What feels like eons ago now we celebrated my birthday and Tom’s new job. All of these things involved lots of yummy food and plenty of glasses raised in various toasts. We had my birthday lunch at Bangalay Dining in Shoalhaven Heads and it was delicious, we are lucky to have this fine dining restaurant nearby and the boys joined us as they were in Huskisson for the weekend for Tom to take part in the Husky Sprint Tri. He and his mates try and do it every year as it keeps them focused on health and fitness after the silly season and gives them 6-8 weeks to buckle down and train. They had a perfect weekend for it and they all got the job done!

We also farewelled families from 2 of the 7 houses in our lane as they start new adventures in Tasmania and Goulburn, it was a BIG night resulting in a couple of sick days being taken the next day and 3 little boys missing the school bus as Mum and Dad slept in!!! A very memorable and fun night was had by all and the next night when I had to leave at 9pm to collect my overseas visitors not one light was on in the lane – a very early night for everyone in the aftermath of The Big Farewell!

I was in Sydney for my monthly bookclub meeting and tacked on an extra day so I could go and see Tom’s new pad in Bondi and after walking the beautiful coastal track from Bondi to Bronte (which made me remember just how beautiful Sydney is) we frocked up and enjoyed a super lunch outdoors at Tottis. There’s a lot of hype about these restaurants but we found it justifiable as they have a great menu, cocktails and that lovely alfresco ambience reminiscent of Noosa. A great Sydney Day Out and a reminder why Bondi commands some of the most expensive real estate in Sydney – it literally feels like you are on holiday there!

After two years of soggy garden beds and therefore a non existent veggie patch I optimistically planted some tomatoes and zucchini this summer and we were rewarded with the most insane tomato crop! They were so sweet, juicy and productive I was literally making passata every 3rd day! We have a freezer overflowing with boxes of the stuff – some with chilli, some with herbs – basically a little hit of summer to enjoy over the winter months. It has been wonderful to have some of our own produce in the garden once again. I aim to plant some garlic, spinach and broccoli in the next few weeks and hope they will do as well as our beautiful heritage tomatoes….

So as it turned out the night after our big Lane farewell I drove to Kiama to collect my Mum and Sister who had flown into Sydney that evening from Singapore. I couldn’t believe we were all together as in the entire 40 years I have been in Australia I have never had both of them here at the same time. It was so lovely to have them here under my roof and I could hardly believe that we were to have the following 5 weeks here together exploring and spending time with the extended family. Mum as the family Matriarch was Great Grandma (Gigi) to my 4 grandies and she hadn’t as yet met the two youngest and my sister hadn’t met any of them as it had been 5 years since her last visit. So primarily it was a family driven holiday but I was determined to show the girls as much of the local sights as I could and of course we had a list to help keep us on track! We are a great family of list makers so this gave us the structure we needed and as it turned out it also gave us a terrific itinerary for their time here. The weather came to the party and despite a few little unforeseen accidents (yes that’s you Sandy Cherry) we had the very best time we could have envisaged….

We made the most of the lovely sunny weather and started off locally – walking the beach and the river at Shoalhaven Heads, showing them our local produce at Nowra Fresh Fish and Meat Market and letting the girls enjoy some much needed sun on their skin after a long British winter. They were like lizards basking in the warmth on the veranda at every opportunity and of course there was a never-ending stream of chat! The MOTH had mentally prepared for this but was still very grateful for our two indoor lounges and wrap around verandas meaning everyone could have their own space! We also had some nice trips away planned. The time seemed to lie endlessly ahead of us and there was no rush, which is the beauty of a longer holiday spent in one place I think 😊