Yoz in Oz
I arrived in Perth on the 14th August and headed to Claremont a lovely little suberb right in between Fremantle and Perth. Here I stayed with the wonderful Jo and Steve relatives of Sara and Paul.
Expecting to be given a put up bed somewhere, I was presented with my own flat , key and fabulous home cooked food.This was just fantastic. for me. Remember I had spent the previous 5 months not even being able to brew my own tea, or have a piece of toast when I felt like it.
I was in heaven being given a kitchen to cook in .
The first shock for me was the weather. It is winter here in Ozzie and although not cold by our standards back home..I was freezing. This was a drastic change in temp for me – I was so used to having my face melting. Hot water bottles in bed were required.
First couple of days were spent searching for warmer clothes and planning my itinery. Both Steve and Jo were fantastic company sharing time between them either shopping – seeing Fremantle or going to the local glorious beaches to watch the most beautiful sun sets.
One day I did a ladies that Lunch – with Jo and her friend Dawn. Both women are in their 60’s and hysterical company.
Dawn it turns out used to be a cattle station owner . She used to have 3 million acres and 200 staff !!!!!!She was responsible for ordering supplies and keeping stock. This involved placing an order for food for the station and staff twice a year. Tough if you didnt order enough- as in those days —-no form of transport would take you far enough to get any more supplies. Now thats what I call bulk buying – no nipping down to Tesco’s if you forgot the milk. She told the story of when her husband ( I think it was her husband) accidentially shot himself in the foot and had to drive back hundreds of miles to get back to the ranch. Even then it was on the spot do it yourself surgery until he could be seen……months later. Dear GOD!
This woman was a suvivor I can tell you. Her face spoke a thousand words, and her quiet reserve and manner hid a woman of steel. We spent the afternoon walking on the beach and watching the cormorants ( cant spell ) on a rock. Idyllic afternoon and great company.
Other days were spent looking at Perth and Fremantle (a lovely bohemium little town), having fish and chips, looking at the wild flowers in Kings park and generally walking the beaches or along the river.
A lovely chilled out time, which gave me a much needed rest before my next big Road trip- up the west coast…..
Tags: Travel
wanderingyoz