grahyde's adventures in photos: frannie and jim

frannie and jim have been and gone - it was a busy two and 1/2 weeks

we walked and travelled and partied

i managed to get frannie back into the walking pattern with my early morning walks around melbourne although unfortunately the ballarat lake walk didnt happen.
one morning as we walked past Fed square we were offered free plants for our trouble - f and j went back latter and got another 2 and so my offices now have 4 free plants - 3 maidenhair ferns and a baby bamboo shoot

we walked around melbourne zoo and inspected the baby tigers and elephants which i hadnt seen and looked at the new seal enclosure - although the sydney zoo has its views i still think the melbourne zoo is much better -easier to walk around - both kid and elderly friendly - lots of flowers and the lovely butterfly house

we dined - carlton, the prince patrick in east melbourne, monday nights steak nights at simons and the flat,and in darling habour in sydney, and oh i forgot my home made chicken apple and white wine sausages and i forgot our visit to matt and belindas to eat and drink.

belinda,matt,sage, jim, frannie and william

sydney hadnt been on the original adgenda but ian was working up there for a couple of days and i had enough frequent flyer points to take f j and i there with only paying taxes. ian found us a nice apartment overlooking the harbour and we saw the queen elizabeth liner berthed in the harbour and the queen mary in the next - oh yes that was another walk - to see the queen mary and then an amble into the sydney city centre via an exhibition of the chinese terracotta warriers.
we caught the ferry across to manly to have fish and chips - a custom for sydney trips - i think at the end of sydney frannie had decided it wasnt too bad a city to visit.

frannie and jim - contemplating their next travel mode - hello the queen elizabeth liner

we celebrated tony's 80th with a party at the mornington golf club - we had food, alcohol, balloons , a party hat and lots of frannie made cupcakes

and then they went again - a whirlwind visit - i waved goodbye at melbourne airport and headed home for normality to start again - as if!

i have am now recovering from a mild episode of shingles - the stress of looking after my overseas guests i say. frannie says BS except that she doesnt cos she doesnt use such words

we have ant christian ( congrats on getting your PhD) and john C up to visit this weekend to put up a fence for my recently acquired geese ducks and hens - we have got fed up of supplying fox feed.