5th-12th January - Melbourne

Note to self : ALWAYS check dates for travel - TWICE ! Sigh.

It was with sadness we packed, stacked and said good-bye to Poppy Fred and Grannie. It was a chilly morning and packing up the bags was slightly stressful with bag weight limits been exceeded and having to "shuffle" stuff around...

The flight was uneventful and we enjoyed the short flight. The iPods were put to good use as there was no in-house entertainment for such a short flight. The Jetstar crew were very efficient and baggage claim was simple. Our best idea was to hire a car from Hertz. We got a white Kia Carnival and with Lindi's very awesome instructions, were on the road again ! Woo hoo ! Melbourne's city roads were busy - even for the middle of the day! There was lots of "interesting" art work scattered around the city to make things just that bit interesting. Harv commented that there had been quite a number of road changes with new-er freeways. Lindi and Craig lived on the side of a mountain called Monbulk and it was a twisty, windy road up through some very pretty forests. An hour and a half later we pulled into the Parsons home.

Lots of hugs and happy greetings, a tour of the house and a quick run down of what we wanted to do while we were visiting etc. Off we went for a walk around the neighbourhood and to take Bentley (the resident dog) for a walk. We ended up at the local high school where everyone was encouraged to join in a game of "Four Square". Hmmm...I'm a wee bit rusty ! :P



I'm in the 2nd square! woot woot !



Bentley the SUPER DOG !

Dinner was a very delicious spaghetti bolognaise and we had home made ice cream for desserts. Mmmm...

Friday morning saw us back on the road again. This time we were off to explore the local D.F.O. (to the un-initiated : Direct Factory Outlet). WOW ! So many shops and so many awesome bargains! The groups split up so that those "serious" shoppers could shop and the less interested could just wander and people watch.  I picked up a pair of leather boots for $50 ! Most pleased with that. The girls and I argued over a pair of children's shoes for me - they were neon colours with LOTS of bling and they lit up when you took a step! Unfortunately I got shouted down and left reluctantly without them. :( More on that later...

The girls picked up a few bargains themselves - shoes for $5 and blouses. Nice. We found a Krispy Kreme shop and pigged out on a treat to revive ourselves. Who knew shopping would be such hard work?

 

We called it quits after only 4hrs because Craig had a really sore back and was hobbling. Sad. It was fun though. Moblie phones were used to rally everyone - thank heavens for technology.

Back at the ranch, the cousins played board games - a French version of Monoploy Spongebob. Things were quite "interesting" with the competition at stake....

Craig, Shelby, Lacey and Lindi Parsons

We headed to the Parson's favourite Indian restaurant for dinner that night. SO YUMMY ! We pigged out yet again on some very delicious curry, rice and Naan bread. The company was fun and Craig was in full flight with his very funny and witty comments. Was excellent fun times.

Saturday morning saw us heading off to "Erica" to see Teagan, Asher and Huxley Brookes (Craig's daughter, son-in-law and grandson). On the way, we were witness to a motorbike accident. We stopped to help the man and his "L" plate wife who had taken a corner too fast and spun out of control over a very steep embankment. He had hurt his shoulder and arm very badly and we had to call an ambulance - which came within 10mins. The motorbike was in tea trees and was very difficult to manoeuvre so Harv and Josh pushed in down to the flats and lent it against the trees.

After that little drama, the rest of the trip was uneventful. Teagan and Asher's new residence was Asher's dad's farm. The houses  were built in a community like atmosphere with a communal pool and outhouses. Quite unique. It was almost like a holiday resort. The children enjoyed the plunge into the pool and we had a BBQ lunch. The "boys" played " 8 Ball" in the games room with the "girls" cheering them on. The competition was fierce!

On the way back to Monbulk, we stopped for petrol and OH MY GOODNESS ...we went to a Krispy Kreme outlet that produced the delicious treats !! I was SO EXCITED !! There was a HUGE viewing window with written instructions on what you were watching and you could see the production lines and how the yummy donuts were created. IT WAS AWESOME and one of the highlights of our adventures. We got "freebies"...a freshly made original glaze donut..FRESH out of the oven. BLISS! Of course, we had to take some home too....

YUMMY !! Krispy Kremes...Australian style !

Sunday was church. Because the ward had only recently been divided, people were still getting to know who was in their ward and not...so we weren't seen as visitors from interstate...not the friendliest of all...but it was good. I wore my red hat again just for fun.

Quiet games and chatting was the order of the afternoon and we enjoyed going for another walk around the very pretty neighbourhood.

Monday was dedicated to seeing where Craig worked. We went to William Ricketts Sanctuary to view the AMAZING artwork created by an eccentric and very talented "Bill". Was a very interesting place with such beauty. It was then on to the Rhododendron Gardens. Craig's back was aching with all the walking so he went to get a "golf buggy" to take us on a mini-tour. What fun! The gardens were very beautiful. Lots of hard work and dedication went into its creation.

One of the many amazing sculptures by William Ricketts.

Standing in the "doorway" of the soul...

On the way to our next destination, we bypassed to a shop I had seen earlier. It had to be the most fantastic toy shop I had seen in years! It was called "Geppeto's". I had a hard time trying to decided what to buy ! Very cool stuff. The place was obviously very popular and full to capacity with locals and tourists alike. I got a few things for school and a gift for Dominic.

Next was a bird park called "Grants". Craig saw a workmate there who told us we missed all the excitement and drama by half an hour - one of the tour buses that bought tourists had caught fire!

We didnt pay to feed the birds because there were so many tourists already feeding the birds. There were some feeders around the place that we grabbed handfuls of seeds and the birds came to us anyways. Bonus ! The children were quite fascinated with the Cockatoos and Rosella's. We later had icecream for a treat before heading back home again.

Thank heavens I asked Harvey to check emails. We THOUGHT we had an extra day or two in Melbourne and had plans to go into the city for a wander around...unfortunately ...we DIDNT ! Tuesday was the last full day and we had promised the girls that we would go to Chadstone on the last day...

Chadstone is boasted as being the biggest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere. With over 500 shops I could understand why. Pity we didnt have time to cover all of the shops! I saw it as an "omen" that the first shop we saw upon entry was a "Sketchers" shoe shop! I convinced the girls that I HAD TO HAVE the bling shoes that I had seen previously! Unfortunately for me tho, the Sketchers in Chadstone didnt have my size - but not to be unbeaten the wonderful sales lady found me a pair just as bling-y as the one we had seen ...just not as colourful. When I explained that I was a special needs teacher and why I wanted the shoes the sales lady was so lovely - she searched all through the storeroom until she could find me the shoes that were the brightest ! I was very, very happy !

Michaela and Madi were happy little shoppers and we could have probably done a few more hours of shopping, but again, the whingers won out. We met for lunch in the food hall and had just enough time to get a few presents. Josh and Julian had "op-ed out" of shopping and had gone to see a movie. What clever boys.

Wednesday morning was some-what subdued...we were sad that our adventure was almost over...Last minuet packing was done and "mother earth" decided to unleash a HUGE thunderstorm over us ! The ride to the airport was a little "hairy" at times with the heavy rains.

Our pilot must have been a newbie...our take off and landing were rather bumpy!

Papa picked us up from the airport and we experienced the extremes of weather...from 14c in Melbourne to the 34c in Perth. Ick !

What an adventure it has been. We have seen lots and done lots and had a fantastic and wonderful time. The children have bonded and we have been complemented quite a lot on their awesome behaviour and how well they have "gelled" as a team. I am so proud of them.