January Wrap-Up & Signs

Also joining Tom's Signs meme - for other signs from around the world please follow this link.

Monday 3rd - a public holiday, so in the late afternoon we packed a picnic basket and drove to Point Walter, a park by the Swan River. My intention had been to watch the sunset, but we were in the wrong direction. 

Never mind, we found a spot with a little "private beach" and as we tucked into our crackers and cheese, two black swans that were just swimming past waddled off the water to us.

They were curious and brazen , looking inside my bag and hissing at me when I gave them a strawberry! They just wanted crackers and if they were given too big a piece they would go to the water, wet it before eating it, but sometimes the seagulls would steal it from their beaks 🤣.

And when the swans disappeared back  into the river, Jose spotted 2 dolphins.

They move so quickly that I only managed to catch their fins. They headed straight to a couple of kids who were sitting and talking on their paddle boards who screamed in fright.  I was so thrilled to see them.

Tuesday 4th - Jose and I returned to work after a 2 week break. 

After just a few days at work I was ready for another very, very, long break! 

The vaccines and the many options, the people who miss appointments, calling other patients on waiting lists to fill those spots, the people who get upset with us because the next available vaccine appointment might be 2 weeks ahead.... Stress, stress! We started vaccinating the over 5 year old's on the 10th...

Sunday 9th - BBQ and swimming at our friend's W & L's house by the river. With the high temperatures in Perth it was a great day to be in the water. It's always wonderful to see the ducks, black swans, coots and purple swamphen that comes around to their house to be fed.

Swamphen, black swans and ducks, a baby coot,  coot couple with the baby

Tuesday 11th - we celebrated the 15th anniversary of our arrival in Australia, and went to dinner at Yuki Japanese restaurant.

Even with our borders closed to the world and all the other states of Australia, Omicron infiltrated its way into Western Australia, and from the evening of Sunday 16th mask wearing became compulsory in closed spaces, public transport, work...

I know most of the world has been wearing masks for 2 years, but in Western Australia we have been fortunate that we only had 3 or 4 two week long lock-downs in the last 2 years, and only had to wear masks during the last two I think. 

From the 18th we had a row of 5 days with record breaking temperatures of over 40C, not seen since 1897! Luckily they temperatures have gone back to the more manageable Summer temperatures in the 30C's.

On Friday 21st West Australians were given the "bad news" by the Premier, that the State would no longer open the borders on the 5th of February when we were expecting to reach 90% double vaccinated rate, as had previously been announced .

We were almost there, but Omicron has messed up the plans, and apparently the medical advice was that we should stay closed to the rest of Australia and the world with a few exceptions - more Australians to be allowed in from overseas, and other States, or on compassionate reasons, as long as they quarantine!  

West Australians now seem to be very divided into the ones who think it's ok to continue to be closed up and the ones who have had enough, who had already booked flights to visit overseas family or in the East coast. The goal posts keep on changing when the deal was that the borders would open once we reached 90% double vaccinated...  I do feel safe being closed but I know Covid will spread anyway once we open up, and I would also like to visit my family.

Australia Day - Wednesday 24th - despite the risk of the spread of Covid, fireworks in the city went ahead, with masks being mandatory and people could get spot checked for their vaccination status.

Even though I love the fireworks and the atmosphere I had decided not to attend the event this year. Luckily we had not one but two invitations for the day!

We first went to our friends W and L for a BBQ with the rest of their family. After lunch we still had time for a dip in the pool. 

At 5pm we left and went to the next venue - the riverfront townhouse of one of our Doctors at the clinic, for late afternoon snacks and drinks.

View from the balcony of the riverfront townhouse

Just before 8pm, 2 of the Drs and I jumped in the car and drove 5 min down the road to a park on the other side of the river next to the Nedlands Yacht Club, and got there in time to sit down on a blanket and watch the city fireworks in the distance (about 8km/ 5mi away). It was still nice and a safer option.

 

We started again interviewing for a medical receptionist at work, as our youngest receptionist - a medical student - is off on a country placement for a few weeks and when she returns to University she will only be able to work half to 1 day a week.

One of our Doctors also left at the end of the month, as she decided to relocate to Melbourne to be close to family, so we will be getting a new Doctor too.

I was gifted 2 pieces of furniture from the "Buy Nothing group" to upcycle, and I've started on one of the projects - a beautiful antique sideboard - the exterior was in great condition apart from a burn mark on the top where I've put a stencil. The doors and drawers were just covered with a wood veneer, and that is all I painted. The interior needs a full replacement of the flimsy shelves, so waiting for Jose to buy some wood and cut new shelves.

A round table and 4 chairs awaiting to be upcycled

Antique sideboard - drawers and doors in Ash, shelves awaiting replacement

And I end the month with our resident wagtail that still comes to sleep under the patio roof every night, and our Twiggy, always comfy on top of a pillow and some number plates I saw during this month.

Personalized number plates: