visitors!

So last time I posted was 2 weeks ago, and things have been pretty fun since then!

I did end up going out on that Saturday night and had a really fun time. The next day was the 4 years old's birthday party at this fairy shop, The Pickled Fairy, in Fremantle. It was a pretty cute party with lots of little four and five year olds running around in face paint, tutus, wands and fairy wings. After the party we went to Little Creatures, a brewery on the water in Freo. They have such a refreshing pale ale (and many other good beers), but the atmosphere is just great. We ate lots of apps and drank beer and the girls played in the great kids sand pit.

The next week pretty much flew by with lots of working, but I was anxiously awaiting a few visitors on that Friday. We had a birthday Shabbat for Bella and it was a really intimate, lovely dinner. AND I ATE MEAT! Eeek, it was a decision I had been thinking about for about a month due to some stomach issues that I have had for a long time, and I decided that since Australia has really high quality, high standard, locally produced, grass-fed, sustainable beef, that there was no better place to attempt meat-eating than here. It was really yummy actually and to my surprise I had no stomach ache that night for the first time in ages.

After dinner, I picked up a six-pack of Little Creatures Pale Ale as a welcome back to civilization gift, and headed to the airport to pick up my friends. One of the girls is the girl I stayed with in Sydney back in December, plus one of her oldest friends and a girl that they met at the place they had been working. They had been at this hotel in Fitzroy Crossing, WA, which is like 90+% Aboriginal, and a 5 hour drive east of Broome. AKA it was in the middle of nowhere (Bugga Woop Woop, as they say in Oz), and they had not even seen a Mackers (McDonald's) in 3 months! (Mackers was their first requested stop). The Fitzroy River had flooded the week they were supposed to come, and they had to canoe to get their bags, and then were airlifted out of FC. They were legit refugees for a few days and were lucky to get out! Anyway, I picked them up and then I took them to the top of King's Park to see the Swan River and get a great view of Perth. We even saw fireworks!! It was great and then we headed home so they could get to bed.

On Saturday, we went to City Beach (the dog beach) with the two family goldens, and enjoyed a morning in the sand. Then, we headed home, went for coffee, and relaxed. Saturday night was full on-lots of bar hopping with my visitors and the dad and his group of guy friends from high school. Sunday we recovered, did a bit of shopping, then headed to Cottlesloe for a sunset picnic. We picked up delicious Thai food and sat and took a million pictures of the gorgeous Indian Ocean Western Australia sunset. UNBELIEVABLE!

On Monday morning I dropped the girls off in the CBD so they could go on a 5 day tour of down south (what I had done last month). I worked a lotttttt of hours this week, and babysat for another family (which I will do every Wednesday morning now). I also tried chicken, but I really did not like it at all, so I will not be trying it again. The week went by fast because I worked so much, and soon I was awaiting the girls return on Friday arvo (afternoon). They came in and we decided that it was high time for me to try a hamburger. So, we went to this place called Grill'd, Healthy Burgers. I had a deliciously spicy burger with harissa, tzaziki, onion, lettuce, pickle, etc. Very yum and we all shared the most amazing hot chips (french fries) with rosemary, olive oil, and other herbs. Again, no stomach ache that night! After dinner we wandered around Subiaco, a really fun suburb, and planned out the rest of our weekend.

Today we woke up and headed to the Subiaco Farmer's Market bright and early. We headed straight for this great, local coffee stand and then sampled our way around the market. We tried delicious breads, olives, jams, cheeses, etc. After spending a bit more than an hour there, we headed home to give the car back to the family. The dad dropped us at the train so that we could go to Freo today. It was my first time on the train here and I cannot believe I waited this long. It is cheap, clean and goes to great places, so I know I'll be back on it soon. The only problem is that the nearest station to me is a bit more than 2 miles away, so we did have to sprint back from the station today so I could be at babysitting on time. Anyway, in Freo we stepped off the train and headed in the direction of the Fremantle Markets. On the way we decided to stop in this didgeridoo shop. A didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians at least 1,500 years ago. The shop keeper asked me if I wanted to learn how to play, so of course I jumped at the opportunity. My friends joined in, and he handed us all these 4 foot long Eucalyptus wood instruments. To play it, you blow your lips out like a horse (in a brrrrr sound) and then blow into one end. It was hilarious and much harder than it looked, but I was not horrible. We were laughing so hard though, so we mostly listened to the shop guys play. We decided that it was time to head to the markets, where we sampled heaps of delicious fruits and just enjoyed being in the shade. Next stop was Little Creatures for beer on the water. They almost didn't let us in because we didn't have our passports with us, but the guy eventually relented. We sat outside and enjoyed the atmosphere (and some beer) and then headed back to the train. Then I rushed home, changed, and headed to babsit. We swam and then I put the girls to bed. About an hour later, the 5 year old ran out of her room crying-she had gotten sick all over herself and her bed. Poor baby. All of us who were sick had a few intense days, then a week reprieve and then another 48 terrible hours. So now we are just cuddling while I type this, and waiting for her parents to get home (its almost 10pm and she is still awake and so ill feeling).

Anyway, I think this post is way too long as it is, so I will let you go. Tomorrow we head to Rottnest Island (!!!) and we get to take an hour long high-speed ferry. I am so excited to be back on a boat!!! Then, Tuesday we head to Uluru (Ayer's Rock) until Saturday, and then I split from my friends. I'll be back with some updates hopefully after Rotto, but definitely right after Uluru if I don't have time before Tuesday.

Oh yeah, I have started incorporating different Oz phrases into my vocabulary. I try to use 'good on ya' (way to go, good job), 'full on' (intense, lots of drinking planned, etc), 'cheers' (thanks), 'no worries' (no problem). There are many other little words and phrases that I use, but these are the ones I can think of that are really Ozzy that I made an effort to adopt.

Okay bye for now!
Tomorrow I am seeing Quokkas for the first time at Rottnest, so I will say 'Quokka Kissies!' to you all,
Dana xoxo