Ebony on Wheels

 Ebony has moved into the world of car ownership with her new Suzuki.  If Dad is really good he can have his car back now.

Around Bendigo

 Bendigo was central to the gold mining industry on the 19th century so there are many historic locations and towns surrounding the city.  We visited Castlemaine where their Town Hall speaks of a prosperous past and took some time in their Art Gallery.

Their Gallery was started by 6 women in the 19th century who wanted a place in the area for cultural activities and to display their art and host exhibitions.  It has remained open since establishment and is now an important Regional Gallery.

Maldon is a township that has aggressively maintained its historic buildings and as a consequence enjoys a steady stream of visitors and tourists.

Bendigo Attractions

 While in Bendigo there was plenty to see.  Their gardens were beautifully presented and their new "Gardens of the Future" (reimagined Botanical Gardens) had developed a lot since our last visit.  No visit would be complete without a trip to the Great Stupa and it is always worth seeing.

For our delayed New Year Dinner we went to "The Dispensary" in one of the central laneways of the town for a magnificent degustation dinner.  As expected it was a wonderful meal prepared by amazing chefs with local produce.

Bendigo Odyssey

 Our traditional New Year trip with the Inchleys and Russells had been delayed for Tricias 80th.  However we travelled to Bendigo for a few days to see the sights.

History surrounds you in Bendigo and the city embraces it's past, with old buildings and the historic tramway service.

A part of the old gold mine is still producing gold.

Inspection of the Lake House

 John Bell was visiting from Canberra and had offered assistance to Mark at the Lake House as some of the plastering etc required extra helpers.  The Garnett clan had taken up residence to assist and we visited with the Inchleys to see progress. First order of business was lunch at The Delatite Hotel.

A lot of work had been done since the last visit.  Now, mountaineering experience was not required to access the back door.

Most of the internal walls had been plastered, the plumbing and electrical skeleton was in place as was most of the insulation.

Much had been done so we took our leave so they could continue and before they thought to ask us to give a hand!

Tricia Turns 80

 On Saturday, Tricia had a party for friends and family to celebrate her "Coming of Age" as she is turning 80.

A group of old friends and family celebrated at "The Pavillion" where they live.  It gave us all the chance to meet up once again with the family and some friends we had not seen for some years.

Inchley Visit

 The Inchleys came down for a belated New Year visit and to attend Tricia's 80th Birthday Celebrations.  We took the opportunity to catch up with the Edmonds but as we sat down for lunch at a local restaurant, a lightning strike took out the power grid.  We had ordered but had to eat in the dark!

We also took the opportunity to catch up with Kaye and Ian Faulkner at Kuranga Nursery in Montrose.

Following the meal we watched the contemplation,

the consideration.

and the eventual purchase of some of their produce.

James and Angel in Asia

James and Angel took off after Christmas for an Asian Adventure.

After a couple days in Singapore (they went to Cambodia and spent 4 nights in Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat and many other temples.

Then to Phnom Penh (Cambodia's capital for 3 nights.  They took in the sights including a Kun Khmer fight (Cambodia's kickboxing) and the confronting experience of the Genocide Museum and killing fields. Then off to Vietnam and spent a couple nights in a beachside town outside of Ho Chi Minh.

They finished the trip with some time in Ho Chi Minh to see the war tunnels and eat lots of great Vietnamese food.

Raised Garden Surrounds Completed

 The walls of the raised garden are now in place.  They have to be lined with plastic before the garden soil goes in.

The Great Fire of Nunawading

 Yesterday we woke to find our taps had very low water pressure.  It turned out there had been a massive fire that destroyed the "40 Winks" bedding store.  Hundreds of police and firemen were involved and water was being pumped from all the surrounding hydrants up to 3 blocks away.  Damping down took most of the day.

It took a couple of days to make the site safe and remove all the broken glass from windows etc. but the smell of smoke still pervades the area.

Lake House In Use

 Although there is still much work to be done, the Lake House is now capable of hosting visitors.  Both Cooper and Lachlan were taking friends over the school holidays to "camp out" for a few days and spend time around the Lake.

Visiting Old Haunts

 Following time in London, Brett. Cathy and family headed for Brighton where they had lived for 3 years.

In Brighton they saw their old house, old friends and old haunts.