Matt opening a scary present!

Xmas greeting from Jo and the family

Xmas lights at St Mary's

This was my first time to view the lights projected onto St Mary's Cathedral.  I was very impressed, especially with the projections of Mary and Jesus.

Liza's favourite photos of Mack

Liza sent through some of her favourite photos of Mack. There are some absolute gems here, catching Mack with several of his unique expressions. Thanks Liza, they're very special.  Keep them coming!

Liza's mum (on day they met Mack), Liza and Sasha

Gorgeous photos from Jo

Emails with Matt

Dear Graeme

I hope all is well in Australia. Me and a close friend, Josh, made up our own version of table tennis. It is the same version but you play without a shirt. Every time you get a point(opponent fouls)you get to smack the ball as hard as you like at your opponents back(it's FLIPPIN sore, and scary just waiting to get whacked by the ping pong ball) I guess I just wanted to say hello so here goes-hello . Mary Christmas and a happy New Year.

By the way-it's me in the above photo

Love your nephew

Matthew



Hi Matt

Ha ha, that looks like a really fun (and painful!!) game.  No too sure if I want to give it a try it in April.  Well maybe :)  It's a pretty good incentive to play well and not foul!!

Not sure if you saw my message to you on Instagram. It was just to congratulate you on all your certificates and medals at school. You must be so proud of yourself!!  I was especially impressed with your English prize.  To be so good at BOTH Maths and English as you are is really unusual and special. Such great stuff.

I'm so looking forward to seeing you again at end of March next year. So much fun to look forward to.  Especially the Tsitsikama hike.  I did it 20 years ago and LOVED it.  Can't wait to do it again with you guys.

Thanks for your Xmas wishes. I've got an amazing month to look forward to.  A 60 km hike in the Snowy Mountains just after Xmas. Then 10 days in Tasmania in early January with a really lovely group of people (mostly pretty women!), also hiking.  I'm pretty addicted to hiking at the moment, as you can probably tell!

Hope you guys have a wonderful Xmas too.  Then I hear from mum you've got a family holiday to Dubai to look forward to.  And maybe a road trip in America next year.  And most of all, your uncle's visit!!  Life is so good.

Thanks so much for your lovely email. It's always so wonderful to hear from.

Love,
G

Penguin book

Jo has just published her first book inspired by some beautiful penguin photos she took a while back.  Go Jo!

Sue's 70 th birthday

We all celebrated Sue's 70 th at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. One of the best views in Sydney!  It was a fun and delicious evening with lovely people.  I had grilled calamari risotto (yum) and Sue brought a divine Pavlova.  All washed down with beautiful champaign.  Gorgeous!!

After the party, I snuck into Luna Park and took some snaps.

Luna Park

After Sue's 70 th birthday party, I wandered round Luna Park and took some snaps to try out my new i-phone camera some more.  I absolutely love it!

Friendship with Sue

Dear Sue

Here are some of my favourite memories from our five years of wonderful friendship...

• Meeting at The Balmoral Burn.  What a blessed day that was!  (May 09)
• Giving you some lessons on Lightroom and editing your East Africa photos. (Jul 2009)
• Going on a wonderful camera club weekend to Port Stephens where we really bonded.  (Mar 10)
• A fun photography outing to Callum Park.  (Jun 2011)
• Creating a blog for you to show off your amazing photos and being caught up in your enthusiasm.  (Oct 2011)
• Creating a slideshow portfolio of your East Africa photos for the Camera Club. (2012)
• A photography outing to Penrith Whitewater and stopping off at the Spur for a meal on the way home.  (Feb 12)
• Taking me and my folk on a wonderful Palm Beach tour.  (Feb 2012)
• A fantastic outing to Thirlmere on a steam train.  (May 2012)
• A lovely camera club outing to Hunter Valley where you, Guy and I really bonded to become The Three Amigos.  (Apr 2012)
• A photography outing to Newtown to photograph graffiti and interesting characters.  (May 2012)
• Treating me to a wonderful harbour cruise on old sailing ship. (May 2012)
• A super day exploring the Hawkesbury area (Windsor Junk Yard,  Ebenezar Church and Richmond), followed by tea at that amazing farm.  (June 2013)
• Delicious Turkey dinners at your place with ratatouille and crumble (yum!!).
• Yummy peanut biscuits!!
• Watching live together on TV as Julia Gillard got replaced with Kevin Rudd. Sensational stuff!  (Jun, 2013)
• Seeing the World Press exhibit together and being moved to tears.  (Jul 2013)
• Being wowed by the photos at The Antarctica Exhibition with Pamela  (Aug 2013)
• Being wowed by the photos at the Wildlife Photographer of The Year 2013 and 2014.
• Cooking up a stirfry storm at your place with Guy  (Aug 2013)
• Creating your Russia Collage for the camera club. (Oct 2013)
• Photographing Zombies on the Zombie walk  (Nov 2013)
• Our annual outing to Sculptures by The Sea (2013,   2014)
• Our annual Vivid Festival outing (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
• Having our faces projected in lights as part of the 2014 Vivid Festival show!
• Celebrating my birthdays at The Oaks and Ripples.
• Seeing David Doubilet's amazing underwater photos at The Opera House.  (Jul 2014)
• Your wonderful support after my break ups with Ally and Dani.
• You inspiring me to buy a Kindle (one of my best ever purchases!)
• Feeling chuffed whenever you win a credit or merit at The Camera Club and adding them to your amazing Awards Board.
• Learning to use an Apple Computer together - not always easy!!
• Being excited to see and edit your photos whenever you come back from a trip.
• Going to The Camera Club together on many occasions, especially the end of year Topshot.
• Seeing some wonderful movies together at The Cremorne Orpheum (including 12 Years A Slave, All is Lost, A Long Walk to Freedom, Philomena, The Book Thief,  Tracks, Finding Vivian Maier) and some not so great (The Great Beauty, Winter Sleep.)
• Introducing me to Shaun the Sheep (so funny!)
• Hearing all your news when we catch up.
• Sending me links to some heart warming videos and amazing photos.
• Your 70th birthday meal at Ripples (Dec 2014)

