JOURNAL 2009

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January 1st 2009 (Thursday)

The lack of diary entries just indicates how boring it is being stuck in Williams.

January 3rd 2009 (Saturday)

Almost there, only one day before we finally get away from Williams. If I never see this place again it will be too soon.

List of things to do once we are at Cowaramup:

1.Get car sorted out ASAP. (Oil & volt meter, dash board and front spring).
2.Get trailer cross bar fixed. (PRIORITY) (done)
3.Get Belle’s tooth fixed. (done)
4.See doctor about my cough. (done)
5.Get a webcam. (done)
6.Look up info on the net regarding:
a.Human rights
b.Lawyers
c.Citizenship
d.My passport renewal
e.Homeswest

Sort out caravan and unpack car as much as possible as soon as we can.

January 8th 2009 (Thursday)

I have been so busy in the past few days that I have neglected to keep the journal up-to-date. We finally got to Steve and Bec’s place on Monday. No dramas on the way down but it took a couple of days to get sorted out. Bought a webcam and for the past two nights have been able to see Dorothy via the net.

Although it is really wonderful to see her I have to admit that once the connection is broken and she is gone I really don’t feel very good at all. I have to try and stay as positive as possible but I don’t know how long I can keep up a brave face.

January 24th 2009 (Saturday)

The great lack of journal entries over the past few weeks is accounted for by the fact that we have been spending at leat 2-3 hours a night on the webcam with Dorothy. Nothing else much has captured our attention. Tomorrow she flies in and we should see her at around 3pm. Things have become complicated with Immigration who have stupidly said that as they were adopted, the girls are no longer legally related. This resulted in us going to the press and last week the story hit the Sunday Times. Tomorrow the Channel 7 show Today Tonight is going to be filming the girls, celebrities again for 50 seconds, and will be conducting an interview. We are staying up in Perth overnight at an apartment.

We pray that this will all have the desired effect of getting Minister Evans to do the right thing and give Dorothy the chance to spend the rest of her life with Belle.

January 25th 2009 (Sunday)

We met Natalie from Channel 7 at the airport and for the second time in a few months Dorothy and Belle were the subject of a TV camera as they reunited.

Today Tonight booked us in to Mounts Bay Village for the night (a very nice hotel) and did an interview with the girls at the hotel that seemed to go very well. Natalie was very sympathetic to our cause so now we just have to cross our fingers and hope that someone at Immigration or Minister Chris Evans will see sense and sort things out for us.

January 26th 2009 (Monday)

We had intended to take Dorothy around King’s Park before heading back south but the park had been blocked off prior to the Australia Day celebrations so we gave up and took the freeway down to Rockingham. After a quick look at the coast we stopped off to say ‘hi’ to Mick and Jean and to let them meet Dorothy. Belle hid in the car and Dorothy and I walked up the drive, Jean fell for the trick and had no hesitation in hugging Dorothy as if she was Belle.

We didn’t have too much time to spare and had to head off to Cowaramup after a short visit.

January 27th 2009 (Tuesday)

Belle had a dental appointment in Busselton at 8:30am so no sleeping in for Dorothy on her first day here. While Belle had to endure having needles and getting her teeth drilled, Dorothy and I went for a walk along the beach at Geographe Bay.

After a bit of shopping in town and a break for lunch we returned to the house and Dorothy spent the rest of the day settling in and getting to know her new surroundings.

January 28th 2009 (Wednesday)

A relatively quiet day spent mostly around the house was punctuated by a quick trip down to Gracetown and a short walk along the top of the cliffs.

January 29th 2009 (Thursday)

After breakfast we went in to Margaret River and then down to Prevally to have another look at the coast.

January 30th 2009 (Friday)

Belle had an appointment in Margaret River and while she was there Dorothy and I just sat in the park and chatted.

January 31st 2009 (Saturday)

A rather hot day so we decided to head down to Canebrake Pool and have a swim. Dorothy got to experience first hand how bad corrugations on gravel roads can be here. A section of road was probably the worst for corrugations we have ever been down and it really shook the car up. The water at Canebrake was pretty cool but we all enjoyed a nice relaxing swim before stopping for lunch and then another short swim before heading back to the house.

Dorothy ended up feeling a bit ill once we got home but thankfully recovered quite quickly after a lie down.

February 1st 2009 (Sunday)

Rest day spent just relaxing around the house and enjoying each other’s company.

February 2nd 2009 (Monday)

We took the boat down to Augusta to do a bit of fishing today and were lucky enough to land on a couple of patches where the fish were biting. Dorothy caught three fish and we came home with enough for a meal.

The Today Tonight story aired on TV today and we hope that it may just have some impact. Dorothy needs to be with us so we just have to keep plugging away no matter what happens. I can’t see any future in the three of us living separate lives so somehow we have to find a way to be together.

February 3rd 2009 (Tuesday)

Took Dorothy to Margaret River to see the doctor and organise to get her blood tests done. We will be a lot happier once we know that she is ok but real peace of mind won’t come until she is with us in Australia.

February 4th 2009 (Wednesday)

Already half the time together gone, far too fast! Why can’t we slow time up just a little?

We are off on a two night trip to Albany to show Dorothy a different part of the country. We have booked in at the Amity Motor Inn on Wellington St. Albany and it is quite reasonable at $80 a night for 3 people.

The trip down was quite long and took us through Pemberton where we stopped off for lunch at the Gloucester Tree (a climbable fire lookout tree). Here we were surrounded by native birds all looking for a feed of our pies.

February 5th 2009 (Thursday)

A day spent seeing the sights of Albany including Frenchman Bay, Salmon Holes, The Gap, Natural Bridge, Emu Point, King George Sound, Mt. Melville lookout and more including a tour of the local shops. The time we have is far too short to show Dorothy much of the area but at least we did get the chance to show her something more than just the Margaret River area.

February 6th 2009 (Friday)

Back to Cowaramup via Walpole and Northcliffe. We stopped off at the Tree Top Walk to let Dorothy see some of the valley of the Giants and then gradually made our way back. Dorothy got her first opportunity to drive the cruiser and seemed to handle the big car very well.

February 7th 2009 (Saturday)

Another rest day after the hectic driving of the past three days. We probably covered over 1000km since Wednesday morning so a break is needed by all of us. We all seem equally happy to just sit around the house and be together.

I finally got round to making the cake I promised Dorothy but it didn’t exactly turn out to be that great, a little on the dry side but edible at least.

February 8th 2009 (Sunday)

The morning was fairly relaxed, we went to have a look at Jewel Cave & Hamelin Bay. Thankfully the stingrays were visiting the bay while we were there and Dorothy and I even went in for a swim. Once the rays started to appear where we were swimming we decided to call it a day and head home.

