and this is what I think:

I’m so excited…

I entered the Rottnest ballot, and for the first time EVER managed to secure a house for summer! I missed the ballot last year as I was away, and in the past have had to hope that my parents got a place, but I haven’t been in years (and this is after going almost every year as a kid!). I think the last time I went was probably at least five years ago. I’m so very excited!

I’ve invited my family to come along for a couple of nights at least, and then I’ll offer the remaining 4 or 5 nights to my friends. It’ll be so awesome. There are more good things about Rottnest than I can even list – the beaches, snorkling, hot chickens from Red Rooster and crusty rolls for lunch, barbecues, drinks at the pub or on the front veranda with cheese & bikkies, watching movies in the dodgy old theatres on fold out chairs (if you so desire), throwing golf clubs onto the roof of the mini golf course, riding a bike (once upon a time you could do this without a helmet on Rotto!), sitting on the beach with a beer at sunset, waking up at sunrise and jumping into the chilly ocean, the obligatory trip to the general store to buy a paper and then to the bakery to buy bread, jam donuts and sausage rolls, cricket in the street, squishy berries underfoot, bit gnarly trees that are good to climb as a kid.

So now only two things remain: to scrape together my hard-earned $1034 for the deposit (luckily this is the ENTIRE charge, not just the deposit! But we will still need to rent a couple of fold out beds and a TV) and wait patiently until January. Oh, and to reinforce to my friends that we will more than likely have too many people in our unit, so they all need to learn some serious volume control so we don’t get kicked out!

The clear blue seas & skies of Rottnest Island