Saturday, December 10, 2016

THINKING ALLOWED

I am thinking we really should get out more but perhaps on a cooler day than it was yesterday.  A dear Facebook friend of mine had flown over from New South Wales last week to attend her son's wedding down near Albany on our south coast.   She contacted me before leaving NSW saying she would love to meet with Phil and myself while she is in WA.  I suggested a restaurant in King's Park as it is quite central to the city and Anita booked us in for lunch at 1pm.   Normally I don't venture out when the temperature is much above 30C (86F) but Anita and I have become quite close over the years and I so really wanted to meet her.   This is the restaurant where we met.  It's quite impressive having been renovated a number of years ago and so are it's prices but for special occasions one forgets about that and just enjoys the event.


It was wonderful to meet Anita and also another Facebook friend of hers.   We sat and chatted for a while before ordering our meal and I must say I was somewhat disappointed with the beer battered schnapper and chips I had....no salad unless you paid dollars for it and I wasn't at all impressed at $32 a serve.    A little cafe Phil and I often go to in a nearby shopping centre has $15 specials of all their fish dishes on Fridays.   You get served a large piece of grilled fish with chips (the best I've ever had) and a lovely garden salad included.   I never mind paying for a meal when it is worth the money but
'posher' places that charge just because they can don't impress me one little bit.  I thought Phil was wonderful when he whispered to me that he'd like to shout us all our lunch and I know it was much appreciated by Anita and Cheryl.

Anyway it was great Phil was able to join in with our chatter and I thought the four of us got on exceedingly well, so well in fact I am sorry Anita lives over 2,000 miles away.  I doubt we will ever meet again but I know we will keep in touch through Facebook.   She has always said I am her second mum as when times have been a little tough for her I've tried hard to smooth the way and she told me today that she had even told her own mother that she was going to meet her second  mum.

Phil and I came home via a long drive through Kings Park where you could see some of the devastation caused by the dreadful bushfires there a few years back.  Our Australian bush does regenerate so well after bushfires but I noticed some trees that hadn't survived which was sad.  Neither Phil nor I are people that enjoy driving on busy freeways and are patient enough to use the older main roads with their traffic lights every few streets.  We actually had a wonderful run through until we got to the Stirling Bridge which crosses the Swan River near Fremantle and there is always as bottleneck there as the huge container trucks come in from the Fremantle wharf on to the main road.

We both sat and put our feet up, after I'd turned on the airconditioning, when we got home and then Phil was busy doing the watering, moving the sprinklers every 10 minutes.    I'd left the blinds down when we went out and although the temp did reach 36C in our living room it was only 26C so cooled down quite quickly.  P.S.  Phil did have a reticulation system set up years ago but with now only being allowed to use sprinklers two days a week it wasn't worth maintaining it.  At least I guess he get a little exercise on watering days.

13 comments:

  1. Hi Mimsie! I haven't been blogging, or looking at blogs for a few months, but I'm so glad to see that you're not only blogging, but enjoying life. There is nothing better than a catch-up with friends is there? I'm catching up with my old uni flatmates tomorrow - one lives in Sydney, the other in Melbourne so we rarely get the chance to get together. Hope you have a merry christmas. x

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    1. Hi and it's great to have you pay a visit. I must admit of late I've been rather slack in visiting other blogs...I put it down to old age and slowing down.
      I hope you had a wonderful time with your old uni flatmates. I imagine lots and lots to talk about.
      Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. xx

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  2. Hari OM
    Oh my.... flashbacks... The very first time I ever came to OZ was on a six-week tour and it began in Perth; our hosts lived out at Caversham and on our last day they took us to the Kings Park Restaurant. Full seafood platter. I'd never seen anything like it!!! I was pretty sure it was beyond mine or H's budget, but the hosts insisted it was their treat. Have never forgotten it. The Park is beautiful. Glad you had such a good connection Mimsie. YAM xx

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    1. ..it might pay to say that was way back in 1984!..

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    2. I doubt anyone has visited Kings Park and not been stunned by the view from there. You would find such a difference in the restaurant now. It was the only one in KP back in 1984 but I believe there are several there now. Always a great place to visit. xx

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  3. I am glad you had an outing - and that you and Phil enjoyed the company.
    What is it with restaurants charging extra for vegies and salad? They ought to be part of the meal. The venue looked lovely though.

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    1. The venue was lovely with a special life for the disabled which pleased me as lots of steps. Anita and Phil enjoyed the lift as well.
      I am with you on paying extra for 'sides' and charge they do.
      When Phil and I want a meal out we will stick to our little cafe in the Phoenix Shopping Centre. Nice people, good service and good price. What more can one ask for?

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  4. I like the 'nicer' places when I feel like I need the ambience, but no salad? Better to go where the food is good. Of course, the pleasant conversation made up for it, I'm sure.
    I don't like the freeways anymore either ...

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    1. It was a special meeting but I am always more relaxed in a laid back type of place.
      Great to know someone else feels about freeways the way we do. I have a friend who hates traffic lights so loves freeways. She is one of those people that seldom sits still so guess having t wait for lights to change is against what she likes.

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  5. I'm glad you had a lovely meal out, although I'm shocked at the price, for that much I'd expect a salad to be included. I'm glad you got to meet Anita too.
    I'm trying to make my garden more hardy by only watering once a week, but giving it a good soaking on that day. Most things have been there two years or more, this is the third summer for most plants, so it's time to stop pampering them and see what survives.

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    1. The meeting was nicer than the actual meal. Little bits of bit inside lots of batter and chips that just didn't seem fresh.
      We have to water twice a week as the coastal sands in Perth don't hold water. No matter how many water crystals you use the water still runs away. A lot I think is to do with the eucalypts which make the sand oily as well.

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  6. The company was definitely worth more than the meal. I don't like shyster restaurants.

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    1. You are so right....I only wish I could have thought of another central place to meet but we go out so little I was out of touch with what is available.
      The service was good. In fact we almost felt as though they were pestering us to have drinks etc etc.

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