My mum taught me an excellent principle about life …. It is always bitter sweet … i.e. even when everything seems completely rosy and sweet …. there are always little things that leave a slightly bitter taste in your mouth’? Well today was the case in point.
We were up and moving early to catch the ferry over to Rottnest Island – it was perfect winter’s day – blue sky, light breeze, calm seas and temperature of around 20 degrees. The ferry trip over was a wonderful experience all by itself – we saw a school of dolphins on the way, and the ocean was just stunning!
Rottnest Island itself was just gorgeous. Picture a largish island, with beautiful beaches all around it – literally every corner you turn brings you to a beautiful new bay, rock pools, a lighthouse, small lakes in the interior, rolling hills, a purpose made bike track, surf of varying intensity, coffee shops, a multiplicity of bird life and even the endangered Quokka!! (turns out they are little kangarooey things – and there I thought it was a bird! – no wonder Rich looked at me strangely when I asked if they could fly! Yes pigs can fly too! ) We rode a total of 14 kilometers, completely circumventing the island, with a long picnic lunch in the middle during which time Rich caught a whole heap of fish (
I wondered why the fishing was so good and then found the rocks I was on was in a marine reserve – don’t worry I threw them all back anyway – just as well it was winter and no one was around!) whilst I sat on a sunny beach and took photos of birds and shells and read my book – it was like something out of a travel brochure – absolutely, perfectly wonderful! The colour of the sea is a gorgeous aqua-marine, with clear water and reefs and white beaches. It was truly blissful ……. Except for the sad news that we received from my sister Wendy as we were nearing the end of the day that my Grandmother had passed away in
South Africa. It was truly a bittersweet moment – our family have been praying that she would be able to go to God – she was in her nineties, completely deaf, and almost blind, and getting weaker by the day – she knew her maker and where her ultimate destination was – she was just struggling to leave her used up and tired body. Having said and acknowledge all that, the reality of saying goodbye to someone you love is always hard.
It was a quieter and more contemplative trip home on the ferry – the beauty of the island and the day contrasting with sadness and always, when someone you love dies, some regret. I spent the trip home considering the fact that her name was June, and she died on the first day of June. June Salmon was such a vibrant, outgoing, fashionable woman whose zest for life was so strong. I thought about all the stories and the knowledge that was accumulated by her in her lifetime and which is all now gone – did I listen hard and long enough when she spoke and tried to pass on her stories? I thought about the fact that I don’t have any grandparents left – the cycle of life turns and turns.
So thank you God for the beauty of your world, your attention to the details of the Scarlett Robin, the sea shells, the tides, fish, Quokkas and the colours of the seascapes. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to revel in it – and farewell Grandy – may you rest in peace at last!
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I had time today to think about the things that I really appreciate whilst on the road. They are:
- Zip lock bags: good for keeping everything from soap to computer cords to sugar – bravo the clever person who invented them!
- Crocs: what did we do before crocs? I use them all the time and in every place (including the shower – it is rather fun watching the water cascade out of the holes in crocs whilst in the shower – you should try it sometime) - they are the most useful piece of footwear I have ever come across!
- Bikes: Our bikes have been the one, best thing that we have brought on this trip – today, they proved their worth again, carrying us from bay to beautiful bay all across Rottnest Island. Rich curses them every time he has to load them onto the bike carrier or into the car – all those irritating pedals and stands that seem to multiply and resist, and I must admit that after a long ride the bum is definitely a little on the ‘ow’ side, but other than those two little issues, they are the most wonderful, useful invention!
- Soap dishes: There is something about having your own soap in your own soap dish that makes one feel safe in a less than sanitary shower!
- Mobile phones: another item that makes one wonder ‘how did we survive without them?’ - it is so good to be able to send a text, or have a quick call with those you love when you are far away – such a balm to the soul!
- Sharing the journey: How empty this trip would be if you could not share it with someone who matters?
Tomorrow we head north for the next 2,000km, Geraldton, then Coral Bay for a few nights and then off to Broome for a week. Look out those Barramundi, Rich is on his way.
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