Finally the rest of 2007

In July we started getting ready for our move. We went down to Taroona beach which can be seen from our new house. A path runs down from the cliff and it only takes about a ten minute walk (five without the children) to get to the beach.

In the second week of August there was snow on top of Mount Wellington, so 45 minutes later we were on top of the (small) mountain playing in the snow. The temperature guage in the car read -5 degrees. The kids had lots of fun, but why is there no cafe up there?

In September we moved in to our new house in Taroona. Luckily we had another couple of weeks rent at Kingston Beach as I spent that time moving what was left after the removalists had finished. Veronica had her eighth birthday and invited Brooklyn, Elsa and Paris. A good time was had by all.

Not much of note happened in October, but Joanne did take a picture of her work for some reason.

In November Mum and Dad (or Nana and Pa) came down to visit for a couple of weeks. First we all went down to the Huon Show. We saw lots of animals, went on rides, and enjoyed the children’s favourite, showbags. After a few days Mum and Dad stayed in the city and went on various bus trips around Hobart. On a Sunday we all went to the always good to visit Botanic Gardens, wandered around and had icecreams. We then went down to the waterfront and had a delicious fish lunch. After a week of bus trips Nana and Pa stayed with us again for a few days and had some much needed rest before we took them back to the Airport.

December of course means Christmas. We put up our outside Christmas lights, not as big here in Taroona as it is in Point Cook. On Christmas morning I videotaped the children unwrapping their large number of presents from Santa Claus, Mum and Dad, and the relatives. And we celebrated with a lovely roast lunch. What will 2008 bring us I wonder?

     

Our new house

We’ve bought a house and take possession on the 24th of August! It is located in Taroona, which is on the water about 6 kilometres south of Hobart. It consists of 3 levels, 3 bathrooms, 5 bedrooms an a rumpus which will be the “parents retreat”. We can’t wait to move in.

Here are some photos from the real estate page.

     

April May & June

Hi everyone once again.

 At the start of April we had a visit from Joanne’s very good friend Stephanie and her two boys, Hamish and Jeremy. It was a lovely afternoon of nibbles and reminiscing.

 The next week we went to an Easter picninc at Tolosa Park with our neighbours and their friends. We had smoked salmon and rolls, salad, and plenty of fish was cooked on the barbecue. The children played soccer and later rode their bikes down the hill.

 The next day Vanessa had her fourth birthday party. Unlike last year she did not cry, and had lots of fun with her friends from creche.

 The week after that we went to the Salmon Ponds and Museum of Trout Fishing. About 45 minutes from Hobart, it is the oldest trout hatchery in the Southern hemisphere having been in operation since 1864. It is set in a lovely old gardens, and the children had a great time feeding the fish.

 At the end of April, and a bit further on from the Salmon Ponds, we went to Mount Field National Park with Teresa, Jenny and her two boys, Callum and Liam. First we started with a picninc lunch, and then we all walked to the famous Russell Falls, spotting wallabies and cicada husks along the way. Finished a lovely day with some coffee from the visitor centre.

 On the 7th of May we caught up with Steve and Leanne who came to visit us. We had such a good time we forgot to take pictures. Congratulations to Steve’s brother David who became engaged to Carly.

 And on the 28th of May I started a new job at the University of Tasmania where I have a part time job working for the IT section of the University of Tasmania until the end of the year.

 For May and June we were mostly just looking at houses and did not not get to travel. 

 In the middle of June I went back to Melbourne for 24 hours to tidy up our Wattle Grove house before handover to the new owners. Now we’ve sold our house there will finally be a shopping centre at the Boardwalk, a large one too! And a petrol station. 

     

February and March

Greetings patient blog readers.

After a few months without updating here is a big one. Where to start?

Back in February, we went to the Wooden Boat festival, had a look from the outside, then decided that the kids (and Joanne) would have more fun at the fun rides that had been setup not far away. We had Fairy Floss, Dagwood Dogs and Veronica and Joanne went on the Gee Whizzer.

A week later we were at the open day for Government House where we spent the morning. It is a magnificent building situated amongst a picturesque garden and was built in 1847. For more detail go here http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/governor/. The kids enjoyed the Governor’s jumping castle out the back.

Then at the end of February it was time to go back to Melbourne for a week.  It was a very busy time. We caught up with a lot of people. We visited our friends from Wattle Grove –  Bobba and Milan; Mark, Nicky, Finn and Leila Rose; Sandy and Robin, and also Carolyn from the next street. We caught up with Veronica’s friend Natasa and her family. Joanne caught up Vicki, Jo and Sherilyn. I caught up with my old VU work colleagues for a kebab, and caught up with Steve, Paul, and also Cameron for a barbecue. And we of course caught up with family. After we had finished catching up and shopping we were quite exhausted and were in need of a holiday.

In March we went to A Taste of the Huon, queued in the sun, and ate chili mussels and abalone kebabs. Find out more here http://www.tasteofthehuon.com/about.html.

