Poker night at Chez Burns

Tonight we're hosting some people over who want to learn how to play tournament Texas Hold 'Em. Should be fun and if nothing else there are plenty of eats and drinks on hand to distract the losers. Mike is in charge of the table which I think makes me the cocktail waitress? Work is going great - having a lot of fun with it mostly because its a total challenge and I have total free rein to do whatever seems necessary to get the job done. I wouldn't have been ready for this a few years ago, now I have just the right amount of gumption to run with it til I either get the job done, or they kick me out :-) Even working three days a week is a shock to the system after all this time off. I was pooped by Friday night. (come to think of it, taking the red eye back from HK Monday AM probably didn't help that). But now the full impact of Western Australia shopping hour regulations are hitting home. No mall or big box grocery store type shopping after 5-6PM on weekdays, and none on Sundays. Since I have standing plans Mon & Wed and Saturday mornings I'm going to have to figure out how to accomplish shopping. Not exactly the worst issue in the world to face, but never underestimate my talent for sloth!

It has been forever since the last post

But I've been busy, and gone, and working. Photos and details to follow but suffice it to say Hong Kong was fun and full of both shopping and dining treats. Shekou/Shezen was interesting and a flashback to the sleepy foreign lands of my youth. A curious juxtaposition of modernity and the 1960s all in one. I found the atmosphere charming despite the streets of brothels we had to navigate to get to the main square where Oktoberfest was taking place :-) Now back in Perth and back at work which is turning out to be interesting and engaging, mostly because everyone there is so busy I can pretty much leap in with both feet and they'll be grateful for any assistance. Here are a few photos just to kick things off: Mike in Shekou at SeaWorld Plaza. That is an old cruise ship they've turned into a land locked hotel. There was an excellent Mexican restaurant that served a fab margarita in the plaza. View from The Peak. You literally can not even see our old apartment building from up there any more. It's completely hidden by all the new construction. I did get a glimpse on the way past on the Peak Tram though...its not green anymore but brown. Dragon on Kowloon in the cultural museum courtyard. The amazing new bridge under construction Our favorite old Star Ferries still look just the same. And the Kowloon side terminal hasn't changed a bit except now the gate to the ferries is automatic rather than operated by a guy in a blue sailor suit. And the ice cream stand is gone. :-(

Yallingup Day 2

I had it all figured out before we headed down to Yallingup what our wine tasting itinerary would be. I'd researched thoroughly, consulted the latest winery ratings using newspaper special inserts and two books about Aussie wines. I'd made a considered decision to narrow my choices down to those few with decently rated Zinfandels, because otherwise there are far too many wineries to try. I had plotted said wineries on a map. I was READY. Til we woke up the second day to the sounds of kookaburras and assorted strange bird noises, greeted the rosy fingered dawn on the balcony breakfast area, and talked to Tim about the lay of the land. Tim suggested that we start our morning on the scenic road up Point Geographe (the French did get to name a few things in AU) and around to Eagle Bay. He mentioned there could be a whale. We proceeded forthwith. And lo - there were whales. My wine tasting plans were immediately scrapped and the whale watching became the mission for the day. We walked along a beautiful beach to a hill above Castle Rock and from there across the wide vista we could see whales all over. The place was lousy with humpbacks! A mother and baby were hugging the shore line. Slightly further out was another large one moving more quickly, and towards the horizon we could see tremendous leaps and splashes as numbers more breached and tail slapped. I was mesmerized. Fortunately we had our binoculars with us but my camera was not adequate for the task so the photos I have are lousy but will have to suffice. (photo 2 below is the spout of the mama whale, 3 & 4 you can see the backs of the whales...maybe. ) We followed the whales from shore for a couple of hours then agreed once more that seeing the coastline was of more interest to us than fighting crowds in wineries. We visited Canal Rocks, GraceTown, and Red Gate on the coast - enjoying the surfers, the perfect weather, the colorful rocks, the sandy beaches. Here's what we saw:

Yallingup

While we were wandering around Bunbury, the proprietor of our B&B called and asked what time we planned to arrive so he could make sure the hot tub was ready. I call that excellent customer service :-) With that incentive we headed out of town, south to Yallingup. Here's what one of the regional websites has to say about it:

Yallingup has bred many of the region's and world's greatest surfers. Home to a relaxed local community, Yallingup, an aboriginal word meaning "Place of Love", is a small town nestled in amongst the trees along the coast. The town itself is relatively untouched by the mass tourism visiting the region and one can still enjoy the coastline and local beaches without the crowds characteristic of the city beaches.

