Rachel inducted as school leader

Rachel was today inducted as a school leader for 2014. How proud we are of our young lady!

Another on Wheels!

Rachel made the journey down to get her learners permit today. Another driver on the road in the family...

Back in Broome

It is good to be back in Broome again... six years on!

Licensed!

Caleb can now drive on his own... P plates proudly on display!

Cairns

Figured it was time to introduce our three to the North East of Australia, so a week in Cairns has seen them enjoy the Great Barrier Reef... Caleb and Rachel tried out scuba diving, while Sam explored the beauty through a snorkel. The sea was like glass - couldn't have asked for better weather.

Caleb

Rachel

Sam (on the left)

And this is what we looked like above the water...

One the road... for the first time

Caleb snuck down to Vicroads after school today and passed his Learner's Permit exam. A new stage in the journey, one with wheels!

So Close

Caleb and I played a basketball semi-final tonight... a tough game which went all the way down to the wire. While we lost by one point (50-51) on the last basket of the game, we weren't unhappy. Given a conflict in schedules, making the Grand Final would have been impossible for either of us, which would have left the team short. It has reached the stage where I am the one making up numbers, and Caleb is in the forefront. It is a joy to watch.

Space

An unusual Saturday ahead... Rachel away on camp, no school sport, Caleb having "retired" from domestic basketball. Only two games to coach, and a long lie in to start the day. New beginnings.

Six days in Paris

The Lonely Planet guide suggests that you will never see snow in Paris in January. Wrong! We have enjoyed six wonderful days in Paris, baptised in snow when we arrived, and salted two or three more times. We have stayed in an apartment at the foot of the Sacre Couer, which has been perpetually visible from our bedroom and lounge room windows, a wonderful base from which to explore the many wonders of the city, beginning at the Champs Elysees, and embracing L'Arche de Triomphe, the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Luxemburg Gardens, Notre Dame... have I forgotten something... the Seine, not to mention Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge, and the Eiffel Tower. We have found the Paris Metro system to be most efficient and effective in getting around Paris - and hope they can add some of that to Melbourne's trains. The underground systems in Rome, Paris and London are fantastic, and leave Melbourne for dead - oh how it would be to see something like it at home.

Our French has improved, and our appreciation for French culture and cuisine - and as a consequence, our own in Australia - has grown. We leave Europe with many wonderful memories and tales, and look forward to returning home having enjoyed the European cool while Melbourne has sweltered. Perhaps we might be better conditioned to endure a few more hot days.

When we get home, we'll sift through and post some photos of the trip. It's been full and fun, with not much time to blog.

One for the story books

Our last day in Rome proved to be most eventful, arriving at the airport just after 7 am for our 9.40 flight to Paris. We suspected there might be difficulties arriving in Paris on time due to forecast snow, but weren't prepared for the sudden evacuation of Ciampino airport just as we were sitting with a relaxing coffee with Mauro. We were left standing out in the airport car park as a succession of emergency vehicles arrived, and we were slowly pushed further back. A young man stepped into a flack vest and other protective gear, and was ushered into the airport, surrounded by firemen who didn't seem too keen to join him. After 10 minutes a loud explosion was heard, and we were soon readmitted to the smells of gunpowder. We were to learn later that someone had left a suitcase unattended, and it was exploded.

But the day didn't end there, as we suffered a succession of delays as flights into and out of Paris were held up as work proceeded to open the airport. The delay allowed time to catch up with Marco, who worked nearby and was able to come to the airport. In coping with long and unexplained delays it helped to have a friend like Mauro (who works at the airport), who was able to tell us that the flight was on its way from Paris, and we had a slot allocated for take-off - some four and a half hours later than scheduled.


Our arrival into Paris revealed a white city... snow cover by the runways was about four inches deep, so it had been heavy. Our journey to the apartment took us past the lights of the city... a tantalising taste of what is to come.


Our apartment in Paris has spectacular views of the Sacre Couer from our windows...

Backtrack - Edinburgh

We just finished a Skype call with Alex and Sheila in Edinburgh. Seems that the snow has been continuing to all in liberal amounts since our departure. What was spectacularly beautiful for us has continued into a laborious stretch for those who live there. Another blizzard there today while we have enjoyed some samples of all different sorts of weather. Each place we visited in Scotland gave us more reasons for wishing we had many more weeks to explore

Sam enjoyed this climb up the Blackford Hill with his Great Uncle Alex and was enthralled with the amazing view for their effort.

Edinburgh was marked with great meal times shared with Alex and Sheila, who were our wonderful hosts, and another meal at Jim and Maisie's. Exploring Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Holyrood House and the Golden Mile, Princes Street and Jenner's (which is there in name only these days), while the snow gently fell was a picture come alive. Edinburgh has a unique beauty and charm which is enhanced with a light snow cover, and given depth by the relationships we share with family. We had been well-prepared by our days in Helsinki, which didn't prove to be the coldest after all, though the hats and scarves obtained there gave warmth and protection. Our time in Edinburgh was split into two tranches, separated by a sojourn to Drumnadrochit on the edge of Loch Ness, returning via Glasgow, but this will have to wait til another post before updating. Just a couple of photos to give a flavour of the experience...

A long way in a short time

We've been having so much fun that there's not been much time to update the travels... And trying to type on the small netbook keyboard is an anatomical challenge for someone with hands my size. We are currently in Florence, having left Venice this afternoon. Spending new year in Venice was truly amazing (even if I did hear an American tourist complaining about there being so much water in the city!) We were privileged with a spectacular view of the fireworks over the Grand Canal which left us all in awe.


Though the water levels in the city made much of it impassible without gum boots for a couple of hours each morning (some creative use of plastic bags assisted a little), wandering through the streets and exploring the piazzas was treat. Of course, no trip to Venice would be complete without a gondola ride!

We are currently in Florence, anticipating seeing Michaelangelo's David, having missed it last time we were here because it was closed for cleaning (which was Ev's second such experience.) Tomorrow afternoon we head to Rome for some time with friends. We hope you all had a wonderful start to 2010.

The Albert Memorial

Just to show that skies over London can be blue...

Blue Skies in London

Amazingly, we have seen blue skies both days in London. Today began overcast and cool, but the skies cleared as the day progressed. We enjoyed the encounters with waxy figures of Madame Tussauds, being photographed with various waxy luminaries. Some of the dummies are quite stunning - and their wax figures aren't bad either. By the time we finished at Tussauds, we emerged into clearing skies. The kids had demanded a stop at Hamleys - a toy store which is 249 years old, but with contemporary prices. A little bit of fun indeed.
We have been travelling on the Big Bus around London, hopping on and off at our convenience. The next stop was Westminster Abbey, and a wonderful journey through history. One is struck with two thoughts in reflection: the first - being surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses: the wonderful stories of faithful people; the second: the temptation towards worship of ancestors. I couldn't help but pray that God would do even greater things in the future... Interestingly only two scientists are commemorated within its walls - an Australian (Howard Florey), and - gasp - Charles Darwin!
We arranged to meet up with Ben Leslie once again, outside the London Eye. Unlike the Southern Star, this one is still working. The views of London at dusk were spectacular. And then of course, no Christmas visit to London can exclude Harrods (second shudder), which was kept mercifully short. We returned to Notting Hill for Thai food with Ben and Kate - who joined us after inishing work - before walking back to our hotel. It was a lovely way to finish the day.