Kakadu and Darwin in the pre-monsoon build-up

Kakadu is magic. Not only is it teeming with birdlife and crocs but it is steeped in Aboriginal lore as well. We were lucky to be able to visit the main rock art sites before the real heat of the day as walking becomes such an effort and it seems impossible to put water back into the system as fast as it is pouring out. After Cooinda we did spend one night bushcamping -- no power for AC therefore. Isobel thought she was going to die of heat!! We chose a caravan park in Jabiru for the next two nights. It also had a delightful swimming pool.

Now we are in Darwin with Patsy and Richard, their son Ben and his delightful Korean partner, Seonja. Warwick and Patsy grew up at opposite ends of the world and even during Warwick's visits to Australia they didn't see each other as Patsy was not in Perth, so it is fun now to get to know each other. They have a most amazing house, ideal for the tropics and there is even a resident snake in the bathroom!

He often lies right inside the jar beside the plant with just his head sticking out. Otherwise he is sometimes stretched out along the louvre windows.

Patsy is a keen gardener so one of the highlights was a visit to the Botanical Garden's annual plant sale. It was a good thing we went in the ute to bring back the spoils! Great plants, though, at very good prices. People were leaving with barrowloads. Now she has the job of planting them -- a big job in the present heat. They keep hoping for rain and several times it looked as if it could happen, but so far nothing.

My favourite part of the garden, where we had breakfast ay Patsy's mosaic table overlooking the lagoon. It is dry at the moment but will fill as the wet season starts and will have water lilies growing.

Patsy also took us to the museum, which had some interesting art and photographic displays, as well as a whole section on Cyclone Tracy, which of course devastated Darwin on Christmas Eve 1974. Sweetheart the infamous big crocodile that used to attack boats is also there. He came to a sad end by accidentally drowning while being captured. The maritime part with its collection of boats, many Indonesian, was also interesting.

Our last evening there we all had dinner out at a restaurant on the wharf and were joined by Eamonn, Warwick's cousin Robin's husband, who was passing through Darwin. Eamonn does a lot of work out in the sticks at the mines. It was great seeing him.

Our Winnebago excelled itself while parked in the driveway. For reasons best known to itself, the bed broke free from its moorings when Isobel was putting it down. (The end lifts up to offer storage space underneath and it goes up and down on gas struts.) When the hinges broke loose the bed rocketed forward under the force of the gas struts and pinned Isobel by the knees to the wall. She was alone in the van and took a few minutes to make herself heard. Her knees of course are not up to taking that kind of treatment. We are hoping that bruising is going to be the extent of the damage. The right one is OK but the left one is giving a certain amount of grief. The next Winnebago dealer is in Perth so we will have to manage with the bed loose until we get back. It is more of a nuisance than anything else as it now takes both of us to store or retrieve anything from under the bed (chairs, table, etc.) The Winnebago people were on the phone immediately they received our email account of the incident and were rather concerned about the state of the knees. Perhaps they were afraid of an impending lawsuit!

All this happened as we were preparing to leave Darwin. Patsy and Richard will not easily forget our visit as getting the Winnebago into their driveway was one thing, but getting it out was another. Richard ended up cutting down branches with an electric saw as Patsy and Isobel hauled them out of the way to let Warwick edge the Beast out. It was such a wonderful visit, though, and we are so glad we were able to keep Darwin on our itinerary.