Fun with family and friends.......

After setting up on the front lawn in Merriwa it was time to head inside and see our two youngest grand children again.  Noah at 4 and Ethan at 2 have both grown so much and are real little boys now.

Our previous visit was 18 months ago and we only saw them for short periods.  This time we are staying here for 11 days so will have a chance to really get to know them both.  We also met Sophia, their new au pair from Germany.

Taegan, Gareth and the boys welcomed us and we really enjoyed our time with them.  With Mum and Dad at work during the week we got to spend lots of time with Noah, Ethan and Sophia.  I’m now a full bottle on Play Doh, Slime, Dinosaurs and cars!

While there we took the opportunity to catch up with friends.  We had a fabulous night with Deb, John, Marg and Gunther.

Another great night was spent with Sandra, Vicki and Tammy.  We drove to Dawesville one day and caught up with old friends Julie and George.  Another day we played tourist and took a drive to Gin Gin where we found a lovely little park and a great little cafe next to it.

One morning we were up bright and early to have the windscreen replaced.  After having a couple of chips fixed in Alice Springs we thought we would be right but once back on the bitumen near Menzies we got hit again and this time had a growing crack through the middle.  Hopefully this one lasts the distance home!

On Thursday night we had dinner with David, Amelie and Corbyn.  Our two older grand children have grown up as well and are both almost as tall as me.  It was lovely to see them again.

On Friday night we stayed with Anne and Paul.  Both Anne and Bill’s footy teams, Richmond and Essendon, were playing that night and we had front row seats in front of the telly.   A great dinner and a few drinks lessened the blow when Richmond won.  Anne and Paul were smiling though.

We left after breakfast on Saturday and met David, Amelie and Corbyn at the shops and had lunch with them all before returning to Merriwa to take up play doh duties again.

Sunday morning was a hive of activity as everyone was getting ready for the ‘big event’.  It was Noah’s 4th Birthday Party.  The bouncy castle arrived early and kept the boys entertained until it was party time.  11.00 o’clock arrived and so did 10 little four year old boys and girls.  A fun time was had by all and we loved that we could be there to share the day with Noah.  We finished the day with a delicious meal and a lovely evening at Nancye and Bob’s place in Ocean Reef.

Monday was Noah’s actual birthday and we enjoyed our last dinner with the family.  During the day we had readied ourselves to move to David’s place the next day.  Thank you so much for having us and letting us share your home and life for the last week.

While here the weather had been very cold with some rain and Bill had been unable to locate those pesky leaks so we had organised to take the van in on the way to David’s to get it looked at.  We did that and they resealed a number of spots that looked like possible places rain could get in.  All but one spot seems to have been fixed so we’ll keep looking for that one.

We arrived at David’s place that afternoon and set up in his driveway.  It was great to see him again and be able to spend a few days with him and the kids.  They stayed over on Thursday night and we were given a sneak preview of their costumes for Book Week.

On Friday night we had a wonderful night catching up with Marg who has returned from the French Canals to live in Perth.  The view from her new apartment is sensational looking along the Swan River to the city and the new Perth Stadium.

Lorraine, Hans, Jill, Rob and Steve all joined us for dinner at a little Thai Restaurant.  It was so good to see everyone again and hear all about what they have been doing since last time we visited.

Saturday morning was spent with David and the kids and Bill helped David sorting out his reticulation.  Sunday morning they had another go at the reticulation and later in the afternoon we caught up with Pat and Russell for afternoon tea.

We had dinner with David, Amelie and Corbyn on Monday night and said goodbye to them again. We’ll see you next time.

On Tuesday afternoon Taegan brought Noah and Ethan down to meet us and say goodbye.  As it was still raining we met at MacDonalds and the boys had a wonderful time in the two storey playground. It was lovely to see them again and very hard to say goodbye.

Later that evening we caught up with our good friend Angelino and his two beautiful daughters, Tyler and River.  We all enjoyed the yummiest Calzone Pizza at the Rivervale Hotel.  So good to see you all again.  Hopefully it won’t be so long next time.

