Now, again, i hadn't intended on imposing on Harvey's family's hospitality and i had infact booked myself into a hostel for that night but somehow, Aussie hospitality being what it is, i found myself staying over with them for the night. Was a lovely relaxing evening watching the tennis (and a bit of Sex & the City.. always good!) and was fab to see Harvey and Vikki again... also a little strange too though, to be with them without Mat, I'm used to it being the 4 of us!
Anyway, the following day we took Harvey's little niece swimming, which was so adorably cute (and I think Vikki was quite overawed at the sight of her man being so good with his niece in the pool - a sign of things to come eh Vik??! ;0) After that, and Vik and I both having a rather painful bikini wax.. the things we girls have to go through eh, we headed to the shops for a bit of a browse and for Vikki to find something for Harvey's bday pressie (which was the next day!) then i finally got back to reality and checked myself into a hostel, Scarborough Backpackers, a great little hostel just a few minutes from the beach. i found myself in a mixed dorm for the first time and it turned out to be me and several men.. ooer! Was a cool little place though, with a pool and everyone there was really friendly. The following day was Harvey's birthday and Australia Day so nothing was planned for that evening in preparation for afull on 'sesh' the next day, so all i did that evening was catch up on a few phone calls home (the most amusing of which involved me calling my Gran, who when she realised it was me, said 'ooh, are you home already?' when i explained i was calling from Australia, she, in amazement said 'oh, isn't that wonderful , you sound so close!' Bless her heart, it was lovely to talk to her and everyone else!
So, Australia day (and Harvey's bday.. haven't forgotten you don't worry!) dawned and we headed to Harvey's best mate's (Ant) flat for a BBQ (yep, another proper Aussie barbie... told you i was being spoilt!) Ant's flat is gorgeous and in a complex with sea views and it's own mini beach.... Vikki and I were perfectly comfortable there, funnily enough! After getting ourselves settled and cracking open the drinks, the BBQ got underway (and yes, I got the p*ss ripped again... the old veggie thing rearing its head.. the fish i had was actually done in the oven in the end cos I'd been unprepared and forgotten all the shops would be closed on Oz day.. oops! Still, I enjoyed my fish so there!! ;0) 
After a leisurely afternoon, eating, drinking and sunning ourselves at Ant's, we headed out to 'The Lucky Shag' pub on the Quay where Ant had got us all tickets for the veranda bit at the back, 
on the river, where we could enjoy several more drinks, daft dancing and the infamous Perth Sky Show after nightfall (the pic on the right is the view of said pub from the botanical gardens). By the time that came around we were all a bit worse for wear so there aren't any pic's of the fireworks i'm afraid but hey, take it from me, they were good! As we'd been 'on the lash' all day, we actually ended up getting home pretty early, courtesy of Harvey's brother (thanks for picking us up Kade) andI can assure you I fell into bed that night and slept soundly.. not an easy task in a dorm i can tell you! Was a really good day though and I think i found myself in a pretty good spot with some pretty good friends to celebrate Australia Day! The next day... having slept long enough to feel vaguely human again, was spent just chilling out, by the pool, on the beach, looking round the shops, generally nothing too strenuous.. then in the evening i went over to Kade and Jo's for a girlie night in with Vikki while Harvey and his brother went off to a Cricket dinner for the evening. Vik and I hired 2 DVD's out and although we put one on, i don't think we made it past listening to the first 5 minutes... gossiping was far more fun.. and we were still gassing when the boys got home... oops! All good fun though!
I stayed over there that night and headed back to the hostel the following day, only briefly though, before heading back over to Ant's to take advantage of the private littel beach there... a few hours of sunbathing later (Harvey had been off doing at open house to sell his flat) i left them too it for the afternoon and headed off to meet Tracey (a friend of Jules & Oli's, who's from Perth) she bacame my tour guide for the afternoon and we had a fab time, driving around, showing me the sights - Freemantle, the gorgeous Botanical Gardens - and oh, surprise, surprise, gossiping too (anyone spotting a pattern here!!) 
Was a fun afternoon and fab to see Tracey, who I'd not seen since that fabulous Croughton-Clement wedding nearly 2 years ago now (oh my god, has it really been that long or have i got my dates wrong?!) As you can see from the pic... Perth's a tad windy.. not just sometimes but all the time... I'l be honest.. it drove me mad!! Although i do love Perth, is a cool city, not that i'd seen that much of it until today!I'm a rubbish tourist aren't i!! 
