It's funny, but the longer I'm in Australia, the more easily time slips away. My last post was in March. It's May. Where did April even go? I've been working heaps, having adventures as usual, but somehow a whole month has disappeared. Maybe this is what aging is just like... or maybe it's just that time flies when you're having fun.
In the last month, I've finalized my trip home! Or, as nearly final as a Kate trip ever is. I'll leave Exmouth on August 14th and arrive in California on the 15th (which is way better than the return trip when a whole calendar day just... disappears... while I transit), but I still haven't booked that last single flight home to Philly. Anj and Anna (my brother and sister-in-law to Aussie readers who maybe don't know that?) will put up with me for a few days and then we'll all make our way to the homestead together! The Mets play the Phillies that first weekend I'm home and if that's not a good homecoming (baseball, cheesesteaks in South Philly, friends, beers) then I don't know what is. It'll be best if the Phils win, but it sounds like the Mets are off to a cracker start so I don't want my High Hopes to get too high...
Anyway, I digress. Sometimes when I'm writing blog posts I just use my photo gallery on my phone to remember what the heck I've been up to. I swear I have Swiss Cheese for a brain - stuff just pops straight through the holes. The photolog from my phone is the only thing that jogs my memory.
April started off with the end of Covid-cation (my first day back at work was the 1st) and Matty's birthday on the 4th. We rallied a couple of his friends to go camping with us down at South Lefroy on the West Side and had a blast snorkeling/spear fishing and then "trawling" for fish which was really just us chasing around schools of tuna and catching nothing. But it was fun because the company was second to none. His mates Pipes and Lachy (NB: Lachlan (LOCK-lin) is a common name in Australia, and "Locky" is a common nickname, but it's spelled Lachy) were heaps of fun and Pipes even made breakfast in the morning. Angel.
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| Beautiful sunset from our campsite |
I could only camp one night because I work too much (by Australian standards), so we left Lachy and Pipes to head down to Coral Bay for an early lunch and then home to Exy. But we had passed this really compelling tower on our way into South Lefroy that I wanted to check out! So Matty, gem that he is, suggested we investigate said tower on our way out in the morning. It was an odd sort of derelict thing; definitely falling apart, definitely at the top of a hill. Matty said it was clearly a lighthouse. I posited that, rather, it was constructed by a lonely cattle station hand who wanted a place to go and watch sunsets and write poetry in the lonely outback. So away we went to solve the mystery. Of course all the signs said "lighthouse this way." I'm still chalking it up as a victory because, a month out from this particular adventure, we still refer to it as The Poetry Tower, not The Lighthouse.
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| Someone sensibly removed the central staircase to prevent climbing |
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| With my Poetry Tower |
We made our way to Coral Bay for a Birthday Lunch at the Top Pub (there are two restaurants in Coral Bay, the closest town to Exy at 1.5 hours drive away: Bill's, which has amazing food but no view, or the Top Pub which probably has a name but everyone calls the Top Pub, which has an amazing view of the Bay and very reasonably good food). Because it was Matty's birthday, I encouraged him to have a couple of beers with lunch; I could drive home to Exmouth. I know how to drive a manual. Which is true - mostly. I KNOW how, I just haven't had much practice since I was about 16. So when lunch dragged out slightly longer than anticipated because it was a beautiful day and the sunshine was intoxicating and it was Matty's birthday so we of course could stay for just one more, we ended up cutting it rather close for me making it to work on time. I'll have you know that I only stalled twice in the drive: first, as I reversed out of the parking spot (I drop the clutch when reversing. I don't do it nearly as much in drive. I have no explanation for this) and again as we stopped for fuel and I nearly ran over a pedestrian who then laughed at me when he heard me freaking out about driving a manual for the first time in 15 years. But I made it back to Exmouth safely, made it to work on time, and Matty was excited about his birthday camping outing. So, all in all a success.
