Friday 9th May 2025

Friday 9^th May

SHE SAID:

Bluee is packed & we said our goodbyes to Bertie, Dorte & Gary & were on the road to Perth by 9.30am.

We had a pit stop & leg stretch in Pinjarra & arrived at our lunch venue, the Last Drop Elizabethan, just before 1pm. Martina & Ric had also just arrived, our lunch companions. It has been ages since we last met up. The 2 hours flew by as we caught up. & we all had Pork Ribs for lunch.

From there we headed to the Ascot Central Perth Apartments, which we are staying in for 2 nights; it is close to the airport, so convenient.

Our daggy, but convenient apartment in Perth

HE SAID:

We managed our final few tasks at the van then headed north to Perth. Lunch with Ric and Martina was a chatty and tasty couple of hours. I usually enjoy a couple of pints of the local brews, but with my vertigo persisting I didn’t risk it, just in case.

The late afternoon and evening we spent in our room at the hotel. It may be almost 3 star, but it serves our needs.

Thursday 8th May 2025

Thursday 8^th May

SHE SAID:

Geoff & I did our packing for the UK this morning. I have my pink suitcase & Geoff has the black soft bag he took to South Africa all those years ago. I also have the small case for the cabin & a backpack. My bag was just under 13kg, & Geoff’s is about 10kg, heaps under our limit.

We all went out for a short orchid hunt to the close by Yelverton NP, finding the expected Hares & Bunnies, 1 single Leafless, & lots of budding Scented Autumn Leeks. One plant had a single flower open.

Dinner was homemade pizza, which went down well.

Fire & Dorte's Lucky Bay Cocktail 

HE SAID:

After our packing and lunch the afternoon wander in the bush went a fair bit better for me than a couple of weeks ago at the same place. I guess I am improving a smidgin most days.

Tuesday night Varena had suggested that the fire go on for Thursday night’s dinner, as the house was very cold. But, as Gary had been doing some clearing up around the block, and created a good mound of burnables, he lit that up in the late afternoon and we enjoyed the mild evening, and Dorte’s homemade pizzas, by the fire.

Wednesday 7th May 2025

Wednesday 7^th May

SHE SAID:

Dorte, Gary & I had an orchid wander on their bush block, whilst Geoff attempted to find out why the 2 front caravan lights aren’t working. There were heaps of Bunnies flowering, possibly 3 types, plus Hares, & signs of other orchids to come.

We headed out for dinner to the Bobcha Korean Restaurant in Vasse. We wanted to thank Dorte & Gary for letting us stay & leave Bertie here for 6 weeks whilst we are away.

Posing Bobtail / Blue-tongue

Squid anatomy lessons from Dorte

HE SAID:

Yesterday when we relocated the van I noticed that the white marker lights on the front of the van were intermittent, mostly off. So, I thought I’d tackle them today. Well, as usual, it was more difficult than I expected. The lights are 15 years old so I thought I’d look at their wiring. The voltage and connections from the cat seemed fine, so this was my next option. But, I could not get to the mounting screws without removing the lens, and the lens and surround had become brittle over the years. So, I managed to destroy a light just to see what was what. Bummer. As we don’t have much time I just taped it all up and will look at it again when we return in June.

Tuesday 6th May 2025

Tuesday 6^th May

SHE SAID:

We did the final cleaning of the house & moving of Bertie to Dorte & Gary’s place, 20 minutes away. The van will stay here the whole time we are away.

Kieran & Colleen returned about 2pm, & we had a chat & did the handover before heading to Busselton for Geoff’s appointment with the physio. Then it was back to Dorte & Gary’s for 3 nights.

Dorte put on a lovely Pasta Bolognese for dinner & we chatted away till 9pm-ish when we all flaked out!

"Chicken Terrible"...last night's BORING & barely warm 
plastic burger...McMuck has a lot to answer for!

Off we go...

HE SAID:

The final touches were done at the house, then it was time to move the van 20 minutes south to Dorte and Gary’s. There were no dramas on the drive or with the set up. So after that it was back to the house to wait for Kieran and Colleen. They seemed very pleased with everything at the house, so we left the to settle back in.

There was a bit of time to kill before my appointment so we had a quick trip out to Geographe Beach Park, as we’d not been there before. The physio now thinks that I have BPPV (vertigo) as well as Meniere’s. Bloody great. Not!

Monday 5th May 2025

Monday 5^th May

SHE SAID:

More bits & pieces to the van, cleaning outside: the carport, pool area, entertainment area, & giving our car & Colleen’s car a quick wash off.

