Yesterday we travelled from Albany to Denmark.
Today we went to Dinosaur World because it was raining. We got to hold snakes and lizards and we even got to hold birds. There were SOME dinosaur bones but I think they were just fake! When we got back to the campsite called Ocean Beach Holiday Park we wrote our journals while listening to the rain pour!
The Middleton Beach campsite has wonderful views across King George Sound to Michaelmas Island and Breaksea island. The sound is protected on the west side by Flinders Peninsula which provides Grain Ships with a sheltered anchorage while they wait to be loaded.
According to the man who sold us the Camper Trailer, packing up should only take about half an hour. We took four hours. Apart from the time taken to load the enormous “stuff to go into storage” pile, we had several false starts at winding the roof down which is meant to be the last thing to do before hooking the trailer up and setting off. The first attempt at winding the roof down failed because we left the bedding on the beds which prevented the roof from closing completely. So up went the roof so that the bedding could be removed.
The second attempt to close the roof succeeded but then we realised that we hadn’t switched the battery on and set the fridge to “travel” mode. After that I lost count of the number of ups and downs. The roof must have looked like a giant white flag being raised and lowered because the Grain Ships started to offer encouragement using Semaphore.
So, as the other campers looked on whilst having leisurely Breakfasts with fresh coffee, we battled on. Then, as those same campers washed up their dishes, packed up, took a shower, checked out and smugly departed we continued to battle on. Eventually we managed to stuff, cram and kick our luggage into the trailer, hook it up to the car and depart. I’m sure I heard applause coming from inside some camper trailers, and the campsite owner seemed to be suppressing a smirk as we drove by.
We picked up Emily from Lucy’s, said our goodbyes to the Leiper-Bonnins and headed off to our next stop, Denmark, where we managed to setup the trailer in only three hours! We met some other campers – Kim and Julie Gardiner and their children. They were renting a caravan and were interested in our trailer. I assured them that our setup time should not be considered a Benchmark, rather an indication of our ability to follow simple instructions and think ahead.
In Cricket a Bowler will occasionally deliver a Googly to catch the Batsman by surprise. The Bowler achieves this by spinning the ball, the Batsman will be expecting the ball to swing in one direction but it will swing the other way.
Today I took Emily, Oliver and Emily’s friend, Lucy, fishing. Well, not quite fishing because that might lead to catching a fish or at least spending time sitting down, rod in hand, waiting for a bite and gazing at ocean. But with Emily and Oliver fishing has a slightly different meaning. Firstly there are three rods to set up; this is done by me whilst Emily and Oliver go off rock hopping, skimming pebbles (“Daddy I got five bounces!”), and doing battle with Darth Vader. Then, when the rods are ready, the real fun begins. “Daddy, how do I cast again?”. “Daddy I’ve caught a fish! Oh, no I haven’t, I’ve hooked a rock!”. “Daddy, my line snapped!”.
We need to work on Emily’s casting technique. The ocean is a pretty big target – especially if you’re standing on a rocky promontory. But Emily occasionally delivers a Googly that catches her, along with passers-by and the fish completely by surprise. The result is the hook hitting anything except water. I noticed that Lucy always took several paces backwards each time Emily prepared to cast.
With Oliver hooking rocks and seaweed, the fish must have given up on any chance of some sport and gone off to look for more worthy opponents. Either that or they were concerned by the large Seal hunting nearby. So, after about 30 minutes the children wandered back to the campsite. I followed, acting as Fishing Gear Sherpa, and arrived just in time to meet Mark and Penny who had decided to join us for a dinner of Hot Dogs and Burgers. We know how to dine in style!
Today Lucy came over to the campsite in the afternoon and we went fishing. Unfortunately we didn’t catch any fish but we did see a seal! In the evening Lucy’s family came over for dinner at the campsite and Lucy had a sleepover in the Camper Trailer.
A wet day today. Added more things to the “stuff to go into storage” pile, mooched about the campsite and took a stroll along the beach.
