Port Fairy

Kirstyn and Ryan

We arrived home in Port Fairy on December 20th tired from a long trip from Benalla via Melbourne. It was great to see Kirstyn and Ryan, their new home and catch up on ll the news about the business.

We have made a promise to Kirstyn that while we are here we will organise our trips away and social life around her days off. As she was working the Friday night, we went into Warrnambool and cooked a meal and stayed the night with our neighbour and good friend David. He's the one who keep s us on the road as he gets all our mail and contacts me when I have bills to pay. Occasionally he does a bit of banking for us or forwards mail on.

The next couple of days were spent relaxing around the house and keeping warm as the weather got pretty cold and nasty. Christmas Eve we had a few drinks down at the Merrijig, Ryan cooked the four of us lunch down there on Christmas day, then we all went out to Kirstyn's mum's for a family dinner.

Verity, Me and Dan

At 6.45 am, Russ and I headed to Traralgon and had lunch with Daniel and Verity at Verity's parents place. It was great to meet them all and we are looking forward to doing it all again in Perth in April when the baby is born. We stayed with Glenda and Pete for three nights and were thrilled to catch up with them, Fiona< Jacob and Charlotte and our friends Sheryl, Drew, Clair and Rhett and see their newly built house in Traralgon. It was great to catch up with our friend Heather as well as we missed her last time we were in Traralgon.

On the 29th we all headed to Geelong for a couple of nights with Peter's sister Joy and BIL Hans. We had a great dinner out on the Saturday night at a Chinese restaurant in Angelsea, then a terrific family BBQ on the Sunday. It was so good to see everyone as it may be a while before we all get together again.

Monday we headed home to Port Fairy, stopping to see our friends Jo and Graeme on the way into Warrnambool. Monday being New Years Eve, we went down to the Merrijig for dinner. We had a degustation menu of 7 small courses (well not so small!!) and matched wine which was wonderful-certainly not the way we are used to celebrating NYE. One couple beside us got engaged causing much excitemnt in the small dining room and aother beside us had gone to school with Ryan and she was the sister of one of Mick's earliest girlfriends! All of us including staff went out at midnight to watch the fireworks over the town which was lovely.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent quietly, catching up on sleep and laundry and doing a bit of shopping and Russ having an eye test and ordering new glasses and sun glasses. Thursday, Kirstyn and I did a huge clean out of her closet, then bagged it all up and delivered it to Warrnambool and the Salvos. Then we went down to the beach and caravan park to visit niece Mel, her mum Olwyn and FINALLY meet baby Josh (who is 17 months old. We've arranged to stay with Mike and Mel in Ballarat on Tuesday night so we can meet Josh some more. Yesterday, Deb, Pete, Margaret and Murray came from Portland for lunch with Russ, Kirstyn and me. It was fantastic to see them all and we are now trying to organise a holiday to Bali together in July so it isn't so long between visits!

Tonight we are off to our friend Mike and Liz's for dinner then tomorrow we'll go to Woodend and Peter and Joycelyn for two nights before heading back to Ballarat. The following Friday and Saturday we are staying with Deb and Pete in Portland, then Sunday night is dinner with a recipe club friend Amanda at Wisharts here in Port Fairy. After that, we have free time ;-)