Hi everyone, it has certainly been busy since we set foot on land three months ago. Sorry for the very long delay between posts, but I will be attempting to catch up a bit this week.
Without giving a complete chronicle of where we've been every day, I will try and mention the highlights since we have been in Oz.
Coffs Harbour
For many just a port, but to me - home. I grew up just north of Coffs Harbour near Woologoolga and looked forward spending time in familiar territory and more importantly spending time with family.
The weather, for November wasn't as warm as we would have liked and days at the beach were windy and the water icy cold! We had lots of fun exploring Poppy's backyard which is host to a good half dozen kangaroos most days, a family of ducks and a chorus of kookaburras during the afternoon. The girls we're enthralled by it all!
We saw my sister and her family, meeting our niece and cousin Naomi for the first time. So the girls had a little playmate for a few days and we also spent time in Port Macquarie, having sleep overs and visiting a wildlife park - extending our Australian animal encounters!
Christmas
It was a very busy and exciting day with the girls really getting into the idea of Christmas this year. We celebrated the day at my Mum's place and had been staying with Nanna for a couple of weeks, enjoying the quiet pace of Harrington and its' river.
New toys and activities (all of a reasonable size, since they needed to come with us on the boat) were found or unwrapped and played with throughout the day.
It was a magical time, seeing their eyes light up at the thought that Santa had eaten the cake and quietly creep into their room, without even waking them up! Imagine!
I'll leave you to browse the photos of Christmas.
New Year
We did it! We managed to get to Sydney for New Year. Just in time, arriving through the heads of Sydney early New Year's Eve and stopping over in Manly for a catch up nap and to pick up some guests.
Aunty Ness and Uncle Tony and cousin Naomi joined us for a spectacular night with the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background. We all had a fantastic time taking in the harbour action, both on the sea and in the sky.
The family fireworks at 9pm were a absolute hit with all our girls and the parents too. Such a sight, we were all thrilled to be there and would recommend it to anyone to do just once in their lifetime.
Next blog, all about Sydney anchorages and the South east coast. Stay tuned!