Alison

~ Postcard from Perth – 12-18 Feb 2024 ~

This February has been one of the hottest here in WA for decades, so I decided to get myself off to the beach most days. The sea is always chilly to start but you slowly get used to it, or maybe you just go a bit numb! Most days have been between 37 and 43! Everybody has the same idea so before 9am or earlier is the best time. The water has been like a mill pond and absolutely wonderful to swim, or water walk.

The Groyne, Cottesloe Beach

It’s also school swimming month and the sea fills up pretty quickly with small bodies. My own swimming lessons were a far cry from this, and if you are English and reading this you will know what I mean. Having to get on a bus for a 30 minute ride, changing in a communal room and those funny wooden pallets all over the floor. The overwhelming smell of chlorine still to this day brings back memories.

I met two of my friends on some of the days and after we treated ourselves to breakfast.

The famous stone elephants outside Indiana Tea Rooms
Anglers on the rocks

I’ve been lucky enough this week to have dinner out twice, once for a friend’s birthday and another night to our favourite restaurant.

Taken outside the restaurant

These three are my wonderful group of friends, I can always rely on one, two or three to join me in most outings. So very blessed to have them in my life.

La Pizza is like a Woman,
you have to look after her, tend to her, check on her…

I saw this in the restaurant the other night as I watched the chef lovingly shape and pat the pizza dough.

On Saturday Elena and the munchkins came for a sleepover which Anthony and I always love. After fun and games in the pool we came in and played more games. At 3 and 5 it’s great to be able to play a proper game like memory.

Today – Sunday – we went to the beach again. I think all of Perth had the same idea. We spent around 45 minutes driving along the coastline to look for a carpark. The rangers were out in force and I saw many cars already had tickets for parking illegally. Finally we spotted one at the “dog beach”. We parked and walked down to the beach. I don’t think I’ve seen so many dogs jumping in and out of the water.

The container port at Fremantle in the background
A long climb back up

I’m very fortunate that I live so close to some fabulous beaches and have changed my habits a little by getting up earlier to avoid the extreme heat later.

Well that’s my week over and done with, the next week is going to be much the same weather wise, hopefully I can get down to the beach on a few days.

Posted also for Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share and Sue’s Weekend Traffic Jam

30 comments

  1. Those school swimming lessons are one of the reasons I never became a good swimmer, Alison. You took me right back there! Sounds like it’s going to be a hot summer! Love the Perth mural.

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  2. Wow that’s hot! Lucky you’re by the sea and not in the Dead Heart somewhere. Now then…swimming lessons in England…ugh. I still to this day don’t like the smell of chlorine and only in extreme circumstances do I ever get in a pool, even in hot weather outdoors on our travels. That smell…polystyrene floats…cracked tiles at Reginald Street Baths in Derby…trying to pull school clothes back on but unable to get the body properly dry…getting shouted at because I still had one foot on the tiles while pretending to swim…then back out into freezing cold air after the lesson…yep, like Jo, none of this made me a strong swimmer!

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  7. I see you have us all reminiscing about those school swimming lessons! Like Phil I remember those polystyrene floats and our swimming instructor (a very large lady who looked like she’d never swum in her life and certainly never got in the water with us!) standing on the side shouting ‘kick, kick, kick’ while I went nowhere. It was only one summer holiday when a friend of my mother’s took us to the outdoor swimming pool and showed me breaststroke that I finally learned to swim and to like swimming. But to this day that’s the only stroke I can do!

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  9. I love the blue sky and water colours in your photos and that long mural. The two elephants are adorable. Stay cool and protected from the sun. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.

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  10. I didn’t like swimming lessons, but don’t remember most of the details you all mention. Then again I’m in the Netherlands. I used to love swimming in the sea when I was younger, but don’t think I can do it anymore now. 43°C is insanely hot.

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  12. My memories of school,swimming lessons are very similar to yours Alison not like our boys who had an indoor pool at their secondary school. Obviously it’s why I’m still a poor swimmer. Hope your back is now recovered and the temperatures moderate a little for you to get out and about! Take care, M.

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