Fremantle Reflection

Jane lives near Fremantle. After a long sit at Little Creatures and a few of their lovely Pale Ales and lots of delicious food, we went for a stroll along the water. There we are reflected in the McDonalds window.

My first visit to Fremantle was in 1999 when Jane lived about a street away from this part of the world. My kids and I spent two weeks here. The beachfront here has altered. At that time my kids went to the little building on the beach on the right in this photo below and had some art lessons. They loved it.

I didn't recognise the view at first with the big modern building. I vaguely recall being told it was a Museum.

There is a lot of development going on in that part of the world. It's a shame to see the coastline getting built up with housing. I guess for the people who will live there, it will be great.

We drove past Sam's school and it's a great space. It sounds like there are some good people there too. Sam seems really fond of his integration aide and some of his teachers, which is good. I wish he was at my school, but the grounds at the school he attends are awesome.

I visited the Freo Market, mainly to check out the mosaics I remembered from my last visit. I wanted to take photo's, but the sign said 'No Photos', so I chatted to the nice man and he gave me a few tips, which I know will help a lot and a nice postcard with their website: mosaicart, there are some great photos and links to other artists on the site. Nice story too!

I love my time with Jane. This was my fourth trip to WA. I would be happy to just sit at her kitchen table and drink coffee until it was a respectable time to have red or a beer. She is one of the few people I drink with. She is such a creative soul, her home is always beautiful and interesting and I always enjoy seeing the magic she creates in her space. We have been friends for such a long time and know each others history. It is very comfortable.

Namowrimo Abandoned for Beach

I concede defeat. If you look at my stats, there is very little hope for me. Last year I predicted my inability to do it and didn't try, this year I am quite willingly surrendering. It must have been beginners luck the first year and I feel doubly successful in my original effort now that I appreciate what it must have taken. I take my hat off to all those who are soldiering on with it and will now be a supporter from the sidelines.

My weekend went in directions I didn't expect. I was too leisurely on Saturday, although thank goodness I did clean my house! Often I put that off till Sunday as well. I enjoyed it all very much though and feel no regret for the price I have paid.

On Sunday after his work, my son suggested we get out of the house and go to the beach. So we did. He brought a couple of friends and Rhonda called and decided to join us. We took our work with us, study, unfinished essays, corrections were all packed up and away we went. Driving there, about an hour away from home, the sky was dark and rain spits were disheartening on the windscreen. Rhonda in her car was thinking I was mad.

We arrived at the beach, whilst most were packing up to leave we enjoyed a couple of hours of swimming and lying in the gentle afternoon sun. It had been hot and muggy at home, yet was clear and still warm on the sand. The sea was refreshing and I enjoyed playing in the chilly waves. We then went into town and the six of us ordered a variety of yummy food and sat out on the street table and satisfied our after swimming appetites, tasting all the variety and laughing a lot. The sun was setting as we drove home and the world was beautiful. As we came through the hills the air smelt of eucalyptus's and the thunder storm we could see ahead.

It did my spirit good. I'll write the novel another day. Now I need to get moving for the busiest time of my year. Corrections, report-writing, Christmas shopping and mega birthdays (including my own!) all loom in the next month. This time next month I will be in WA with Jane, so I need to be effective in my actions and letting go of NaNoWriMo is the first step.

Paths

Today I swept my paths. I have paths all around my home and because Andy had done such a magnificent job in the back yard, it inspired me to uncover the paths in the front yard, which had been buried, probably since last spring, by tanbark. The path was totally covered. It looks great now.
I do love overgrown and hidden paths though, just not at my home. Here is a picture I took this time last year on a walk at Cape Patterson. I like beach paths especially when they are dark and overgrown and then you emerge out on an open beach that seems so wide open and light in contrast to the path you have taken to get there.

Gathering of shells

360 degrees

I wish I was there again today. I didn't sleep well last night. I didn't think I was feeling anxious or anything, but maybe subconsciously I was. Anyway today was a typical first day back.

Walk to beach

There was a short walk through the tea tree to get to the beach, that was totally vacant. I never saw another person on that beach for as far as I could see.



There were amazing shells on that beach.

Sand Surfer

On a cold day like today it is good to remember last summer. This is not me by the way. I stumbled upon this little family whilst walking along the beach one day. It looks such fun hey.

Awesome Youth

Camp was great. The students were enthusiastic and a joy to be around. Wilson's Prom was as breathtakingly beautiful as it always is. The weather provided a pleasant enough stage to abseil, surf and walk, but canoeing proved too difficult with the wind on Thursday morning. I loved watching the kids develop friendships and independence and to my delight all students were collected within half an hour of our return, which is the best record yet.
There were some amazing young people on camp that really pushed themselves through their fears and limitations. The behavior was great and they responded very well to all that was asked of them. It was a really positive experience and I am looking forward to spending the year with this group. I know I say that every year, but only because it is true.
Any parents reading this please note that your children really miss you when they are away. They also appreciate your homes and food and many of them can't wait to get home to their own showers and beds and cooking. They also mention brothers and sisters wistfully in ways you'd never probably believe as well as pets. Know you are loved and missed!
When I got home I collected my son from his friend's house. The mother there said to me what a marvelous boy he was and how he is always welcome in their home. I felt proud as I always do. I often hear this about my son and feel such joy for him that he is so well loved. I know how great he is but it is wonderful to hear it from others.

Foster - Breakfast at Dawn

We ate our breakfast on the beach, Andy ate his healthy oats and sultana's, whilst I indulged in a decadent jam tart, with buttery pastry, mmmmmm..

Foster for a week in September

There are heaps of little trips to take from Foster and as usual, Andy selected the more obscure and interesting ones. I love that he takes me to places I would never discover. He has a GPS now and that is making him even more exploratory!
We found an amazing beach down a quiet dirt track. It had views of the prom on one side and the hills beyond Toora and Foster on the other. It was so quiet, except for the frogs and animal life in the small patch of bush that separated the waterfront from the road. We spent an afternoon there and then got up at 4.30 in the morning to watch the sunrise and got some amazing photos. I will put my favourite one up, once I decide what it is.
We visited Toora. There were so many properties for sale there. The area is quite expensive still. Toora was a ghost town. It made me feel sad to be honest. Surrounded by beauty and abandoned. The old shops that with a huge injection of cash, could have been very interesting and stylish, but had moss growing on the inside and were dusty and falling down! It was stagnant and decaying. The milk factory has closed about 12 months ago and apparently this has been the aftermath. I feel it must have been in decline for longer than that. It would be interesting to see if it sparks up in summer. There were signs that there had recently been life there. We drove a lot more on this trip and the views were of green rolling farmlands and the prom’s hills emerging from the water. It is a breathtaking sight. There is a slight fogginess that evokes a sense of unreality about it and makes it seem illusory or fragile. As though the mist could swallow the view up.