The Woman of Perth
- Sep 1, 2016
- 6 min read
Location:
Perth, WA, Australia
When your away from home with all your family and friends out of reach, it’s really nice when you can catch up with them. This time around, our flight back into Oz was a lot shorter as we didn’t need to spend hours flying over the outback. Looking out my window as the plane began to fly over the Australian northern coastline, I was mesmerised by the breathtaking scenery down below. It’s so remote, but has natural beauty in abundance. You can rally appreciate the Australian landscape when you are so high up.
As we walked through the doors and into the arrivals lounge, we were warmly greeted by our good friend Jean. It felt so strange seeing someone from back home as it is the first time we have experienced it and what a nice feeling it is! Of course, Jean had both of us laughing in no time with her infectious laugh! Don’t you just love people who can make you laugh but you don’t know why your laughing?
On the way back to Jean’s palace, we stopped off at a little kiosk in ‘Scarborough Beach’ where Jean insisted on buying the two of us a nice lunch. And tasty it was with a first class view of the ocean! Tasty food, amazing views and exceptionally good company, what more could we ask for?
Before we knew it, we arrived on 'Donar Street' at Jean’s home. It’s so nice being able to stay in a nice home. It’s like going home and having all your home comforts and nice cooked meals that you long for when you travel! As Jean was concerned over my long legs, she insisted on giving us her bed while she went into the spare bedroom. How lovely is that! We were definitely made to feel at home. As Jean was in the process of having a new kitchen put in, the usual facilities one finds in a kitchen were non existing even though she had been waiting for it to be finished for such a long time. All the cupboards were put in, but she had no countertop, water, gas or oven. Thankfully in Australia, most houses contain a laundry area with a nice big sink which we could use to clean our dishes. And while we were there, the countertop was installed and the oven was back in working order. As Jean would say, ‘Running water is my right. I’m not living in Ethiopia.’ It’s always the simple things in life!
Jean is the type of person who would welcome anyone into her house. I mean she took us in! Can you believe it? Over the last few years Jean has had lots of needy backpackers staying with her whose parents which are good friends of Jean asked if she would accommodate them. Jean being Jean was more than happy to help. I think she enjoys having them as I couldn’t imagine our good friend living a quiet life. She is always on the go! Talk about never sitting still. Jean currently has her niece Emily and her fiancé Richard staying with her who have just come back from an expedition of South America. As you can imagine, they had really interesting stories to tell!
During our stay, we got to see a lot of Perth. Having a really good tour guide really helps! As Jean had a wedding to go to one of the days, myself and Jason got the train into the city where we went exploring. It’s certainly on a much smaller scale in comparison to the other main cities in Australia. The city is really nice, with lots of old buildings and nice gardens to marvel over. It’s a really nice city to see. But why does everything close so early. I know it was a Saturday, but usually the supermarkets stay open well past 5pm. Very strange. God help us when we go back home!
On another occasion, all three of us went out to meet up with friends of Jean, Ron and Graham who she has known for a long time! Both met originally when Jean worked for Ron in the markets. After a few drinks in a nice bar, we all headed down to their apartment which was only a short walk from the bar. They were both very hospitable offering us food and drinks. With Jean being ever so cheeky and never afraid to speak her mind (Just like Jason’s beloved Nana, which is why we christened her ‘Nana’), she had no problem asking Ron for a bit of chocolate. When he presents us with a nice selection of nougats, which weren’t opened, she quickly asked for them to be opened. We ended up having a really good night. Their apartment is lovely. Both of them are very much into art, with all possible wall space filled with beautiful pieces. Some of which are Grahams own creations. Jean, very concerned with her many bare walls, offered to rent wall space to her friends. Like she pointed out more than once, ‘Galleries do loan pieces of art.’ Jeans words didn’t fall on deaf ears as Ron and Graham offered her a nice piece to take back with her. Ok, it may have been a piece they were given as a gift that and didn’t really think much of, but it was still a nice gesture from one friend to another!
One of the really nice things to do in Perth over the weekend is to visit Fremantle which is an old shipping town that plays home to the ‘Fremantle Markets’ each weekend. The area, like ‘Leederville’ has an abundance of lots of nice cafes and restaurants. During our time in Perth, we dined, we drank coffee (Jason drank whiskey) and we ate cake, lots of cake! It’s nice having someone who knows the city to show you around. While the CBD itself is quite compact, it’s suburbs are bustling with good vibes!
If your visiting Perth, you have to visit ‘Kings Park’ which is a large park located next to the city. It’s a beautiful park with lots of old trees and stunning wild flowers including ones in vibrant pink and white that feel like paper when you touch them. My favourite has to be the ‘Kangaroo Paw,’ which looks exactly like the name would suggest. Me being me, I couldn’t resist not getting my camera out. With so many beautiful things to photograph, it would be rude not to! After all, I have to share all these amazing things with you!
As a thank you gesture for Jean who has been so welcoming, myself and Jason cooked everyone my sister Susan’s famous Chinese marinated lamb. We also made up a nice dish of roasted vegetables with balsamic vinegar and feta. I think Jean and her daughter Sarah really enjoyed it. Sarah’s little son Wyatt refused to have any. Apart from Wyatt, it went down really well. We always enjoy it when we are able to cook. Being a backpacker means that an oven isn’t always available. The joys! I will forever appreciate when we eventually get our own place, the value of an oven, a television, and a nice big bed. Life’s simple pleasures!
One of the main things we really wanted to do in WA is to visit Margaret River, which we are both really happy we did. While Jeans sister Avril lives in ‘Mandurah’ which is along the same route, thankfully it’s not as far down as the famous wine region. When we got down to Avril, she had nice bread and cheese which Jean was not too impressed with at the start, but when Avril gave myself and Jason a bag of ‘Tayto’ cheese and onion flavoured crisps, Jean quickly requested a bag for herself. A crisp sandwich with a slice of mature cheddar cheese. How amazing! I want another one. How epic are they! After a nice lunch, we were brought along a dirt road to see how nice the river is. It was like driving through the outback with rusty, abandoned cars which Jason decided to climb on. Admiring the views, this idiot decides to show off by driving his car really fast with the tyres screeching just as it came to a stop. When we got back to Avril’s, myself and Jason brought a glass of wine each down to the beach with ‘Jimmy’ the dog who Jean was minding for her hairdresser friends (He is not a very nice dog to say the least) where we enjoyed a stunning sunset. It was worth the short walk. I think Jimmy may have enjoyed it to. ‘Jimmy,’ what a strange name for a dog! Later on that night, Avril cooked us a tasty pasta dish and her partner Bob couldn’t help but offer me not only more food but more wine as well. I left with three whole bowls of pasta in my belly. Just a bit too much food, nevertheless, it was really good!
I remember all the chats myself and Jean would have when we both worked in M&S about me visiting Australia. It’s hard to believe we finally made it over but that we are coming to the end of our two-year Aussie adventure. It wouldn’t have felt right coming all this way and not visiting Jean. If only we knew we would miss her big 70th birthday by a mere two days. At least we were able to mark it by bringing her out for a nice lunch. While Perth may be small and everywhere does close early, it is one place we will definitely visit again, if only to visit our good friend Jean.
By Andrew
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