Days 26 and 27: Beautiful days and balmy nights

Well as we said in the last blog – Broome is SUCH a nice place at this time of year. We have spent the last two evenings down on the beach (with our vehicle) enjoying the magnificent sunsets – no doubt you will be sick of sunset photos by the time we have finished this trip.  For me the best part about being on the beach as the sun goes down are all the family and friend groups gathered on the beach too – dogs, frisbees, barbies, Poppies and Nannies, uncles and aunties, Mums and Dads, kidlets everywhere.  There is no doubt that Australia is a very family oriented place, and it is just lovely to see – just wish I had some of MY family around to share it too!

 Well two days of solid study in my little van – it sounds boring but it is finally all coming together – I was wondering if it ever would.  I remember at the start of the year I went to a ‘mature age’ student seminar and a lady got up and said …. ‘don’t worry if none of it makes sense throughout the semester – it all comes together in the last week before exams’.  Well that is exactly what has happened – all the pieces have started falling into place and I am feeling much better about everything – except not seeing much of Broome!  Rich is making up for it though with a variety of adventures and is being very sweet to me … today he took himself off exploring and then came back all in a rush and said, ‘ right – enough studying – there is a market in town and we are going!’  Well that was exactly what I needed and my Market Martyr (ha remember that from a previous blog – we it’s true!) followed me around the craft market for a good hour or so – isn’t he a sweetie!!  He even bought me some earrings (not really – Kim bought them with some moral support from me).  It was the perfect study break.

 This caravan park has been interesting …. We have the serial snorer on one side – it is so bad that Rich sleeps with ear plugs – then the site was too far from the water tap (first time we have had that problem) and our hose didn’t reach – so Rich went out to buy a longer hose, which made the water taste REALLY funny.  Then as we were going out for a run/bike ride this morning, we noticed the plumber was here – and as we left he said …. ‘hope you guys don’t want a shower when you get back because I am turning off the water mains.’  No water until lunch time it was – and we were seriously sweaty when we got back from our exercise!  Then of course there is the entry / exit gate thingy that you have to use a card to get in and out – and one of the vehicles yesterday just drove straight through it – so that was out of order for a day or so.  Caravan Park fun and games!  Glad I don’t run one to be honest!

Rich here – had a great day our fishing in a remote spot. Never content to just fish where everyone else does, I got out Google Maps on my iPhone and tracked my way to an estuary about 30 km north of Broome. Of course there was a sealed road to the northern side of this estuary, but no, I decided to follow the tracks on the GPS to get to the southern side. So I soon found myself on a deep sand track, complete with grass higher than the car, needing four wheel drive (he he) and tracked through bush, open grassland, then mangroves to finally climb the vehicle up onto some rocks overlooking a stunning estuary system, complete with cliffs, sandbanks, mangroves, salt water crocs and FISH (check the spot on Google Maps). I started fishing off one of the cliffs and soon found out that this was the local favorite spot for an extended aboriginal family (looked like at least 3 generations). They were quite friendly, but I headed to a quieter spot further up the estuary. An amusing aspect was that, there I was fishing in total peace and quiet and around the corner comes a tourist boat with around 30 camera wielding tourists, being shown the real wild outback, complete with crocodile Dundee tour-guide, in their typical aluminum boat with sun-anwing and all these good little tourists sitting in their allocated seats taking photos of ….. and then there was me, right in their way!

 Did not catch much, but just being out there in a spot where not many others could get to (apart from locals in the know).

The highlight of the day was catching up with Sharon Bray’s parents, Ian and Ruth Hall – they just so happened to be in Broome at the same time as us – and we are going opposite ways so we spent the better part of two hours filling each other in on the best spots, sights, caravan parks and things to avoid – quite handy really. What lovely people the Halls are – catching up with them made us realise that we miss Sharon! 

So in general things are going well – I have discovered that I am a bit fragile when it comes to anything out of the ordinary going on at home – it doesn’t take much to de-rail me ….. so I was quite happy with myself that I didn’t lose the plot when Cass called to say she had fallen off her horse and he had stood on her leg.  She has a nasty corked thigh and a bit of whiplash but otherwise seems to be okay – this is when I would really like to be at home …… but, as Rich says, rather this than a broken something!! Too right!  Be careful my girls and boy – just stay in one piece please!

 Rich has plans for the rest of the week – a half day kayak fishing tour on Tuesday and then a pelagic (game fish) tour on Wednesday (whilst I am writing my exams!), and more fishing from the Broome Jetty (above).  

Please do pray for me on Wednesday at 9 am and 1.30 pm and also on Friday at 1.30 pm.  Writing exams at my age is a bit like having a baby after you turn 40 – and whilst I won’t go into too much analogical detail – to put it simply, it hurts!!  J

So from a balmy Broome night – chat again tomorrow! Still in Broome