Last Few Days of 2013!

Boxing Day we went to the MCG for the Ashes Boxing Day Test.  We lost the Ashes, but it was still a great day.  I can't pretend that I know anything about cricket, but here are some photos!

Between Christmas and New Year we decided to spoil ourselves with a night at Werribee Mansion.  We checked in and headed straight to Shadowfax Winery for lunch. which is just on the border of the mansion grounds.

After lunch we did some wine tasting, and ended up purchasing a few of the wines that are made at the winery!

We walked through the beautiful gardens of the mansion…

And did a tour of the mansion, that had been decorated for Christmas.

In the evening, after a swim, we ate in the Joseph restaurant at the mansion.

 The next day, we checked out of the hotel and went to Werribee Open Range Zoo!

 Walking like a giraffe!

We went on a Safari open bus tour to see some of the African animals in open spaces:

 Such a great day!  :o)

Ho Ho Hope You Had a Lovely Christmas!

The last door on the stain glass advent calendar was opened - it must be Christmas Eve!

The Christmas tree was up and decorated……..

……. and Rudolph was ready to help Santa:

Very excited on Christmas morning, and we were spoilt with presents - thank you everyone!  I had been nagging Darren for a dog for a while - so I got a toy one!  His name is Pickle!  I also got earrings  from Tiffany's and much, much more :)

In the morning I set up the magic tree…….

…….and made a snowman:

Christmas morning we went and got a coffee from our local bakery in Hampton, and went for a walk along the beach.

We headed back to start on the Christmas lunch!  It was a beautiful day and we were able to eat outside.  Lunch was a success - turkey dinner, complete with sprouts, followed by Christmas trifle!

After lunch (and a snooze!), we headed back down the beach for the tradition of swimming in the sea on Christmas Day!  It was a hot day, but the sea was still cold enough to take my breath away!  A glass of pink champagne and I was ready!  Darren went in up to his thighs and I think that was enough for him!

After the swim we headed back to find the snowman melted and the magic tree had grown!

We had a lovely quiet Christmas, but it was great to be able to Skype both sets of parents to finish the day.  We miss you all!  We hope you had a lovely Christmas too!

After out calls we went for a walk to see our neighbours' Christmas lights - Merry Christmas!

Celebrating with the Birthday Booy!

 

This year for Darren's birthday we celebrated by going to the Meat and Wine Co on the South Bank for a posh meal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

MotoGP 2013

Spring in Melbourne means the sporting calendar starts again with my favourite event - the MotoGP at Phillip Island.  We were a man down this year because Mark and family have moved back to the UK, but we still had a great day.  Phillip Island is quite exposed and the weather has been 'unpredictable' in previous years, but we were lucky this year and the sun was shining.

Cue lots of photos of motorbikes.......

Lyla's Angels

Our friend's baby girl Lyla was recently diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, so Darren and I took part in the 2013 Melbourne Marathon Festival as part of a team - LYLA'S ANGELS.

We hoped to raise much needed funds for the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre (CPEC), so that Lyla, and many more children who have Cerebral Palsy could benefit from the amazing support and help provided by CPEC.

So we sweated it out and completed the course through the streets of Melbourne, finishing with a lap inside the world famous 'G!

We were honoured to be a part of this amazing race and helping a great cause, and I'd like to thank all our supporters who helped to bring our fundraising total to more than we could have imagined.  To date Darren and I have raised $925, and the team has raised $12,331.