Australia Day fun

This years Australia Day celebrations kept us entertained over a week and we enjoyed a variety of events. The Australia Day Legends lunch was held at the Melbourne Convention Centre and we enjoyed a lovely lunch sharing our table with not one but four of the Australia Day ambassadors. 'These are a group of 149 Victorians, both men and women, representing the fields of the arts, sport, entertainment, community and business arenas. Their role as Australia Day Ambassadors is to promote the significance of our national day and encourage people to participate in the many activities which take place'. We shared our table with a businessman from St Kilda, a retired Police Commissioner of Tasmania, Paul Jennings, yes it was the Children's author himself and last but not least Dr Sally Cohen. You might know her better as Dr Sally Feelgood from TV. I can only tell you that she kept us all in stitches, the laughing kind, through lunch and we all enjoyed her company.

The Legends themselves were announced during the lunch and with 2011 being the Centenary of the International Women's Day it was fitting that this years award recognised four women who have helped advance women's equality in Australia. These four women were Eva Cox AO, Elizabeth Evatt AC, Germaine Greer and Anne Summers AO. All of them have helped create the fairer Australia we live in today. And as always, whenever Germaine Greer is mentioned there is some controversy, this time on the news as many debated as to why she was included. They all spoke on the day and she was very entertaining as usual.

Our next event was very exciting as we donned the glad rags and proceeded to Government House for an Australia Day Reception. Welcome drinks in the Ballroom started off the evening. Once the Australia Day address by the Governor Professor David de Kretser, A.C. and the Premier Mr Ted Ballieu, was completed we were served drinks & canapes in the Fountain Garden. At this time we were able to stroll through Government House seeing the State Rooms which included the State Dining Room, State Hall, State Billiard Room & State Drawing Room. These rooms are what the public get to see on Open Days and events like this and they are beautiful and very impressive. We had a lovely evening and met some very interesting people.

On Australia Day itself we spent a leisurely morning at home and then walked up to the Botanic Gardens. We had a lovely lunch in one of the cafes and then spent a few hours enjoying the beautiful gardens as we wandered aimlessly. A very relaxing way to spend the afternoon. While there we were pleased to see that the lakes and waterways that had been almost dry last year were now full and supporting a wide variety of bird life. Everywhere we looked we saw babies with their Mums. Ducklings, Cygnets, Baby Dusky Moorhens, Little Coots just to name a few. Bill had left his camera at home and once we saw all the gorgeous little creatures we decided there and then that we would go back on the weekend. So on Saturday morning we headed off very early to see what we could find. Another few hours wandering in the gardens and Bill has some beautiful pictures and many hours of deciding which ones are the best.

Our Australia Day wanderings were completed that night when we returned to Birrarung Marr to watch the fireworks. We found a great spot up on the hill and had a great view across the river and once again Bill got some fabulous pictures. He is still practising with the settings but I think he has nailed it this year.

So with our National Day celebrated in fine style in many different locations we headed back to work the next day. A bit hard as Thursday became our 2nd Monday for the week. Not much fun but the good news was we only had 2 days until the weekend. We survived and look forward to doing it all again next year. I hope you all enjoyed your Australia Day as much as we did.

This last weekend has mostly been spent at home, sheltering from the rain on Friday night and some of Saturday. No doubt you will have seen the footage on the news showing all the flooding throughout Melbourne & Victoria. It has been a wild week in this country we call home and I'm still trying to understand how a cyclone that devastated the far north east can then produce a weather system that floods three states, SA, Canberra & Victoria. With only some very minor local flooding here our hearts go out to everyone else across the country who has been affected.

On a lighter note Sunday has been a fine and sunny day and we did wander up to the South Melbourne Markets to pick up something for dinner. While up there we stopped at Panette's for a yummy lunch. They really do the best pancakes and french toast. I will take my camera one day and torment you all with their masterpieces.

until next time..............

'Hilton-on-Eildon' star rating - 10,000 stars

For those of you who have been reading my ramblings over the last few years you will know that every January we spend a weekend in Eildon with our good friends Astrid, Hans & Bianca. 'Spending a weekend' is a little stretch of reality as though we certainly do visit for a day we always head off to a comfy motel for the night. We have had some great times at Eildon with the Van Lierops and we were looking forward to another fun weekend this year.

