Perth

Our journey to Perth produced the first hiccough in our travel arrangements. We were supposed to fly from Christchurch to Sydney and Sydney to Perth. Unfortunately, our plane was 20 minutes late arriving at Sydney International Terminal and the route to the domestic terminal, which is miles away, was clogged up with traffic. We arrived 5 minutes after check in closed and they wouldn't allow us to run through. Dimensionally challenged jobsworth boy told us we would have to wait 9 hours for the next flight but, fortunately, the Virgin Australia staff pulled out all of the stops and sent us to Perth via Melbourne and we arrived only 3 hours late.

We were met at the door by Shophie 7 and Naimh 3 who were waiting impatiently for us and greeted us with great big cuddles. Cousin Jennifer had laid on a party to celebrate her birthday and her daughter Sophie's 7th birthday. We had enough time for a wash and brush up before the guests and their kids arrived. We had a great night, had a fabulous BBQ (husband Sam is a great BBQ chef) and met some wonderful people including a midwife from Perth, Scotland. Eventually, after 26 hours on the go (and a 5 hour time difference) it was time for bed.

The next day we headed for the beach. And what fabulous beaches they are. Golden sands, turquoise breakers, great white sharks. The potential presence of sharks limited our activities to the shallow end where we had great fun trying unsuccessfully to escape getting a soaking from the waves.

Sharks are a growing menace in Western Australia with 12 people having been killed an the past couple of years and a controversial programme of culling sharks over 3 metres has begun. Sharks had also been tagged with radio transponders which alert the lifeguards if a tagged shark approaches a beach, however, only about 10% of large sharks have been tagged. There are also helicopter lookout patrols which try to spot sharks. Al, whom we met at the party, was told to get out of the water the following day while he was diving for abalone. Try abalone if you can - they are delicious fried in breadcrumbs with a squeeze of lemon. Ours were courtesy of Al and had only been out of the sea for an hour.

But I digress. Our afternoon was rounded off with fish and chips on the beach. Fantastic! In the evening, Sam took me to a rugby match. His team - Western Force were playing the second match of the season against Brumbies. Unfortunately, they received a bit of a drubbing but 2 tries in the last 3 minutes raised the spirits a bit. Scottish football could learn a great deal from the way top level rugby is organised in Oz. It was a great night out.

Overnight, Jennifer's mum and dad, my Aunt Eileen and Uncle John, arrived for their annual visit. We hadn't seen them for about 6 years so it was great to catch up. After a morning spent splashing in the pool, Sam, Jennifer, Sophie, Susan and I set off on a tour of the Swan Valley wineries. We only managed one winery but after sampling their entire product list and having made our purchases we weren't in a fit state to sample any more.

The 3rd of March was my birthday and we had intended to spend it on Rottenest Island. We turned up at the ferry like the Broons on the way to the Butt n Ben. Fully kitted out and loaded down with all our beach gear - food drink, chairs, sun block, buckets and spades, cool boxes of ice, etc.. Unfortunately, it being a holiday weekend, the return ferry was fully booked and we couldn't go. A quick change of plan and the loading of the kayak and we were off to an inland lake instead. It was really lovely there and we spent the day in the water, on the water, chatting and dozing. In the evening I was blindfolded by Sophie and Niamh and lead to the dining table where a cake-stand of cupcakes in Caley Thistle colours had been prepared. To a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday" I blew out my candles. I had a great birthday and was spoilt by one and all. Thanks to everyone at home who took time to send birthday greetings, especially to Megan who made her own card.

On Tuesday, having delivered Niamh to Kindy and Sophie to school, John, Eileen, Susan and I went off to explore Perth. John and Eileen had been many times before and took great pleasure in showing off their favourite bits. Kings Gardens, with its fabulous views over the city, was followed by a drinks stop at the Lucky Shag onthe waterfront. Perth doesn't get the share of tourists that if deserves. It is a beautiful modern city, set on an outstanding waterfront with wonderful gardens and great street art. You get the impression that the WA mining industry has made the city wealthy and this is evident in the impressive infrastructure and public spaces. Another great day out.

Thanks so much to Jennifer and her family for the warm welcome we received and the effort they put in to ensuring we had a great experience. Your girls are very special little people.