Christmas and Boxing Day 2012

Road Block at Aleaxandra

It was a long trip and the weather was hot. I thought it would be better to stay at home. Sandra drove on and on, passed a breath test at Alexandra and with the aid of my new Satnav arrived at Buxton for lunch. The meal provided at the Igloo Cafe was very good, as usual. From there to Healsville and a  sharp left turn to Launching Place in the afternoon of 23 Dec.  The dogs were very excited to see us and caused much "get down" or "get away" from Graham and Emma. A brew was provided and Sandra and I settled in for a couple of days. On the Monday Sandra and I went shopping and generaly prepared for the morrow. Emma  and Graham kept the brew and the food coming and all was well.

A picnic table pokes out of the undergrowth.

Christmas Day came and brews all round. Up early, so not much doing, and I decided a walk was in order. Just outside the front gate there is a track that take you down to the park beside the Yarra River. The river is scrappy and the area somewhat over grown. The further I went the worse it seemed to get.

The end of the road, for me , anyway.

A couple of turn offs to the river were quite inviting, but on arrival at these spots they were quite scruffy. OK for fishing, but not much good for swming or picnicing. Further along the track came to and end. An old bridge was in the process of falling down and the track was fenced off so that you would not walk under the bridge to the continuing track. Even a ratty old Keep Out sign was tacked onto the bridge. These things did not bother the graffiti artists at all. 

In this pic there is a bird, but I was not quick enough with my camera.

On the return trip, along what I call the upper walk, the bird life was quite impressive, especially the honey eaters. I did try to take photos but was a miserable failure. A quiet walk back to Graham and Emmas, interupted only by having to open and shut their gate, ended with a well earned cup of tea and a bit of lunch.

From Graham and Emmas front verandah

Well, for this part of the day I put my camera down and did not pick it up until tomorrow. Around five oclock the other guests started to arrive, Sam and Andy, Sam and Amie and Mat and Chantelle. Ten for dinner, an nice number. The cook was great, the food was excellent and the desert was brilliant. An evening of good company an interesting conversation soon came to an end. Mat and Chantelle went home, Sam and Amie crashed on the floor and the rest of us retired to our various rooms. A realy nice day was had by all.

Emma, Buddy, Milly and Graham

Up bright and early to continue the journey. First pack the vehicle then breakfast. My potential new favourite Daughter In-Law, Emma, provided me with a chocolate pudding with chocolate cream, ice cream and custard. The others had bacon and eggs. After a brew, Sam and Amie left then Sam and Andy and finally Sandra and I.

Thank you Graham and Emma for a wonderful day.

Sandra and I headed across to Rawson to attend this years Family Gathering at Kens Place.

Samantha and Andy

Just in case any one was wondering about Sam and Andy. The picture should resolve any discussion which Sam went with Andy. It certainly was not the other Sam.

It surprised us, but after 13 years together Samantha and Andy got engaged on 28 Dec. Congratulations to you both and we hope it does'nt take another 13 years to complete the deal.

On the day, other than Kens family, Sandra and I arrived first soon to be followed by the rest of the family. By around five pm we had all assembled and on time for the dinner time BBQ. This year those unable to make it were Doreen and her mob, Wendy and her tribe, from Queensland, Christine and her family from Paynesville and Maureen and her group from Tasmania. Other members that did not make this gathering were the youngsters that were required to work or were otherwise committed. It was a good get together with some having to return to the Big Smoke sometime after dinner. The rest of enjoyed Ken and Yves hospitality and stayed for breakfast. Just before lunch the party started to break up and every one started to return home or head for their next destination.

A decision was made that the next Boxing Day be at Daves place in Craigieburn, and as usual everyone is welcome.

Patreace and Reece

Thank you to all those that helped make this day a success, including Patreace who took the photos shown in this section.