Visit to Government House

Early this month we were invited to Government House with my brother Frank and his wife Elly. As part of seniors week ,and in recognition of volunteers ,the governor opened his house for a morning tea. We represented Yarra Ranges meals on wheels and were there with about 300 people. These photos loaded up the wrong way so we start at the end (if you know what I mean) The gardens are vast but we were being watched by the security guard - it was so far and no further.

After the morning tea, part of the house was open for us to have a look around. People were taking photos for each other which was really nice. As you can see from this painting of Queen Elizabeth the whole place is huge and very impressive. It was an honour to be there.

In the ballroom, these seats are along the walls and I don't know if the walls were stencilled or if it's wallpaper. The place was built in Melbourne's golden age in the late 1800's and either been restored or beautifully maintained. The Queen's chair is next to us - nicely roped off !

I took this photo of the ballroom in the mirror .The ceiling is at least 40 ft. high with 3 big chandeliers that used to be lit by gas. 8 people were presented with awards for outstanding work as volunteers -they are nominated by people who know them and hey certainly deserved to be recognised. Of course we had to listen to speeches - from the premier , minister for the aging , the Governor and others , but it really was a special day.

Broome - Cable Beach

An early morning bus ride took us to Gantheaume Point - where I added to my collection of lighthouse photos . We had to walk about 6 km along Cable beach to get the bus back to town. The beach is very wide and packed. Four wheel drivers travel along the beach to go fishing etc . It was a very pleasant walk.
There are several resorts at Cable beach. You can probably hire these seats and umbrellas - we didn,t ask.
The bus company has built these shelters along the route .We were glad for the service as walking later in the day is far too hot.

Beautiful Broome

We had booked a caravan / unit before we left home and were pleased with our accomodation. A 24 ft caravan which was completely refurbished and also had a metal annex onto it for extra room. It had air-con, a tv, good bed and was in the shade of this beautiful tree. The gum blossom was out - we have never had so much bird life in one place ! The temperature went up to 36 on most days so we spent all our time outside in the shade. The van was in a perfect spot overlooking Roebuck Bay. We moved the dining table and chairs around to catch the breeze or shade .No flies ,mozzies or sandflies ,so it was just perfect !
We experienced very big tide variations which happen only at certain times of the year -these were spring tides with the low tide being -.15 mtr and high tide being 8.75 mtr. The mangrove tree in the photos is seen at low tide and at high tide. Pretty amazing I think.

Airport Fun

After a wonderful time with Dave and Sara , Dave and Aiden took us to the airport .There were lots of interesting things for a young man - a public phone is a bit of a rarity these days , so it had to be checked out.There were very few people around at first , so these chairs made a pretty good tunnel.

It was quite some time before we saw a plane . Aiden was counting on joining us on the flight but he hadn't packed , so I suppose he will be able to go some other time. It was a real pleasure to spend time with the family .

A bit of Snow in Silvan

We had an unusually cold snap on Sunday morning. There was a flurry of snow while we were in church which continued for over an hour. When we got home it had settled on the ground - we found it really pretty. I had to take some photos of course ! This is our vege-patch. It is surprising that it felt colder before (and after) it snowed . It hadn't been this cold for over 20 years .

Vi at 100 !

Vi Wallace is a friend of ours from Good News Fellowship. We celebrated her 100th birthday at a restaurant last week . What an amazing lady ! She can't see as well as before but she recognised us and was so happy to see us after quite some years - there's nothing wrong with her brain.

Bollywood Bling Bash

Amrit's 40th birthday was a really special occasion. Most people got dressed in "Indian "outfits. Here Bendix , Hank and John Jessen are chatting with Adjab, the real Indian, who didn't dress up. Amrit looked stunning in a Sari .Annemarie and I wore Punjabi suits and Birgit went to quite an effort too.
Tim looked like a prince.The little girls also wore saris. We were surrounded with Bollywood music all evening which just added to the atmosphere. There were about 120 people at the party - Tim and Amrit have friends all over the place!

