At home in Sunbury, to Melbourne & Christmas

My family live in Sunbury a town some 40 mins. by train from Melbourne.  Having read emails and news from home about snow and frozen pipes etc.etc. I feel guilty about the next photo of me in the garden at home here, but here goes! Here I am being educated by Yasmin reading my first Harry Potter!

Country woman from little old Devon goes to the big buzzing, cosmopolitian city of Melbourne.

St.Pauls Cathedral - The old!

My family in one of the many shopping malls - the new!  Everything you could ever want of a big city - it is here.  You can eat any national cuisine you wish but we had a good, substantial, economical, vegetarian meal in the Hari Krishna restaurant.

CHRISTMAS.

The family meal and presents were celebrated on Christmas Eve - continental style - apologies for the contrived photo! Pass on that one!

Christmas Day was spent in the Mount Macedon National Park a vast, beautiful forested area. The bring and share picnic lunch was shared with 16 friends - I never did manage to get all together for a group photo but here is one showing my family at the trough! Yasmin and Lara on the right.

Lara and others at Christmas Day Picnic feast

After lunch great fun was had by the more energetic in  a game of football - that merged into cricket - that merged into frisby - that merged into rugby.  There were no pitch markings and there seemed to be no rules!!!

Later my family and I walked a trail in the forest of beautiful and stateley Gum (Eucalyptus) trees.

Gum trees and me.

Lara and François at Sanatorium Lake - named because this lake in the forest used to supply water to a TB sanatorium - no longer needed, thank goodness!

Melbourne

Not such a pleasant airport and a very unpleasant 1 hour queue to get through immigration and customs.  A long ordeal that was just what I did NOT need after a sleepless long haul night flight.  To add to that, the queue of travellers was twice subjected to the attentions of sniffer dogs!

However, all was well when Lara met me as planned and whisked me off to their lovely new home. My body began to accept night was day after a few days!

Yasmin wonders at a mound of Mung Beans!

Friday, first day of school holiday, en famille we  shop at Little Saigon Market at Footscraig-  a really spectacular displays of very fresh Australia produce, many of which I would have no idea how to prepare!

 François being choosey over some Vietnamese greens!

Who's for some asparagus? Lara and Yasmin sort their choice of young and tender specimens.

If this is was a video clip you could see Yasmin is fascinated by the live crabs wriggling.

 

Saturday and end of term meet of Yasmin's Aqua Wolves Swimming Club.  Fun evening with a huge obstacle course inflatable - the kids LOVE it.  The technique seems to be that those in the water throw buckets of water at the others who try to complete the course.  Above Yasmin diving through yellow hoop, below her climbing over yellow obstacle.

The meeting ends with the coach treating the team to a super junk food picnic meal outside the pool - pizzas in a box and a can of something fizzy and coloured!

Yesterday a trip to Gisbourne and after on to the Mount Macedon National Park - pity the fantastic view us spoit by the g.o.d. woman in the way!  

Memorial cross for 1st World War - the whole of this area was destroyed by fire in 1997 and the cross has been rebuilt.

Singapore

Flight delayed - not by weather!  2 pilots setting off from Chiswick - accident in the M4, motorway closed!!  I was among passengers waiting to board - announcement "Apologies - we cannot board until pilots arrive de da de da"  2 hours late action began!

Changi airport, Singapore wins best airport in the world every year and it deserves that acolade, it is magnificient!  Met according to plan by Dianne my SERVAS host - happy to find I have a nice bedroom in her comfortable 4th floor flat. Knowing what a chilly mortal I am I was amazed to find only a sheet for covering on the bed!  In the event I did not even need the sheet over me - warm and comfortable without any covering and a minimal use of the fan.

In the evening Diana and I went to the 'Little India" quarter of Sngapore. Known for my love of markets of all sorts, you will not be suprised when I admit I was in my seventh heaven among the multitude of stalls laden with exotic fruit and vegetables. Even more so browsing shops full of glorious textiles.

In the end hunger won and off we went to Diana's favourite Indian restaurant, noticeably a popular one being packed with local customers. We chose different meals from the exciting menu, were able to sample and admire each other's choice.  We returned to the flat satisfied at having enjoyed a very good evening together.

DAY 1.  Armed with careful instructions from Dianne re busses, and a travel card she lent me I set off on the great adventure of reaching The Botanical Gardens by public transport.  Beautiful gardens - full of amazing tropical vegitation, absolutely the very best therapy for my rest and recuperation on the long haul flight. The most sublime was the Orchid Garden.  Within the Orchid Garden is the Mist Garden where the most rare and exotic blooms flourish in the extra humid atmosphere.