River Rats

We're just back from a wonderful holiday in a houseboat on the mighty Murray River.

I'm not really a boat person, but the thought of an enforced rest, on the water, in a well equipped houseboat was too good to resist.

And it was all that we imagined.

The house boat had every mod con ... including a spa on the top deck.

We moored in a picturesque spot and easily slipped into the gentle pace of life on the river.

Cooking, reading, chatting, swimming ... with an afternoon snooze most days.

I even had time for some embroidery.

And the weather was amazing ... while elsewhere in Australia was suffering with floods and torrential rain, we were blessed with blue skies and hot sunny days.

We holidayed with James' brother, his wife and their two boys - who are very much into boats.

They waterskiied every day and Eliza got into the swing of things very quickly.

And the Murray itself was beautiful.

I never tired of looking at the view and the changing moods of the river.

A relaxing and memorable holiday. We loved it.

But .... it's back to reality now with work tomorrow and the piles of holiday washing!

Hmmmm ....

The reaction to bringing Ruby home has been predictable.
Those in the house with two legs think she's absolutely adorable.
The other member of the household with four legs is especially non plussed.

Fudge has ruled the roost since before Eliza was even a twinkle in our eye. He's a very laid back kinda cat and I took these pictures the day before Ruby arrived. Little did he know what was about to happen ...

There's been some hissing and dirty looks and the two have circled each other, sizing each other up ...

I'm sure Fudge doesn't know what to think and can only hope Ruby will depart just as quickly as she arrived.

Ruby wants to play and Fudge just wants things to go back to how they were.

We're giving Fudge extra attention and making sure he doesn't miss out on the cuddles going round, but Ruby is here to stay.

I mean .... just look at this little face ! What's not to love.

Baby Love

Don't you love babies toes.
I could eat them!!!
I really could.

And I adore the folds of their skin.

And their prefect little faces.
Look at those gorgeous lashes.
Ahhhh ...... the face of a sleeping baby.

These pictures are of my beautiful niece Georgia.

I've been thinking about babies today because there 's a new little girl in the world.
My friend Caroline is now a mum.
Lindsay Marie has arrived.
I can't wait to meet her and check out her tiny weeny little tootsies.

A bright, bright, bright sunshiney day

Another sunshiney day in Melbourne ...

(After a long cold winter days like this are still a novelty!)

Eager to make the most of the warmth, my sister and I packed up our girls and visited an Open Garden on the fringe of Melbourne.

Um .... Wow.
4 hectares of garden including a lake.....


We picnicked in the garden before having a look around.

The girls loved exploring (and pretending that this really was their garden!)

There were plenty of gorgeous garden vistas ...

And a jazz band which really added to the atmosphere. But the moment can only last so long .....

The girls were tired and hot and bored and grumpy.

Time to go!

Snow Business

My blog has been a bit lonely this last week or so while our family took a break at the snow.

I'm a keen non skier - the result of growing up in Queensland and coming too late to the white stuff. But James loves to ski and a break at the snow is something he's done since Uni days.

Eliza also skies, so father and daughter have an activity they can do together ... and they love it.

This year, James' brother Nick and his boys Charles and Archie joined us for a family holiday. The snow was a bit sparse - and not great for cross country skiers .... but the nights were well below freezing (-5 overnight) so conditions were perfect for snow making. And for our guys that's all they needed for some downhill adventures.

And me .... it's a week of cooking hearty meals for hungry skiers and grabbing some peace and quiet for a bit of craft back at the lodge.

heart to heart

This paperclip fell out of my sister's handbag the night before her wedding.

Just like this.

Perfect.

Wedding Belles

A collage of snaps which capture my sister's Easter Sunday wedding.

What a special day it was.

Catching up in pictures

My Year In Review

It's been soooo long since I've posted regularly on my blog.

I thought the easiest way to catch up was to put some photo collages together and recap the year.

The pictures above show the sweet afternoon tea to celebrate sweet Georgia's first birthday.

All in the family

Our family has caught the blogging bug. No one warned me it was contagious!

My mum's blog, White Dove, is only a couple of weeks old and gorgeous.
She added a live feed gadget to it last night.
She knew I was dropping in to check out what she's been up to .... but the live traffic feed shows people are dropping in from all round the world.
Mexico, Guatamala, Brazil, Argentina, New York, Colorado ..
She's in shock ....
and so is my Dad!!!!! (A little bit jealous??)

And today, with Eliza home sick and me blogging away, she decided she'd like her own blog too.
So Pink Pink Polkadot was born.

Please drop in and say hello.

What's the saying?
The family who blogs together ... ends up fighting over the laptop !
Hmmmm .... stay tuned.