western australia Archives - Vicki's Vapours

Ants in my pants

August 15 2018 by Vicki Leave a Comment

I smile wryly as I acknowledge it is more than two years since I last posted. Same old, same old! It is not exactly that nothing ever happens — though it certainly seems that little of importance does, in the scheme of things — it is more that I don’t think that other people would be particularly interested. Still, I am notoriously bad at judging such things, so here I am again.

A little update

At the moment I am halfway through a degree in Professional Writing and Publishing. I’m loving it! I’ve learned a lot so far. I’ve attained a few useful skills, and a healthy respect for those who write well. I have recently joined the committee of Editors WA, which is the Western Australian branch of the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd). I’m starting to feel I’m on my way to finding my feet in the writing and publishing world.

Picnic!

Now, on to more immediate matters. Hubby and I made it out of the city on Monday. It was a beautiful sunny day and we went up to John Forrest National Park for a picnic. We’d heard Hovea Falls was currently looking good, and neither of us had been there in decades. (Scary, hey?!) Well, the falls were quite nice, though I fear that the amazing waterfalls in Far North Queensland have forever spoilt for me the waterfalls around Perth. Still, it was pleasant!

It was an easy walk to the falls from the car park, which suited this unfit old lady just fine. The viewing platform over the falls was closed, presumably for maintenance, though the sign said “until further notice” which doesn’t bode well. I was forced to stumble nervously over treacherous rocks (not really — they were pretty tame as far as scrambling over rocks is concerned) to attempt some photos. Side-on, it was less than ideal but one can only do what one can do.

Waterfall with a medium gradient and flow, with bush-covered hills and a blue sky in the background

Hovea Falls from sort of the top/side. Ish.

All was well until I lowered my camera and looked down to see I was standing on a teeming ant nest. It put me in mind of another picnic at John Forrest National Park as a kid. Something similar happened, and my parents ended up taking off my jeans and dipping me in the river to get rid of the nasty biting ants. I wasn’t keen for a repeat today, so I swatted off the ants that were visible and waited to feel them crawling up the inside of my jeans. You will be pleased, for my sake, that I didn’t have to wait long.

“Ow!” I exclaimed. (See? I have such a way with words.)

Fortunately, this time no stripping off of jeans was necessary and I escaped unscathed, except for a solitary ant bite (and numerous mosquito bites, but hey, them’s the breaks).

We took the “low road” back to the car park, sandwiched as it was between the river and the old railway. It was so refreshing to be in the bush again after several months of not leaving the suburbs.

An old, cement block railway bridge with two channels cut through the hillside beneat it to let the creek water flow through

Under the old railway bridge.

A creek with still, green-brown water and thick vegetation overhanging at the sides

A section of Jane Brook near the walk trail.

Bird house.

Wildflower season has begun. If we can manage it, we will go on another picnic next month when the season will be well underway.

A small tree covered in bright yellow blossoms

Flowering wattle by the edge of Jane Brook. Glorious colours!

Small red flowers with yellow centres, with grey-green foliage

Wildflowers.

Back at the carpark and picnic area…

A creek flows under an old railway bridge

The view from our picnic table.

… we munched on omelette rolls and salad…

A melamine picnic plate with a blue striped border, piled with food, on a weathered picnic table

Omelette roll and salad for lunch.

… followed by cappuccino muffins for dessert. (I’m afraid I just tucked straight into those without stopping to snap a photo. Sorry-not-sorry!)

Altogether, a lovely, lovely day.

Ants in my pants and all!

Back to nature

June 15 2016 by Vicki Leave a Comment

Serpentine Falls

Hubby and I have both been sick lately — “just” head colds but nasty ones that dragged on and on. I spent 8 days in bed, with the exception of a doctor visit when I developed an ear infection. But even after that, I have been feeling bleugh. You know, heady, no energy, pretty much merely existing without taking any pleasure from the fact.

On Thursday, the first time in 8 days that I didn’t have a headache, I did something radical: I made a plan. I suggested to Dohn that we go for a picnic on Saturday. I like picnics. Normally, though, we only start to think about it on the day, which means we generally don’t do it at all as we haven’t allowed time for prep. This time, we decided where to go and what we would eat. We even did the necessary food shopping ahead of time. Wonders will never cease.

We decided to visit Serpentine Falls and Serpentine Dam, in the Perth Hills south-east of the city. We headed down the freeway and turned into Mundijong road. Pretty much the whole stretch of this road from the freeway to South West Highway was countryside (as opposed to suburbia). Just driving through it, I felt refreshed. Open spaces! I hadn’t been out of the house since my doctor visit, over a week beforehand. And there is just something about green-covered, wide open spaces that lifts my spirits.

