...and a surprise visit from the other one!

You know how the saying goes: You wait two months for a McKiernan, then two come along at once, or immediately after one another anyhow. I got a very pleasant surprise on Wednesday afternoon, when I arrived home on my bike to find Jess and her boyfriend Pete sitting in the living room. After a very sweaty (on my part) hug with my favourite Aussie, Pete strategically went for a walk into Cottesloe so that we could have a long overdue girly catch up. We discussed all the usual topics: Boys, shopping and, most importantly, all the new restaurants we need to try around Perth. Pete returned armed with ice tea and passionfruit cheesecake from the fancy bakery for us to share; Jess has great taste in men!

Having settled into a very dull routine of spending my evenings making dinner and watching TV, I didn’t hesitate when Jess suggested taking the train to Fremantle for dinner at Little Creatures, a.k.a. my favourite place in the entire world. I felt a little weird (and depressed) being the third wheel to start with, but the situation was about to get more odd; Jess was meeting Pete’s parents for the first time! They’d just flown into Perth from the UK that day (of course, Pete is Cornish) and were staying in Freo for a few nights before spending the remainder of their month-long stay down south in Dunsborough and Margaret River. As the two of us settled into a booth with a pint of cider while Pete went to meet them at their hotel, Jess confessed that she was fully freaking out, as she’d never met a guy’s parents before. She had nothing to worry about though; they were so lovely! Pete is a carbon copy of his Dad, who is still surfing in his 60s, and his Mum is really sweet. I felt bad chatting to them about Cornwall when they should have been busy falling in love with Jess, but they knew our old neighbours and it was nice to have a connection to home all the way out here. Jess also told me afterwards that she was very thankful that someone was there to take the focus off her for a minute or two!

We had a few more pints of Pipsqueak to wash down the absolutely gorgeous selection of woodfired pizzas we shared; prawn and coriander pesto, prosciutto and mozerella, broccolini, chorizo and feta… Yum! Pete’s parents left us around 10 for a much-needed sleep and we stayed for another drink before going to the bar to pay for the remainder of the bill. Turns out Pete’s parents paid for the whole thing without us knowing! We felt really bad and very grateful, so the plan is to head down south during their stay and treat them to breakfast to repay their generosity. Very happy to have had a good meal, we hopped on the train home and crashed out.

I had to leave early for work the next morning, but Jess and Pete were already awake as they were heading back down to Dunsborough for the long weekend. Unfortunately, UWA doesn’t count Labour Day as a holiday, so I couldn’t get the time off to make coming down worth it, which pains me because Candy and Jess are holding a wardrobe sale party. Pretty much everything they own is gorgeous, so I could have bagged myself a bargain and had a few glasses of champagne with the girls! On the bright side, this’ll be my last solo weekend, as Jess officially returns to Perth on Wednesday for good. Yay! Friends at last!

A flying visit from one McKiernan...

It was occurring to me that I hadn’t seen my two favourite Aussie sisters in a rather long time; the last time I saw Jess was during my fortnight in Dunsborough over Christmas (almost two months ago – Jesus!) and I’d only caught up with Candice very briefly when she came up to Perth for a few days last month. This is the reason that receiving a message from Candy informing me of her impending arrival made me especially happy. Jess had to pull out of a Perth excursion at the last minute due to work, but she’ll be moving back in with me permanently in the next two weeks as her studies are resuming at the beginning of March. Yay!

My Thursday at work went by particularly quickly knowing that I would have company when I arrived home and I was just locking my bike up after a particularly sweaty ride in 37-degree heat when Candy walked up the garden path. We had a catch up on all the important Perth and Dunsborough news before some old school friends picked her up for a night out in the city; I was very responsible and declined due to a busy Friday in the lab.

I caught the bus to work on Friday and tidied up a few loose ends in the lab, then ended the working week with Kebab Fridays with the EaRN gang. With all my work completed and big plans for the afternoon, I left campus and hopped on a bus into the city to meet Candy. We met by the fountains in the main shopping district so I could have a look at her day’s purchases before we took a stroll to The Trustee for some beverages to welcome in the weekend. It was super hot, so two pints of cold cider went down very easily indeed and we enjoyed the celebratory Friday atmosphere, then left the bar for the train station via some very tempting shoe shops.

