Finally Fitzroy

Saturday 22^nd June (cont)

Still the country side continues to astound with its diversity and its colour.

 

 

We drove on and arrived at Fitzroy Crossing and Tarunda Caravan Park ($31.00 per night – no discounts) at around lunch time.

Finally, we have caught up with Bob and Fran.

 

 

We were supposed to travel together since last January but the best laid plans of mice and men (not to mention arrivals of grand-babies and the sending of sons to war) have gone completely awry.

Bob and Fran’s daughter, Angela, her partner Kyla and their gorgeous little girl Pearl live here and we will be staying until the 1^st July which is Pearl’s first birthday.

We settled in to the caravan park and Bob and Fran arrived. We had a good catch up and then headed to Angela’s house which is only about 200 metres away.

 

I made Pearl a little knitted bunny (like Xander’s blue one, but in pink – sexist, I know) and a knitted ball and gave her a board book of colours.  

 

 

 

 

She was rapt in the ball and book and played with them straight away. And I have it on good authority that she played with the bunny later.

Bob has put in an order for a bunny for his little granddaughter, Ulani.

 

 We spent a fabulous afternoon together, had afternoon tea and went for a walk around the whole of Fitzroy Crossing and its environs (which only took a few minutes).

I even got to push Pearl in her stroller!!!!!!!

 

 

Sunday 23^rd June

Today was housekeeping day. We did laundry and bought groceries And Bob and Fran came for a visit late in the afternoon.

Monday 24^th June

Bob and Fran have booked into the caravan park on the site next to us.

We all went on the Geikie Gorge cruise. It went for an hour and it was quite amazing. It used to be a coral reef back in the day when Australia had an inland sea.

 

 

 

 

And we saw our first W.A. fresh water crocodile sunning himself on a rock.

 

Later, Angela and Pearl dropped by for a visit.

 

 

 

She is so cute…..even with that frown!!!!

Bob and Fran and Ron and I spent the evening outside under the awning catching up and generally just chatting.

 

Tuesday 25^th June

Fran went round to Angela’s really early to babysit Pearl while Angela and Kyla went to work. I walked round there about mid-morning with trusty computer in hand and got Blogs and my diary up to date.

Ron and Bob came round for a while then headed back to camp.

 

Bob spoke to the lady across the way. She had carted her hubby off to the hospital yesterday and they had sent him off to Broome together with his very nasty kidney infection.

Wednesday 26^th June

Fran set off to Angela’s early again this morning and I went round later. This time I took knitting. Ron and Bob came round later and we all stayed to watch State of Origin. It was not a good game…..we lost!!!!!! Kyla wanted to know how we even got into the house in the first place lol. Angela just spent the night grinning and looking smug…..bloody Queenslanders!!! Just as well the food was good. The girls fed us bar-b-qued sausages and Fran made a delicious salad. We also had an assortment of delicious nibbles and except for the final score line it was not too shabby.

Thursday 27^th June

It poured rain last night (probably the weather gods conspiring because I had planned to do more washing today). I woke to the sounds of running water in the wee small hours (pun intended) and made my way to the loo. It was almost standing room only; I’ve never seen the place so crowded!!!!

After I finally arose and breakfasted, we all made our way down town to visit the art gallery and the glass Gallery.

First stop was Mankaja Arts Resource Agency. It is a one storey building with a lovely hand made terracotta tile veranda out the front.

 

 

Just inside the door, there were a couple of display cases with hand carved Boab Tree seed pod cases, boomerangs, didgeridoos and wood carvings. There were also several woven baskets and other weavings which were made by wrapping brightly coloured acrylic yarn (much the same as my knitting yarn) around bunches of grass stalks to form ‘canes’ and these were then in turn stitched or woven together.

 

 

 

Adjoining this, there was the main gallery and studio. It was just one huge room with paintings all around on the walls and stacked on shelves and on the floor. Fran and Bob spent some time looking through them and eventually bought a lovely landscape in predominately reds and blacks. Up in the back corner there were three women; two were painting with acrylic paints and one was carving a Boab pod using a knife very similar to the one with which I am currently eating my dinners!!!!

 

 

 

From there, it was down the road and around the corner to Dr Sawfish’s Hot Glass Studio Fine Art Glass Gallery. And while the sign was very up-market, the same cannot be said for the actual entrance.

 

 

 

We met Craig, the resident artist.

 

 

 

Many of his pieces are quite quirky, some are very dark and all are exquisite.

They range from tiny ear rings to large free form floor sculptures.

 

 

Fran did her Xmas shopping and then we headed home for lunch.

 

Kay, who’s hubby is in hospital came by to let us know that he will probably not be out till Saturday or Sunday. She is not comfortable driving the 4WD the 360 kms to Broome (and there is no way she can tow the van) so he will have to come back by bus. I will never understand why people have these vehicles that both parties can’t drive!!!