22 Dec 2014

Dear Sue

Happy birthday!  Thanks you so much for your wonderful friendship over the past 5 years.  Meeting you at The Balmoral Burn was a very blessed moment for me. Since then you have become my Australian  family. I cherish your friendship and all the fantastic photography outings, meals shared, and movies watched more than you'll ever know.  Thank you for being the gorgeous, warm, kind hearted cheerful, thoughtful person you are. You and your zest for life are a continual source of inspiration for me.

Love G


20 Dec 2012

 Hi there Sue

Happy birthday, birthday girl.  I hope you have a wonderful, fun filled day.

Thanks you very much for your friendship this past year, as always.  It's something I really cherish.  I miss my family in Cape Town greatly, but having family like you in Sydney helps greatly.

Here are some of the things I greatly admire about you and some of the memories from our friendship that I'm really grateful for:

• Your general zest and energy and passion for life - very, very inspiring indeed.
• How positive you always are, even during really tough times like your big operation a little while ago.
• How young at heart you are.
• How you love to laugh.
• Your great love of travel and exploring new places - I can so relate!
• Your passion for photography and taking great shots, we're kindred spirits there too of course.
• What a great friend you are to all your friends - how you constantly keep in touch and nurture your friendship.  Something I've learned from and aspire to.
• Your wonderful, wonderful photography - it's always such a pleasure working on your photos, there are always such gems there.  
• All those merits and credits you've got - it's been a privilege to help select and sometimes work on some of those photos
• Your great encouragement with my own photography - you are always so good for my confidence which is something I struggle with a bit at times as you know.
• Fantastic outings we've been on together - like Hunter Valley, Newtown, Penrith Whitewater, Balmoral, Vivid Festival and more.
• The three musketeers - you, me and wonderful Guy
• Taking my family on that great tour of Palm Beach - they so enjoyed it.
• Taking me out on The Sailing ship in the harbour, a lot of  fun.
• Your love of a good movie, something I enjoy too.
• Treating me to some lovely meals out.
• Your love of Africa and wildlife - and those incredible Safari photos you've taken.
• The fact you cherish your memories so much and savour them, something I've learned from too.
• Your delight in the blog we created together - it was such a fun and fulfilling project , and still is, and it's been great to share in so many of your memories from your life and travels.
• Those delicious meals you've cooked me - how I do appreciate a delicious home cooked meal!
• Your willingness to always learn new things, and how well you've done with your new Apple computer despite it's many frustrations and being so different from your last computer.
• Your love of Mango Groove - what great taste in music!!
• Knowing you're there for a chat if I'm feeling a little down - you never cease to cheer me up!
• Being able to be real with you - I don't have to put on any pretences.
• Your general awesomeness.

All in all, thanks so much for being you!  I look forward to many more years of great friendship.

Have a wonderful birthday and Xmas!

Hugs, G


Photo memories

Your 70th birthday (2014)

Sculptures by The Sea  (Nov 2014)

Sculptures by The Sea (Nov 2014)

Sculptures by The Sea (Nov 2014)

Opera House presentation (2014)

Windsor Junk Yard (June 2013) xxx

Scultures by The Sea (Nov 2013)

Vivid Festival 2012

Harbour Cruise (May 2012)

Harbour Cruise (May 2012)

Palm Beach tour (Feb 2012)

Palm Beach Tour (Feb 2012)

Palm Beach Tour (Feb 2012)

Port Stephens (May 2010)

Delicious Turkey dinner

Gavin and Tanya's Xmas party and food fest.

Gavin invited us round for his annual Xmas party. It was a wonderful evening with lovely people and AMAZING food. Haven't eaten so well or so much in ages.

I'm the ghost figure at the back.

Elna and Srini

Gavin and his mates wore very interesting Xmas outfits!!  Love it.

A vast array of delicious food.  Everyone brought a dish. The highlight for me was Tanya's ice-cream cake, packed full of Ferrero Rocher.  Yum!!

The evening ended with Secret Santa. I was no 4 so got to choose early from the big pile of gifts.  I got a blow up boat and can't wait to try it out.

Gavin's very gorgeous cat.

What a great evening!!

Hiking Xmas picnic

The Sydney Bushwalking Group, one of my favourite Meet Up groups, had their Xmas party at Pirrama Park.  Picnicking is always fun, especially on a warm summer evening. It was a lovely, social evening, finished off with a drink at the pub and lots of fun dancing in Darling Harbour.

Walk to the park through Darling Harbour

Testing my new i-phone camera's panorama function

Picnicking at Pirrama Park

Samira, Elna, Joyce

Zante, Liz

Kenny, Cloris

Gavin and I having a good leap

Dancing in Darling Harbour

Fireworks in Darling Harbour (Taken handheld, I love my new phone camera,)