Colours of Western Australia - Shark Bay World Heritage Area

I think the colours of this special piece of Western Australia speak for themselves, I hope you enjoy.

Stromatolites at Hamelin Pool

Francois Peron National Park

Monkey Mia Conservation Reserve

... the dolphins



Mineral sands at Little Lagoon

Mangroves at Little Lagoon

Wordless Wednesday

And Yet Another Trip

Off to Shark Bay for the rest of the week, another wonderful work trip. Really looking forward to seeing this beautiful piece of Western Australia again. Catch you when I get back on Sunday.

There Was A Knock On The Door

Yesterday while visiting my eldest daughter and my youngest grand-daughter, there was a knock on the door. As my daughter was getting my little munchkin reading for her afternoon nap I answered. On the other side of the flyscreen was a young man who asked "Can I talk to the driver of the black MPS". I think he was a little taken aback when I said it was me, after all I am nearly 55 and a grandma.

The reason he wanted to talk to me was that he had seen my car had a sunroof and he wanted one for his red MPS and just wanted to find out where I got it done and could he look inside and see how it sat etc.

So there I was chatting to a young guy (around mid 20s) and his mate about my little black beauty and comparing notes with him about his. Apparently he had seen my car parked outside my daughter's home before and was just waiting for the opportunity for me to be there again. He also mentioned he has been my car driving on one of the major roads in Welshpool - that personalized number plate obviously is noticed.

My daughter thought it a little weird, but not me. I supposed it takes a rev-head to know another rev-head. And when you drive a Mazda MPS you notice the other on the road as there is not that many of them driving around.

Hopefully, this young man will now realise that enjoying a performance car is not just the will and right of the young - or only reserved for young men either!!

Our New Kitchen and A Question

Finally after 33 years in our home (built in the 70s which is also when we moved in) we are getting a new kitchen. The old one is on its last legs and has been for years, but kitchens are expensive and so we have had to wait until now.

The area is not very large and so when we looked at Ikea kitchens we realised that the 600mm wide benches were too wide for us. This meant we had to go to a kitchen fabricator and obviously this increases the price.

The wall between the lounge and kitchen is being removed to open the space and I can not wait to move our house into the new century.

The first image is looking back into the kitchen from the lounge over the new breakfast bar, obviously there is not blank space to the left but that is were the door to the laundry is. The 2 white areas are windows on the external walls of the house.


We have chosen to go white - bright white acrylic benchtops with white gloss doors and drawer fronts, stainless steel under bench oven with a black ceramic cooktop. Our new fridge and microwave are also stainless steel. We are having glass splashbacks and this is were the question comes in - what colour? I am loving the thought of lime green or orange as a tribute to the 70s (given that those colours were huge in 70s kitchens in Aus - although our current old kitchen is neither of those colours). What do you think? Should I be brave and go bright or should I be careful and stay with white or frosted glass.

Kitchen is due to be started in mid August and will take 3-4 weeks to be functional, so not looking forward to cooking only microwave foods and doing the dishes in the bathroom or a bucket, but so pumped about finally having a new kitchen. Oh and did I mention, that the benchtops are being raised as well to help with my bad back? Maybe I will get back into cooking - or maybe not - who am I kidding, but doing the dishes will be helps easier and less strain on my back.

Just A Glimpse

Back from Albany, what a wild few days that was, every different type of weather - from bad to brilliant. On the drive down on Sunday the front hit, about 40 minutes out from Albany. Squally wind, heavy rain, and light hail. It went from daylight to darkness in the blink of an eye. So glad we were nearly at our destination rather than having to drive the whole 4+ hours in that type of weather.

Monday was worse, it was almost sleeting, the maximum of 6 degrees Celsius and the wind chill factor about 0. It rained, it hailed, it was overcast and grey. Made getting some good shots of the landscape hard, apart from the fact that it was SO cold. Still we braved the weather and spent a few hours out and about in the field.

Tuesday saw the weather ease a bit, to just showers and wind, with a balmy 11 C. The ranges we went to visit were topped by cloud, so again a little hard to get good photos, but a great day none the less.

Wednesday dawned quite sunny, a heatwave of 14C was forecast but it actually got up to 17C. Got to take some more shots of the beautiful national parks around Albany. More light showers arrived late in the afternoon.

Thursday - we drove home in lovely sunshine, looking forward to sleeping in our bed - the one in the motel was so hard, my hip and lower back struggled the whole time we were away.

So here are just a few photos - a glimpse - of my time away. Aren't I lucky my job allows me to visit these beautiful places?

Torndirrup National Park (below)

West Cape Howe National Park (below)

The following 3 shots are of the bark of just one karri tree -
so many amazing colours if you just look (Porongorup National Park)

Stirling Range National Park (below)

Gull Rock National Park - hidden wetland (below)

Two People's Bay Nature Reserve - Little Beach (below)

Waychinicup National Park (below)

Off I Go Again

Off on another work trip, this time down to Albany. The weather here is awful so not looking forward to driving in all this rain, but loving the rain as we need it so badly. Hubby is coming along this time too so it will be nice to have him along to share the evenings with.

