I am Home

[Squirrel]

as some of you may have noticed. However there were so many highlights during this last trip to Perth that it is hard to know quite which ones to highlight.
I guess some of you may be wondering "why the last trip". Well firstly I ain't getting any younger and 5+ hr flights take their toll. The other 2 reasons are my son is looking to move north where work is plentiful and it is steamy hot up there (all year) and now Miss 18 yr old finishes school next week and moves out into the wide wide world. So no more family within easy reach over there.

Now before I forget. Barb (Barbara Davenport) sends greetings to those who remember her. She was very interested to learn of our ins and outs of this year. The Dear Girl came and collected me and we had a fabulous day out at Areluen which is a wonderful natural area set aside for miles of trees and at its entrance some truly fabulous gardens full of roses (over 2,000 of them) lawns, seats, and heaps of other flowering plants. There was a gift shop (of course) and we sort of got loose there and wandered around a bit but the hills are extremely steep there and both of us gave up on the walking bit and had a lovely 20 min ride in a little train around the main bigger flower beds. More wandering enjoying the lily pond etc and the stream however we were both finding it hard climbing up hill / and down a bit the other side to another uphill. Barb asked at the kiosk if we could drive around as we had noticed several cars doing that nad it turned out that as I had a disability card it was ok to drive me around!!! Hurray.
First stop the restaurant up a very steep hill that we had both been unable to climb; once past that delightful time up to the main rose garden etc and eventually home for me and Barb found her way to her own home. If any of you are on FB look for Barbara Davenport and she has posted a very unflattering picture of me (bless her) and another grouping of some of the flowers.

The other highlight sightseeing wise was the day my son Barry aka Baz, drove me down to the south coast. We stopped at a town called Hillarys (I thought I had misheard the name but "no" Hilarys it is) and I enjoyed a ramble through a jetty full of small shops and endless coffeebars etc whilst enjoying the sea view on 1 side and the children playing in the sea over in a sheltered bay. From there we continued around the coast to Freemantle (Freo) and enjoyed to the full a beautiful lunch of fresh caught fish with lovely chips and a cold drink. I was very good and didn't ask Baz to stop in the central shopping precinct which has my lovely wool shop - as if I need any more wool. What struck me was I was in a car driving beside the deep azure blue sea and later looking at the map on the wall of the room I use when there, I realized we were on the edge of Australia with nothing except ocean (and the occasional small island) between us and the Antarctic. I am still trying to get a handle on that one. How vast our oceans are downunder.
Of course my first full day in Perth ws the annual trip to Kings Park in the central city of Perth. It houses the War Memorial overlooking the river and across the lovely grass was the start of the native flower gardens, highlighting all the plants and trees which belong to various parts of Western Australia. Sadly my phone was acting up and I was unable to get any clear photos - drat it.
As for the birthday that didn't happen I know my grand daughter enjoyed seeing the finished cross stitch and it was waiting for Baz to find the necessary hooks to hang it on.