My grandchildren

I've been having so much fun with my grandchildren.  I've joined "Friends of the Melbourne Zoo".  This means I can take the children to the Zoo whenever I like.  I can also go to the Healesville Wildlife Park & Werribee Zoo.  If I am adventurous, I can also go to any Zoo in Australia & I don't have to pay (like that's going to happen!!!).  

So, I have taken the boys to the Zoo quite a few times and I have taken Chloe once.  I hope I might be able to take her again soon.  

Here are just a few pictures of the grandchildren.  Edward & Nathan are now nearly 2 1/2 years old & Chloe is 18 months old.

Nathan enjoying the Meerkats

Chloe at the Zoo

This photo was taken at the little animal farm at the Swedish Bazaar

Chloe & Nathan taken at Carols by Candlelight last Sunday 15 December

Botanical Gardens, Cairns, Australia

What a treat it was to visit the Botanical Gardens in Cairns & find all these amazing plants there.  Being the tropics, they are very special & everything grows furiously!!  I really enjoyed wandering around taking photos of flowers I've never seen before.  

My apologies that I have no idea what they are called (bit slack I know!!).  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

There's something special in this photo - see if you can spot it ! ! !  Lol

Someone foreign in this photo as well!!!

I like this box Nanna !

Glenda & I took the boys to David Jones for a spot of shopping on Saturday morning.  We ended up at the toy department, but to get there we had to go through all the Christmas decorations & delights!!  Edward took a real shine to a box of Christmas mints (probably because it was definitely on his level.

Oh!   There's a box missing  !!

Look what I've found Nanna !

Edward, you need to put that box back !

TULIPS IN SPRING IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Glenda & I with Edward & Nathan went up to the Tulip Festival in the Dandenong Ranges for a morning of fun!  As you can see, it was rather cold & windy, but didn't deter us from having a wonderful time together.  The boys particularly liked the tractor ride!  We all enjoyed walking amongst the tulips, which were absolutely beautiful.  It is such a short season here, we have to make the most of the wonderful display.

Edward & Nathan enjoying the mirror sculpture

?? Future farmers ??

The boys love anything that moves!

August already ! ! !

Oh dear, I have been smacked on the hand again by Kevvy!!  But at least he has me blogging again!! (Thanks Kevin for the nudge!!)   I wish I could do it without prompting!!  Maybe I'll try really hard in the future.

I'm really enjoying my lovely home & especially its warmth!  August has been a cold, wet, windy month.  Not nice at all.  I have been trying to work in the garden & get it ready for Spring planting!  I had a wonderful weekend visit from Stewart & Katja Jensen from Cairns (friends Roger & I knew in Basel) & they told me about a no dig vegie garden.  What a great idea.  I started to work on it immediately & it is now getting ready for me to plant when I get back from holidays in Cairns!  Yes, I am visiting Cairns with Roger's sister Elizabeth from 30 August for 8 days.  Can't wait to get up to some warmth & to see Stewart & Katja again.

Also I have purchased 17 'Little Gem' Magnolia bushes to go along the back fence!  This will let you know how long my back fence is!  They are still in the pots as I have had to dig along the fence & prepare the soil.  Lots of fun & hard work.  I have a nice gardener to help me with the heavy gardening & he also mows the lawn.  The family are all to busy to help out with these things!  I wonder if Roger would enjoy helping me if he was still around!!

Edward & Nathan turned 2 on 1 July.  They are cute, cute, cute & a bit naughty at times!!  (Yes, double trouble indeed).    I love the spark in them.  I have taken them into the city a few times on the train & we've had a great time together.  I have to be careful when I take them out of the pram.  You know - run away boys!!!  I can entice them back with food usually!!

I had a birthday a couple of weeks ago & my beautiful kids gave me a pearl necklace.  It is just gorgeous.  Cheryl gave me a garden voucher (great idea) & I have been out & purchased 2 climbing roses.  Yes, I will take pictures once I have planted them.  I have the perfect spot for them.  I will talk to them & encourage them to grow, grow, grow!!

