Cooper - On the Ball

We had the opportunity to see Cooper playing Basketball last night. The only problem was that it was about 30 degrees outside and about 55 degrees in the stadium.  At the end of the game players and spectators emerged in the same state.

Cousins Day Out

Claire spent the day with her cousins Valerie and Glenda who came to Melbourne for the day.  They took the ferry to Williamstown for lunch.

The Cure is Chocolate

Lachlan had a bad run of Asthma so a visit to the Doctor was required. If you have to wait for the Chemist to put their label on the jar, a chocolate doughnut (or "donut" in newspeak) seems to relieve the stress of the waiting.

Ashburton Annual Gathering

Our annual gathering of old friends took place in Elida's apartment block on Southbank.

We had the use of barbeques etc in a large common area overlooking the city.

Staying in the city overnight made it all a very relaxed experience.  We had a leisurely breakfast in the hotel before wandering back to the station to catch the train home.

Claire's Birthday Dinner

Kate and Adam hosted a wonderful evening dinner to celebrate Claire's "nearly there" birthday.  The whole family seemed to have put in a day of cooking so we were never going to go home hungry.

Here Kate is multitasking as Chef and Photographer.

When it rolled around to presents it almost appeared as if they had been reading Claire's mind with some specialised cooking equipment and some books and mags. to help plan a new abode.

The desert included the special "Leaning Tower of Profiteroles" constructed by Brett and Ebony.

It was a wonderful night. Mitchell was missing but he had applied for, and been granted special permission as he was on a 3 day scout camp.

Claire's Birthday Lunch

For her Birthday lunch this year, we decided on Oscars in Warburton. The weather was perfect for lunch on the deck overlooking the Yarra River.

The bonus is the option of a wander by the Yarra before the coffee is served.

A few kilometres back at Yarra Junction we called in to see the lotus gardens.  They were a bit of a surprise to us in their size and variety.  The gardens get our tick of approval as worth a visit.

Netball - Ebony

We saw Ebony's first game with the new team for the new season this afternoon.  They met some strong opposition and initially things did not look pretty however the girls rallied and reduced the gap toward the end of the game.

Ebony put through a number of goals in rapid succession early in the game keeping the opposition Keeper on her toes.

Pat Plays a Pearler

Pat has played with his new team for a while and we saw an early game last year but this was our first opportunity this year.  The boys are playing well and Patrick more than holds his own in the team.  It was good to see them recover from a poor start to win by 5 points. It was also good to see Pat's drives producing goals for the team (and himself).

The opposition gave Pat a "Guard of Honour"!

Holly Fires Up

It is a new season and a new team and a new level of performance.  Holly and her team had a good win today.  The skill levels are well above last season so she should have fun on Saturday mornings.

New Toy Deployed

I have a lot of old film negatives and while I can produce good images from them, it takes a while to sort the gold from the dross. I have been looking for a quick method of scanning through them.  That new toy arrived today, a cheap and cheerful scanner for slides, negatives and photos.

To my astonishment, the images it produces are quite reasonable. They are good for general use and I can easily see if I want a higher quality image.

Lachlan at Gym

Lachlan decided he wanted to continue with Gym this year and I saw him in action last night.  He clearly enjoys the activities and the challenge they provide.

His teacher really knows his stuff and seems to be able to put his finger on the small changes needed to improve.  He is loud and positive and has the respect of his students.

Up to Echuca

We took a flying visit up to northern Victoria today to visit Greg, Pam and Noel.  Sadly Greg has become a little more incapacitated since last visit but he remains in good spirits.

Basketball - James

We were told to expect a bit of a caning as James and his Celtics came up against one of the top teams.  It certainly did not look good early as the opposition drew ahead.

Then some way into the first half the umpire called them for being out of court.  The team thought he got it wrong and from then on they played like NFL recruits taking out the game with a 3 point margin in an exciting finish.

Basketball - Jack

The summer season has a long break over the Christmas period but we saw Jack back into it today.  He has improved his skills with more aggressive play and intercepts.  They went down today playing a skilled team with a number of tall players but the boys played well.

The Hot Weather Solution

It has been warm!  A pre dinner dip before testing out the new Barbeque was the best way to cool off.