WHAT. A. MONTH!!!!
Our baby granddaughter was born a couple of days early on 3 November. Little baby V has our hearts forever. She, Mummy and Daddy (and their dog, little H!) are doing very well.
We just came back from Perth so we didn’t see V for a week but, otherwise, we have barely gone two days without gazing at this little bundle of delight. She is perfect and we adore her but I think mostly what we adore is the lifetime she has ahead of her and all we want to do with her, teach her and experience with her. For now, she is a precious little creature with super soft skin and a newborn smell but, soon, she will smile and goo and play and we can’t wait!
The ASTW Convention in Bendigo was a good couple of days – I made a few more buddies and a few more contacts and I learnt a thing or two. Spending so much time with Andrew these days, it is good for me sometimes to do something solo.
Baby V was born just after the Convention and we basked in her glow until we flew to Perth for The Ashes – the five day Test cricket match which finished with an Australian win in two days! I won’t pretend to be a cricket expert but the match was exciting (especially for an Aussie) and Optus Stadium is magnificent!
We stayed in Fremantle (about 30 minutes’ drive from Optus Stadium). Although we could have stayed closer, we loved Fremantle and would probably stay there again. We could have actually caught the train door-to-door (which was free with our cricket tickets). Parking in Freo costs so we will probably train it next time. Maybe even next year???
I remembered Fremantle from my only other trip (about 20 years ago) as a good place to have fish and chips by the water. I also vaguely remembered the Jail. We had fish and chips again (and the Jail again too!) but we realised that it is a vibrant little town full of restored, beautiful heritage buildings.
We did a walking tour – fascinating – and we toured the Jail twice – also fascinating. You can only look around the front gate of the Jail without paying for a tour. There are some free displays but we wanted to “go deeper” so we booked two tours on successive days. One tour was $24pp and another tour (there were three options) was an additional $10pp. There were fancier options too including a tour of the Tunnels. Word of warning – the tours sell out.
One day, we did the “Convict Prison” tour and learnt about the Convicts who built the Jail, then known as The Convict Establishment. The following day, we returned and did the “Behind Bars” tour about the prisoners who were there until the Jail closed in 1991.
We spent a day touring Wadjemup/Rottnest Island. We took the earliest ferry over (7.30am) to maximise our day and hired bikes. We rode to the Lighthouse (which I later realised was the highest point of the Island – epic fail by me!!) and then back to the Thompson Bay Settlement (where the ferries arrive/depart and there are a lot of eating options). After a leisurely pub lunch, we rode a shorter (and flatter) loop to Geordie Bay. We spied some self-contained apartments there and made a mental note to look at staying next time we come.
We didn’t have the best weather on Rotto. It was cloudy and overcast in the morning and rained whilst we were at the Lighthouse but the sun came out in the afternoon and showed off the blue, blue water. There were some brave souls in the water but it was a bit cool for us. Next time…the snorkelling looked fabulous.
Apart from Baby V, the family expanded this month by way of a doggie joining N and K’s family. We haven’t met our Groodle granddog yet but he looks very cute! [(And rather big for a puppy who is meant to grow into a medium-sized Groodle;)]
Christmas will be CRAZY with a baby and four doggies!! 😂🤣
I had a VERY exciting month.
Firstly, there was my book – “When Harry Got Lost” which was finally published. I have placed a few copies in my local Dymocks bookstore and it is available online. Marketing the book was meant to be the publisher’s job but that hasn’t happened so I have tried. It appears there is a whole industry of book reviewers/promoters as I am overwhelmed with interest every time I post on Instagram!
Secondly, I had my first print story in Escape and my first in flight magazine story. I also had my second story in glossy mag MiNDFOOD plus some cruise stories including in weekend papers in New Zealand!!
• “City of Words” (Oxford) in Escape IN PRINT!! I am waiting on a URL.
• “A Cruisy Way to Learn about Port” - Christmas MiNDFOOD. I am waiting on a pdf
• Keyboard Warrior in “Paradise” (Air Niugini Magazine November 2025 – January 2026 magazine)
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