HI EVERYONE ! You can see from my greeting below that I started this a LONG time ago, and even then it was overdue !! I'll try to stay with it this time until I can get it posted, just so some of you that we don't see or contact as regularly as we would like will know we're still alive.
Happy 2017 Everyone! Hope this finds you all well and happy!?
Since our return to W.A. in Sept., it's been a bumper season for babies! Welcome to Violet Louise, and congrats to Katie, David and Aiden! Kyree and Ben were also very clever in adding to their clan, and we welcomed a little cousin on the Schmah side!
It just seems like nature has been blossoming all over. We've been enjoying the new Swan family, the Willy Wagtails and even a few baby lizards around the place.
We spent the run-up to Christmas catching up with friends, and kids, doing some work around the beachhouse and living in a HUGE construction zone/mess that was to become the new granny flat and pool. The actual granny flat (which we now refer to as Kannie Kottage, or the Kottage) was finished by Christmas but the landscaping, restoring the driveway and finishing the pool took us into April this year.We enjoyed a bit of granny duty and babysitting with the greats a couple of times; it's not everyone at our stage that can still help out a bit with greats. The Blessing of the Fleet somewhere along the way was a particularly fun day out on the water. And of course there were the preparations for Christmas. We try to do some sort of gingerbread houses each year. Tradition!!
We did as much of our Christmas preparation as possible a bit earlier than usual so we could relax and enjoy Vicki and Lori's visit from Canada. Loved having them here, showing them around and returning, in small part, their wonderful hospitality to us. Spring was just at its best, with sunshine, flowers, animals and birds all helping us to show W.A. off to best advantage !! Look forward to their next visit, sometime when they can fit us in amongst all their other travelling and boating!
They were here as well for many of the leadups to Christmas, including the Pageant and a wonderful Christmas lights boat cruise.Then after they left we got seriously into Christmas, starting as usual with a visit from Santa Claus by pontoon boat. He and his elves hand ashore bags of lollies and, as it's thirsty work, many of us put a refreshment in the crab basket back to them. It worries us sometimes!! Since Santa starts his rounds in this part of the world and is Merry and Jolly leaving here, how well will he go the distance to Canada and England??? But he always seems to manage!😉
We're great Christmas fans, and enjoy all the fuss, feathers and silliness that go with the season. We were lucky this year to have Kris and Caroline with us as well as many of the (now one larger) Hanson mob, and on Boxing day the younger Berry cousins. Good Fun, (if a bit chaotic).
Well, this is progress. At least I'm ready to start 2017 before it passes me by entirely !! I'm still struggling with this technically, after all this time. And when I write or load a new section, it tends to change/mess up what I've already done, so I'm going to publish this one now as Part One and start Part Two. I'll send you all a note when both are up.
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