It is quite damp under foot; the drizzly rain continued through the night a bit, I think, not good for mowing, so Geoff isn’t going to bother.

We got takeaway for dinner, so there aren’t cooking smells in the house.

I spotted this pretty moth lurking around near the side door

HE SAID:

We managed to get most of our tasks for the day sorted before lunch. There will be a few things tomorrow morning that can’t be done yet, but I managed to finish a novel I had started a few days ago during the afternoon.

Sunday 4th May 2025

Sunday 4^th May

SHE SAID:

A big day today; the main clean through, swapping the bedrooms back to their original state, washing, drying, cleaning the kitchen then vacuuming through.

We also turned Bertie around for an easy departure on Tuesday, & of course the squally rain had to come as we were doing it! Nice to have the rain, but when we are moving Bertie… Really!

Geoff’s sister, Carmel, had a huge 10-hour breast reconstruction surgery day yesterday, but was on Messenger this afternoon, seemingly doing well. She is still in ICU, drugged up but good.

Old tractor in the bush

HE SAID:

It was good news that Carmel managed to get online and report her progress to the family. We are hoping for a quick recovery.

The rain yesterday and today has delayed any mowing that I was planning. At this rate it will either be last minute or not at all. We’ll see what the weather gods dish out.

Saturday 3rd May 2025

Saturday 3^rd May

SHE SAID:

We got rain yesterday, through the night, & itsy bitsy light squalls through the day. Yesterday's only amounted a bit over 5mm, better than nothing.

The final clean at the front areas of the house were done today, which leaves us about 2/3 of the house to do over the next 3 days. 

RAIN!

HE SAID:

There were packing and cleaning tasks, and footy to watch today. I was also hoping to hear about my sister, Carmel’s, major operation that was commencing this morning. It was quite a worry when we hadn’t heard anything after dinner. We were finally updated around 10pm that all was well. She had a really long day in the operating theatre!

Friday 2nd May 2025

Friday 2^nd May

SHE SAID:

I had a hairdresser's appointment at 10am in town & Geoff wanted to get a flu jab, as they are free from the 1st May, if the chemists have stock! 

After my biopsy I am scared & unwilling to get another needle so soon! I will be masked up on all flights to & from the UK, and hopefully that will help stop me getting anything. Geoff read online that the UK offers nasal spray flu vaccines! I’m going to enquire when we get there.

Back at the house we are doing more packing & organising. I have a few bags in the van awaiting putting things away, then I did a bit more weeding & hand watering of plants under cover.

Paper Cranes in a mall

HE SAID:

Varena and I headed into town around 9:30. Leaving her at the hairdresser’s I wandered a short way to the pharmacy that I had rung yesterday. There was about a 15 minute wait, but the vaccination process was smooth and quick. There was more time spent chatting than doing official things. When I made it back to see what stage Varena was up to with her hair I thought she looked nearly done. So I waited in the front of the salon, listening to the virtually non-stop chatter going on.

After lunch of one of Varena’s loaded sausage rolls I managed several small jobs that are related to our departure on Tuesday. Feeling a little lazy I stopped all work when the rain seemed imminent; not that there was very much of it. Plus it was only a couple of hours before the footy was on TV, so I had unwind.

Thursday 1st May 2025

Thursday 1^st May

SHE SAID:

Geoff went out to do a few things in town & at Vasse, I did the washing.

I also rang Dorte & Gary to see if it would be OK for us to come a couple of days earlier to stay. They said no problem.

The call I was expecting came in at 1pm. Good News, my breast biopsy was all clear, no signs of cancer in the calcifications. OMG, what a relief!

We had a 3pm WhatsApp call with Julian & Kiyoka; they are at their new house in Naguri & they did a PC walk around so we could see what they had done to the place. We saw it last year soon after they had bought it. There have been plenty of renovations & work in the gardens. It looked great.

  
Recent coastal photos from the Capes area

HE SAID:

There several things that needed doing around both Busselton and Vasse this morning. I wanted to get everything done early so that I can be with Varena when the biopsy call came. Apart from getting a flu jab I managed to complete all my tasks, and I was back at the house around 11:30. The flu jab vaccines had not yet arrived at the Vasse pharmacy, so when I was back at the house I rang a different place near Varena’s hairdresser to ensure that they had stock. And they did, so I’ll pop in there tomorrow when Varena is getting a hair cut.

