More music and the search for sunshine (aka reducing the wildlife population)

Our final days in Perth were spent getting ready to leave, and catching up with friends. The kids spent a lot of time with Karen and Jake, with whom the boys especially got along well with. Jess enjoyed impromptu private bass guitar lessons from Karen. By the end of the first one, she could already play three single-string songs. Karen’s not only a good teacher, she’s a great guitarist, and it’s a pleasure to listen to her play – especially her steel-string acoustic. She and Trucky had a couple of jam sessions which were also entertaining.

We spent a fun evening with Phil and Mandy too, with the kids watching big-screen tv while the adults enjoyed much wine while catching up. Phil is a very funny guy, and Trucky and he rub along well together, while Mandy is a beautiful, genuine lady with whom it was a pleasure to spend an evening. Continuing the musical theme, Phil’s an accomplished drummer, who has offered to take Alex (who’s desperately keen to learn to play drums) along to a gig when next we’re back in Perth.

The weather improved for the last few days but we’d still had enough of the city. We left Perth late in the afternoon of the 28th, keen to depart for somewhere coastal. We drove late into the evening, arriving at Cervantes after 11pm. Driving so late at night facilitated our first unfortunate encounter with a native. (Bus 1: Skippy 0) Or so we thought. Inspection the next morning revealed that Skippy’s parting shot was to break the bull bar in two places!! On the upside, that morning at Thirsty Point we met a lovely couple of fellow travellers, Glenn and Maggie, who run a holiday house at Safety Beach near Dromana in Vic (I can pass on contact details if anyone’s going to that area and needs an awesome place to stay – very well kitted out and sleeps ten!).