Another year

Note: I started this five or six weeks ago.

Last week I completed my forty-sixth year. It seems such a big number when written out. To me, it’s just another step along the road to my half-century. There are still four more years until I get to ponder how I feel about being fifty. As it is, my forties seem to be flying past.

Last year, I spent much of my birthday doing as I do every day. So this year I wanted to mix it up a bit. The Scientist took the day off from work and we all went down to Fremantle for lunch and a walk around the city. It was looking a bit iffy as to whether Game Fanatic would be up to the rigours of a day in the city but he decided he would join us, which made me very happy.

We arrived in Freo around noon and parked in our usual location near the Fremantle Arts Centre, which left a bit of a hike to our destination. The Scientist did offer to park closer and avoid tired feet but I was happy to walk. And so we did. In fact, I made the journey even longer than it had to be by choosing a path that took us down near the quay to take the footpath towards Fishing Boat Harbour, where we were eating lunch at Kailis Brothers Fish Market and Cafe. I had eaten breakfast already but I think this was going to be the first meal of the day for all of the guys. The walk from the car had us all worked up to a great appetite.

When we arrived, we were all ravenously hungry and I was feeling a bit dizzy and unsteady as we stopped inside at a table. It was quite a warm day and it was a bit on the sticky side inside so I chose to move our seating place to a location under a ceiling fan, which was far more comfortable, temperature-wise. We normally order all our food from the cafe end of the establishment, mainly because we never quite noticed that we could order meals at the fish market end. It’s a bit of a strange set up that isn’t very well suited to families. Fortunately, it wasn’t that crowded so was not the hassle it might be on a busier day. The Scientist and I got barramundi and chips with salad, Then he ordered food for the kids at the cafe end. The food was quite good, and the barramundi was a nice treat for a special day. I think we were all quite satisfied with our meals but the best was yet to come,

We all walked on to San Churros Chocolateria for a bit of a chocolate feast for dessert. Churros are the featured treat but all matter of chocolate delights are available. I had a chocolate milkshake with dark chocolate and it was quite scrumptious. The Scientist and Lego Lover had sundaes and Game Fanatic had bits and pieces off a tapas tray we had ordered to share. In hindsight, I think less would have been better because having so many different types of chocolate was a bit overkill. But it was all quite delicious.

The last time I was in Fremantle, I noticed the Roundhouse for the first time and had wanted to see it more closely in the future. So we spent most of the remaining time there. The Roundhouse was the first permanent building in Western Australia and was built as a gaol.

This is the view we had walking up to the Roundhouse from Fremantle city.

We walked through the tunnel at the bottom to the beach at the other side and it was wonderfully cool inside due to a strong breeze passing through.

Looking back into the tunnel from the ocean side.

The Scientist and I went up into the upper part of the Roundhouse structure while the boys chose to wait outside. Entrance was by gold coin donation and volunteers act as guides to the building. An enthusiastic elderly gentleman happily shared all he knew about the Roundhouse.

Most of the view from within the Roundhouse was of the courtyard between the cells.

There is also a stockade on the opposite side that wasn’t used as a stockade. Apparently it was only used for whippings, to keep the prisoner from moving around. The Scientist tried it out and found it quite unnerving for the very short time he was there.

I wasn’t able to get any decent photos of the cells, but they were quite small cubicles with barely enough room to lie down and sleep. Also, there are no windows in the cells. The ones visible are for the quarters of the family of the jailer, who lived in the Roundhouse.

Outside this area is watch tower sort of place with a cannon that faces out to the ocean.

After looking at the view, we left the Roundhouse and started walking back to the car. It was nearly mid-afternoon and was quite warm, so our progress was slow. The footpath that goes alongside the Roundhouse also borders some railway tracks for freight train lines going out of Fremantle.

In the background, to the right, is either an apartment or unit (condo) complex that was built in a renovated old building. The units on upper levels probably have some nice views of the harbour and/or ocean.

As we took the more direct route back to the car, we passed by the old Wool Store building, which is looking particularly decrepit these days. Many of the surrounding old buildings have been renovated but this is just an eyesore. It is located just across from the passenger terminal for cruise ships docking in Fremantle and it’s not’s a nice view.

We saw some very tall gum trees with smooth, white bark as we nearly reached our destination. I believe this is just outside the Fremantle Art Centre.

We were all ready to drop by the time we reached the car. But there was little relief for the Scientist, who had the hour of driving in peak hour traffic ahead of him.

We got home in the late afternoon and my mother-in-law dropped by a little later to see me. Even though we’d had plenty of chocolate already, the Scientist went out and bought small mud cake for a bit more celebration. My big gift this year was a Kinect for the Xbox 360 (which technically belongs to Game Fanatic). We moved the sofa out of the way so we would have space to try that out and it was a lot of fun. It was obvious from the start that even the Kinect Adventures program that goes with the device can provide some good exercise. The Kinect gift actually set in motion a new tv purchase and a major overhaul of the games room where my computer table is situated. If I remember I will post a bit more about that later. The boys gave me a double dvd set of Arj Barker, an American comedian who is quite popular here in Australia. I was also given money and a photo frame from other family members. And just last week, I received a pillowcase that my mom made out of the fabric she used on a robe for me earlier as a belated gift.

All in all, it was a really nice birthday and I really loved having the Scientist and the boys share it with me.