Ebony's Eighteenth

 To celebrate Ebony's Eighteenth Birthday, Brett and Cathy organised a magnificent, warm, clear afternoon to host a pizza party at Slater Reserve.  It was a great opportunity for a catchup for all the Reid and Walsh members of the family.

We could not have had a better venue or excuse for a wonderful afternoon of wine, cheese and pizza!

It was one of the few times that all the cousins had the opportunity to meet. A great photo opportunity.

Morning (Cough) Walk

 The clear calm mornings are currently being used for fuel reduction burns around the city.  The smoke hanging in the air detracts somewhat from the morning walk.

Football Restarts

 With the Covid Crisis moderating and (hopefully) passing, football has started with the hope of a much less disrupted season.  James now has a couple of practice matches under his belt  with the first formal round to be played next week.  He is hopeful of a good year!

Kate's Birthday

 Well - that didn't take long!  We finally got to take Kate out for her birthday only two months late.  It was a wonderful meal as usual at Payom Thai in Vermont where Kate is a minor celebrity!

Unprompted, Kate was presented with an ice-cream birthday cake by the restaurant.

Great food and company.

Sophie's Final Regatta

 Sophie is spending the weekend in Geelong with a few thousand of her closest friends.  This final regatta marks the end of the rowing season.  Although we were unable to attend, we are able to watch proceedings on a webcast.  Strathcona seemed to be going well. Sophie and her crew came in second in her heat and went straight into the finals.

Sophie (in the bow) and the Strathcona team stormed home in the final winning by a couple of lengths in the Female School Coxed Quad Skull Year 9 Division 7 over 1000m.

Jack's Basketball

 Jack played another Vermont Vultures team last night.  It was a real contest as they were evenly matched. Jack again had a good night and a draw was a fitting result.

Lachlan's Athletics

 Lachlan had his Athletics Sports Day today.  He is not a fan of sitting in the stands so he entered just about everything.  He started with the 1500 metres, he did the high jump, the triple jump, hurdles, discus and the 200 metres and others after Granny had to leave.  He got a first in the hurdles.

Lachy ended up with a second in the 100m sprint also.

Birthday Lunch

 Patrick and Sophie had almost forgotten their birthdays before we had a chance to celebrate with a birthday lunch.  We had to make sure we got it in before James had his birthday.  We went to the "Little Buddy Cafe" just nearby and had a great lunch in perfect weather.

House Sports

 As House Captain, Patrick has to make arrangements for his House participation in the School Sports Day. We can see he takes his role as Yellow House Captain very seriously unlike the other Captains.

Lachlan - Year 6

 Lachlan is now in his final year of primary school.  We got to see him in his "Class of 22" shirt.

Dinner With A Difference

Another balmy evening in Myrtleford and we have to decide on a dinner venue.

We decided on the local (recently established) micro-brewery.  It is another example of  an interesting local enterprise set up in an old butter factory.

They produce a range of ales and offer them together with a variety of barbequed meats.  It was a great meal.

Bright

 Today's little adventure was up the highway to see Bright and the surrounds.

It is a pretty little town set amongst the hills on the banks of the Ovens River.  First up is always coffee.

Then we took the Canyon Walk along the river.  While "Canyon" is an optimistic description, the river pushes through a few restrictions to form rapids.

The town itself is full of "touristy" shops, eateries and coffee shops. The streets are lined with trees that are gradually setting up their autumn colour displays.  In a few weeks the place will look a picture.

Just out of Bright is the little heritage town of Wandiligong.  Houses have to retain their historic character and buildings have to be sympathetic to the area.

Myrtleford

 Myrtleford turned out to be a very quaint little town. At first it seemed neat but with little going on.  It turns out you have to look at the right times.  Many of the stores open at particular times so you have to know when to go.  There are all the needed stores and a range of interesting eateries.

One of the local wineries that grows their grapes near Myrtleford, set up its processing and sales operation on the outskirts of town. Smart marketing.  Of course we bought a few bottles.

The area had its economic origins in the tobacco industry. A statue in tribute stands in a park in the middle of town.

The park also has recreational facilities and barbeque facilities.

It's a great little town in a wonderful setting.

Mount Buffalo

 You cannot visit Myrtleford and Bright without taking a trip up Mt Buffalo.  The lookout affords spactacular views over the whole valley from the top of a cliff that drops hundreds of metres.

The Mt Buffalo Chalet that originally capitalised on this magnificent view is now closed but maintained by the National Park as a Heritage site.  It is a reflection of a bygone era of genteel travel to opulent accommodation and the best of personal service.

Lake Buffalo

 On a week night before a holiday weekend, the caravan park is a quiet place.

It may not be quite so quiet tonight as a school group has arrived!. A few kilometres south of Myrtleford is the picturesque Lake Buffalo that is accessed via an even more picturesque valley.