Next up.. Rottnest Island... Harvey and Vikki had booked this for us when they found out i was coming to Perth so i was in their hands.. so, 9ish on Sunday morning we headed off to the marina to get the boat over to the island.. it's only a short trip, about 40 minutes, although did leave me feeling a little seasick (i don't think i've done badly on that front so far though to be fair!) Rottnest is just a small island and very quiet, designed for relaxation and chill out time. There's one pub on the island and not a lot else to do, but that's the beauty of it. 
We had 2 nights and 3 days to spend there and were staying in the old Army Barracks that have been converted into dorms for budget backpackers like moi! We arrived there early afternoon and as our dorm was ready for us to check in to, naturally headed straight to the pub... after a few hours chilling out, cooking some food and Harvey watching the cricket we headed off on the walk to our end of the island.. once we found our home for the next 2 days, Harvey flaked out on the bed and Vikki and I headed off to explore.. we went of a lovely long beach walk and as you can see it was still ridiculously windy!! After we'd exhausted ourselves walking (ok, and talking too!) we headed back and woke Harvey up (you old man you! ;0) then went over to the communal kitchen to cook up a bit of a feast for tea... tuna pasta bake (and yes, Nat.. this time, with the tuna!! -don't ask everyone else!) yum.. can't go wrong! Then we headed back into the resort centre (ie - the pub) and settled in for a few bevvies.. we were joined by 2 Aussie guys that Harvey had met earlier, Brad and Dec (or Bona and Hellfish as they appear to like to be called.. hmm?!) The evening was passed with chat and drinks.. not a bad combo, then we all headed back to barracks and despite Harvey's attempts at keeping us awake with his 'comedy' routine, we all slept soundly!
The next day, Harvey got up and headed to the shops to get us food for brekkie and also hire a bike.. our plan for the day, as its really the only plan you can have when on Rottnest, was to hire bikes and cycle round the island, taking in a few beaches along the way... now, for some reason, Vikki and I decided to complicate things a little... by hiring a tandem bike..... all i can say is Comedy.. it's a miracle we didn't fall off! (and to be fair, i'm just quite glad to have made it through a whole 24 hours on a bike -motor or otherwise- without falling off and injuring myself, Pha-gnan stylee! Anyway, just to amuse you, a little piccie of us looking glam withour lovely bike.. Mum you'll be pleased to note, we're both being safe and wearing our hats - although everyone else will just be pleased to see us looking like total fools in them!! After our day riding round the island we, in short, made it back to the room, cooked some food, ate and flaked out... all this fresh air and healthiness.. can't be good for you!! hee hee! The folowing day (Tuesday) we were booked to get the 10am ferry or something like that but as it was such a nice day we decided to change our booking and get the 4pm one back to Perth and just enjoy the day chilling out there. We set ourselves up on a picnic table by the shops and beach and spent the entire day, reading, sunbathing and eating.. was heaven! Brad and Dec cycled past us several times in search of some good surf and well, as they kept returning, clearly didn't find any! Was a lovely relaxing few days all in all.
On arrival back into Perth, I headed back to hostel and arranged to meet the others later, it was one of Harvey's friends girlfriends' leaving do's as she was flying back to the UK the next morning so we all went for a Thai meal at a lush restaurant by the beach.. Harvey and Vikki left early to go stay with his Mum but I was entrusted into Harvey's mates care and headed off to Cottersloe ro continue the evening.. we all went to a bar/club there, aptly named the Cottersloe and thanks to Ant's 'connections (Mates) skipped the queue and headed straight to the bar! As it was a school night for the likes of these Perth bods, we didn't stay too late and i was safely seen back to the hostel at a semi-respectable hour - Harvey, your mates looked after me well!
The following day was spent spent chilling out by the pool... in the afternoon Brad and Dec (from Rottnest) arrived, having stayed on the island an extra day and we all settled ourselves by the pool where I even managed to get treated to a really rather good back massage from Brad - a chiropracter by profession so you can imagine the skill! - i was quite happy perched there in the sun, being massaged and then advised on what needed doing to my back and neck (as well as him doing something to it.. sorry Brad, can't remember what you did but was all good!) i have to say, I'm still amazed at what i learnt and how it could all be fixed... I'll definitely be seeing one of your lot when i get home! And if anyone's over Sydney way and needs their back looking at... i know just the man!! 
