The westernmost tree I've seen
said my beautiful Emma as we walked out of the airport towards the waiting Norm. It was a wonderful wonderful night.
There were bubbles, for a good reason, and wine and cider, just because. And a gorgeous gift from Em and Jim that fits beautifully round my neck.
It was the start of a wet and adventurous long weekend!
We started Saturday with a trip to Balcatta to the magic sausage shop (does that sound weird?). The Adriatic Butcher shop has a wonderful collection of smokey, spicy, wonderful suausage and various meats. Csabai, Gyulai (or as Nickiy will forever refer to them hence: Hot-Chubby and Doolally), speck and cabanossi. Breakfast was black pudding at the West End Deli and then we headed to Freo, for a day fat with conversation. We ended up on Monument Hill with a bottle of bubbles as we watched the sunset. On the way home I had a bare bummed dip in the water at Leyton Beach (thankfully we were alone) and then at home we proceeded to get very silly with bottles of wine and bourbon. Photos of the night have been locked in a vault, never to be revealed.
We had a vague idea to drive down to Margaret River on Sunday but when Em woke me with a kiss on my forehead at 6.30 I had trouble remembering who I was. Nevertheless, I packed the esky, made coffee and toast and we headed off. In the rain.
But not before the massive enormous terrifying spider who first made her presence known on Friday, reappeared at the edge of my door. I squealed like a girl, and Em tried to get rid of it, failing, and seeing the spider scuttle back INSIDE the car. We headed off, Em on spider-watch-duty, me driving with my bum clenched, trying to keep my terror in check.
Somewhere in line with Harvey, very calmly Emma said "I can see the spider"
Very calmly I replied "Should I pull over?"
Mere moments later, the spider was dead and we were on our way again, smilingly believing that that was the biggest adventure of the weekend.
We stopped first at Meelup where the extent of the weather madness became apparent. Norm's door was almost ripped from her frame and the rain was almost horizontal. Em rolled up her pants and stood calf deep in the gorgeously raging sea. I stood under a tree, laughing like a madwoman and sending giddy texts. Curving round the coast from Eagle Bay, we stopped first at Clairault Estate wines. Fancy, and opulent in the rolling scenery. We were early, and the only ones there, so the guy spent lots of time with us. We bought a Petit Verdot and spent lovely long minutes, sampling their wines.
There was some orgasmic delight at the venison farm (I bought a shoulder roast!!!) and then we stopped for lunch at Knee Deep. Lunch and a good shiraz. And that's when the real adventure started. While we were finishing up our frankly amazing desserts, a huge sound rent the air. A wind like nothing I'd seen or heard before tore along the vines ripping branches and bark from the trees and stirring the rain into frenzied lines. We looked at each other nervously, and waited until at least some of it had passed, before we walked out to Norm to find she was thankfully okay.
But the roads were not okay. Several large branches had landed across various roads, making some of them impassable (like the road to Howard Park) and some of them barely manouverable by going off the road, or around onto the oncoming lane.
We spent some time marvelling at the elegant Karri trees, with the light glistening on their trunks and then, despite the crazy weather we headed further south to Augusta. The clouds parted momentarily where the two oceans met, and the desolation of that jutting corner was just beautiful.
By the time we cruised north through Margaret River darkness was falling and out on the Bussel Highway many trees still littered the road. On the outskirts of Bunbury Norma's need-fuel light came on, and I turned into the town to find a servo. Alas, the whole city was shrouded in darkness, and a small huddle of people stood at the doorway. Power wasn't promised before 10pm and even that wasn't a certainty.
We ended up at the Mantra Bunbury, in a gorgeous twin room with kick-arse toiletries and a big telly. We sat around after showering and ate a carpet picnic and drank our Petit Verdot. All in all it was a pretty sweet end to a very adventurous day.
Finding fuel on Monday was a mission, but thanks to Em's iPhone we found a functioning Caltex and were saved.
It's never long enough, time spent with people you love. But I can honestly say we made the most of it. We even got in a showing of Hercules Returns (get yer hand off me left tit and put me down!), sitting on the couch drinking Aperol.
