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Afternoon in Freo
Lego Lover had a dentist appointment this afternoon after which we drove down to Fremantle to see the Queen Mary 2. The ship’s docking was delayed by several hours today due to poor weather conditions. We had quite a bit of rain last night and I think there must have been some storms. The QM2 was built to handle difficult seas so it’s pretty surprising they had such difficulty moving into the harbor and docking. Apparently the winds were a big problem so I can only assume that was where the difficulty was. I think the ship was due in at 6:30am and didn’t finish docking until 2:15pm which was just after the time we arrived in the city. Even though we’ve seen the ship several times before, I still find it an amazing spectacle and it really is a beautiful ship. We had a nice view of the ship from where we parked on the hill so I took a photo of it early on.
Our next priority was lunch since Lego Lover missed breakfast, then had to wait half an hour after his dentist visit. He held up pretty well, considering his hunger at this point. We ate at Kailis Brothers Seafood cafe in the Boat Harbour. Lego Lover always gets the chicken strips with chips when we go there since he won’t eat fish any more. There are heaps of choices of food there but he won’t eat any most of them…except Subway…and that wasn’t what I considered a great option…although surely better than certain other fast food outlets. The cafe was fairly crowded considering it was mid-afternoon by this point. Fortunately we didn’t have to wait too terribly long and soon he was feeling much better…as was I. :)
Lego Lover wanted to go to Target to check out their Transformer toys so we walked back across town to see what they had. He was reasonably happy with what he saw there and then we moved along to the Maritime Museum. We were only there just under a month ago but we still like visiting just about any time we are in town. It was nice and quiet there this afternoon so we didn’t feel very rushed even though there was only an hour left until closing. Since we have an annual pass, I don’t feel the need to spend too long there. We’d have liked to see the Shipwreck galleries again but there just wasn’t time today. After leaving, we walked around the building to the viewing deck of the harbour opening and were blasted by very strong winds as we went just beyond the main building. I’d been walking around without my jacket all day but this was enough for me to pull it out and wear it. We didn’t stay there too long because it was incredibly difficult to do anything in that wind. We moved up the quay towards the ship and sat down on a bench nearby. Lego Lover commented it was our most comfortable seat for any of our viewings of the ships at this point and I agreed. We both took some photos and then I checked on Facebook to see if there was a change of departure time for the ship. We have a local weather group called Perth Weather Live that has become quite popular for weather updates. The guy who runs it also seems to post updates on other events like the concerts we attended over a week ago. Today the updates were on the ship. Who knew this group could be so helpful in daily life? And not just for the weather either. This is when I found out the ship won’t depart until morning. The post showed 8am but it looks like it’s really 7am. Doesn’t matter since there’s no chance of any of us making it back in the morning. Even if we were up, the fight in early morning traffic will be tremendous.
We decided there was nothing else to do but go home and started the long walk back to the car. Lego Lover was really disappointed and had become a bit cranky now. I was trying to take a few more photos but he just wanted to get back to the car. His track pants weren’t doing a great job of keeping his legs warm. He had no issues with his jacket (actually the liner) which is one he’s worn for a few years now and was one that Game Fanatic wore in Canada over ten years ago. It’s held up pretty well all this time. I imagine Lego Lover will keep wearing it until he outgrows it…which I assume will eventually happen.
The ride home was a long one and the adventure out seemed terribly incomplete. We can take comfort in the knowledge the ship will be back next year for two visits again.
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Already two months gone
The year is moving along at a cracking pace. Seems like just a few days ago it was the new year and now the first two months are already done. Life has been busier than usual the past few weeks with lots more appointments happening and some more to come. I still need to make a couple other appointments but I keep using that procrastination gene about doing that.
The latest excitement in our house is the new mattress that was delivered for our bed yesterday afternoon. Years ago we bought one of those pillow top mattresses and paid a tidy sum at the time. Within a few months we realised how much we disliked the mattress but it was too late by then. The support was lacking almost from the start and we vowed not to buy another pillow top mattress again. Besides, it’s quite difficult to find sheets to fit the mattress and the ones we have used have all gotten stretched out of shape. I bought two new sets of sheets from Target today while they are on sale but was unable to find a mattress protector that was suitable. Seems all the queen sizes in the type I wanted were unavailable even though there is a sale that only started today. I will try another Target store tomorrow and try a couple of other shops in hopes of something that works for us.