Later that evening, Bob performed some amazing, acrobatic antics (although this may have not been entirely intentional!!) He was rocking back on his chair when suddenly he overturned, disappearing almost completely in a tangle of arms and legs, halfway under the bus. In our usual compassionate and caring way, (when we had finally finished laughing at his misfortunes), we extricated him from his camp chair and sat him back up. With the entertainment thus concluded we retired for the evening wondering what he had planned for an encore.

Friday 28^th June

Still it rains! Because I was so slack and didn’t do all the washing at the same time the other day, I have just spent all morning and $15.00 doing it today!!!! Let me assure you, the laundry is not something you want to save up ‘for a rainy day’!!!!

Fran is baby-sitting the baby Pearl again today and Bob has gone round as well. I went round about 1.30ish and Bob came back to the caravan park. It’s almost tag-team baby-sitting!!!

Ronnie made Apricot Chicken for dinner tonight. Yummo!!!!!! I can’t remember the last time we had Apricot Chicken!!!! I say this with some small amount of fear and trepidation, since the last time I made a similar comment regarding a Roast dinner, I was severely berated by Christina and Ros who reminded me in no uncertain terms that they had cooked us a roast at their respective houses last time we visited them. I do know for a fact however, that I have not had Apricot Chicken since we left home (which frighteningly is almost a year ago now!!!!!!!)

Saturday 29^th June

I did lots of knitting yesterday and am paying dearly this morning. My shoulders and top of my back are really sore. Oh dear, I’m starting to sound like all the other old dears who greet each other every day to compare their ever increasing lists of ailments.

 

The weather is finer today, still overcast but at least not raining. Fran has sensibly chosen today to do her laundry and I did manage to sneak a pair of my errant black trousers in with her load.  

 

Angela, Kyla and Pearl came around for a visit on their way home from a birthday party.  Pearl was really tired and just a little bit cross but I managed to snap this shot between screams and she looks like she is smiling (he he he). 

 

 

 

 

While on the subject of birthdays and cakes, Angela related the sorry tale of how Fran had procured an ice-cream cake for her 15^th birthday and when they took the box out of the freezer after her birthday dinner all that was contained therein was a spoon covered with her younger brother, David’s finger prints. It seemed he had been sneaking off with bits of it for several days leading up to the birthday.

Sunday 30^th June

Today is Pearl’s First Birthday Party. (Her birthday is tomorrow 1^st July – the same as our Ben). Well, let me tell you, Ronnie and I pulled out all stops.

Talk about togged up to the nines…..we were flash!!!!!

 

 

Party frocks, long pants, steppin’ shoes, even lippy!!!

All for a First Birthday Party?

I really do think we need to get out more.

The party was at the Crossing Inn which is a much more upmarket caravan park than this one. It is right on the river and has its own pub and restaurant (which is very convenient because you cannot buy take away alcohol anywhere in Fitzroy Crossing. Fortunately we brought our own or it would have been a very sad past week!!!!)

We went out with Bob in his bus and he parked in the wrong place so we had to walk a hundred odd metres around to the back deck where the party was. I thought this most fortuitous as it clearly meant we were now in calorific credit and could therefore, with a completely clear conscience, eat more of the pancake breakfast and birthday cake that would be on offer.

 

The place was lovely, the food scrumptious, and everyone had a wonderful time.

The party girl was resplendent in a cute lace, off-the-shoulder number purchased by doting grand-parents last Xma$.

It was also pleasing to see the establishment had provided a water play area for the party goers.

 

 

 

During the festivities, I ventured off through the caravan park, past the bar and down to the river.

 

 

 

 

The river was quite low. Apparently when it floods, it is the largest river in Australia.

As I came past the bar, this sign caught my eye.

 

 

I have never heard the term, ‘humbugging’ before. It means ‘cadging’. So you can’t go around asking for money or cigarettes and stuff.

Afterwards, we had the cutting of the cake and the playing of Pass the Parcel. Then it was off home again.

On the way back, we ventured off to the Old Fitzroy Crossing.

 

Even with the river this low, it was lapping at the edge of the concrete crossing so I imagine it would not take much rain to close it by flooding.

 

We headed back to camp and I hung up Indie’s balloons that I brought home. It’s not fair when everyone else gets invited to a party and you have to stay home. He did look very festive.

 

We lunched, rested and then headed off to Angela and Kyla’s house for yet another celebratory Birthday dinner (or as Kyla referred to it), yet another part of ‘The Festival of Pearl’.

Even though it was Pearl’s birthday, Ronnie and I scored well because the girls lent us their copy of the Sixth Season of Dexter!!!!!! 

Filled to the brim with delicious dinner and yet more cake, we waddled back to camp, had coffee and retired for the evening ready for our journey towards Derby tomorrow.