It has to have one of the best views I've ever seen - it is so beautiful it takes my breath away. I have yet to get a photo that captures it but here's a pale insipid taste. We were a little early to check in so decided to eat at the wooden surf shack on the side of the road...full of an odd variety of surfer gear, canned baked beans, and fishing accoutrement, they serve an excellent burger which was so big we split it. We scoped the surfing lesson ads just in case the kids want to give it a try in December and then headed to the lodge. Our hot tub was ready :-) Tim, the proprietor, was there to greet us and show us around. It's located down a dirt track and just up the hill from a brewery. There are tall trees, masses of flowers, expanses of wild calla (canna) lilies. Talk about salubrious location! There is a day spa on the grounds and we enjoyed a couples massage and the hot tub very much. But there was more! We had dinner reservations at one of the major wineries - Leeuwin Estates. It's a gorgeous venue set in expansive rolling hills of vines with huge native trees framing a broad green lawn where they hold annual concerts with big name acts. This years its Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald. Leeuwin Estates website We were strongly cautioned to be very careful driving driving the two lane roads as the 'roos like to leap madly in front of cars at night. That would hurt. Turns out we only saw one cross in front of us, (and a couple of misguided bunnies but we missed 'em). The dinner was fantastic and we had the best table in the house - a long bench of polished native wood facing out through picture windows over the lawn and trees lit by spot lights. I delicately inquired about the size of the bone in veal chop and proceeded to demolish it all anyway. The fabled Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay - billed by many as the best in Oz was fantastic. The best chardonnay I've had by far. Find out about it here. I sampled the Cabs too but the chardonnay takes the cake. While waiting for our chocolate fondant to cook we wandered down to the art gallery - each year the estate commissions new art work from Australian artists for the labels of the Art Series wines. The originals are in the gallery downstairs and decidedly worth a look. We made it back to our B&B unscathed though with some admittedly nerve wracking moments - it's DARK out there in the country and there'd been all those dire warnings about smushing kangaroos after all. Here are a few photos from the grounds - that brown building next to the pool is the spa:

Bunbury

A couple of months ago I'd booked us a room at a spa/B&B down in the Margaret River wine region for a long weekend Mike had off work. Saturday at last the time came to go - our first overnight trip out of town together since we'd moved here, so really the first thing approaching a honeymoon we've had. I was giddy :-) We were on the road by 8AM but check-in wasn't till 2PM so with time to kill we headed down to Bunbury first. We've got an apartment booked there for four nights at Christmas with the kids when they arrive but we've never actually been there. We were in Bunbury about 10AM, found the apartments (which look really nice) and decided to take a stroll around town. Looks great and I think we can all have a lot of fun down there! Directly across the street is a movie theatre, all along the bay front area where the apartment is located are lovely little cafes, a brewery, and boutiques. A 10 minute walk down the beach is the Dolphin Discovery Centre where dolphins come right up to the shore to interact with people. There are boats moored at a couple of yacht clubs in the bay and you can walk around the point to the beaches on the Indian Ocean in about 10 minutes. There appear to be lots and lots of rock pools that will be really fun to poke around in. (note to kids - bring water shoes). There's a surf club, and a wildlife park, and I think the reptile center Laura is keen to visit is down in the area too. It all looks very promising for Christmas!