Today Tim & Chloe (nearly 15 months) came to lunch & then we went for a walk.  It was lovely to catch up, but all to brief!!

Settling in nicely

I moved into my unit on Thursday 4 April with work still being carried out!  I am now happily settled & very cosy.  I am enjoying living here very much with friendly neighbours, lovely birds around, kookaburra's singing some morning, hot air balloons floating by in the distance & peace & quiet.  I feel very blessed to have this new little home.  Here are a few photo's to give you a little picture of how things have gone.

The old kitchen

The new kitchen

The old bath

The new bathroom

Looking down the hall towards the 2 bedrooms

I still need to do a little painting of window frames & doors, but all in good time.  I am going to do it myself.  Glenda is going to teach me!!  Ah, the things one must to learn later in life!  I am very happy with everything at the moment.

I need to put pictures on the walls.  I have put 4 pictures in for new frames & will get them back next week.  Then I need to recruit someone special to place them strategically on the walls!!!

Irene came to stay with me 1 1/2 weeks after I moved in - 15 April.  It was such a delight to have her here in Melbourne with me.  She was wanting to help me get things done, so she was cracking the whip a bit, especially in the garden.  But her legacy lives on!

Jocelyn was with me for 11 days soon after Irene left.  She was struggling a bit & needed some Mummy time & a comfortable & warm place to live.  We managed quite well.

Winter is coming & I am very thankful for gas central heating.  Yes, I know people in Europe would be laughing, but I was determined I wasn't going to live in Melbourne without heating in the unit.  It was the first thing I did on purchasing the unit.

I am enjoying getting to know my neighbours.  They are very friendly & happy.  Then I met a lovely English lady from down the road today.  She was walking her little dog (reminded me of Pepper) & we had a nice chat & exchanged details.  She is 73 & moved to Melbourne from London 2 1/2 years ago.  I shouldn't be feeling sorry for myself about moving here when she has come halfway around the world.  

May is a tough month with our Wedding Anniversary on 15 May & Roger would have turned 60 on 19 May.  With the family around me I was able to get through these difficult anniversaries.  I do miss Roger very much.  I would love to be living here with him.  He would love this unit so much.

Birthdays

Glenda, Tom, Edward & Tim relaxing

Nathan & Tom in background

Tim & Chloe on swing

Jocelyn & Chloe with Tim & Amy in background

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my darling son Tim who turned 35 on 23 February & to my darling youngest daughter Glenda who turned 31 on 7 March.

Sunday afternoon 3 March we combined Tim & Glenda's birthdays to celebrate at Kingsley Park.  We settled ourselves under one of the big trees in the park and had a lovely relaxing time chatting, eating & playing!  There is a really good children's playground.  We were surprised the park was not busy.  There was only our little party & another using the BBQ facilities.

Glenda made a yummy chocolate sponge & I made chocolate eclairs (it's been a while!!).  Cheryl brought a fruit platter.  Glenda & Tom are so organised with picnics.  It has made me realise I must get a picnic hamper like my sister Irene has.  It is like a suitcase & comes decked out with plates, knives, forks, etc - ready to go.  I absolutely love a picnic & it would be made even easier if I had things ready to go.  I can see as the children grow we will be having lots of picnics.  

Melbourne has really turned on the weather this summer.  We have had many weeks over 30C.  I just wished I lived closer to the beach here in Melbourne (not that you can compare the beaches here with the beaches in Perth).

Renos continue on unit

Things are moving along on the unit but I won't be moving in until the Tuesday after Easter (2 April).

The painting is at a standstill as I have different tradies coming and going and making a right old mess.  The good news is that I have the most wonderful young guy acting as Project Manager for me.  He is a friend of Tim's.  He is doing such a great job co-ordinating everything for me.  I certainly need the help.

