3. Not the Weekend Coffee Catch Up

Welcome to this third week Coffee Catch Up.  I wrote this in two parts so the first part was written during our stay at Barn Hill Station, the second in Broome.

Before we go further I want to let the people in my home town know I’m cheering you on.  Think of me as your out-of-town cheer leader as you courageously continue what must now be a hard slog through 2020.  A year that kicked off with catastrophic bushfires, followed by floods, then C-19 and now torrential rains and impending flooding.  Seriously, just when you think Here Comes the Sun, from out of the blue something else takes a swipe at the pinata.   So, just letting my buddies at home know you’re in my heart and thoughts and I’m cheering you on.     

Hello, I Love You, Won’t you tell Me your Name

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you how lovely it is to hear from you in response to our catch ups.  News from home and afar is a morale booster, so thank you. Some respond via the blog’s comment section, others on Facebook, either way it is wonderful to hear from you.

At a lunch stop on our way here, we had a knock on the door and a lone traveller extended a kind invitation to take advantage of his mobile book exchange, run from the back of his truck. Basil found a novel although I had to pass as my stash needs tending to.   Surprises like this remind us of the goodwill out there.  Individuals playing their part to bring kindness to the lives of others.

Pearly Shells

Barn Hill Station, WA

The vibe is ambient here at the Barn Hill Station Stay.   Percy Sledge crooning When A Man Loves a Woman, preceded by Unchained Melody and now Satchmo with What a Wonderful World.  It’s enough to make you tear up and wonder about the “good old days” when music had melody and message.  And then your mind drifts to those good old days of youth when we were all bravado and carpe diem all spattered about with notes of Que Sera Sera. 

There’s a bit of a breeze, that makes me happy, and a glance at the activity board tells me we’ve missed the 9am pony rides.  Maybe tomorrow.   

Sway (Dean Martin)

The station sits on an escarpment with panoramic vistas across the sea with red cliffs that drop the coastline and are swathed in iridescent red as sunset casts its magic over the Kimberley.

Rock pool frolicking at low tide,
Barn Hill Station Stay. No crocs in rock pools.

I got you Babe.

Caravans, whizbangers, and every combination of camp set up are nestled amongst trees that provide a reprieve from rising temperatures.  The shower and toilet blocks are rustic and open to the skies which, at night time, provide a unique, if vulnerable, experience of the Milky Way.

Got my eye on you

New York, New York

If we were having coffee I’d tell you how much we enjoy the walks along the pristine beaches.  Then I’d have to say that the beach along this stretch of coast is quite different from that of Eight Mile Beach, a shell collector’s mecca.  This is a lift-your-head beach and watch as the cliff top shapes and structures change.  Smoothed red rock formations morph to statuesque structures eroded and separated from the mainland; it’s a scape that alters each few hundred metres. 

Sunset

Broome, WA

We heard from one of our Busselton lockdown buddies (Hi T) and arranged to catch up on the one-night overlap – in Broome – between our arrival and their departure.  We met at a pub for pre-dinner drinks and on to dinner across the road.  Fabulous to see familiar faces, exchange travel yarns and ponder the ramifications of leaving the “COVID safety” of Western Australia and cross into the Northern Territory as we make our way home to the east coast.

If we were having coffee I’d tell you that when I rewind wool, from an unravelled crochet project gone wrong, my fitbit thinks I’m doing steps. Last night I did 6, 000 steps without leaving the caravan.

I’d tell you we drove the truck onto Cable Beach and watched the camels and the sun set the ocean last night.

And that as we were talking to others and happy-snapping the goings-on, the seagulls stole our nibbles and spilled my Gin and Tonic. I know. Totally! Life is a challenge, mes Amis.

Then I’d let you know, this afternoon I’m off on a bucket-list adventure … more next week.