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After a tasty bearkfast of fruit plus Graeme's special scrambled egg and bacon, we got organised for a trip to Manly. Wendy drove us to nearby Gordon train station, where we caught a smart double decker train into Wynyard Station. We had a short walk througt the city, past Graeme's offie, to Circular Quay to catch the fast ferry to Manly. Once again we had a sunshiny day to view the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. We could see brave people walking over the top of the bridge! Georges Head As it was such a beautiful day in Manly, so many other people were there too. We wandered down to Shelly Beach, which was a little quieter, but all the restaurants were extremely busy. We decided to head home to St Ives to relax by the ... read more

We went to Chris, Natalie and Mikey's school this morning leaving the house at 7.10, so the Natalie was in time to try for a place in the Soft Ball team. We heard later that she had been selected. We popped home for a quick breakfast before setting off for the Blue Mountains. It took about 2 hours, through the busy traffic, for Graeme to drive us to Katoomba. We started our tour of the Blue Mountains at Echo Point with magnificent views over the extensive forests, stretching into the far distance. The iconic Three Sisters were lit by the sun. We took the 30 minute scenic walk to Katoomba Cascades and Falls, which included quite a number of steps up and down! But we were rewarded with spectacular views. Graeme kindly walked back to collect ... read more

We awoke to another sunny day and after breakfast set off on our second Sydney touristy day with our super guide Karen. We walked to the local bus stop in Lane Cove and caught the bus to McMahons Point and then the ferry Bungaree, under the Harbour Bridge to Circular Quay and then another ferry the 'Golden Grove' from there to Mosman Bay. We had a coffee stop waiting for the next bus up to Georges Head (part of Sydney Harbour National Park) up a long winding road. The view there is spectacular. This is a quote from John White, Surgeon-General, First Fleet on 26 January 1788. "Port Jackson I believe to be without exception, the finest and most extensive harbour in the universe, and at the same tIme the most secure". There remain numerous canons, ... read more

Julie and Mike made everyone a hearty breakfast of fruit and bacon and egg buns. Mike's parents, Kerry and Jed, called in too! Alan set up the camera for a family photo, which worked well. The Nick's headed back to Melbourne, while the McCarthy family took us on a brief, sadly unsuccessful hunt for kangaroos nearby, before we all set off for the airport. The children all helped pull along our luggage and we checked in at Tullamarine. The family farewell was rather emotional as we have had such a wonderful, generous welcome from all the family. They remained in an area overlooking our plane and we waved to them once we were on board. Such a heart warming sight of them all waving from the view point. Our flight from Melbourne to Sydney was short. ... read more

Spring sunshine and showers today, which is lovely for the garden. Between the showers Pete planted the Kangeroo Foot plant we bought them for their garden. This plant likes sandy soil so we had bought a bag of sand to lighten the soil. Another bonus was a visit by Nic, Elliot and Georgina. Elliot was interested in the Dove's nest with two eggs, we had spotted while working in the garden. Winks managed to finish photographing her Grandfather's amazing photograph album, with hand painted images of Rhodesia as it was in 1932 to 1945. He was quite an intrepid explorer and an excellent photographer. I have added a few photos below We walked to the Gateway Sanctuary while Elliot cycled on his bike, about two miles away. It is where Alan and Moyra did their painting. ... read more