Family reunions reunite

April 19, 2016April 19, 2016 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

What is it about families that unite us?

Do all families get along?

Two weekends ago my sister and I attended our family reunion on the Gold Coast. Our father was one of 8 and most of those siblings had large families. So I have about 48+ first cousins! So many different personalities but somehow on the few occasions we all come together we have fun.

my Father’s wedding with his parents and 5 sisters and 2 brothers

Lots of stories, laughter, singing ( some of it bad) and planning to catch up more often- even if it doesn’t happen. Of the 8 original McGann family there are two siblings left. Eileen the eldest and the lynchpin of the family and her younger sister Dorothy. Both retired to the Gold Coast where several members of their own families are now living.

Aunty Eileen 93 and Aunty Dorothy 87

We started the weekend at the Coolangatta Bowls Club. This is significant because all the McGanns were keen bowlers and had many weekends away together playing tournaments and no doubt playing up!

Celebration dance with Natalie and Lizzie and my sister Catherine

So after we had lots of kissing and telling lies about how wonderful we all still looked we formed teams and started our own competition. Some were more competitive than others. Some of the McGirr and Fisher boys actually bowl so had a head start on the rest of us I was with some of my girls cousins Natalie and Liz Fisher, Liz McGann, Kevin, Tracey and Marion McGirr and my sister Catherine. Well we bowled and laughed and told stories until time was declared.

Then we all stood in a large square around the whole rink and on the signal GO all bowled together – the closest to the jack won a bottle of rum. Of course the non drinker of the family ( and the only one I think) won. Her 9 brothers and sisters were pretty pleased though.

After a swim, rest and quick repair to the makeup we were gathering at the Coolangatta blows club for a “dinner dance” organised by the Dunn family – mostly Alison – whose turn it was to plan the whole reunion. Well done Alison.

We had our own family band courtesy of Andrew Fisher , Jim McGann, Michael McCarthy and various other talented or otherwise musically challenged cousins. They did a great job and after some speeches we were all up dancing and singing.

The speeches were many and varied as the eldest of each family introduced and said something about the members of their own family.

We all prepared our own family tree with photos to put on display and it’s interesting to see likenesses between various members of the different family and their children. Of course Catherine and I had the best display! So we thought. But with many teachers in the family ( 2 are school Principals) the competition was stiff. I think there are 10 girl cousin teachers.

Feeling ‘talked out’ we slept in Sunday before the family gathered with our 2nd cousin Father James McCarthy who said Mass, before their 10 children lay the ashes of their parents – our Aunty Eileen and Uncle Frank in the memorial garden at the church. A very moving memorial for all relatives we have lost.

So what is it that bonds?

We are quite different. We have different personalities, careers, lifestyles but the link that is family is strong. Everyone talks to each other. There are no fights or cruel comments. Not that I heard ! We all share a tolerance, understanding and caring that should be bottled and distributed to people and countries of the world. World peace McGann style. Our parents would be proud.

Happy Family to all readers.

Lost in the thermal springs at Whitianga

April 3, 2016April 3, 2016 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

Would we regret our decision to hit the thermal pool this morning?

Would there be too many people there to enjoy it? After visiting yesterday afternoon I was slightly concerned the thermal pools would be awash with cocktails and pee.

But I need not have worried. It was amazing.

Listening to to the heavy rain last night I was lulled to sleep wondering if our time at Coromandel would be grey and rainy but the morning was clear and blue, so after breakfast at Diana, our absent B&B hostess’ house / apartment, we arrived at Lost Springs.

A quick change and we were easy for some therapeutic action.

We started in the warm pool and would work our way up to the hot pool – it was gorgeous. So relaxing, so calming and so much fun. I floated and flipped, we chatted and laughed , we drank water and moved to the hotter pool. Oh boy ! like a massage without the rubbing hands.

We took a break and ordered drinks. No big cocktails for us – though I do think my therapy girls group would love a day in this magic place. With cocktails!

