Queensland Australia

As you may have gathered by now we are in Queensland, Australia, slowly driving up the coast from Brisbane. Here we are on Lady Musgrove Island, southern Great Barrier Reef. We have a campervan for a month - half way through at the moment. Amy is loving it. We seem to have visited every children's park on the way, and there are a lot!

 

On The Road Again

Singapore

 Cooling off in the botanical gardens. Below sampling the local produce - steamed bun!

AUSTRALIA

September

After a great early summer, August was a bit of a let down. Here we have some typical English BBQ weather. September has started reasonably, nevertheless we are glad to be heading to warmer climes soon. We head off before the end of the month to Oz and NZ.

It's not been all bad though. Here we are out and about in the Peak District, albeit with cold and wet weather gear, in Bakewell, home of the tart, or strictly speaking the pudding. We had visitors from New Zealand, Brenda and Brian so took them for a quick tour of the local hot spots.

We finally got to catch up with Wayne and Jen who only live in London, but we hadn't seen them since November. Travis is eight months younger than Amy but already bigger and heavier. They got on really well, as you can see by the candle-lit dinner for two!

A for Amy - at her favourite local park. She's just discovered the climbing frame.

I'm sure I need to turn right somewhere here.

August 2014

 Enjoying the summer sun at grandma and grandad's house.

 Perfect weather for topless motoring

Just the thing to cool your face down.

Selfies rule!

July 2014

An artist needs a break occasionally.

 If you want to come in mummy you'll have to use the other door.

Now all the bread's gone, what can we feed to the ducks?

This isn't a slide. Where's the slide gone?

Another country, another slide

Back in Menorca for a week of sun, but Amy's more interested in the parks than the beach!

Lucky this one belongs to a bar!

Playtime

At the local park (before we moved) in North Wingfield, and at the playgroup, also in North Wingfield. Forget everything else, just give us a slide.

April and still wearing our winter gear

Not normally one to be up with the current fashion I know, but I couldn't resist taking a selfie. Of course I should have got Amy to do it, but you can see her total disinterest in the camera. What do you expect, this is possibly the best kids playground for miles around - on the site of a former colliery no less. We've now moved into our latest house, which is closer to my mum and dad and considerably warmer and less damp than the old one. We've still not found a decent park in walking distance, but this is just a short drive.

Terrible Two's start here

 

How about that, two years old already. We spent the weekend at Auntie Sue's house so she made Amy a cake. What's more, Amy managed to blow out her own candle.

Sheep's tea party!

February 2014

 For the first time since Amy was born, the cold wet windy month that was January became the first month we took no photos of her! Here we are in early February, defiantly tucking into a chicken bone whilst dad munches on a Linda McCartney (vegetarian) pie!

Christmas 2013

Christmas morning at home and at Grandma and Grandad's. No prizes for guessing her favourite present, even before it was out of the box, and unlike last year, the wrapping paper and boxes were not more interesting than the presents. What more can I say?

A Merry Christmas to all our readers

Amy's second Christmas already, and she's beginning to get an idea that something special is happening. She already met Santa - one of her new favourite words, when he popped into the playgroup Christmas party, although she was too shy to sit on his knee or get her own present.

She has quite a vocabulary now, but her two most favourite words are Pierre and baa! Pierre is the name we gave to a glove puppet which came from France (thanks Jasmine and family,) and goes everywhere with her. Baa being the noise her second favourite toy, a lamb (thanks Matthew, Adele and family) makes, and easier to say than Larry, although she is now managing 'Arry!

We just had a pre-Christmas long weekend in Ireland with Donna's mum who's here for six weeks. It rained.  These outdoor photos were taken during the first

few hours after we arrived, in Cobh (pronounced cove) just outside Cork, and the last port of call for the Titanic (it was called Queenstown at the time.) We drove up to Cashel, stopping off at Tipperary on the way - it wasn't far! We popped up to Roscrea to meet up with Father Cook who used to be the priest in Dannevirke NZ, then headed back south. Alas the rugged beauty of the ring of Kerry remained shrouded in mist and low cloud. At least weren't held up by the swarms of tourist coaches that clog the roads in summer.