A couple weekends ago we went to Fremantle for the first time in a year or so. I think the last time I was there with Lego Lover to see the Queen Mary 2 in late February but the Scientist hadn’t been since November 2011 when we went on a whale watching cruise. Our plan for the day was to eat at our favorite eatery then visit the Shipwreck Gallery which has some interesting exhibits about the many shipwrecks that have occurred off the Western Australian coast over the years. Lego Lover really enjoyed this visit and I’m sure we’ll be back some time soon. He got a souvenir coin from the museum which is a part of a series of coins from tourist places all over the state. After we finished there, Lego Lover wanted to go see the Maritime Museum again so we traipsed over there and renewed our membership that lapsed a year ago. Normally I don’t notice many changes between visits but this time there were quite a few new exhibits and others had been altered in some ways. It made it a rather new experience compared to some of our last visits. We also happened to get there on the last weekend of a special exhibit about Antarctica which we quite liked. It had one display which was essentially a rather large touch screen computer where you could find out more about some of the topics included. What was really neat was the way you could bring up a photo and then make it bigger or smaller and even move it all around the screen. Our visits were all near the fishing boat harbor and the quay but we had parked a few blocks away to get free parking. With my relatively new cross trainers, I managed quite well for most of the day and then really suffered on the way back to the car. I was worn out enough that I skipped going to the gym that evening because there was no way I’d have managed any exercise.
March started with some cooler weather after what has been a record of summer heat here. Apparently it was a record across Australia as a whole and not just for Western Australia. To me it didn’t seem to be a particularly hot summer. On at least one level  there’s a record based on the number of days where the temperature rose above 37 C. I’m not quite sure that’s a good reflection of the overall picture since it doesn’t reflect the temperatures over the course of the day. February was particularly dry and I don’t think we had any rain through the month despite a tropical cyclone hitting the coast up north. I assume it moved in the wrong direction to bring us any precipitation.
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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.
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Queen Mary 2
We’ve been fortunate in recent years to have several major cruise ships visiting Fremantle. On Thursday, the Queen Mary 2 visited for the second time and Lego Lover and I made the trek to Freo to see this spectacular ship again. We took the train from a local station and found it went directly to Fremantle via Perth. Last year we went to see the Queen Victoria and had switch to a different train line, which also involved going into a different station in Perth. The direct route made for a less stressful trip on a hot summer’s day.
The Queen Mary 2 arrived three hours late that morning so the departure time was pushed back to 7pm from 5pm. I was really happy about this because the earlier departure would have had the ship sailing off into full sun and photo opportunities would have been quite limited. This also meant we didn’t have to rush around too much when we got there.
We arrived in Fremantle around 4pm and saw the ship in all its glory as the train pulled into the station near the Fremantle Harbour. There were quite a number of ships in the port this week, including the USS Shoup which was stopped here for a few days of rest and relaxation for its sailors. At least some of the crew also volunteered their assistance to help with the cleanup from the terrible bushfires from a few weeks ago. The US vessel was situated just in front of the Queen Mary 2 but we were still able to get a pretty good view from further down the quay as it curves around.
As it was still a few hours until the ship was due to depart, we popped into the Maritime Museum on the quay near the South Mole for a quick visit. We have a family membership there and have often just dropped in for short visits whenever we find our way into Fremantle. For some reason I didn’t take any photos of the museum but have this one from a previous visit. It was taken from North Mole which is across the harbour.
We also got a pretty clear view from higher ground on top of the old Roundhouse.
We discovered the Roundhouse while finding our way down a foot/cycle path between Victoria Quay and Fishing Boat Harbour. I’m pretty sure we’d never followed this pathway before but it seems to be a nice and direct way to get between two of our favorite locations in Fremantle.  The Roundhouse is the oldest building in Western Australia and was originally built as a jailhouse. I didn’t get any decent photos while we were passing but there are some photos of the building here.
We ate dinner at Kailis Bros., one of three big fish and chip restaurants in the Fishing Boat Harbour. Lego Lover likes it best because they are the only one to sell chicken strips, which are served with a big batch of chips. Lego Lover preferred to eat inside but it was quite warm and sticky, even with the air conditioning running. I’m sure it would have been nicer outside where a breeze was blowing. Instead, I found a table directly under one of the air conditioning units and we stayed reasonably comfortable.
After dinner we took our time walking back to the quay as it was still well over an hour until the ship’s departure. There wasn’t anything resembling a crowd at this point so we had a wide choice of viewing locations. We plopped down in the chosen spot and found the ground wasn’t nearly as hot as expected. The seabreeze had picked up by this time and it was feeling quite pleasant along the harbour. We had a nice time sitting there and we both took lots of photos, including some of our shadows.
Not long after we’d been sitting there, some security people came around to tell people they needed to stay behind the blue line that ran along the edge of the quay for safety reasons. We were already fine as we remembered this from last year’s visit. For some reason, they security people weren’t too bothered later on when the crowd was bigger.