February 9th 2009 (Monday)

Rest day

February 10th 2009 (Tuesday)

Went down to Margaret River so that Dorothy and Belle could visit the hospital and have their blood taken for testing. Belle managed to forget the request form and we had to come back to Cowaramup to pick it up and then go back to Margaret River again. Dave called in, in the afternoon and got to meet Dorothy.

February 11th 2009 (Wednesday)

A very late sleep in this morning saw us get up only around mid-day, this was mainly due to a very late night which saw us finally go to sleep around first light.

The girls had an appointment to see the doctor in the afternoon so it was back to Margaret River yet again. Not all the results were in but we have found that Dorothy really needs to monitor her thyroid problem, her levels of thyroxin are far too low.

February 12th 2009 (Thursday)

Finally the girls got to spend the first birthday of their lives together. We wanted the day to be memorable so we went up to Busselton and had a rather fancy meal at a restaurant in Queen St. Prawns, scallops, mushrooms all featured prominently on the menu and afterwards we went down to spend a bit of time on the beach near Busselton Jetty.

It is hard to believe that the girls are 50 years old, no one who meets them believes it.

February 13th 2009 (Friday)

We were hoping for some more test results for Dorothy today but now we have found that they won’t be available until next week.

A lot happened this morning with regards to decision making. I have been trying not to put Dorothy under any pressure about leaving on Sunday and I did ask Belle to do the same but Belle just could not face her sister leaving again and continued to ask her to stay. I'm not sure what the final straw was, but Dorothy made a life changing decision this morning and has resigned from her job, changed her ticket home to April 7th and we have booked flights to go back with her.

The speed at which these things happen takes my breath away at times and now all three of us are on the same journey together. Everything is both quite amazing but also frightening as we don't have total control over the outcome. All we can do is hope and work toward an outcome that we all feel is the right way to go.

Personally I couldn't be happier about Dorothy deciding to stay longer. I am a little worried about how things are going to go once we get to Malaysia and she tells her family she is coming back to Australia again but all we can do is take one step and one day at a time.

February 14th 2009 (Saturday)

We had originally planned to go fishing on the Blackwood River today but the weather turned a bit strange so we have opted for another rest day instead and will go out tomorrow.

February 15th 2009 (Sunday)

Took the boat down to Alexandra Bridge and tried to find a fish or two that were willing to commit suicide. Only one fish was in the mood and it was well undersized so it got thrown back in. Once we decided to head fro home I somehow got my directions mixed up and instead of Alexandra Bridge we ended up at Molloy Island. Thankfully I had spare fuel and we turned around and went back up river to the boat ramp. I could see Dorothy having visions of being stranded in the bush and being eaten alive by rabid koalas or something but we made it back with plenty of fuel to spare.

February 16th 2009 (Monday)

I think if I had been the one who made the decision Dorothy made on Friday then I would not be as calm and collected as she seems to be. She continues to surprise me with how she makes her decisions and then how she deals with things once she has done so.

If she hadn't made the decision to stay then she would have been back in Malaysia by now, how dreadful that would have been for all of us.

The girls are so similar in many ways but there are things in each others make up that are quite different. Belle is not as playful and mischievous as her sister. I wonder how Dorothy managed to hang on to such a playful side to her nature considering the years of emotional neglect she has suffered.

February 17th 2009 (Tuesday)

Belle had an appointment in Margaret River so Dorothy and I just spent the afternoon lounging and chatting. Otherwise just another day around the house.

February 18th 2009 (Wednesday)

Belle had an appointment in Busselton so we all went up for the day and after doing some shopping we went along the coast to Eagle Bay. We found a nice spot for lunch where I didn't spot a large log under some dappled shade and proceeded to try (most unsuccessfully) to drive the cruiser over it. Thankfully there wasn't any damage – except to male pride.

Dorothy and I were again the ones to go swimming while Belle sat and watched from the shore but this didn't turn out to be the best idea as Dorothy ended up feeling ill.

February 19th 2009 (Thursday)

A quiet day at the house. Kevin and Lesley dropped in for a visit in the afternoon.

February 20th 2009 (Friday)

Since we are sitting in the middle of Western Australia's premier wine producing area we decided to take Dorothy around to some of the older wineries. As the girls both like very sweet wines (ports etc.) we limited our choices to those vineyards that produce that style.

These included Sandalford, Gralyns, Cullens, Juniper and woody Nook. We didn't go out with the intention of buying any wine but in the end we bought a bottle of Gralyns white port and a bottle of Juniper cane cut reisling. The second bottle ended up being somewhat more expensive than we thought as Belle mistook it for a full sized bottle when it was only a half size. It is now officially the most expensive bottle of wine we have ever bought.

The last place we called in to was Woody Nook and as they had a restaurant we stopped for lunch. The choice was a 'taste plate' plus house bread. A very good choice as all the food was interesting and tasty. Quite different from anything else we have tried in other places.

February 24th 2009 (Tuesday)

The weekend was fairly quiet. Steve & Bec picked up the dogs on Sunday but apart from that the last few days have been spent either cleaning up the house, looking after the garden or visiting the bay at Gracetown. Today we went into Margaret River to pick up some supplies but nothing much else happened. We did get the car looked at yesterday and the overheating rear hub seemed to have been caused by a badly adjusted brake this cost just $20 to get fixed so that was a bit of a relief.

Still waiting for the rest of the repairs to be done on the car but at least we got the news today that the parts are available pending RAC approval – which has actually been given but somehow has failed to make its way to the repairer – fairly typical – no wonder we switched insurers!

Belle is booked in to see Dr. Pennington tomorrow 10am but nothing else planned for the day yet.

List of places still to see:

Cape Leeuwin
Boranup Forest
Bunbury
Canal Rocks
Collie area if possible
at least one more fishing trip to Augusta

February 25th 2009 (Wednesday)

Nothing much to do today so time for some reflection of proceedings to date.

Our two biggest worries at the moment are what happens when we go to Malaysia with Dorothy and what happens long term with regard to Australian Immigration. The second issue is probably less worrying as we will find a solution to that one way or another but the first issue involved Dorothy's family and that concerns me quite a lot.

Although she has been very unhappy there for a very long time, I can't see any easy way for her to separate. There is going to be a lot of pressure put on her by family and friends once it becomes apparent that she intends to come back to Australia.

I don't quite know how she will deal with the situation in Malaysia once we are over there and although we will be there to give her our love and support, there will be very little we can do with regard to her relationship with R. and the kids. As she intends to stay with us in SB and not be at SA (I just couldn't see her ever going back there now) it is going to be fairly obvious to everyone what her intentions are and that she will have effectively have separated from R.

