SPECIAL VISITORS

Last Sunday we were invited to Sonya's place to meet some special visitors. Simon, a distant cousin of  Sonya, was visiting from Switzerland. He used to be the grandson's manny in Melbourne seven years ago. He stayed a year, then he returned to Switzerland. Now he has come again for a holiday in Australia. So he is staying with Sonya for a few weeks before heading off to Darwin. He brought a whole load of Swiss treats for Bill and the family. 

Simon on the back deck with Sonya and the boys.

Here are some of the Swiss goodies Simon brought. These are Lebkuchen (gingerbreads) with the Berne Bear logo. While Simon is here he is helping Bernie renovate an old house, which they have bought in Brisbane.

There were some other special visitors too. My son, Steve and his daughter, Evie. Evie lives in Brisbane but I hadn't seen her since she was little. Steve lives near Innisfail, way up in northern Queensland. I had Steve when I was a teenager and I gave him up for adoption. I first met him when he was 30. He is 64 now.

Evie was keen to meet her aunt Sonya and cousins, Fox and Banjo for the first time. It was the boys first time to meet their uncle Steve and cousin Evie.

A lovely family reunion. Me, Bill, Fox, Banjo, Sonya, Evie, Steve and Bernie. Bernie did a great job at catering for us. Simon took the photo.

I love patting our granddog, Chief.

MEMORIES FROM 1986

 Oh my goodness no posts in October at all. Shame on me. Well I have been a bit under the weather and Bill had a stint in hospital but we are slowly getting back to normal. I still am scanning my photo albums and turning them into photo books along with written memories of those times.

In 1986 it was all about the girls and their schooling and extra curricular activities. Carol was in Year Nine in High School and Sonya was in Year Seven in Primary School. Now days Year Seven is in High School. 

Carol-Ann in John Paul College uniform. 14 years old.

Carol played hockey, soft ball and she was in the school marching band and concert band playing trumpet.

Sonya also played softball, hockey and the trumpet. 

Sonya was also in the Jump Rope team.

Bill played trumpet in the Redland Bay Concert Band.

Sonya received a book prize at the Year Seven Graduation night. It was a book of Banjo Patterson's poems. She named her second son Banjo.

We all went to Sydney to visit my Mum and Aunt.

While there we took the girls to Manly, a sea side suburb of Sydney.

They went kayaking on the harbour side of Manly.

They had fun on the water slides too.

I was teaching in a semi rural school called Mount Cotton State School. Sonya came to the same school.

The quality of the photos isn't the best, still they are almost 40 years old.