November - A very busy month - part III (last)

Continuation from "A very busy month -  part I and "A very busy month - part II


Saturday 17th - I accepted an invitation to go to the movies to watch the film Bohemian Rhapsody.
Just as Catarina had mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the movie was brilliant and the lead actor Rami Malek deserves to win an Oscar for best actor, he was fabulous!
I love Queen's music, so if you're also a fan go and watch it 👍

Sunday 18th -  I joined around 40 other Portuguese men and women at a Codfish Academy lunch at Eat Greek Restaurant in East Fremantle.
The Codfish Academy was founded in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1968, and the Perth branch was inaugurated in 2011, and is the only one in Australia. Funds that are later donated to charity are raised from these lunches or dinners.

After a generous and delicious Mediterranean buffet lunch, I drove around Fremantle taking some photos and came across a few new murals.

East Fremantle Marina, Lunch at Eat Greek, the choice of desserts

Fremantle curiosities - an interesting meal bench, a pink Mustang, a Chinese bridal couple being photographed, statues

Fremantle architecture

When I got home, and got the Christmas stuff from the garage and set up the Christmas tree.

I usually only set up my Christmas tree on the 1st of December, but because for the next 2 weekends I would be busy I put up the tree when I arrived home. This year I've gone for white and silver instead of the usual blues.

My Christmas tree with white and silver decorations

Thursday 22nd - After work I drove to the suburb of Applecross not far from where I work to take photos of the jacaranda trees. Applecross is famous for its annual Jacaranda Festival at the end of November. I was a bit disappointed that this year they weren't as "bloomy" as in previous years.

I was pleased to see "Waiting in the wings" that I first saw at Sculpture by the Sea, in Cottesloe Beach this year, on the Applecross waterfront framing Perth's skyline in the distance.

The sculpture which took 12 months to complete, was done by Perth's sculptor Denise Pepper, is 3,3mt tall and each wing weighs about 170kg each.
Doesn't it look as if it was made for that spot?

Applecross also happens to be one of Perth's top suburbs with superb houses by the Swan River. One day when I grow up I would like to live there 😃

Jacarandas in Applecross streets

"Waiting in the wings"

                    Fancy houses by the Swan River in Applecross 

Later I drove to the Domestic airport to pick up my husband who was coming from Sydney to spend a few days at home. His flight was meant to arrive at 6,40pm and it was close to that time when I parked outside the recently opened Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) just a few minutes away from Terminal 4.

I usually wait for him to give a ring as soon as he's outside the terminal, but I waited, and waited, and waited...and eventually checked the flight website and it showed the flight was 1 hour late!  Silly me, why didn't I check at home? 

So I entertained myself with taking photos of the almost full moon (on 23rd) going through heavy clouds.
One hour later Jose arrived, rang me and I drove to the terminal

Almost full moon photo experiments

Friday 23rd -  an early day starting with dropping Jose's car at the dealership for a service. I followed him so we could return in my car and go to Carousel shopping to buy him some clothes for our daughter's upcoming wedding in the Philippines.
Upon our return home we called our grandchild who turned 2 that day.
Then Jose mowed the lawn and started pruning some trees. When the dealership called to say the car was ready I drove him there and we returned home.

At night we drove to the city to go and have dinner at Santini's restaurant (remember the QT Hotel from my Open House visit?).

Our wedding anniversary was on the 30th November and since Jose wasn't going to be here I thought we could have an early celebration dinner.
It's obviously the In place now as when I called at 5,30 to book for dinner I was told it was fully booked for 8pm but they could offer me a table at 9,30! 
I accepted it as I really wanted to go there. We arrived a bit earlier, had drinks at the Rooftop bar, the only available seats were at the outdoor area, the view was great but it was a bit windy to be out there.
Dinner was fantastic, food spectacular, service was good too, on the expensive side of course, but it was a special occasion. After dinner I still managed to take photos of some Christmas decorations in the city.
I didn't take any photos of the food, but I was embarrassed to do so in such a fancy place.

Christmas lights in the city

Christmas lights in the city

Saturday 24th - Jose carried on with getting the garden in order, while I made some snacks to take to my son's house for our grandson's second birthday party at 3pm.
Their house was full of little kids from the playgroup he's been attending since he was a couple of months old.
At 7pm after the party, we had intended to go back to the city to do the Christmas light trail, but Jose was tired from all the garden work so we had a quiet night watching a movie.

Birthday cake made by my daughter in law

In my son's neighbourhood someone puts up a big show of Christmas lights with reindeers, sleigh, photo booth snowmen, stars, the roof is illuminated, etc. 

He seems to be the only one in the street, but there are some suburbs where the whole street takes part and loads of people drive around looking at the illuminations and contributing coins to a charity of the street's choice.
When we left close to 7pm the lights were already on.

Christmas lights 

Monday 26th - I had taken Monday off work and at 2pm drove Jose to the airport for his flight back to Sydney.

Thursday 29th - coffee with former work colleagues at a coffee shop near work.

Friday 30th - Our 38th Wedding anniversary - lots of messages and calls, but with Jose in Sydney, sadly I spent the day on my own. Hopefully next year he will be working back in Perth.

Our wedding day 30 Nov 1980 in Johannesburg, South Africa

And so ended the month of November.

Hope your month wasn't as busy as mine.