At Serpentine Falls, we parked and wandered the 400m to the falls. I can’t say they were exactly impressive in themselves, but there is just, well, something about walking down a bush trail on a lovely winter day, with birds singing and anonymous rustles in the undergrowth to alert you to the fact that you’re not as alone as you might have thought. And then, a lovely waterfall and natural pool to greet you at the end of the trail. There is something very soothing about water in a forest.

A pool of water with Serpentine Falls barely visible in the background.

Along one of the walk trails near Serpentine Falls.

I still wasn’t completely well, but I felt good.

We had a delicious barbecue lunch with kangaroos hopping greedily around the picnic tables, apparently friendly, but then again tourists who didn’t give a hoot about their health were feeding them despite the many warning signposts, so naturally they were hanging around.

Kangaroo at the picnic grounds.

We then drove over to Serpentine Dam.

Serpentine Dam.

Serpentine Dam, which is one of the dams that supplies water to the Perth area, is a far greater expanse of water, complete with vast concrete and limestone rock structures, and overlooked by a cafe on the nearby hillside where many “tame” birds (who really just like the readily available birdseed) hung around.

Common Bronzewing — an apparently shy bird!

It’s no secret that getting back to nature refreshes and sustains the human soul. Some folks, like my hubby, don’t appear to crave it. But many, like me, do. Think how many urban dwellers plan to spend their holidays or weekends in rural areas? “Getting away from the city” is a Thing. Most of us seem to simply feel better, after the opportunity to connect with our natural world. There are plenty of articles on the interwebs to explain why this is, from angles ranging from the scientific to the philosophical to the spiritual. All I know for sure, however, is that it nourishes me, revives me — and makes me very nostalgic for the times I’ve lived in the country.

I’m grateful for my time living in the country, but Dohn and I are fortunate now to have the beautiful Swan River at our doorstep, and lovely countryside not too far away. Plus: family! All chicken soup for the soul.

What do you think? Do you crave time out in nature?

I love Perth

September 1 2015 by Vicki Leave a Comment

I love Perth.

Scarborough Beach. In summer, we like to go for a dip before the day gets too hot.

Far North Queensland was very beautiful, too, of course, albeit in a very different way.

Millaa Millaa, from the McHugh Lookout.

But Perth’s beauty is special to me, because Perth is home.

Life in FNQ had its challenges. Nothing to do with the place, or the people — both were wonderful. But certain circumstances made things very difficult at times. That, however, doesn’t stop me from being grateful for the many wonderful experiences that arose from living in the region. I barely knew where it was before we moved there, and I am pretty sure I would never have visited of my own accord. I was to discover it’s an amazing place, and we made some amazing friends. So I’m grateful for that.

But I’m also grateful to be home.

Over a year later, not unsurprisingly, a few things have changed. We moved, and moved again. We are now ensconced in a pleasant apartment a hop, skip and a jump from the Swan River, south of the city. I’m a North of the River gal, but soon learned my way around and we’ve settled in pretty well. When things become dreary within these walls, as things inevitably do regardless of how pleasant the surrounds, it is a simple matter to don my sneakers and my camera, or hop on my sexy Dutch bike, Mathilde, and head down to the river for a breath of fresh air and a reviving vista.

Mathilde at Applecross Jetty, looking across to the city of Perth on one of my rides along the Swan River.

We can also take our evening meals to any number of vantage spots within easy distance, and watch the sun set.

Sunset at Trigg Beach.

The city of Perth at dusk, from Kings Park.

We travelled to Singapore and spent a happy few days being tourists, with a little business thrown in. What a wonderful place! We absolutely loved it (mmmmm food!) and had the time of our lives. (After, of course, our honeymoon in Papua New Guinea, which was just The Best.)

Selfie taken in a cable car descending to Sentosa Island which can be seen behind me.

Selfie on the cable car to Sentosa, Singapore.

One of the highlights of the year has been my graduation from my year-long Health Coaching course at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in May. This course was absolutely amazing in terms of personal development, not to mention learning how to be a Health Coach of course. It was also wonderful in terms of meeting so many other like-minded people, both online and in real life. This extends not just to fellow students and graduates, but to clients as well. I really enjoy the company of others, but I tend to be a solitary soul. In health coaching, the planets have aligned to bring something very special and rewarding into my life.

And, I became a grandmother. One of the things for which I’m most grateful is to have been around for my daughter, throughout her pregnancy and afterwards. And, of course, to be able to see my grandson Anthony, who at just three months old has already grown and developed at an incredible speed. It’s such a joy to watch him grow into a real little person with his own special personality.

My grandson, Anthony.

Of course it’s amazing to be around the rest of my family, too. My two boys have grown into wonderful young men, and it’s definitely a blessing to be near my parents again. Yet, I think I will always have that adventurous itch, that yearning for extraordinary experiences. But this is still a time of healing after the rough time I had in FNQ and, for now, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.