There were bubbles, for a good reason, and wine and cider, just because. And a gorgeous gift from Em and Jim that fits beautifully round my neck.
It was the start of a wet and adventurous long weekend!
We started Saturday with a trip to Balcatta to the magic sausage shop (does that sound weird?). The Adriatic Butcher shop has a wonderful collection of smokey, spicy, wonderful suausage and various meats. Csabai, Gyulai (or as Nickiy will forever refer to them hence: Hot-Chubby and Doolally), speck and cabanossi. Breakfast was black pudding at the West End Deli and then we headed to Freo, for a day fat with conversation. We ended up on Monument Hill with a bottle of bubbles as we watched the sunset. On the way home I had a bare bummed dip in the water at Leyton Beach (thankfully we were alone) and then at home we proceeded to get very silly with bottles of wine and bourbon. Photos of the night have been locked in a vault, never to be revealed.
We had a vague idea to drive down to Margaret River on Sunday but when Em woke me with a kiss on my forehead at 6.30 I had trouble remembering who I was. Nevertheless, I packed the esky, made coffee and toast and we headed off. In the rain.
But not before the massive enormous terrifying spider who first made her presence known on Friday, reappeared at the edge of my door. I squealed like a girl, and Em tried to get rid of it, failing, and seeing the spider scuttle back INSIDE the car. We headed off, Em on spider-watch-duty, me driving with my bum clenched, trying to keep my terror in check.
Somewhere in line with Harvey, very calmly Emma said "I can see the spider"
Very calmly I replied "Should I pull over?"
Mere moments later, the spider was dead and we were on our way again, smilingly believing that that was the biggest adventure of the weekend.
We stopped first at Meelup where the extent of the weather madness became apparent. Norm's door was almost ripped from her frame and the rain was almost horizontal. Em rolled up her pants and stood calf deep in the gorgeously raging sea. I stood under a tree, laughing like a madwoman and sending giddy texts. Curving round the coast from Eagle Bay, we stopped first at Clairault Estate wines. Fancy, and opulent in the rolling scenery. We were early, and the only ones there, so the guy spent lots of time with us. We bought a Petit Verdot and spent lovely long minutes, sampling their wines.
There was some orgasmic delight at the venison farm (I bought a shoulder roast!!!) and then we stopped for lunch at Knee Deep. Lunch and a good shiraz. And that's when the real adventure started. While we were finishing up our frankly amazing desserts, a huge sound rent the air. A wind like nothing I'd seen or heard before tore along the vines ripping branches and bark from the trees and stirring the rain into frenzied lines. We looked at each other nervously, and waited until at least some of it had passed, before we walked out to Norm to find she was thankfully okay.
But the roads were not okay. Several large branches had landed across various roads, making some of them impassable (like the road to Howard Park) and some of them barely manouverable by going off the road, or around onto the oncoming lane.
We spent some time marvelling at the elegant Karri trees, with the light glistening on their trunks and then, despite the crazy weather we headed further south to Augusta. The clouds parted momentarily where the two oceans met, and the desolation of that jutting corner was just beautiful.
By the time we cruised north through Margaret River darkness was falling and out on the Bussel Highway many trees still littered the road. On the outskirts of Bunbury Norma's need-fuel light came on, and I turned into the town to find a servo. Alas, the whole city was shrouded in darkness, and a small huddle of people stood at the doorway. Power wasn't promised before 10pm and even that wasn't a certainty.
We ended up at the Mantra Bunbury, in a gorgeous twin room with kick-arse toiletries and a big telly. We sat around after showering and ate a carpet picnic and drank our Petit Verdot. All in all it was a pretty sweet end to a very adventurous day.
Finding fuel on Monday was a mission, but thanks to Em's iPhone we found a functioning Caltex and were saved.
It's never long enough, time spent with people you love. But I can honestly say we made the most of it. We even got in a showing of Hercules Returns (get yer hand off me left tit and put me down!), sitting on the couch drinking Aperol.
posted by BanAnna at 6/13/2012 12:04:00 am
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