Cooper's 15th Portrait

 Granny's Gallery has been updated with a couple of new photos.  This is Cooper's latest.

Lachlan's 13th Portrait

 Another photo for the Gallery with Lachlan approving his portrait.

Cooper's New Team

 Cooper's new basket ball team consists of his school friends who play at lunchtime. They won their first outing after making a couple of rookie errors but they look like they will have a good time.

James Plays Reserves

 James had a great game last week.  Apparently others thought the same as he was moved up a division to play in the Reserves this week.  They trounced the opposition 100 to 40.

Looking Over Goughs Bay

 We were interested to see if the Lake House could be seen from the lookout at Goughs Bay.

Although it is partially obscured by trees, the site can be seen. (Close to the centre of this photo.)

Jamieson

 South of Mansfield is the historic and picturesque  little town of Jamieson that originally serviced the gold mining industry.  The drive to the town is beautiful with views of Eildon on the way.

The original Courthouse remains

and the Post Office and Town Hall.

The town was full of autumn colour and old trees reflecting the history of the place.

Mansfield

 Mansfield is an impressive little town with a long history, plenty of impressive architecture and housing and plenty of food outlets and commercial activity.

In the middle of the town there is a monument to the three police shot by the Kelly Gang who are only referenced as "armed criminals".

The original Law Courts and Post Office are in the centre of the town.

Checking On Progress

 While camping at Mansfield, we took the opportunity to visit Gough's Bay where Mark was working on the Lake House.

That evening we met up at the Delatite Hotel in Mansfield for dinner.

Craig's Hut

While many of the family had been to Craig's Hut, Claire had never seen it so that situation needed attention.  We had cool clear weather for the visit.  The road was a little rough and the last couple of kilometres was four wheel drive only.

It was worth the trip.

If fact the most impressive sight was that of the mountains in the distance rolling off into the mist.

and the old, hardy trees of the area were spectacular.

Twenty Fifth Anniversary

 Almost exactly 25 years ago we met up with a group to tour Europe and have been in touch ever since.  Our Anniversary lunch was at the CopyCat Restaurant in Elsternwick.

We are all getting on a bit and health issues are starting to impact. So we had an apology from Noelene but Jenny and David were down from Renmark for the occasion.  Lex and Rosemary hosted us for the rest of the afternoon.

Football Is Back

 We saw James play with his new (revised) Whitefriars team on Saturday.  It was a very different team compared to last year as many of his friends had decided to join.  They had all played many games together in the past so the corresponding teamwork produced a dominating win.  James was on the ball much of the game.

The boys were very happy with the end result at the end of the game!

New Father

 Brett is proud to announce the successful transition of his tadpole into froghood.  Next comes the name.  Godzilla?

Ebony's Nineteenth Portrait

 Today we caught up with Ebony to grab a portrait for Granny's Gallery for her nineteenth birthday.  Very happy with the result.

We Finally Pulled the Trigger

 The Honda Jazz is now 14 years old and although it is still running well, it has a number of age related idiosyncrasies.  So we have finally decided to turn the old girl over on a new car.  On testing some options, Claire felt very much at home in the Honda HRV which is the successor to the Jazz although slightly larger. So we have ordered one as shown, but there is a 3 to 5 month wait.

Work Continues

 Mark is working towards finalising the preparation for pouring the slab for the garage at the Lake House.  Once this is completed and the slab poured, he can move on with the house without needing to depend on external providers.

Lisa, on the other hand, is testing the lake to ensure it will serve her needs once the house is completed.

Cooper and Lachlan's Birthday Dinner

 We had a family dinner for Cooper and Lachlan's birthdays last night.  Mark and Lisa had cooked up a storm compensating for the dismal weather outside.

Another wonderful meal and family occasion.

Into The Wild

 Easter presented the opportunity for Adam, Kate and the family to catch up with Angel and her parents but also to give the new van it's first outing.  It performed well.

If you are heading out into the bush, this looks like the place to go!  It is made even more commodious by the presence of chocolate.

A New Career?

 As Sophie progresses through her education, she is looking at options for a future career.  On this occasion she decided to try her hand at Forest Management operating the wood splitter.