Lighthouse at Bunbury - Indian Ocean side

The hand of friendship - a cautionary tale

When we moved here it was a bit of a challenge finding out exactly what to pack to move and where to go for what once we arrived. There just isn't a good company network set up where everyone can share their experience and tips on living in Perth. So I promised Mike that I would try my best to help out the next people moving over. The next couple recently arrived and while they are pretty self sufficient, I did want to make the effort to meet the wife (Joan) and help with their settling in however possible. So last week we took them out to dinner one evening and then my pal Robbie and I invited Joan to join us on an expedition to the Darling Ranges to look at more wild flowers. Joan graciously accepted...but I expect she won't be eager to volunteer to join any of our schemes again! Our plan was to head up to the Darlington area to a park I'd noticed in a prior expedition, wander around a bit, take a few photos, have a nice lunch, and head back to Perth by 2PM. Robbie and Joan arrived at my place around 9:30AM, we loaded up in my car, and off we went. We navigated perfectly to the park about 50 minutes from the house, found our way to a parking lot, and we were off. There were a number of cryptic signs pointing in various directions including two indicating scenic waterfalls in opposite directions. We decided to head for the one 600meters away first. Off we went, following a lovely stream, until the path narrowed and the stream turned to a mere trickle. We hadn't seen any fabulous waterfall after some time so decided to turn around. We headed back and decided to make for the OTHER falls about 1km away. This one, we found. So yay it was all good, most scenic, photos were taken, etc. But on our way back there was a sign for a wild flower trail. Given our mission of seeing flowers, we peeled off and started walking...and walking...and walking. Yes, there were flowers. But it turned out not only was the path poorly marked but it was also 6 km long (nearly 4 miles). And then we got kind of lost too. At one point we finally ran into another person and asked directions. He was no help but did express his concern at our plight and informed us that people DO get lost up there and we just might possibly be doomed. Eventually, approaching 12:30PM we finally stumbled upon that first darn waterfall we'd been aiming for. There were two couples there who we asked for directions - they pointed vaguely but since they both pointed in the same direction, we headed that way. 20 minutes later we finally spotted something we recognized and managed to make it to the car, panting, thirsty, hungry, and somewhat befuddled. We made it to Darlington Estates vineyards after 1:30 for lunch and ordered a full round of restorative liquid (sparkling wine). Even Robbie drank a glass and I've never seen her drink wine. Fortunately lunch was excellent, there was wine to taste, and the staff were super nice and friendly. We didn't get Joan back home till after 4PM. She was polite about the whole thing but I could imagine the conversation at home that evening. "You know what those damn women made me do? We walked for hours, no water, no bathrooms, no food. I will NEVER go anywhere with them again!" So next time some well meaning people invite you along for an 'adventure', think long and hard. You may be in for way more than you bargained for. We did get some photos:

So fun :-)

We went with friends down to Fremantle for dinner tonight. Ate at one of the local seafood joints and I know we'll be taking the kids there to visit when they arrive in Dec. One of the aquariums in the restaurant had the biggest cuttlefish I've ever seen alive. S/he was gorgeous and I was smitten. We all happily munched on fresh caught fish of one sort or another, but the highlight of the evening was the all male young Australian chorus. When we arrived they were all (12 or so) sitting at a table and suddenly broke into song - the national anthem I believe. It was lovely and everyone was looking around in surprise. Then they finished and ate their dinner. But later, after they'd eaten, they all got up at the front of the restaurant and sang two more songs for the patrons. Camptown Ladies, and Lollipop (Lollipop, lollipop, ooo lala lollipop). In three part harmony. It was hilarious and fabulous all at the same time. They were great, and so freaking cute in their matching shirts and jumpers. If I'd been 17 years old I would have been an instant groupie. There was a darling red head. Sigh. Kept wishing Marlee and Laura had been there to enjoy it with us :-) Off with a couple of girlfriends to the hills outside Perth again in the morning, and then Saturday Mike and I are off down south to Yallingup and Margaret River to enjoy the beaches, trees, wineries, venison farm, and other delights of the area. Its a three day weekend and Mike's ready for a break from work and I'm ready to get out of town. Can't wait!