March 2010

Yeah, yeah...where have we been?

Today's picture could have been of Matt mastering the art of riding a motorbike which he did today; Jen's Birthday dinner with a handful of her friends at Taree's finest restaurant ( Fish Fish Fish ) last night; her true Birthday celebrations last Monday ( on her behalf, thanks to those of you who sent her wishes ); Matt in his new school uniform; my bruised thigh after being pinned twice in our Twilight cricket Grand Final on Tuesday night ( lost badly ) or many of our other experiences over the last month...

Instead, I would like to challenge you to name the International cricket ground in picture. It is one of the few which still has a manually operated scoreboard and one where I spent an afternoon watching a Sheffield Shield cricket game a couple of weekends ago - kind of narrows it down a bit. The beauty ( or not ) of living in the country is that you generally have to give yourself a day to travel each side of attending a meeting or conference in a major city other than the one nearest to you.

You know you live in a small town when - the airport is 8 minutes away; you arrive at the same time as the plane and the people who greet you, check you in, clean the airport buildings, mow the lawn and tend to the gardens, guide the plane to its position on the apron, offload luggage, load luggage and operate the car rental are ALL THE SAME PERSON!!

We love our small town in the country. We are all well and hope you are too.

You may have noticed that I have used fewer dots ( ... ) than I used to. This is after Matthew's English teacher wrote in his book " Only three dots, Matthew! ". Poor boy....................................................................................................................................................

I never liked English teachers.

Seeya.

Dylan, Bronwyn, Matt and Jen

Another Year - January 2010

G'day!

We've been back in Taree for a few days, the jet lag has gone, New Year's resolutions were made ( at the Vaal Dam ) and we're ready to go. Our trip was fantastic and had some really special moments.

This week's pic was taken on Day 1 of the 4th Test between South Africa and England. What would The Wanderers be without an afternoon storm building in the distance? For a free round of golf at Taree Golf Course - name the batsman on strike and the bowler. Matt and I have visited the golf course for 9 holes a couple of times since getting back and Matt broke 50 for the first time. Those of you who played golf with me in Johannesburg will be happy to know that I've been hitting the ball much better too.

Besides the quality time we spent with family and a few friends in South Africa, other highlights of our trip included -
our stopover in Hong Kong. We were captivated by this thriving and diverse city. We spent a day each at Hong Kong Disneyland which was predictably a great deal of fun and the rather unique Ocean Park on the south side of Hong Kong island. Rattling along at a crazy speed on the " Mine Train " with the belief that you could end up in the South China sea very easily was exhilarating. We then had a couple of days exploring the city on foot and, of course, doing a bit of shopping
Springbok Lodge at Nambiti where we spent 4 days. The game viewing was good and it never ceases to amaze me how there is always something new to see and learn - 3 cheetah chasing after a herd of wildebeeste; towers of giraffe; dazzles of zebra ( told you I learnt something )and more than a few Orangethroated Longclaws ( guess what they look like ). What wasn't new but I was pleased to experience was that unique dusty smell as the rain begins to fall " in the bush " after a few days of dryness.
On the flight back, a South African who has lived in Australia for 2 years asked me what I missed most about South Africa. " A sense of belonging, " was my reply. I asked him the same question. " Pork sausages, " he said. Oh well..................................

We have identified this year as being one of consolidation. Last year hit us quite hard with it's unpredicatability ( specifically related to my work )which is unlikely to be repeated. We are not so naive as to expect that we won't be thrown a few curve balls but we face the year with confidence and excitement.

We hope that your 2010 delivers whatever you deserve and look forward to keeping you up to date with our news.

With fond regards.

Dylan, Bronwyn, Matt and Jen