We are just back from ten days at Rottnest. Pretty good fun. Loads of friends there with loads of kids. Rotto is a kids paradise. I guess I went there a lot as a kid myself, so going there for a family holiday feels good.

I need to give out a few awards:

• The Hold-em-down-and-give-them-the-typewriter Customer Service Award goes to the Bayseeker Bus and its bizarre ticketing arrangements. If you get on the bus before the main settlement, you end up having to get off the bus, walk or run down to the office, and get a ticket, then get back on the bus and show the ticket. But if you get on at a stop after the main settlement, the bus driver takes your money and gives you a ticket. It must have taken a room full of management consultants to come up with this one.
• The Stingy-tourist-screwer Award goes to the Rottnest Bakery that consistently outperformed other shops with their grumpy service and stinginess with paper bags. At one visit they crammed too many sausage rolls into one bag, the bag split open, and when my mate Al asked for another bag the offered to sell him one. And they were consistently grumpy whenever I visited.
• The Keeping-it-real Award goes to the Geordie Bay Store, which was relaxed and cool despite everything, including hordes of kids and ice-creams. Love that shop. The Rottnest General store in the main settlement was also excellent.

Basically Rotto is wonderful, and even a little bad service doesn’t matter. I came home with sand between my toes and no desire to ever wear shoes again.