts were to be 6pm until close Friday and Saturday. Friday dawned a bright and sunny day so I got up at a reasonably early hour and did some washing before heading back to the marina with Jonathan’s sister for our last voucher meal. This time it was curry for two and the meal was as tasty as the others. On the way home I detoured to the local fruit and veg man for the last time. I bought plenty of bananas not just because we all love them but I also thought to make some banana bread. Unfortunately since I have never made it before it wasn’t until I got home that I found out you are supposed to use over ripe bananas. Since no banana has lasted long enough to become over ripe in the last two months I set a few aside to ripen so I could bake it on the Sunday. I used my spare time to sunbathe and sort my now clean clothes into staying and going. Very excitingly most jumpers went in to the going pile as I hope to stay only in sunny places for the rest of my trip.

Unfortunately all that fruit, veg, spicy sauce and fizzy juice caught up with me not long after I got to work that night. Let just say I had an upset stomach and left work rather quickly after arriving. I then spent the night sitting on the sofa feeling rather sorry for myself. Luckily it didn’t last and though I wasn’t my usual ravenous self the next morning I decided not to risk it and called in to work sick. Not my finest ending to a job ever as it was to be my last shift but since I never really took to The Restaurant the guilt I felt at missing not one but two weekend shifts didn’t last especially as it turned out I could be useful at ‘home’.

The family were hosting afternoon tea and then a full on party for a family members 50^th birthday. I spent the morning shuffling on my bum round the pool picking at weeds and then doing some sweeping and general tidying, helping out where I could. I did take some time to pack up my things and was relieved that they did all fit into my bag even if it was a little bit tight in there. Maybe, well definitely really, I should have sent more things home but I am just so sure I might want this top or that dress and I skimp on shoes so surely a few bags are allowed?! Once as I had packed as much as I could I returned to the party preparations. Once folk started arriving I set myself up as the ‘official’ photographer which allowed me to wander round picking at the cakes and snapping as I went. It was a good day for me. I mostly ate desert and bread, though I did squeeze in a couple of chicken drumsticks and some salad at dinner time before returning to yet more deserts. After everyone had gone and the place was more or less clean and tidy again I even allowed myself to ask my host for a wee dram of whiskey to finish my day of decadence off. It wasn’t just Scottish whiskey it was from the distillery at the back of my parents’ house so it really was a true taste of home as well as being a rather fine dram.

My wee dram helped me sleep well and I had a lovely long lie. So much so that by the time I was ready to leave for lunch everyone was waiting on me. On various trips to Freo I had heard about the Monk Brewery’s paella and how it was just the thing on a winters Sunday. When we ordered we were given a ticket and told to head up to the terrace area where a chef was cooking up a large pan of paella which smelled divine. It lived up to its reputation and aroma. The only down side was that one of our group had to wait over 20 minutes for his as he decided to come up a few minutes after us and by the time he reached the head of the queue the current serving was finished and he was told to come back for the next one. As he arrived back empty handed the dishes from the regular menu arrived and the rest of us dug in to our lunch. The wait did allow me to get some snaps which was fortunate as I had planned to get a group shot to put in a frame as a thank you present, an idea given to me by Jonathan’s sister earlier that week. Eventually we had all been fed and decided to walk off our meal with a wander round the Freo markets. I am glad I have visited them before when they were quiet as Sunday lunch time was the worst time to visit them. They were so busy it was difficult to see anything though we did manage to purchase some delicious cupcakes and some UK sweeties. Despite the crowded markets it was a fun day out and was finished off nicely with a skype home to the in-laws and a lazy night in front of a film.

My last full day in Perth was spent packing and washing before an early lunch with one of the first backpacker friends I made in Australia. We went to the marina where we visited one of my favourite restaurants before a last look at the shops there where I found the perfect frame for the previous day’s group photo. We stopped back at the house for a cuppa before taking a trip to a local shopping centre where I purchased a multi-photo frame to go with the group photo I purchased earlier. Before I knew it my friend had headed home and it was time for my last evening meal in Perth before watching a good film and then it was time for bed.

My flight to Broome wasn’t leaving until early evening so I had plenty of time to do the last minute packing. Every time we planned to go to the zoo it had rained so it wasn’t much of a surprise that on my last day it was no different. Since I was leaving that day we went anyway. I don’t think I have ever seen such a quiet zoo. A lot of the animals were hiding from the poor weather but we did manage to see a few of the hardier ones. Zoos are funny places. On the one hand it was great to see an elephant up close but on the other I always think the enclosures look so small. There was the usual information about endangered species and the zoo’s efforts to conserve the species through captive breeding and environmental conservation. Whilst I can see how zoo’s can help I always come back to how sad and bored the animals look.  Despite my internal debate on the propriety of zoos I still managed to have fun and due to the quietness of the place we were out in time for lunch. My last meal in Perth was a chicken kebab but it was a very good kebab and a good way to end my last visit.  From lunch it was on to the airport. We said our goodbyes and I sent my friends on their way knowing I was quiet good at entertaining myself at airports which turns out to be fortunate because for the first time ever my flight was delayed. Frankly I am surprised I have been fortunate enough for it to take this long and it was not a long delay. We arrived in Broome only an hour later than expected and it was a balmy and dry 20 degrees C. I definitely wasn’t in Perth any more!