Batemans Bay to Merimbula

Amy accompanied me on my trip down to Merimbula, we went via Batemans Bay and spent the night there on Friday night. Saturday morning we headed south. First stop was the Moruya Markets which we enjoyed wandering around and a few  purchases. It was very windy with some gusts blowing down some of the stalls. We then headed down to Bodalla and called in at the dairy, where we had some cheese and icecream tastings.

Bodalla is only a small town but it had this lovely church on top of the hill.

 This tree was in the grounds of the church  not quite sure what sort of tree it was but it was worth a photo.

 Next stop was Narooma where we did a boardwalk around the coastline.

Then it was on to Central Tilba where we found another cheese factory and some lovely shops to explore.

 Our final stop was Tilba Tilba at a lovely little French Cafe for some afternoon tea before heading to Merimbula our stop for the night. The sky out over the sea had all these amazing clouds and shades of dark and light.

Driving in the Snow

I was down in Merimbula on Sunday visiting the branch of our church down there. Amy had come with me, we had a little mini road trip, heading down to Batemans Bay after work on Friday, then on the Saturday taking a leisurely drive down the South Coast to Merimbula where we stayed the night. On Sunday morning I went to church then Amy and I headed home to Canberra. We set off and as we neared Brown Mountain we could spot the fires that were burning out past Bemboka to our right and then to our left we could see this massive white cloud over the mountain which we figured was snow. After we reached the top of Brown Mountain it started snowing and snowed for about 50 minutes as we drove to Nimmitabel and Cooma.

It was real snow and as you can see was settling on the ground.  Amy was most excited and we had to stop a couple of times and take some photos.

We took it very carefully, there was a bit of traffic on the road so the snow wasn't settling on the road and we felt quite safe. We stopped at the little roadside park at Nimmitabel so Amy could get out and play in the snow- like lots of other kids were doing along the way. We saw a snow plough heading towards Brown Mountain as we drove through Nimmitabel- it was a magic experience and Amy had a big grin on her face as you can see!

Random Photos

Someone asked the other day how the birds and dogs got on- I had to show them this photo. Luna was relaxing most elegantly in the kitchen, right in the way as usual. Amy threw Beau down and he landed on Luna, and just sat there for about 5 minutes- neither of them were phased by it so I think that answers the question!

Beau flies around the house, usually sticking his beak into everyone's business and he often pays the price with Amy putting him in all sorts of tricky spots- this is just one of them!

 Here Budgie and Hawk are helping Bill mix up his cereal and sampling it for quality control!

I have never seen a platypus in the wild but spotted one for the first time on Saturday morning in this pond below. There is no picture but had to take a photo of the place. I was most excited and it was 15 minutes from home!

Swans, Macaws and Flowers

Bill and I walk past the Gordon pond most mornings on our morning walk with the dogs. The swan family is usually waiting for us and when they see us come over for some cereal I have been feeding them. Usually father swan is first out the water and stands guard while the young ones eat. He is pretty scary, I wouldn't want to mess with him, I never get too close.

 The young ones are really growing up, some of their feathers are starting to turn black and their beaks are turning red as well. Evidently one they are old enough around 6 months the parents will push them off to find their own place- it will be sad to see them go!

My hellebores are now flowering- these have taken ages to grow but pretty impressed that they have got to this stage, especially considering all the minus mornings we have had this year.

Budgie loves getting a scratch, she just relaxes into it and  you can see the enjoyment on her face- here she is with Amy.

Zonta Birthing Kits

Saturday was the annual Zonta Birthing Kit Packing Day that our church helps out with. One of my tasks as Stake Relief Society President was to liase with Zonta who use our chapel and make sure everything was ready to go. I went over on the Friday to open up and help set up, I had to organise someone to transport tables across from Garran but they really took care of nearly everything else.

Zonta raise the money for the birthing kits, get the necessary items and then the public and members come in and help assemble the kits. In the morning we fold a black plastic sheet that goes into a small ziplock bag. The black plastic is put on the ground so the mother can give birth onto a clean surface and not on the ground-this simple things stops babies from getting tetanus and reduces the mortality rate of babies by 60 percent. In the afternoon pieces of gauze, gloves, soap, string and a blade are packed into the ziplock bag. We pack 3000 kits in the one day, there is a real buzz to the room and it is just such a simple but valuable and  worthwhile activity. We were packed up and cleaned up by about 4pm,

Saturday morning at Lyneham chapel everything is packed up and ready to go- just waiting for the volunteers to arrive at 10am.            

                       

  Everyone hard at work, having fun and chatting away

Girls Time Out

I managed to escape our the mad menagerie at home and head up to Sydney for an overnight visit with Sarah, Tara and Emma from my ward to visit the temple on Saturday morning. Being the older more sensible one, my task was to keep these girls in line. We left Friday morning and headed north, lots of chattering in the car- no time for a snooze. After lunch in Parramatta we checked in to the temple accommodation and then worked out a plan of action. First stop was Parramatta Westfield with colour consultant Sarah whizzing us through the different stores and advising us on which colours suited who- some us feel a bit fashioned challenged so it was a good education!

We couldn't not take a photo of these shirts in Zara- but no money was harmed in the making of this shopping trip- just a poor by passer who was roped into taking this photo!

Next we negotiated the Sydney rail system and caught a train into the city and walked around Darling Harbour. It was a bit cool and windy but being Canberra girls we were up to the challenge.

We had dinner at Darling Harbour then headed across to the Lindt Cafe where some of us ordered a hot chocolate and relived tea party moments from our childhood.

Saturday morning we headed up to the temple and enjoyed some time there, which was the purpose of our trip. The photos are not the best but just to prove that we did make it there!

We headed back to the temple accommodation, cleaned up, packed up and headed back to Canberra. Surprisingly no one was in a hurry to return to their eagerly awaiting children so we took a detour off the freeway into the historic town of Berrima- no quick stops at Macca's for us classy girls. We checked out some of the lovely old buildings in the town and a few of the shops.

Lovely old courthouse in Berrima 

I resisted the urge to buy one of these cute wooden ducks- I need to save my money for the Gumnut Patisserie!

I liked the ladder hanging up in one of the shops, thought something like that might work at home for the birds. This shop might have been a little dangerous for some of the family budgets, but they all resisted the urge to purchase but I wouldn't be surprised if at some future point this shop became a point of call on a trip to Sydney.

The Gumnut Patisserie is a favourite place of our family and there is an unwritten family law that if heading home to Canberra and the patisserie is open one must make some purchases, and so I had to fulfill that requirement and in the process may have corrupted my fellow travelers- the certainly have some tasty wares! Then it was time to resume our journey and head for home and return to the reality of family life! It was a great little trip away and enjoyed by all.

Shepherds Hill Lookout and Strathnairn Gallery

We have had lots of minus 5 and 6 degree starts to the day and Friday morning was no exception. The upside is that they turn into lovely sunny days- cold but sunny and if you are in a sheltered spot it can be very nice. So on Friday afternoon Amy and I headed out to Strathnairn Gallery at Holt. I had heard about an exhibition there and when I looked up the gallery it looked like a lovely setting so I was keen to discover and area of Canberra I hadn't been before. There were lovely views heading up to Holt and the Gallery, we had a wander through the gallery and then had a look at the Link Building which is part of the new development that is going up at Ginninderry.

After that we went for a walk to Shepherds Hill Lookout which gave  you a lovely view down to Uriarra Crossing and the Murrumbidgee River. It was a very pleasant afternoon to be out and about exploring the city we are so lucky to live in.