Return to Ballina - September 2014

Yes, I know I haven't finished writing up our UK trip, yet here I am about to tell you about our first two weeks back home in Australia! Time is of the essence…I will backtrack to the UK in due course! I've been a bit discombobulated since we got home. Don't you love that word - thanks Jan Brubaker. 

Following our special time up in Lake Tahoe with Marie and Eric, we were very spoilt to have Eric drive us from Sacramento to the San Francisco airport - it enabled us to use the high occupancy lane on the freeway, and I think we might still be lined up in the horrific traffic if we had needed to use the regular traffic lanes. A 2 hour drive there and back! Thanks Eric. Sterling effort. 

After our usual 14 hour flight and then 2.5 hour drive from Brisbane airport to our front door, we were very happy to walk into our Ballina home. It looked sparkling clean, and very, very welcoming! The garden was nice and green thanks to recent rains, and the lawns had been mowed by one neighbour and the edges trimmed by another neighbour. 

A week after arriving home we had a delightful overnight visit from my nephew Matthew, his wife Carolyn, their son Marcus and his girlfriend Nina. They left after breakfast on the back patio the next morning - Aunty Dympna, Gemma and Bill dropped in and had a coffee with them before they left. 

The next night we had my eldest sister Gemma, husband Bill, Aunty Dympna and her friend Barbara over to dinner. We had lots of laughs, especially with them wearing the Jimmy hats Murray bought back from Scotland and Ireland. Crazy family - love them all to bits!

Then the next day it was time to get my combat gear on to tackle a 3 day visit from my dear little 10 month old nephew Jackson. We set up safety rails to keep him safe as he is now crawling everywhere. The rails had little gates which made it so easy for the adults to access all areas. Poor little fellow was teething, but there were lots of happy moments we enjoyed with him. Thankfully once he went down in his cot at around 7.30 - 8pm each night, he slept right through until 5.30am . Very grateful. 

Sadly, within a few days of us returning home, our friend Bob Mulholland died of cancer. We were so glad we got home in time to say our goodbyes. RIP Bob. Last night we had a riverside dinner with his wife Anne, and four of their daughters - two of them we had caught up with in London at the end of our UK tour just a few weeks earlier. It was a great night last night with them. Gorgeous people. Safe flight home tomorrow Jen and Mish! See you in London and the Cotswolds in 2016 - God willing.

Clockwise from left: Anne, Mem, Jen, Murray, Kathie, me and Michelle