I know Dorothy is worried about what will happen when we go back to Malaysia and I think she will become more stressed as the time to leave approaches.

R. had been completely insensitive to her needs for most of their marriage but now he is on the brink of losing her for good, I wonder just how hard he might work to try and keep her around? Will she, in the end, be strong enough to just walk out or will she go back to her family? I have no answers for these things and only time will tell what the outcome will be.

There is too much to think about in the near future to take it all in at once. The only thing any of us can do right now is to just take one day at a time and slowly work through everything.

February 26th 2009 (Thursday)

A quiet morning at home and then a drive up the coast to canal Rocks and Yallingup.

February 27th 2009 (Friday)

A trip up to Busselton was a bit expensive as apart from the usual shopping and fuel we bought a 1TB Maxtor external hard drive ($178) an Epson printer ($38 and cheap!) and some diesel oil and an oil filter for the car. I have been very idle and have been putting off some jobs for a while but the time is rapidly approaching where I have to pull my finger out and get on with things:

1)Service the car (done)
2)Clean the car inside and out (half done)
3)Check caravan batteries and add distilled water (done)
4)Check caravan tyre preassures (done)
5)Clean Caravan
6)Fix caravan window catches (done)
7)Fix external light on caravan (done)
8)Copy moveis to HDD (done)

Other stuff that needs doing:

1)Car needs work done at Busselton repairer (done)
2)Transducer on boat needs replacing. (done)

February 28th 2009 (Saturday)

Quick trip into Margaret River to visit the library and to pick up some prawns both for bait and for eating.

March 6th 2009 (Friday)

Time is slipping away and we are getting closer to heading back to Malaysia. It has been a bugger of a week as the British passport application came back saying that the photo wasn't right so today we had to go to MR and get new photos taken. All in all at least $50 wasted and all after we were told by the Consulate in Perth that the photos were ok.

Then Telstra tries to bill us a whole bunch of things we didn't owe so Belle had to threaten them with the Ombudsman again before they credited us over $70 in fees we should not have been charged.

We thought we had fixed the car but now the back wheel is squeaking after driving 10 kilometres or more.

March 15th 2009 (Sunday)

Managed to go down to Augusta for a second fishing trip in the boat today. To start off with nothing ws happening but after lunch the fish cam on the bite and we ended up with 8 skippy, 3 herring and one KG whiting.

Stuff gong on or that still needs doing:

1.British passport due to come back.
2.Belle has to see doctor and will need a small amount of surgery to correct a 'roid.
3.Car going in to have new dashboard, oil meter and volt meter installed.(done)
4.Car going in (Cowaramup) to have other assorted items checked out. (done)
5.Start to pack the boat up.
6.Other stuff still not done from the list made on Feb 27th.

March 18th 2009 (Wednesday)

On Monday we took the car up to Busselton to get the long awaited repairs done. We had to rent a car to get home ($55 a day from South West Car Hire) and since Belle isn't too well at the moment (roids) Dorothy and I went up to collect the cruiser expecting to be in Busselton just an hour or two.

We ended up being in town almost all day as the oil and volt meters still had not been repaired – despite this being the main reason the car went in in the first place. When we finally got the car back and headed off home I found the air conditioner was now not working properly. We have to go back up on Friday as Belle needs to see a specialist and so the car will have to go back again to be sorted out.

March 21st 2009 (Saturday)

The car had to go in to a local repairer on Thursday to get the bearings, diffs and gear box checked. Turned out the bearings all needed replacing so it was an expensive exercise at a bit under $800.

We went back to Busselton on Friday so Belle could see the specialist and the bad news was that banding wasn't possible and she needs an op. The good news, if you can call it that, is that they can fit her in on Monday. We hope that she will recover quickly enough to fly to Malaysia on April 7th.

The car got checked for the air-conditioning problem and it came back working again so I guess they found out what they did wrong in the first place.

The car still needs a bit of work. The first part is changing all diff and gear oil and that I can take care of myself. The other is getting new shocks but at least that can wait for a while.

Things to do before we leave.

Belle has op on Monday and Dorothy needs another blood test done. (23rd) (done)
Dorothy to see Doctor to get results on Wednesday. (25th) (done)
British passport due to come back. (done)
Change diff & gearbox oil (Front diff done)
Transducer on boat needs replacing
Clean caravan & car (outside)
Buy distilled water (done)
Check caravan batteries and add distilled water (done)
Check caravan tyre preassures (done)
Buy big spanner to get diff plugs out (done)

March 26th 2009 (Thursday)

Belle's op went well and we picked her up on Tuesday. She has to go back and see her doctor next Tuesday and that will probably be our last ime in Busselton this trip. We will try to get the Homeswest application sorted out at the same time.

As Belle isn't supposed to do much she had to stay at home today while Dorothy and I went to have a look at Ellendale Homestead and then to see Giant's Cave. The cave was shut so we went to have a look at the coast near Contos and then went on to investigate Calgardup Cave. This was a self guided cave and turned out to be very interesting.

April 1st 2009 (Wednesday)

Time at Cowaramup is almost over, quite sad even though we are due to fly back to Malaysia with Dorothy on Tuesday next week. I can't say I'm looking forward to going over there as there are some stressful times ahead I suspect.

The weather has turned quite cold now, last night was the coldest so far this year. The car is almost packed, just the boat to go on and a sat dish to pack up.

The last three months have just flown by.

April 5th 2009 (Sunday)

We are sitting at Heron Point just passing time until we take the van and car into storage tomorrow. We arrived here on Friday after an uneventful trip up from Cowaramup. Dave visited yesterday and the last couple of nights here have been nice and quiet.

Although Dorothy got to spend a bit of time in the caravan while we were at Cowaramup, this is the first real taste she has had of campsite life with a pop-up shower and porta-potty. She has cooked a couple of meals in the van and seems to be coping ok with the small space and rather cramped conditions.

When we get back from Malaysia we will change our location for the Homeswest application so that we can get into a house faster. Rockingham would take 4-5 years and that is far too long for all three of us to spend in the caravan.

6th April 2009 (Monday)

Got away from Heron Point around 9am and dropped the caravan and car off at storage just after 11am. Have paid for 6 weeks and will settle up any further amount when we get back. The taxi ride over to the hotel was expensive (just under $70) but only to be expected. Booked a taxi for 4:45am tomorrow (sigh, too early to get up!)

By this time tomorrow (3:20pm) we should be back at SB.

The past couple of months have been more unusual and more amazing than I could ever have imagined. The three of us have a few more hurdles to get over before we can start to relax and get on with our lives but at least now we know that we all want to spend our lives together.

