Lots to report

It's been pretty busy since last we reported. On Friday morning we decided to pack up and get a move along from Narrabeen. We were bound for Abbottsford in Sydney's inner west. Our good friends Michael and Kathleen Row moved from Larch Street to Sydney at the end of last year. They were silly enough to reveal their new address.

We decided to first make our way to Manly. It took about 30 minutes to get from Narrabeen to Manly. We trawled the streets looking for somewhere to park. We found a great 2 hour park just off the main drag. We togged up and made our way to the flags. I wasn't overly keen for a swim at the surf beach. As we approached the flags, I spied a beautiful sight. A huge sea bath at the end of the beach. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to swim in one of these pools. It was big and beautiful and we had it all to ourselves. We swam and threw the skim ball around. Classic catches were the order of the day. It was delightfully warm and we had a fantastic time.

After a swim we were back to Bustin Loose for a quick cook-up of sausages. The lure of Adriano once again got the better of Lara and Hannah. Lara disappeared for some of his famous macaroons. Very tasty. It was funny to drive the old Bedford through the packed Manly streets. I may as well have been in a flying saucer. People just stared and laughed and waved. It seems the old bus has a universal appeal.

We arrived in Abbottsford at about 5.00 pm on Friday arvo. It was a very slow trip from Manly. I'm not sure that we went the most direct route. But alas, we got there. Abbottsford is a beautiful suburb on the shores of Hen and Chicken Bay. Lots of cafes as well as lots of lovely homes. I also saw more Ferraris and Lambos than I have seen in a long time. These were usually piloted by squashy little men (probably with self-esteem issues).

Gourmet Pizza for tea on Friday night with Michael and Kathleen. Saturday was a spectacular day. 28ish degrees and a perfectly blue sky. Michael and Kathleen took us on an excursion to the famous Bondi Beach. It was amazing. We played in the surf and had a fantastic time. It was a fascinating place. William and little Joey (Kathleen and Michael's 2 year old) spied a very briefly dressed 20 something female. The poor thing must have left her top at home. They both went for a closer inspection, much to her surprise.

There were a great number of Japanese tourists on the beach. They were fascinated by the little blondies. They snapped multiple photos and vidoes of the children. At one stage, there were probably 10-15 of them gathered around the kids snapping like crazy. They were particularly taken with Gracie and little Joey, but they snapped in every direction.

We had sandwiches at the beach before returning home. A couple of half-cooked saugages for tea (cooked by me on my manager's special barbie) and then an early night on Saturday night.

We set off From Michael and Kathleen's at about midday today (Sunday). We had a fantastic time with them. Gracie and their Imogen got along really well and the boys just loved little Joey. It was a fantastic time and we felt very spoilt to stay in their lovely home. We hit the F3 via my Great Uncle Brian's home in Carlingford. It was great to catch up with him so soon after seeing him at Cam and Zoe's wedding last week. We stayed with Uncle Brian and Anutie Barb when we travelled in 1999. It was a real treat to catch up and see where he is now living. He'd even done some baking. We feasted on home cooked biscuits and chocolate treats.

We are now in Port Stephens. We have a powered site and we look forward to exploring a bit tomorrow. The park has a pool, which the kids are excited about. It has been a very action packed few days. We are now starting our meandering along the coast. We'll spend a couple of nights here before moving on.

Cheers Phil, Lars, Hannah, Charlie, William and Gracie.