Friday 23rd January, 2009.

Hi Everyone, it's me Julie again. I know I said I had finished doing the blogs, but I thought I would just do a bit of an update on our day today.
Mike, Lachlan & I all went for a drive into Perth today. We are staying at Mandurah which is about an hour from Perth. We took the long route in so Lachlan & I could see a bit more of Perth. We drove through Freemantle, Cottesloe & other places. What a beautiful state W.A. is. It is such a weird thing to see so much green grass. That is a luxury that we no longer have in Victoria. We had lunch at Kings Park in the cafe there. I still can not get over the magnificent views. After that we went for a ride on the large Ferris wheel (well Lachie & I did, Mike stayed with his feet firmly on the ground), so we just waved to him from up above. We had to share the carriage with a lovely young couple (Natalie & Anthony) who just so happened to be from Melbourne. We got talking (not unusual for me) & I told them why we were in Perth. A short time after, when we were wandering around with Mike on the ground, they found us. I think they had been looking for us as they had some money ready in their hand to give us a donation. They have both been touched by cancer themselves (not sure in what capacity- I should have asked) & wanted to give something. It is these moments that are very touching. I hope you both enjoy the rest of your weekend in Perth Natalie & Anthony, you both have your heart in the right place. You are away on probably a well deserved holiday, but still wanted to take the time to do something for others.
After our day in the city, we headed back to Mandurah. I have a cousin who lives in Perth who I have only seen once in the last 23 years & that was in Adelaide 3 years ago. Naturally I wanted to catch up with Susie again. I have never met her partner & she has never met Mike or Lachlan. By sheer coincidence, they are staying in Mandurah for the long weekend. How incredible is that! Susie & I made plans for us to call into the holiday villa where they are staying along with good friends of theirs. It took a little while to get from the city back to Mandurah due to a few hold ups. Apart from the fact we were driving at peak hour, we also got caught in the holiday traffic & to top it off a car had caught on fire which also sparked a small bush fire! We had to pull off to the side to allow the fire department through, the police & ambulance where already there. It is easy to see just how quickly a fire can get away and could easily get out of control. I assume it is all under control as we have not heard anymore about it tonight. Anyway, getting back on track, we arrived at where Susie and Alan are staying & we met their friends. It is a funny thing with family. Like I said before, Susie & I have not seen each other for 3 years & that was after a 20 year gap, but you just feel like it has hardly been any time at all. I know when we both went to Adelaide for my cousin Jennys birthday 3 years ago, Susie & I had to share a room & it was like we were 2 kids again. We stayed awake just chatting for the whole night. They took us for a ride in their boat, well Lachlan & me. Mike stayed behind with their good friend Jock. Jocks partner Tina came in the boat with us. It was just beautiful cruising around the cannals. You can imagine how stunning all the homes are that back onto the water with private jettys. The weather was also absolutely perfect for this kind of activity. It was lovely to catch up with Susie again & to meet her other half & their good friends. Alan (Susies partner) was showing Lachlan how to catch crabs with a net. Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you want to look at it) they were all under size, so he had to throw them back in the water. Anyway, it was a great day & we all had a few good laughs. We are back at Margaret & Daves house now & feeling very tired after all the sight seeing & frivolity. I certainly hope it is not another 20 years before we get together again.