Kate's Birthday

We had the family celebration of Kate's birthday last night.  It was with some trepidation that we joined Adam in presenting her with a new mixer but it turns out she had been strongly hinting that this would be a good idea.  We have been very happy with ours so expect she will enjoy using it.

Granny made sure there was plenty on the table but we were quite surprised that the childrens' rate of consumption had escalated over the holidays and most of the plates of cakes were nearly empty at the end of the night.  We are entering a new era.

We also appear to have divided along party lines on the wines of the evening. On this occasion, the gentlemen partook of a 97 Coonawarra Shiraz to accompany the lasagne but the gentlewomen stayed with Moscato and Sav Blanc.

Visiting Juliette

Juliette did not plan things very well, she arrived while we were in New South Wales!  Geoff and Marcia did not seem to mind but she was a couple of weeks old before we could visit.  The issue was all resolved this morning.  There was plenty of noise and carry on during the visit but she slept peacefully the whole time.  Not even a glimpse of an eyeball!

Pool Time

One place where you really need a pool is in Echuca on a 41 degree day.  This was the situation last weekend and Cameron and Cathy's pool was an oasis in the heat for the children (of all ages).

As usual, the younger children liked being thrown around by the older children.

Echuca

Last weekend, with the rest of the family,  we visited Echuca.   Pam and Noel put us up in their Guest Wing. In the hope we may visit again, we behaved well and did not disturb the menagerie.

It was a very relaxed weekend spent visiting and eating!  Cathy and Cameron were hosting Lisa and Justin so there was plenty of pool time.  Emma is always pleased to see her Poppy.

On Sunday we were able to visit Paul and Allira in their fantastic new house.  Paul spent most of the visit cooking batches of Grandma's Pancakes for the assembled hordes.  A great "catch up" weekend.

The Great Fishing Expedition

The crew were keen to go fishing so the bags were packed and we headed out.  After a good lunch in Eildon (just in case) we tried the Pondage below the weir.

It has to be said that we had very limited success.  There was always the chance a new lure may help

or a new location.

We finally found the secret - you have to fish in a location where there are fish!  If God had wanted us to fish in rivers he would not have invented Trout Farms.

Late Christmas

Jack, Cooper and Lachlan were in Canberra for Christmas so they had to collect their presents on their return.  We did not hear any complaints.
Lachlan may have trouble opening presents but the concept is clear and unambiguous!

What is it about boys and light sabres?

In case I give the impression of being a bit uni dimensional, I hasten to add that they were also given guns.

And yucky stuff is always in vogue!

New Year on the Hawkesbury

We had been talking about it for a few years but this year we finally got to rent a houseboat on the Hawkesbury River.  And it was some houseboat.  See the fearless crew on the left.

As you can see, only the most skilled navigators were allowed to take the helm.

It really was a house on the river.  On the lower deck there was a lounge area -

dining table and full kitchen -

two full bathrooms with showers and toilets and four double bedrooms.

On the top deck we had a full barbeque, table with seating for 10 and a spa. 

In the evenings we used the on board home cinema and slept well in tranquil surroundings.

Beating this next year will be a real challenge!

New Year's Eve

Some time ago, it had been decided that for New Year we should go up to Felde Farm in New South Wales to visit our friends Jake and Magic (and their carers Graeme and Rhondda).

Rhondda had organised an in house feast for New Year so there was plenty of preparation to be done.
I decided that this was work best left to the experts so I was able to watch with interest -

or relax in the pool.

The evening was balmy so the pre-dinner drinks were taken outside -

then the magnificent meal was consumed at a leisurely pace so we could see in the New Year.

Thanks to Rhondda and Graeme for a wonderful evening!

Carri and Luke's Wedding

Way back in 2012 we attended the wedding of Carri and Luke in Shepparton.  They had a perfect day and a very smooth organisation.  The wedding was conducted in one of the old homestead gardens.

It was sad that on such a wonderful day, Greg was not really well enough to fully enjoy the experience.

 After the wedding, the reception was held in a local sports complex.  The less formal setting made for a happy and relaxed celebration of the wedding.  It was a great evening.

 More photos can be seen at the following Link.  This is supposed to be a slideshow but Photobucket is "updating" and the slideshow is currently not working.   A click through is needed.

Click Here for more Wedding Photos