Well – when I last left you it was under the false impression that I had a night off! Oops! I hadn’t known there was another section in the schedule for people that were working in the kitchen! LOL (laugh out loud). Luckily, I had already decided to hit the pub for happy hour, which starts at 6. So, I was present and accounted for when my shift started at 6! It was a bit naïve of me to think I had the night off, as it was a Friday! However, I just figured someone knew more than me about how busy it was going to be and I wasn’t needed.
Oh well, I had a good
Friday (22 May) anyway. The kitchen work wasn’t bad; we weren’t flooded with orders but we weren’t bored either – just steady. Since the kitchen is only open 6-8 for dinner, I was done with the cleanup far before the bar was ready to close. The 3 owners of the pub knew I had been looking forward to trying some Aussie beers at happy hour, so they bought me several rounds after my shift. I ended up meeting a few locals and had a great conversation with the local head of police; politics and all! I wasn’t able to really get into conversations with many other people, so I took the police officer (Ian) up on his offer to meet his dog after the pub closed. We continued our random conversation about life on opposite sides of the law over a bottle of wine and then he walked me home quite late at night.
I was so very glad that I didn’t have to work until late in the day on Saturay
(23 May), cause my head was pounding! I am a sucker for the lure of a good wine (the Cabernet Merlot was surprisingly smooth), but I never should switch after more than one beer! After a late sleep and a slow morning I headed to work – 2 o’clock, so I missed the lunch service. It was a slow shift and then a cup of tea at home for my break before heading back to the kitchen for dinner. Again, I got off work much earlier than the bar would be closing. I didn’t stick around for a drink; I was quite good on that end. I went home, watched a bit of TV, read my book until midnight, and then tried to sleep. An hour later, I was still awake! I just couldn’t get my mind to shut down. So, when I heard the girls (Theresa from the UK, Leena from Finland) arrive home with guests I knew I wouldn’t be getting to sleep anytime soon. So, I got up and met a couple of local boys. I found out that our house is the party place on Saturday nights; always has been since backpackers started living in it! LOL Good to know! I had a drink with everybody and then they decided to move to another friends house – where there was a warm fire going (our house, with one heater mounted to the lounge ceiling, is far from toasty). They asked me to join, but I had to work at 9 the next morning so I declined. However, I was still quite awake, so I poured another glass of wine and went to get my book. I had to laugh when I heard the key in the door again! They hadn’t even made it to the end of the driveway when a car pulled up and said the party was over at the other house! LOL So, back into the chilly room of the backpackers place! I finally turned in at 4am. Despite the people smoking outside my bedroom window, I really didn’t have a hard time falling asleep!
Needless to say, Sunday
(24 May), was a long, tired day! I was woken to a text at 7:30am, so I had plenty of time to get ready for work. I actually preferred the early morning wake up from Dave (sent hours and hours earlier, just not received by my poor reception until then) to the alarm I had set; as it gave me more time to wake up in less of a panic for work! There’s not much to say about the day. It was a slow Sunday morning shift, perfect for my sluggish mood. I think I had a 4 hour break between shifts, so I tried reading myself into a nap; but that didn’t work. So, I got up and had some tea and watched a movie with Theresa. When I went back to work, I made myself pay better attention to what I was doing – so I wouldn’t make stupid mistakes. The night was unremarkable and chill. It was quite slow and the bar was wrapping up by the time Theresa finished cleaning the kitchen. One of the owners bought her a drink and she decided to wait until I closed up and walk up home together. I’m pretty sure I went to bed shortly after arriving home!
Monday, 25 May, was my day off!!! I slept until 11! Needless to say, it wasn’t the most productive day! I didn’t bother with laundry as I wasn’t sure it would have time to dry, but I did walk down to the pub for lunch, have a chat with our regulars, and then head home. I set off to Cunderdin Hill a bit after 5. I was too late for reaching the top of the hill for the sunset, but caught some beautiful views over the open paddocks. The whole sky was lit up with orange clouds! By the time I reached the top of the hill the sun was far gone and only a dark pink edged the horizon. I walked back to the house, my shoulders only beginning to ache from the pack I had put on – I figured I need to get used to having some weight on them. I’m not sure when I’ll be hiking about again, but I might as well be somewhat ready!
Tueday, 26 May was my second day off. While I didn’t really want to get up early, I also didn’t want to get my laundry out to late. So, I dragged myself out of bed and did my exercises before loading up the washer. After hanging my clothes on the line I decided to head into town for some internet and a walk about the area. Well, I was sorely disappointed to find that the "Pitstop Café" is closed on Tuesdays!! No internet on this day!
So, I just went for my walk instead. I was aiming to find the creek and salt flats that could be seen from the top of the hill, but both sides of the road were fenced off when I got to the Mortlock River. It was a sad bit of river, one side of the road was nothing but a thin, elongated pool amid sands while the other side of the road had a murky green pool stagnating into a ribbon of creek. Along the way, I came across a row of vegetables – small, pumpkin looking things. I was later told they are called Pig Melons – edible only to pigs.