7th April 2009 (Tuesday)

Up at 4:00am and off to the International Airport. The Air Asia flight was long and boring as there was no movie. The food supplied (at an extra cost) was disgusting and passengers would be much better off taking a packed lunch. Still flights are far cheaper than any other airline so overall I would not be too harsh in my criticism of the airline.

We arrived in Malaysia on time and got a cab up to SA where Dorothy picked up some clothes before driving up to SB. Unfortunately she picked up the wrong set of keys so we left Belle guarding the cases while we went back down to SA once more. Poor Dorothy was feeling ill and is also very stressed about being back here – something I completely understand considering what she intends doing.

After a bit of a rest at SB Belle and I went down to Central to pick up some essential supplies before getting some take away for dinner.

Being back at SB seems a bit odd now as things have changed so much between us since we were last here. Also as there are some difficult times to get through – especially for Dorothy – I think all of us are really just looking forward to getting everything sorted out and then going home.

8th April 2009 (Wednesday)

A bit of shopping over the past two days including around 250RM for groceries, 430RM for a twin tub washing machine 60RM for a two burner cooker and 80RM for the gas cylinder means we are now pretty well set up for staying here a month or three months – whatever the case turns out to be.

9th April 2009 (Thursday)

Today we went back down to SA to pick up some of Dorothy's things. I am still being surprised by how she manages to handle things as even though the flat is not exactly a pleasant place to live she has still spent the last 22 years living there and I did wonder how much removing her possessions (or at least starting to do so) would affect her emotionally. I guess the time she has spent there has been just too difficult and traumatic for her to really care much about leaving.

Afterward we went to her workplace to pick up a few more things and got to meet her colleagues once more. They are obviously concerned about what Dorothy has decided to do and I was not exactly in a position to put their minds at ease but Dorothy is so positive about her decision to be with us they could at least see that she is now much much happier. The thing that still concerns me more than anything else is how R. is going to handle things once Dorothy 'drops the bomb' and finally tells him that she wants to be free of the marriage.

April 13th 2009 (Monday)

Dorothy met R. face to face for the first time yesterday and he hardly bothered to ask her anything. The relationship is completely dead and gone and we have to be grateful that it seems to have fizzled out without any serious conflict.

The past week has been very hectic. We have now got internet access via Maxis at a cost of around $75AUD a month (overall cost including early account closure over 3 months). I bought a 3 in 1 printer mostly for the scanner function so we can get as many of Dorothy's photos saved as we can.

As I go through the pictures I see a young girl growing up. I see a bright smiling face full of hope and dreams for the future. I see a young couple starting out in life together, I can see the optimism and the joy as children begin to arrive. But in time I see a change come over her and then finally I see the light in her eyes start to fade as the dream becomes a nightmare. Finally I see the total abandonment of hope in her eyes and it breaks my heart that such a sweet soul has had to endure so much pain.

Evan after all that has happened I still harbour some doubts about when it comes time to go back to Australia. When it finally comes down to it, will she be able to walk away?

April 19th 2009 (Sunday)

I feel so sorry for Dorothy and there is little I can do to help her. She cries almost every day and I know she is torn by the decision she has had to make. Despite the fact that she no longer loves R., she still does not want to hurt him, after all she has spent 25 years with him and only the last ten have been unhappy. As for my part in this, well I know there has really been no choice in what I have done. Dorothy was perhaps the most sad and miserable person I had ever met and she desperately needed rescuing. There was just no way I could stand by and leave her in such a state. Even though I know I had to intervene in all this, I still bear a large portion of blame and guilt for what R. is about to face. Basically his wife is leaving him because of the opportunity Belle and I provided for Dorothy and although I know in the long run I made the right decision, I cannot help but feel sorry for him even though the marriage break up is really a thing of his own making.

The flat at SA is symptomatic of the failed relationship. In 1995 photographs show it as a clean, tidy livable place but now it is uncared for and cluttered. It shows all too clearly how badly the marriage has deteriorated and that everyone involved has given up and no longer cares.

May 5th 2009 (Tuesday)

Time has passed quickly since the last entry. We have mostly been sorting out Dorothy's finances. We came up to the Cameron Highlands yesterday for a weeks break. It is supposed to be some time away from the stresses in SA but last night clearly showed just how jittery Dorothy still is about all this.

May 6th 2009 (Wednesday)

A fairly quiet day with the only outing being for lunch. The weather up here is much cooler than down near KL. And that has been a wonderful change. The hotel we are staying in (The Heritage) is older but in reasonably good condition – at least our room seems fine – some of the reviews of this place on the internet are pretty awful.

There seem to be limited things to do up here and most of the touristy stuff is about looking around farms rather than seeing much of what nature has to offer. I expect that a week up here may turn out to be a bit excessive and since Dorothy isn't managing to de-stress at all, the trip isn't really having its intended effect.

May 8th 2009 (Friday)

Thoughts on the Cameron Highlands so far:

It hardly comes as a surprise that this is a very hilly region with steep winding roads. It is a pity that there aren't more developed natural attractions for people to visit as most of the tourist venues seem to be commercial ventures like the Rose Gardens. These are very structured and lack the feel of real natural surroundings. Places like the Rose Gardens require a degree of fitness to get around as they are all placed on the sides of hills and winding pathways lead the visitor up and down slopes that are quite steep.

The area is dotted with dozens of different hotels of all different types and sizes. There are a reasonable number of restaurants but food prices up here are slightly more due to the need to transport most things up from Ipoh and KL. Food quality and prices as well as serving sizes vary drastically. Chicken seems to be the worst thing to buy as most dishes seem to supply mostly bone and little meat. Pork is better value and fried rice can be purchased quite cheaply in some places.

There seems to be a tendency in Malaysia for businesses to latch on to an idea and then 'do it to death' and that applies here in a couple of respects. The first is the almost pathological desire of businesses to copy each other in respect to a so called 'Tudor design'. In effect this means painting black lines on the outside of buildings without any regard to building form or suitability for such a design. The only building we have seen so far that is even close to getting the authentic Tudor feel about it is the Smokehouse.
Another thing that is 'done to death' up here is steamboat restaurants. Just about every other restaurant seems to offer steamboat as the main dish and it becomes quite tiresome to see this dish advertised all over the place.

The area grows strawberries and so with the local penchant for the drastically over done, there are strawberries in everything, even coffee! Tea is grown here too and this pretty much falls into the same category as strawberries but isn't nearly as interesting.

The Highlands are also home to the largest collection of old motley Land Rovers that we have ever seen. They can be seen everywhere clunking and chugging their way up the hills.

