Day Fifteen: Bastille Birthday

Today was the most beautiful day we've had yet; we didn't even need jackets! A far cry from a few days ago when I was huddled under a woolly hat and scarf.

And the lovely weather went very well with the occasion: today is Joan's birthday! It's been a very relaxed day full of celebrating.

First, we divided up into girls and boys, and the boys headed into the city to see the Tesla exhibit at the Town Hall. The girls drove to a French cafe to meet up with a veritable crowd of Joan's girlfriends--Jarrah and I were the guests for what is actually a weekly occasion. On the way, we had the thrill of seeing a family of kangaroos bound across our path--it sounds silly to say after seeing so many of them on this trip, but man, they hop fast when they're in the wild! So cool.

It was fun chit-chatting with the ladies, and Jarrah amused the group by going up to the counter to cancel the hot chocolate I'd ordered for her (hot chocolate is soooo over, Readers, in case you didn't know) and putting in a request for a lemon-lime-and-bitters instead. Everyone thought she was amazingly confident for a six-year-old.

After a quick stop home we were off again to the Swan Valley for a family birthday lunch in a lovely place called The Mallard Duck, overlooking the water, the aforementioned duck and friends, and some fluffy alpacas. We were joined by John's sisters Wendy and Adele, and Adele's husband, Trevor, and it was such a treat to see them again after far too long. We had a nice lunch but the highlight was a massive helping of catching up, which went on for nearly three hours.

On our return, the light was looking gorgeous and I tiptoed around back to see if I could spot some birds. I did see a few ring-necked parrots, which are bright green with a blue head, and then we were delighted by a sweet-faced gray 'roo having a snack only a few feet from the driveway. She seemed quite curious, staring at us for a long time. Jarrah befriended the next-door neighbors after a lackluster connection with some kids at the restaurant (they were immune to her "highly-trained friendage," as she calls it.) Now we're just catching up on laundry and resting a bit. Can't believe we are already off to Melbourne tomorrow! Our Perth visit has gone ridiculously fast.