For a week in September, Jodi and I visited Peters’ family members in Perth. Jodes had some long service leave and I opted for a change of scenery with my lovely daughter. (You couldn’t drag David there if you tried besides he was dog sitting, in peace, alone.)
We caught up with Myvanwy (sister-in-law) in Mandurah, in her new abode and Gracie the dog. Comforting to see she has a good-sized place with minimal upkeep.
Jodes and I also visited Mother and Father Peters resting places in the Mandurah cemetery.
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| Jodi (niece) and Myvanwy (aunt) |
Also we managed to spend an arvo at Michael (Myv’s son) and Sarah’s place in Hilton Park. I finally met Charlie, their adorable son. He had just had his 3rd birthday the day before I arrived. Jenifer was also able
to come round while we were there which was great. Her and her other half are FIFO workers so we were lucky to catch her.
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| Michael, Jenifer, Charlie, Jean and Darryn |
We mainly spent time with Darryn after his protracted time away from the family. Despite being home for 2 months so many aspects of life for him and the family are still unclear and uncertain. Anyway we were there to see him and reconnect.
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| Mother, son and Zero the family dog. |
We settled on a Springtime visit when the wildflowers are in bloom and the place is vibrant with colour. Perth city itself and suburbs are extremely well-cared for - tidy, manicured verges and gardens. When we weren’t with family we spent a lot of time in the Perth Hills area, bushwalking, nature spotting and generally in the fresh countryside appreciating the spoils of Mother Nature.
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| Jodes, Darryn and Jean |
This particular day, we spent the arvo at Kings Park, in the background is the old Swan Brewery and of course the Swan River.
Kings Park is both one of the world's largest and most beautiful inner city parks. It is home to the spectacular Western Australian Botanic Garden, which displays over 3,000 species of the State's unique flora.
It was particularly a picture of colour with the many Kangaroo plants in flower.
Lounging around Kings Park amidst the beautiful manicured lawns and gardens.
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| Daz |
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| Mother and son |
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| Daughter and Mother |
We spent a couple of days wandering round the bush in the Perth Hills area, lovely sunny springtime weather so perfect for traipsing and ‘trekking’ . Although covering a vast area, the Perth Hills Region is mostly within a half hour to one hour drive from Perth CBD. Travelling by car is an easy way way to see and experience the beautiful countryside and when you have a beaut chauffeur like Jodes it’s even better, I could rubberneck to my hearts content. Being out in the country was a pleasure away from the freeways, traffic so and the horrendous parking restrictions that plague Perth and the suburbs.
Mt Kornung or Pickering Way was particularly pretty with various tracks meandering through the bush and free of the hordes.
Wildflowers galore!
Jodes in front of a Black Boy (re-named to be politically correct as a Grass Tree)
Araluen Botanic Park was another must-see as the memory was imprinted in my mind when we lived in Perth many years ago. Apart from the masses of tulip beds, there are impressive collections of Camellias, Roses and other exotic plant species. All the flower beds are set amongst restored heritage log cabins, stone paths and magnificent column pergolas - an absolute feast for the eyes.
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| Fairy Jean in amongst the tulips |
When we weren’t bushwalking or sightseeing we watched Darryn play table tennis on a couple of evenings. It’s good to see he hasn’t lost his touch and has regained a competitive streak.
A bit boring for spectators.
Another evening we spent playing scrabble at his house. Angel did pretty well for a beginner but Jodes and I weren’t good enough to beat Daz.
Ten Pin bowling was another activity Angel expressed an interest so we toddled off there for an evening. Hmmm…..
Darryn managed to “clean everybody up’, competionwise but we let him win really!
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The Reptile Park out at Kalamunda was a place of Angel’s choice so we ventured out there for the morning. Jodes was the only one to allow a Carpet snake to slither around her.
However I was very pleased with myself, I petted the creatures, felt the cold scales and must admit the colours were quite pretty. In normal nature conditions when I’ve spotted a snake I usually run screaming in the opposite direction and never really view them, so a bit of a breakthrough for me - only taken 50 years!
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| Ian the snake. |
Angel got ‘game’ with the Bobtail Lizard. I had my experience of standing on one on our walk around Gidgegannup Falls.
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| Bobtail lizard close-up for Angel |
Tuyen was a bit hard to catch as she was working normal hours on our visit. She presented us with a wonderful feast on our last night in Perth. It was lovely spending the evening with Tuyen as well.
Jodes, Marc Angel and Tuyen
Jodes and I were able to catch up with Tuyen and her girlfriend at a hotel in Guildford.
The weather was almost perfect for our visit, I know a cooler relief for Jodes. There was only a couple of hours one day when it was a little showery. There had been a shark attack at one of the local beaches when we were there so the beaches were closed.
The hotel was nice and central for our itinerary. Many thanks to my willing driver. A brief but nicely paced visit.
