Lunch at Brendan and Eva

Manly Scenic walk with Brendan, Ella and Jodie

To Brendan and Eva for a delicious breakfast and then we walked part of The Manly Scenic walk.

Xmas with Brendan and Eva

Web site for Brendan

Brendan has a new job working for an investment firm.  I created a simple web site for him.  Lovely to be able to help.

Dim Sung with Jo, Brendan and Eva and Mary-Ann

Manly Scenic Walk with Jo, Mary-Anne, Brendan and Ella

Melbourne

While spending a week at Brendan's farm, we visited Melbourne for a day.  Brendan went to a legal meeting and I did some strolling and photographing.  I reckon I got the better end of the stick!

One of the famous graffiti lanes in Melbourne

This beautiful old building was in a shopping centre!  They obviously weren't allowed to knock it down so built the shopping centre around it.  If only they'd do the same thing with trees.

A week with Brendan on his farm

A wonderful week with Brendan.

Highlights

• Lots of very satisfying physical labour including installing a fireplace, clearing a canopy of fallen trees and clearing a fence.
• Being inspired by Brendan with DIY.  There's nothing you can't do with the right outlook.
• Getting to use a chainsaw for the first time. I loved it!
• The delicious creme brulee tarts and doughnuts at the local bakery - and the even more delicious woman who owned it.
• A lovely swim on the last day and leaping off the pier.
• Meeting Brendan's old neighbour at his restaurant and the amazing cheese platter we enjoyed with some lovely wine.

The house

Things we worked on: Clearing trees, installing a fireplace, clearing gutters, taking down a fence.

We cleared old trees to create lots of firewood.  I had my first experience of chainsawing!

Brendan at war with his nemeses.  Blackberry, weeds, thistles and bracken.

Bails of grass.

A swim at the beach nearby.

Hi there guys

At last some good Internet connection and a chance to say hi. 

I'm having a wonderful time on the farm. 

It's a paradise place with rolling, grassy hills and a forested gully running through it. And it's so amazingly quiet. Apart from the beautiful silence, nothing but bird songs and cricket chirrups to listen to. 

I've been doing loads of hard physical labour. Cleaning and installing gutters. Installing a huge fireplace in the farm cottage. Clearing fallen trees (I've become a chainsaw wielding fiend!).  And most fun of all, taking down fences to open up the farm. It feels like rural Feng Shui. Each night I go to bed at 8 pm and sleep like a baby. 

Brendan and I are having lots of fun exploring the local eateries and enjoying local wines. He's a wonderful guy with an amazing sense of humour. A great connection. 

I hope you're all well. I'll be sorry to miss Eckhart on Tuesday. I will be thinking of you all.

G