Wednesday 27 August

The Gravity Centre. Unfortunately there is no cure for falling down after dinner with Peter and Sue.

Tuesday 26 August

After a slight detour through Coldseam reserve (which is NOT a through road), we met up with Peter and Sue in Morawa for one of their fabulous coffees. Together we set off in search of the wreath flowers down country lanes. Enthused by our success we found several pretty flowers along the road to photograph. Cathy marked them all off in her wildflower book of sightings. The Perenjori museum had many interesting household items from the early 1900's includng a home medical text that had Cathy intrigued. Luckily we packed our tarp and chairs away before bed as the pitter patter of raindrops came overnight. "That can only mean one thing", says Cathy, "the orchids will bloom next week!"

Monday 25 August

We set off with no particular destination in mind and stopped for morning tea in Northampton. The head of the local historical society pulled up in his little red time machine and gave us a detailed account of the comings and goings in the area. We considered stopping at Geraldton but the first sighting of traffic lights in 2 months was too much of a shock so we visited Bunnings for a bit of retail therpay and moved on. After a delicious lunch at the Dongara Hotel we got a site on the seashore at Port Denison CP. We walked off our big lunch and settled for ham sandwiches for dinner. Cathy took care of the vowels in Scrabble allowing David a rare win.

Sunday 24 August

David was laid low with a sore throat so sight-seeeing was cut short. Cathy tried to make the most of it by visiting the Wildflower Centre as David had an afternoon snooze.

Saturday 23 August

We left Mark and Serena with a baby chicken under their windscreen wiper to remember us by (courtesy of Varilrix promotional toy) and we headed off early to see the dolphins being fed at Monkey Mia. They didn't seem to appreciate how cold it was standing in the shallows with the wind blowing a stiff easterly. Breakfast in the carpark preceded a drive to see the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool. Then it was on to the straight road south - no bend for over 50km. At least the wildflowers by the side of the road and the Olympics on the radio made it interesting. We called in to Kalbarri National Park for some views of the Murchison River before finding a space at the caravan park. As we walked through town at sunset, a sign advertising gourmet pizzas beckoned us in to the local tavern. Unfortunately the supermarket base and meatlovers topping were not exactly what we had in mind - but at least we didn't have to cook.

Friday 22 August

We set off for another 4WD adventure with extreme sand driving in Cape Peron National Park. The view at the end of the road was well worth it. We saw a colony of cormorants lined up along the edge of the water as if they were at a taxi rank waiting for their turn to swoop down on unsuspecting fish. In the water we saw sharks dolphins, a turtle and stingray but that did not deter Cathy from trying to snorkel in mind-numbingly cold water. She didn't last long as there wasn't much to see. Back for warm showers then a delicious seafood platter for 2 at the Pearler's Restaurant. We met an Irish couple who had caught a bird in their front grill (presumably as Mark Sped along with Serena teling him where to go!)

Track to 21 August

Thursday 21 August

The wind continued as per yesterday. We made our way from Steep Point to Denham. We were unfortunate enough to come across a road fatality. It reinforced our lack of emergency communications and how far away from help we really are. And this was only 70 km from a main town. We spent the afternoon wandering around the Shark Bay Discovery Centre and eating vanilla slices at the bakery cafe. Anything to stimulate the local economy and hide from the WIND!!

Wednesday 20 August

Hoping for a repeat of yesterday, we were disappointed to see the clouds and be buffetted by strong winds. There was a brief sunny period for snorkelling but most of the day was for reading and hiding from the wind.

Tuesday 19 August

A beautiful day! Swim eat snooze swim eat snooze swim drink snooze! The dolphins passed by at sunset as usual, manta rays were spotted while snorkelling - it was back to nature for the day.

Monday 18 August

After wishing Mother Mary a Happy Birthday and picking up a parcel of mail from home (Thanks to Tom and the party animals!), we headed south west. We ended up "Way out west" - as far as you can go on mainland Australia - Steep Point.

Sunday 17 August

We caught the Coffee Pot out the one mile jetty then walked back before climbing the water tower. The rest of the day was spent shopping, cooking then drinking and laughing with our new friends Sue and Peter - they even carry a cappucino machine with them! And they know how to use it. To keep up the fruit intake, David had a choc-coated mango ice cream and Cathy had a choc-coated banana. To keep up the chocolate intake, we tried out the new Cadbury Tiramisu chocolate.

Saturday 16 August

We travelled to Canarvon crossing the Tropic of Capricorn on the way. We were just a little too late for the market, so we went to Target instead. Cathy bought a beach towel for herself and a "Mr Grumpy" T-Shirt for David who is quite unsure who to give it to!! Cathy then gave David a haircut. We made some new friends and had many laughs over beer, wine and nibblies.

Friday 15 August

Very strong winds in the morning which at least got the washing dry. Fortunately, the wind died away to leave splendid conditions for Coral Viewing and Snorkelling in Coral Bay (it's actually called Bill's Bay). The variety of fish is quite exceptional and the schnapper are particularly friendly and big!! We were very hungry by dinner time at Fin's Cafe.

Track to 13 August

For MM xxoo

Thursday 14 August

At last the skies cleared for a day on the beach. It was a bit windy but that did not deter us from snorkelling. David had a whole school of big fish following him along the shallows. They thought he was the fish feeder. Cathy saw a Manta ray whilst she explored the coral.

