Monthly Wrap-Up - October & Signs

Also joining Tom for his signs meme. Please click here for other signs from around the world.

I worked lots of extra hours during October, as one of my colleagues took 4 weeks leave, leaving just 3 people to do the work... So with 3 days a week doing 10 hour shifts, and 2 days doing half day shifts left me drained and with no inclination to do much at home, the blog or painting! Luckily, we still had some relaxing time on the weekends. 

We've just employed a new lady who I am training at the moment... just hope it all works out this time!

Friday 7th - Jose and I attended the usual first-Friday of the month Codfish dinner at the Portuguese club. 

Codfish with potatoes and chick peas

Sunday 9th - Our boss organized a high-tea to farewell one of our young receptionists who just finished her Medical degree. The last couple of months she had hardly worked at the clinic, as she had hospital placements and clinical placements she had to go to as part of her degree.

The team - the boss and the 3 hard workers (me by window) on right, 2 nurses, another colleague and the last by the window is the newly graduated Doctor

It was held at C-Restaurant - on the 33rd floor of St Martins's tower on St George's Terrace in the city centre, which provides people with 360 degrees views of the city. The venue was nice, but I found the platters had far too many sweets and not enough savoury things.

The 3-tiered platter, my tea and a passionfruit caipiroska

Views from where I was sitting, as the restaurant rotates, taking about 2 hours to get back to same spot.

New buildings at Elizabeth Quay

The Supreme Court and gardens

A mural I have posted before

City and Northbridge area - you might be able to spot the green "cactus" statue in front of the railway station (bottom right)

Swan River, East Perth area

Optus Stadium, Matagarup bridge, the airport control tower in the far end (middle)

Mural at the restaurant

Right in front of the building are 5 statues called - Footsteps in Time, symbolizing the business people who built the thriving Perth central business district.

The 5 statues - The millennium man, the Post war European, Dutch explorer

Thursday 27th - we only had 1 Dr working the whole day, so the colleague who had worked the least volunteered to do it, and two of us managed to have a day off!

I arranged to meet up with a now retired colleague in the beach suburb of Rockingham (about 30min south from where I live), where the Castaways Sculpture Exhibition was being held. It's an annual outdoor exhibition showcasing artworks created from recycled materials and apart from well-known artists, a lot of Perth schools also take part with very imaginative works.

Contributions from various schools with recycled materials

Works from various artists: 

My favourite artworks were this flower that used plastic spoons, and lots of plastic bread ties and a bonsai made with cutouts from plastic brottles.

It was a hot day, and after walking around the beach admiring the sculptures, Jan and I sat down at one of the beach cafe's and had a coffee (hot chocolate for me) and crepes (which were as dry as cardboard). (no picture).

As I left Rockingham to return home and came across these signs:

Eye Scream cafe

Rockingham Tennis Club welcomes new members

                                                                                                                                      Saturday 29th - the Portuguese Club celebrated its 53rd anniversary with a dinner/dance.

                                                        

The singer, Pedro Cruz , who came all the way from Portugal, had been performing at the Portuguese clubs scattered around Australia and ended his tour at the Perth club. His music was lively and we all danced the night away.

The singer on stage and me and our 90 year old friend Idalia dancing away

We met a new Portuguese lady, when she came over to our house to get loquats which I was giving away in a Facebook group for the Portuguese community in Perth.

She is married to an Englishman and in conversation we discovered that Jose actually works in some projects with her husband, and she also works in the same field, but Jose had never met her, although they have common friends in Portugal from railway projects they both worked on in Portugal. It's a small world!

At the time we invited them to come to the Portuguese club and they joined us for the anniversary dinner.

Signs of Spring : A pelican and baby swans with the parents at the Canning River.

Birds in my garden: 

top: magpie, young magpie, duck and ducklings crossing the road, 
bottom: crested dove, raven eating a loquat, pink galah