January 2007 started with a highly enjoyable New Year's Eve Dinner & Dance at the Gold Coast German Club, where we dined and danced and celebrated with numerous friends of many nationalities. We shall similarly finish 2007 on an identical note and this time with even more friends who are joining us on our recommendation. We continued throughout the entire year to participate in the German Club Sunday lunchtime dancing and dining and also the Italian Club in Brisbane most Friday nights, where we now have a great number of ethnic friends.
Our Brisbane Family had grown somewhat larger now with the arrival in late 2006 of daughter Sarah, husband Robert and 2 children, Kate 6 and Josh 3. Their acquisition of an old 'Queenslander' in nearby Felix Street indicated many months of renovation inside and out, with extensive landscaping scheduled to start quickly. But not before a new school for Kate could be selected and of course a fresh preschool for Josh.
Planning for our proposed trip to Christchurch in New Zealand in early February, when we were to rendezvous with Judith, Derek's sister from Bristol, had been finalised way back in August 2006. The plans performed with military precision and we "Three Musketeers" set off around the South Island for a brilliant 16 day tour; but not before doing the touristy thing of a punt on the River Avon and a round city trip on the well restored tramcar. Neither could we ignore the cable car at Mount Pleasant offering views of Lyttleton Harbour. Our following trip to a deer farm at Te Anau via the West Coast, Fox Glacier and Queenstown provided wonderful photographic opportunities. While in Te Anau for 8 days, we visited Milford and Doubtful Sounds, Invergargill and back to Christchurch via Dunedin. A wonderful country.
Early March saw the "Three Musketeers" back in Brisbane where Judith was to spend some 4 weeks with us all before the intrepid travellers flew off in early April to Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. While in Brisbane we were able to show Judith the local sights and spend fine relaxation time at nearby Byron Bay in NSW, where we met up with Diane Webb, a longtime friend from our earlier times in Melbourne in the '80's. In Penang retail therapy and early morning markets for the ladies and military memorabilia for the Old Soldier, was the daily diet with some fantastic sightseeing in between; and in Kuala Lumpur, a walk down Memory Lane at St Mary's KL, where we again stood at the altar.
Left: St Mary's Church on the Padang Kuala Lumpur where we were married on 24th November 1962 - photos taken after 45 years of bliss!
Below: Opportunistic upstaging craziness, Malaysian modern, sprawling CBD Kuala Lumpur, reflecting the madness of Mahatier and the financial greed of the Chinese wealth barons - fuelling racial tensions, removing forever the gracious splendour of Colonial Malaya. A recipe for disaster and a melting pot for anti Malay feelings from the minority ethnic groups.
Below: Quiet sanity at The Chijmes Cafe & Restaurant complex next to Raffles Place amidst the mayhem of modern Singapore!
From May onwards our lives settled down to more of a routine style, with regular - almost daily - contact with the grandchildren. We were able to form a strong bond with both of 'em and frequent visits to nearby Kalinga Park, Nudgee Beach and the Queensland Museum has become a regular feature in our lives. "Going fishing Grandpa" is Josh's password to fun and frolics in the mud at low tide, where collecting shells and finding jellyfish is considered great fun. "On the train to the Museum Grandpa" is a regular request from both children, where they are both knowledgeable of the exhibits and their preferences. A trip on the City Cat usually follows, with a stopover at New Farm Park.
Serious tasking of a beautification nature was delegated to the "Old Man" - who clearly has nothing to do (!!) except to write his Military Memoirs with over 26 web and blog sites. So a new workshop was required to be designed, built and fitted out before extensive woodworking for outdoor deckings and decorative screens could begin. The large garage is now a handyman's paradise, with practically a non-stop industrious activity. The 2008 plan is to start building a 6.2 metre sea kayak from milled cedar strips to take advantage of our many nearby creeks, rivers, and waterways. In the meanwhile - "Keep on fishing Grandad!"
July until October became a blur of activities, with Mother's Day, Father's Day, Eumundi Marketing, Birthdays and School Events. Audrey and Sarah spent many pleasant hours shopping for artifacts for Felix Street, sometimes with the kids in tow, other times not. Both children like visits to the big screen cinema to catch up with favourite movies and Josh saw his first big screen movie "Surf's Up". We decided that more holidays were needed - so planning began in August for a Norfolk Island trip in October and Melbourne and Tasmania in February/March 2008 to again rendezvous with Judith for her annual 2 month tour of Australia's vast scenic attractions. The Melbourne segment will allow us to catch up with Richard and his family in Melbourne and view their newly acquired home in Box Hill for the first time. Our Norfolk trip was a huge success, the Island being a photographer's paradise. See the photo collection by clicking the hotlinked URL in the lhs sidebar. As November closed we quietly celebrated the 45th Anniversary. The following week will be spent in preparation for a week's camping holiday during Kate's School holidays with Sarah, Rob and the children, at Tewantin on our Sunshine Coast, close to Noosa - where we shall visit Kate's favourite Market at Eumundi and catch up with her 'Feather Man'. Josh and his favourite Triceratops is also a must before Christmas.
Healthwise respectively - we continue to keep as well and as fit as we can, but Audrey's recent proneness to vertigo and disabling moments have this year occasioned 2 emergency trips to the RBH for monitoring and exhaustive testing. We do not yet have any answers other than there's nothing permanently shown thus far - but still more testing to be done. Our concerns are naturally, for any bone breakages that can be caused by falls, and any subsequent illnesses as a result of hospitalisation. One such fall in Dunedin NZ resulted in 6 compound fractures of her left wrist. Thankfully however, a fractured wrist didn't deter our Bridge player par excellence from topping the charts with Top Boards on many occasions in 2007. A sight to be seen - one handed Bridge!!
Sarah and Cookie Monster #2 Josh, at the November 30th annual Clayfield College Christmas Play in which Kate in Class 2D sang and took over direction (part of the time!) of the stage production. A fantastic morning get together was organised by Sarah in her tireless activities at the College - with - a few enthusiastic others.
Camping at Tewantin, Sunshine Coast Queensland 10th December 2007. Serious snakes and ladders championship going on here. Local rules - only Kate permitted to travel up or down both snakes and ladders.
A day of mischief, sun, sand and pelican feeding over for the time being!
TO ALL OUR FAMILY IN SCOTLAND, ENGLAND & AUSTRALIA & FRIENDS, ESPECIALLY OLD DCLI & KSLI MILITARY MATES ALL OVER THE PLANET WE WISH YOU
A MERRY CHRISTMAS 2007 & A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008
