Denham

We have been back in Denham for 3 days and are really enjoying some warm, windless weather. A lot of you would remember we spent 7 weeks here at various times last year after June, so you can imagine we are really happy to be here. Monday we begin our 16th month on the road and are happy to say we are still loving it.

It was a great feeling to drive into this park on the 16th and be remembered by the staff, nice to have an ensuite site for our stay this time and lovely to recognise Brice's vehicle arriving yesterday afternoon as he begins his 3 month stay. We ar between two couples who have been coming here for many, many years and remember us from last year also. Rather than make us feel like Victorians who just blew in, they are all going out of their way to make us feel welcome.

It had started to get very cold down south and although Perth was quite a bit better than that, we are trying to avoid the cold so it was time to move north. We spent a windy week in Dongara before moving on here, so the 28c days, 14c nights and lack of wind are wonderful! Perth was great though as we had 4 of our 5 boys there in the week we were there. It's very rare to see so many of them at once, so it was certainly a special time for Russ and I. My youngest Dan is over here working in a mine near Leonora and he flew his brother Mick over to see us as Mick leaves for London again next month and who knows when we will see him again.

The day we arrived we got the boat and trailer organised and have had it out fishing twice already. Friday Russ and I headed over to Monkey Mia and although we only came home with a good feed of flathead, it's one of the most beautiful places we ever get to fish so it was a good day. The Gascoyne region is famous for the beautiful red dirt meeting the white sand, meeting the vivid blues of the ocean-it really is spectacular.

Saturday, one of the women from my recipe club arrived on a site near us and she and I spent the day talking while Russell and her husband Chris took the boat out to Eagle Bluff. They came home with a no anchor (the shackle came undone) and a nice feed of black snapper and assorted fish which we enjoyed for dinner last night. After dinner, Brice and Phyllis popped over for an hour, so it was a very nice social night! Today, Russ and Chris are off out to Monkey Mia fishing, and then they head home tomorrow. Chris and Pat are from Perth and because of responsibilities to an elderly mother and autistic son, this is the first holiday longer than 2 days they have taken in 27 years so they are making the best of it.