Shortly after crossing the river, the fence line moved away from the road a bit so I walked through the short, dead grasses and followed the underground water main. As I stepped through dead sticks and leaves it occurred to me that I was in Australia – land of the poisonous everything! I decided to make a good effort to watch were I was stepping – paying particular attention to sticks that moved! I didn’t find much of interest in the tree shaded area, but at least it was a break from the road. Actually, I found more interesting things to photograph from the road – I’m particularly pleased my zoom picked up this butterfly up on a tree. It’s a lucky little butterfly, as it narrowly escaped the beak of a bird as it was flittering about high in the tree. I wanted to get some audio of the yellow beaked bird, but the wind was to strong and would have been a more prominent sound than the distinct call.
I’ve been told this is a "miner" bird.
My GPS showed a lake in the area, so I headed down the road that direction. The road ended in a cemetery, with a private dirt road continuing on. I could see the lake from the cemetery, and probably could have walked down to it, but again I was wary about rambling around in the shrubby wilds. I wouldn’t have thought twice about it in the states – or particularly New Zealand – but I was acutely aware of how ignorant I was of the native reptiles and their deadliness. So, I opted for having a peanut butter sandwich on a bench outside the "dead center of town" ….. (yes – a horrible joke, I know – but I’m sure it made you at least smirk in pain, if not humour! And yes, I know I stole the joke from several people).
On my way back to the main road I was able to sneak a few decent pictures of a green parrot with a black head. Most of the pictures have it hiding in the leaves and I could just kick myself for missing a perfect shot by having my camera on video! Still, I was pleased to get even one shot of the bird after it had flown away from me several times and generally could barely be seen through the leaves of the branches it was in. I was not so lucky with a smaller parrot of some sort – possibly blue? The two I spotted wouldn’t let me get even close enough for using my camera’s zoom.
I didn’t dally about on the way back into town. Though it was sunny and pretty warm, I was glad I had my long thermal shirt under my t-shirt. The long sleeves did keep the cool breeze from giving me goose bumps and they kept me from getting annoyed with the small black flies that surrounded me. I had taken my hair out of its ponytail earlier, letting the breeze float the long strands around my face to keep the flies off my ears and cheeks. However, I counted at least 5 hanging onto the front of my shirt at one time! I felt a bit bad really, I walked into the library to ask about guide books for Australia and I noticed several flies buzzing around. It made me wonder if they had a hitched a ride inside on me!
I had to have a bit of a laugh when I got into town. I had spent a good 10 minutes trying for pictures of the elusive parrot near the cemetery, but I was clearly able to see 2 in a tree in the front yard of a lovely house! I was walking down the main street when I heard a noise and looked up to the top of a nearby palm tree – where 2 parrots were easily visible munching away!!! Though I must admit, the pictures are less clear than I would have hoped – it was a tall tree, even with zoom!
I stopped by the pub before heading home. I showed a couple of our regulars the three Australia books I had scored at the library. They bought me a beer and we had a good yak about the country. Eventually I packed my stuff back up, picked up some dinner to make at home, and walked back to the house. After all the walking of the day I wasn’t real keen to hit the hill for a sunset I was sure wasn’t going to be impressive. However, it was my last evening for a walk and I had the time. So, I put my pack on and headed up a little earlier than the day before. I was hoping I might actually catch some of the birds or kangaroos before it got to dark. And I did!! While several of my pictures are fuzzy from lack of light, I was able to snap a few good pictures of these galahs! I felt quite lucky that I was able to get close enough to zoom in so well, as these birds generally travel in flocks that spook at the slightest sign of intrusion. The flock had initially flown up from the paddock and to the trees on my left. A majority of the flock then flew to trees further away and to my right. A handful of the galahs stayed in a nearby tree, appearing to glow in the pink light of the setting sun.
As I continued on my way up the hill I spotted 4 kangaroos! The first 2 were quite small, but the last one was decent sized – though still far from the 7-8 foot size they can apparently reach! Unfortunately the dim light and their distance in the brush made photographs impossible – I have a few fuzzy ones that you can see the ears in!
Wednesday (27th) and
Thursday (28th) were work days. I actually can’t remember much about them; as I’m writing this on Wednesday, 3 June! I believe I worked later shift and was fairly good about getting my exercises in before work. All in all – they were just days and nights at the pub, not much to say.
Friday, 28th June was Leena’s last night at work (she’s travelling the east coast of Australia before heading back to Finland to pursue her master’s degree). Her boyfriend, Steve, came over from Perth on the train that afternoon. He is a nice enough guy, easy to get on with. Leena and I worked behind the bar together on what was a VERY slow night. Leena was more than sad to be leaving the pub and a town she had made so many friends – she poured another round for drinks for the few that were at the bar (mostly an owner and his family), even after we were supposed to be closed! Theresa had worked the kitchen and was at the bar too, so the three of us met up with Steve and Craig (a local) and walked back to our place. We all had some drinks and a chat. I had planned on going to bed, but Craig and I ended up talking for hours and drinking his homebrew. At 4 o’clock I told him I was going to sleep and started brushing my teeth. It was almost an hour before I finally got him to leave! Nice, nice guy – but bloody talkative!