With the water level in Lake Eildon having risen from 31% last January to over 78% this year I was thinking I should book the motel before it was too late. Bianca must have been reading my mind from the campsite because just as we arrived back from our weekend in the Yarra Valley I got a message from her showing me my home for the next weekend. A tent! Not bloody likely I thought until I did have a think about it and my thoughts were like.... I can't try to water ski again this year just yet. Got to do something else instead. Why not stay in the tent and save the terrifying night time drive along the Skyline Rd. I know I can't see what's down there in the dark but I can remember how sheer the drop is! Bacon & eggs for breakkie sounds pretty good. It is only one night, I'm sure we can do this. So I replied much to her shock and said yes! I'm surprised I couldn't hear the whoops of surprise from here.

We have had lots of fun at Eildon and we have seen all types of weather as well. Scorching hot one year and torrential rain the next. Last year was just right and we were hoping for the same this year but as the week wore on the rain that started on Monday got heavier & heavier. Reports from the campsite did not sound promising and I was getting a touch concerned about my rash decision to get back to nature. Still I tried to think positive and even bought 2 sleeping bags for the big adventure.


And then on Friday just like the weather man said the rain stopped at 2.30pm. The sun came out and continued to shine for the whole weekend. I was still in shock that I had agreed to do this but it was with a touch of excitement that I packed on Friday night all ready for a nice easy getaway the next morning. We stopped on the way at Alexander for the food & drink and then 30 mins later we arrived at the Fraser campsite in the Eildon National Park. I had been expecting it to be soggy underfoot from all the rain but it had dried out pretty well and was just damp enough to keep the dust down. 'Hilton-on-Eildon' was waiting for us. I particularly liked the decor - orange pyscadelic flowers - a real relic of the 70's.

A long leisurely lunch under the annex catching up on each others Christmas news took care of a couple of hours. The rest of the afternoon was spent down by the water swimming in an area where last year it was dry land. The tree I was swimming around last year is well under water somewhere near the middle now. And with lots more water still coming down the rivers I expect it will continue to rise for a while yet. A quick shower before night fell and the tent was made ready for it's inhabitants while we could still see.

Night brought some new challenges but I had decided that if I couldn't see the spiders I wouldn't think about them. It even worked to a degree though everywhere we went someone was pointing out the bloody big things. Ugh, if there is one thing that I hate it is spiders and I really think I did quite well. I didn't look at them as everyone else was checking them out and I survived the whole experience. Bianca & the guys took charge of bar-b-queuing the meat while Astrid & I did the salad and we enjoyed our dinner with a bottle of red. After dinner we wandered down to a campfire area where we lit a fire and spent a couple of hours under the stars. The night sky was just beautiful and the thousands of stars shine so bright compared to what we normally see in the city. The chocolate bananas done in the coals were just yummy and another bottle of red went down quite well. It was 2 very weary campers who crawled into those sleeping bags that night.

The next morning was beautiful and Bill got out and about early with his camera. I didn't venture out until after 8 but even then it was quiet and still. Just one boat out on the water and people in the camping area just starting to stir. Bianca cooked us all the yummiest bacon & eggs for breakkie and we spent the next couple of hours just relaxing round the table and chatting and being entertained by the many King Parrots & Rosella's visiting our site.

We finally roused our self and Hans put the boat in the water for Bianca to ski. Before we did that we took a tour of the lake and we were motoring in areas that they have not been able to access since 1996. A few years ago we had walked to the skeleton of a house that was on a hill. Now it is in the middle of the lake under water again. Once Bianca had had a couple of long runs on the skis we all came back in for lunch and then it was time for us to pack our bags and head home.

If we have another winter of rain like this it is likely that we will see the lake full again. It is an amazing sight and I am just so glad that we have been able to see it. Thanks guys for the amazing opportunity and the fun times too. I have to say that this weekend has been one of the best ever for a long time and who knows Bianca I might even do it again!

