Dinner at Bella's Farm

The dogs want IN

The Goose named Goose

FAMILY on the back porch

Zoe & Caitlyn

Bella & Caitlyn





Sarah

Riley Bella

Zoe

Caitlyn & Uncle Scott

We had a lovely meal at Rick and Karen's last nigh and celebrated the fact that Scott & Jo and Rick & Karen have together, bough a 50 % share in Allied Travel. Very exciting for them as normally our family is very cautious but the agency has now been going for some 30 years and is doing well so we wish them all good luck and keep the business coming their way

The kids had extra excitement because they were allowed to ride the tactor lawnmower that Rick had there to mow his lawn.

Rick will be going to Queensland after Easter with a friend to pick up his friend's horsetruck so some extra babysitting there . Vicki going South for the Easter long weekend so Trev is babysitting their dog. We will have our family dinner and Easter egg hunt at Vicki & Travis's place on Good Friday. Another thing to look forward to.

Caitlyn Day

Kisses for Oma

Caitlyn often asks to go to "Your House" or " the Village " and see Pop and Mac so yesterday I took her home. We had a nice day as we had to go to the travel agency to see Karen after we had morning tea at the Waterways Cafe here We came back and had lunch at the foodhall here. She had chips and nuggets but is not really interested in nuggets. We spent the afternoon on my bed watching telly and trying to get her to sleep but she was not at all interested in that, she seems to be getting away from the afternoon sleep. Then at 5.20 she suddenly decided she would go to sleep. Luckily her Mum & Dad decided to buy tea on the way to picking her up so she had a good 1 1/2 hours.

The photos show her relaxing in her seat in the back of the car, playing with Mac and wearing the Dockers hat.She really is very photogenic.

Family Chat

Had a little chat with Ger last night, ( oh yeh, well over an hour !), she was paying but they do get cheap overseas calls. Jan & Adrie often also ring. Well, today they sent an invite to their barbecue on the 28th of June for their 35th anniversary. Told them I'd come but the busses and trains don't go that far.

Ger & Goos did say to say hello to all our kids so , since I always forget, I'm saying Hello to you now. The whole lot of them there are going on a great variety of Holidays, Turkey & Chech Republic for Goos & Ger.Also to Limburg and another caravan weekend with their cousins. Chantal & husband to Egypt and later Borneo. Neils to Turkey and I think Sas & Hyung also. Those two are also going to a wedding in Canada for 5 days and I think Spain. Forgotten any others. Hard Life eh?

It seems that Hyung and Saskia will be getting married in May next year, that's nice news also.

Well I wonder if Ger might actually look at my blog one day because she normally does not but their invitation to the Anniversary barbecue had a photo of them both and they really look so nice so here it is.

Happy Birthday for last Saturday to INA and this week it is Frank's turn.

There are also all those Anniversaries,earlier and still to come, naming the female only, Nanny, Net, Ina, Denise and Vicki. Happy Anniversary all of you.

Twice in two weeks

Well, went out to lunch on Friday , which makes it twice in two weeks, eating out. It was Ina's birthday so we celebrated this time by going to Kelly's Cafe at the All Palms nursery. Trev and I had called in there recently but it seemed expensive so we did not eat there. However, there were some reeasonably priced lunches and all bar mine were of acceptable size and they were well presented.It seeems very popular with many diners there . Since we all treat ourselves to sweets on these occasions, we were in for a bit of a shock, $ 7.00 for a piece of cheesecake. That means, if our cafe charged that for the Toblerone cheesecake I made this week, they would have profitted by $51.00. Yeh,Wish !!!! However, it was nice, the setting is lovely as well and..............we had some rain on the day.

The pictures do not do justice to the birthday girl since the light seems to have reflected into the camera. One is Sheila, Ina & Val and the other is myself, Ina and Val.

Family wise, this was the day Caitlyn found sticking a popcorn up one's nose is fun!!!!

Her Mum, Scott & I having some tests, nothing serious we hope but precautionary so waiting for results.The weather in low thrities so nice. Then, life just goes on.

Some Nice Times

We had some nice times , On Saturday night we were invited to dinner with Viv & Mick and Gordon & Jenny Mahr and went to Araluen, a resort golfcourse in the Perth Hills and we had a wonderful dinner. The presentation of the food was superb and the food tasted wonderful as well.Plenty of kangaroos on the golfcourse. Took pics on the way home but was too dark. Thanks Viv & Mick.
Yesterday went to say Goodbye to the QE 2 . She was on her last voyage to Australia and after returning to the US will be sailed to Dubai in about November to be used as a floating hotel.
Went into town to get some lunch and found a couple next to us could not get drinks because they only had American dollars so we bought them a drink. We ended up taking them for a drive along the Swan river,through Perth and back. Sarah and Charles enjoyed it very much and so did we.
The yellow and blue ship is the something or other Voyager which has recently returned from the Antarctic, gathering evidence for a possible legal challenge i n the International Court against the Japanese Whalers. Hope the Government goes through with that and hope they are succesful in their bid.









the ???Voyager (with Maritime Museum at the back)

QE 2 alongside

QE2 from overhead bridge


QE 2 from North wharf

Fremantle Mall

The Old Warders cottages in Fremantle

Forty Years a couple

Vrythof, Maastricht & Andre Rieu.