Pretty in Ponchos

I've been knitting so that I'de stay awake in the evening - that's what happens when you get to my age ! Anjali and Kiran love their ponchos so that is a real bonus.

Visit with Dave and Sara

We went on holidays -flying to Western Australia to spend 3 weeks with David and Sara. They have moved to a new house and now live appr. 25 minutes walk from this beach. Beautiful surf that continues for miles. David had to be a packhorse for a while until we got away from the roaring waves which were a bit scary for Aiden. The water washed over a bank to form a safe swimming area for the children. They had a lovely time. I think it could have been Megan's first play in the sea.
Megan thinks everything has to be tasted -it's the best way to know if it's OK. Hands full of sand were not enough - see if you can copy this!
We went to Rockingham, a city close to Secret Harbour for a day out. The weather was just perfect while we were in the West and we had a really good time with Sara, David, Aiden and Megan.
There is a new trainline from Mandura to Perth ,so we made use of it and visited Perth for a day.We called in at an information office and had a guided tour. It's a beautiful city, lots of parks, arcades and it has a nice lay-back atmosphere.
It's obvious that there is a lot of money in the west due to the mining boom.
This is Perth's bell-tower where at regular intervals bellringers are doing their exercises by swinging on the ropes and supply the city with a nice concert at the same time. Perth is built along the Swan River named by a Dutchman after the black swan which is native to only this area.

Jobien's visit

A few years ago our niece, the eldest daughter of my only brother promised to come and visit us one day. While she is travelling around Oz she made this promise come true and dropped in with friend Kevin and they stayed with us for a few days. Here she is, visiting one of the tourist spots in the Dandenongs. We also fed the cockatoos, rosellas, galahs and other native birds in Sherbrooke forest. Jobien and Kevin are a delightful couple and we really enjoyed their company.

We also visited Philip Island where a colony of Koalas live and we saw hundreds of penguins coming in from the ocean just after dusk with tummies ful of fish to feed their hungry chicks.
Did I get that koala ?
Jobien and Kevin arrived on the Monday and left for the Great Ocean Road on the following Friday. We hope to see them again.

Family photos

The Australian Kleingeld clan 2008 I suppose we're all getting a bit older.
Dave Sara Aiden and Megan
Tim Amrit Anjali and Kiran.
Annemarie Jenna and Gary with Michelle Ben and Rachel in front

Melbourne Zoo

I suppose a visit to the zoo usually starts with a cup of coffee after the drive into town. We thought so anyway. There have been so many changes since we last came here.The bears are behind glass and they come right up to you - no fear on either side !
We have a small herd of elephants in a new enclosure. The animals all seem happy and we had a fantastic day.Seeing it all through the eyes of a small boy really added to our fun.
Here is another little one falling in love with her opa.The time with the family just flew past and it made us realise how really blessed we are.

FAMILY Weekend

David and Sara came for 10 days so we decided to have the whole family stay with us for the weekend. With a bit of creative sleeping arrangement we fitted 17 people into our house quite comfortably.Little Megan was a bit overwhelmed with all the attention at first but she soon got used to us all.The back yard turned out to be an excellent sports field.We have some world champions in the making (maybe) and we really had good fun together.
Our oldest and youngest grandchildren.
We went to the playground at Lilydale lake - there is play equiptment for young and old.The icecream man must have been pleased to see such a nice big family - we had a special treat for a special day.
Jenna and Megan

Shallow Inlet

Just before the children finished their school holidays we joined Annemarie , Gary and their kids and Amrit and the girls for a few days at the beach. Kiran (and all of them ) had a wonderful time in the shallow water.Anjali and Jenna are good friends . The kids wear wetsuits which stops them from getting cold and you don't have to put sunscreen all over them.
Gary took a canoe down with him. We all had a go in it which was good fun.The water was much deeper further out so they went fishing in the channel.
Ben is very keen on the fishing so he went out with Gary several times. They caught quite a few fish - most were too small or not edible but they did have a meal from them.