So with another adventure under our belt it was time to head back to work on Monday morning. This week was much drier with blue skies and sunshine all week. It seems that summer has arrived at last.

This weekend our big adventure was to catch a train down to Chelsea last night where we had dinner with Mum, Maree, Jarrod & Aaron. It was Jarrod's birthday and we had a lovely seafood dinner at the Beach House. Happy Birthday mate. A quiet Sunday finished off a couple of fun weeks so with no more to tell just now, I'll leave you now.

until next time.........

A New Year....

brings new adventures and this year we have started off in fine company. Our first weekend after all our visitors had gone was a busy one. We spent the weekend at Balgownie Winery in the Yarra Valley. It was the 40th Anniversary Reunion of Bill's Air force days. You will remember we had a fun weekend last year celebrating the 39th year and I can tell you now that the 40th was a lot of fun too. This year it was only the people from Victoria that got together and the 10 guys and their wives had a great night. We hope that the guys in other states had as much fun as we did if they got together in their part of the world.

We drove out to the valley on Saturday stopping to have lunch in a lovely little cafe in Yarra Glen. Once checked in we decided that we would visit a garden we had seen on the way into the winery. Alowyn Garden is just across the road from Balgownie and is a beautiful place to spend a couple of hours just wandering around. The gardens have been developed into six distinct areas all leading from one magnificent 100-metre long wisteria and rose covered arbor. The total garden space takes up approximately 4 acres. It was very warm the day we were there so we did not stay out too long. We found a shady spot and had a cool drink before heading back over the road to get ready for the nights festivities.

We all met in the Restaurant around 6.30pm and after some pre dinner drinks, where everyone got the opportunity to catch up & say hello, it was time to take our seats for some good food, good wine & good times. We have been there before so we knew the food was good and tonight's dinner did not disappoint. My salmon entree, chicken main & wonderful panna cotta desert were just delicious and I know everyone else thought the same with their selections. The Balgownie Black Label Shiraz was a winner and many, many bottles were drunk that night. With a slide show happening throughout dinner there were many memories stirred and lots of laughs again as we all looked at these funny young kids who had joined the airforce 40 years ago.
I think the staff were happy to see us head off to bed about 12.30am but they had kept smiling all night and were wonderful.

Breakfast the next morning was a much quieter affair as people wandered in over a couple of hours. Not too many headaches but I think a few panadol had been consumed. Still it was a lot of fun. Mal & Adele did a wonderful job of organising the weekend and finding such a great venue. A great success and we look forward to next year now.

After leaving the winery we decided that we would call into Healesville Sanctuary on the way home. It was a much cooler day and we spent a few hours wandering around with the birds and animals. Bill had his camera and was able to get some great shots of a little Grey Fantail feeding it's baby on a branch. Not a caged bird but a wild one just in a tree. We watched for ages.

As the afternoon wore on the rain came so we decided it was time to head for home. A great weekend for our first adventure of the year and we look forward to many more.

until next time..........

....and a Happy New Year

And then there was two. Gareth & Taegan came back from Chadstone ready for a Nana Nap. The shopping centre is the largest in Melbourne & probably the whole country. The latest additions, the designer shops, were completed late last year and it is a must on any shopaholics list. They even run a free tourist shuttle from the City everyday giving you 5 hours of shop til you drop time. The kids weren't on a shopping mission but took advantage of the free ride just to check out the size of the place. They did come home with some shopping bags though. Dinner that night was at another favourite haunt, Ants in Chinatown. Yummy as usual but with all of us very tired after a week of excitement we didn't stay out late. None of us were late to bed that night.

New Years Eve was a shock to the system with Summer deciding to make it's presence felt for the last day of the year. With a high of over 41 deg it was Melbourne's hottest day of the year. After a very cool summer so far it really was a shock to the system. We wandered into town to see what was happening but didn't stay out long. At home the airconditioning seemed a much better option and we needed to rest up for our big night on the town.