One attraction that we didn't think much of was the bee farm. The nearby butterfly farm was interesting but the entry fee is a bit expensive.

Stress levels have dropped a bit in the past two days but now the unfortunate thing is we only have two days left. Strange that this is the way of most holidays, it takes two days to de-stress, you get 2-3 days of pure enjoyment before starting to worry about going back to whatever it is you normally do – or in our case what we have to get done.

10th May 2009 (Sunday)

Today is our last day at Cameron Highlands and I will be glad to get back to SB, if only because it means we are a day closer to getting out of Malaysia. I wonder why life always has to be so bloody difficult?

Our outing today was to the Rose Centre. This is past the Kea Farm stalls down a side road and at first glance seems to be run down and neglected. 'Never judge a book by its cover' certainly applies to this attraction as there are a number of well designed and attractive terraces loaded with flowering plants. There are also excellent views over the valley below.

Like Rose Valley you need to be fit enough to go up and down a lot of steps but Rose Centre is by far the better attraction.

May 18th 2009 (Monday)

We decided to get going sooner than originally planned and have booked ourselves on a flight leaving this Thursday. This presented a few headaches as we couldn't find a way to switch flights so we simply booked new flights at a cost of 720RM – sounds awful until that converts back to Australian currency and becomes $271.

Money is about exhausted and there really isn't much more to do but tie up some loose ends tomorrow then we go to the airport on Wednesday – the flight out is 5 minutes past midnight!

Dorothy went down to SA yesterday and as usual R. was his usual indifferent self, Dorothy even asked several times if he had anything else to say but there was nothing. It could well have been the last time he sees her but he still had nothing to say... I know the next couple of days will be pretty bad for Dorothy as she realises that she is really going. Not only is she leaving the country she has lived in all her life, the worst thing for her will be being away from her kids.

May 19th 2009 (Tuesday)

Time to go is rapidly approaching and as it does Dorothy's heart gets heavier. It is easy to understand why when her whole life has been based in Malaysia and everything she knows exists here. Things are now getting very real for her, the thought of leaving to live somewhere else is no longer just an idea, it is literally just hours away from being a reality.

We still have a number of hurdles to face both internal and external but for me there is no other way I want life to be now.

May 20th 2009 (Wednesday)

After final packing up and clearing up at SB we dropped Dorothy's car at SA just before 9pm and got a taxi to the airport. The flight home was delayed about 45 minutes and the lack of comfort on the economy flight meant that we got hardly any sleep.

May 21st 2009 (Thursday)

Home again after 6 weeks away and we got here only to find storms and high winds coming in from the south west. We got a taxi out to the caravan storage place and drove north as fast as we could. The bad weather kept up with us and we only got as far as Western Flora caravan park 22km north of Eneabba.

May 22nd 2009 (Friday)

We stopped a second night at Western Flora because it is a good spot to rest up and the weather continued to be unpleasant.

May 23rd 2009 (Saturday)

We had planned to stop in Geraldton to re-supply but in the end we went to Northampton because it just seemed more simple. As we were trying to keep the weight down a bit we didn't buy much food and plan to get most of our groceries at Karratha.

A few kilometres south of Binnu we were coming down a hill when the van started to get a bit wobbly. It gradually got worse and worse until I had to move to the centre of the road to try and correct the swing. It did come back under control after a while but it was very scary and not long afterwards the inner rear tyre on the van blew out. We had no choice but to stop by the roadside and change it.

The van was so badly out of control it is a wonder that it didn't go over, I think our guardian angel must have been working overtime today.

The nights stop was at Nerren Nerren. The weather is clearing as we drive north but we are not quite out of it yet.

May 24th 2009 (Sunday)

On through Carnarvon where we stopped for lunch and to Minilya where we stopped for the night. I had hoped to get a little further north but everyone was tired and the rest area was nice so we decided to stop a bit early and set up the shower tent.

May 25th 2009 (Monday)

A long tiring drive against the wind and we finally got to Cleaverville in the late afternoon.

May 26th 2009 (Tuesday)

The usual unpacking and setting up got done today and to my surprise most of it is all done now. We have almost no food and need to pick up water so we must go into town tomorrow. Dorothy seems much more at ease now we are finally back.

May 27th 2009 (Wednesday)

Into town to pick up supplies and then back to get the fishing gear ready. The forecast isn't too great fishing wise but we have to be ready just in case. We have to get down to a few things now especially Dorothy's application for residence, this will have to get done this week so we can send it off next time we go to town. There is a Dept. of Housing office in Karratha so we need to go there as well and change our housing application for an area we can get a house in within the next 6-12 months – 6 months would be better than 12.

May 31st 2009 (Sunday)

The campsite is pretty well set up now so we took the opportunity to go down to the creek and see if we could catch some mud crabs. Although we didn't hold out much hope of success we did manage to come back with three crabs, one was quite large. We also brought back a 32cm mangrove jack and a catfish – the catfish was kept so that Dorothy could cook it and see what it was like; we usually throw them back.

Dorothy caught an eel and we caught a few other fish, none of which were worth keeping, but all in all we had a good day out on the water.

June 3rd 2009 (Wednesday)

First chance to get out to the island and do some real fishing today. It was an early tide and we were out before sunrise. We tried the mangroves near Dixon Island as I wasn't sure what the wind was going to do. Dorothy did well and out fished both of us coming back with a big cod (480mm) three bream and two long toms. My catch was just one bream and one mangrove jack, Belle caught one bream but threw it back as it was only just size.

June 9th 2009 (Tuesday)

We went into Roebourne yesterday and then out to Cossack for lunch. Today we went to Karratha and the car started playing up a bit. It looks like the rear universal joint is on the way out so it is booked in fro next Tuesday to get repairs done. We are hoping it will behave itself for the next few days as there is some fishing weather turning up – or at least we hope there is.

Last time we went out Dororhy got bitten by sand flies and she has been itching for a week now. Next time we tell her to put some Rid on she might listen a bit more :)

June 11th 2009 (Thursday)

Tried to go fishing yesterday but as soon as we got out the wind started to come up and Dorothy started feeling ill so we gave up and came back in. Today the wind was down but it poured with rain so again we didn't get out. At least we got to collect some extra water.

June 12th 2009 (Friday)

Finally got to go out to the front reefs today. To start with we didn't do too well, Dorothy was the only one catching anything worth while but then we moved closer in and after a hook up on a big fish that got away I landed a 770mm cod and soon afterwards a huge sweetlip that put up a tremendous fight. The sweetlip was put back to fight again another day, the big cod we kept along with a 530mm cod, an emperor and two flag. The weather does not look good for the next few days so it won't be until the next set of tides that we get another chance.