Wednesday 13 August

We thanked our lucky stars that it was our neighbours, not us, who woke up to find a flat tyre. We hit the road for a long day of driving. Thanks to the advice of the ranger last night, we stopped for fuel at Pannawonica where diesel was only $1.60 per litre. HOME42 compared options with HOME46 and decided that good things come in small packages! The size of these mining vehicles is amazing. Cathy's arm span was the diameter of the centre of the wheel.

Tuesday 12 August

Reluctantly, we packed up our gear into the Troopy and said goodbye to our spa suite then headed for Millstream Chichester National Park. There were plenty of spinifex covered rolling hills and quite a few wildflowers to see. We actually felt a few rain drops at various times during the day/ Python Pool looked too cold for a swim. It was a day for photography and short bushwalks. The campsite was called Stargazers but the clouds interrupted the view, so we got an early night

Monday 11 August

Living it up in the lap of luxury, we enjoyed our spa, cooked up a couple of meals for the road and ate out once again at the fabulous Tata's restaurant. Cathy managed a run and almost got lost in the sand dunes but that was as energetic as we got for the day.

Sunday 10 August

Happy Anniversary!!! We celebrated 12 years by taking a long walk along a very long beach. We then drove along a very long straight road to a delightful spa room at Point Samson Resort. Just what the Doctor ordered!!

Saturday 9 August

David woke before dawn and set off for a walk along the beach. Cathy slept a little while longer until the normal early morning caravan park activity (vacuum cleaners, sprinklers and even a lawnmower) got her up for a run. We couldn't decide where to stay until we went and had a look at Eighty Mile Beach, then we knew we had to stay. Plus we were bored with the long straight roads.

Friday 080808

It may be the start of the Olympics in China, but we'll remember it as the start of a 3 week holiday adventure down the west coast. We packed the Troopy before work and got on the road by lunchtime after all our farewells. Five weeks goes so quickly. Arrived in Barn Hill in time for a walk along the beach, play in the sand and take photos of another glorious sunset.

David's Work Week 4-7 August

As you can see from the picture, Justin and David surround themselves with work but they did actaully manage to get out of the office to install a UPS and some new computers around the hospital. Highlight was Derby style disposal of old hard disks. It's very similar to shooting rabbits! David played bachelor at home while Cathy was in FX.

Cathy's Work Week 4-7 August

Monday morning saw an early start to collect Christy (the paeds nurse) and Michelle and Adam (two med students) for the trip to Fitzroy Crossing. It was a 2.5 hour drive punctuated by chocolate mud cake for morning tea. In FX, we met with the principal of the local school to understand the challenges for young kids in FX then prepared for a busy couple of days of clinics at the hospital expecting 40 kids to turn up. Then we had time for a boat tour of Giekie Gorge before Christy and I settled in to our safari tents at the Lodge.
Over the next 1.5 days a total of 11 kids turned up, so we spent lots of time upskilling the local ward staff and sorting through referrals. There was a lot of "sorry business" in town hence the poor turn up. It was a pity though, as the last single day clinic saw 30 kids turn up but only about 10 were seen before the doctor had to catch the plane home.
Thursday was back to Derby for ward work and finalising cases before our departure. Social engagements filled the evenings so I didn't have to cook a meal the whole week. Our final morning tea meeting took place in "Diamonds and Pearls" complete with vanilla slice. Lata and David joined the paediatric team for coffee.

Sunday 3 August

Sunday meant a bit of a sleep in before seeing all the patients from Saturday and catching up on paperwork. The afternoon was blissfully quiet though, so Cathy had time to finish reading a novel while David looked again for the Blo-karts and watched kids jumping from the wharf practising to be crocodile bait.

Saturday 2 August

Cathy managed to fit in her long run around the Derby Wharf early on Saturday morning before the day got busy with an emergency delivery of a small baby and various admissions to the ward. Not only did these interrupt her attempt at an afternoon snooze but also our delicious dinner at Arvind and Lata’s home. David cleaned up the house and tried, in vain, to find his Blo-Karting friends.

The Work Week

David has his usual interesting Help Desk IT calls for the week.

Me: You need to shut it down and restart.
Caller: OK. .... (after a few seconds) Its gone completely off.
Me: Yes, thats alright, just press the power button.
Caller: Which one is the power button?
Me: It's usually the biggest button.
Caller: They're all the same size!!
Me: What type of computer are you using?
Caller: It's a Samsung Syncmaster
Me: No, thats the monitor. There should be a big box under your desk.
Caller: It's OK someone is coming to help me.

Cathy has been busier this week being either on call (M,W,F/S/S) or out at remote clinics. On Tuesday it was a 1.5 hour drive to Looma community with 2 medical students to help spot cattle and kangaroos on the road as we drove home. Thursday morning she caught the 700am flight to Noonkanbah via Fitzroy Crossing. Our niece recently visited this community on a school visit so I asked some of the young aboriginal girls whether they remembered her. When I asked Tara whether she remembered a tall blonde girl, she said “Was she the one who talked a lot?” I guess that means she remembers Annabel and their basketball match.

Thursday night we entertained Liz, the radiographer, and her friend Ruth (the endorsed liberal candidate for the Kimberley). It was fascinating hearing some of Ruth’s adventures as she has lived on the cattle stations and taught young children. We discussed whether she should print up “Streuth- It’s Ruth” T-shirts for her campaign!

Friday was “Jeans for Genes” day so we wore our new T-shirts and jeans to work, but reverted to shorts at lunchtime as it is too hot up here for jeans! After a busy afternoon, it was delightful to watch the sunset glow fade over dinner at The Point restaurant.