.We headed out about 7.30pm and caught the tram to Lygon St where we had a great dinner at Sale & Pepe. Leaving there around 10.30pm we made our way back to town and then walked over the Princes Bridge and into the Alexander Gardens where we found a nice quiet little patch of lawn where we were able to sit and wait for the fireworks at Midnight. It was a wonderful spot to watch them from right in front of the Art Centre Spire which was one of the highlighted buildings this year. With all the crowds on the bridge and in the gardens on the other side of the road we had the best seats in the house I think. And getting home from there was a breeze. So all in all a good start to 2011

New Years Day was much cooler and we had decided that we would visit Werribee Open Range Zoo. We got our there about 10am and had a good time wandering around seeing the animals. Being an Open Range Zoo alot of the animals can only be seen from the Safari Bus but as that is all part of your admission everyone has the chance to see everything. The giraffes, Zebras & Rhino's were very accommodating and were very close to the bus as we passed. Back in the Zoo area we got our best look ever at three of the Hippo's as they basked in the sun. One of them was the 'baby' Primrose. She is now about 2 years old but still smaller than the others. We have never seen them so close before. Later in the day we saw them all back in the water but still very close. All Zoo'd out early in the afternoon we decided we would go home for a rest and dinner before our next big adventure that night.

A spur of the moment decision the day before to see the musical Hairspray had paid off with great tickets being handed back that day. We were able to get 4 seats together near the middle and had a great night. Hairspray was just wonderful. After thinking a couple of weeks earlier that Mary Poppins was the best theatre we had seen I now think that it is too difficult to split the two of them. Both amazing shows and absolutely worth seeing if they come to a theatre near you. Gareth & Taegan had never seen a musical before and loved it. So bright and colourful and just plain fun.

As mentioned earlier all holidays must come to an end and Sunday was when Gareth & Taegan were going home. We still had time to slip into town for a hot chocolate at Chocolait in the Gala Arcade and a look at the Arts Centre Sunday Markets before loading the car for another trip to the airport for our final farewell of the trip. Once again, it was sad to say goodbye, but we know it won't be too long until we see each other again. I'm sure we will visit Perth later in the year. We have had a wonderful time with everyone and have such lovely memories of our Christmas together. Thankyou again for all coming to Melbourne and sharing the time with us.

Life has returned to normal once more. With all the beds changed and the washing done, Bill has spent a day editing photo's and I took a trip to town to check out the sales. Retail therapy completed I arrived home with 4 bags and now have new sheets and a new quilt cover for our bed. Gotta love the sales.

Bill returns to work tomorrow and I have 4 more days during which time I will catch up on some chores around the house and am looking forward to lunch with Maree on Wednesday.

So with no more news to tell right now I am going to wish you all a Safe & Happy New Year from Bill & I. We hope 2011 brings you health & happiness and we look forward to seeing you all during the year to come.

until next time............

We wish you a Merry Christmas.....

It's that time of year again, in fact it's already come and gone. As you can see by the date we are 2 days into 2011 as I write this. Where have I been you might ask. Nowhere really but since my last update time seems to have sped up and disappeared very fast. For any Harry Potter fans out there you may remember in one book they had a time turner. I think I could have done with one of those over the past few weeks.

I returned to work in late November starting with a 4 hour day and increasing each week until I was back to my normal hours. All went well and I was very glad to be back to 'normal' again. In early December we had a wonderful night seeing Mary Poppins at His Majesty's Theatre. It really was SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS! We had heard so many good things about it and we were not disappointed. The following week we went and saw the latest Harry Potter movie. It was good and I'm now looking forward to seeing the last one later this year. And on the way home we stopped to see the Myer Christmas Windows. The story this year was the Nutcracker and as usual was just wonderful.

During December the Silly Season begins in earnest and this year was no different. I had my work Christmas function at a little place in Fed Square, Bill's the following week at The Skinny Dog, a pub in Kew. Funny name, great pub. A good time was had at both. We had dinner with Astrid & Hans at The Rising Sun, our favourite steak place, one Friday night and then returned with some other friends the next week. A pre christmas cum meet the new management drinks night downstairs was also a nice way to see some of our neighbors and wish them Merry Christmas. Time was marching on and I finally got the tree up, the presents wrapped and the cards sent and then it was time to get ready for our big Christmas.

