A date with Abi

This girl is hard for me to photograph - always on the move and usually too busy to pause and look my way, especially when she's doing something much more fun..
 

Ah..gotcha this time Abi my girl......
 

 Of course, Peppa Pig can always raise a smile...

As can a plate of after lunch goodies........dates from Turkey were on the menu today.....one of Abi's favourite food groups.......

 Jody said..only two...but I saw her have LOTS more than that..which could prove to be a bit diabolical, later on!

J & K from Seoul

J & K came to Sydney this weekend after a week in Noosa (and Melbourne), giving us a chance to catch up with this gorgeous pair, in some familiar territory for us all.

Sydney weather was uncharacteristically cool and showery on Saturday, but we managed to avoid getting too wet making our way to Ferry Wharf 1 on Circular Quay....

..and then to Manly Beach to find a warm and sheltered lunch spot and some seafood. As it turned out Whitewater fitted the bill perfectly. 

We loved seeing J & K  again - hearing all about life in Seoul, their amazing work and the differences between life in Sth Korea and Australia.  Kay is so positive (although very astute) about everything she sees and experiences.......she would be such an asset working for Tourism Australia (but not Team Australia please - none of us are in that team).

The boys were very entertaining. They are both obsessed with Rubik's cube at the moment and amazed us all with their ability to solve the puzzle SO FAST, over and over again from all different starting points. It really shows what is possible with intelligence and CONSTANT practice (click click click).

With a little while to spare between getting back from Manly and our dinner booking at the wonderful Danjee restaurant in Albion Place we had a sunset drink together at the Opera House Bar - for the best view in Sydney.......the bridge to the west, the Opera House (up close) to the east and the clear blue water of the harbour within backflip distance.
 

Kay had to fly back to Seoul early this morning so we were sad we weren't able to enjoy a perfect September Sunday morning  with her at our Barzura's, the best breakfast place in Coogee (that's what we think anyway).  It was no consolation to be able to track her flight through that amazing Tripradar App. We wished she was here with us!
 

Coogee looked its best today - the only thing spoiling the image was the sight of hundreds of bluebottles washed up on the high tide line ....ouch...lots of potential stings there - although no sign of any live bluebottles in the water this morning.
 

 
A visit from J & K is always cause for great excitement and celebration and we counted our luck in being able to share some precious time with them, until we next see them.....................

E & A

Great week at school for Ella last week: two awards at assembly: for diligence and application in all her work and being a Green Waste Warrior.............

......and presenting her first Learning Journey last Friday. There was great excitement when Dad turned up and had all the work samples explained to him.

Abi takes it all in. When it's her turn she'll start school knowing all the ropes...................

At the moment this is the only rope she's interested in - learning to climb it and swing from great heights like her big sister  (but with hairband on).

Spring mix

An absolutely gorgeous 18oC day in Canberra today - getting ready for the official start of Spring tomorrow.
 

Abi's got a spring in her step with her two new spangly tutus (Granny's work) and continuing sartorial loyalty to Peppa Pig despite her girl crush for Ben and Holly and that wonderful role model Nanny Plum.
 

 That Alannah Hill headband never comes off now......Abi even wears it to bed.

Her imaginary play is full of animal characters (and fairies) - doggies, fish (all shapes and sizes), ladybugs, and as of this weekend, horses (pink ones)!

Ella is still the climber - no tree is safe. I am glad her Mummy didn't see how high she climbed into this lovely gum tree this afternoon.

And I thought I might continue my (very popular) 1975 series with a few more funny shots ........

Rob and I took a five week camping trip through Scandinavia and Russia (Soviet era then) in August that year with Transit Tours. We picked up the tour in London and surprise surprise found ourselves in the company of a pretty wild bunch of young Aussies and Kiwis for the next five weeks.

I can't believe we co-operated with this cheesy exercise in Volendam (very touristy old fishing village in Holland) on the first day of the trip.

I can't believe I got on a boat and sailed out on the Hardanger Fjord (Norway) with three such scary looking young men (Paul, John and Rob).

This is a pic of us setting up tents in the "Leningrad" camping grounds. After Scandinavia, Russia in those days seemed quite oppressive (scarily so) with very few allowances made for visitors. There were some very fierce babushkas operating this camping ground - although they must have turned a blind eye to the vodka parties at night where campers and locals would join in drinking games and plate smashing. Aussies and Kiwis participated in this cultural exchange very enthusiastically.
 

This proves we've been to Moscow - when St Basil's really did face onto RED Square.

1975

Good friends of ours are off to Europe on Monday with stops in Greece, Crete, Spain and other places. They left behind a new film/slide scanner for Rob to work out its secrets. He solved the puzzle by scanning an ancient collection of our slides from our eight month trip to Europe and Russia way back in 1975.

I thought I would show you a few highlights - but promise you won't laugh too much...

We'll start in Athens.......this is how the Plaka looked back in 1975, looking towards the Acropolis. Guess who that fairly derelict looking guy is in the foreground.........

In those days you could wander all over the ancient temples of the Acropolis.

There's that derelict looking guy again, sitting on the steps to the divine Temple of Athena Nike, with a very smoggy looking Athens in the distance.

And there is me on the streets of Athens, looking very well padded by now from eating all the delights of Europe; unlike Rob who seemed to get more skinny the longer we were on the road.

..... and there's the derelict guy again waiting for the bus from Athens to Patras (to catch the ferry to Corfu).

We spent a couple of idyllic days on Corfu where the conditions were ideal for camping (unlike some of the other places we stayed in 1975).

From Corfu we crossed to Italy where we captured this cheesy shot (below), which Eddie may particularly enjoy if he doesn't find the hairy guy too scary.

There's me wandering the streets of ancient Pompeii, overlooked by a hazy Mt Vesuvius in the background....

The Ponte Vecchio in Florence in 1975...

 and just by way of comparison, 38 years later (yikes!) in 2013......

This is Rob looking very suave on a beach on the French Riviera...

..and looking nice after a haircut in Nice....

 ....and a few days later standing in the Place de la Concorde looking towards L'Arc de Triomphe on a cold wet November day in Paris.

Other random shots:
Rob standing in front of the painter El Greco's villa in Toledo Spain...

....and that is me standing in St Peter's cemetery in Salzburg. PS I really am a natural blonde; I used to dye my hair dark brown in those days (!!)

We loved our time in Croatia, on the Dalmatian Coast. The pic below is of Rob as we were leaving Split old town to catch the ferry over to the beautiful island of Hvar.

..and below is a pic of me drinking Croatian beer in Split old town (just adding more to my 1970s avoirdupois).

.....and ready for another day of backpacking in picture book Interlaken in Switzerland.