At another crossroad

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165939558417268248.post-37860786129488312702007-11-05T09:01:00.001+09:302007-11-05T10:27:43.515+09:30At another crossroad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5ZmJKo9lI/AAAAAAAABBg/zyWJuR9IJSc/s1600-h/20071102_130117.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5ZmJKo9lI/AAAAAAAABBg/zyWJuR9IJSc/s320/20071102_130117.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129135537452021330" border="0" /></a>Good Morning! Here we are safely ensconced in Perth once again. Happy smiling faces all around. It's good to be back. That's for a million times sure. Internet connection here has been tacky (as usual ... is there ANY place in AU where the connection is not? Since the whole thing is under the whimsical monopoly of Telstra). I have had trouble logging into my blog account. But, since this is a complimentary service that comes with this accommodation, it's still GREAT - yaaaay! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5atJKo9qI/AAAAAAAABCI/SduA7SEVc0o/s1600-h/20071101_185416.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5atJKo9qI/AAAAAAAABCI/SduA7SEVc0o/s320/20071101_185416.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129136757222733474" border="0" /></a>At least, we still get to do a great many things online. Here are some pictures of this terrace we're putting up at. It's a neat little place. Bedrooms, toilet, bathroom are upstairs. Open plan kitchen with full mod cons, dining and living are downstairs. A little breakfast baloney out front, overlooking the pool below - although the pool is closed at the moment ... place is also secure. Entry by keycards, one for the apartment and one for the parking area. Everything hunky dory as far as transitions go. The next step though has proven to be rather ... tricky, to er, put it mildly and to avoid getting my emotions up. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5atZKo9sI/AAAAAAAABCY/7w2ufNRvX-U/s1600-h/20071102_125123.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5atZKo9sI/AAAAAAAABCY/7w2ufNRvX-U/s320/20071102_125123.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129136761517700802" border="0" /></a>Location is convenient. Riverside is across the other side of the road. I walked to Swan Bell's and the Barrack Jetty with my kids in the bracing coolness. Wonderful!! How we have missed that in Darwin. Brandon was so happy,he kept yelling, "ooh, it's nice and cold! I love it!" We love walking in cold weather. You don't even work up a sweat! How fantastic is that? A pleasant, non-sweaty, cardio workout that you can enjoy together in tandem with your kids!! YES, we have been walking to our heart's content, everywhere!! Queen's Park is just behind with a beautiful family of cygnets and lots of other water fowl, except you have to watch out for the bird poop. Otherwise, it's a beautiful, postcard perfect park. We've chosen to walk to the Murray/Hay street malls instead of hopping onto the CAT services, since it's not that far, and I wanted to just soak in the city sights along the way. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5atZKo9rI/AAAAAAAABCQ/V4IBi0e5Iv0/s1600-h/20071102_115913.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5atZKo9rI/AAAAAAAABCQ/V4IBi0e5Iv0/s320/20071102_115913.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129136761517700786" border="0" /></a>And oh! the scrummelicious food is pure heaven to get back to! SL is definitely back into his element here. He's been in food heaven ever since. And to sweeten it all, prices here are also wonderfully cheaper than in Darwin ... by jove, it's GOOOOOOOD to be here again. We've forgotten that stuff in Perth is so much cheaper than in Darwin. Petrol is also cheaper @ 1.28! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5atpKo9tI/AAAAAAAABCg/XFl-0plndLA/s1600-h/20071102_115938.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5atpKo9tI/AAAAAAAABCg/XFl-0plndLA/s320/20071102_115938.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129136765812668114" border="0" /></a>What else is different for me? Well, there are LOTS of vehicles out on the roads. I haven't gotten my nerves up to really drive about here yet ... if I can get them straight in the first place. Maybe, it's because we're smack in the midst of the CBD and that we've to go over the freeways each time we need to go into surburbia. It freaks me out. Too many lanes, too many exits clustered together, and too many roads telling you no right turn here, left turn only ... it's a nightmare gone berserk for a greenhorn like me! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5ZmpKo9nI/AAAAAAAABBw/acYKjqpD4Mc/s1600-h/20071102_120215.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5ZmpKo9nI/AAAAAAAABBw/acYKjqpD4Mc/s320/20071102_120215.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129135546041955954" border="0" /></a>The other royal headache has been the house hunting. It's been an extremely, insanely mad raceto get a rental over here! You can probably guess that it's been a frustrating hunt thus far. Rents have also gone up a fair bit since we've been gone and supply has shrunken to a pitiful trickle. We've been to a fair few viewings but have not turned up anything suitable. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5atpKo9uI/AAAAAAAABCo/T3dGqwhRbcE/s1600-h/20071031_174316.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5atpKo9uI/AAAAAAAABCo/T3dGqwhRbcE/s320/20071031_174316.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129136765812668130" border="0" /></a> We've just spent the weekends and at least 3 evenings driving about, looking at houses, suburbs ... It's been tiring for the kids but something we've needed to do. Tiring for my poor man too ... <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5X1JKo9gI/AAAAAAAABA4/yLaZw4Nqbko/s1600-h/20071102_165209.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5X1JKo9gI/AAAAAAAABA4/yLaZw4Nqbko/s320/20071102_165209.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129133596126803458" border="0" /></a> On happier notes, my kids have been reacquainting themselves with King's Park, and loving it. They love the lovely lawns and running all over the grounds. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5X1ZKo9hI/AAAAAAAABBA/hlI7iC5f2JQ/s1600-h/20071102_150157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5X1ZKo9hI/AAAAAAAABBA/hlI7iC5f2JQ/s320/20071102_150157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129133600421770770" border="0" /></a> From the high vantage point, we've been able to enjoy leisurely but spectacular views of the Red Bull Air Race. The planes were zipping and somersaulting overhead and we could watch their aerial acrobatics over the river. Great picnic outing. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5X1pKo9iI/AAAAAAAABBI/7gSH5Z3GkK4/s1600-h/20071102_150015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5X1pKo9iI/AAAAAAAABBI/7gSH5Z3GkK4/s320/20071102_150015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129133604716738082" border="0" /></a> So, of course, we did it again the very next day! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5X15Ko9jI/AAAAAAAABBQ/XVqjZmcELRc/s1600-h/20071101_153619.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5X15Ko9jI/AAAAAAAABBQ/XVqjZmcELRc/s320/20071101_153619.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129133609011705394" border="0" /></a> Water Garden. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5X15Ko9kI/AAAAAAAABBY/8iX7KZBS_c0/s1600-h/20071101_151347.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jDfITnWszks/Ry5X15Ko9kI/AAAAAAAABBY/8iX7KZBS_c0/s320/20071101_151347.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129133609011705410" border="0" /></a> Walkway with Glassed Bridge overlooking the Old Swan Brewery. We're now starting out our 3rd week here ... and many more to come. See you again next time, that is, if I can login in ... <div style="text-align: center;">Cheerio!! </div>Jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382069034819145764noreply@blogger.com