Dorothy hooked on to her first big fish today but sadly it got off when I took over the rod, Belle also lost a big fish when her rig was bitten off. Although the day started slowly it turned out well in the end.

June 13th 2009 (Saturday)

A frustrating day wind wise as we didn't know from one minute to the next what the wind was up to. Eventually we decided to take the boat out and chance it but we missed the best part of the tide and the fish were not biting. Belle caught one 400mm cod but we put that back and got nothing else.

June 17th 2009 (Wednesday)

Yesterday we went in to Karratha to get the car's uni joint fixed, I also got he gear box and transfer case oil changed and we were pleasantly surprised that the cost stayed down to $341. Today we went out to Wickham and Point Samson again as the tides are off and the winds are bad. Friday looks like the first time the weather and tides might be good enough to get out but I am not going to hold my breath.

June 20th 2009 (Saturday)

We went out crabbing yesterday and only got 4 before the wind blew up and we had to come back in. Today we got 6 and were given another 5 by Kerry & Les.

June 23rd 2009 (Tuesday)

The forecast said 8-13kts today but as usual they got it completely wrong. We wanted to fish the reefs but ended up going to the mangroves at the back of Dixon Island. Belle did most of the catching today but Dorothy caught a trevally and one big bream and I managed one as well (but not as big). We ended up catching 6 bream, 2 trevally and Don (who was netting nearby) gave us three big threadfin. We caught two catfish one I let go but the other became a meal for the local sea eagle.

We usually don't eat threadfin but Dorothy was confident that her special way of cooking fish would overcome the flavour we don't like and much to my amazement she was right. Every time I have eaten threadfin in the past I have had to spit it out but Dorothy's deep fried fish with garlic and ginger made the fish very palatable.

We are hoping that tomorrow may be an even better fishing day.

June 25th 2009 (Thursday)

Yesterday was no good for fishing but the forecast said today should be ok. We got out quite early but the wind came up anyway and after trying on the inner reef and getting nothing we went round to the eastern creek and managed to get 7 bream (three were 32-34cm) one 440+ cod a flathead and one catfish. We had the catfish and flatty for lunch (Dorothy style) and the catfish was good, something, like the threadfin, that we usually throw away but now if we are short of other fish we will be able to keep.

June 26th 2009 (Friday)

Got out fishing again, this time I was looking for mackerel on the front reefs and in the end we caught 3 macks and nothing else worth keeping. Before coming back we went over to Dixon Island and managed to pick up a few gardies, just as well as we are all out now.

June 27th 2009 (Saturday)

Out fishing again but Dorothy stayed home as she wasn't feeling too well. Belle did all the catching including a small shovel nose ray that we released. The only bites I got were from sand flies – very grumpy!

Gave up on the eastern creek and went back to the island hoping to catch more gardies and at least we now have plenty in the freezer as we caught 60.

June 28th 2009 (Sunday)

Despite the forecast the wind stayed down again today and we decided to go out crabbing. We managed to catch 12 crabs which was enough and for a change the wind stayed down all the time we were out.

July 5th 2009 (Sunday)

Managed to get out fishing this morning for a couple of hours. The fish were a bit disinterested and the GPS batteries failed so we were limited to the inshore reefs. In the end we caught a couple of decent fish, Dorothy caught a whiskery shark and a small tuskfish and I caught a rankin cod a 500mm orange spotted cod and a small Spanish flag. All the fish were let go as we have plenty in the freezer at the moment.

July 8th 2009 (Wednesday)

The weather has been good for fishing over the past 4 days but it has coincoded with the period of the full moon so although we have been watching stacks of fish on the echo sounder it has been almost impossible to get any of them to bite. Most of the hungry fish have been too small with the exception of a Queensland school mack that I caught yesterday and 3 cat sharks that Dorothy caught (although we don't ever kill these creatures and we let them go.) We are all fed up with fishing at the moment and my back went out badly yesterday so we have decided to go into town tomorrow.

July 10th 2009 (Friday)

Went out fishing again today, what a waste of time. Only caught one snapper that we threw back in disgust. The last week has been very dismal fishing wise and I am almost tempted to leave early and head down to Carnarvon. A big sea mist drifted in over the campsite this morning and lasted until about 10am.

July 11th 2009 (Saturday)

Went crabbing and fishing in the eastern creek today and brought home two good sized muddies. Fishing was rather poor again and we only brought back one big bream.

July 20th 2009 (Monday)

My back and neck are playing up at the moment so the girls have had to go off into town without me.

Life is certainly more challenging now with two very like minded girls living together. We still have a long way to go. Dorothy needs to get PR status here and we need to get a house to live in but as long as we stick together all these things will eventually fall into place.

July 24th 2009 (Friday)

We went to the eastern creek yesterday and only caught one bream and a flathead to bring home. Thankfully we also picked up a couple of muddies so the girls were happy.

Today we went down to the ramp and almost came back without going out but Belle said wait a while and in the end we made up our minds to go out. As there was a westerly blowing we went over to the back of Dixon Island and to start with nothing much was going on. Finally we got a few good bites and after a while some big cod started taking the baits. We caught 7 cod, 3 over 400mm and 1 x 500mm, 2 x 550mm and one 650mm. We brought 4 of the biggest ones back plus 2 bream and one mangrove jack. Dorothy hooked a huge fish of some sort but it went round the anchor line and got off before we had a chance to see what it was. We also lost a big mangrove jack at the side of the boat. All in all it was a good fishing day, actually the best so far this year. Dorothy finally found out what a big fish on the end of the line feels like, just a pity we didn't get to see what it was.

July 28th 2009 (Tuesday)

Over the past couple of days the wind has been up so we have been fishing at the beach ramp for bait. There have been plenty of gardies and hardy heads around so we are now stocked up and ready for the next chance to get out in the boat.

Time is now winding down on our stay at Cleaverville and we expect to be on the way to Bush Bay within the next three weeks. It only seems like a short time ago that we were setting up here and now we are thinking about moving on – how time flies. In 4 days time it will be one year since we first found Dorothy, what an amazing change that has made to all our lives. Already the three of us have been together for 6 months!

August 1st 2009 (Saturday)

This date will continue to resonate in our lives for as long as we live. It was one year ago today that we first set eyes on a photo of Dorothy on the internet. As I type this she is sitting next to me in the caravan working away on her own laptop.

The last year is certainly the most memorable and life changing year that we have ever been through. There are many hurdles to get over before everything is finally settled but if I had to live the last year over again I wouldn't change a thing.