The momentous phone call that we had been nervously waiting for came about 1pm, with the excellent news that there was nothing bad found and Varena is all clear! That was great news, but quite a stressful time for us.

Wednesday 30th April 2025

Wednesday 30^th April

SHE SAID:

It was a quiet day at the house, we had no plans other than minor sorting out, packing etc. I have been told to take it easy for 24 hours, so I am.

The owners have told us they will be back 2 days early, so on Tuesday 6th, not Thursday 8th! Thankfully not a week early like the house owners last year!

We make our plans around their return dates, so when they change their minds it stuffs us up. One of the downfalls of house sitting, I guess!

I had a ½ hour chat with Molly in NZ, she seems to be doing OK.

Yesterday's sunset on the return trip,
I missed the fiery finish as it was on the wrong side of the car for me!

HE SAID:

I am trying to be Varena’s nurse today, as she is sensibly taking it easy on doctor’s orders. We had planned a quiet day so there was not much for me to do other than making meals, which had been organised to be simple for me.

The news of the house owners’ return was a bit of a pain, though also sort of expected. After four months away, unless there is something pressing for them to do on their way home, the temptation to just do the dart back must be quite tempting. It just means that we have to accelerate our plans a bit.

Tuesday 29th April 2025

Tuesday 29^th April

SHE SAID:

We had an early, 5.30am, start with a drive to Perth for appointments.

I had been asked to go to the Fiona Stanley Hospital, as there was some concern with my recent mammogram. More scans & a biopsy of the area was needed. It wasn’t a pleasant day, boring, & worrying. I will get the results by phone on Thursday around 1pm. More waiting required.

We were up there till the late afternoon, getting back to Vasse after 6pm. I am sore where the biopsy was done, but it had to happen.

A rare sight for me these days, a sun rise!

HE SAID:

The day for our dash to Perth for Varena’s post-mammogram appointment has arrived. After a bit of an early night, then some clock watching, we were up at 5am and gone by 5:30. We had prepped some food and drinks, the power bank for our phones, jumpers, books and all we could think we might need on our travels or at the hospital. We were told to be there by 8:45 and made it quite easily, despite a 15 minute delay on the Kwinana freeway for no apparent reason other than people can’t merge as they join the freeway.

The day was nerve-wracking and also boring. There were so many unknowns for us; so many potentialities; and so much time waiting around. There were several consultations for Varena spread throughout the 8 or so hours we were there, finishing with a biopsy; and we left around 4pm. The worries were not allayed when we left as we still need to get the biopsy outcome on Thursday. Fingers crossed!

Monday 28th April 2025

Monday 28^th April

SHE SAID:

A few more cleaning tasks done this morning, then into Vasse for an appointment & the supermarket. 

Otherwise, a quiet day, though I did manage some weeding of the front gardens.

Geoff noticed this White-faced Heron pecking at the screen door, it
flew off then returned for another go!

HE SAID:

After yesterday’s big effort I was taking it pretty easy today. Our little jaunt before lunch was the most notable event.

Sunday 27th April 2025

Sunday 27^th April

SHE SAID:

We are well into sorting out & cleaning up here at the house now.

The van is slowly getting full again, Geoff started with the tidying up in the garden, whipper snipping & hand mowing, then doing the ride-on mowing & blowing the clippings away from the paths & driveway.

I tackled cleaning the fridge, which took longer than I expected. The freezer can wait till tomorrow!

Yes, more orchids from last week.
Leafless Orchids

Bunnies, Bunnies, lots of Bunnies now!

HE SAID:

As I was feeling up to it I tackled the grass, including at the front of the house where the storm water culverts are. Parts of the culvert sides are too steep for the mowers, so it was a mix of whipper snipper, push mower, then ride-on to get the grass cut. It is not pretty, but at least it is trim enough for a casual passing inspection. All up the work took around 6 hours, but I did stop fo elevenses and lunch. Varena’s Bolognese for dinner was the usual tasty delight.

Saturday 26th April 2025

Saturday 26^th April

SHE SAID:

Geoff suggested a short orchid hunt in a reserve nearby. He seemed to manage OK, though he mentioned that after getting back into the car, sitting still & driving was easier now! I assume keeping his head in a stable position!

We got a few things in Coles & were back for lunch at the house.

Mutant Common Bunny

Geoff's mutant Hare find & a budding Scented Autumn Leek

HE SAID:

My first orchid wander for the season was a mixed bag. I wanted to do it but my eyes and brain are still negotiating a bit, so it wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were no dramas, just me getting accustomed to doing this sort of thing again.

