We 're counting: Australia Part 1/3 - pre Easter Dunsborough

Heading out for lunch on our new e-bikes

After a little R&R in Golden Bay, we headed off to Christchurch. We put the Bus into storage at Weedons for three months. Helen & Ralph picked us up once again and took us back to their place before we flew out in the morning to Perth via Auckland. Had a lovely catch up with Christine, Anne & Mike too.

Our lovely welcome to Perth 💕

Arriving in Perth after a relatively calm flight over, we were met by Nick and Ophelia, which was wonderful to see at the end of a long day's travel. We stayed the night in Perth at Leanne & Steve's (who were down in Dunsborough), caught up with Em's sister Shanny, who along with partner Oisin, have now moved to Perth from Dunsborough, and currently staying with L&S till they find a place of their own.

Grandfathers babysitting

After a good night's sleep, we were on our way south. Having been 3 months since we last saw Rocky & Lenny, and 6 months since we had seen E&N and Ophelia and the Twins and Daniel, our little Granddaughters had changed a lot as you can imagine. It was lovely to see everyone. We settled into Rochelle & Daniels once again, just like we had never been away. 😆

There were a few changes since we were last over in September with the birth of three more Granddaughters, in that Rochelle had returned to work (3 days a week, like Daniel but different days so Lenny was only in Day Care one day a week) and Em starting to resume some work online when she could. Not as easy now with the Twins and Ophelia.

Comparing three little granddaughter's heights

Bill and I decided on our last visit, that on our next trip we would buy a couple of ebike's instead of borrowing the Kids bikes when we could. So, on day two, we borrowed Rocky's car and headed into nearby Vasse, where I purchased an ebike from the local bike shop - $1999 AUD, which we thought quite a good buy. Bill didn't quite see what he was after so bought his online that night and had to wait a week for it to arrive. Mine was to be ready in two days. His was $300 cheaper than mine, and with a throttle which he wanted. We got Nick to drop us off on his way to work (Bill was borrowing Nick's bike) and we walked / rode to the bike shop 20 minutes away from the drop off. It was all ready, so I headed off on my inaugural ride. It was lovely to ride, and with so many concrete paths and cycleways, I'm sure it will get a lot of use. Unfortunately, Bill got a puncture on his way home on Nick's road bike. An sos was sent to Rochelle for a pickup as we had no gear for repairs. Poor Bill 😢

Another beautiful day at the beach

We quickly got back into our local walks and swims, and once Bill's bike turned up, bike rides frequently to the beaches. We were available for babysitting at either house, and now with our bikes, we were less than 8 minutes away, so could turn up at short notice.

Yummy, meal time for Lu and Tulsi

The little ones had started eating solids and were starting to feed themselves. OMG, so different to how we feed our babies back in the day. Pleased the mess was in their own homes 😂. The only concern was if they choked. Bill was better feeding them than I .

Recently back in New Zealand, Bill had been actively monitoring his prostate and recent blood tests showed things were starting to change. It was time to think about what action he could take. And so he contacted a Surgeon in Perth to discuss a new procedure - Nano Knife. We made an appointment in a months' time when we would be heading up to Perth to pick up our hire camper.

The weeks went by quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to head up to Perth to meet up with brother Graeme and to hire camper vans to travel into the Southwestern area of WA for three weeks.