I only got a 5 hours sleep before I was awake on
Saturday, 29th June. I didn’t really want to get up, but I figured I should at least try to find some 60’s clothes at the local op shop (opportunity shop – 2nd hand store). I knew I wouldn’t find anything that was better than the clothes I already had, but figured I could have look anyway. I didn’t find a pair of platforms of flairs, but I did purchase a couple of old books. I also ran into Craig and his friends. After having a chat, Craig took me for a ride in his Ford V8 ute (hmmmm, utes are both pick-ups and cars with 2 seats and a bed in the back – this was the latter).
Seeing as how I’d seen both the cemetery and Cunderdin hill, it was a short tour! We ended up pulling up at his friend’s house. I had met "trucker Tom" the night I got up for wine with the girls and company, so it was easy to hang out. Tom had some errand in town with his truck, so he offered to give Craig and I a ride around town! I was stoked! Despite having trucker relatives, I do not have any memory of being in a long haul truck before! I got to sit in the air spring passenger seat while Craig sat on the bed and popped his head out from the sleeping compartment. When Tom went into the hardware store I popped into the sleeping compartment to check out the top bunk. It was pretty cool – windows at top to watch the road from the bunk! I made Craig get out of the way while I did a somersault off the bunk – that was fun! Then, we continued on to pick up a few boards, have a chat with some other people, and then head back to Tom’s. Craig dropped me off at home and I got ready for my first shift of work.
I only had an hour between my first and second shift of work, but it was enough time to change into my 60’s outfit.
I had decided my tan corduroys and my backless tank top would be a good hippie look, though I knew I really needed a headband. I couldn’t just use one bootlace, that would looks silly- but then I realized I could braid my laces together! Luckily the laces were long enough that even doubled in half and plaited they still went around my head! I picked a few small flowers on my way to work and stuck them in the headband. I felt a bit ridiculous when I first started work, but everyone loved the outfit – particularly the headband. By the time customers came in dressed for the 60’s themed party I was in the groove of the bar and comfortable in my "get up". There were heaps of great costumes, but I was too busy to notice them to much! I had forgotten to take my camera, but Karen (co-worker and wife of a co-owner) snapped some shots of the night – not that I’ve gotten around to asking for copies!
It was a really fun night and I was actually quite glad to be working! I was able to enjoy the music – even do a slight bit of dancing behind the bar – and I got to stay sober while enjoying the events. The end of the night got a bit old; a few overly obnoxious drunk people yelling over the bar and people not wanting to leave, but it was good none the less. All the owners, a few of their friends, Theresa, Leena, Steve, the DJs, and I had a few drinks after the bar was closed and cleaned. Ironically enough, the radio station was playing more 60s music than the DJ played! His request list had, unfortunately, been flooded with recent music and he couldn’t refuse. So, the end of the night ended up sounding less like Woodstock and more like a typical Perth night club. In the end, Leena had a few friends over for her last night in town, but not as many as she would have liked. I ended up staying awake until 4 or 5 in the morning – again!
It was a long
Sunday (31 May)! I had hoped for a relaxing day, but our dinner hours were quite crowded. I did attempt to go to bed at a reasonable hour after work, but it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed on Monday, 1 June, at 8 am!!! I got to the pub before 9 to do the bar floors and toilets before learning how to clean up the motel rooms. Karen asked if I was alright – she said I wasn’t my usually "perky" self! LOL Perky! I would never describe myself as perky!!! But she was right! I felt horrible. The lack of sleep had caught up with me and I could feel a cold coming on. If I had been smart, I would have bought some orange juice that day, but I didn’t. Instead, we were slammed with people at lunch and I ended up working later than expected. I had a short break and then an easy dinner and was back home by 9pm!
These last few days have been extremely lazy! I had yesterday,
Tuesday 2 June, and today,
Wednesday 3 June, off work. My cold hit pretty hard yesterday – making my walk to town and back exhausting. Luckily, I my throat isn’t sore and it’s only my nose and head that are a bit stuffed up. I took a nap yesterday and slept late today. I think I am about caught up on my sleep! I think I may have learned a lesson this weekend – staying up and hanging with good people is a lot of fun, but it’s best not to run your body to ragged on lack of sleep!
Well – I’ll be posting this on
Thursday, 4 June, before my 5pm shift start. This post covers 2 weekends here in Cunderdin. While I am far from having loads of friends, it should be evident that there are good people around town. I get on really well with Theresa – which is good, since it will be just the two of us in the house for a while (Brian has some locals for the kitchen work and the winter should be slow enough not to need a 3rd backpacker). I am getting to know a few of the locals enough to have short chats in the grocery store – 2 yesterday! So – I can honestly say that I am doing well and I am happy! It’s funny though, sometimes I look out the window and see the light fading, the colors touching the trees and clouds, and think: I’m in Australia!?
A plant in Northam - the flowers are unbloomed and furled at the top and a bee is trying to get nectar in the middle.
View from Cunderdin hill - farmer working his fields. The tractor is hidden in the dust while the salt plains of the river (Mortlock River?) are at the top background
Inside a termite mound (a couple good kicks to dislodge the top)
