Freo, Way to Go, We Gave it the Old Heave Ho

Fremantle. Funny place. Full of overtly casual, hemp clad, hairy, shoeless people coexisting with neighbours who are overtly drunk, mulletted, wearing blue singlets and jail tattoos. Food is mostly organic, but always overpriced, with yoga centres and holistic healing available on every corner. Real bakeries with serious pretensions thus ensuring a diet of decent bread, and even better beer given the proximity of the Little Creatures Brewery just down the road.

Nic Nat & some kid

We had left Mandalay with the kids excited about living in a house again. I’d been to Jen and JB's before, so was aware of what to expect, or rather, what not to expect. In the end, it was another caravan, certainly no Kimmy. She was having a break of her own having been reversed into a sheltered spot beside Curt and Leonie’s garage in Swanbourne. Sara and I met Curt and Leonie in New York. Curt and I used to battle for the final spot on the New York Magpies Aussie Rules football team, which he usually got for the simple reason that he was born on a farm in Illinois, and I am a fifth generation Australian. Some might call it racism, but to be fair, it was probably closer to natural selection.

The Goodge in a pensive mood

Curt and Leonie returned to Perth more than ten years ago. They have two boys, Lucan and Tristan. Curt has left the high powered world of finance he used to dominate to focus on ceramics, beer making, and family not necessarily in that order. We had dinner there and made hand cranked icecream sprinkling macadamia nuts from their tree over the top. I had an extended lunch with Curt and two of his mates, Bob and Daniel, something I hadn’t done for years. That night we all met up again to watch the Dockers game with Shane and Julie also ex NYC Pies, and discussed the definition of selfish and crop circles at length. Curt and Leonie were my Perth highlight. I had always planned to catch up, and expected to enjoy their company. I hadn’t banked on how easy and comfortable their generous company would prove. Thanks, we’re looking forward to returning the favour sometime.

The girls in the park

Jen and JB’s caravan park (sans Kimmie) had ocean views, (from the roof), and fresh sea breezes (through the roof). More gaffer tape on the tarp, and tightening up a few knots solved the latter problem. Within two days we were on the move again albeit only just down the road. Friends of Jen’s were out of their house for almost a month and had handed over the keys to an old limestone house, a backyard with a trampoline, a deaf pug and Ella the dopey golden retriever. A fancy washing machine, a thermomix, massive tv, and a beer fridge.  All bases and everyone covered.

Piggy birthday cake

Most mornings I’d wake to the dulcet tones of JB departing on his vespa, having already been alerted to the proximity of daylight hours by the not so dulcet tones of the Goodge. I’d wander down to the bakery, ignore the organic doughnuts, which despite their pretensions to health would almost certainly bring on a heart attack just as quickly as the non-organic kind, and order a brick of sunflower and rye bread baked by a fifty five year old woman with a bizarre accent in a peasant blouse. Back for cups of tea, reading, chatter, Goodge cuddles, exploring Perth, more tea or maybe a coffee, then beer, wine, dinner, and bed. Routine came easy, with only minor stumbling blocks like computers dying, West Coast Eagles training, and the Disco needing a service to interrupt.

Two tongues, one pink, one blue

 Ivy’s birthday arrived having been built up for the last 2 months. At last Mighty would be 7! Imagine that! A day at the zoo was planned and we headed off. Perth Zoo is small, but extremely well set out. Ivy and I fed a giraffe who stripped leaves from our hands with his blue tongue. He was called  Armani in case we forgot which part of Perth he lived in. Ivy had previously silenced the crowd by correctly answering the “how many bones in a giraffes neck?” question. "SEVEN!" She then drew cheers from a different crowd at the local skatepark when she dropped in on the new blue scooter. We got home for a dinner of lasagne and a cake made by Jen that resembled a pig if you squinted. Taste sensation. I then had to endure Oli’s delight as the Eagles beat my Hawks. It had been a ripper of a day right up until Buddy kicked one goal, six points.

About to drop in

We have squeezed in an awful lot, and it feels like it has been forever since we were on the road, but Highway One is beckoning. We left Rottnest on the Thursday afternoon, and decided to delay our departure until Saturday the 28th. That would give us one final day to get everything in order before we picked up Kimmie and headed north. One final day to say goodbyes to Jen, JB, Kitty, Billy, the Fat Controller, the Little Creatures Brewery, and the hippy baker on the corner. Never got that doughnut. Probably need to come back some time.

Who's who at the zoo? Kitty, Ivy, Oli, Ned & Billy