It's Royal Show Week, a time where the country comes to the city. Originally the show celebrated the country folk travelling to Perth and parading their livestock and horses, nowadays it more about show bags and entertainment! Everyday there are thousands of people both young and old who flock to the show.
Mel and I decided to spend our, 'Mother and Daughter Day,' enjoying the pleasures of the show. We bypassed the supersonic and teeth clattering rides in Side Show Alley, neither of us are in need of an adrenaline fix.
The train was jam packed this morning and we were seated opposite the 'Seniors/Mothers with Babies,' priority seating. A young man and his girlfriend were seated precariously in this reserved seating and were undecided whether to give up their seats when an elderly couple entered the carriage. I looked the young man straight in the eye and quietly said, "Yes you need to move," They gave up their seats and the elderly woman thanked them profusely for doing so. On the way home I witnessed a young man in his early thirties give up his seat for a senior lady, he even volunteered to escort her to his exited seat while the train was moving at speed.
The show, even with it's multitude of show bags and peddlers selling everything and anything, the country theme still holds true. I spoke at length with a lady who owns fifteen alpacas and recently began spinning her own alpaca wool. Mel and I were mesmerised with the old fashioned spinning wheel and weaving loom. She explained how to spin the wool at different thicknesses and how to work it on the loom. She was busy preparing the loom as we discussed her fascination for her craft.
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| Baby Emu Chicks |
Mel and I tasted and passed comment on the many free tastings in the pavilions. Everything from yoghurt to thick-shakes and tiny sausages.
We viewed the Rag Doll cats and an array of farm animals including new born Emu chicks. We missed the sheep pavilion due to Mel's allergy to wool. We checked out the vast array of lunchtime menus, many of them advertising deep fried everything. Therefore we were quite chuffed with ourselves after exploring all our options and ordering a salad and vegetarian burrito; a healthy alternative.
After lunch we led the assault on Showbag Alley before catching the train home again. I am pleased the Royal Show is only once a year!
I lay on the sunbed under the shade of a straw-thatched umbrella. The sand is white and grainy, the sea deep blue and calm with a lick of surf in the distance. I am lying perfectly still as sun warms me and an revitalising breeze enraptures my mood. I am reading a novel 400 pages long, there is no-one to disturb me, nothing to be done. There are endless hawkers, all licensed and all polite. They come and ask if I would like to buy their beads, bags and scarves. I send them away but chat with a few. I talk with the man who has been selling on the beach for 20 years. I buy a beautiful straw bright pink bag from him and a necklace which matches my Balinese earrings I am wearing. A young girl of 32 chats and tells me about her children and how she took over her father's license. He has since passed away. It is good to talk with locals and find out about their lives. So different from my own.
The journey from Perth to Mauritius seemed to take forever but in fact it was 8.45 hours and 1.5 hours from the airport to the resort. We have all rested since then. I am having a lazy day, lying on the beach enjoying the serenity and feeling myself calm down. Lunch with the group (Travel with Me) was a time to catch up and share our stories. Some of the girls went into the local town. Many of us just chilled out. I am going to have a swim this afternoon before cocktails at sunset. Tonight we dine at the Italian restaurant together, there are 15 of us