Hopefully the plasterer will work his magic tomorrow and then the bathroom will get the go ahead.  The kitchen will not go in for another 3 weeks.  The floorboards were meant to be polished from 7 March but I have put it back until 25 March when everything else should be done.  I am having built in robes put in to both bedrooms & this is being done by the guy who is doing the kitchen & laundry!

It has become a huge renovation!  Far more than I realised, but it will look stunning when finished.  Well, this is the plan anyway!!

On a more sombre note, Jocelyn has not been doing too well and this has been taking its toll on us all.  We would truly value your prayers for us all as we work through tough decisions/issues.

We are all missing Roger very, very much.

Demolition 3/88

So, it's all happening!!  Out with the old, but not in with the new just yet.  Look at the floorboards in the bathroom.  This had 2 lots of lino over it with masonite in between (oh know!!).

My bedroom ! !

Kitchen being demolished

Not the best looking kitchen !

Rubble at my front door !

Glenda & Tom supervising Nathan & Edward !

Special friends from Basel

What a thrill it was for me to be able to spend a week with my friend Christine on her visit to Melbourne from Basel via New Zealand!!  At times I was rather distracted with my unit settling the week she was here, but we did manage to do some nice things together.

I took Christine to the Yarra Valley & it was picture perfect.  We stopped off at the Dairy & had a lovely cheese platter, which is made on the premises.  The property had a distinct dairy smell!!

 This is us at Chateau Chandon.  We had a delicious lunch, and what a backdrop!  Flies were a bit pesky, but we managed!!

Then I heard from Katja who now lives in Cairns with her husband Stewart.  She came down from Cairns for a 2 weekend course & I was able to catch up both times.  It was so good to see her again & I was very stimulated by her wonderful conversation.  As you can see, the food was pretty good as well!!

Champagne & nibbles with the family in my new home

The family got together on Australia Day - 26 January, to drink a toast to my new home.  It was great to see the little boys investigating and getting into mischief in an empty house!!

 Cheers to me!!

 Family gathered in the dining room

Chloe Grace taking it all in !!

My Villa Unit in Nunawading, Melbourne, Australia

Here I am on the day the house settled (24 January) with my gift from the Real Estate Company!!  Just before I turned the key & walked in (along with Christine from Basel & Tony from the Heating company!!!)

The entrance to the house.  Shows how dry it has been in Melbourne with the brown 'grass'.


Tom & a couple of his mates pulled out all the carpet in the house last weekend & then Tom, Glenda & I pulled out the small wooden boards the carpet was attached to.  Not a nice job, but had to be done.

The painting was started Monday 4 February & so far only the undercoat has been done.  I am hoping it will be finished by 15 February.

I've decided I want a German kitchen again so I have contacted Kitchen Haus in Perth & the wonderful Gerard has sent me a plan of my kitchen so I can do the measurements, which is a bit scary.  Hope I get it right.  He has photo's of the kitchen as it is now.

I am having gas ducted heating installed Friday 15 February and I have just booked George the floor polishing expert to do the floors, beginning 7 March.  Of course I would have liked it earlier but he is going on holidays beforehand, so I will just have to wait & hope Glenda & Tom can put up with me for a little longer (they have been so patient with me up till now).  At this stage I am hoping to move in around 13 March with all things going to plan, but I won't have curtains up as they will need to be made & this takes ages.

Ridley Family Christmas

The 9 of us, plus our dear friend Cheryl, gathered from 4pm on Christmas Eve for our Christmas celebrations (true European style - minus the snow!!) at Glenda & Tom's home and enjoyed their warm hospitality.  We feasted on yummy pre dinner nibbles and drinks and opened our presents whilst the children were around.  It was lots of fun for us all.  

After the children went to bed at 7pm we sat down to the full Christmas feast - turkey, roast vegetables, cauliflower cheese, greens and lots of yummy ham cut straight off the bone by Tom.  We finished off with Christmas pudding and custard.  Our after dinner delight was egg nog prepared by Tim & Amy.

One very proud Nanna

My beautiful family

Table simply set!!  We had to wait for the twins to go to bed before we could set up !!

Tom was very proud of his ham !!