woohoo!

I finally got my blogger settings back and working and it feels like I'm out of gaol. Holding my breath now, and hoping it will last. Lots has happened while I've been away, so I'll merely skim the surface.

Our chooks are now free-ranging -- minor  prob is that they want to join us on the verandah and leave their droppings.

We now have new baby piglets. So cute. I've told E we are not eating these, and he agrees. We're raising them for friends to eat which is almost, but not quite as bad. They have very happy lives at our place, I promise you.

Also, today is my lovely daughter Emma's wedding anniversary. Congratualtions to Emma and Carson. You have a wonderful marriage and I hope you celebrate in fine style!!

Last week in Sydney...

Last week Elliot and I travelled to Sydney for my aunt and Godmother's 90th birthday. Nieces travelled from Perth, Tassie and Queensland and her one nephew from Sydney was there (telling stories about how he believed her when he was little and she called him her "favourite nephew".)

My mum, her one surviving sister was there, too, of course.

Unfortunately, Auntie Dorothy has macular degeneration and couldn't see us all, but we were thrilled that she was well enough to enjoy the day.
 (That's a card blocking the view of the cake by the way) It was a lovely gathering!!!

While we were in Sydney, we did a little sightseeing and I've gotta say that on a beautiful day, Sydney Harbour is a world beater.

We visited Vaucluse House...

The Heads at the opening to Sydney Harbour... and I couldn't help thinking about our ancestors who sailed through here in the 1850s... and Aunty D, too, who sailed through here on an overseas adventure a century later in the 1950s...

Standing at this same point (The Gap) we could look back the other way to this view...

Elliot and I also enjoyed visiting The Rocks (the oldest part of Sydney Harbour) where we had lunch with a view of both the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House... sigh... every Aussie should be lucky enough to do this at least once a decade or so...

From The Rocks, I looked back at the city and was fascinated to see this old clock tower huddled amidst all the skyscrapers. Can you see it there??

Oh, and we found Zoe in Dymocks...

Finally, E and I went to the opening night of a new play put on by the Sydney Theatre Company. It's called Australia Day and it's a brilliant production -- satire at its comical, tragic best. LOVED it!