Rockingham, Western Australia 17 January – 6 March 2010

After leaving Darling Downs, we spent the first two and a bit weeks in the Rockingham Holiday Village.  We’ve been having a problem with the car not holding battery power, and need to get it looked at by an auto-electrician.  It actually took most of that time for the sparky to diagnose what he thought the problem was.  We had to get the isolating solenoid replaced which helped one problem, but there is still an issue with the main batteries draining power if the car is not used for two or three days.  At this stage there are a couple of ideas, and we’re monitoring the situation.

On February 5, we moved into a lovely house-sit in Palm Beach, Rockingham.  We are 80 metres from the beach with a fabulous view across the bay.  We have started walking every morning along the beach footpath for about 30 minutes.  The first few days were a little tough (haven’t done much walking recently), but it’s getting much easier and we’re both feeling better for it.

Since moving in here, we’ve managed to meet with three of Rick’s unknown close relatives.  It turns out that Rick’s Dad was married twice.  The first marriage produced three children and for the second, to Eileen, Rick was the only child.  The eldest child, Patricia died only a couple of years ago in BRISBANE of all places…, but we have been in touch with Colin who is now the eldest half-brother, and have met Rick’s half-sister Lorraine.  Additionally, there are three close cousins and uncounted numbers of nieces and nephews!  There may also be some in Brisbane apparently.  So Rick has gone from believing that there was very little in the way of family on the Avey side, to having more than he knows what to do with.  Of course, because of the circumstances to do with Rick’s Dad’s marriages and family, all contact is reasonably circumspect at this stage.  But hugely interesting.

We’re here in Rockingham for another two weeks, before hitting the road for five weeks.  The plan will take us to Esperance for a couple of weeks, then heading to Albany for the Easter period.  We then have a two month house-sit in Dunsborough.  It’s a hard life!!