Interesting Outcomes

One of the features of the current Corona Virus Pandemic is that there have been a range of unintended, or perhaps unexpected outcomes.  One of these has been that Adam built a Vege Patch.

Gecko Emerges

The gecko we purchased in Coffs Harbour about eight months ago has been hibernating in the garage since arriving.  His isolated existence finally drove him up the wall.

Socially Distanced Photography

With all the isolation and distancing rules in place, getting the birthday portraits of the grandchildren has become an issue.  Thankfully Cathy stepped into the breach and took Mitchell's eighteenth for us.

Isolation Diaries

With Australia in a state of emergency over the spread of the Corona virus (Covid 19) life is in a weird holding pattern as things evolve.  We are unable to catch up with friends and family so this has to be done by electronic means. In addition, we are stuck in the house.  Luckily there are a few things to be done and Bunnings is still open.  We are also able to go for walks.  Who knows, by the time it is all over we may be a lot fitter!

Weird

We are now living in a self isolating and social distancing world as a result of the Covid 19 virus.  What are the financial and social implications?  So it was with some interest that we attended an auction yesterday of the house our builder finished just before ours.  There was plenty of local interest in the auction itself but only one bid. The auctioneer had 7 auctions on the day and 6 sold including this one so there is money around.  Apparently this is a new form of entertainment.

Huge Disappointment

The advent of the corona virus pandemic has forced us to cancel all our arrangements for travel to the US and Europe.  We are particularly sad to miss the opportunity to visit with Barbara and Fred our friends from Georgia US.  We can only hope that this scourge passes and we might be able to make alternative arrangements.

Off to Echuca

We picked the perfect day to visit Echuca to catch up with Noel, Pam and Greg. Our usual routine has been disrupted since we discovered "Oasis" at Elmore. It is now necessary to pause here for sustenance when passing.

 Greg is tiring easily but his spirit is undaunted.  Luckily we caught him early as we had to leave so he could be prepared to go to lunch with one of the local volunteers.

 Lunch with Noel and Pam was at home as we all process the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic.  Some restaurants were closed and we spent time while travelling arranging cancellations of our upcoming overseas trip.  The news channels were feeding the latest information as we had our Fish and Chips at home.

Lisa and Mark Engaged

The family gathered last night to celebrate Lisa and Mark's engagement. We had a noisy relaxed meal to celebrate Mark's entry to the family and Brett's demotion to middle son.

 The only downside to the evening was that Jack was so sick he was unable to attend.

Euro Group Catchup

Our Euro Group decided on lunch at a Chinese restaurant in a business park for our March Catchup.  Apparently it is a local favourite and the banquet we had was magnificent.  It appears they have also been impacted by the corona virus scare as there were only a few other tables occupied.

 In truth, we were all fully loaded after the banquet but we repaired to Doug and Noelene's just to make sure.  This also gave us the opportunity to cover the issues of the day and address World Peace.

Antonio Park Athletics

It was a perfect day today for the Athletics at Antonio Park Primary, sunny but not too hot. Both Cooper and Lachlan took part in a range of events to keep me busy with the camera.
Lachlan had been through the eliminations for the High Jump at school to be one of the best 5 in his house and today, he came in overall third place.

 Both Cooper and Lachlan took part in the 100m Hurdles

Cooper took on the challenge of the Hop, Step and Jump.

 And then he took on the Long Jump.

Both boys ran the 100m dash.

Then both ran the 200m as well.  They should have no trouble sleeping tonight.

Long Way for Lunch

We took public transport to St Kilda to have lunch with friends (because we can).

What ever way you look at it, Southern Cross Station is a fascinating piece of public infrastructure.

 We had a long lunch at St Moritz with John and Rob (who I worked with 45 years ago and now suffers from macular degeneration).  Great meal and relaxed trip home.

Mitchell - The Man

It was the perfect evening for the family to gather to celebrate Mitchell's eighteenth birthday.  A mild evening for an outdoor feast that Brett and Cathy had prepared.

 The barbeque was in full flight with the Masterchef on the job.

 As usual, the meat and salads were brilliant.

 Granny spent time introducing her boys to the joys of Baileys.

 The cake was amazing but sooo filling.

 Our grandchildren are starting to tower over us.