At Christmas time when visiting Phil's former in-laws he commented on this beautiful fern basket which Ken had created about 20 years ago. So imagine Phil's surprise and delight when he got a call from Ken asking him if he would like it, so last Sunday we went an collected it.
We had a very different Christmas this year. Took Jordja to see the Myer windows , followed by a visist to see Santa. Usually we spend Christmas day with The Clark's but this year had Christmas with them on Christmas Eve and then cooked lunch on the big day at home. Christmas night we had dinner with Simon and Clare. Too much food and some great pressies ... all in all a great day.
I have recently read some great books so was very disappointed when the new Michael Connelly which I had been waiting for turned out to be a very ordinary book, in fact have only read half of it and but it aside. The next book in the pile is Val McDermids latest so hopefully it will be good. Have ordered the latest Louise Penny book and hopefully that will arrive early in the new year. Its a pain having to wait so long for books from Canada but am sure it will be a great read when it gets here. Have just about finished P D Martin's The Killing Hands the fourth book featuring FBI criminal profiler Sophie Anderson. A great series by an Australian author. Am off to the library this afternoon to collect two books both by Australian authors so will be good to see how they pan out.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE
The annual Djerriwarrh Festival kicked off this weekend with a street parade. The Parade has been going for about 35 years. It has changed over the years but is still a great parade. All the schools have floats and the sporting organisations and many other community groups all march. The theme this year was circus fun and it was certainly taken to heart by the participants. After the parade there is many activities on the local Police Paddock and surrounds including stalls, displays etc. Also the carnival and rides are in full swing.
There is nothing worse when there is a downpour to have water sitting 2 inches deep outside the laundry door and the dogs not being able to get outside. On Thursday Phil started investigating where the blockage in the drain was and after 5 holes in the yard and half the paving pulled up he finally found where the blockage was. Right in the middle of the backyard nowhere near the side of the house where he thought it was. It appears our neighbours Elder was the culprit is roots having broken through the pipe and its massive root system blocking up the pipes. Anyway repairs made and now just have to restore the yard back to normal.
On Saturday morning Byron, Jordja and I went to Werribee to get Jordja body armour so that she can ride her motor bike without the trainer wheels. After that we head off to Brighton to see of photography exhibition by the photograhper who climbed Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hilary and photographed him reaching the summit, after that we headed to Brighton Beach to have a look at the beach boxes which I had never seen. It was a lovely sight with the sun shining on them and pleasant way to spend an hour. After that we headed back to StKilda and had lunch in Acland Street and then purchased some very naughty cakes to take home for afternoon tea. All in all a very good day.
Finally last Saturday the new shower screen was fitted and the bathroom is now finished. It has turned out very well and we are pleased with the result. Unfortunately Phil has now given himself tennis elbow and has to have physio on it for the next couple of weeks and hopefully his shoulder and arm will come good.
GRAND FINAL REPLAY
Today I went to my first Grand Final to watch the Saints play Collingwood at the MCG.
THE GRAY MAN by Mark Greaney. This is another new author I have discovered and added to my reading list. "Courtland Gentry is a good man and a great assassin. To those who lurk in the shadows, he's known as the Gray Man. He is a legend in the covert realm, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible and then fading away. But there are forces more lethal than Gentry in the world. Forces like money and power. And there are men who hold these as the only currency worth fighting for. And in their eyes, Gentry has just outlived his usefulness. But Court Gentry is going to prove that, for him, there's no gray area between killing for a living and killing to stay alive.." Must admit have so far thoroughly enjoyed this book, another character along the lines of Lee Child's Jack Reacher.
I am very excited I have just purchased a ticket to the grand final replay next Saturday. I was only able to get one ticket with my membership so will be going by myself, anyway Phil will be away in Queensland. I will be sitting at the very top of the Ponsford Stand but at least I will be able to look down on the goals and see the entire ground from my perch. As I have never been to a grand final ialthough have been to many prelim finals to watch the Saints this is the first time at a grand final and only because of the draw last Saturday. All I can say is GO SAINTS and another thing off my bucket list of must do things.
CAPE LEVEQUE
One of the fun things we did was to do the camel ride at Cable Beach. Have to say that I was a little nervous about doing this and as it turned out have to say I was not that comfortable riding on a camel. As Phil weights more than me he got to be at the back. When the camel stands up you have to lean back as you get tilted forward in the saddle. In the soft sand they tend to sway a far bit but once on the wet sand it got better. Enjoyed the scenery and it was lovely to watch the sunset as we strolled along the beach. Dismounting is nearly as bad as getting on but survived and thats another thing off the bucket list.
We have just had a wonderful 7 days in Broome. The weather was hot about 33 degrees each day, clear blue skies and a gentle breeze late in the day. We stayed at the Broome Vacation Village which is about 4 kms from the centre of Broome on the way to the Port area. The cabin although not flash was comfy and meet all our needs. When we arrived on the Sunday we collected our hire car a little 4 door Getz and on the way to where we were staying dropped into the Information Centre and then had a quick look at the weekend market which is held at the court house each Saturday and Sunday, after a quick look around and a hamburger (yummy) we checked in at the caravan park and set about organising ourselves. Found the supermarket and got supplies. On Monday we booked several tours and in the afternoon did the Pearl Lugger tour and the camel ride at Cable Beach. Tuesday we went to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek.On the way we stopped at the Boab Prison Tree. On Wednesday we drove to Derby for a look and lunch and on Thursday we did the big trip to Cape Leveque. We visited Beagle Bay where the beautiful Scared Heart church is. The main alter is made from white pearl shell.. something to see really beautiful. From there to Lombadina and then to the Cape where we had lunch on the beach followed by swimming for those who wanted too or like us strolled along the coast line.We then returned to the other side of Cape Leveque to the red cliff area and then met up with our guides who took us to One Arm Point to go mud crabbing.
Have just finished reading the Maisie Dobbs book.Once again, author Jacqualine Winspear has transformed us all back to the early 1930's where Maisie and her assistant Billy have been asked to assist Special Branch find the writer of a letter threatening massive loss of life if certain demands are not met. This is the sixth Maisie Dobbs mystery and as with the others a very well written story.
