Oopsey! Looks like I have a stowaway...

As I was closing my case I noticed someone hiding in there! I think she's in for a few adventures...
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Steak for dinner - our last Aussie meal for a while. Can't beat a steak!
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Joolz

Four more sleeps...

... until we depart for Dubai, London, Rome & Paris!
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Today I am...
- setting out all my clothes on the spare bed, matching tops with bottoms
- making a book bag for my novel (Eat Pray Love)
-altering some 3/4 pants to fit me
- washing and ironing lots of things
- writing lists of things to take (I like to be prepared for anything!)
- making piles of things to take
- thinking of Brianna, already in Italy
- filling my make-up case with essentials
- checking our itinerary and all the vouchers that came with it and making copies for my family
- going to my brother-in-law's 60th dinner & a friends 21st party tonight
- wishing it was sunnier so the clothes would dry faster
- thinking the house has not been tidy for the past 2 weeks - very unlike me!
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Joolz

A big adventure...

So her bag was packed... (can it be any fuller??)
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She's in her comfy clothes for flying...
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Got the trip top on...
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Farewell hugs from friends... (Gaaaabe)
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... okay Kirby, let go of her!
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Bye, Robby!
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A family pic before boarding the bus... (notice how tight I am clinging to her...)
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Arriverderci!
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Ooh, I hope I packed everything!

Added: After leaving South Australia at 11am, flying out of Melbourne at 9.30pm on Thursday 23rd, I got a text message at 2.11am Sat morning saying she was finally in Turin, on a bus headed to meet their host families, Friday evening, Turin time. Let the fun begin...

Happy Anniversary...

Today we celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary.
Love you, Angus xxxxxxxxxxx

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Joolz

A beautiful wedding...

My neice got married on the weekend...
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The bride and her attendants got ready at our house (the bride's mother made the yummy platter)...
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This is Kirby, all ready to go - stunning, yes?
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Rylee Jade is the brides neice...she had her hair, make up and nails done just like the big girls...
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I can't believe how relaxed they all were - no dramas at all! Beautiful, Bianca!
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LtoR:- Amy, Bianca, Kirby and Kimberley
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Kirby and Brianna - Bri did a reading at the ceremony
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My sister and brother-in-law hosted the ceremony at their lovely rural home and garden. Their garden, although it is only early spring and we've had such a wet, cold winter, looks lovely in the bush setting. Marilyn had tulips in bloom in the main garden.
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Pots of pansies added a touch of colour...
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The guests started arriving...
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Kirby and Rylee make their entrance...
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The groom and groomsmen chose the casual look - why be something you are not?
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As the bride and groom said their vows, the wind dropped off and the sun shone. Misty rain threatened in the distance but it stayed away long enough to get the formalities over with.
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The bridal party - the bride and her attendants looks so gorgeous against the bush backdrop.
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The bride and some old chooks ... my sisters and my mum and me
Lto R - Marilyn, me, Mum, Bianca, Sue (mother of the bride), Leanne and Janine
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The wedding cake - Layered Chocolate and Vanilla Mudcake with Kahlua cream encased in white chocolate with huge dark chocolate curls. Oh my!
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Instead of bonbonierre on the tables, a lolly station was set up where guests could fill a bag full of their favourite lollies. It was a cocktail style reception with roving platters of food. We dined on prawns wrapped in wonton wrappers; assorted mini toasts with turkey/cranberry, smoke salmon and sour cream; mini dim sims, pies, sausage rolls; mini serves of chilli con carne/corn chips and curried chicken and rice; salt n pepper squid, individual mini serves of fish and chips in paper cones and many other things too yummy and numerous to mention. They just kept on coming and coming!
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Our beautiful girls.
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Some of the pretty horse-shoes and good luck charms Bianca received. It was such a pretty wedding and everyone had a very good time. The happy couple are honeymooning in Bali in a few weeks time.
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And now we are getting ready to put Brianna (my baby) on a plane on Thursday, bound for Rome, Italy for her school cultural exchange.
I may cry a little!
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A wedding this weekend...

My niece Bianca is marrying her man, Glenn tomorrow. Kirby is a bridesmaid in the wedding, Brianna is doing a short reading at the garden ceremony, Angus is driving one of the wedding cars and the bride and her attendants are all getting dressed at our house so it will be a busy day for all.
I wish them clear skies and much love and happiness always.
XXX

I'm baaaaack...

Well, I'd love to say that this is my garden at sunset today but.... I'd be lying! It is my garden but just not today...
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This is my garden... bare from winter and newly weeded...
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Before I started weeding, you couldn't see any dirt! It is a work in progress...
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On the food front - Annette's Olive & Tomato Scone Loaf - as very good as it looks!
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With all this cold weather we have been enduring, I had a hankering for crumbed chops so I looked up Annette's book and found her recipe. Dip in egg white and milk then crumb with fine crumbs and oven bake. Very satisfying...
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Another of Annette's recipes - Rippa Rissoles - these have beef mince (I have used chicken mince also), brown rice, zucchini and carrot in them. Great for hiding veggies from kids! We had them with oven baked potato wedges and delicious sweet corn.
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Friday night it was chicken & bean tacos - so easy and much nicer than fatty take-away!
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And a very naughty dessert - Brianna made mini pavlovas for Father's Day last Sunday - served with whipped cream (um, not low fat) and berries. She knows how to get them so they are real crispy on the outside with a chewy marshmallow centre. Bliss!
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And finally, our family portrait from Brianna's Debutante Ball. We scrub up alright, don't we?
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Been in a bit of a blogging funk of late. Life has revolved around work, drying laundry in this crap weather we have been having, cooking dinner then falling into bed. Not much else to report at this stage. Oh, hang on - did I mention we are going to London, Paris & Rome soon??
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Cheers - Joolz