Andre Rieu is coming here on Nov 22nd, it was announced last Thursday. I have Vicki on alert to try & get tickets on the internet. Keep looking , Vicki. We really hope she can get them.I've told her to get more as I'm sure people in the village want tickets also.

Then there is Mac. Last week he was throwing us those irresistable googgly eye looks and so I got the camera to try and capture that. I took lots of pics but no google eyes!!!!!! Still ,he's very handsome .
Trev has come for short walks this week ,which is good for him but not for Mac and me because we need our long walks. I don't want to discourage him so will see what happens. Mac is not quite sure about it all and keeps wanting to protect him by walking near Trev and waiting for him when he gets behind us.

Finally, Them & Us, Trev, me , Viv and Mick.

Trev and myself giving our Presentation for Viv & Mick's 40th anniversary.

Three of ours

Pretty Michelle Donnes (wife of Matthew and mother of Ella)

B in L Mick and Trev's sister Viv with the Donnes and Branch kids.

The girls having a good time.

Net (my sister) & B in L Gary , with Vicki and Travis.

Another M & M, Matthew and Mick

All the Donnesses and Branches(minus most kids)

Last night we all went to the Burswood ( hotel , not Casino) where the Donnes family had hired a private Function room at Alure. We were served finger foods, which were of a pleasantly high standard, and had an open bar. The standards at the Casino complex certainly have gone down just recently. We took notes a few weeks ago and were going to write and complain, but as often we forget, did not. Parking was alittle difficult but we did find a spot at the rear of the complex and as Rick & Karen picked us up, it was even easier for us.

there were some 50 people and Gorden Maher,ex Apexian friend and Trevor and I did a presentation. We related their trials and tribulations in verse and prose and gave them certificates and photos and gifts. It seemed to go over quite well. A very pleasant time was had by all, at least , we think so.

Goong Xi Fa Chai

Nanny, you have not answred the card I sent , enquiring about your Dr's visit ! Having my tests on Wednesday. How's this for an acronym?? M & M with Mother Viv. (aka Michelle & Matthew)

Madeleine & Ella dancing

The two J's; Jo & Jacquie(with Olivia)

Group of Branches and a

friend with Madeleine

Zoe & Anna dancing

Cop the curls

What a dancer

Ella Donnes dancing Even the dogs had balloons

On Saturday we all went to Byford to Sarah's Birthday party. When you live so far away, the people can't drop off the kids and go,though they were all invited family and friends. There were some 20 adults and I think the same number of kids there;ages from almost 2 to 14 years. They were all fed well and I know we enjoyed it as it is always lovely to get together. Poor Andrea was not there, she had had a gall bladder op. but Jacquie and Frank brought Andrea & Steve's 4 girls, not bad with 6 kids altogether. Good thing they have a large house. The kids had a disco and the lounge was all set up for that but they did not dance a lot. Popular, as always was the birthday pineata which was a disco ball. The cake , created by Karen, was a Bratz doll sitting on a couch.Was a lovely day, not like today, it was 37.2 degrees again.

Happy Chinese New year. It seems to have different forms of spelling, maybe it is the different forms of Chinese. We had the Chinese Lion dancers at the village again, it was very hot but that did not seem to deter the dancers, it was very good. The chef cooked Chinese food after it. We did not go, which is no surprise because the old boy won't go to anything here but also I prefer my Chinese food from Chinese Restaurants. We had DIM Sum again in Melville on Thursday anyway so that was my dose of Chinese for a few weeks.

Yes, it Rained and Rained

Happy Birthday to cousin Henk Wasman and next week we go and celebrate the 40th wedding Anniversary of Trev's sister, Vivienne and husband Michael, at the Burswood. Happy Anniversary to you both.
temperature is going up again already but at least we have had a spell. It is said to go to 37 and 38 again later in the week. Been to Dr again, my ears were needing syringing and had that done. Vicki will be pleased because she had to write notes to me last Friday,I could not hear a thing. I have to have a few routine tests again . That's OK.
Also some skin treatment. Mine at least not as bad as poor old Vicki. She has an even more sensitive skin and has to have a nasty exfoliating type treatment which will bring out and hopefully treat all the little skincancers she has on her face. Not nice for a young woman but neccessary, so one does it. I told her to put a badge on with a note, "I am having treatment for skincancers." She is very good with keeping out of the sun but the specialist and the Doctor said she simply does not have a chance with her skin. Caitlyn has a sensitive skin as well but let's hope she does not have the problems when she grows up.

I also have made photos of the embroideries I did for Zoe and Riley. Zoe's is the " I LOVE HUGS" one ( A favourite of mine) and the alphabet is Riley's. It is an Australian themed alphabet with koalas,jabaroos ,lizards, magpies and quokkas etc. Watch this space for Bella and Sarah's embroideries.

Then ,while looking for these on my memory stick I found the photo of the flowers on my Lucky Plant. Had never had one flower previously and the scent was so strong that it overpowered the beautiful scent of the Elephant ear flowers -and that is strong!

Well we had rain yesterday, some 50 cms of it and it means we have surpassed our February average already. It was gorgeous, especially as it had been 50 days since we had had any rain at all. I actually went outside and took a pic of the rain in our street and on our pond.