In search of the sun.....

Our lovely spring weather was short lived as the mercury fell again over the next week returning to very cold and wintry conditions once more. We headed west to Perth for what we hoped was a week in the sun but it seemed that we were out of luck here as well. Perth was having a cool spell also and the winter woollies were needed there as well as at home. This was not what we had expected to find but luckily we had packed a jacket and so were able to survive what the weather gods gave us. The sun did shine for most of our stay but the temperature remained in the very low 20's and the wind on most days kept us reaching for the sleeves that we had not expected to need. Of course, needless to say, the warm weather returned on the following Sunday as we were leaving to come home.

Apart from the unexpected cool spell we had a lovely time in Perth with family & friends. We stayed with Anne & Paul and once again say a big thank you for having us and sharing your beautiful home. I can't wait to see the new & improved version when all the reno's are done. Bill did have to work for three days, two of which were down south in the even cooler weather so while he was away I stayed one night with Sarah, David, Corbyn & Amelie. It was so good to spend some time with them all and lovely to be able to have some 'Nana' time with the little ones. Mind you that has changed a bit since my Mum was spending time with David & Gareth. Corbyn showed me three new games for my iPhone & I showed him one for the iPad! I really am 'Techno Gran' now!

We had two lovely picnics with all the kids, big, small & furry at South Perth foreshore. A walk along the river and a coffee at the jetty was a nice way to finish of a perfect day seeing you all again. I still can't believe how big Scooter has got - he was just a four month old puppy last time I saw him, now at 16 mths he is so big but so good. The sausage sizzle the following week for Taegan's birthday was another lovely day at the foreshore and our last opportunity to spend some time with everyone again. And good to see Nathan again too.

Leaving the birthday bash at the foreshore we drove round the river to see Anne & Paul windsurfing. Bill set his camera up and was able to get some good action shots of them both as they sped along the river. It was a very windy day and there were dozens of wind surfers out on the water. Also lots of kite surfers and across the sandbar lots of yachts as well.

We were able to catch up with some friends we have not seen for a couple of years and spent a lovely afternoon with Ali & Steve in Leederville. Hope your leg is on the mend now Steve. Sandra & Vicki cooked us a wonderful dinner one night and we had lots of laughs with them and Victor (Dad). Monday night we met Robert & Anna for dinner at a new restaurant in the Casino and as usual it didn't disappoint. Good food, good wine & great company made for a fun night. Rob & Jill also cooked us dinner on Saturday night and the boys talked cameras while Jill & I caught up on all things general. The rest of our time was spent with Anne & Paul and we thoroughly enjoyed our nights both in & out. The Japanese restaurant down the road was yummy and the seafood in Leederville pretty good too. Just watch the waitress!

On Friday lunch time I left Bill to his own devices and joined Debs, Gilly & Lorraine at the Queens Hotel in Mt Lawley for a girls lunch. We had a great time catching up and talking girl talk - translation - Nana talk now we are all grandmothers. Again, how times change but not enough for us to forgo the bottle of bubbles with lunch. It was so good to see you all again and I look forward to doing it again next time we come to town. Thanks for organising it all Debs.

Bill's 'own devices' saw him spend a few hours at Herdsman Lake where he & the camera checked out the bird life there. It was very prolific and the pictures are pretty good. More time needed at the editing desk now.

Back in Melbourne we are heading into party mode with a friends 40th birthday on Saturday night at the Belgium Beer Cafe & we are celebrating Ethan's 7th birthday on Sunday night with a quiet dinner with Faye & Rem. Will the weather play nice for these events? The short answer - NO - Saturday night was rain, storms & freezing conditions making travel to & from the party a bit damp but the celebrations inside went on and a great night was had by all. Happy Birthday Ben. We discovered that night that while life might begin at 40, getting home at 3.30pm at our age makes for a challenging day after. How did we ever do this every weekend!

A very quiet day followed and we rested until it was time to head down to see Ethan. We were the first round of his party people as we could not make the real one the following weekend. He loved his Chess Set and first Dad then me were roped in to play before dinner. I think Dad was more successful than I was at this game but as long as Ethan was winning he was happy so all was good. We enjoyed a quiet dinner and catch up with Faye & Rem and then it was time to say goodbye and head home. Bill had to pack as he was off to NZ the next day. Even colder days forecast over there.

Monday dawned sunny and a little warmer giving us hope that 'winter' might be over. Perhaps with summer just around the corner we will see some sunshine soon. We certainly hope so because we are picked our Camper Trailer up this week and hope to be off soon. But first it's another week at work

until next time......