Friday 25th April 2025

Friday 25^th April

SHE SAID:

I cleaned out the inside of the car; it needed it! I haven’t been out heaps orchiding but it still seems to get dirty & dusty. Hopefully it will stay relatively clean now till we leave! I also vacuumed the van floor; I just need to mop it & that is done!

Otherwise, it was a quiet day. I am ploughing through my Silo book trilogy, starting the final book in the afternoon. We have less than 2 weeks to go here now, time is racing by.

Roadside burn, Tall Grass Trees flowering madly

Curled leaf 

HE SAID:

There were some minor van and house tasks to complete, but nothing taxing or exciting. I’m just hoping to feel a touch better each day.

Thursday 24th April 2025

Thursday 24^th April

SHE SAID:

Dorte & I headed out for a few hours to look for orchids. We found Common Bunnies, Hares & Leafless Orchids, also Sun & Red Beak leaves. A good haul.

I wanted to do a reccy of an area I hadn’t explored much before, but the road up to the old fire tower was all bulldozed in, to stop people going up there, I guess.

It was a chilly start & southerly wind, which kept the temperature under 20C the whole day.

Hares

Common Bunnies

HE SAID:

Dorte arrived at the house a bit after 9, leaving her car at the house while she and Varena went out ahunting. I managed to get soaked as I drained and flushed the caravan’s water tanks. There doesn’t seem to be a way to stay dry doing this. My other jobs for the day were menial, but Varena surprised me when they returned earlier than expected. I guess the orchids were too elusive today.

Wednesday 23rd April 2025

Wednesday 23^rd April

SHE SAID:

With the federal election coming along soon the pre-polling stations opened yesterday. Geoff & I wanted to get our votes done, so headed there this morning.

There were heaps of volunteers out the front giving out how to vote information from all the various parties. We aren’t interested, but one smart guy said to Geoff that he knew who he was voting for in his bright blue shirt (Blue is Liberal). Geoff’s quick response was “Who, North Melbourne?” (Geoff’s AFL team). That caused a few laughs in the queuing crowds!

A quick trip to the Vasse Village then back to the house for morning tea.

Once again BOM has “bombed out” with the rain here, it all went north & further east AGAIN!

Last night's Sunset

Rainbow over the house

HE SAID:

We managed to stay dry as we queued at the voting station in Busselton. The rain was light, and brief, but we were under the building’s portico when it came. Actually filling in the ballot papers was simple, but filling in the envelope that we had to complete because we are voting out of area was pain. The dim lighting, small print, and old eyes struggled. I may need to start carrying my reading glasses with me. I’m feeling old.

After deferring my shopping for a day I headed out after lunch to get a new shirt, some cargo pants, and a new sun hat for our upcoming overseas trip. It wasn't too painful and I was back at the house in about 90 minutes.

Tuesday 22nd April 2025

Tuesday 22^nd April

SHE SAID:

I continued to sort out in the van, with several trips back & forth with our stuff. Also, I wanted to clean the walls, cupboard doors, windows etc. Good to get that all done. There is still plenty more to pack but piecemeal is easier!

We are hoping for rain in the late afternoon…nope a few drops, lots of thunder though.

Choose your view...moody & grey or
blue & calm...

A visitor at the back door

HE SAID:

I nearly went shopping for a few things that I want to get before we head overseas in about 3 weeks. But, felt a bit crap so stayed in. Maybe tomorrow.

Monday 21st April 2025

Monday 21^st April

SHE SAID:

We had a nice lunch & afternoon at Dorte & Gary’s. Dorte made the yummy Fetta & Tomato Pasta I had told her about several months ago. 

I made a Burnt Basque Cheesecake to take along, which was a new recipe for me but turned out well. Along with Strawberry Coulis & fresh Raspberries & Strawberries it was good.

We were all full to the gunwales with awesome food & wines. A fire was lit in the fire pit, & lounging around was the best idea!

Easter treats & the view from the swing chair

Fire bug Geoff

Sunset on the way back to Vasse

HE SAID:

Our day out with Dorte and Gary was fun. It had been planned for lunchtime for a few days, but then Dorte suggested that we have an evening meal so we can have a fire, but I was hoping to avoid night driving for a while, so we stayed with lunch. The brazier still got lit in the late arvo, but we had to move away from it after about half an hour as it was too hot.