Winter down under

We are now into Winter here in Australia and for some unfathomable reason we are feeling very very cold. We look at the temperatures and at it's absolute worst it's only something like 14 degrees, but we are wrapped up to the nines (ugg boots, scarves, several layers!!!) ... it's bizarre! We know if we were in the UK we would probably be in light tops in that sort of weather so why do we find it so cold now here?! I think we must have acclimatised, and it's definitely true that the houses here are not made to keep the heat in, they are designed to keep it out, so Australian houses do get very cold in Winter. Brrrrrr! We have gradually realised that it's actually warmer out than in, and really this time of year is very beautiful - when the sun is shining it's truly quite warm, it's only when the sun is hiding or night falls that the chill sets in.

Today was the Queen's birthday which meant a public holiday for us (yipppeee - thank you Ma'am!) and we popped down to Bobbin Head National Park for a little wander in the sunshine which very kindly bestowed itself upon us. It was perfect. We did a bit of exploring around the marina, and enjoyed fish and chips in the restaurant there overlooking (and lusting after...) all the boats... super! Then we went up to the visitor centre and did a walking trail during which we saw a kangaroo hopping by (I am still amazed by such things, especially in the wild and so close!) and finished by going back down to the park area for the kids to whizz around on their scooters and burn off a bit more steam. We really have landed in such a great spot, with this huge national park just minutes from home. Last weekend William and Ally cycled down to the bottom of the park - it's deep in a valley and they had a great time doing some true mountain biking, whizzing over rocks and bumping across the rugged terrain - William was thrilled as it was the first time he'd done anything like that, while Ally just gripped onto his handlebars for dear life and wondered what he'd let himself in for!

So what else has been happening since I last posted on here? Various social activities constantly keep us from being bored (as if!) and last weekend I went to see 'Sex and the City 2' with 9 girlfriends in Gold Class. Gold Class is fantastic - you have full reclining chairs and waiter service while you sit and watch the movie. It's so luxurious! We all enjoyed cosmopolitan cocktails and delicious meals, and the movie was great! Here we are prior to the movie, cosmos in hand...

We have also been enjoying a huge surplus of citrus fruit - plentiful oranges and mandarins from our garden, and bags full of lemons and limes from various friends - they taste so wonderful and every recipe lately seems to include citrus!! Thank goodness they are freezable too...