Two Down, Two To Go!

We are having a brief interlude (to catch our breath) having just returned from a couple of night's stop over with friends at Drouin before heading off for two nights with Eddie and Patsy Riordan.

The last couple of days have been pretty hectic with too much to eat and drink. We first caught up with Barry and Rainy on Sunday afternoon. As expected it was great fun. Unfortunately they had a funeral to get to on Monday so we were left to our own devices for much of the day. This photo of Barry shows him in his usual winter garb. I wasn't permitted to take a photo of him dressed in long trousers and coat for the funeral.

Later on Monday we travelled a short distance and caught up with Russell and Irene. Russ has just purchased a media player so I handed over a heap of movies for him. Barry and Rainy joined us for dinner. Irene had made a tasty curry which everyone enjoyed. There was plenty to drink and again it was well after midnight when we headed for bed.

Much of early Tuesday was again spent chatting and catching up. Russ and Irene live in large house on a couple of acres. Their son Jamie was extending the patio area and paving it. He is a professional landscaper so the job will look great when finished.

We are now catching our breath before heading over for a couple of nights with Patsy and Eddie. We are beginning to look forward to an early night when we return to Kate's on Thursday. When we arrived at Kate's we noted the heating wasn't working. Melbourne isn't a good place to be without any heating at this time of year!

Cool In Melbourne

Baby sitting and football are the two major topics since I last posted. We are catching our breath a little prior to heading away for two lots of two nights! Later this afternoon we will drive to Drouin and spend the evening with Barry and Rainy. It will be great to catch up. Then tomorrow (Monday) we move on to see Russell and Irene and spend an evening with them. Russ also wants me to set up his new Media Player for him. Needless to say I accepted that offer with glee!

After a big cup of coffee later in the afternoon on Friday I stayed awake to watch the Fremantle Carlton game which was live on TV here. Because most Australian Rules footy games are played in Melbourne there is very little 'live' TV coverage. Games are usually 'delayed'. As Queensland is not seen as a major Australian Rules state, 90% of matches seen there are 'live'. Carlton just missed by one goal to defeat Freo!

Saturday was to be the big day, Trish (who follows Hawthorn) and I were catching up with good friend (and Collingwood supporter) Eddie to watch Collingwood Vs Hawthorn at the MCG. We left at about 11 am, locked the house up as the others were off to the movies and went to hop in the car we keep here. However Trish was using her keys for the car in Caloundra so of course they wouldn't work. And as we didn't have the correct car keys, we didn't have house keys either! So we were locked out of the house without any keys to get back in!

Pandemonium broke out. Eventually friend Carol drove us to the local station where we caught a train into the city and the MCG! We were about half an hour late catching up with Eddie! The seats we got were great and Trish was impressed with how I 'rough' it when I head into the MCG! But the best thing for her was Hawthorn's 4 point win over the top side Collingwood! Eddie wasn't so happy! There were over 76,000 people at the game.

The finals begin next week and I am going to St Kilda and Geelong on Friday night and then Collingwood and Western Bulldogs on Saturday night. The other two matches will be played interstate so will be live here on TV.

The long 1 hour journey home in the train was 'interesting'. The train was crowded and when you no longer live here, you forget just how cosmopolitan Melbourne has become. There were all races and religions travelling home that trip!

More footy on TV that night finished a good day! The kids went to the movies and we looked after Charlie and James.

Showing My Age .......

We have only just returned from visiting John and Sue Logan at their 'shack in the bush' at Guildford. John had been on the lookout for a spot where he could get away from it all and this was the perfect place he found.

Victoria is enduring an especially cold and wet winter so the weather for a trip to the country was less than ideal. Quite a bit of rain and and cold weather had turned his small block into a quagmire. It is the place where John spends most of his time. His trips to his home in Melbourne and his 4 children still living at home is not a place he stays at for very long at all, he spends most of his time up at Guildford.

Most of the things you can see in these photos are things that John has done. He has been building rock walls recently and establishing gardens. He is in the process of building a road to provide better access to his home. The current driveway is narrow and he built the turn area so access could be made easier. He has installed the tank and has plans for a 'watch tower', a 'grotto' and extensive gardens.

These projects occupy his time and his mind. However when his wife Sue comes up he frequents the 'Pub' at Newstead where he has become quite well known. This is where we went last night. John was keen to introduce us to his friends many of whom are involved with the Newstead Footy Club of which John is a strong and passionate supporter.


The meals at the pub were excellent, the beer was flowing all night and the hour at which I went to bed was well after midnight. Today has been a little on the slow side as I haven't been operating at the full 100%.

I gave John a heap of movies to add to his collection as well as a couple of music albums he wanted. We had a great time but for me today is an AFD (Alcohol Free Day) and I am going to find it hard to remain awake tonight to watch an important footy match on TV.

Tomorrow Trish and I are heading to the MCG to watch Collingwood and Hawthorn which promises to be a tough match for all.

Itinerary Warming Up!

Things are beginning to look busy for Trish and myself. Interspersed with baby sitting duties we look like being away for a few nights coming up. Tomorrow Trish and I are off to Guildford to catch up with friends John and Sue Logan. I am still not sure if Trish is coming too right now as she may be helping Kate out with baby sitting so she can get an extra day's work (and pay).

Charlie had a dress up day at kindergarten today. She was pretty pleased with the way she looked!

There is football on this weekend with a big game live on TV on Friday night. Then Trish and I are catching up with Eddie to watch Collingwood vs Hawthorn at the MCG Saturday afternoon!

On Sunday afternoon we head down to Drouin to spend a night with Barry and Rainy. The next day we will stay in Drouin and spend the night with Russell and Irene. The Tuesday and Wednesday nights we will spend with Eddie and Patsy at their home near Mordialloc.

I am going to see my brother again this afternoon. Trish is keeping an eye on one of the grandchildren.

We caught up with good friends Pat and Graeme for lunch yesterday. They always invite us around for a meal. It was great to chat and catch up.

Busy, busy busy!

A Monday Update

It has been a 'family' weekend. Saturday night saw us head in to Melbourne to an Italian Restaurant to celebrate Chris' 40th birthday. All the families were there, kids and all. This meant an early start to the evening and a not too late finish.

Trish and I left 'home' mid afternoon and called in to see my brother. We had a great couple of hours catching up.

The restaurant wasn't too far from my brother's place so we were there, parked and seated in the Universal Restaurant well before 7 pm. We enjoyed a few drinks and had heaps of fun together as a family. Italian isn't my favorite but Chris sure enjoys it. I ordered a Pizza. I would show you a photo but it is too big to fit on the blog! Trish enjoyed a Pasta dish. The photo shows Chris and our youngest daughter Kim 'posing' for a photo.

The photo below is of Chris' wife Wendy and two of our grand children, Andrew and Emily.


We arrived back home well after 10:30 pm after we had found ourselves caught in some heavy traffic. We were up early the next morning and back over to the other side of the city again, this time to watch Andrew play in the Under 10 Footy Grand Final. Unfortunately his team were defeated by one point. The actual score was 1 goal 1 point to 1 goal 2 points! It was a brisk chilly morning with a stiff breeze blowing. He enjoyed having us there to watch him play. Here he is in his no. 26 jumper!

Springvale and our favorite Vietnamese Restaurant beckoned on our way home. We feasted on chilli chicken as well as beef with crispy noodle. It was pretty good!

Needless to say we both slept well overnight. This morning was welcomed when 3 y.o. James joined us in bed at 6 am!

The weather continues quite cool with that persistent blustery wind. Today it got to 15 but much of the day was much cooler than that!