Pics of new house...

We had coffee with the current owner of our new house last weekend so took heaps of photos. Obviously the furniture shown is not ours and there are things that will be addressed as soon as we move in like vertical verandah rails, gates to contain the verandah for Iona and dividing the studio into two bedrooms and living room. Once we've had the creeks excavated with a backhoe we will then get some fencing around them but at least we will have the huge wrap around verandah for Iona's short term safe play space. Can't wait to get in there!!!

Pics in this batch are of the main house:

Fireplace

Entrance

Living room

Kitchen

Bathroom

Front verandah of main house

Back verandah of main house

Side verandah of main house

Pics in the next batch are of the gardens:

Willow-lined creek

Willow-lined creek again

House & workshop viewed from back paddock

Waterfall

Following pics are of the guest studio before we make changes to it:

Front of studio

Inside studio

Studio verandah

The outside dunny across the drive from the studio!!

Feed sheds in back paddock - for a goat perhaps?

Workshop & outside dunny

Bridge from studio to main house

Amazing toadstool seen en route to school in Allambie Heights!!

Iona dancing...

The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon - 16 May 2010

I had decided a while back that I wanted to 'tick that box' and complete a half marathon before turning the big 4-0 in June this year. I started training in January, on and off but interspersed with lots of other exercise. By the week before the race I had not run further than 11km so did a 16 km training run with a week to go. Seemed to survive so turned up fully registered on the day and expecting to take about 2.5 hrs. Once I got to the 16km mark (my furthest distance ever) I seemed to hit a mental brick wall. I was not going to give up but I suddenly felt like it was a huge struggle. At that exact moment I spotted Dunc and Iona in the crowd cheering me on!!! It could not have been more perfect timing. They had not planned to come in and at the last minute Dunc had left the boys with various friends and raced into the city to see me. It was just brilliant. Seeing them gave me the motivation to carry on and I completed the 21.2km in 2 hrs and 11 minutes!! I was absolutely thrilled with my time - I want to do another one now to break the 2 hr barrier!!!

Our new house!!!

Well, well, well. We were not even house hunting but had often fantasised about owning acreage! One Saturday evening, while Dunc was asleep, I found THE house in the paper - on 1.5 acres and just four mins drive from our current house and the kids' school!! After four visits, a pest inspection and six nervous days we found ourselves at the auction and our final bid was the winning bid!!!! We move in at the end of August and are all systems go to sell our house.

Pumpkin joins the family!!

Finally our four legged baby was ready to FLY to Sydney airport from Melbourne airport, aged 11 weeks. The boys and I went to collect her, leaving Iona with our lovely new Dutch au pair, Fenna who had arrived jetlagged the day before! Pumpkin was extremely shy and nervous when we first met her but within a day or two she was well and truly part of the family. The first few days were quite ridiculous - Pumpkin howling in the laundry, me sleeping on the deck one night to keep her company, Dunc sleeping on the living room floor the next!! Glad to say that she now sleeps in the kitchen and usually goes through until about 6.30am - a massive improvement but not quite late enough bearing in mind that the kids are often still asleep at 8am! As you can from the photos further down, Pumpkin is growing far too quickly!!

Seal Rocks - April 2010

Long overdue bunch of pics from our favourite spot in NSW - Seal Rocks. We had a wonderful week with the Highnams and Whitings, sadly Helen didn't come along. Glorious weather (most of the time although some gale force winds at night!), fun on the boat, fishing, 4WD outings on the sand - some ending in cars stuck for hours and having to be rescued, races on the sand, dune jumping, hot walks, rainy walks. All fabulous.