Sophie's Gallery Photo

 Now that exams are over, we are catching up on Granny's Gallery portraits.  This is Sophie's for her eighteenth birthday.

Sophie Is On The Road

 After a couple of years as a "Learner", Sophie took her Drivers Licence test today and despite feeling a fair level of stress she came through as the latest driver in the family.  Congratulations Sophie!

Joe Williams’ Funeral

 Joe (Walter) Williams was one of Claire's 15 Kervin cousins.  Time takes its toll and now only four remain after Joe died following a protracted battle with dementia.  We attended his funeral in Bendigo today where the family gave a picture of a strong family and a life well lived.

Claire was able to meet up with all her remaining cousins at the event including Bryan Kervin - here with his daughter Angela -

and Brenda Hickey and Johnny Williams.

Adam's Birthday Dinner

 For one reason or another (my health, exams etc) we did not manage a birthday dinner for Adam anywhere near his birthday.  On Brett's recommendation he decided to try the local Carlos Cantina, a Mexican restaurant in Blackburn. We all thoroughly enjoyed the meal.  For me, at least, a return visit may be on the cards.  

James - The Mountaineer

 James and his mates undertook the Annapurna Base Camp hike in Nepal and, despite the fears of his father, he was not eaten by a tiger.  However he did move through some amazing scenery and apparently avoided altitude sickness even though he climbed to about 4200 metres.  This is a trip he will always remember.

Basketball

As my recovery progresses, I was able to watch Basketball again.  The bonus was that Cooper and Lachlan were playing in the same stadium at the same time and Jack was coaching.  Three for the price of one!

Cooper had a good game with a couple of good goals and received the Coach's Award.

Lachlan was still suffering from a protracted bout of asthma and a cold but was playing again.  Jack is happier with the team as they work hard and are learning teamwork.

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Patrick's Portrait

 With the exams completed, we were able to catch up with Patrick for his 21st birthday portrait.

Cooking With Gas

 The Lake House now has a cooktop bench and stove all connected so the kitchen is now operational.  Tiling the splashbacks is the next task.

Sophie's 18th Family Party

 Having a birthday late in the year means that study and exams interrupt the celebration period.  So Sophie had her family celebration yesterday. It is always a happy event and we enjoy the opportunity to catch up with both the Reid and the Altis families.

James Heads Into the Wilderness

 James was last seen heading off on a 7 day Annapurna base camp hike in the mountains of Nepal.  They are staying in local accommodation and quite out of communication.  We look forward to his safe return.

Lake House Progresses

 There has been some massive progress on the Lake House in the past few weeks.  Lisa and the boys have been up with Mark to assist with some of the more awkward tasks with Cooper handling a lot of heavy work such as moving scaffolding.  

The bathrooms are close to completion.

Cladding has been completed on the west wall and the scaffolding moved to the front (north side) of the house.

The water tanks are full even though the Lake is well down from levels last year.

Lisa and Mark have decided on solid wooden benchtops that will be made using locally supplied timber.

The sanding and sealing is still to be completed but the bench tops should look great.  At the end of a long day a glass of wine around the firepit is an appropriate reward.

James Heads for Vietnam

 James has the travel bug.  Having already toured France and Spain this year, he took off with a couple of mates on a six week ramble through Vietnam, Thailand and Nepal.  All seems to be going well.

The boys took a long (and dangerous) motor bike tour in the mountains of Northern Vietnam before heading for Thailand.

Year 12 Completed

 Sophie and Holly have now completed their secondary schooling.  The occasion was marked with a Graduation Ceremony at Strathcona.

and a more formal Graduation Dinner for the girls and their parents at the MCG.  It was a magnificent setting to mark the end of an era!