Thursday – Sightseeing Again

Sooner or later the bubble is going to burst. Except for a couple of days (probably 1 or 2 every month since I've arrive) the skies have been mostly blue, with bright sunshine most of the day. It's now a sensible temperature. I was reflecting on the 40 degree plus temperatures when I first arrived just over 6 months ago – my goodness that was so hot, that if I had been wrapped in silver foil, and covered in garlic and herbs, it wouldn't have been to long before I was medium crispy.

Anyway, back to the bubble, mostly I've been enjoying myself here, and it has been a reasonably good time, and I'm getting good money for doing not a lot. Anyway, this is what I was thinking, while I was driving home from the racing on Wednesday. Also I decided that maybe I'd better have a day off before my next lot of real work, starting on Friday.

My reverie was disturbed by the ring of my mobile. After glancing at the number of who was calling, I knew it was time for the bubble to burst. "Rostering Department" was on the phone. As I had volunteered for any overtime going, I thought quickly how I could get out of what they were going to offer, without being to rude, or dishonest.

After listening to what was on offer, I decided "I don't need a day off, and the bubble isn't going to burst just yet." It was a long distance transfer for Thursday to a small town about 200 miles south, and return. Not real work and the person we are taking down isn't that ill.

After meeting my colleague in the morning we flipped a coin for who would drive to Busselton, and who would drive home. I picked correctly and choose to drive first. Off we trundled, with the aid of my handy GPS navigator directing me. Nothing as brutal as the drive north to Geraldton (the Brand Highway – remember "turn left in 300 kilometres" – was actually longer than the whole of Busselton to Perth).

It was a scenic drive, and after dropping the lady off (at her home, as the hospital staff in Busselton said they didn't need to see her, and could we take her home), Jon and I went for some lunch on the beach. So much for Lite-n-Easy, but it was too nice a day to turn down Fish and Chips on the pier (just like in Brighton), except I didn't have Fish and Chips, it was Battered Squid Rings and Chips, and there isn't a pier, it's a jetty (I was reliably informed by a local that not only is it a jetty, it's the most famous and longest jetty in the southern hemisphere.) Oh – that famous long Busselton Jetty – now we all know.

After lunch and a quick look along the seafront - we found a helter skelter slide that doesn't look like it's been used for a while, my colleague Jon decided he would rather read his book than drive, so yours truly drove home as well. Uneventful, and back into Perth at a sensible time, so I can't complain. I was still getting good money for old rope and the bubble was well and truly intact by the end of the day. (This did change pretty drastically on Friday though.)