Christmas!

Christmas Day is always exciting no matter how old you are.  We visitied with Jack, Cooper and Lachlan to see them get their presents from Santa and deliver some of our own.

Then it was off to see James,  Patrick and Sophie.

And then back to Lisa's for the family Christmas Lunch.

Once chocolate is involved, Adam tends to get a little over excited.

As always, over indullgence resulted in an afternoon of mellow lethargy.  The evening was spent with Lisa and the boys and a couple of other families at Vicki and Brad's house.  It was quite a day.  We have no idea how people go shopping on Boxing Day.  To us it is all about recovery.

Lisa's Birthday

Dinner last night saw the clan gather to celebrate Lisa's birthday.  Unsurprisingly, a competition seems to have developed between her brothers to get the weirdest or most innuendo laden card possible.  Lachlan was concerned about the effect this might have on her delicate constitution.

  But she survived the presents and the cards.

All went well feeding the assembled company on traditional fare of roast lamb and apple rolly polly. Once all the candles were lit, we had to stand a little further away from the cake this year.

Sleepover

Lisa was invited to an evening in the City with Julia for her birthday.  The boys declined the offer and decided to spend time with Granny and Pa.  The weather was scorching so Adam and Kate's pool was the venue of choice.
Jack was out to prove he could make the biggest hole in the water.  He did well (for a short period!)

It was certainly the place for a hot afternoon.

It was just about as hot in the morning so  the iDevices saved the day.

Cooper - Basketball

It is approaching the end of the season and Cooper's basketball group is finishing up.  This week the group were playing competitive games and Cooper was having a ball.

When he decides to run, there are few that can catch him.

Healesville Getaway

The family chipped in for a night at a Healesville B&B for my birthday so we took the opportunity to look around the area and visit the Sanctuary.  To and from Healesville we traveled the back roads instead of the highway and there is some beautiful scenery very close in to Melbourne.

At the Sanctuary much has changed since our last visit.  Claire had a close encounter with a Helmeted Honeyeater that thought she might like to contribute a strand or two of hair to his nest.

We also had a close up look at the Orange Bellied Parrot.

and Koalas doing what Koalas do.

We saw the Platypus show and the Birds of Prey show and walked our legs off then retired gracefully to the B&B which provided excellent accommodation and a wonderful breakfast before we returned home through the hills.

Drama Class Presentation

Sophie's Drama Class has finished for the year and we were invited to the final presentation.  The children had developed the story line and decided on the presentation for their families.  Sophie's group presentation was themed around a circus.

All the participants received a certificate and a memento of their participation in an event that took most of the children well outside their comfort zone.  Congratulations Sophie.

New Birthday Photos

We managed to find a time when everyone was available and without illness or injury so we could get Patrick and Sophie's birthday portraits today.  We were only a little late.

New Bathroom Approaches

Lisa's new bathroom is well underway and although there have been a number of delays, the end is now in sight.  The new vanity and bench top are now in so tiling can now be completed. In case anyone was wondering, there was no ceremony to mark the demise of the old (and unusable) spa bath that has now left the property!

Grand Final Win!

Ebony and her team put on a dominant display today to win their grand final by a big margin.

Ebony was Goal Shooter all day and once she got her eye in, she gave the scoreboard a workout.

Ebony finished the game a little red in the face but the smile said it all. She played a great game

We Wander Off To Warrenmang

With long time friends we maintained the tradition of a few days away in late November - December.  This year we headed for Warrenmang Vinyard near Moonambel in Western Victoria.

Our accommodation was in comfortable chalet style units

with magnificent views over the vinyard.

We spent time in some of the historic locations in the area,

and visiting a number of interesting vinyards.

We did enjoy the visit to Taltani and came away with some of their very tasty red wine.

For relaxation there was a pool and a hot tub,

and on the last evening we had a meal in the winery.

We came home with our souls revived!

Works Like a Dream!

Lisa's new drive was tested today when she brought the van back from service.  She was able to back it into position on the first attempt.  Entry and exit of the van are now no problem - Thanks Adam and Harry.

Let's Have Fun & Scratch the Cars!

We decided that a little Four Wheel Driving was required to search out a camp spot close by. It has to be said that the available maps do not give a true indication of the state of the tracks.  We started up a moderate track that turned out steep and rutted and was eventually blocked by fallen trees necessitating a return down the mountain.

Another "road" was so overgrown it was difficult to push through but eventually we found some flat ground for lunch.

One of the locals needed assistance on some of the panels on his car.  The boys were pleased to help.

After a good lunch the venture was voted a success.