Jack's Eighteenth Book

 Jack's eighteenth birthday is receding into the past but we have finally managed to put his Birthday Book together documenting some of his life and photos of his past.

Cooper At the Rock

 Cooper's northern adventure is underway.  He has seen CooberPedy and is managing his tent.

The next stage is to head for the Northern Territory and then to Uluru.

They also explored Kata Tjuta - The Olgas.

Cooper Heads North

 Cooper set off on a two week bus tour across the centre of Australia up to Darwin and then returning by plane.  They are covering a lot of territory in a very comprehensive tour.  We are guessing that the initial excitement may give way to some levels of sleep deprivation over the next couple of weeks!

Ebony Does Europe

 The cold Melbourne weather is not an issue for Ebony as she nears completion of a Contiki Tour of Europe.  So far she has been having a great (if tiring) time.  The tour winds up in Italy and from there she will take a short course at an Italian University associated with Monash Uni before returning to her studies in Melbourne.  It looks a lot warmer in London and Prague than it is here!.

Winter Has Arrived

I have had to make a couple of changes to the routine of the morning walk. With damp fog and mornings close to freezing, warmer clothing is required.

Jack's Back

 Some weeks ago Jack badly twisted his ankle during a game of basketball.  It has taken a while but yesterday he was back on court making a handy 9 points as his team squeaked over the line.

Mark's Fifty Fifth

 The family gathered last night to celebrate Mark's fifth fifth birthday that is actually in a couple of weeks time but Cooper is heading for Central Australia on Saturday so we had to go early.  As the family grows, the house does not so we are having problems with our dining layout!

A Difficult Visit

 Peter and Jill have been in care for some time now and their ability to communicate is declining rapidly.  Jill is at the point that she has no memory of the past and is only able to listen.  Peter is finding communication very difficult because of his Parkinsons but is able to listen and understand conversation. Visiting our old friends with these disabilities is very confronting.

Jack's Final Event

 Jack's eighteenth birthday is fading into the past but his final family celebratory dinner has finally occurred.  It had been delayed by his foot injury and illness for quite a while - even so, Mark was down with the current rampaging bug and was unable to attend.  The Lebanese restaurant "Mazaj" at Forest Hill  produces some wonderful food (to my taste) so it was a great night.

Still Going

 On Thursday we met up for lunch with friends made on  our European Tour 26 years ago.  We never seem to have difficulty finding a topic of conversation, the difficulty is getting away in time for bed!

Jack's Family Dinner

 While Jack had his eighteenth birthday a while ago, the family celebration was delayed when he badly sprained his ankle at basketball.  This was rectified on Sunday.  It was a cold night so Lisa and Mark completely reset the house for the occasion but it worked well with drinks and nibbles in the lounge and a huge table for dinner in the family room.

Here We Go Again

 We were sad to be notified by our tenant that he was going to have to break his lease and move on after some major family drama.  So we are now into the business of getting a new tenant for Unit 2.  We would like a clone of the one that is leaving.

Anniversary Dinner

 Mark and Lisa took a night in Melbourne to celebrate their second wedding anniversary

Lachlan vs The Elements

 Lisa Mark and Lachlan decided on an overnight camp after a quick visit to the Lakehouse.  They nearly had the camp area to themselves.

It was freezing on the still clear night.  The kookaburras did their best to steal their dinner and Lachlan woke in the morning with ice inside his swag.

John Comes to Visit

 John Bell came down from Bateman's Bay to visit Jack for his 18th birthday.  Jack made the visit memorable by badly twisting his ankle ad Basketball that put him out of action for 6 weeks!