Highlights

Just when we were getting used to the 30+ degree weather in sunny Oz we head home to the UK and the (as MS so elegantly put it) "nipple crackling cold" hits us like an iceberg.

So as I reflect on the warmth that is Australia ... I think of all the fabulous friends and family who made our trip such a great one. Thank you to those who gave up their spare beds for us, cooked for us, ate out with us, drank with us and shared lots and lots of laughs with us. Although it was three weeks, it really felt like such a whirlwind tour.

Here are some of the highlights of my trip:

• Meeting the lovely little SGP, S&S's miracle baby and being privileged enough to attend her christening;
• R.bar with M&D. I've always loved that place;
• Friday night drinks with the old crowd at The Blvd;
• Checking out M&J's stunning new house in Flem. Congratulations you two. Engagement, wedding and first home in the space of 12 months. When you know ... you just know huh?
• Cooking up a storm with my brother B for mum and dad in Windeyer. And mum and dad scratching their heads wondering where we got our cooking talent from;
• Scouring through old photos of our fam and scanning them to take home (I now have a small photo album of childhood family photos);
  
• Playing cards til the wee hours of the morning with bro B, mum, dad, and their friends, B&S. Not to mention drinking way too much wine!
• Footscray market, girly chats, facials, bubbles of trouble, putting on a fabulous spread for N&J and H, A and little R and walking 5 kms in the pouring rain for DVDs and snacks with the gorgeous Miss KW;
• BUZZ! and other cool trivia games with P's fam. Miss ND - You are the GuessMaster!
• Feeling proud of CF and her triathlon accomplishments. All this exercising makes you positively glow - or is it the new beau?
• Hearing about KJ's new love of sailing and vet school. Your new-found escapisms from all the craziness.
• Longrain restaurant - and those oysters! Great choice TMcC.
• Becoming friends with Little Miss IMcC. A beautiful 2yo with the vocab of an 8yo!
• LG's great new courtyard and stories of the hard yakka that has certainly paid off. Congrats on your lovely home.
  
• Dinner at R&TS's house and picking up some great Europe travelling and UK savings tips from them - although I probably won't walk 1.5 hours to save £2.00! R - you still have to send me the recipes from that night.
• Hibiscus flowers and syrup in champagne (great choice again TMcC). Or, aliens as CF calls them.
• Lunch (twice) at the Boathouse (great choice again TMcC - do we see a pattern forming here?);
  
• And of course, mine and Paul's two night holiday within our holiday to Manton's Creek Vineyard in the Mornington Peninsula. The type of place I would love to wake up to every morning.

And those were just a few!

But alas, we are now home and getting over our jetlag before we get back to work next week. Thanks again all ... and also a big thank you to MS for housesitting our place whilst we were away - it was so cool to come home to fresh flowers in the loungeroom.

The above collage are just a few of the shots I took whilst in Oz. Unfortunately I didn't take many of people. More photos can be viewed on my flickr page, click here.

Until next time ...