We have ‘mother-sitting’ duties this coming weekend, which went from two nights to three as my sister in law is unfortunately having to have an medical investigation on Monday. I mean unfortunately for her, the extra night is not really a problem in itself.

So, I pleaded with Stephen and he agreed to taking a mini break by the sea. I researched places near to Perth and came up with Burns Beach Sunset Village. It is mainly for residents, but they have kept some sites for caravanners which have views of the ocean and are right next to the heathland.

We arrived around 11.00 a.m. in a strong wind on Monday. There is a beautiful cafe at the edge of the park where we had a morning coffee/chai latte and read for awhile. Then we went to the office and booked ourselves in. We are paying top dollar for high season – $58 per night, which is the highest we have ever paid for a non ensuite site. But, the location makes it well worth the money, and prices will go down in a month or two. The coastline is pretty, with smallish limestone cliffs and a walking/cycling path all the way along the beach. I love seeing the sea quite rough, with whitecaps.

We set ourselves with power, water and sullage, and settled in for lunch and a rest. Having the slideout is one of the great things about this motorhome. It wasn’t on my list, but it really helps to make camping very comfortable. We can both move about without bumping into each other. Although the luton loft is perhaps unnecessary as we can both sleep in the small double bed (I feared it would be too crowded), it does mean we have a very high ceiling and the sort of spare room that comes in handy for stuff. (You know, stuff you need and can’t do without that has to go somewhere).

In the evening we braced ourselves and took a walk along the path.

We had a couple of precooked meals with us, handy for both nights as it made evening meals very easy. I had one shower in the toilet block, but otherwise have been showering in the van, very comfortable for me, but not so much for a larger person perhaps.

Waking up beside the sea is wonderful. Yesterday was fairly calm. We decided that since we are rather sun-averse during the day (owing to UV levels especially) so we decided to catch the bus and train to Northbridge and go to a movie. Apart from arriving at the bus stop shortly after a bus had left and having to wait about 45 minutes for the next one, it was an easy journey, with good connections at Joondalup and Perth, both there and back. The bus stop has a view of the ocean, and I read my book and enjoyed the view whilst waiting.

We saw the movie ‘The Founder’, which David Stratton gave four stars, and enjoyed it, sort of. It was the story about the man who took over the McDonald’s name and ideas from the brothers who started it, and made a fortune whilst eventually shutting them out. Not a ‘nice’ man, but that’s perhaps the only way to make serious money. The movie was actually very good, if you didn’t mind watching someone who was very singleminded and unethical.

We had a modest lunch at the Perth Central Community Centre before the movie. After the movie, Stephen hunted down a bookshop for a book with German and English on opposing pages to enjoy the feeling of reading in German, but having the translation available when he gets stuck. I had a look at the new Apple laptops with OLED touch bar, quite nice, then had a coffee.

We read our books on the way back, and the time passed very comfortable on the train and bus. The bus driver appears to know the passengers to come to this area, even though we were travelling at peak time there were only about 8 of altogether. It was great arriving home to the beach and our comfortable little ‘house’. We had a drink and crisps, waiting for it to be close to sunset, then went for a walk again, this time to the north. You can’t go very far, but there is a park and a couple of lookouts on the way.

This morning we were able to enjoy an early cup of tea, a leisurely breakfast, and get ourselves ready to leave by 10.00 a.m. We are parked up in the beachside carpark at Burns Beach, with a view of the ocean from all of our windows, a bit of shade from some peppermints, and shelter inside from the strong wind that is gently rocking us.