We enjoyed our last night with David at home and said our goodbyes before bed that night.  Thank you too for having us stay and we look forward to next time.

And so on the 30th August after almost three weeks in Perth with our families and friends it was time to hit the road again and begin our long journey home. There were still some friends to be seen but we were on our way.

Our first stop was at Dawesville where we were spending the night with Julie and George.  We had lots to catch up on as it had been many years since we saw them last.  We enjoyed dinner with them at the very quirky Friar Tuck, an Irish Pub.   It was good to see Lee again and meet Sandy.

Saying goodbye to Julie and George the next day we didn’t have too far to go before we stopped again.  We were camping at Herron Point with Anne and Paul for the weekend.  The campground is a nature based camp situated along the white sandy shoreline of the Harvey Estuary.

A totally relaxing place to spend a few days. It is also a Ramsar Bird site so Bill was even happier and spent time playing with the local Osprey and many other birds.  The little Southern Emu Wren was a lovely surprise and such a delicate little bird.

Anne and Paul arrived on Friday evening and we enjoyed a weekend with sunshine and a light breeze.  It was still a bit chilly though.  We left Anne paddle boarding and went and visited Jack and Gina in Mandurah for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon before returning for a final farewell to them as they returned home for work on Monday.  It was a great weekend, thanks for coming and playing with us again.  

One other feature of this little campground was the quirky artwork on the toilet walls.  I can’t show it all but here is one piece.

We stayed one more day and left on Tuesday morning.  From here we were on our way to Bunbury as we had to get something fixed under the car.  We found a home in a Caravan Park there and while Bill took the car to Toyota I got the washing done.  Undies and socks good for another week or so.  We set off the next morning and the forecast rain arrived as we left and it followed us for the next week.

We were on our way to Pemberton to stay with Jill and Rob but we had a few days to kill so we continued looking at places we hadn’t been before.  Our first stop was to Potters Gorge, a fabulous campground at Wellington Dam near Collie.  A National Park campground with all sights marked out.  A fire pit/barbecue and a table at each site.  Gas barbies and toilets right through the grounds. And all for $6 per person.  Kinda makes our $50 ish for National Parks in Victoria look a bit over the top eh!

We spent two days here but unfortunately it rained for the most if the time but at least we were warm and dry inside.  Leaving here we stopped at Collie for a look around and loved the old buildings which have been kept in good order.  The old Premier Hotel still holds pride of place in the main street with a modern sculpture of ‘The Bookmaker’ in front.

We left here and drove on to Boyup Brook where we spent one night in their little caravan park. Another lovely little village and Bill was happy as he found Western Rosellas and Red Tailed Black Cockatoos here.

The next day we made our way to Pemberton and our first stop was to see the local Dr.  While staying with the boys both Bill and I had picked up a nasty cold.  Both of us had seen the Dr there and had been given antibiotics.  Mine was gone but Bill’s cough had persisted and was now back with a vengence.  The Dr gave him some tablets and medicine and we hope to see an improvement soon. The cold damp weather is certainly not helping.

From here we made our way to Jill and Rob where we were welcomed warmly and all sat down for lunch together.  Marg arrived from Perth later in the afternoon and we all enjoyed a lovely weekend of good food, good wine and wonderful friendship.  No time on the verandah this visit as the rain and cold persisted for most of the days.  It didn't stop Rob and Bill from taking photos of the wonderful birdlife around the house.  This Splendid Fairy Wren seemed very happy to oblige.

We had a look around the fine wood gallery on Saturday morning and enjoyed a coffee with some local friends and on Sunday morning we went to their place at Donnelly Lakes for morning tea and a photographic session for the boys.  Such a lovely place and the lakes looked very tranquil.

The next morning we packed up once more, said our farewells to Marg, Jill and Rob and made our way out to the highway.  It was really time to head for home now.  Thank you once again for having us stay and sharing your little piece of paradise with us.

Google maps tells me that we have 3386 km to get us home so I guess we’d better get started.  I’ll let you know what we see along the way.

until next time........