Had a lovely evening at the Leiper-Bonnin house, Mark and Penny were hosting a Birthday dinner for their friend Anthony who was visiting from Perth. Mark and Penny are always excellent hosts and it was nice to meet Anthony and his family, and Rosie, originally from New York but now living in Albany.
Charles Darwin aboard the Beagle stopped off in Albany in 1836. He was less than impressed with the town, describing it as ‘dull and uninteresting.‘ Well, he obviously didn’t go to dinner at the Lieper-Bonnin’s residence! If he had he would have had a splendid evening with excellent cuisine, fine wine and good-humoured banter. There was even a Birthday Cake with real fireworks on it! Highly recommended… should be in the Michelin Guide! I’m sure Mr Darwin would have loved it.
Incidentally, Charles Darwin stayed with Sir Richard Spencer, the then British Government Resident in Albany (his story is worth reading – he fought alongside Nelson!). Mark is one of Sir Richard’s descendants.
On Sunday I spent the whole day at Lucy’s house. We played Rat-a-Tat-Cat in the evening while we were waiting for the guests to arrive for the dinner party. At the dinner party all the kids had pizza and played murder in the dark. After that we also played a game called spotlight. When all the guests left Lucy and I went to bed.
Lazy day today as our legs were feeling a little tired from yesterday’s bike ride. Charlotte and I sorted through our luggage and identified all the stuff that should never have come with us but got packed because we ran out of time to put it into storage. We created a “stuff to go into storage” pile which we’ll drop off when we pass through Perth on our way north. That should result in quicker setup and pack-up times and improve the car’s fuel effeciency.
Emily spent the day at Lucy’s house and stayed for a sleepover (v. exciting!) so Charlotte, Oliver and I had a dinner and movie (Johnny English – Reborn) evening. We watched the movie on our 27 inch IMac – another item on the “stuff to go into storage” pile (but the picture was very good!).
On Saturday we went to the farmers market and we bought some Honey, magic!!! We Also got a magic roll (chocolate swirl). There was a lot of magic things in the farmers market and I had a snooze.
On Saturday I went to the Farmers Market and we bought some Honey, coffee, bread, lettuce and tomatoes. Then I went to my friend Lucy’s house all day. We watched Harry Potter and made place mats and Coasters. Then in the evening we watched some of Harry Potter 2 then we had to go to bed. I slept with Lucy in her bed.
A fantastic day! We met up with Andrew and Marcia Imison and their children; Harry, Tim and Katherine for a 30 km bike ride from Albany to the Wind Farm and back. The weather was perfect for cycling and we had fantastic views across King George Sound and Princess Royal Harbour. The warm weather attracted the Skinks (a lizard with a short fat tail) out on to the cycle paths; they seemed to enjoy playing “Chicken” with the approaching cyclists.
Harry put in a few attacks, sprinting past us on a few occasions but he was soon caught by the determined Peloton. Emily was first to reach the Wind Farm, although she took advantage of some fierce pace-setting by Andrew (with Katherine giving encouragement from the half-wheeler). We had a snack lunch at the Wind Farm Lookout, the views along the coast and inland were spectacular.
26th April, 2013. Bike ride from Albany to the Wind Farm.
The return trip started with a high-speed freewheel downhill to the local prison but, despite my best efforts, Charlotte would not agree to booking the children in for afternoon childcare. Once we hit the flat roads Oliver, determined to be first to reach Albany, launched an attack with Harry in hot pursuit. But we regrouped when we reached a tricky off-road section which include crossing the railway line. The last section of cycle path around Mount Adelaide had some nasty little climbs so it was a close run race to the finish – Harry and Andrew eased up when we reached the cafe so Oliver claimed victory by “adjusting” the position of the finish line.
We had a leisurely lunch at the Imison team headquarters/holiday house followed by some afternoon downtime. I went for a swim in the sea to cool down my swollen knee which seems to be on the mend. We joined the Imisons for dinner at the Curry Leaf Indian restaurant – the food was very good and much needed after the day’s exertions.