This year we had all the Family coming from Perth to spend Christmas with us, Our first Christmas all together since we came to Melbourne and our first with our two little Grandchildren, Corbyn & Amelie. We were looking forward to it and we were both on holidays so could relax and enjoy. They all arrived on Wednesday 22nd and after finding David & Sarah's car and hotel (not everyone could fit in here) we headed off to Bonbeach to have our Christmas dinner with Mum, Maree, Jarrod & Aaron. We would not be here for Christmas Day hence the early celebrations. We had a great night and it was wonderful to see Mum with her Great Grandchildren.

The next morning we were ready to go once more. We were off to Jamieson for Christmas. We stayed in two little cottages next door to each other at the Jamieson Valley Resort and we had a wonderful time for 4 days. Children really do make Christmas so much more exciting and even though our two little ones are still very young it was so good to spend the day with them and see their faces as they opened their pressies. Of course, Amelie just loved the paper and the boxes but Corbyn was thrilled with Thomas the Tank Engine and Rory the Racing Car.

Christmas dinner was a bar-b-que, ham & salad but in true Christmas tradition there was still too much and we ate leftovers that night. We had a wonderful few days with blue skies & sunshine, even it it was a bit chilly in the mornings. Bar-b-ques for dinner each night and once the babies were asleep it was Uno & Yahtzee that kept us amused. We even managed to play tourist on Boxing Day with a drive up to Mount Buller where it had snowed only a week earlier. No sign of any left while we were there but lots of people riding mountain bikes downhill and coming back up on the chairlift. The little house we found on the way up the mountain was so cute we just had to stop to see if anyone was home. No luck so we kept on going.

Our days at the cottages were very laid back and with no other guests for the first 3 days we were able to wander anywhere we wanted. Bill & I also managed a couple of chats with our hosts, Angie & Freddie, on their patio. Freddie is a photographer and of course he & Bill can chat for hours about cameras, lens, birds and scenery. I didn't think Bill would get much camera time this trip, other than the kids, but Corbyn proved to be a real little bird spotter and Poppa was still able to get some great pictures of quite a few of the local birdies. The Bower Bird by the river while we picnicked one day was just amazing.

As with all holidays the time comes when we must return and we did this on Monday morning. We drove home through Alexander and came home via The Black Spur, one of the nicest drives in Australia, I think. Gareth & Taegan had never been that way and were suitably impressed. Too tired to do much that night we walked up to South Melbourne for fish & chips. A nice way to end our big adventure. The next day had been designated as a shopping day by the girls and we headed off to DFO Southwharf where many a bargain was purchased by all of us. From there we caught the tram over to Harbour town for lunch and some more Retail therapy. Again a success. A short rest at home before we all set off to Chelsea, this time to celebrate Aaron's birthday. We had another good night with Mum, Maree & the boys.

The next morning we were able to catch our breath as David & Sarah went shopping. After a quiet morning we hopped a tram for a day at the Zoo. We arrived at lunch time & met the others a short time later. What a great time we had. Melbourne Zoo has 2 baby elephants and we saw them both. Even though there were lots of people it was easy to get around and see them. The little elephants, Mali (pictured) & Ongard were so cute, and one of the chimpanzees had a tiny little baby as well. A bit hard to see that as Mum had covered herself with a sheet but we did get a glimpse. Also our beautiful Tigers have cubs as well and the 4 babies were just gorgeous. Not so little any more but just beautiful.

With David, Sarah & the kids leaving the next day we had a farewell dinner together at the Blue Room in South Melbourne. We all enjoyed the meal and someone else got to do the dishes. The only way to go I think. The next morning Gareth & Taegan headed off to spend the day at Chadstone and we went to the airport for our first farewell. The time had flown and even though it was sad to see them go we had had a wonderful time with them all. It was very special to be able to spend some Nana & Poppa time with Corbyn & Amelie and get to know them a little. Thank you so much for coming and spending Chritmas with us.

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas as much as we did and I'll leave you there for now and continue tomorrow

until next time............
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