Christmas Night

 This year we hosted Christmas Dinner and as things turned out it was somewhat more than just a dinner.

It had been decided that there should also be a double barreled blind wine tasting.  The first leg was a series of 3 champagnes, cheap middle of the road and expensive. Mitchell was tasked with counting the votes so he set up a website for us to enter our selections.

As it turned out as many liked the cheap bottle as the middle of the road.  

The next test was to see how age influenced red wine.  We had three "Annie's Lane" shiraz, 2006,2013 and 2020.  It proved an easier task to identify the old reds.

After the main course we had the traditional Game.  There were lots of presents ready to be stolen.

There were a number of presents that were contenders for the Most Stolen. Chocolate proved to have a lasting attraction for many.

However the award for the "Most Stolen" went to James for his Box Set of Baileys Irish Cream. Granny awarded him the Perpetual Trophy - a Santa Hat that he has to bring along next year for the next winner.

Lisa's Birthday

 It's feeling like we are getting back to the future as the family gathered to celebrate Lisa's birthday at a family dinner.

It was a very relaxed event as we head toward the end of the year.  There was plenty of food and good wine so normal services have definitely resumed.

Wedding Anniversary No 52

 We had our fifty second anniversary yesterday and arranged perfect weather for the day.  We had lunch at the Blackburn Hotel that does excellent meals.  We then called down to see Peter and Jill and had the evening meal with Adam, Kate and family.

Patrick and Sophie's (Belated) Birthday

 The tradition was re-established today  as the family gathered to celebrate Patrick and Sophie's birthdays. As usual Kate and Adam organised perfect weather for the event.  It is an opportunity for both sides of the family to reconnect after the lockdowns have eased.

Award For Patrick

 Patrick has had a good year at school despite Covid.  So much so he was awarded the Academic Excellence Award for his year level.

Party Time

 The end of the year and the calendar is crammed with Christmas events.  On this occasion Lisa and Mark were off to the Defendtex Dinner.

Cooper's Concert

 In this disrupted year of Covid, Cooper took up the trombone and had to learn remotely or any way he could. However, it all came together last night with a fantastic concert. The kids played like they had been learning all year.

Cooper was happy as he "didn't get one note wrong".  It was certainly a highlight to mark the end of the year.

Party Time

 It is getting to that time of the year when the calendar struggles with all the Christmas social events.  With the easing of restrictions we can now attend!  Kate and Adam headed off to join Travis and Elina at one such event.

Jungleman Jack

 Jack had his school camp up at Rubicon where outdoor activities were the order of the day.  They spent time on the river in kayaks, bushwalking and rock climbing.

Holly's Birthday Lunch

 It was a little delayed but we met up with Holly, Ebony and Mitchell today for a belated celebration of Holly's birthday at the "Dark Horse" in Mitcham.

Our previous experience suggests one never leaves this establishment feeling hungry.  And so it eventuated.

The pre-lunch drinks were almost a meal in themselves.

The meals at this place are always good!

Icing On The Cake

 Ebony had a good year at school finishing the year with an award for Academic Excellence.  Can't do better than that!

Cruising Round the Coast

 We have not been away since the latest lockdown eased so it was with some excitement we finally managed to break out of the city with our European Travel group and head for Inverloch.  We had booked at the rather grandiosely named RACV Resort.  On first approach it was more a building in a paddock

looking over a rather unprepossessing shoreline.

However it was clean and comfortable and although there were covid related limits on service, the rooms and the food service were excellent.

The group formed over 23 years ago so we are all showing our age and some have very restricted mobility so short walks and lots of food comprised the major items of the itinerary.

The first evening meal in the resort served some of the best food we had eaten. We toured along the coast to see some of the more spectacular highlights.

It turns out that a small restaurant on the local Par 3 golf course is one of the most highly rated in the area.  We were lucky to get a booking and agreed with the ratings.

It is a picturesque location and could well be worth a revisit so we could look at a few of the less accessible areas.

On return to Melbourne, we will be on restricted rations for the next week or two!