Back at home, we crashed out in front of the fans in an attempt to combat the heat before getting ready for the party. Candy had wangled me an invite to her cousin Jack’s 21st at a yacht club in Fremantle and I was very glad of the opportunity to get into a nice dress and a pair of heels after what seemed like weeks of shorts and flip flops! We had a glass of wine while getting dressed up, then got the train to Freo, where Terry and Maggs picked us up from the station and took us to Swan Yacht Club on the river. It was a typical 21st celebration; an odd mixture of Jack’s hipster mates (so many topknots) and respectable relatives, embarrassing baby pictures and free champagne. We were particularly happy about that last point. Candice’s family is even bigger than mine (her Mum is one of twelve children) and I was introduced to multiple aunties, uncles and cousins, who were all lovely. We enjoyed a dance and several glasses of fizz, listened to the speeches and tucked into some awesome profiterole cake; before we knew it, it was midnight and time to go home. I was very glad of a night out and had a lovely time letting my hair down.

Terry and Maggs came to pick up Candice bright and early just as we were finishing a slightly hungover breakfast; she had to get straight back to work in the afternoon so it really was a flying visit. I miss her already, bring on Jess’ return!

Sunday session (with a twist)

My perfect chill-out weekend was coming to a close; I’d had well needed catch ups on Skype with friends I hadn’t heard from in a while, eaten a scrumptious and peaceful brunch of Eggs Florentine in the village, read a decent chunk of my book, swam in the crystal clear ocean and worked on my tan. My Sunday afternoon movie had finished and I was just contemplating what to do with my evening when I received a text from Andy inviting me to a spontaneous Sunday session in the city. I was quick to oblige; Sunday sessions are also very popular back home in Cornwall and getting into a relaxed, pre-working week haze on the rooftop is probably my favourite way to drink. Beats getting smashed playing beer pong with Japanese beer and losing your friend with no means of communication in a foreign country anyway. By the time 4pm came around, I was on the train heading into the city.

The chosen venue was the Mechanics’ Institute, this trendy little rooftop bar in Northbridge that’s decked out with fairy lights and overlooks the city centre. Northbridge is the cultural hub of Perth and their Fringe Festival is on at the moment, so my walk to the bar took me past some gorgeous-smelling gormet food stands, comedy shows, live bands and bars set up under big tops draped in multicoloured lanterns. Perth is so cool; anyone who tells you there’s never anything going on is incredibly mistaken!

I spotted Andy’s bleach blonde flash of hair two storeys above the ground before I got within 50 metres of Mechanics’; a very useful tool for eliminating those first awkward seconds when you enter a crowded bar alone and frantically search for the people you’re meeting up with! There was already quite a crowd gathered and I recognised several faces from the Australia Day house party; Andy’s girlfriend Kara and her brother Luca, Sean and Sam (mine and Nick’s northern friends from our victorious stints on the beer pong table) and Smerilli and his girlfriend Claire. I was embarrassed to learn that my memory from that day was more hazy than I thought when the couple who sat opposite me on the train into the city, Kate and Andy, rocked up and explained that they were at Australia Day too but thought they had the wrong person when I met their smiles with a blank look. Fantastic.

I was gutted I'd already eaten; the rumoured Bloody Mary and burger combination is something I've been
 desperate to try since I arrived in Perth. Booze and food in one jar: Does life get any better?!

I grabbed myself a cider and we were just getting stuck into some hilarious stories from the aftermath of the party when Andy casually revealed the real reason for the “spontaneous” session by pointing to the ring finger on Kara’s left hand. They got engaged! After seven years of dating, Andy finally popped the question at a Valentine’s Day beach picnic on Friday night. So cute. There was the typical gender divide of reactions: “Congrats dude” and glass-raising from the boys and squeals of delight from the girls. I was so stoked to be invited to celebrate with them, as they only invited a few close friends and hadn’t told anyone but their parents the news at this point, and the next few hours were spent discussing dresses, flowers, venues and, most importantly, more parties to celebrate them telling the rest of the world. More exciting than anything, they’ve set a date for November and I’m invited! Granted, it’s a huge long shot that I’ll (a) have the funds for another down under adventure and (b) be able to be away from uni but, deadlines permitting, it would absolutely make my year to have the chance to come back, be reunited with everyone and see such a lovely couple tie the knot. Fingers crossed the dissertation gods are kind to me…

People gradually filed out, leaving the remainder of the group to get reasonably merry, and we left Mechanics’ for the station at around 8pm. Walking back through the hustle and bustle of the Fringe Festival, we were overcome with cravings for something edible and instantly gravitated towards a retro Ben and Jerry’s van serving up amazing flavours that simply do not exist in the UK. Cookies and Cream and Chunky Fudge – yes please! Us English folk aren’t the only deprived population though; the Aussies had never heard of Phish Food. What sheltered lives we lead on either side of the world; why has the full extent of B&J gloriousness been kept from us?! Sort it out please America.

We said our goodbyes to everyone and I hopped on the train with Kate and Andy who, as it turns out, get off at Cottesloe too and live two streets away from me in Peppermint Grove. They frequently visit my local watering hole, The Albion, and we’ve pencilled it in for our next Sunday session in a couple of weeks. It’s nice to know I have new found friends in my neck of the woods to hang out with, even if it’ll involve being a third wheel! I got home and immediately crashed out due to an early start. Congratulations Kara and Andy, you beauties!

