Perth

After thinking we might be in Perth for up to 3 weeks we have ended up only staying for nine days. We have been staying with Harry and Grace who have been wonderful hosts. Ilana and Holly have also been staying and sometimes Sylvia, so it is a busy house to say the least. Harry and I managed to manouver the van down the side driveway, and Ruby, Darcy and Grace have been sleeping in there. Tracey, Anna and I have been inside.

The kids have been having a great time together. Ruby, Darcy and Anna have really been looking forward to catching up with Grace and love her company. They have been to the beach, waterslides and done a torchlight tour of Fremantle Prison.

We have also caught up with Zap and Damon (Mark was working) who are doing well and Lee and Adam (who we met down at Fitzgerald River NP) for dinner at their very cool retro house near Fremantle.

We have also been doing all our shopping for stuff like shoes and other essentials before we head up North. Darcy and I ventured off for a very informative tour of the WACA which we both enjoyed.

Leaving Northam

We've departed Northam after three weeks. Work was great, the people were very friendly and helpful and the caravan park where we stayed was a hoot. Most of the residents there were permenants and were very welcoming to us "blow ins". The overnighters were a mixed bunch, from Ulysses motocycle club members to miners, cyclists and backpackers. Quite a number of the permenants came down for dinner and drinks on our last night. The Vallees and Mark, Heidi, Luca and Jana (from Switzerland) also dropped in and the night ended very early the next morning. A new Thorn family personal best was achieved for the longest time to pack up the next morning.

The Bee Sting Update

I don't know, we some how seem to get the bees to sting us, Ruby has had 3 stings and I'm now also on the list with 1 sting.

Ruby got her second one on the first night at Northam; on the arm, the sting swelled up and was so hot you couldn't touch it, unfortunately Julie the bee sting curer was in Marg'es.
The third sting was a few days after, on Ruby's tail bone it was not as bad as the first, but painful.
Now me, when I was watching Geelong slaughter the Dons late on Friday night I stepped on a bee, amazingly the Vallee's had arrived a few hours later, and Julie had a cigarette under it in a blink of a eye.

By Darcy Thorn

Ruby gets another horse ride

Ruby was very lucky to have a ride in Northam. Tasma who is a sonographer at Northam kindly organised it for her.

Perth

We've come to the big smoke for the weekend to catch up with Nick, Nicola, Jake and Lydia Ellwood. First time we've been in a house since Austins at Kangaroo Island. We had a very relaxing weekend. Went down to Cottosloe beach to view the sculpture exhibition there and spent alot of time in the pool. The kids had a great time renewing acquaintences with Jake and Lydia and Nick and Nicola are both in good form.

Mad dogs and Englishmen

Had a couple of drop ins to the salubrius Northam Caravan park the other night. Steve and Joe are riding from Perth to Sydney in 30 days to raise money for the Willow foundation (for seriously ill young adults). These couple of train drivers from the old dart found the going pretty tough on day one. We offered to cook dinner for them but they were too exhausted to eat (managed to squeeze down a couple of beers though). They also had a touch of sunburn and managed to set their tent up on an ants nest and then kept each other awake all night with their snoring. They've also decided that they have perhaps brought a bit too much gear with them. So if you would like to make an offer on a laptop computer, a very large camera (with two massive lenses), spare pedals and bike seats, dress shoes, spare bike shoes or a solar panel (I kid you not!) get in touch with them on 07799864344 (by the way fellas, the number wont work on my phone - can you text me and let me know how you're getting on). I'm sure they would also appreciate a message of encouragement as they fly across the Nullabour. We wish you all the best chaps!

Might be a chance for the TDF 2010?

Neon Leon country

We're having a few weeks at Northam to pay homage to the great man Leon Davis (not really, I've just got 3 weeks work here taking X-Rays). Some other inferior footballers such as Buddy Franklin and Chance Bateman also hail from this town, and I think they hope to one day be as great as Leon.

We are staying at the caravan park and have the camp kitchen pretty much to ourselves, so we are feeling quite spoiled at the moment. It's very hot and the kids are spending most of their days at the pool (after doing lots of schoolwork they tell me).

We have had a couple of excursions to the surrounding towns of the Avon valley which are very picturesque, and generally enjoying a well earned rest.