August 7th 2009 (Friday)

Went fishing Wednesday but only caught a spotted mack and a snapper. Went again yesterday but caught nothing worth bringing back. We tried again today and went out about 6km. This time we did catch quite a few fish and brought back 6 snapper and 1 flag. Dorothy hooked something big but it got away before we could get it anywhere near the boat.

Looks like we may have 2 more fishing days then we have to go into town (Have to re-send the MRT forms for Dorothy as the original application wasn't correct.) We will then start packing up ready for the move to Carnarvon.

August 9th 2009 (Sunday)

Today was the last day fishing at Cleaverville. It could be the last day here for a very long time for us as it is unlikely we will be back in the near future.

We tried for some mud crabs and got zip, we dropped the pots off on the way to the back of Dixon Island and only caught 2 size cod. Dorothy got the biggest cod of the day at 470mm. I got a 440mm fish but let it go. We did get 2 blue swimmers in the crab pots on the way back but over all it was a poor final day out.

When we got back Belle got a big scare when she trod on the tail of a snake that was sitting under the tent flap. Luckily the snake was more scared than she was and took off without biting. We did a bit of grass bashing with the oars behind the tent to let the snake know that it was not welcome and we will have to keep an eye out for it as we pack up over the next few days.

It hasn't been the best year for fishing up here but it hasn't been a disaster either. We did get a few muddies and a couple of good feeds of blue swimmers and the past couple of months have flown by very quickly.

We will probably take about a week to get packed up before moving south to Bush Bay.

August 13th 2009 (Thursday)

We are almost packed up and are just waiting for the winds to change from westerly to easterly. It looks like that is due to happen on Sunday so we might as well hang on until then.

August 16th 2009 (Sunday)

We had planned to get going tomorrow but things were just a bit too boring so we hit the road today. We got as far as Lyndon River (east) and should be at Bush Bay tomorrow. We will have to stop briefly in Carnarvon to pick up water and fuel then the next couple of days are all about setting up camp all over again.

The winds never did turn easterly so we just waited for them to die down a bit and the trip down so far hasn't been too bad.

August 18th 2009 (Tuesday)

We arrived yesterday after stopping in town when I had to change a tyre when Dorothy noticed it was soft while we were filling water. Most of the campsite was set up yesterday and I finished setting up today and then set the boat and trailer up. The girls ran off to go fishing and caught a few whiting for lunch. Later of we went to have a look for crabs but didn't see any large enough to bother with. One unusual crab which we have never seen before was found and the girls spent some time picking up shell fish. We are off into town tomorrow to stock up and get water.

August 25th 2009 (Tuesday)

Just over a week at Bush Bay and we have already had a few very windy days. We have set up the full annex now and are better prepared for both wind and rain.

We have taken the boat out once but caught nothing worth while and the girls have been fishing for whiting almost every day catching a few feeds. They have also been out collecting shellfish in the bay and have found the best type to collect are a type of oyster. We have gone looking for crabs on at least three days but have only caught 3 so far.

The weather has been mostly windy and quite cold so we are waiting for things to warm up just a bit.

September 3rd 2009 (Thursday)

We have already been here over two weeks and the wind has been its usual blowy self for most of that time. We went out to Rocky Pool for a day trip on Sunday and went back into town again yesterday but apart from that there isn't much to write about at the moment.

September 7th 2009 (Monday)

We managed to take the boat out once more but again caught only trumpet and wrasse. Fishing from the beach has been pretty poor except for today when Belle caught 5 nice big whiting. The wind has been blowing as usual most of the time but the temperatures have slowly been getting a bit warmer. We have put through an application with Homeswest for priority housing and are waiting on their review but even if we get on the priority list it might still take quite some time to get a house as the demand is so high.

September 9th 2009 (Wednesday)

Went into town again. This trip we had to get a new battery for the caravan as one of the Trojans died. We bought another Allrounder but this one cost $285! Way more than the 130ah Trojans we bought.

September 12th 2009 (Saturday)

We put the net out last night and caught 3 mullet. While I was checking the net I saw a big squid attacking a fish that was caught in the net so I scooped it up with the landing net. The girls went out wandering the sand flats at low tide and came back with 4 crabs and some more oysters. Lunch will be boiled crab, crumbed squid and parmesan crumbed mullet.

September 22nd 2009 (Tuesday)

Yesterday we went into town again. This time we had to take the generator in as the pull cord broke on Saturday and we were worried about the power situation as the cloud rolled in on Sunday. Thankfully the cord was covered under warranty or it would have cost $160+. Last time we put the net out we caught a decent sized tailor but nothing else. I will have to put it out again and see what turns up.

September 24th 2009 (Thursday)

We went out looking for crabs this morning but the wind was strong and cold and Belle and I quickly gave up. Dorothy braved the wind and stayed out collecting oysters for quite some time. When the tide came up we all tried whiting fishing, I caught 2 which I let go and the girls caught 8 between them. One was a bit small so I went down to let it go and checked the net only to find that it had a good catch of mullet. We took 10 big ones out of the net and while we were filleting them another 2 got caught so we wound up with a dozen good sized mullet ranging from about 30-40cm in length.

September 26th 2009 (Saturday)

Dorothy and I had to go into town today as we were starting to run out of gas. As the washing machine seems to be on it last legs we called in to Retra Vision to have a look at new ones and found a new model Lemair for $349. Dorothy seems to be having trouble keeping her temperature under control and is alternating between feeling cold and hot. She doesn't seem to be sick at all but her temperature is elevated a bit. I always worry when either of the girls isn't too well but in Dorothy's case it is even worse at the moment as healthcare without Medicare support can be very expensive. I hope she comes good overnight.

September 27th 2009 (Sunday)

One year ago today our lives changed forever. What a strange but amazing year it has been. Not one of us would have thought this time last year that one year on we would still be together and sitting next to the sea at Bush Bay no less! Life certainly has a way of making things interesting.

Our hope now is to have Dorothy get PR and for the three of us to be in a house by Christmas! Wouldn't that be something!! (We aren't going to hold our breath though.)

I can still recall this day last year as if it was yesterday, I think it will be burned into my memory for the rest of my days. The best thing to come out of this is for Dorothy to finally find some happiness and for the girls to really be able to get to know each other.

I brought the net in today as we have enough fish now and don't need anymore for a while. Since we have been here the net has caught 17 mullet, 1 tailor, 2 tarwine, 2 yellowfin bream and two crabs. We also caught a big squid that was hanging round the net.

October 15th 2009 (Thursday)

Time is passing quickly. The weather has started to warm up a bit and the wind hasn't been quite as bad in the last couple of days. It is finally starting to feel more like summer and less like winter.

We have no plans to move on anywhere yet as we are still waiting for various authorities to pull their collective fingers out and get on with making some decisions.

