Happy New Year everyone! The Christmas season has gone very well for us here in Australia. Given the hospitality of Jenny, a long time family friend, and members of her family we have been very well fed and entertained over the holiday period. Christmas day was spent with the Eckman family at their home overlooking Lake Macquarie - a gorgeous setting. There were several children present so that added to the fun. On Boxing Day we headed to another nieces of Jenny'...

It's only a few days until Christmas. Given that we don't have the "usual rush" of shopping, baking, etc., plus the fact that its warmer than we are accustomed to, make it harder for us to get fully into "the spirit". However that isn't from lack of trying on the part of Australians. They love Christmas and there are many decorations and wonderful Christmas light displays. We've added a few photos to a Christmas album so have a look. We'll update it with more as ...

Greetings from Down Under! We have recovered well after the long flight from Vancouver to Sydney. The sunshine, the walk along the beach and Denise's hospitality all helped. We wasted no time getting to know the place as we toured Central Sydney yesterday and loved it. Today we enjoyed lunch with Denise's family and then toured the Royal National Park. Both were lovely.