Two Regattas and New Year
13 January 2010
November continued our round of 40th birthday parties. Jen hosted a fun dinner for her 40th at the start of the month and Ross and Belinda had a big joint lunch for theirs at which I caught up with a lot of people I hadn't seen since medical school. Sarah had drinks and dinner for her 40th at the start of December. It seems so little time since I was going to all these people's 21st birthday parties. I need to make some plans of my own for next March.
Rather than a 40th, my friend Stephen had a lunch to celebrate his wedding to Bart-Jan for those who couldn't go to his official ceremony in the Netherlands. They were lucky with the weather which was sunny but not as hot as it has been this week.
I rowed in the Melbourne Argonauts mixed eight for the Head of the Yarra on November 28. It was an enjoyable row, not as frantic as the men's crew had been the previous year. We came in the middle of the field of 206 crews by time. I managed to get sunburnt legs during the race but on the way back to return the boat we suffered through a heavy rainstorm. Jay coxed the boat on the return journey which drew some surprised looks from other crews. He doesn't look much like a cox.
Our friends Tuong and Simon have had four months with their twins and recently moved to a larger house. We visited them for lunch and walked back past Elwood beach. The boys were very well-behaved, having been fed immediately before we left the house.
This Christmas we spent with my family. We had my parents, sister and grandfather to lunch on Christmas Day. Papa had not seen the new house before and we were pleased that he made it up the stairs to see all four levels. We have been putting some work into selecting hardy plants for the roof-top garden. Most of them seem to be surviving the heat and direct sun.
After Christmas we went to the family holiday house at Sorrento to do some work in the garden while Dad was renovating the bathroom. The lavender was doing very well in the hot, dry conditions and was full of bees.
Mum came with us for the day and is here sitting with her sister Wendy. My cousins Amanda and Matthew were also there with their partners and Amanda's children, so it was quite a family gathering. Mum had not seen Amanda's children, Thibault and Felix, for some time and was pleased to be able to give them their Christmas presents.
There is still a lot of work to do at the house. Jay and I pruned the trees and removed one of the old barbecues. Once the bathroom is done, Dad plans to remodel the kitchen. We will need to go back again soon to finish more of the gardening. January is a quiet time for work in hospitals in Melbourne, so I should have some opportunities.
For New Year's Eve we were invited to Jay's and Willie's place in Eureka Tower. We caught the tram into the city and then had to walk quite a long way as I hadn't realized quite how crowded the city would be. There were hundreds of people dressed in white, heading to the Sensation dance party, who made us glad we were not planning to go there. As we approached Eureka Tower, the hot weather gave way to a thunderstorm so we watched the lightning followed by the fireworks at midnight.
New Years Day we saw many of the same friends at the two parties we went to, the first in the afternoon and then later in the evening where the Freemasons were playing. In all it was a very relaxing break over Christmas and New Year as Jay had ten days off work and I worked only one day.
Melbourne Argonauts convinced both of us that we should row in a proper regatta this year. We were in different crews and after training twice a week through December we went to Rutherglen for the weekend for their regatta. It was a very hot weekend in Northern Victoria, being over 40C (110F) both days. Neither of our crews performed particularly well, but it was a fun trip with the rest of the club.
Our accommodation was air-conditioned, but there was no relief by the lake during the races. We stayed to cheer on the other crews from the club, but it was most comfortable doing that from the water, so we spent some of Saturday afternoon in Lake Moodemere.
In the next few weeks we have the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne, then our local Pride and Sydney Mardi Gras. We had expected to be hosting Jay's parents here in Melbourne in February, but due to an unexpected kidney stone we will instead be visiting them in March. It's disappointing that they won't be coming, but we hope they will be able to come later in the year instead.
< Previous
Rather than a 40th, my friend Stephen had a lunch to celebrate his wedding to Bart-Jan for those who couldn't go to his official ceremony in the Netherlands. They were lucky with the weather which was sunny but not as hot as it has been this week.
I rowed in the Melbourne Argonauts mixed eight for the Head of the Yarra on November 28. It was an enjoyable row, not as frantic as the men's crew had been the previous year. We came in the middle of the field of 206 crews by time. I managed to get sunburnt legs during the race but on the way back to return the boat we suffered through a heavy rainstorm. Jay coxed the boat on the return journey which drew some surprised looks from other crews. He doesn't look much like a cox.
Our friends Tuong and Simon have had four months with their twins and recently moved to a larger house. We visited them for lunch and walked back past Elwood beach. The boys were very well-behaved, having been fed immediately before we left the house.
This Christmas we spent with my family. We had my parents, sister and grandfather to lunch on Christmas Day. Papa had not seen the new house before and we were pleased that he made it up the stairs to see all four levels. We have been putting some work into selecting hardy plants for the roof-top garden. Most of them seem to be surviving the heat and direct sun.
After Christmas we went to the family holiday house at Sorrento to do some work in the garden while Dad was renovating the bathroom. The lavender was doing very well in the hot, dry conditions and was full of bees.
Mum came with us for the day and is here sitting with her sister Wendy. My cousins Amanda and Matthew were also there with their partners and Amanda's children, so it was quite a family gathering. Mum had not seen Amanda's children, Thibault and Felix, for some time and was pleased to be able to give them their Christmas presents.
There is still a lot of work to do at the house. Jay and I pruned the trees and removed one of the old barbecues. Once the bathroom is done, Dad plans to remodel the kitchen. We will need to go back again soon to finish more of the gardening. January is a quiet time for work in hospitals in Melbourne, so I should have some opportunities.
For New Year's Eve we were invited to Jay's and Willie's place in Eureka Tower. We caught the tram into the city and then had to walk quite a long way as I hadn't realized quite how crowded the city would be. There were hundreds of people dressed in white, heading to the Sensation dance party, who made us glad we were not planning to go there. As we approached Eureka Tower, the hot weather gave way to a thunderstorm so we watched the lightning followed by the fireworks at midnight.
New Years Day we saw many of the same friends at the two parties we went to, the first in the afternoon and then later in the evening where the Freemasons were playing. In all it was a very relaxing break over Christmas and New Year as Jay had ten days off work and I worked only one day.
Melbourne Argonauts convinced both of us that we should row in a proper regatta this year. We were in different crews and after training twice a week through December we went to Rutherglen for the weekend for their regatta. It was a very hot weekend in Northern Victoria, being over 40C (110F) both days. Neither of our crews performed particularly well, but it was a fun trip with the rest of the club.
Our accommodation was air-conditioned, but there was no relief by the lake during the races. We stayed to cheer on the other crews from the club, but it was most comfortable doing that from the water, so we spent some of Saturday afternoon in Lake Moodemere.
In the next few weeks we have the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne, then our local Pride and Sydney Mardi Gras. We had expected to be hosting Jay's parents here in Melbourne in February, but due to an unexpected kidney stone we will instead be visiting them in March. It's disappointing that they won't be coming, but we hope they will be able to come later in the year instead.
< Previous
Next >