The joy of Rotto

Rottnest Island of course! We have just returned from a blissful 5 days of relaxation, bike riding, rock pool exploring and sandcastle building.

To be honest, I have never quite understood what makes Rottnest attractive to tourists - unless you have never seen a beach before, or you are into diving or snorkelling. I hear the diving is great, but I will never know because frankly the idea of swimming underwater for extended periods with sharks and other bitey creatures scares the crap out of me! That said, as a local, Rotto is paradise, especially in winter with fewer tourists and schoolies. I love the wild coastal landscape and the peace and quiet. Sadly the bakery has lost it's lustre over the years (not that that stopped me from consuming far too many jam doughnuts for old times' sake).

The girls went fishing with Daddy and Paige caught her very first fish. She even landed it herself! She was very proud, even though it was undersized. She is already quite the fisherperson, exaggerating it's size at every opportunity. Although it was undersized, as it was her very first catch we agreed that she could eat it. We wanted her to understand that the purpose of fishing is to only catch what you are going to eat, and everything else goes back. So, poor Mummy got the job of filletting the little bugger! Mummy, as it turns out, is not very good at filletting fish...read on...

At dinner that night, the girls scoffed the poor little fish, declaring it YUMMY! All was well...until the screaming started. Hannah had a fishbone lodged in her throat!! Despite our best efforts to convince her to chase it down with some bread or water, she was unable to swallow and in a lot of pain :(. We called HealthDirect (wonderful service), and they contacted the Rottnest Nursing Post's mobile phone. We met Linda, the nurse, at the Nursing Post. Hannah screaming all the way and Paige silent and clearly frightened for her sister. By the time the nurse looked at her, the fish bone had dislodged (probably from the screaming). Some Panadol and chocolate cake and all was forgotten. We had to observe her for a couple of days to ensure that the bone had not perforated the oesophagus, but she got off very lightly thank goodness.

Despite the drama, it was a wonderful holiday. The girls loved the quokkas and the freedom to ride their bikes all day. What a wonderful life! One last photo for good measure - sunrise from our front verandah.