Anyway, after Vikki and Harvey had headed off for tea with his Mum, Brad, Dec and I were considering what to do for food and then came an invite to a BBQ.. some friends of Brad and Dec's who lived nearby has just got back from a road trip and were having a Barbie.. t
hey invited me along too and well, who am i to turn down an aussie bbq.. so off we went! The guys having the BBQ were lovely and welcomed me well... again my veggieness was a source of amusement but hey, i'm used to it now!! The evening progressed into darts and table tennis tournaments (and yes, i did get beaten, obviously! Andy and Luke.. stop laughing!!) then i headed home and left the boys too it! My reason for this was because I was meant to meet up with Ben and Jemma, a couple that trekked with me in Thailand who I'd just discovered were in Perth too, that didn't happen in the end but I was quite glad i left when i did, being hungover from the night before anyway... getting in at 6am the following morning as Dec did prob wouldn't have made for a decent recovery from the hangover!! Brad on the other hand eventually turned up at about 11am... heavy night Brad??! Suffering after passing out on their sofa! oops!
The next day, Thursday, was also spent by the pool - and ended up turning into a bit of a reunion.. for me anyway... first of all, Luke (the L in ALF if you remember?) landed in Perth that morning.. he was staying in the city but ended up venturing out to Perth to catch up.. then Ben and Jemma also turned up.. so, there's me, sat round the pool ,all these friends turning up at once and me thinking hey, how popular do i feel!! was great!! ;0) 
Was fab to see them all and we spent the next few hours catching up in the sun round the pool, Ben and Jemma were highly amused to hear of my spontaneity in flying down to see Mat (they were on the same trek i was on with Mat) and Luke had to fend of the 'oh, so you're the one that was driving the motorbike in Pha-gnan' comments!!
Come 5ish, we decided we were both hungry and thirsty...so, after much deliberation we opted for food first, then pub... at least, Brad, Dec, Luke and I did, the others went straight to the pub... after filling our bellies (I even cooked for Luke.. not sure what came over me - don't think he knew what was going on either!) we joined the others at the pub and the night turned into a very drunken affair... we had to talk our way in to start with as we were only wearing flipflops and they don't like that in the evening.. Luke and I managed to charm our way in 
though and it all got messy from there on in... Luke was apparently only staying for one... several hours, silly dancing and shots of B52's, rum and various other dubious drinks later (not to mention forgotten keys too Vik!), we all stumbled back to the hostel where we sneaked Luke into the spare bunk in our dorms... umm! ...there's more to tell but am sick of being on this computer so will add pic's and finish this off next time... i need to eat! love you all lots, me xxxxx
Hey Guys... I'm back to finish the Perth story... it's nearly over don't fret!... once we'd all dragged ourselves hungover selves out of bed and felt vaguely human again, the 4 of us headed into the city... Luke just wanted to have a shower and change whereas Brad and Dec were ditching the backpacker lifestyle in favour of a nice plush hotel for a couple of nights while Brad attended his reason for being in Perth.. a Chiropracters conference obviously! So, off we went and when all travelling and checking in and showering was done we headed out for something to eat... although this wasn't just any old meal... since i met Luke he's been obsessed by a place called Fast Eddie's... a restaurant he ate at in Perth when he was the tender age of 14 and has been hankering after ever since - this was seriously THE most exciting part of coming back to Australia for him.. bless! ;0) Anyway, from the smile on Luke's face a couple of hours later, it seems it lived up to long held expectations so after satisfying that childhood dream for him, oh and me spilling yet another drink (and i'd been so good lately too!) we ventured out to explore the city! 
I have to say, as I was leaving Perth the following day, i'm glad i made the effort to come into the city today... i'll admit i've been a bit lazy while i've been here, just spending my time catching up with Harvey and Vikki and chilling out in Scarborough... the days just fly by! So, it was good to see the city.. Perth is a nice place, really relaxed and friendly... It is I believe one of the most isolated cities in the world, with a extensive drive (or flight in my case) required in order to get to any other decent sized town or city, so i guess you either love that or hate it but i thought it was a pretty cool place... to be fair, i've been spoilt here too though, having friends here for me already! 
Anyway, I digress, the rest of the afternoon was spent wandering round and up into the botanical gardens and sitting overlooking the city, admiring the view and doing handstands - as you do... come evening, the boys were trying to lead me astray, by which i mean into the nearest pub, but I was disciplined and headed back to catch up with Harvey and Vikki before leaving the next morning... Harvey, Vikki and I, hungover from the night before, opted for a quiet coffee, ice-cream and chat rather than anything too heavy and afterwards i was very sad to have said goodbye to them... I've loved being in Perth with you guys, thank you for making my stay so much fun and I look forward to catching up with you again when i get home... enjoy London and look after Mat for me, i don't like you all being there without me... but hey, at least it's hot and sunny here, think I'll cope! ;0) xxx
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