Tree Down - RIP Callitris

Two of our oldest trees were starting to look close to their "use by" date.  The Lilly Pilly was thinning rapidly and the Callitris columellaris that I had grown from seed collected near Suggan Buggan in 1966 was splitting down the trunk.

So the men with the chain saws arrived today.

As a consequence, the view out the back window is now quite different.

Parkinsons - Walk In The Park

We took part in the annual "Walk In The Park" in aid of Parkinson's Disease Research today.  It has become an annual catch up with old friends and today the weather was merciful.  We met Clive and Jan on the train heading in -

and caught up with the others in Federation Square before the walk along the Yarra.

The completion of the walk always ends up with a catch up over a light lunch.  No exceptions today.

 It also gave us the opportunity of seeing Michelle and Ethan who is growing like a mushroom.

Basketball - James

James and the Celtics had a tough day on the court today playing a team that seemed to be a very well oiled machine.  In fact it was only shortly before half time that James scored the first goal for his team.

They came home with a more respectable scoreline in the second half.  We do not believe that James was working on some unconventional techniques for hobbling the opposition.

Basketball - Patrick

Patrick had another good day on the court today coming through with a win even though they only had 5 players.  Pat shot plenty of goals and had the opposition very confused as he moved the ball from side to side around his legs.

School Production

After all the preparation we were excited to be able to see the School Production last night.  What a show!! The performance was amazing and at a level way beyond the age of the performers.  Any high school would have been proud of the production.
Lachlan came to see his brothers and cousins perform in the venue perfect for the production.

Cooper was out first representing London.

Then Sophie came in from the Caribbean.

Then we saw Egyptian Jack -

 and Italian Pat showed off his smooth moves in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The finale saw the whole school on stage to finish a great show.

Premiere of the School Production

Jack and Cooper were very excited last night as we saw them off to perform in the school production.  Apparently all went well and we are looking forward to seeing the show tonight.

Speaking of Old Photos ...

As the work of digitising old photos goes on, it throws up some interesting images. This is from December 1995.

And the Work Goes On

The task of digitising decades of photos seems never ending.  However we are now up to 1995/96 so progress has been made!

 A long cold winter has meant the garden maintenance has fallen a bit behind so a couple of clear days should see improvements there.

Adam's Birthday

We had the family dinner to mark the fact that Adam had carved another notch in the time line

We had a great dinner with a surprise menu (Lamb Roast and Apple Rolly Polly) and we also had a surprise guest.  Lachlan brought Tam from kinder to share in the celebrations.

Basketball - Patrick

Events had conspired to prevent us from seeing Pat play for some time but we caught up with his team today.  Things have changed a lot since we saw him last.  Patrick is now a major force in the team scoring 10 of their 22 points today and being the go-to player in tight situations.  The boys only lost by 2 points in a very exciting game.

Basketball - James

After a week with a bad dose of Flu, James was back on the court today.  We were unable to stay to the end but they were doing well when we left.

Pat's Pix

Patrick has been working on his photographic skills and is developing fast.  I like this one from this afternoon's session.

And the Winner Is .... Justin!

Justin was nominated for a Father's Day Prize with the "Good Guys" retail chain and has come home a winner!

Not only did he get a decent cheque but he also collected a huge range of electrical and white goods. There was a fridge, an electric BBQ, tablet, smart watches, smartphone, kitchen appliances, a 50" smart TV and more. What a day!

Ramp in Action

Lisa and Justin had a new landing installed over the weekend to provide a smoother front entry.  The concrete block has been covered and there is now an easy ramp access as well.  Lachlan is very proud of the new installation.

The Grand Final

The Jets Under 13 played in the Grand Final on Sunday.  James had been sick for a week so was in a bit of trouble on the day however he did manage a little time on the oval.

Unfortunately North Ringwood proved too strong on the day and although the Jets lost, they put on a much stronger performance than on their last meeting.  A win was possible even up to the last quarter.  At the conclusion, the end of a good season was marked with a medal presentation.  It was sad for James he was so ill on the day but he really has had a good season.

 Photos of the game can be seen by

CLICKING ON THIS LINK

Book Time

We always enjoy evening book time with Jack Cooper and Lachlan.