 A week later we went down to Kingston Beach where I went kayaking for the first time in possibly a decade. It all came back, including the fact that you should not go sideways in to a wave. Veronica and her friend Paris had a go but found the waves a bit scary.

In other news I’ve managed to get some part time work at the University of Tasmania which is very handy. Especially as we will be selling our house in Wattle Grove very soon and are looking to buy down here. 

See you with an update for April soon, I promise.

 Cheers, John

           

What happened in January

Hi everyone,

January was a very busy month for us as we caught up with several groups of friends from Melbourne.

First was Sumi, someone who Joanne has known for years, who we met at Hobart’s annual Taste festival. It was a very warm day by Hobart standards, and there was a large range of excellent food and wine available.

Second was Carolyn, her husband John and their children Bailey and Sophie. Veronica used to go to the same school as Bailey, so we all had a great time catching up at the Hog’s Breath Cafe.

Next was Dave and his friend Carly. I’ve known Dave for years from when we worked at Footscray Council together. Dave has known Carly for a few years now so it was good to finally meet her.

And then there was Brendan, Raelene, Riley and his brother, Brother Geoff. Little Riley has grown a lot since we last saw him, he is quite a talker. The children were all very entertained by running around a raised circular piece of concrete near the fountain.

 February promises to be quieter, although at the end of the month we will be in Melbourne for a week. See you all then.

 Cheers, John

        

December update

Hi everyone again,

 It has been a busy time for our first Christmas away from Melbourne.

On the 3rd we went to the Botanic Gardens here in Hobart. Very nice and very green. We went into the SubAntarctic house, the children rolled down the grassy slopes, went through the Japanese garden, then had icypoles, then home again. We will look at the other half next time.

Later that day we celebrated Nathaniel’s second birthday. He really enjoyed his cake, as he does most food.

 On the Sunday the 10th we had the extremely warm temperature of 32 degrees (extreme for Hobart), so we went down to our local beach where the children had a nice paddle.

Christmas day was just the five of us, but we had a really nice time. The children opened their presents from Santa, Veronica got a keyboard, Vanessa a Fisher Price Power Touch Learning system, and Nathaniel an electronic guitar. From us they received a trampoline, none have been serously injured yet. And they enjoyed all their presents from their grandparents and their aunties and uncles. Thanks everyone.

And thanks to everyone for their Christmas Cards, and we’ll see many of you in the New Year.

 The Merrifields

     

Christmas drawing closer

Good afternoon Folks, Christmas is almost upon us.  Where has the year gone?  John and I have almost completed our christmas shopping, just a few more bits and pieces for the kiddies.

We are having a Seafood lunch this year – prawns, crayfish and whatever else is available.  Yummy!

John and I are also looking forward to seeing the new “James Bond” movie.  Our two-yearly tradition, although it will be a little difficult this year because of a babysitter shortage - I think it will be a separate viewing to see “Bond” this year.

My neck is feeling better.  It was rather nightmarish not being able to turn my head at all.  I wouldn’t want to wish that kind of pain on anyone.

We put our Christmas trees and lights up the other day, but it seems we are the only house in the christmas spirit.  Our street is dark and dull, unlike Wattle grove where everyone got involved.  Oh well, at least our house is shining!

Everyone, John and I wish you all a terrific and safe Christmas and New Year!  We will be visiting Melbourne in February 2007.  Hope to catch up with most of you then.   Until then – MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

A new post

Hi everyone,

 On Saturday we all went down to Hobart city to watch the Christmas parade. One child was run over by a float (we did not see this) so it turned out to be quite an exciting parade. Veronica wanted to be in the parade, we told her next year if she learns the bagpipes.

On Sunday we caught up with Teresa B. at her daughter’s place who told us about the goings on at our old place of employment. She is very happy with life outside.

Today Joanne is home with a very stiff neck. She could not move her neck at all so we went to a physio and the doctors yesterday. She has a pinched nerve so she is now taking ant-spasm medication.

 Cheers, John

 

Homesick

Hi Folks, just a short note to let you all know how much I miss you all.  Yes, I’m feeling a little homesick!  I love Hobart, I love my family very much, I enjoy my job and the pay, but I miss Melbourne and miss seeing you all (friends and family) regularly.  We plan to visit Melbourne in February 2007 and promise to catch up with you all then, so be prepared for the posing of photos!  Until the next posting – bye for now… Joanne

Some more photos

Hi everyone.

 Last Thursday I took Vanessa and Nathaniel on a short trip to the top of Mt. Nelson where not only is there a great view of the city of Hobart but there is also a very nice cafe where icecream was enjoyed. We then went down to Sandy Bay which is considered to be the Toorak of Hobart, but not nearly as expensive. You can get 4 dollar souvlakis there but I still haven’t found a good kebab shop yet. I’ve been told there may be one in Glenorchy so I must investigate. We were planning to go to the Botanic Gardens on Sunday but unlike Melbourne it seems to rain here a lot. Yesterday we had snow on Mt. Wellington again.