Inaugural blog

Well here we go. After being pressed by Paula to get going and seeing Nicola also launch into blogspace, this is the start.
What helped was a simply awful morning in Auckland which saw continuous rain and lead skies. We feasted on an extremely late breakfast as Penny has the school holidays and her retired husband to contend with. Then decided we had enough time to wrestle with the obscure question and answer session with the blogbeing. Lo, here it is, just as the sun peeps through (just).
We are still getting over our last week's trip to Melbourne. We had a simply great time there. first we stayed at a friend's nut farm (no, really, the things you eat, it wasn't a rest home). The place covering say 12 acres is in the edge of the Dandenongs out East. Areas there seem to have extraordinary names. This one was called Monbulk adjacent to "The Patch". Deeply wooded area simply delightful for our afternoon walks after picking kilogrammes of nuts. These people live well I can tell you. Venison and other lovely fare seemed to feature all the time.
After living it up for several days it was time to move on to Toorak in South Central to stay with my Auntie Vicky. We had time to mooch in the city first and spent a bit of time on the trams. Went out to Victoria Market and found it was the only day it closed! Darn! But made up with a lovely time in Fitzroy Gardens where we had lunch in the open. On the way back we stopped at the Victorian art gallery to find Auntie had a couple of pictures in the exhibition. Back on the tram and down to Toorak where she and husband Douglas live in a gorgeous place from which we could have walks along the banks of the Yarra. Not many though, because these two are socialites with a capital S. we had dinner out at the Tennis club almost before we arrived, had several organised picnics and visits to art galleries. It felt strange I can tell you to be organised heavily and driven around by Douglas who is 95, in Vicky's Jaguar sovereign. These guys don't acknowledge age and we knew we had had a full day every time we hit the pillows! We caught up with a couple of the grandsons and Sally one of Vicky's Daughters but missed my cousin Richard this time.
Only too soon we were on the plane and hugging our duty frees onto the pickup point in the distinctly cooler Auckland weather. We had an wonderful period of no wind and clear skies for the whole visit. Tremendous. Well, having seen a house with paintings in stacks in practically every room including the garage I feel I need to get going at the art thing. That is until our next journey. Before you ask, No you can't see the photo's because we forgot to take the camera. Each thought the other had packed it!! #@%#@#^%
It seems we only have two things on the books at the moment. The Oxfam party at our place which should be amusing to say the least and then July 4th when we hit the skies once more to the home of the British Empire. Meanwhile we'll go shopping.....