James' Birthday - Part 2

After the birthday party with his school friends, James arranged a period of recuperation and then invited the family around for a more subdued celebration.  Food and drink were consumed in moderation and no guests suffered sleep deprivation.  It was quite a contrast.

James' Birthday - Part 1

This birthday was going to be a little different.  James' main present was a new basketball ring.  Adam thought it may have been better if the ring came with free construction and installation.

Then the tent was put up for the backyard camping sleepover.

Unfortunately he guests were not far enough away from the house for the parents to have a relaxed evening's sleep.

A two hour sleep, an early morning swim in a freezing pool and a big breakfast capped the perfect celebration.

Jets Start Their Season

The Jets had their first practice match of the season today and James was in the thick of it.  It was a hot day and the boys worked hard so they were almost spent by the time it finished.

Patrick is the Team Water Boy and he worked almost as hard as the players.

While they did not win it is early days.

Season Starts - Jack's Practice Match

The football season has started with the junior leagues starting their practice matches this weekend.  We went to see Jack do his thing.  He did get a number of touches but the big feature of the day was the mouth guard.  He is not comfortable with it yet.

Cooper and Lachlan enjoyed the Cheezels

and a private coaching session with James.

The Right Tool

Happiness is having the right tool for the job at hand.  Once you have hammered in a tent peg, there comes a time when it has to be extracted.  This brickies hammer is just the implement for the job.  It took a few days to find one but I am now a happy camper!

Mitchell is 12

We took a couple of weeks to catch up with Mitchell to get his photo for his 12th birthday. We finally managed it today.

Netball - Ebony

We saw Ebony play netball again this morning and she put on another impressive performance.  Her team has moved up a grade since we last saw them but they still won 6 - 0.  Although she has played in all positions, we again saw her play a strong game in defence.

Patio Roof Grows

It has become an interesting build.  The complex angles of the roof line have caused the builders a number of headaches and necessitated the re manufacture of some parts.  However, the frame is now in place ready for the scaffold for the installation of the roofing.  We are excited!

Jack's Season Ends

Jack played his last game for the season last night.  It was a tough gig! They only had four players and a ring in and a substitute coach.  They went down fighting and Jack put in a really good performance.

Jack and his mate Jack received their team medallions for the season.

Kervin Cousin Reunion

The Kervin cousins arranged a reunion in Echuca to coincide with Greg's birthday.  Our trip was timed so we could attend on our way home from NSW.  The last reunion was 8 years ago and the next is planned in 5 years as time is running out for some of us!!

Strathy

On the way back to Echuca we dropped in on Kylie.  This is the first time we have seen her house and garden.  While the garden was suffering a little from the recent very hot days she has done a great job with careful selection of plants for the tough environment.  The wonderful old gate came from the home farm in Leitchville.

Heading South

Camping in a Winery has its compensations.

Apart from the views and the relaxed environment (and the pool on a hot afternoon) you might decide to use their restaurant in  the evenings.  Makes for a tough life.

Hunter Valley Gardens

In the middle of the Hunter Valley there is a huge display garden with a huge variety of plants and garden styles.  It was set up with a massive private donation and now operates as a commercial operation.  Their water supply could take them through 2 years of virtually no rain.

Morning in the Vineyard

Wake up in a winery and the views are a little different. It is a misty morning in the Hunter Valley.

Life at the Winery

We left the Broke common to set up camp in a winery next to their pool.

Lunch with friends was at the Dr Jerds Jungle Juice Wollombi Tavern after a drive along the Wollombi Valley.

Going for Broke

We headed across to Broke where we set up in a free camp near the town.

It was not long before we were busy relaxing.

We will be moving on tomorrow because one of the local wineries offered us a location beside their pool.  It took us nearly a microsecond to accept the offer!

Life in the Showgrounds

We have been enjoying life in the Dungog Showgrounds.  In the evening there is light on poles if we want it.

There is a range of interesting buildings used for the shows.

Our position is high over the showgrounds overlooking a small valley.  All very commodious.

Surrounds of Dungog

We are in a beautiful part of the world made much more attractive by recent rain.  We saw the Chichester Dam and the surrounding bush with the 4WD trails and camp areas.

And we had coffee in the historic village of Paterson which was the final stop for steamers coming up the river to carry out produce of the area.