Hopefully the weather will clear so that I get some good shots of the landscapes around Albany given that is what I am doing down there.

Will share photos when I return on Friday (or maybe Saturday for the photos).

Will miss you when I am gone and have a good catch up on your blogs to see what you have been up to this week when I get back. Happy Blogging

Choose Your Friends Wisely - 'Cause You Are Stuck With Family

Now the majority of my family are fantastic people and I wouldn't change them, even when they pee me off, because they only do that occasionally, just as I know I do that to them. But 1 member of my family is an ASS - the trouble is, he is my father.

If I were to come across him in life, I would walk the other way - he has no redeeming qualities that I can see. He is a taker not a giver. He talks at you and not with you. He struts like a peacock never asking how or what you are doing in your life. He treats women with disrespect. And above all, he is perfect - just ask him - he will tell you so.

He must at one time had some redeeming qualities or my mother would not have married him. And of course without him, I would not exist. But I can not call this man father and not have contempt under my breath.

This is not a new thing, I begged my mother to leave him when I was about 8 years old, she finally did when I was 11. It was the best thing she could have done. My step-father is a wonderful man and I am so glad that my mother has him in her life. I think if she was still with my father - well she would probably be in jail as she would have killed him.

There were a few years when my father and I were estranged, but then I had his grandchildren and felt bad not allowing him to be in their lives. Mind you, it was always on my terms and he knew that if he did anything wrong around them he would be out of my life (and theirs) for good. Part of the strategy of having him in our lives was limiting the times we saw him, maybe 2 or 3 times a year. He has a wonderful women who lives with him, she has been a great influence in my children's lives, especially my sons. How she stays with him, I don't know. I suppose there is security in being there. I suppose there are times when he is on his best behaviour. But he treats her like a servant, she runs to his beck and call. He also was relatively well behaved every time we visited while the kids were younger.

However, a few years ago, he chose to move away from Perth to the country. He thought he would have a jolly old life down there, with all his Perth-based friends and family coming to visit. But it backfired big time, I think everyone drew a sigh of relief, and so visits have been few and far between. So he is now lonely and I think a little bitter. Because - he is perfect, just ask him.

When you go to visit, it is a nightmare, between the two of them they talk over each other, to talk at you, although his partner, does try to talk to and with you, but he just doesn't allow that to happen easily. You need to take someone with you, to share the pressure. You leave exhausted, but feeling you have done your dues. Writing that down makes me feel bad, but it is the truth.

A few years ago when they came up to Perth, we took them out to dinner, and he yelled at a waitress for making too much noise clearing a nearby table while he was trying to talk. But of course, he is perfect, just ask him.

The final straw was this week, when they came to spend the night with us. It ended in tears, I have never seen my hubby so angry. He has never spoken to anyone the way he spoke to my father. My father deserved it, but still the emotional toll it has taken on me is amazing. That night I slept for no more then 2-3 hours tops. My shoulders, neck and back ended up in spasm and I have felt sick for days.

I am mad at myself, that I did not do the normal thing when he is pontificating on something - normally I just agree even when I know he is wrong. But his night I told him he was wrong and things escalated from there. Because he is always right - right? Of course he is, just ask him.

I am mad at myself because my grand-daughter ended up in tears - it broke my heart that she had to see her Grumpy get so angry at my father.

I am angry at myself because my hubby feels so bad about what happened.

I am angry that all this was over a DVD player's volume.

But the thing that I am really struggling with, the thing that floors me is that I still allow him to have power over me. I thought I was beyond being hurt by him ... it seems not.

It will be some time, if ever, before he sees us again.

Trouble his, he can not see that he was in the wrong. For as he said on leaving the following morning ... He is always right - make sure I tell my hubby that! Then he yelled abuse at his partner as she was trying to tell him to let it go, then got in the car and drove away. I then drove to work in tears. I am still in tears on and off. Because he is family ... he is my father ... and somehow I need to reconcile that ... because I am the only child of his that now talks to him, my brother and his family have not spoken to him in over 8 years. I just can't let him die alone ... and so somehow I have to build up the walls around my heart again, and above all, remember ... he is always right, and it is better not to tell him how wrong he is about that, for I am the only one who will cry.

Colours of Friday - Natural Browns

Melissa @ Suger Coat It created Colours of Friday meme. Mel is taking a little break from Colours of Friday but I thought I would carry on and share some of my photos.

I love taking photos of nature, especially the textures of bark and rocks. It truly amazes me how many variations you can find if you just look.

I hope you indulge me as I share some of my photos of Natural Browns.

Starting with animals (including birds, frogs, snakes and quenda (southern brown bandicoot)



Shapes and form within plants:


Textures of barks: