Canberra calling

Hi Everybody. Mum and Dad are so lucky to be at Cunjurong, feeling extremely jealous as they head for the coast on my first day back at work. Good to hear from you Kate, you're right, Claire would have loved Ghost Garden. Hope you and Marty have settled in your new temporary home. Spoke to someone from work who went to Bendalong in the holidays and called in to Cunjurong, I was extolling its beauties to her and telling her that I have been going there for over 30 years!! Hope you are doing well in cold Wales Moo. Anyway I will sign off . My holidays are now officially over,am feeling very sad -Hasi, where did they go!. Stephen said I will be checking on my spelling as I seem to make a lot of spelling errors. I am a music teacher, who needs to know how to spell. See you all later. Love Annie

tales from the coast

Hi all,
I hope the 39ers arent reading this today, as that would mean they are not at Cunj-where Im hoping they are.Who in their right mind would ever knock back a few days there-my home away from home!
Welcome Lucy and Clare. Oh yes, the Ghost garden, now that you mention it, I might see if I can find something on the www! Im thinking NT Claire would have really loved it, dont you think so? Good luck with the new school year gals.
Hasi looked pretty horrible after his first day today, and that was even without the kids there. I took him straight off to the beach when I got home, which helped.
Nearly into February, my favourite month- the boss must have known, or else realised I was looking like I might hit the wall at any moment, as he's given me a week off. I should paint the house, but Im thinking road trip...just have to get the car now. Probabaly too early to hit Darwin, I'll save that till Mart and Claire are more organised.
I have just finished eating one of the first few cucumbers we have grown here at no 40. I know we have some veteran vege gardeners on the blog, but for beginners like Hasi and myself, it is very exciting.
We are slowly organising a fenced area so we can get some chooks -that will be another interesting experience! Ron Iso told me the best ones are isa browns...easy going!
Ihear dad you and Ron may be at Sussex in Feb, so keep me posted, as I might come down for a night or two.
Not much of a breeze here tonight, how's it up the north end??
Moo - frangipanis are on their way-I do get around to things eventually.
Cheers for now, Love Zak

Happy Australia Day!

Greetings from Wales. Just thought I'd better make an entry to acknowledge Australia Day. Hope you all enjoy. Thinking of you all.
Love and hugs
Moo xxxxx

Hi everyone

Hi all. Only one week left of holidays. Boy they've gone fast!! Haven't been doing much, on account of being broke till pay day. Hope you arrived in Darwin OK Marty. Thanks for getting the girls on the blog they've got a real buzz out of it! Anyway that'a about all, just wanted to chekc in and say hi to everybody, including Moo all the way over there in cold Wales!! Love, Annie.

Greetings from Wales

Hi All
A very big welcome to Zak, Clare & Lucy. Just need to get those Mountain Isos into action now! Not much happening with us at the moment. The rain is falling, the wind is blowing and I have been sleeping the days away after working nights. Have worked three nights so now I have about four days off! Need to do some cleaning here though so won't be much of a relax.
We had a call from Julian's nephew Vince on Thursday evening to let us know they have been offered two sisters from Russia for adoption. They have been going the process to adopt from Russia for about the last 18months so are very excited. Jules is well and says"Hi".
Marty, hope the trip to Darwin was uneventful and you are getting organised.
Love to All
Moo xxxxxxx

Hey

Hey everybody? How are you all? I hope you are well, and i want to say thanks to unlce marty for inviting me to the blog. School starts again soon and I am going to be in year ten!!!! how exciting!!!! Been spending the past week relaxing and reading, also trying to analyse further the ghost garden story!!!! (lol zacky!!!!) Shall look up more info on google and post a special ghost garden message!!!! Anyway thansk again for inviting me to the blog!!!!