My guess is they were expecting a much bigger crowd and were concerned that people might push in front of each other. As it was, there was space for everyone to get a “front row” view. The appointed departure time of 7pm came around but there didn’t seem to be any activity that might indicate impending movement. Eventually we did start to see smoke rising from the funnel but it wasn’t until nearly half past that the ropes were removed and then the ship began to move its way out.
By the time the ship started making any progress, lights were on from all over the harbor.
Even though we’ve seen this ship before, it was still quite magnificent to see as it passed by us on its way out of the Fremantle Harbour.
It was about twenty minutes later we said our farewells as the ship eased out of the harbour and into the Indian Ocean.
We continued to watch until the ship disappeared from our view then made a move towards the train station. By this time of night, the trains only depart every half hour and we arrived just before the 8pm train departed. There wasn’t time to purchase a ticket for Lego Lover (I was using the Scientist’s transit card) so we decided to head towards the Woolmarkets shopping centre nearby to get more water. The bottles we’d taken had been empty for hours by this time and we were both quite parched although it was quite a pleasant evening for sitting by the harbour and watching ships passing by. The return train ride was relatively uneventful. There was a decent crowd on board right up to Perth. Then just about everyone got off and another crowd joined us as we went on to our destination. We reached our station, found our car and were home by 9:30pm. It was pretty good time for a trip mostly using public transportation since the trip by car takes about the same time during the day.
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West Coast Blues and Roots Festival (very long)
Okay, so it’s now three days after the fact and I’m still feeling rather run down after this event. But to back up, this is a festival that’s been running successfully from Fremantle for several years now. I’ve never been to the event before but when I heard Crowded House were headlining, there was no question as to whether I would go. I think the definition of blues and roots must be really stretched to include Crowded House (or a few of the other acts), especially as headliners. Anyway, I bought my ticket the day they went on sale.
This was something of a new experience for me in more than one way. I’ve never been to a festival of this nature. What seems a lifetime ago, the Scientist and I did attend a concert festival at Carowinds in Charlotte where Stevie Nicks was headlining. But in that case, all the acts played on the same stage. This festival had four stages of various sizes with acts playing throughout the day. But the biggest new experience is that I was on my own for this one. It ran from late morning until 10pm and we weren’t really comfortable with the idea of leaving the boys for such a long time on their own. Before this event was announced, we’d already booked tickets to see the musical, Chicago, for Saturday afternoon, so the boys were already going to be on their own all Saturday afternoon. So the Scientist decided he’d stay home and I would go by myself. It wasn’t an ideal situation but I went along with it.
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Royalty in Fremantle
A couple Sundays ago, an event that we’ve waited more than a year or more for finally arrived: the visit of Cunard’s Queen Victoria to Fremantle. Lego Lover and I saw the final visit of the Queen Elizabeth 2 a couple years ago and we found it to be a truly majestic ship. Last year we went to see the Arcadia. which was quite big, but failed to capture our interest. So we have been counting down for the QV, which arrived on February 28th and also for the Queen Mary 2, which will visit Fremantle on Sunday.
The day finally arrived and the forecast was for yet another scorcher, in the middle of our third heatwave of the season. It was again just Lego Lover and me for the journey. (The Scientist had been to the beach in the morning and saw the ship on its way into Fremantle so he didn’t completely miss out.) We packed a few requirements then headed off to the station to catch the train to Fremantle. We had to change trains in Perth and had our first look at the new underground train station that opened a year or two ago. It felt a bit like a maze finding our way to the old part of the station where our next train was.
The train to Fremantle was fairly crowded and we ended up squeezed in between other people along one side of the train. Lego Lover was pushed up against me the whole time, trying to avoid touch the lady sitting next to him. I wasn’t able to get any photos of the ship as we arrived in Fremantle. We were sitting across the train from the appropriate windows, which were terribly scratched with grafitti, and there was just no way of getting a decent shot of it. Still, it was very exciting to see the ship as we arrived at our destination.Our first business upon arrival was to buy a couple 1.5 litre bottles of water. Ideally we should have taken our own…although lugging around heavy bottles of water while getting around on public transport wasn’t all that ideal for me…Anyway, there was a grocery store near the station so we got the water, some bananas and a chocolate bar each. We could have done without the chocolate but it was a favorite and heavily reduced… I couldn’t resist. The water was quite heavenly after the short walk to reach the shops.
Our next objective was finding some place to have lunch. Typically, Lego Lover insists on eating fast food wherever we go, making a simple meal into a major undertaking. It’s been something of a sore point for the family for some time. Anyway, I was eager to have something a little less fast food than usual and somehow persuaded him to try something at one of the big fish and chip restaurants. The walk there was pretty excruciating, even with several stops to drink water. It was 40+ C (104F) and our tempers were high. We pretty much limped into the one place that offered chicken strips and chips in addition to all the fish offerings. Lego Lover refuses to eat fish now, so this was the best we could find. For Lego Lover, it wasn’t worth an argument if it meant he had to go back into the heat. I sent him to find a table while I placed our order. When I reached the table he was already feeling a lot better for being able to sit down in a cool place. Our food didn’t take all that long and the portions were large. My grilled fish and salad with chips plate was good and Lego Lover’s chicken strips apparently were quite tasty. We left feeling somewhat revived.