Toilets of my travels - Ruby Thorn

I'm overly impressed and horrified at the toilets I have seen on this trip. Some of my favourites have been at Port Lincoln, Eucla and Esperance. These were the flushing variety and were well maintained. The longdrops are normally very very stinky. Sometimes the bowl is very narrow and people tend to make a horrible mess. Once someone left a used nappy in the toilet! You know about the longdrop, now let me tell you about the dreaded short drop. I've only met one of them (at Cactus beach) and I never want to have that experience again. It is like pooing in a bucket and your bum is 15 cm away from someones poo. Then you pour some lime in and it all dries up!

In summary the toilets have been greviously disgusting!

Ruby Thorn

Rubys first cigarette

When we were in Denmark we were having a picnic lunch when Ruby stepped on a bee. Fortunately Julie Vallee was there to witness the incident. Apparently a cigarette can cure the pain of a bee sting. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it and passed it to Ruby (she was horrified!). Darcy was most suprised when he looked over from his soccer match (Fabrice & Duncan won 10-8) to see his sister with a smoke in her hand. To her brothers relief Ruby held the cigarette as close to the bee sting as possible. The pain disappeard!

Ruby and Darcy

Wagin Woolarama

The small town of Wagin hosts the annual Woolarama festival. About 20,000 people come to this event that relates to all things sheep. A Kiwis idea of heaven! Accomodation was scarce, but we were put onto the president of the tennis club who opened the clubrooms, kitchen and toilets / showers for us to use - very comfortable indeed. We were able to check out all the machinery on display - Ruby could cartwheel under one of the tractors! Ruby also enjoyed the horse events while Darcy enjoyed the sheepdog jumping event. There were also shearing and woodchopping events and plenty of animals to look at. Thankfully after the tunarama debarcle there was no sheep tossing event to further humiliate me.

Rubys moonlight horseride 1/3

While we were staying at Parry beach some horseriders came to use the BBQ near the beach after they had had a horse ride. It didn't work so we lent them our gas cooker. After dinner when it got dark they offered me a horse ride on the beach. There was a beautiful full moon and it was a nice still night. The horse was called Jack and he was a brown / black and 15 hands. I didn't get back to the caravan until 10 o'clock because I also got to load him onto the horse float.

Ruby

Dane report by Darcy Thorn

Dane has thoroughly enjoyed the trip so far. Fortunately the South Australians did not touch him although he did break his arm in Kangaroo Island. His favourite spot so far is Perlubi beach away from the horrible roads and dust. He has lost all of his fingers. He has made friends with 3 crazy Italians and can't wait to meet up with them again in Margaret River. He has a codpiece made of sea sponge, cuttlefish necklace and a bandaged arm with a sheeps bone in it.

Darcy Thorn

Cosy Corner 25-28/2

This little campsite was a favourite for all of us. The kids loved the peppermint trees and seemed to spend more time up in the branches than on the ground! The Vallee family stayed there as well as Swiss Irish and German contingents. Tracey organised our first Saturday night party which was well attended by the overseas travellers. We probably stayed up a bit later than we should have, but these things happen sometimes. I also managed to get my much needed haircut before starting work in Northam in a couple of weeks. Anja assured me that she was a qualified hairdresser back home in Germany, but she didn't have a clue what I was talking about when I said I wanted a mullet. (Darcys mulled is almost to a South Australian standard).

We also took a trip to the Cape Howe winery in "Matilda" (the Vallee's campervan) too see a band - they were from Northcote of all places!

Point Anne - Fitzgerald River NP 20-24/2

Dan Mitchells brother Tim put us on to Point Anne in the Fitzgerald River NP. Once again we were treated to spectacular white sand and clear blue water.

We had a swim after the setting up/Mum yelling saga although it was very cold it was fun. We had a few unsuccessful fishing tries and a lonely Goanna roamed around the campsite.

Quagi Beach (between Esperance & Albany) 17-19/2

Quagi beach was a horrificly (is that a word??) windy spot on day one and quite unappealing. However we had a pleasant few days after the wind abated. I lost more fishing tackle off the rocks than one would think humanly possible and then managed to snap my rod in half trying to free a snag. Luckily Roy (a fellow traveller who hails from Portland) took pity and speared half a dozen very good sized fish for us (in about 20 minutes mind you) and we were able to have our first propper feed of fresh fish (no thanks to me).

The other highlight of Quagi was a 30 minute show that five dolphins put on for us in the waves just of shore. They followed us right up the beach as we walked before heading off.