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Our neigbours from Bowen Ave

Toast to the New Year. The year 2007 started out with drinks and nibbles on our deck with the neighbours. Proudly, we show off our newly renovated house (some neighbours know the house since the 1970s, in its old presentation). We drink to a less work-intensive year than 2006.

Claudia and Pittee, disguised as adventurers

Beecroft. The Beecroft peninsula is like the "North Head of Jervis Bay". Together with four fellow paddlers we drive down to Currarong on the week-end 13-14 January for a circumnavigation of Beecroft Peninsula (including a 250 meter walk — such close do ocean and cove come together at the narrowest point — this is really, strange as it might sound, a circumnavigation of a peninsula). This trip is one of the nicest kayaking trips on Australia's East Coast: crystal clear waters, incredible vertical cliffs, impressive gaps, coves, and tunnels in the rocks. The Friday sees a strong storm coming through which causes the waters to be still choppy on Saturday. We paddle along the first third of the cliffs before turning back. On Sunday however, the weather god is on our side. Peter and Claudia are in the double kayak and thus much faster than the other paddlers — it's nice to be the fastest in a group! After 35 kilometers we arrive back at our cars tired, but full of beautiful new impressions after the completed circumnavigation.

What could it possibly be?

Australia Day. Five years in Australia already, and we have never yet had an Australia Day in the city! Thickly covered in sun screen, we head into the Botanic Gardens (to the orchid exhibition "Sex and Death"), along the Opera House and Circular Quay towards the Observatory where we run into the Brownies. Together we head towards Darling Harbour and wait for the fireworks to start. The waiting time is unassuming, poorly organised by the authorities, with dozens of interviews "What does Australia Day mean for you?" — "Thongs and prawn-BBQ". But the Brownies keep our spirits up, and the fireworks at the end are worth the long wait. Never before we were so close to a firing range: We are sitting in the first row along the water, and the flares are fired from swimming pontoons 15 Metres away.

The usual presentation mode: before...

... after!

Bathrooms. We are approaching the end of our renovations, but we are not there yet (and won't be for the next 12 months). After Petra and Armin had left in November, we had started with the preparations of bathroom renovations. This is something that we do not do ourselves. Much work, however, is not spared to us by getting someone else to provide the labour. We still have to make all the decisions, select toilets, basins, taps, spouts, shower heads etc. Similarly, we still do the plastering jobs ourselves for lights, exhaust, heating lamp. At least, the dirty job of ripping the old bathrooms out, plumbing, tiling, and putting it all back together, is our contractor's job. In January, we are almost there (a dozen little dramas keep slowing down the process at the end) and proudly present impressions of the old and new guestroom ensuite. The bathroom at pool level is done very similar in style. The main bathroom will be done later in the year, since we needed a functioning bathroom during the works ;-)

A cheeky lorie who loves our bottlebrush (very naughty neighbour!)

Waiting for little Pufflings. According to information on the Web, the hatching time for water dragons takes 50-65 days. Since mid-January we are patrolling the nest twice daily — nothing. By the end on January we are checking the nest 4 times per day — nothing. In the meantime, we read more and more scientific publications about water dragons. The little ones will be 5.6cm long (snout to hind legs, plus tail). Peter suggests to put a grid over the pool's skimmer box , so that the little ones don't get sucked into it. Waiting for little Pufflings.