Hi from Oz

We left on Sunday at six for the airport. Once we arrived we queued to book in after which we went for something to eat at the Mugg & Bean. We ate our meal and said goodbye to Geno who had dropped us off. The time was now after nine so we made our way to the boarding gate which was A14 and right near the end, giving us a good walk. There was a queue there and everyone’s hand luggage was being checked. Hubby and Ali went to the left and we went to the right. Ali and Hubby were waved through as they had Travis but Diane’s and mine was thoroughly checked. I lost my cleanser and toner as they were too big. Diane nearly lost all her toiletries as they were not in plastic but luckily a woman next to us had spare bags and gave us one for the things. We then made our way to the plane where we had been put together in row 63. The staff on board were really friendly and said as soon as everyone had boarded they would see what spares seats there were for Ali and Travis to spread across to sleep. We were pleased when they came back and said we could move across as the plane was quite empty. Diane and Hubby sat either side of us in a two seat space on their own while Ali and I sat at each end of the row. Drinks were offered ( I had my glass of wine) and supper was brought around – a choice of chicken or beef. The meal was good with a salad, a roll, the main course, a brownie and cheese and biscuits. I was only able to eat the main course with some salad. Next was coffee and tea, after which we settled for the night. It was now about twelve. Behind Diane were two empty seats so I moved there to try and sleep. We had given Travis some Stilpain and he had gone to sleep with a bottle before we even levelled out.
Diane watched movies all night while the rest of us tried to sleep but as you all know plane seats are not made for comfort. Also I was still annoyed about losing my things so that kept me awake too. After much tossing and turning the lights were put on at six for breakfast to be dished out. The girls and I chose the continental breakfast which was really good but too much for us to eat all of it. Hubby chose omelette which he said was awful. Travis woke as we finished eating and Ali gave him the vanilla custard the hostess had given for him. He didn’t seem very hungry but we persevered(Dumb thing to do) as he suddenly brought it all up. We cleaned him and the seat as best we could managing to finish in time for the descent. We landed at ten to seven which was good time as we had taken off at about ten thirty.
After going through customs we came out to a great welcome from Sylv and all. It was great to see Sammy and Wayne (unbelievable how much they have grown). It was lunchtime Oz time but none of us could have managed another bite. We drove to Sylv and Bob’s place being shown some places of interest on the way. To us the place seems similar to Cape Town just flatter. After off loading we had something to drink and headed to the shops for some essentials. After getting back Ali saw to Travis and put him to bed. Hubby and Bob went Fish and Chip shopping. The meal was really enjoyable which we had with wine. By now we could hardly keep our eyes open and went off to bed at nine thirty( only three thirty our time). I set my watch to Oz time before going to sleep.
On Tuesday morning we surfaced at six and enjoyed a coffee outside on the patio together before having bacon sarmies. Hubby had forgotten his Injections in the fridge at home so Sylv took us to the Dr for a prescription. We tried three chemists but none had them in stock so we ordered them. Bob was off to work so the rest of us with Wayne ( poor Sammy was at school) went off to Hilary’s for a walk through the centre and a spot of lunch. The meal was delicious. After that we walked along the beachfront walkway until the beach. Travis couldn’t believe all the sand and just wanted to play in it. We took him into the water which he just loved. He played around for nearly an hour before we left the beach. We headed home for supper and to put Travis to bed. He was really tired after his play. After supper Ali, Diane and Wayne went out for a drive around. They returned about eleven after which we all went to sleep.
I couldn’t believe it when I woke this morning(Wednesday) and saw that it was after nine. We got up for our coffee which we had inside as it was very windy and overcast. We had some rain during the morning which apparently is unusual for this time of year. Bob went off to work after showing us on the map several places in the area to go to. Sylv had left before eight to go to work.

After looking at the map we decided to head for Joondalup which seemed to have a nature reserve. With me behind the wheel we set off. Travis fell asleep immediately. It started raining again so anything outside was out of the question. We drove around for a while and then looked for a shopping centre to have lunch at. We found our way to the same centre we had been to on Monday afternoon which luckily had underground parking. After wandering around we stopped at the food court. We must have been obvious tourists as we went through the whole section looking at what was on offer before deciding on what to have. Price played a large role in the decision as typically we converted to Rands with everything. This Oz sure is expensive when you come from South Africa. I must say lunch was good – Turkish Bread toasted sarmies and a wrap for Diane. After lunch we shopped around and found a little souvenir shop where we stocked up on a few things to take back.

It was now nearly four so we made our way back to Sylv. Hubby was navigator and I must admit not a very good one. He blamed the map book of course. We found a way fairly easily though and arrived back as Sylv arrived from work.

We have had supper, chatted and watched some TV. Everyone has gone to bed which is where I will be going to shortly once my blog is finished. I am enjoying Perth which is what Rhodesia was like when it was Rhodesia. The place is much smaller and not nearly as bustling as Joburg. The shopping centres are much smaller but then the population is far less. It was easier driving around though nerve – racking as the traffic laws are strictly enforced and I worried in case of doing something wrong through ignorance.

BUT I have survived my first excursion on our own And we found our way back.

Cheers until the next blog.