The Gardener

Rob is really working hard in the garden, I think we will all be receiving the most delicious vegies from Rob's Patch - move over Peter Cundall!

What have I done!

House is being painted at the moment and I gave permission for these to be painted over AND NOW I DON'T WANT THEM TO BE! Why did I do it??????

Blue is for boys

Great news today, safe arrival of Buddy! Congratulations Cate and Phil.

Sewing

A big sewing day yesterday. My quilt, inspired by my trip to China last year is now tacked together ready for quilting. I attended a class last year at American Patchwork, 91 Patrick Street, Hobart after seeing it advertised and thought it would be a great reminder of my China trip. I don't get much time to do sewing, too many things to do but it is slowly getting done. I wouldn't have got it to this stage without the help of my very good friend who spent at least 4 hours tacking, yesterday. Lucky she is right handed and I am left handed so we could start in the middle and go out to the opposite ends. It would have been a huge job by myself! Now I have to get the machine out and start quilting......

Hurricane Force winds

It was a bit windy last Wednesday night! When I opened the curtains I got a bit of a shock to see the solar dome over the old pool absolutely ruined. Thought the frame was OK if a bit bent but one piece has a big rip in it so I guess will have to be replaced. The local paper has some great photos. http://www.news.com.au/mercury/gallery/0,22927,5030740-5015646,00.html

Home again, home again

This morning was very busy. First Dylan, Nicole and I took down the Christmas tree (and I forgot to take a photo of it) then Nicole and I staked out some trees while Clint put the fittings on the pond ready for the fountain. We all heaved and puffed and huffed and fountain was finally in place. Very muggy day, everytime you move you break out in perpiration.

Quick shower then off to Rebel Sport to look at gym equipment then to the airport. Good flight home but the luggage took 20 minutes to be delivered at the Hobart end, thought they must have lost it all.

Cat's drinking bowl

Nicole and I finished off the grouting for the vegie garden pond. Stalin thinks it is his personal drinking bowl.

Babies

These galahs are providing us with some amusement at the moment. They descend into the trees about an hour before dusk and demand loudly to be fed by their long suffering parents. We are usually having dinner in the courtyard when they come and can't hear outselves because of their wailing.

It's a tough life

Nicole and I enjoyed a dip in the pool after a day of painting and grouting. We were very virtuous and took the dogs for a walk early this morning. Earlyish to bed, we didn't stay to welcome in 2008!

Thank you, Sarah

Thanks to Sarah (Nicole's work colleague) we were able to celebrate the end of 2007 in style. She came round on Christmas Day with this bottle of Moet et Chandon that we stashed away for later celebration!

Dylan marinated some pork fillets and cooked them for us for dinner and we enjoyed the fruits (vegetables) of Nicole's labour from the garden.

Where is Clint?

Well you might ask what Clint was doing while we were so industriously employed? He was just playing farmer, pulling a few olive trees out, moving a bit of dirt, you know just boy stuff :)

Painting boards and more boards

Nicole and I spent a few hours today painting! An absolutely beautiful day with not many clouds in the sky. The boards are to clad the Andrew Gaze Pump house. The name was bestowed on the pump shed because when I was up in October Clint and Frank were building the shed and used left over framing from the house and the house has high ceilings. I snapped Nicole on the last of the first coat, oh no another one to go, better be off!

How to double your trip

We headed off for Sue's place today. Left at 7:30am and arrived about 12:45pm. I think we got lost somewhere along the way. At least it only took 3 hours to get home.....

Sue has a lovely spot out of Taree. It is in an old volcano and you can see the rim all around. We had lunch and met Sue's new man, Ian. Although not new but I hadn't met him before! Seemed quite a nice guy.

Jim was there and he looks really good, although now a bit tottery and it is hard for him to get around outside at Sue's as it is all up and down.

The house is pretty with a lovely vine along the veranda. We went for a walk around the property and checked out the wine cellar. They have a few vines and get about 1500 bottles out of the harvest. Only for bartering and drinking themselves! The cellar is dug into the side of the hill. Each tube has 7 bottles of wine stashed away in it

Sunsets

Mike took this shot of the sunset over the hills, viewed from the pool deck. He leaves tomorrow to go back to Tassie, getting in a few party nights before going back to work on the 2nd January. Arrived up here on 23rd, he flew into Sydney then hired a car, didn't have much trouble getting here or getting around as he bought up my Navman.

Christmas Day

Where is my present? Why can't I join in the fun?

Ruby looking very sad because she can't join the Christmas party.......it is a dog's life!

Shopping and Leavers' dinner

Nicole and I started the day very virtuously by going to the gym. I managed 30minutes on the walker and then lifted some weights.

Camille wanted to go to Newcastle today to have a look for a dress for her end of year formal. We first went to Paul's warehouse to see if we could get replacement parts for Dylan's weight bench (I know it's really Nicole's) and a stroll through Spotlight to see if we could find some material.

Then off to the Junction to look at $500 dresses, hmmmm a bit expensive I think. Dylan was very good considering he was dragged around all the boring dress shops :) We didn't find anything so that will have to be another day. We went off to Charlestown but the most hilarious was us trying to find our way, guided by Nicole on mobile who had the nerve to tell me there was more than one exit from Charlestown shopping centre. How dare she.

We did make it back.

Flight to Newcastle!

Bit of an early morning today as the plane left at 8am. Jenny and Richard ran me out and only an hour and half flight to Newcastle. Nabs was waiting for me when I got off the plane and did she look fabulous. It was so good to see her looking so good after being sick for so long.

We toddled off to Broke after an interesting trip from the terminal to the car. We had to walk so far, trying to roll my suitcase over a recently surfaced carpark that had pebbles everywhere that kept getting stuck in the wheels and making it impossible to keep wheeling it. Good trip through to Broke, everyone looked great. The big news is that the house is finally to be started on the Monday we go to the Blue Mountains. Oh well we will be able to see progress when we get back.

MLC

Megan came over and we all got dressed to the nines to go and inspect Methodist Ladies College to see if it was suitable for out gorgeous baby. We were very impressed by the facilities. Jenny and Megan did the grand tour while I looked after I.

Who is the proud grandfather!

Richard had stayed home to get all his photos from the night before online. Very busy day for him. Paul arrived and we all had takeaway Thai for tea. A lovely family day, and off to Newcastle tomorrow.

Holidays!

Off on 3 weeks holidays today. I flew to Melbourne this afternoon (after racing into town to have my nails done, what indulgence!). Mike took me down to the airport as he had the day off, good boy to his old Mum.

Jenny and Richard picked me up from the airport. It was great to see them again, only a month since I was in Melbourne but I always enjoy catching up. Jen and I went into town to have a look at a floral display at Crown Casino, I was so disappointed that I didn't take my camera. The display was spectacular. We had a chat to the guy who created the display about some strange but beautiful flowers we couldn't identify. They were beehive ginger and he told us they were great infused in the bath for arthritus.

Richard went off to photograph the Monash Uni Medical students' ball. Jen prepared a fantastic salad for tea. Recipe as follows:
beans (cooked)
red onion, sliced
olives, pitted
grape tomatos
tuna
French dressing as required.
It was very yummy as well as the obligatory brandy...

Who's blog is this anyway??

Heres a photo of Dylan, finally happy!

He made this billy cart by himself. Clever boy. Good to see him having some good old fashioned fun! We took it to the top of the big hill & let it rip.....