We haven't been doing much fishing from the boat but have had some reasonable catches of whiting from the beach. We haven't been looking for crabs so can't comment on that either.

October 17th 2009 (Saturday)

The wind has managed to stay down for the past couple of days (although as I type this it looks like it is on the way back again tonight) and today we took the boat out to try fishing again. To start with it was business as usual with just small wrasse about but after we moved to a couple of different spots we started to catch some northern pike. Dorothy caught and eel (that she wanted to keep and eat) but I managed to convince her to let it go. In the end we kept 7 pike.

A couple of undersized NW snapper were caught and released and it turned out to be a nice morning out on the water.

October 23rd 2009 (Friday)

Belle went out looking for crabs today and came back with 6. Water is getting warmer and it looks like crab numbers are increasing.

October 24th 2009 (Saturday)

I was going to go out looking for crabs with Belle today but my thumb and left arm are playing up badly so I had to stay inside. Belle came back with another 6.

October 25th 2009 (Sunday)

This time I did go out for an hour or so but saw nothing. Belle caught 2 crabs and another 2 once I gave up and came in. In the evening a thunder strom rolled in across the bay and there was a lot of lightning about, enough to convince me to shut the wind generator down and disconnect it from the van.

October 26th 2009 (Monday)

Rainy and dull most of the day but as evening approached the clouds began to dissipate.

October 27th 2009 (Tuesday)

Belle went looking for crabs again today but this time only came back with 2.

November 5th 2009 (Thursday)

The weather has been a bit strange lately with thunder storms rolling in across the bay for the past couple of days. The winds have not been blowing as much as usual. More rain is forecast for the next couple of days so we will just sit still until it all goes away.

We have had some hot weather and two days ago it reached 37C. It is cooling off now but I have made a start at packing up and the trailer is now on the back of the van.

The tides have been high, up to 1.7m and the levies have been holding ok so no flooding yet. The plan at the moment is to be out of here before December 3rd (which is the date Dorothy's review hearing is set for) and be in Carnarvon for a week or two before making any decision on what to do next.

We did go crabbing again since the time noted above and got 6 more crabs.

November 7th 2009 (Saturday)

Went out looking for crabs again this morning and manage to catch 8 which is a record for us at Bush Bay. Belle also managed to catch a sole in the net.

We have caught 45 crabs so far this season at Bush Bay, this compares with only 34 caught at Cleaverville but catching them here is harder work as we have to walk for ages on the sand flats.

November 15th 2009 (Sunday)

Time passes but not much of note has happened recently. The wind seems fairly high most nights and drops a bit during the day. If the wind is absent for a while then the temperatures get uncomfortable but most days the temp is quite pleasant. We are planning to move before the next major high tides (Dec 3rd) but whether we go to Carnarvon for a while or south to Demham and then Kalbarri we aren't really sure yet.

November 25th 2009 (Wednesday)

After having problems with the annex we have had to move into Carnarvon. We are staying at the Coral Coast caravan park which at $195 a week isn't really a long term proposition. We intend to be here until the end of the school holidays and then we will have to think about what to do next.

November 29th 2009 (Sunday)

The MRT has remitted Dorothy's PR case back to Immigration so we are still waiting for that to get sorted out. This time last year we were spending our last night in Malaysia and were very miserable. At least now we are all together even though getting everything finally sorted out still seems a long way off.

We are missing being out at Bush Bay but as we have no useable annex there isn't any choice.

December 3rd 2009 (Thursday)

Went down to Bush Bay today to do some fishing - at least the girls did the fishing. I sat under the mangroves and drank a couple of beers and processed each fish as they brought it in. By the time we were ready to head back to town we had 22 whiting of reasonable size in the esky. It turned out to be a really nice day out. It was a bit sad to see our old campsite where we spent three months sitting empty and deserted.

December 12th 2009 (Saturday)

We are experiencing a spell of hot weather at the moment with temperatures in the high 30s. This means we are more or less stuck in the caravan and starting to go a bit stir crazy. Will have to think up something a bit more interesting to do over Christmas.

December 15th 2009 (Tuesday)

Went back down to Bush Bay again just for the day so the girls can do some more fishing. Another nice day out and 39 whiting brought home (many more caught but plenty let go again). It really would be nice if we could still be out at Bush Bay but the weather is simply too hot this time of year to be comfortable.

December 20th 2009 (Sunday)

The girls have gone off fishing today while I give the caravan a bit of a clean up on the inside. We did go fishing on Friday as well but only brought back 4 whiting. Christmas is fast approaching and this one will be so much better than the miserable one we had last year when we were apart from each other.

December 24th 2009 (Thursday)

Three busy days have just passed as I had to go with Dorothy down to Geraldton to get her tooth extracted. She started having pain last weekend and it gradually got worse so I booked her in at a Geraldton clinic as there won't be a dentist in Carnarvon until Jan 4th next year.

We drove down on Tuesday and stayed at Drummond Cove in a unit ($75 a night). We managed to do some Xmas shopping then she had her tooth out on Wednesday ($220). Originally we were going to head back the same day but in the end decided it would be too much so we stayed another night and drove back up today. The trip wasn't too bad taking about 5 hours each way but it was quite tiring.

December 25th 2009 (Friday)

Christmas day, we woke early and I prepared the prawn cocktails for breakfast. Then came present opening time closely followed by (in my case) present drinking (Drambuie) and present eating (chocolate) time. Dorothy doesn't seem to have ever had a Christmas like this before and I think we will all remember this very first Christmas together for the rest of our lives.

One of the presents I gave Dorothy was a small (but reasonably pricey) set of three soaps that she showed great interest in when we we out at the shops before Christmas. To my amazement when she opened the wrapping she came over to me, put her arms around me and cried. The poor girl has never in all her married life been given a present that she really liked or wanted for Christmas. All she got from her ex last year was a coffee cup! There are things about her life that are so terribly sad, so I am pleased beyond measure that she has finally found some happiness in her life.

Around mid-morning I started preparing the roast lunch (cooking and cleaning up are always my jobs on Christmas day) and because Dorothy's missing tooth may have made roast pork a bit too difficult to eat we have put that meal on hold and had marinated roast chicken with roast vegies instead. We finished up with grapes, cherries, cheeses and nuts.

As usual we have bought far more food than we really needed and we will be eating things that aren't all that good for us until New Year's day.

Depending on the temperature we hope to go to the Blowholes for a day out tomorrow.

December 26th 2009 (Saturday)

Well even though the weather would have been ok to go up to Quobba today the decision was made to go fishing instead. The fishing was mildly successful with 6 or 7 fish of reasonable size being caught and then being given away to a couple who we made friends with yesterday.