Rosie Settles In

Rosie seems to have coped with her holiday relocation without too much drama.  All she asks is a place to sleep!

The Exodus Continues ....

Adam, Kate and the family headed for the airport today to catch up with the expatriate contingent of the family in the UK.  Great excitement.

Apparently they spent time in the Qantas Lounge prior to departure making major inroads into the available buffet.  Sophie has already declared it "the best holiday ever!"

Family Photos Updated

Cathy has sent a great new photo of Mitchell and Ebony's photo is slightly edited so our gallery is now right up to the minute.  What a magnificent crew!

 So this is the final result

New Software Trial

I have been playing with new software that greatly extends your ability to manipulate an image.  Very impressed so far but there is sooooo much to learn!

James' Team Comes Good

It was an exciting game of football to watch today as James' team suddenly seemed to turn the corner and started working as a team.  They kicked goals and worked as a team all over the ground.  James was carrying an injury and so was playing across the back.  He prevented plenty of goals the opposition may have otherwise scored.

The full report can be seen at

http://thedmfc.blogspot.com.au/

Photos Finally Updated

Despite being with the boys for about 8 weeks, we had not managed to update their photos for this year.  Before dinner last night it all came together and the new pix were taken of Jack, Cooper and Lachlan.  These are the final results.

Pat's Team Has A Win

Pat hit the court early this morning and it must have suited the boys as they played more aggressively and brought home a win!

Pat received a whack in the mouth early in the match but he was soon back out on the court. Congrats to the team.

Dinner

Well - it has been a while since we got together for a lamb roast but last night was the night.  The end of the week, a success or two in the bag, some Deutz champagne, a perfectly cooked roast, a delicious 2002 "Brothers in Arms" shiraz and a Stanton and Killeen 1993 vintage Port made for a very relaxing evening.

More Rain

Perhaps it has been a while since I have seen so much rain but I am becoming obsessed!

Shortest Day of the Year

Shortest day of the year! A day to celebrate! Looking out the window - MORE RAIN!!!

Earthquake Moves Us

About 8.50 tonight we had the strongest earthquake I have felt in Melbourne. We heard the low frequency rumbling as it came toward us and then the house shook (gently) for about 10 seconds. With previous earthquakes we have felt a small shudder and then realised what it was. There was no mistaking it on this occasion. It was a magnitude 5.3 quake centred about 120 km away and 9.9 km deep in Gippsland. (See red marker at lower right on the map.)

Sophie's Kinder Concert

We were lucky enough to be invited to Sophies's Kinder for their Concert this afternoon.  Obviously they had been working on their presentation for some time because they sang and played a number of instruments.  Sophie announced one of the items (and was almost hidden by the microphone)

She sang for us.

and played the xylophone.

James at Assembly

At the school Assembly this morning, James was up front in a number of roles.  Firstly, he was responsible for informing the students about an upcoming fundraiser organised by the Junior School Council.

Later he was up receiving his Certificate for his work on the JSC.

Lisa and Justin Return

After a marathon few days at the wheel, Lisa and Justin arrived back home yesterday.  It was great to see them again.  We went over and assisted with unloading the van and Granny was able to catch up with the crew.

Gabby and Nates' Birthdays

Geoff and Marcia were brave enough to have a Barbeque to celebrate Gabrielle and Nathaniels' birthdays on Sunday.  With only the occasional downpour - they managed to get away with it. It was a great occasion with wall to wall kids. The birthrate does not appear to be in decline!

James Has a Tough Day

James team played Wantirna South on Sunday.  Unfortunately a few on the team are struggling and that leaves the performers on the team with a lot of work to do.  James had to try and get the ball and fend off about 3 taggers all day as this photo shows.

As a result it was a scrappy game for the Donvale boys but James did manage to break away from his entourage occasionally.

Pat Fires Up

Patrick had a much better game of Basketball today.  The team fired up and there was much more energy in the game.

The added energy meant they spent a bit of time sprawled over the court.

But the Coach was a happier man this week.

They did not win but there is definitely the prospect of a win in the future.

Great work Patrick!!

Photos Updates

We have been a bit slow this year but we are getting the photos of our wonderful grandchildren up to date. Cathy has sent Ebony and Mitchell's photos, we got James a few days ago, but we still have three to go.  Some how we did not get appropriate photos of Jack, Cooper and Lachlan even though we were with them for seven weeks.  We will have to wait until their return.

Natural Wonders

We live in interesting times.  Less that a week ago we were able to see the transit of Venus and today I went outside and saw this.

The contrasty colours are caused by SUNLIGHT in case anyone had forgotten.  Mind you, it is still freezing!  The forecast? More rain and cloud.

James' Photo

While James was with us we had a second shot at getting his 10 yr old photo.  This is the one we like.

Sleepover

Mum and Dad had to party so Granny and Pa had some overnight visitors.  The whole experience would have been so much better if Essendon had won but at least they were not disgraced.
Sophie helped Granny get up to speed in the morning while the boys watched the replay.

Transit of Venus

After all the rotten weather we have a clear morning for the transit of Venus across the sun today. I was keen to see it as the next transit is over 100 years away and my eyesight might not be good enough then. I set up the little telescope to project the image of the sun onto the ground.

And this is the image.

Not bad for such an ad hoc arrangement. This is our link to Captain Cook and european settlement of Australia.

Winter Delights

The great thing about winter is that there is always something to do to keep warm. After sweeping off the patio yesterday, we had a very windy night and now I can do it all again. Ripper!

 

Melbourne + Winter = Football

A dull, foggy Melbourne winter's day so it must be time to watch the football.  James' team was playing close by and luckily by the time the game started the fog had cleared sufficiently to see from one end of the ground to the other. James put in another fantastic effort.

He spent a good portion of the match on the ball and trying to convince the opposition that he had more right to the ball than they did.

Although he occasionally ended up under a pile of bodies, he was not deterred and as a result he got a "Best on Ground" award.

Dinner

The Masterchef tried a couple of new recipes last night to keep the flour and cholesterol content of the meal to a minimum.  Clean plates seem to indicate general approval. Sophie decided we should have a girls and a boys photo to mark the occasion.

Morning Walk

For those heading toward Melbourne, what can I say? The mornings continue to be bracing!