Just a note for those who have been following the blag: I’m finally working to catch up and finish it! Obviously we’ve been home a while now, but the blog isn’t forgotten.
I’ll fire off a note now and then when I’ve made significant additions.
Enjoy!
Cottesloe Beach this morning. The water is a little brisk on first entry, but quickly becomes normal. The surf club building anchors the view back to shore as waves flow over us. We dry on the grass and head to Il Lido for lunch.
The salty tang of the ocean lingers as we devour our flat pasta with caviar and potato butter, kingfish crudo with honey and mozzarella, and burrata with nectarine. Wow.
On our way to a shower we visit the markets to pick up food before we head further south (and just a little closer to beginning our way back east!).
Dinner is bread, duck fat potatoes, pea and zucchini and pork loin at Bread in Common. It’s been a god food day!
With the new camera packed carefully, we ride the Ferry over to Rottnest Island. The day is perfect: clear, warm with a cool breeze. We pick up bikes to ride around the island and set off in one direction. The childhood feeling of freedom while riding a bike comes back, along with the playfulness of exploring a new place.
When we venture onto some beaches the sand is very fine and nearly white. The water sparkles, though the camera’s polarising filter can cut that out, peering into the turquoise waters.
There are seals lazing at one end of the island, lying with one fin held up; boats bob in various coves; and birds coast overhead.
Another low-key day planned today. First off, we have Donna’s registration to renew that’s actually only one place in Perth that will renew a New South Wales registration so that’s where we need to go. It’s also time for me to get a haircut, so we seek out a hipster barber and get a really nice haircut.
Looking fresh and looking for lunch and a drink we come across a pub called running with thieves. While we’re here I get a phone call from Jason and Brett about a job offer so I talk with them for a little while about changing jobs when I get back home. This is nice but it’s also kind of a distraction from my holiday feeling.
We walk back towards home snooping at houses along the way there are plenty of fun houses to look at and Anna and I enjoy commenting and discussing them.
On the walk Home we booked dinner at Wildflower it’s our first fancy dinner for quite some time (and aptly named given our recent nature experiences). Before getting home we come across the Old Synagogue where we take a brief stop in the sunshine to look at the view from a rooftop bar.
At wildflower we eat a properly fancy meal in probably the most dressy clothes we have for what’s ostensibly a camping road trip. It is obviously extremely delicious.
Donna is due for her major service, so we have her booked into a dealership in Perth. That is the first top of the day and luckily the dealership is near Kings Park, so we walked through the park looking at the view and the flowers meandering without pressure.
Since we lost the Canon camera at the end of August to water damage from the El Questro Gorge hike. I purchased a new mirrorless Canon while we were still in Broome and today is the day I get to pick it up. I’m pretty excited about this! The camera house staff are also interested in taking a look at the R6 when we come to pick it up and sell it with some pride that I take ownership of it.
We find another dumpling place for lunch (hard to go past Authentic Bites Dumpling on Newcastle Street!) before picking Donna up freshly serviced and renewed to finish our final practical task of the day: our second Covid vaccination!
