It’s been a few (too many) days since I updated the blog. We have been busy getting to know Perth, having Christmas and enjoying our time with Chris, Vicki, Hannah and Harry while we can.
We caught up with Tinie for lunch on our second day in Perth. She was kind enough to invite us to her work Christmas spread. It was a 3 course meal and Caleb even asked for seconds. Delicious.
We have explored the city of Perth , started and finished Christmas shopping and got to know our way around. We have soaked up the spirit of Christmas with the numerous community events put on by the City of Perth. One night we went into the city for a free play that was being performed in the city centre. There must have been thousands of people there. It was a traditional nativity play with live donkeys, camels and even the baby Jesus was real! We couldn’t believe that the Christian beliefs were being broadcast in this multi-cultural era and the expense that the city went to, to present this to the community. The production was huge!
We spent a day shopping in the biggest Westfield shopping centre in Perth which just happens to be 8.5km from our caravan park.
We were amazed that absolutely no one looked stressed. People were wandering not rushing, and we encountered so many friendly people that we started to think something was actually wrong. Their Christmas crowd was equal to a normal Saturday afternoon at our local shopping centre in Melbourne, Knox City. Some stores even closed at 5pm instead of staying open until 9pm. Late night trading here is only on Thursday nights, not Friday, and Sunday trading is relatively new and not really liked in Perth.
Tinnie invited us to her Church for a children’s service where they performed a nativity play. This left me with a dilemma. How could I possibly attend her church (which is actually at St George’s cathedral) in thongs? Luckily, Wittner had a pair of leather sandal heels at 75% off their original price that were just my size. Phew!
We also attended the Christmas Eve service at the cathedral. It reminded me of Princess Diana’s wedding. The choir was fully gowned and the carol singing was absolutely divine.
Vicki and I planned a Christmas lunch, camping style. It was actually a lot like we would have had at home, except that it was 40 degrees and we realised a hot lunch was probably an error. Anyway, Christmas Eve saw us lugging all of the food home a kilometre up the road (38 degrees) while the men took the kids for a guided tour of the WACCA. Unfortunately for us they had to take both cars to fit everyone in. Vicki and I had totally underestimated what the weight of a dinner for 8 would be. We needed to keep stopping while we were walking, resting our arms and wiping our brows. A lady drove by, saw us struggling and stopped to help us. She assured us she wasn’t an axe murderer as she helped to load us and our shopping into her already packed car. We didn’t think twice, ( there was two of us and one of her) and we told her she was our Christmas angel. We have never been so relieved. It was at least a 3km walk that she saved us from. We will never forget her kindness.
Our Christmas feast was prepared in 40 degree heat and we came up with creative ways to keep our chocolates cool on the table. We made numerous phone calls home and missed our families a lot but it was a very relaxing day and we managed to eat too much as usual. We made an agreement to brave the Boxing Day sales the next day.