Perth WA – Travels with Ali

It’s been a busy and wonderful week …

This is the last post for Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share and I am sharing my busy and eventful week with you.

Starting Monday evening for Anthony’s birthday, we decided last minute to go for dinner. I was quite tired after having the munchkins all day, not that I am complaining, Monday is my best day! We thought we would try one of our favourite Greek places but when we got there it was closed and being renovated, never mind we drove to another favourite. This had been replaced with another restaurant but it was packed to the rafters with tables spilling out onto the street. Finally we found a small Moroccan place that could seat us. We had beautiful meal and we will definitely go back. I was amazed that on a Monday night this suburb was so busy with nearly every cafe and bar full. So different from last year.

I found some wonderful murals as well. The whole street was lit up and many trees were decorated with lights and baubles.

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday I played Bridge all with different partners. I think I am becoming a bit obsessed with the game. I have joined a golf club, not to play golf but to play bridge! It’s just a social membership but the club has fantastic views from the terrace towards the sea and the city skyline. It will be good for evening drinks watching the sunset.

I have been busy also trying to buy everyone’s Christmas gifts and my mind has been a whirl. The children were easy and I could have bought so many things, but had to limit myself. I’m nearly done and now for the wrapping, which is not so enjoyable and also to find somewhere to hide them. Lachie and Rosie pretty much know every hiding place there is.

I’ve also been pressure cleaning the tiles outside, which is extremely hard and dirty work, with the dirt spraying up my legs. All in a good cause I suppose.

Friday night we drove into the City to meet Elena, Damian and children to do the Rio Tinto Christmas Trail. First we were having dinner and the only place I could get into was an extremely noisy and packed pub. I thought Rosie would be scared but she seemed to enjoy the live band. Places now have apps on the table that you scan and order your food and drinks where you sit. It’s so convenient and saves having to line up at the bar.

Off we set to walk the streets of Perth. I have to say Perth has really outdone itself this year and is definitely on par with Sydney and Melbourne. Maybe I’m biased. Although I would have preferred the lights not to have been so far apart, 6,000 steps later…

**I think everyone had the best time and now definitely in the mood for Christmas**

Tonight we are off to our annual street party, walking distance of course. It’s going to be a very warm evening. Catching up with all the street gossip will be fun and meeting the new kids on the block.

🎅🏻 Have a very Merry Christmas everyone and hope you are on Santa’s good list 🎅🏻

Sunday Stills – Summers, Past and Present

From a small child until I was 16 my parents took my brother and I off to Devon or Cornwall for two weeks, usually in August. I can’t ever remember it raining that much, just spending days on end at the glorious beaches in the South West of the UK. Around April or May in the earlier years my dad would go to W.H. Smiths and get the latest Caravan Park and Bed and Breakfast accommodation book. How easy it is nowadays with Booking.com! He and my mum would choose a suitable place and make a phone call to reserve our two weeks and pop a cheque in the post.
My favourite places to stay were holiday camps or caravan parks with evening entertainment. Everyone was just so happy all the time and I always ended up making a friend or two, who later became pen friends. At the age of 17 I decided I was too old to go on holiday with my parents anymore, I was working full time by then and could afford to holiday with friends.

By the time my own children were born we were living in Hong Kong and the summers were long and hot, but also rainy and humid with the typhoon season starting in June. School breaks were two months long, July and August, and I always took the children back to the UK for a few weeks or so. But I loved the summer in Hong Kong as there was no pressure to get up early. We could go to the beach late in the afternoon or maybe get invited to friends who had a pool. Once we had our own pool, it was used constantly every day.

Now we are in Perth, WA of course our summers are the complete reverse. We have been here 18 years but I still mix the seasons up sometimes! But I love the summers here the most as they seem to last for ages. Although it does get super hot at times, there’s never a time when you have to say let’s wait for a warmer day to do something. I still find it strange having Christmas when it’s so hot outside! When we first moved here I wouldn’t swim in the sea as it was so cold, but in the last few years I have taken the plunge and now go for a swim. Only when it’s a very hot day though! We have such beautiful beaches but of course we have sharks too, so I will only swim in the shallow parts and I don’t like it too rough!

In the photo on the right my two friends are trying to put away one of those beach tents that are supposed to just fold up! It just kept springing open, so in the end we had to jam it in the boot of the car half opened.
The photo on the left shows all the school kids having surf life saving lessons. I felt sorry for them having to sit in the sun for so long listening to the teacher giving instructions, still I suppose it’s necessary.

This post was written as part of the challenge Sunday Stills – Summer hosted by Terri at Second Wind Leisure.

A Winter’s Day in Perth

On a Thursday I play Mahjong with the ladies from my games group. We play in a beautiful restaurant in City Beach overlooking the ocean. We meet for breakfast first and then get down to playing. I’m only just learning so I come away with a frazzled brain!

I thought this photo was perfect for Cee’s Choose a Topic from my Photo, which I took just this morning.

The blue of the ocean, waves, rocks, people, and coastline – nearly covered it!

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

Last on the Card March 2021

Brian from Bushboys World invites everyone to post their last photo of the month from their phone or camera. Click on the link for more info. Here’s mine

This is the outdoor cinema at Crawley, Perth WA attached to the University of Western Australia. It’s a fantastic venue to see a film outside, sitting under the stars beneath the towering Norfolk Pines. There is a pop up bar and a pizza joint that also sells other hot food.

I went on Tuesday with some friends to see “Dating Amber” an Irish coming of age story. A beautiful funny film that we all enjoyed. It was absolutely packed though and as soon as the doors open everyone rushes in to place pillows, cushions and throws across the seats to save for later and then rush off to the bar. Rather like the unmentionable people from a certain European country who rush out at 5 am in the morning to place beach towels on the sunbeds around the hotel pool.
At the cinema though when it gets dark people can’t remember where they’ve left their belongings and end up sitting way at the back instead!

Murals around Perth

Perth is certainly keeping up with Melbourne regarding street art, I snapped a few the other day while in town. I looked up some quotes to go with these images.

“As you climb your ladder of success, reach down and pull others along with you” – Frank Sonnenburg

“I have weathered the storm, I have beaten out my exile.” – Ezra Pound

Feathers appear when angels are near

“You don’t needs words to tell stories, just look into my eyes” – Madhusmita Behera

Weekday Sunsets in Swanbourne, WA

Last week we went for a short walk along the promenade from Cottesloe to Swanbourne. There had been a few bush fires that week, the result of “controlled burns”. These are also known as hazard reduction burning. However, even these can get out of control and cause a haziness to spread across vast areas. The smoke can be smelt from miles away.

I took a photo of the sunset that day and you can see how hazy the sky is.

It was quite chilly but that doesn’t stop people trying to catch a wave or a fish!

🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️

A Gem in Perth, Kings Park

As I live in this beautiful city of Perth I thought it was about time to do a post on Kings Park. It’s great for a short stroll or a longer walk, a picnic or a play with your kids. There are a few cafes and restaurants there where you can eat and enjoy the fantastic view over the Swan River. There are many memorial services performed here each year and it’s here they have the Remembrance Day Service in front of the Cenotaph.

Kings Park and Botanic Garden is one of the largest inner city parks in the world and is visited by over 6 million people each year. It’s larger than Central Park covering 400.6-hectares.

It first opened on 10 August 1895, and was originally called Perth Park and was renamed in 1901 to King’s Park – the apostrophe was later dropped. This was to mark the ascension to the British throne of King Edward VII and the visit to Perth of George, the Duke of Cornwall and Princess Mary.