Autumn happenings

Yes, it's autumn here, but not many mists or mellow fruitfulness as yet. It's been a beautiful time of year in Melbourne. The mornings are chilly enough to make you want to stay in bed, but by around 11am it's usually warm (and sometimes hot). At around 5pm it starts to get nippy, and then you need a jumper for the evening indoors. We haven't needed the radiators on yet, though we have noticed that most of our Australian friends have their heating on. Wimps.

Big news for us is that we finally have a car. Scooby the Subaru arrived a week ago and we are very VERY pleased with the new addition to the family. It makes it so much easier for Vics to get around with the kids and to get back home from activities before one or both of them is going spare from wanting food or sleep. Driving in Melbourne is pretty straightforward too. Just don't get stuck behind a tram.

On Weds 25th we had yet another bank holiday, this time for Anzac day. (Incidentally do you know the Aussies even have a bank holiday to celebrate the Queen's birthday? We are missing a trick in UK.) We took advantage of the weather and the Subaru to go up to the Healesville Animal Sanctuary in the Yarra valley. Healesville is one of the zoos that Thea got annual membership of for her birthday; it's home to indigenous animals and set in really beautiful grounds. We were accompanied by Emma and her boys Alec (Thea's friend from kinder) and his older brother Sebastian. On the way back Emma took us to the Yarra Valley dairy where they make their own cheeses and ice cream. Yum.