And so 2005 ended!

(me at the billabong)

New Years Eve. 'Lets make it memorable' I said to Dave.

Me and my big mouth!!

We decided to drive up into the hills surrounding Perth. Real aussie bush where we could quite as easily stumble across a bob tailed lizard as a 'fair dinkum' aussie tavern. We found the River Avon and decided on a walk to rid ourselves of hangovers (I finished nights and attacked the vino with vigour last night- sorrys to Hazel, Paul and Shaz). We strolled (for energetic walking was soo not on the menu today) along for half an hour or so, following the river as it meandered lazily around the ancient Aborginal hunting sites. Because it's summer, the river ended abruptly at some half arsed rapids. Further on was a dried up river bed littered with rocks leading to a billabong. It looked like one of those desert inspired oasis hallucinations. The billabong was writhing with fish and dragonflies were flitting all over the place as if they were in a hurry to find a mate and make use of the sunshine (anyone who knows me will know about my near-on obsession with dragonflies).


(bob tailed lizard)

So far, so perfect...

By the end of our 'stroll' my stomach was growling like a very angry crocodile. I insisted on Dave driving to the nearest town so we could eat some greasy burgers and wash them down with emu bitter. Halfway to civilisation the engine started to overheat.

Bugger.

We idled on for another fifteen kilometres to the nearest garage (we were lucky that the nearest town was so close to us) and pulled over. Dave grabbed a towel from the back seat, opened the bonnet and threw the towel over it. Me being me, had to get out to oversee the proceedings. As I peered into the engine from a 'safe' distance of two metres away the radiator tank literally exploded like a volcano and started to spurt boiling hot water everywhere. In my hurry to get away, my hungover feet tripped over themselves and threw me to the ground. I planted my face into the aussie dirt face first and showered myself in engine lava!

I was covered in red mud and every graze had a bit of Australia ingrained in its raw edges. The worst indignity was the perfect bosom shaped mud print on my tshirt (it actually made my boobs look quite perky in a dust-dirty way!). Thank god for long hair and country folk who couldn't give a shit at what you look like!

After we had exhausted the three shops of Toodyay (pronounced Toojay) we returned to the car to discover that the engine was still overheating. The only thing to do was to admit defeat and call the RAC. Luckily they were there within an hour (so unlike the UK, I remember waiting two hours when I was only twenty minutes from civilisation) but unluckily the head gasket might have exploded (I dunno, I wasn't listening. Again!)

So that's when found ourselves at six pm this evening being towed the 100 Kilometres back to Perth by a guy with a remote control for his back platform on the truck. (Surely any mans idea of a dream truck?)


(raspberry margaritas. If you look closely you can see the 'wife-beaten eye'!)

Thank god we hadn't made any firm plans for hogmany. Dave and I will spend our new year drinking frozen raspberry margaritas and crossing our fingers for 2006!