Monday 17th June 2024

Here I am now 3 weeks into my ‘Big Adventure’ I feel like the ‘Adventure’ part is on hold a little while I just try and collect my thought’s and regroup after all then sorting, packing and organising I’ve been doing for the last 3 months!  

To be honest I do struggle a little with the whole ‘doing nothing’ thing! This is something I plan to rectify. 😃 Rebecca & Chris benefit from this as I’m happy doing washing, cleaning , shopping etc. it’s the least I can do for them.

I’ve had a great week. 

Progress on the swimming front. I’ve now got up to 10 Lenghts! 🎉 which I’m happy with for now. I’ve also introduced pull ups at the deep end of the pool using the starting blocks. 

It’s so lovely to then be able to use the spa facilities after my swim. Heaven.

I mentioned in my last blog that Rebecca was doing some first aid training. Last weekend she spent the whole weekend training down in Busseleton. 

What I hadn’t quite grasped is that having now completed the training, my Rebecca is going to be a volunteer first responder for the WA Ambulance Service! I’m super impressed and very proud. ❤️

I went down to Busselton with Rebecca last Sunday and while she was learning to drive an ambulance, I pootled around the town. 

The weather was pretty blowy and there was another big storm heading in later in the day. 

Busselton has an extremely long tourist jetty at 1.841 meters it’s the second longest in the world. It has an underwater observatory at the end. 

As I was being half blinded by wind and sand I opted not to walk to the end today! I think it’ll be best in the summer, when the water is clear. 

I visited the museum and art gallery, grabbed a coffee, wrote my blog, dodged the rain and had a lovely old time!

Rebecca was off work mid week and we had a fabulous lazy day watching a documentary on last year’s Tour de France 🇫🇷 🚲 OMFG! It was insane and completely addictive. We are now planning to follow this year’s race. 

Feeling inspired I decided to take advantage of a beautiful sunny day and head out for a bike ride. 

I choose a different route to get to the Ocean Road, which google assured me was “Mainly Flat” Really Google? I don’t bloody think so! 😳 Obviously, to me, a small little incline is akin to the Col de la Loze (a 28k climb with a 24% gradient ) I’m sorry to say I walked my bike up the hill! I did however cycle just over 10k! Not bad on a bike that weighs about the same a a small car! 😂

I might have to relinquish my moniker “Cryogenic Claire” as I’ve had to go and purchase a fleecy blanket for my bed! It’s blooming freezing at night, and due to get colder. 😱

I have to have my window open, although this means I sleep all night with the smell of logs burning, which I’m sure some people like, I’m not so keen! 

I also seem to have developed hay fever! The grass pollen is high at the moment. 🤧

On Saturday we all headed inland to the Ferguson Valley. A beautiful valley of rolling hills gorgeous green pastures and the odd winery. 

We went to visit “Collie Dam” or “Wellington Dam” as it’s properly known. We visited the dam back in 2018. Since then it has had a stunning mural painted on it. Which is so striking, it looks almost like a photo. It was created by an Australian artist called Guido Van Helten The mural is called “Reflections”. 

The water level at the dam is only at 40% which is lower than this time last year. The levels of streamflow water have been declining due to Climate change. 

After a lovely stroll by the dam and the lake we headed to one of Rebecca & Chris’s favourite places. Ferguson Valley Cafe. We have all been here a few times. It’s a Winery that then opened a small Cafe selling Pizzas, the Pizzas are so, so good it’s now hugely popular. 

It’s in a gorgeous little spot looking over the valley. It feels a bit like The Shire, I half expected to see Gandalf go past in his wagon! 

Such a lovely day, really relaxing and chilled. 😎 

So it seems that I’ve actually read more books than I thought. 📚 

The Last Goodbye by Tim Weaver. Great book. It’s part of a series about a guy called David Racker who finds missing people. I love them. 

The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman. The 3rd Thursday Murder Club book. Really loved it. The books are very funny and hugely entertaining. 

The Curse of the Flores Women by Angélica Lopes. I enjoyed this story of women past & present and the bonds that unite them. 

That’s it’s for today.

Have a great week everyone. 

Love & Hugs

🩷🩵💚💙💜❤️