Grey skies, drizzle, sleet, snow – our days of +30C in the Australian sunshine seem another world away now. Ah, but they are full of so many happy memories!
We didn’t see Santa surfing to deliver presents to the children however he and our relatives did come bearing many gifts for Reni & Syd. Of course Syd is too young now to realize what Christmas is all about, (getting presents), but Reni is well aware. What an excited and delighted boy he was to receive so many wonderful ‘Thomas’ toys.
It was great to get together at Mum and Dad’s with all the family though we did miss Bec and Nanna. As usual we had a delicious lunch of meat, seafood and salad followed by some yummy sweets and of course some icy cold drinks to wash it all down. No wonder I put on a few kg!
Unfortunately Yoko was not able to enjoy the day so much. She came down with a nasty case of mastitis. She had a high fever and very sore breast. Being Christmas Day it was not easy to find a doctor at work so we had to call a locum out. He was very business like in his manner. He told us though that it was good that we’d sought help now because the condition can become serious enough to require hospitalization if the infection develops into an abcess. 5 minutes and $200 later we had a prescription for antibiotics to remedy the situation.
Boxing Day was the prime example of how hot the Australian summer can be. In Perth it reached a balmy 44.5C. We didn’t move much from the air-conditioned house all day needless to say. According to the news that night Western Australia was the hottest place on Planet Earth that day.
Between Christmas and New Year I managed to get away ‘down south’ for a couple of days with my good mates, Milo, Dave and Jay. Although brief it was an excellent DS trip, just like the old days except this time we weren’t the rowdiest guys in the pub. That award went to the table of guys behind us who managed to smash just about every glass on their table in the short time that we were there. As we all surf, naturally our main goal of the trip was to get some waves. We had a couple of sessions in the water but didn’t really get much. Probably the highlight was when a school of dolphins swam by us. Curiously they didn’t play in the waves like they often do. The reason for that became apparent when we got back to the carpark – some poor young guy had split his head open on the shallow reef and was covered in blood.
Back in Perth we enjoyed a family day out with our friend from Kyoto, Emiko. Emi has been living in Perth for a while now and is doing really well it seems. She was very kind to us, preparing a picnic lunch for us all to eat at the nearby park. After that we spent an afternoon at the zoo. As with almost everything in Australia these days it was quite expensive. We had a good time nonetheless until the heat got the better of us and we had to give up before we could find the crocodiles. We’ll put that on our list of things to do next time we are back.
New Year’s Eve was a kind of lonely occasion for me as Yoko was too sick to go out. Fortunately however I was able to enjoy the wonderful company of Patty and Peta who hosted a fun get-together at their house. I’m sure it felt like a trip back in time for many of the people there to see me again (it certainly was for me) after 12 years!
It was so good to catch up with Pat and Peta and to see how well they are doing and yet remain such kind, down-to-earth people. Their boys are about the same age as ours. They had fun playing together a couple of times. Reni (who is very selective) really enjoyed Oscar’s company, not to mention his toys!
The second day of the new year was also a terrific day for us. Our good family friends, Brian and Dorothy, invited us down to their holiday home about an hour’s drive south of Perth. The house looks out directly onto Seal Island and Penguin Island is nearby also. Brian, Dad and I paddled out to Seal Island to see the sea-lions on Brian’s sea-kayaks. As Brian was advising me not to touch the sea-lions one of them reared it’s head right next to me, gnashing around with a catch in its mouth. Little show-off! After returning to shore I went back out one more time with Reni to show him the lazy creatures basking in the sun on the beach. Coming back the second time was not so easy as my arms had turned to jelly! The delicious barbecue lunch we had soon restored my lost energy though, enough in fact to go surfing with Milo that afternoon. (Once again no decent waves however.)
It was also great to catch up with my good mate Gartz, (Michael Gartrell) once again. He and his lovely wife Kuniko, had a boy, Preston, just late last year. Kuniko’s mother was also there, helping them out, being the proud grandmother. Mike and Kuniko had some great toys at their place too, which Reni and Syd really enjoyed. (Gartz if you’re reading this good luck in Geraldton and send me your new e-mail address!)
Whenever we have gone to Perth we have been rushed off our feet trying to catch up with everybody. This time we avoided that scenario however and took it nice and easy. In an effort to catch up with as many people as we could before we had to leave we had a barbecue in the backyard at Mum and Dad’s. It was so good to see looking everybody looking so cheerful and healthy. We really enjoyed the company and appreciated everybody coming.
So to conclude, we really did have a fantastic trip back to Perth. As usual we loved the space, especially the boys. (Our living arrangement here in Japan is ‘cosy’ to say the least!) Of course it could not have happened without the love and support of Mum and Dad whose generosity knows no bounds! Thanks also to the rest of the family and our friends for your kindness too. We wish you all the best in the year of the rodent!