:) :) :) :)
Love you long time

x x Lucy x x

I'm on

Hey everyone,
I'm on the blog.
No news at the moment.
Love you all
**Clare**

zak

I finally made it!!
Have a glass of wine to celebrate
Yes the OEA is completed, except for guttering. Hasi did a fine job, as did the labourer and the painter-me.
Considering it took me so long to blog on, dont hold your breath for the photos.
Thank you everyone for a very joyful December-considering it isnt usually my favouite month, it was mostly pretty great. I was so glad Jules got to hang out with us at Cunj, before he headed home, and Claire, you didnt have the hangover, but you were drinking with us too.
O.K 8.30pm just getting dark...
The beach was beautiful as always this evening, a fine chill down at the end of the day.
Love the long hot summer days-and the storms! Sunday evening was a beauty when the creek became a river in seconds, I love it. Like when you catch the todd river starting to run-remember that Mart?
My neighbour Stu -downstream from us (on the other side of the road) was telling me in the 1998 floods the water in our creek was up over the road, with sulo bins being hurled down it-he was totally freakingout...as you would be!
This time of the year, for a short time Annie and I are nearly the same age-how amazing is that.
Today my Feb edition of gardening Australia arrived. I was really starting to hang out for it this week-thanks Dad.
Hasi organised a new passport today-he was fingerprinted and a microchip with this and all his other details was put into the passport. Just in case you were getting paranoid...its real!
Mart and Claire-how exciting !! Good travels to your new home...Darwin here we come
Get me off this thing**

Love to you all, Zak

another year older!

Hello everybody. Back home again. Arrived home and Clare immediately went over to a friend's place for a sleepover- still haven't seen her today as yet. Went for a fitness assessment at gym and got a programme to do on the equipment and a lessons on how to use it. Today Steve and I have been looking at stoves to replace ours. We want a gas top and electric bottom- not many stand alone ovens like them but manged to find one at Harvey norman. we will have to play about $800 difference between that one and the one the insurance company offered us. We don't want to pay too much as we will be rebuilding our kitchen inthe next 3-4 years. We also need to get written quotes on our pots and utensils getting a little tricky cooking without them! Had a nice day yesterday. the girls gave me a bottle of champagne and the new Spicks and Specks interactive DVD game. Carmel came over and gave me a pair of beautiful earrings and the new book by Tom Kennealy- Commonwealth of Thieves. Jenny also arrived with another bottle of champagne. Boy, you'd think I like the stuff!! We then had take-away for dinner and Steve and I both too tired to go out for dinner. Anyway that's about all, hope your packing's gone OK and have a safe trip Marty and Claire. Love Annie.

Cunjurong

Report

Annie, Steve, Lucy, Clare arrived Wednesday and it has been GO GO GO since. Zacky arrived Friday morning and off the troops went to the Botanical Gardens sans Tjilpi who stayed at home to meet with the salesman re air conditioning in the back room. Zacky could not come up on Saturday because she was painting Hasi's addition to the back of their house. We're waiting for photographic evidence of the handyman's work and the painting job.
I visited Nana Saturday. She was in great form and enjoys bviewing photos and hearing stories of the 100th birthday party. Helen and Ron organised an article for the "Cowra Guardian" which I will post on the Blog when I receive it from Ron.
It is Glenbrook tomorrow, report and photos will undoubtedly follow if we can get Jack and the boys on the blog.

Kevin

I'm on Hurrah!

Marty,
You don't have to put me on. Annie and Steve are here after their night at "Spicks and Specks" and they directed me on. I'll do another one tomorrow while they are here to practise.
Kevin

We have been busy

Hi All
I have hrdly had the chance to look at the blog the last couple of weeks as we are madly packing up the house and getting ready to move. We are putting all our household effects into a storage shed until we buy a house. I must admit to being a bit nervous as it seems some of our banks are caught up in this sub prime crisis in the states and interest rates could go crazy. We have also bought a shipping container for all of the other gear that the department won't move for us.
We have also found it is going to be difficult to get rental accommodation in Darwin so it is an interesting and somewhat stressful time.
I have emailed zak with another invitation to join the blog and i will ring the old man to get him back on track soon. i will add some darwin photos as we move up.
Our intended departure date is next wednesday the 16th taking two to three days to drive up.

Cheers
Marty

Wales calling

Hi All again. Soooooo sorry Clare K, I always miss your birthday. Hope you had a fabulous day. A teenager! Doesn't that make the olds feel old. I also saw the house on the net Mart. Pity they didn't show the lounge room, but I would buy it! Had my first shift back at work yesterday (Friday evening). Wasn't too bad returning after 8 weeks off. It made it easier that it was only a 5 1/2 hour shift. Jules is on the case now to find a few days work also. Watch this space. Hope you are all enjoying the warm weather. Think of us here in the cold (& dark). Love to all. xxxxx

Hi everybody. Just looked at pictures of your house on internet Marty. Looks great. The garden looks wonderful. Not much happening here. My baby is a teenager today. Heard it's a bit cold in Wales Moo. The cricket's been pretty enteraining. hope you are enjoying it Dad. I agree with Moo we need to get all of us on the blog this year. Anyway as I am a little (or maybe a lot) hungover- hit the red wine a bit last night after a few vodka and orange juices so I will sign off now and go insearch of a take away that's open for some greasies.