Fri, 23rd Feb, 2018 Bob & Margaret’s, near Mandurah, WA (Bob’s Triumph)

Cool and overcast morning.

Cleaned the van’s carpets (easy to pull out and shake) and wash the floor.

Cut Steve’s hair – still has some!!

He then coloured mine – still trying to look younger!!

Sky clearing by lunch so got the sheets etc washed and dried.

Watched more ice skating during lunch – Steve is an expert now!!

Bob got out his project – his 1961 Triumph TR-3B that he has been restoring. Steve drove around the block then Bob took me for a ride. Took a video too.

Relaxing afternoon then off for our walk after drinks. Went the other way this time – the sun was casting a lovely colour on the beach as it got ready to set. Should have taken my camera!!

Thurs, 22nd Feb, 2018 Bob & Margaret’s, near Mandurah, WA

Warm morning for a change so had to open up the van. Clear sky and no wind.

Steve and Bob went in to Kev’s to help with his new awning. Margaret and I went shopping. Nice to have some ‘girl’ time.

Bob came home for lunch but Steve stayed with Kev and helped him out some more.  Kev brought him back in the afternoon and joined us for a chat.

Lovely temperature for a walk this afternoon as the clouds are coming over.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Wed, 21st Feb, 2018 Bob & Margaret’s, near Mandurah, WA

7.30am 17.8 degrees, clear sky and the strong wind is back.

Quiet morning.

Shane and Doreen called in to check out our van and chat about travelling.

Dinner with Bob and Margaret and more Winter Olympics entertainment.

Cool night so the van is closed up again.

NO PHOTOS TODAY

Tues, 20th Feb, 2018 Bob & Margaret’s, near Mandurah, WA

Cool morning – van closed up. Overcast and windy. 8.30am 23 degrees.

Taught Margaret how to put the waypoints on her Hema Navigator and I put them on ours so we are all set to go detecting soon.

Wind settled down after lunch but it is still cloudy.

Put a ‘Missing Gnome’ alert on Facebook – got lots of responses but nothing from Noel Junior!!

Steve went in to Kev and Linda’s to help put in a new electric element in their fridge.

Margaret’s roses etc are looking beautiful.

Went for our walk after drinks. Sun is setting earlier but no sunset as there is a big cloud band out to sea. A few kitesurfers were enjoying the afternoon wind.

Mon, 19th Feb, 2018 Bob & Margaret’s, near Mandurah, WA (Bradley’s birthday -Cooper’s Mill & Peel Inlet)

Bit cloudy and windy morning.

Rang John and Jocelyn to wish her a happy birthday. He was going to take her for a boat cruise (on the ferry ha ha) but it has come up a bit rough so maybe a nice picnic.

Rang Erica for a chat – all good there.

Passed on our birthday wishes to Bradley via Amanda’s Facebook  page.

Went with Bob and Margaret for a ride in their boat on the Peel Inlet.

Unfortunately it was a bit windy here too but we were all good as we left Dawesville where the Peel meets the Harvey Inlet (where we went walking looking for crabs).

First we past the bridge over The Cut then further north to the Mandurah Estuary bridge. Bit bouncy for photography.

Across to the other side to the entrance to Murray River. Up a bit and we tied up at a jetty on Cooleenup Island.

Nice picnic area here, even a playground. Steve checked the gas BBQ – no gas!! Followed the track across to the other side and checked out Cooper’s Mill.

Lots of information inside what was once the engine room.

Inside the mill itself with its roof redone with timber shingles again.

Bob & Margaret out the other side of the mill.

There is a caretaker here – planting lots of plants on the island as well as his ‘boat gardens’.

I thought this was a red flower but it is the pod then the flower comes out of it when it cracks open.

Looking back to mouth of the Murray as it enters the Peel Inlet.

Beside the picnic area is a nice swimming area.

Cruised up the Murray checking out the shacks, houses and mansions and all the different boats. One side is called North Yunderup and the other is South Yunderup which has canals coming off the river.

The wind hadn’t settled as we headed back home across the Inlet but we made it back. Mind you it isn’t very deep in most of the inlet so we could have walked if we had problems.

Back home for a late lunch. The crows have replaced the galahs as annoying birds!!

Went through Tengraph and downloaded the co-ordinates of the leases we are interested in. Margaret and I will put them on the Hema Navigators tomorrow so we know we are in the right places to detect.

The sky cleared up but it is still windy so no walk after drinks today.

More Olympics. Had to close up the van as it is cooling off.

Sun, 18th Feb, 2018 Bob & Margaret’s, near Mandurah, WA (Noel Jnr)

7.30am 23 degrees and overcast.

Headed south to visit Pete in Manjimup. Detoured first to see how Noel Junior is going in Gnomesville. Seems to be even more gnomes here now.

Made a cuppa and wandered around looking for Noel Junior. We couldn’t find him anywhere but his uncles are still there. They weren’t saying where he went though!! I took photos of them to compare to the ones I took a year ago when we left Noel Junior in their care.

Last year’s photos.

The green marchflies were horrendous so maybe he had enough of them and left!!

We continued on passing a little pub where a collection of great cars were lined up across the road.

As we had explored this area before we didn’t stop for any photos. Into Manjimup to meet Pete at his Mum’s place. He is doing some fixing up ready for her to come home from hospital.

Went into town to his sister’s café for lunch. She is also a really good artist and her works are on display in the café and for sale with some other local artists.

After a lovely lunch and lots of chatting we headed off again. I wanted to follow another road we hadn’t been on yet but ended up on forestry roads going around in circles. Got back out onto the bitumen and then headed north to Nannup. Found another road we haven’t been on from there up to Balingup which runs alongside the Blackwood River. We crossed over it where it goes upstream to Bridgetown.

Back to Bunbury then back up to Bob and Margaret’s. Another late drinkies with them then late dinner again. More Olympics of course.