Australian Diary

I am now back home from my recent trip to Australia, which lasted for six whole weeks.
It was indeed wonderful to see my middle daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren again; since they emigrated last May., (and worth all the apprehension about traveling to the other side of the world on my own !!)
It was somewhat unfortunate that WA, and Australia in general, were experiencing the longest spell of the hottest temperatures for over thirty years. The floods in Queensland contributed to the high humidity; and even those who were born and bred Aussies were feeling the heat ! Temperatures only dipped below 30 deg once for a mere twenty four hours. The rest of the time it varied from 32 to 38deg.
A little bit too warm to be crafting with anything woolly !, but we enjoyed lots of chat time, chill-out days, walkabout days, Bbq evenings and socializing. To those new friends who I made, I'd like to say a big Thank You for your warmth and hospitality. To Lu, Craig, Maisie and Jessie; Thank You All for making my visit truly magical.
Life 'down under', is certainly different in many ways...even the way cans of Tuna are opened ! I had been struggling for about five minutes to open the large can. I'd managed to pierce it in several places, but the opener would not turn. Eventually, in desperation I had to disturb Lu, who was on the phone at the time.  With phone under her chin, she grabbed the can and flipped it upside down to open it ( only in Oz eh ). We both howled with laughter as the piercings I had made rendered the can a watering can ! And since when are 'thongs' worn as footwear ?  Umm.

Welcome to Australia Nanny Purdy

Aussie Magpie

Gumtree bark

Gumtree

The native trees are beautiful. The Gumtree ( or Ghost tree, as it's sometimes called), is not a good one to sit beneath. Apparently folk have perished through branches falling on their heads. As the tree matures, the bark falls away taking the branches with it. The resulting trunk is as smooth as silk.

Rolyestone

This was the area that suffered the recent fires. Although the fire was started by accident, and tragic that it was; I later learned on my visit, that some species of plant life need fire to germinate and spread their seeds, ie Banksia.  
 

Serpentine Falls

taking a dive into the falls

   There has been much to do since arriving home, including updating the blog.
I'll continue to update it with photos, which include the Calamunda Camels,and feeding the wild Kangaroos.
Back soon.