My last few days in NZ were spent in Christchurch. I took Jill's car and met John and Lindsay who had been on a bus tour. They were taking the car back to Jill and staying a few days there. However, after a month of perfect, sunny weather it decided to take a turn for the worse. The worst storms and floods for 50 years apparently!!
We saw the city from the top of an open top bus, then got a tram and as we got off the heavens opened and it hailed too. I was doubly glad I'd chosen to book a cabin instead of camping as there were reports of tents washed or blown away.
Our drive out to the banks peninsula was cut short. We got as far as Little River to find trees blown down and the only shop there had a power cut so there were power lines down too. We were told the road to Akaroa may be shut and we weren't prepared to risk getting cut off. I was flying out the next day.
We'd visited the Antarctica centre near Christchurch airport on the first day but they closed at 5pm and we still had things we wanted to see there. We were told our tickets were valid for another visit. The day I flew out we went in for coffee and as soon as we walked through the door the fire alarm started ringing. We evacuated to the back of the building with all the other visitors. After about 40 minutes of standing under shelter but in a howling wind the all clear was given by the fire brigade and we got our coffee and watched the film we had had to cut short because they closed the previous visit.
My 7 and a half hour flight to Perth went quickly. I had a seat between me and the next person so had plenty of room. I watched 2 movies and the time "flew". Today I was at the museum in Darwin and a lady coming out said hello. She was the lady who was 2 seats away on the plane.
I had a welcoming committee of Marge and Sue at the airport. Sue is Ann Gardner's sister. I spent several days with Marge seeing the local sights in Kalamunda and around. I met nearly all Marge's family at her sister and brother in law's 60th wedding anniversary party. We had picnics and went to an outdoor cinema and even managed a musical afternoon where I played the flute and sang duets with Toni. Great fun.
Then it was off to Sue and Paul's in Swanbourne for a week. Monday to Wednesday we saw art by the sea at Cottesloe beach, went to Hillary's boat harbour, visited Angi Millard's cousin Sophie in Iluka, went to King's park, walked Hughie the west highland terrier and went to Fremantle and set up my busking at the markets for the weekend.
On Thursday Sue and Paul set off for Albany and I was looking after the afore mentioned Hughie and George the British short hair kitten. He is gorgeous but prone to jumping in cupboards. The day I arrived he'd disappeared. We could hear him meowing but it took 5 minutes to find him inside a drawer!
One day I noticed Hughie sniffing at a large cupboard where the cat and dog food were kept. Thinking he was hungry I told him he had to wait till later. However, I realised I hadn't seen George around and sure enough he popped out of the cupboard when I opened it.
I'd got a name and phone number from a man I'd seen inside Fremantle markets (although they were closed when we visited) and I got an hour's busking slot on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It was only a 10 minute train ride from the house and about 15 mins walk at either end. I did about 1.5 hrs on Friday and took $52, a bit longer on Saturday and took $75 but Sunday in 1.5 hrs only $28.50. Just as many people but they weren't giving me their money!!
It was worth it though and everyone seemed to enjoy it, particularly the stall holders who were nearby.
Unfortunately Hughie was sick one night. He woke me at 4.00 am to go out, then again at 4.40 and 6.30. He hadn't made it one time so I spent the morning cleaning the carpet and floor! We think it was something he'd eaten at the beach. Louise, Sue and Paul's daughter had taken him to the beach the previous day and he'd been chatting to some fishermen!!
Since going to France in July I've been very lucky in that all the animals I've looked after have been fit and healthy even though 2 of the dogs were 15yrs old. However, one cat in France threw up on my friend Caroline's bed and another time on the chair and at my first house sit in Brisbane the cats broke into the food cupboard, got the biscuits out and then were sick!!!
After a lovely week at Sue and Paul's I moved on to Mandurah, south of Perth to stay with Philip and Nerylie. They did a teaching exchange with Ann Gardner in 1992 and I've got a photo of Philip and I playing the flute and Mark Coote playing accordion at Patsy and Arthur's flat in Ryde. Philip had exactly the same picture and also a picture of Ginny Kelly as she was their daughter's flute teacher at Osborne middle.
They've got the whole year published in a photo book and it was very interesting to see as I'm going to do a similar my thing when I get back. I'd hired a car to get to Mandurah and as Philip and Nerylie were working during the day it meant I could get out to see things. Pinjarra, Dwelling Up, Creery wetlands and Mandurah were explored.
I spent the last evening before I flew to Darwin with Marge and we went to jazz in the park.
After the warm days in Perth, but with very strong cool winds, particularly in the afternoon, I was met by a wall of hot, humid heat as soon as I stepped off the plane in Darwin. It was like going into a steam bath.
My cousin David lives here with his Dutch girlfriend Johanna. I'm in a lovely studio which they've built in the garden. Air conditioned and 2 fans. I'm not leaving the room!!!
I've seen a lovely sunset at Lee Point, been to Kakadu and visited 2 markets so far. Unfortunately the road to Ubirr where the oldest (20,000 yrs apparently!) aboriginal paintings are situated was closed. You had to cross a road that had flooded and it was 0.6 metres deep. Probably passable in a high 4x4 but not a Nissan Pulsar. If we'd got stuck then getting out in the water would have meant a crocodile encounter!!
The first morning I went in to David and Johanna's kitchen to find a note on the freezer. "Caution, cane toad in freezer"
David had caught one the night before, put it in a plastic container and put it in the freezer to die. It's a humane if cold way to go! He'd tried hitting one with a big brick once but although it squashed it flat, a little while later it re inflated and hopped off!
I've got 4 more days in Darwin and then back to Brisbane so the next blog will be the last of the trip. Until then, bye for now.