The following week one of Matty's housemates came home from work for a week! Excuse if I've already hashed this out but they work away a 3-and-one roster; 3 weeks of work with one week off. Kim had Covid the previous swing when he was supposed to come home so he and Mich were off-schedule. She was at work and he got to pop home to Exy. So I finally got to meet half of the partnership that actually owns the Canal House! Kim is super lovely; he cooks a mean seafood feast (which he graciously invited me round to try), he's happy to come out to the Pub for a night of beer drinking (Mia joined us so we four spent too much time at the Pub on my night off that week), and when Matty and I wanted to do an actual adventure to Fig Tree Cave he was happy to come along!
I've been hearing about Fig Tree Cave since I got to Exmouth, but the property owners have apparently made it a lot harder to access since my arrival so this was my first visit. The cave itself is located in the range in the National Park, but the main track people used to use to access it is through private property. Matty is a clever dude, though, and figured out how to take public access trails to get there. So we went on a little adventure to a cave in the range!
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The Entrance
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| Kim climbing down the chain ladder |
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| We arrived at the perfect time; the afternoon sun JUST slanted through the entrance to shine on the cave wall so we could actually see a little bit without flashlights |
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| Kim |
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| Matty |
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| Illuminating the cave |
It's a neat little cave, one large space with stalactites and stalagmites. The chain ladder makes it "easy" to access without harming the tree roots that give the place its name, and the nooks and crannies inside are cool to check out. Doing the 4WD track to get there is fun, too. All in all, an afternoon well-spent.
In professional development land, I made a jump this month: I started an Instagram for the Pub. I don't have Insta. I don't care to. So I don't really know what the heck I'm doing (life theme, that), but I was sick of us not having a presence on social media in this day and age. So I'm learning and posting and figuring it all out at the same time. We just got some merch tee shirts printed to sell to our adoring fans and the printers asked if they could post a photo on THEIR socials. So I had to get US some socials to be tagged in. Anyway, I'm trying to learn something new and it helps the Pub. Win.
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| I made Mia and Andrew model for this photo for the 'gram |
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| Mia chose to do this pose without encouragement |
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| Potshot merch! |
I had Good Friday off from work and there was talk of a house party that I'd be expected to attend in town so I did the only reasonable thing: booked a campsite out of cell service. I dragged Matt along and was irritated/pleased to learn that he's of the same school of thought about learning to drive as my brother, when he was teaching me to drive manual: practice makes perfect. So I drove us to the West Side in the work ute (reminder that ute = pickup truck in Oz) and didn't stall until I was parking the beast at the campsite! And then it was because I was reversing (curse it) in VERY soft sand. So I chalked that up as improvement.
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| I didn't take any good photos that trip so here's a Tartar (lizard) sitting on the ram's skull I found while hiking across the dunes in last blog post! |
Work has been super busy with learning how to do the 'gram, Tai has Covid so I've worked long hours the last week while he's been in 7 days of mandated lockdown, but we still found time last weekend to go for a fishing outing on a fancy tender to an even fancier yacht that Matt was dealing with at work. It is VERY FAST. So we spent the day hooning around the Gulf and then eating enormous steaks for dinner. Like the fancy people do.
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| Bootlegger |
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| Pipes, Jess, & Matty |
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| Jess didn't even get sunburnt that day: Win! |
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| Driving Bootlegger |
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| I "helped" Matt fuel a different fancy yacht between hooning and dinner, so I had to wear a work shirt to be in the work yard. The "Tomahawk" steak was overwhelming and wonderful. |
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| Sunset before dinner |
I've worked 58 hours so far this week and I still have one more day to go. So here's a weird caterpillar that I found on my porch a few days ago:
And here's a photo of me this afternoon in my new favorite jacket which arrived in the mail today:
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| Just call me Little Foot |
And here's a photo I sneakily took while talking to my brother today when he was looking like a total babe at a friend's wedding:
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| My hair also made me look like a babe. Clearly. |
Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms in my life: Momma Bear, Mom-Mom, Mom B, The Lovely, my geefees who have become mothers before and after I moved across the planet, and the countless others who've mothered me as I muddle along. Thank you for being living embodiments of love in my life x
