Moving to Myrtleford

Our visit to the Bright/Myrtleford area has been on our "To Do" list for some time.  We made it to Myrtleford today.  We sustained ourselves on the journey with vanilla slices.

The park is quiet and shady beside Happy Valley Creek.

There are a number of local Pubs and we found that (as usual) they serve excellent food.

Mitchell's Gallery Pic

 Mitchell came over today so we could upgrade his photo in Granny's Gallery as he enters his third decade!

Lisa's Birthday

 Lisa's Birthday Dinner was a little late this year.  However we finally made it at Sapporo's Japanese Restaurant in Mitcham.  It is a place that produces consistently good food and it didn't disappoint on this occasion.

The great seafood kept Claire happy.

Jack On Fire

 As the Covid crisis recedes we are getting back to normal.  This evening we were able to watch Jack and his team comfortably win their game of basketball.  Jack could do no wrong, long bombs, plenty of goals and great work setting up others.  His game has come a long way since we last saw him.

Project Completed

 The renovation of the back yard had been an overdue project for some time.  The new layout is finally in place.  Plants have been moved and (hopefully) the soil revitalised so it is all ready for planting.  The nurseries will love us!

Peter and Jill

 Peter and Jill are not in a position to travel much outside their accommodation these days.  We visited them today to let them know about the meeting of the old "Youth Group" and deliver a card that everyone had signed.  Peter is unable to move much without a wheelchair and Jill's vascular dementia means she has virtually no memory of the past.  However we found them in good spirits.

Annual BYF Meetup

 It was the annual catch-up of the "Youth Group" that met at Ashburton Baptist around 55 years ago.  The first task of the evening was a head count to check how many are still around.

Then it was down to the socialising to see how we had all fared during the season of Covid.

Then dinner, the important part of the evening.

Birthday Dinner

 We had been recommended to a new Mexican restaurant in Blackburn by Brett and Cathy so we booked for Claire's Birthday dinner.

It is a great place for a meal.  Typical Mexican style but tasty and well presented. The Mexican beer (Pacifico) was excellent.

We enjoyed it so much that the usual rules were broken and Claire had a sweet (choc brownie, raspberry, ice-cream) and I had a coffee liqueur.

Birthday Trip

 Claire decided that her birthday outing would be to the Melbourne Zoo.  Our last visit was about 15 years ago with the family and things have changed a lot.  The facade is unchanged.

Inside, things are very different.  There are cool shaded avenues along all the walkways.

All of the enclosures are being redeveloped for more animal friendly accommodation although we did recognise the giraffe enclosure from years ago.

Many of the enclosures were so animal friendly that the occupants were completely hidden.  However the coffee and the walk made the visit worthwhile.

Vale Doug

 We were shocked to learn that Doug O'Bree our long time friend and traveling companion, passed away last night.  We met on a European trip in 1998 and had been in regular contact since then.  To use a hackneyed phrase, he was one of nature's true gentlemen.  Doug had recovered well from chemotherapy associated with a lung cancer but a severe infection and blood clot following a transfusion proved too much.  We will miss him greatly.