The three weeks since we were all together at Dumas House passed very quickly and before I knew it I was picking up John Tamsin and Polly at the Airport.
It was an uneventful 4 hour trip from Adelaide but it did take a few days for everyone to acclimatise and begin to relax.
Christmas at Carly and Brad's was lovely... we had the lead up the day beforehand with Polly and John cooking the Christmas cake... flour less chocolate cake with berries. We all had something to prepare and this made things really easy on Christmas Day.
In the evening we caught up with the extended Sharp family and managed to get a few pics of the next generation of cousins.
It was a case of keeping up traditions with the inevitable crabbing and swimming at the shacks on Boxing Day.
The back yard paddling pool has been a hit as well as disco dancing in Pa's shop... no wonder we are all hanging out for an afternoon nap '-}
Dumas House circa 1910.
Dumas House was originally the former residence of Charles Dumas who founded the Courier Newspaper. The homestead and the Oak Tree that was planted by Charles are heritage listed.
Last weekend Tamsin, John and Polly were over for the weekend to attend a wedding and we made the most of the opportunity by all staying together at Dumas House in Mount Barker. Carly, Brad and Claire came too.
It was a lovely mini holiday and the spectacular grounds provided a make believe playground for Polly and Claire who were very excited about seeing each other again.
On the Sunday several friends visited and there were more children to play with. "Hide and Seek" and "What's the Time Mr Wolf" were favourite games. An interesting juxtaposition with the IPads ;-)
A surprise wedding came my way recently. The bride and groom and all the friends and family had travelled from Adelaide and interstate to attend the wedding at the Australian Arid Lands Garden when unfortunately the wedding photographer fell ill.
The requirements were not too strenuous... I find 4 hours is about the most I can endure and this results in plenty of pics to work with ... and so a new adventure unfolded.
The weather was perfect but unfortunately the flies thought so too so there were quite a few smiles with clenched teeth and quite a bit of photoshop work to be done in editing.
The scenic shots at the Matthew Flinders lookout and at Ticklebelly Hill were pretty spectacular so we had a lot of fun and the sun managed to shine long enough to get those all important family shots.
Congratulations Dana and John..
Time has flown and I am only just getting around to documenting the second of the birthdays.
Polly turned two in August!
We travelled as a group and Claire experienced her first plane trip ;-)
It was delightful seeing the girls happy reactions as they explored their relationship in real time instead of Skype and Ipad movies, Claire succumbing willingly to Polly's hugs.
We rented a house and held the party there, a little more room for the visiting tots to play. As usual the cakes, bubbles and balloons were the highlights and the adults had a chance to catch up on the latest news.
It was a busy few days with visits to Monkey Mania and the Zoo and a few Melbourne Coffees thrown in
The Flinders Ranges "A Brush With Art" is an annual event which showcases the art and artists of the Flinders Ranges.
This year I am exhibiting pastels and a couple of felted pieces at the North Star Hotel in Melrose. I particularly love this venue, with it's rugged outback feel, in the delightful town of Melrose.
The Flinders Ranges is looking spectacular at the moment so hopefully people will take the time to venture out and enjoy the artistic offerings.