Kara and Soko with their bling!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day and all that, but I need to clear something up: Why do single people get treated like wounded animals on this godawful day? Sure, we don't have valentines (i.e. someone to buy us a generic, unsentimental card), but we're not dying or anything. I executed a Friday at work without showing symptoms of wanting to kill my lonely self, so was a little taken aback when I was invited to after-work drinks with what looked suspiciously like sympathetic eyes. After a couple of pints of Rogers to bring in the weekend, people had plans with their loved ones, so we decided to go our separate ways. For me, this meant a slightly wobbly ride home on my death trap of a bike, where an empty house was waiting for me with open arms.

You probably think this sounds a bit tragic, but there's no need to worry about me as I was absolutely content with my plans. I spent the afternoon lost in Love in the Time of Cholera, the book I'm currently reading, cooked dinner for one, then settled myself on the sofa with a beer and some of my wonderful get well soon chocolate from my secret admirer (I'm making it sound romantic because it's V day) to watch the movie Australian TV were offering up for people not gazing into each other's eyes at a restaurant: Valentine's Day. For anyone who hasn't seen this cinematic masterpiece, it's an even more corny, American version of Love Actually; however, it proved to be quite an enjoyable watch.

The main event of my evening was a long, romantic FaceTime with my "date", the lovely Chloe Foreman (who else?). A warning to any potential boyfriends (not that they're abundant): You'll do very well to climb higher than her in my estimations, the girl is basically my life partner. After catching up on the happenings of our lives (work and sweltering heat for me, work and permafrost for her), we inevitably reached the topic of the day, romance, which we dissected with our usual sarcasm. She made the excellent point that her Facebook was flooded with girls wielding a red rose and a Milk Tray, which appears to be the standard response by men in this day and age and is far less than ideal in my eyes. If I'm dating someone this time next year, I definitely do not want to be a victim of such an unoriginal gesture. Yes, it's a dreadful, tacky day and I don't buy into it one bit, but there is the potential to use your imagination and escape the stereotype here gents. Says the eternally single girl... I suppose beggars can't be choosers!

Yet another milestone

This morning, after crawling from bed to laptop, I was in the process of informing Lindy of my third sick day with trembling hands when I noticed an email from a University of Bath address in my inbox. It was entitled "Placement at the University of Western Australia" and I knew instantly what it would entail. Sure enough, it was a request for information and advice from a second year Biochemistry student, hoping to land my placement for the next academic year. This brought on a huge wave of nostalgia; it's officially one whole year since I was applying to work here!

I thought back to this time last year and, remembering all the wonderful advice I received from past and present UWA placement students, tried to be as helpful as possible. Matt and Charis, who came out here two years before me and were back in Bath finishing their degrees by the time I applied, met me for lunch on campus and gave me loads of useful information on what the work side of my placement would actually consist of, as well as putting together this awesome and very comprehensive guide to living in Perth, using their experience. It gave me a heads-up on things to look out for, such as getting my Visa application sorted in plenty of time, setting up a bank account and finding a place to live, but also much more important things (i.e. the best beaches and drinking spots). Upon arrival in Australia, I used the "attractions" guide for ideas for touristy things to do and it definitely helped me find my feet in Perth. Secondly, I got in contact with Richard in the year above me, who was here directly before me. He advised me on things like budgeting and stressed the importance of saving before I got here, which proved invaluable as Perth is extremely expensive. Thanks to them, I appear to have survived so far!

This threw into perspective how, although I sometimes feel as though I'm the only "pom" to step foot in the EaRN office, the majority of my colleagues have seen several Bath students pass through the system during their time here. Andy alone could name 8, and that's just during the duration of his Honours and PhD, so god knows how many Lindy or Carole have seen! As much as I'm looking forward to going home, I'm not entirely sure I like the thought of a shiny new placement student taking over my job in September and getting friendly with my favourite Aussies, but I suppose it's a notion everyone who's done this has had to come to terms with.

Influenza

How on earth have I managed to contract a nasty case of the flu in this beautiful weather? It’s now Tuesday afternoon and, after such a lovely Saturday on the river, I have spent the last three days feeling like death with no visible light at the end of the tunnel. I have the full complement of enjoyable symptoms: Aches, shivers, nausea and a sore head in addition to your bog-standard common cold. For someone that hardly ever gets ill at home, let alone in a place where it’s summer all year round, I am not coping very well and want more than anything to miraculously recover. Like, now please. There’s just something pathetic about spending your days huddled in a blanket on the sofa, especially when the weather is this gorgeous; I should be on the beach, damn it! The saddest part is that, after working my way through the first three seasons of Sex and The City, I’ve resorted to watching crappy musicals like Mamma Mia (Jess doesn’t have Grease on DVD). I’m not built for spending my days cooped up indoors!

