We have been so impressed with the customer service in Perth but today really ” took the cake”. Ray had the car booked in for a service today, our last day in Perth. 
We dropped off the car later than we were supposed to (must have been the jet lag making us move slower this morning) and with a top of 40 degrees Celsius, it was already stinking hot. I wasn’t looking forward to walking the 1.2km to the shopping centre to while away the hours and was worried because Caleb and I had forgotten our sunhats. 

Eddie the Manager of Kmart Tyre and Auto (Kingsley) wouldn’t hear of us walking and so dropped us there with the instructions that when he was finished with the car, he would call us, we would then commence our food shopping so that it could be as cool as could be before he returned to pick us up.  We couldn’t believe our ears!
It’s ironic because recently the current affair shows have been running stories on the terrible customer service in and around Perth. We couldn’t be happier! Ever since we “landed” here we have noticed just how pleasant and happy the general population is. We have only encountered one shop assistant (Priceline) who has forgotten who it is who actually keeps her in a job. Everyone else engages you in conversation, not just pleasantries. We are impressed. 
We finished our shopping and made our way back to our hot box. It was 40 degrees today and it doesn’t take long for the van to heat up and everything inside the cupboards to melt. We are used to it now and it’s a good reason not to buy chocolate to store in the van, any chocolate purchased must be consumed immediately. I actually don’t have a problem with that!
We were looking forward to our last dinner with Tinie (Caleb was secretly hoping for another serving of meatballs) and so we tidied up and loped on her front doorstep. 
We discovered on the evening news that Aldi was finally coming to Western Australia. Perhaps this will help to introduce some competitiveness to the grocery industry. The cost of food here is unbelievable. It was not unusual for us to pay $9.95 a kilo for pears, $4 per avocado and even $3 for mangos, in the same town as where they are grown and exported to other states. Like the papers are all spruking, “not everyone works in the mines ($$$$$)”. Bring it on Aldi!
We enjoyed a very pleasant evening with Tinie and sadly hugged and kissed her goodbye. It has been tremendous having her so close during our time in Perth and she is such a generous lady who went out of her way to do all she could for us ,including fattening us up with her marvellous cooking, while we were nearby. Caleb always scored a gift from her and tonight it was lego which kept him occupied for the evening. We will miss her! 
We were exhausted when we got home, I collapsed on the bed with too many clothes on and woke up later very warm indeed. My wonderful husband didn’t try to remove my jacket as the last time he did, he put his back out and has been living with the pain of a pinched sciatic nerve ever since. That was before Christmas and I found out about it today as he announced that he might just need to find a Chiropractor in Kalgoorlie. Men! Nothing like looking after your health.