Low key birthday

We celebrated Jeremy and Claire's birthdays this year in a "low key" (but astoundingly good) way  with a live performance of the VIP Band...right here in this very living room!!

Rob joined the boys for an ACDC intro set.  They all really rocked!!...but Rob eventually found he needed a bit more rehearsal time to keep up with the boys.

Ollie plays with great maturity, precision and expression and Angus plays drums like an absolute demon - way beyond his tender years.....he surprises everyone, including his drum teacher - in fact.

 The VIP Band is awesome!

 Even the guest grand daddy.

The girls LOVED their cousins' performance. Abi smiled and danced and showed off how she can now wink (which I didn't quite catch in this low light).

and Ella smiled a lot too, took over filming duties and organised stacks on games with the boys in between sets.

 It was great to welcome Maxie & Rod back too after their OS travels...

As the night wore on the boys played a few more outstanding sets with their teacher Gav........ They were really rocking and AWESOME!

Thank you Claire and Jeremy for sharing the VIP moment - unforgettable!
(and Happy Birthday too)

Sunday nights

We're well and truly back into our Sunday night routine - roast dinner, fine wines and some hilarious conversations around the dinner table with the young things (but especially Ella).  Everyone is happily settled in at the new house. 

There's a fireplace in the living room and a wood fired heater in the kitchen/family room. The wood fired heater is a bit of a chick magnet on these cold winter evenings.

Joshy has transferred all his super roast cooking skills to the new venue without a hitch....

Despite the low temperatures as dusk falls (along with another spectacular sunset) the terraced backyard calls out to the girls (and Grandpa) for one last game of kicks and throws. 

The move

I think this pic of Miss A sitting at the family room table of her new home just about sums up the way most members of her family are feeling right now about "the move"!

They are all revelling in the extra space (including the bathrooms), the changes in levels and the beauty of all the timber (and exposed brickwork). It's a great winter house too with all the living areas bathed in sunshine, a working wood fired heater in the family room and every night a dress circle view of a spectacular sunset behind the Brindabella Mountains.

The move has been mostly completed over Saturday - Sunday. By Sunday evening the kitchen & laundry were fully operational and the girls' bedrooms and living room organised.  A glass of Majella celebrated a successful start to happy times at the new abode.

It was terribly considerate of Her Majesty to proclaim a birthday holiday today so there was a long weekend to consolidate all the hard work and excitement of the big move.