As a grown adult, it pains me to admit that the worst thing about feeling this rubbish is the fact that my Mum’s not here to look after me! I’m fully capable of making myself a cup of tea, but it’s a whole lot better when one magically appears by your sickbed without you having to move. I’m doing all I can to recover speedily (drinking a monumental amount of water and only moving when I need to eat or pee), so fingers crossed I’m upright and freely mobile in the next few days. If you don’t hear from me by the weekend, I’ve probably died in bed surrounded by empty mugs and romcoms. Tragic.

Wakeboarding 101

After my first full, uneventful week back at work in a life void of visitors and housemates, I began to envisage a rather dull February and was certainly in need of a fun weekend to cheer me up. Luckily, Andy was on hand looking for buddies to go wakeboarding with him on Saturday morning; it’s one water sport I’ve never tried and I was keen as a bean to have a go!

He picked me up bright and early and we drove along a sparkling Swan river to his parents’ place in Applecross to grab the boat. As I expected after getting to know Andy, his parents were very laid back and friendly and I drank coffee and chatted with his Mum while he and his Dad loaded the boat onto the trailer. The Michaels (Smerilli, Andy’s friend from school, and Challenor, a chemistry PhD student on Team Lindy who works in our building) turned up at 9:30 and the five of us (Andy, Andy’s Dad, Challenor, Smerilli and myself) drove up to Heathcote Reserve Yacht Club, which is pretty much directly opposite the club where I used to sail with the Billinghams. Once we’d got the boat into the water, it was just a short (and very bumpy thanks to Andy going a little heavy on the throttle) ride to the little cove that they usually board in.

Perth's skyline from our spot on the South Bank

First to show off his skills was Andy’s Dad. As well as the wakeboard, they have a surfboard, skim board, uniski and all kinds of other treats, and the surfboard was definitely his forté. Seeing a 62-year-old man negotiating the wake with ease and getting air all over the place was very impressive and I can only hope that I’ll still be getting in the water at his age! Andy was of course excellent on the wakeboard, to the extent that he was giving us beginners tips while doing 360s and all sorts. Ridiculous. Challenor had his “first go” with remarkable success (he’d obviously done it before, liar) and before I knew it, it was my turn.

Observation number 1: I’m not sure how many chicks can rock the ‘bikini and life jacket’ look, but I’m definitely not one of them. Observation number 2: There were jellyfish everywhere; they didn’t sting, but they were highly abundant and some were bloody massive. Not very pleasant when you’re minding your own business and one slimes down your back or up your leg. Gross. Most importantly: Observation 3: Wakeboarding is a lot harder than it looks. I was absolutely terrible! There’s an awful lot to think about; you’re lying on your back in the water with the board angled diagonally with one foot up, then you have to try and stand up while keeping your hips and shoulders at right angles while holding onto the rope and trying to negotiate the waves coming from the back of the boat and it was all just too much. I did a lot of falling off into the jelly-infested waters, but it was a lot of fun nevertheless and I did manage a few stand ups, however short and pathetic they may have been! I blame my lack of success on wakeboarding being similar to snowboarding, whereas I’m most definitely a skiier through and through. After the train wreck that was my first attempt at wakeboarding, I had lots of fun and a little more success on the surfboard; you can lie down or kneel up on it while the boat’s going at full speed, which is pretty exhilirating! It felt very odd holding onto a rope while surfing though.

As my go finished and Smerilli got into the water, I had a chance to lie back, crack open a beer (apparently the Stevensons do not go out on the water without an Eski full) and soak up the gorgeous weather. I feel this was where my expertise really came into play!

With our hair still wet and our faces still salty, Andy and I said goodbye to the others and drove over to a cute little Italian restaurant for lunch with the gang. The occasion? Alex, token Asian and all-round lovely guy, leaves UWA next week to do the next 18 months of his PhD with some collaboraters at the University of Tasmania. His constant happy mood will be sorely missed, so we decided to give him a nice send-off on his last weekend in Perth. There were seven of us in total: Alex, Andy, Me, Ryan and his girlfriend Rhianna and Marcus and his girlfriend Silk. I'm incredibly lucky to work with such a great bunch, the food was awesome and, for a group of such well-educated people, we talked about a lot of stupid stuff.

We all parted ways and, on the way home with Rhi and Ryan, we made the decision to get Alex a nice watch as a going-away present, so the plan is to meet up tomorrow to go and pick one out. That and a visit to the beach to make the most of this beautiful weather will probably be my Sunday done and dusted before another week commences.