How does one get homesick when one is officially at home? I had quite a feeling of homesickness earlier this week, I was really missing our dog and my cat and I guess the feeling of being in my own home. However, being around my family has been wonderful and I know that when I head home I will most likely feel homesick for Perth and everyone here.
So my time catching up with various people has continued. I’ve caught up with my two nieces from my first marriage and had a great time chatting over some of the best scrambled eggs I’ve had for a while. I will admit to having mixed them up initially, but I will put up my hand and state that it has been at least 8 years (might have been 10) since I actually last saw the two of them together (that wasn’t in a photo). However it was a great brunch and I’m hoping that at some point we will have the joy of seeing them in France.
For those of you who have known me for a very long time, you will also know Leah; we had a great catch-up chatting away after nearly 10 years of not seeing each other face to face. It is amazing how much people can change but also stay the same. It was really nice to see her and hopefully we will get an opportunity to catch up again before heading home.
On Tuesday this week, we headed out with mum to do the shopping for Christmas lunch. That was an interesting experience, but we did also get to see Aunty Barb’s house, which I have heard so much about while she was updating it. On Tuesday, we also got to catch up with Dad and one of his friends for a lovely evening meal on Matilda Bay. It was a relaxing evening overlooking the Swan River and watching the lights come on in Perth. Dad now has an app for his tablet that allows him to figure out what stars are where; he and Pat had a great time playing with that.
We also got an opportunity to head into Perth city this week, so much has changed. The skyline is different, there is a new train station in the city centre, (disappointed with the lack of people serving – all ticketing was machine based and that is frustrating if you don’t know exactly what type of ticket you want or what types of tickets are on offer). We also visited the art gallery, which we both enjoyed. Perth may not have a big gallery but I feel it is a good one. Though I didn’t get an opportunity to see two of the art works which I remember from my previous visits to the gallery – one a painting which I think was by Jackson Pollock, the other a sculpture. I always felt that it was so realistic – Allegory: After Courbet by DeANDREA, John. When I was younger I would spend time just walking around this sculpture, positive that the people were real. It is still in the collection, just wasn’t on display when we were there – this is the address to the AGWA if you want to see what sculpture I am referring to – http://collection.artgallery.wa.gov.au/search.do?id=1821&db=object&page=1&view=detail (click the link and then [Accept…])
I would be interested to see who else remembers this sculpture.
Christmas Eve was spent with my sister, her husband and my niece and nephew looking at Christmas lights on various streets. With such lovely weather, it is really nice to walk around and certain streets where large numbers of the houses have be decorated with lots and lots of lights and having music playing and just a feeling of fun. Some places were busier than others, but it was a great night.
Of course I can’t miss out Christmas Day, Christmas Day started early, with both Pat and I heading down the beach for an early morning swim. We decided that it was a bit too early as the air temperature felt slightly cold, but we were anything but alone at the beach. Lots of people were already down the beach, the lifeguards were setting themselves up for the day so while our swim was brief it was enjoyable. Our Christmas Day lunch was great, lots of cold meat, prawns, salads and, of course, Christmas pudding with vanilla ice cream. Dad, like many a dad across the world fell asleep on the sofa in the afternoon. I would say that Christmas day so far has been the hottest day we have experienced so far.
Boxing day morning was spent back in my mum’s spare room continuing the sorting out of all my things. It is amazing and a little bizarre as to what I have kept! The afternoon was spent at a family bbq, with my cousins and I had the opportunity to catch up with one of my cousins who had a car accident earlier this year. It was great to sit down and just chat away with my family, all in all a relaxing afternoon.
So now we are into our last week in Australia, heading for some hot weather and hopefully more time at the beach (along with more sunscreen).
So until next week…
PS. Don’t forget to also check out Pat’s blog – patblog.patbell.co.uk
Black Swans on the Swan River at Matilda Bay
Christmas Day drinks
Sunset over lake Goollelal