Lachlan's Win

 Lachlan's basketball team has not enjoyed great success this season but recently they have been coming away with a few near misses and a number of wins.  Yesterday they had a good win.  Jack has been their coach and has had to change his approach to the group. Unfortunately, his own game clashed with this one meaning he was unable to watch the improvement he had been generating.  For his part, Lachlan played really well with a number of goals including a 3 pointer.

Adam's Birthday

 Yesterday we had a family celebration to mark Adam's 52nd birthday.  The evening had added significance because we decided to move to a more casual format to accommodate the growing family.  Nibbles, casseroles and informal dining was the order of the day.  This also enabled a greater range of family photos (now my eyesight has improved over the last month).

The evening took an exciting twist when Ebony decided to bring her bottle of 2004 Grange that she had received for her 21st along for a family tasting.

Claire cooked a range of casseroles so everyone was able to find a meal and no one complained about having to eat off their lap!

Our new arrangement did not absolve the Guest of Honour from having to endure the Cake Ceremony.

Metart

 The Garnetts found an installation in Port Melbourne where metal sculptors displayed their work constructed entirely of scrap metal welded together.  Artists with this level of creativity fascinate me!

The Impressionists

 It was a spectacular winter's day in Melbourne so we took the opportunity to head into the city and over the Yarra to the National Gallery of Victoria and the French Impressionists Exhibition.

Every time I visit, I am pleased to be reminded of the public outcry that resulted in the retention of the "water window" during a renovation that proposed its removal.  Of course, the first item on the agenda is always coffee.

We enjoyed the exhibition that covered a range of styles within the genre and expanded our understanding of the art form.

Then a delightful lunch in one of the laneways before heading home.

Basketball

 On Saturday I had the opportunity to watch Cooper and Jack win a game in the final weeks of their competition.  I was pleased to find my eye had recovered from "dry eye" sufficiently for me to take a couple of photos.

City Visit

 Following a suggestion from Terry and Tricia, we headed for the city to visit ACMI (the Australian Centre for the Moving Image).  This is a museum of all things related to the development of moving images over time from attempts to generate movement from still images to the development of film and the evolution of the video industry.  Being opposite Hosier Lane we had to go there first.

The displays at ACMI are constantly evolving and there is so much to see that a return visit will definitely be on the agenda.

As we had never been into Young and Jacksons Pub we decided on that as our venue to have lunch with Cloe, another Melbourne icon.

Mark's Birthday Dinner

 Mark is a fan of Italian cooking so we went back to Piccolino Restaurant for his birthday dinner.  Brett had introduced us to this restaurant and the food was still great but Italian Pizzas do not quite cut it for boys used to more substantial Australian derivatives.

Back From New Zealand

 Patrick and Lan-Tian took the opportunity to visit Queenstown and the snow fields in New Zealand during the Uni vacation.  While they had a great time, Patrick seems to have decided that his skills and talents may be better deployed in areas other than steep snow covered slopes. (No argument there!)