busy-ness

Have I been slack, or have we been busy? You decide:

Sat 6 September: Surprise dinner party for Chalkie.

12-21 September: in Melbourne, stayed several nights with Luke and Kim, then stole their car and drove some of the Great Ocean Road, over two nights. On the way back, collected Dad and Mum from the airport, and checked into our hotel. Liam's first birthday party on the sat (shared with the daughter of Kimmy's cousing), then an outing to Melbourne Zoo on the sunday, before flying home that night.

26-28 September: Up to Ross and Barb's place near Crow's Nest. Ross has mowed a 6-hole golf course into their front paddocks, and had set up a skeet-shooting gallery, with a borrowed claybird launcher from the shooting club, plus his wood-fired pizza oven. All the family came, with all the kids except Luke and Kim (Melbourne) and Linda and Sam (Mt Isa). A tops time was had by all. 28 or so in total, including 2 in utero (congrats to Tanya and Steve), plus the last remaining from my grandparents generation, Grandma's youngest brother Des, and his wife Jen, visiting from Namibia. Brag: They are Emmy-award winning documentary film-makers.

3-5 September: I went to North Stradbroke Island for a camping weekend with some mates, ostesibly a buck's weekend for one of them. Used my new snatch-strap during some challenging 4wheel driving thru sand. Carmen went to Caloundra for the matching Hen's do.
Sunday 12 September: Up to Dad and Mum's for the weekend, for Thomas and Amy's Christening. Neil's dad Tom and his lovely wife Sadie had arrive that week from Scotland. Lovely ceremony, and magnificent repast at chez Wilson afterwards, for 25 or 30 of their closest friends... Then I was rostered to drive the church mini-bus that evening, so we actually made it to church! How novel!

18 September: Rob and Katy's wedding. Very nice, ceremony and reception at Bundaleer Gardens at Brookfield.

19 September: Today. Church, and packing up for tomorrow, when we go to stay with Ben and Bonnie, so that the mess and fumes from the floor sanders and lacquerring this week won't make us sick.

And so next weekend, we'll be cleaning up the kitchen from all the sawdust (no doubt) before MOVING UP STAIRS!!!ONE!! HOORAY!!!