A Claim that had to be Tested

I was on the freeway last night, about to head up to Banksia Grove to stay the night at Birchy's when the phone rang.

Hi Dad said Favourite Daughter, where are you staying tonight?

Up near Wanneroo at Birchy's

Oh!

Why?

Bethany & I need to be at Hillary's boat harbour by 10 to take the ferry to Rottnest and I was hoping you could give us a lift.

Hmmm, right...

You can stay the night here if you want, that would make it easier in the morning.

OK, no worries, (What are Dads for if not to rescue young damsels in distress, especially daughters!)
I'll just ring Birchy to let him know about the change of plans.

I rang Birchy and reset the GPS for Maylands.

And so it was that I spent the night with FD and her flatmates Bethany and Sherrine.

I duly dropped them off at Hillarys this morning, with a stop at TAFE enroute so Beth could hand in her last assignment in her nursing course, well done.

The girls have gone to Rotto to be part of the Red Frog Team that looks out for the welfare of the thousands of school leavers who are about to descend on the island. The annual ritual can be little more than an excuse to get drunk and go crazy, getting Blotto at Rotto has become something of a rite of passage, albeit a very unhealthy one for young West Aussies. It could be a challenging week for Favourite Daughter and the team but the Red Froggers are well recognised and accepted as providing a valuable pastoral service/chaplaincy to the kids at leaver's Week.

I spent the rest of the day doing reconnaissance around Perth, setting up check points and detours for the Cool School Race Camp, talking to businesses and organisations about the camp and seeking their support. To help them grasp the concept I usually compare the camp to the TV show The Amazing Race; that seems to work and most are very happy to be involved and often comment that they'd like to do something similar themselves.
I didn't get the prep finished but I made significant progress. I'll be back in Perth in a week to put the finishing touches to that part of the camp.

I dropped in to SU to ask if they wanted the kids on the camp to come in and do a short community service task for them as one of the checkpoints on the camp. They couldn't come up with a suitable need we could respond to but suggested I try Anglicare and get the kids packing Christmas food hampers. Two trips up and down Adelaide Terrace failed to unearth any sign or trace of the Anglicare office so that idea is on the back burner.
As I was leaving SU I spotted this bold sign on Scarborough Beach Rd. A claim like this can't be ignored, or untested, so I ordered a beef burger for lunch. I was not disappointed; as you can see, it was a substantial burger, and quite tasty to boot.

The day didn't end so well. I spent a few hours walking and catching buses around the city only to find to my dismay upon my return that the carpark where I'd left the car was closed for the night, having locked it's gates at 7.00pm! Dismay turned to disgust when, upon ringing the after hours number I was informed it would cost $60 to get my car out, or I could pick it up in the morning! Not very convenient seeing as I needed to drive 240km home to Busselton! I wasn't happy and very begrudgingly paid the ransom before setting off for home.
Who would expect a major city carpark to close at 7.00pm? Not a bloke from the country like me!!!
I'll be making a claim for reimbursement on this particular charge!!!! And writing a strongly worded letter to the council!!!!