Ebony's Birthday

 We called in to see Ebony on her birthday.  Holly had made her a cake so we were able to sample it.

My New Toy

 For a couple of months I have been looking forward to the arrival of my new toy, a "smart telescope" that collects starlight by tracking deep sky objects and stacking the images together.  It is small and powerful.

The challenge is now to learn how to use it effectively and process the images.  I used some simple settings to photograph Nebulae C103 and C 92.

Historic Maryborough

 Maryborough is a town crammed with history.  We saw one of the earliest commercial buildings in the area (early1800s),

The Grand Stand at the Oval was clearly from a different era.  The old Fire Station was at a high point overlooking the Town.  It is now an Art Gallery.

Many of the old buildings around the town have been repurposed.  The original water supply for the Fire Brigade is now a lake in their Botanic Garden.

One of Victoria's original Log Gaols still stands a few kilometres down the road.

The main historic showpiece in the area is the massive Railway Station that was built by an early Victorian Premier to bolster his re-election prospects.  He failed.

Maryborough

 For some time now we had intended to visit Maryborough, one of many historic Victorian gold mining towns.  The architecture of the area certainly indicated a confident and affluent past.  We stayed at the Bull and Mouth Hotel in the middle of town that had comfortable rooms and excellent food.

Close by were the historic Post Office, Law Courts and Town Hall and a much more recent Hospital.

Cooper Ends the Season

 Cooper played his final match for the season last week.  They missed a win but it was a competitive game.  Cooper took out the "Most Improved Player" trophy.

Cradle Mountain

 Adam, Kate Brett, Cathy and their friends Paul and Jen had been planning a trip to Cradle Mountain for some time.  The weather at the mountain is notoriously fickle so they were very lucky to strike benign conditions for their visit.

Lake House Receives Guests

 Mark has been working on the interior of the Lake House doing plaster work and painting.

It has now accommodated guests for a weekend so the systems are up and working.

The walls now have their final colours in the Family Room.

Season Ends

 We watched Lachlan in his final game for the current season.  Jack was ill so he missed his final game as Coach. The boys worked hard but unfortunately they were outgunned on this occasion.  So we now look forward to a new team and a new season.

Cousin Catchup

Twice a year, Claire meets up with her cousins for lunch.  She is lucky only having to travel into Southern Cross station but Glenda travels 4 hours by bus each way from Cohuna, and Valerie travels about 90 min by train from Trafalgar. 

Claire's Birthday Celebration

 Lisa and Mark invited the family over for a celebration of Claire's 78th birthday.  Despite predictions the rain held off for a wonderful relaxed evening.  Well, it was relaxed for the attendees but Lisa, Mark and the boys worked hard all night!

The cake was a great opportunity for a family photo but as Cathy was the photographer, she was (photographically) MIA.