In search of Perthection

It’s very strange to stand still for a while. To stop, to dawdle, to twiddle thumbs unsure of what to do. To not have to fill up the car with petrol every single day, discount vouchers accumulating like faded biblical scriptures in the glove box. I think this is the void that work fills. I tried to fill the void with work and it was a partial success; my mind begins to turn to longer term commitments and the silly idea of getting a proper job. So when that started to happen, I booked a trip on hard work-earned frequent flyer points to escape to Europe!

Perth is not a bad place to stand still, not a bad place at all. I’ve been standing still enough to establish regular haunts and favourite spots. Of course, most of these involve food or drink of some kind. So, apart from doing some reasonably leisurely work I have been taking breaks to go for coffee by the beach. The very laid-back walk between City Beach and Floreat Beach ideally bookended by two rather fine waterfront cafes. The steps at Scarborough ideal for a takeaway flat white and scrumptious home-made salted caramel and chocolate slice, softening the endeavour of reading a few chapters of the never-ending tome that is the Game of Thrones library.

And of course, being beside the sea, a westerly stretching sea has offered the odd sunset. Although I think Canberra still has more colourful sunsets.

Other activities include shopping for food and cooking it. One thing that is to be said for standing still is a proper kitchen and an oven and fridge and freezer, so hello lasagne and pork belly and comforting chicken and chorizo bakes and pizza and home-made scones with jam and adequate cream. Only adequate though...I must need to get ‘home’. 

All this cake and laborious reading beside the beach and lardy home baking started to make me feel a little guilty. This, coupled with a little restlessness made me transform a nice walk around Lake Monger into a little bit of running. Then I did it again, at Lake Herdsman, then again back at Monger and even further this time without stopping. Still, such escapades have allowed me to discover some of the parks and open spaces of Perth and its surrounds. Like Bold Park, which is a fine, wild space sprawling between the inner suburbs and the sea, its rolling heath and bushland undoubtedly waiting to burst into flower at any moment.

While finding the new has been good, the old, revisited has been better. A calm but overcast Sunday afternoon meandering through Kings Park a delight. Meandering you note, not running. Running would do its beauty an injustice. Signs of things to come emerging from the undergrowth, hopefully ready for my return.

For now I am having a ridiculously expensive beer at Perth International Airport. I’ll be in Munich tomorrow, probably supping on a better and less expensive beer, hopefully with some of those touristy clichéd serving wenches providing the refill.  I better go....plane to catch...can’t stand still.