Mornington Sunshine at Christmas

The post Christmas sunshine meant we needed to get out of the house and go and do something a bit more energetic so we headed off to the beach down at Mornington for a bit of a run around. We ended up spending most of the day there but the kids loved it.  Felt like a traditional summer seaside day in the UK (just minus the North East wind!). You can see all of the pics here.

Christmas Day 2012

Christmas eve finally arrived and the boys couldn't wait to get to sleep.... 5:30am we hear unwrapping going on in one of the bedrooms as they discovered Santa had left stockings on their doors..... The "no earlier than 6:30am" instructions worked well then.....  Anyway, usual excitement ensues and lots of "ooooos" and "ahhaas" later, we were done !  See more opening pics here.

Merry Christmas !!

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to the vast numbers of readers of this Blog !!! 

Sutherleys on tour - Sydney

The Sutherley tour continued this weekend with a visit to Sydney to see the sights.  We stayed at the Park Hyatt right under the bridge which was very nice. We managed to cover the Rocks, Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Botanical Gardens, Darling Harbour and Manly in the two days. See all the pictures here.

Sutherley's Landed

Hazel and Darren have finally got here and been enjoying a few days outings in Melbourne. As you can see - the traditional birds visit has been on the itnerary already, along with Mornington beach and the city. See some more pics here.

2012 Auskick Finished

The boys played their last Auskick game (today against the parents) and came out winners on a very very wet and muddy oval ..... As you can see from the photos, it was also Trophy presentation day which the boys obviously loved. No more getting out of bed on Saturday mornings for a few months now ;-)

Beamish

Yesterday we went back in time to 1913 at Beamish Museum.  I dont think I've been there for 20 years and its the first time for everyone else. Despite the threat of rain it stayed warm & windy and a good time was had by all.  See the pictures here.

London Calling

Maxine and I managed to get the weekend in the heart of London and had a fantastic time shopping, eating and generally chilling in the sunshine. We did manage to squeeze in some culture (Churchills War Museum and Banqueting Hall) but it was great to stay off the tube and do loads of exploring. London is looking great ahead of the Olympics, wish we were staying longer to actually go. Posted a few of the many pics here !

Blyth

This week we've been to Blyth beach on the days where its been decent weather (mainly the last week of our trip this time).  See all the pics here from Blyth beach, St.Mary's lighthouse and Tynemouth Aquatic centre.

Ethan's 9th

Another 14th July in England and again Ethan had his birthday here. There are a few opening pressies pictures here plus some of his birthday party at mams house. Its become a bit of a tradition for him to be here for it now.

Leicestershire Visit

All had a great few days down with Maxines family in Leicestershire. Ethan had his Birthday early with loads of Lego and they did a few days out at the Leicester Space Science Centre & Twycross Zoo. On the way up we also visited Leeds Armouries, so its been a tiring few days.  See some of the pics here.

Singapore Visit

Just got into the UK after 3 days staying at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. We managed to go all that way and meet up with our neighbours & friends (just finishing a 10 day holiday in Singapore) ! All the pictures from the day are here.  Thanks to Darren & Tanya for the BBQ on the last day, great to see you all again.  Off to the rainy UK next for work & a bit of holiday but should be fun.

Terrible Twosome

The terrible twosome have had thier first school photo taken together and here's the result..... Not a bad picture and I have no clue how the photographer managed to get them smiling together as well as staying still. Clearly thats why he's a pro and I'm not.

Aidan's first Saints game

Yesterday was a momentous occasion for Aidan, as both he and Maxine went to their first Saints game at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.... And Maxine enjoyed her 11th wedding anniversary immensely ;-).   Despite a rocky start, the Saints ran out comfortable winners over the Sydney Swans. All the pics are online here.

Aidan Starts Auskick

Aidan started his AFL career today as he joined his big brother at Auskick, all decked out in his Saints gear and new footie boots.  I think he's a bit of a premadonna already since he insisted on a "Beckhamesque" pair of white Nike's.  I'm sure they will make him play all the better for it! Anyway, he thoroughly enjoyed himself which is what counts. Here are all the action shots from today.

Decking out back

Decking again.... but this time I've been doing it rather than paying someone to !  The last time I tackled some carpentry DIY on this scale was about 12 years ago in Bedford.  Using my rusty skills however and a fair wedge of cash handed over to Bunnings for the hardwood, off I set.  As you can see from the pictures here, I have managed to construct something flat and with a step in it.... so I'm actually quite proud of myself  ;-)

Aidan Turns Six

Happy Birthday Aidy !! Yes, today our little one turned six which is quite scary.  Those years have zipped by and he's no longer a baby thats for sure. We asked him what he wanted to do today an the predictable answer was that he wanted to go to the Melbourne Aquarium (*We now have him pegged as a marine biologist and not a neurosurgeon as originally planned!). So here are the pictures from today in the city.



Moomba Weekend

Moomba weekend in the city !  Last weekend we hit Melbourne and stayed at the Metropol Hotel to experience "Moomba" and generally enjoy the heart of the city for the weekend. The weather and hotel were both fantastic. See all the pictures from the weekend here !

Shark & Ray Feeding!

A couple of weekends ago we went to the new indoor  "Shark & Ray Feeding" centre in Dandenong for a kids birthday party and had a whale of a time (geddit?) feeding prawns to hungry (small) sharks & rays.  Quite an experience & the boys loved it. See all the pictures from the day here.

Party weekend

Big party weekend just gone as our friend and neighbour had her 40th birthday bash in style. They'd just finished building their pool and outside area ready for the big bash. We got home at 3am with very big headaches...... never again. Until next time.

New school starter !

Our little boy is all grown up and now going to school !  Yes, the Prep year has started and last week Aidan went with lots of confidence to school with his big brother and is loving it so far. The first month is only 1/2 days so its an easy break-in.  March will be interesting when he does the full days. Hope his enthusiasm remains !

The folks arrive

Mam and Dad have arrived in Aus to bask in the southern hemisphere summer. This picture was on day 2 and Mam has hit the bottle already ;-)

Goodbye Grandad

This week, as I think everyone will know who follows this, I've been back in the UK for unhappy reasons.  Grandad passed away just after Christmas and it was his funeral on Friday. Its obviously been a very sad occasion and the family is going to miss the old fella.  Goodbye Grandad, rest in peace.