28 May 2013 - Advent Park, Maida Vale, Perth, Western Australia

The rain started soon after midnight, falling loudly on the caravan roof and disturbing the sleeping birds in the trees all around, who made sure we were all aware of their annoyance. That surprised me more than the rain, however not enough to keep me awake.

On rising, I promptly went on line to track progress of my husband’s flight to learn that it was running half an hour late. He would be happy with the delay, making the connection so much more relaxed. His sister in England spotted I was on line and gave me a call, which was just lovely but did make for a rather hurried breakfast.

Soon I was out the door and on my way into the city, arriving at Forrest Place just before our arranged rendez-vous time of 10 am. And there she was, Jess, looking so lovely and so familiar. We spent over four hours wandering about, taking coffee and then later, lunch, riding the buses and chatting, before parting company at the railway station. She was to catch the train heading south and message her friend to collect her from the suburban station, and I impulsively decided I would also catch the train, mine to Midland, where I hoped I might find a bus connection back to camp.

Jess & I in Forrest Place

We have travelled on the city rails in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, all excellent services and all in similar carriages. The carriages in Perth are however quite different, a little like those in an air freighter where the passengers are strapped along the side walls of the fuselage, facing toward the centre. So it is with the rail cars here. It means that we all sat in two long rows sharing amusement or disgust at any oddball passengers. I did wonder if there was going to be a massive scene when a tall pleasant looking young man boarded the carriage with his bike and began to make random loud remarks to everyone. There was a silent collective agreement that we would look out for one another, and we all breathed a sigh of relief when he alighted.

The connecting bus left the station half an hour after my arrival and was full of school children, and I mean absolutely full. The trip was like being in a zoo cage of chimpanzees and I was very pleased to identify the street corner not far from the camp and enjoy a quiet walk the rest of the way.

Back home, I checked Chris’s progress to find that this second flight was running late as well, his plane not touching down before 11 pm. I have moved the landcruiser beyond the security gate; I have no wish to fiddle with the pass so long after the fall of darkness. It looks like it will be a long night.