One of first looks at Queen Victoria
The walk back to the quay again seemed to take forever because it was just too hot to move that quickly. We finally reached the Maritime Museum of WA just before closing time. Our membership from last year had expired so I went ahead and renewed that before they closed. We’ll have a proper visit when we return there this weekend. There wasn’t a lot to do at this point so we found a bench along the quay and watched the ship and the harbour. The ship was due to depart around 7pm and we had a couple hours to wait…So we sat and watched and baked…and baked. There was a ferry dock almost next to the main passenger terminal. The ferries were returning with passengers from day trips to Rottnest Island. It got really crowded in the area and the sun seemed like it was searing us.
I suggested we try to find a shady park instead of sticking it out in the sun. We walked off along the pathway parallel to the quay but we never quite reached anywhere appropriate. We did get a few better photos of the ship but eventually turned around. Just in that time, the crankiness level for both of us was on the rise. Lego Lover was resentful that I had dragged him off in the direction we’d gone…and ultimately for no purpose.
I suggested we stop at the E Shed Markets to find some sort of icy cold drink for both of us. The E-Shed Markets still had some food places open so we stopped in there and found a place that sold smoothies and bubble tea to drink. Lego Lover opted for a banana smoothie, which surprised me. Then I chose a strawberry bubble tea. I’d never had it before and though it might be refreshing on a hot day. While I was waiting, Lego Lover informed me the smoothie tasted bitter. I had a taste of it and it was, a litte. I think the bananas were a bit green…I ended up drinking the smoothie because it was too expensive to dump. I didn’t mind the taste of it at all and it was refreshing. I just wish I hadn’t already order my own drink.
Bubble tea
Anyway, once I had my drink we sat down in a quiet area away from all the other people. The bubble tea tastes like fruit syrup mixed with ice and the balls of jelly that are added. It was just so sweet that it was hard to get it down. I should have been forewarned when the lady in front of me at the counter returned soon afterwards to ask hers to be diluted. I still had my water bottle so kept diluting it after every sip I took and it eventualy did taste alright. By the time I’d finished, I was ready to burst.Lego Lover and I moved to another table and I got him a canned soft drink and left him to find the toilets. What a nasty piece of work that was. It was filthy and there was a small scrap of toilet paper remaining. It was a relief to get out of there and I hope to never need those facilities again. I returned to the table where Lego Lover was enjoying his drink. There was tv showing the local news, which happend to have a story about the Queen Victoria. It was strange to be watching that and almost be able to see the ship as we looked out the window. (We actually had an experience like that in Canada when the they showed the ships getting ready to go off to war on tv (in 2001) and we could see the ships from our townhouse window.)
We finally did get back outside and found a spot on the quay to watch. The temperature had finally dropped a bit and it was much more comfortable although there was no sea breeze. Fremantle is known for its afternoon sea breeze so it was very odd to miss out on the relief it might have offered. It wasn’t too long afterward that we heard the great ship’s horn sounding shortly before it started its journey out of the harbour. Lego Lover and I had had our cameras ready and snapped heaps of photos as the ship moved away from the shore and slowly made its way past us. It was quite a different affair to the QE2, which required assistance from a couple of tug boats to get moving. This was far more efficient but we rather missed the excitement of seeing the tugs at work. Before we knew it, the ship was sailing into the sunset and was soon turning into the Indian Ocean. While it didn’t compared to the QE2, we both agreed it was a pretty awesome sight.
The QV makes its journey out of the harbour
The ship had departed earlier than planned so we got a bit of a head start getting back home. When we got on the train, we managed to get a seat at the end of the long row so that Lego Lover would only have me sitting next to him. That made the journey a lot more comfortable for us. In Perth, we again had to change trains. The new section of the station was a lot less crowded and we were able to to take in a few more of the details as we moved along. We luckily only had to wait about five or six minutes for the next train. There were crowds pushing onto the train so we moved into the next car and the next until we found several empty seats in the car at the front of the train. It was a particularly boisterous crowd of young people on the train, which Lego Lover didn’t particularly like. But the seats were comfortable, it was cool and we were forward facing for a change…and no grafitti on the windows, so Lego Lover managed it rather well. It took no time at all to get to our car once we arrived at the station and then it was a twenty minute drive to reach home. It was definitely home, sweet home after a long and memorable afternoon away.
Fremantle train station at night
Perth train station (new section) stairs and art