Our 2 hours for $38 came to an end and we showered off and made it to the car for the second part of our trip to Coromandel. We were heading for the Driving Creek railway. Rockin’ rollin’ ridin’

Along the way we saw the most amazing sights.

Driving Creek Railway and Potteries is the vision of Barry Bricknall, who started his career as a science teacher but quickly moved on and became a potter. He was collecting clay from the hills in the area and eventually starting building a 15 gauge rail line up through the forested area above Coromandel town. It’s become a very profitable business and is a great way to see the views. We had a great ride and loved the views.

The afternoon was one of those perfect weather days, so we explored the area a little and nearly took a swim in the bay near Coromandel.

Talk about a letter box with a view! They look like mini beach shacks.

We finished the day with an evening walk, a drink at the pub and a delicious dinner at Peppertree restaurant. Try it if you are in the area.

So an end to a beautiful day. Thank you Wilsons.

On the road to Coromandel

April 2, 2016April 3, 2016 / brisbanefrannie / 1 Comment

An early start for the swimmers which meant I got to sleep past 5.30!

Sorry readers this little swimmer opted out! Too chilly for me with no wet suit.

Jill and Chris picked me up and we checked out the local markets and had coffee before heading to Tapakuna Beach north of Auckland.

Lots of local fish at these markets.

We arrived in time to see Kim David and friend Adam line up for the relay. Steve had finished his 3.5 km swim and the shoulder was fine. He was happy so that means I was happy too.

The day was a little grey with sudden showers but not too cool. I think it’s clearing for our drive to the Coronandel this afternoon.

We had a great farewell lunch at a restaurant overlooking the bay and decided NZ offers great food and wines and we could easily stay longer than the 5 days we’ve allowed.

Chris drove this afternoon as Steve enjoyed one beer too many in celebrating his swim and we hit the road about 2 pm. It was a lovely drive down and luckily no rain.

The roads were winding through green rolling hills and was chocolate box perfect. NZ ……. Sigh! Beautiful.

Got to Whitianga around 5 and found our slightly odd accommodation. It’s a B&B but is inside a 3 bedroom apartment in a largish complex. Seems we share it with Diana. Lucky for us Diana is dog sitting tonight and has left the keys and the apartment for our exclusive use!

Whitianga is a laid back peaceful port and turned on a beautiful afternoon for us as we wandered around the foreshore and found a place for a sundowner.

Steve was more than tired by now after his early start and big swim so we made a fairly night of it. Of course we checked out Lost World Spa and decided tomorrow we would start with the thermal pools of the spa before moving on.

These warming pools are very sort after in this area and we had a choice of taking a shovel to Hot Water beach and digging our own spa in the sand and lying in it or going to Lost World and lounging in their pools.

We checked it out yesterday and it looked very tropical lost worldish and thought that was easier than taking a shovel to the beach.

So tomorrow a little account of us ‘taking the therapeutic waters’ of the thermal pool. Could be interesting.

Visiting New Zealand

April 2, 2016April 2, 2016 / brisbanefrannie / 1 Comment

Come and swim in NZ said our swim trekking friends. Why not!

So a quick trip was planned to visit Kim and David Parker in Mellons Bay Auckland. Chris and Jill Wilson decided to come along with us to recreate our swim trek group from Greece in 2014.

There is a big ocean swim with about 1200 swimmers setting off on Saturday and I won’t be one of them. In one day it’s turned cool and without a wet suit I would freeze. Wimp I know! Steve of course will go bare! Well not completely – he will have on his budgies. Our friends swim in wet suits and who could blame them here in NZ. They swim most of the year in the bays and the ocean around the North Island. They breed them tough in NZ.

Our flight out was at 8.30 but due to the customs strike were told to get there early. So bright and early we were in a taxi and straight through customs! So we sat in the lounge, had breakfast until boarding time and met up with my friend Fi from Mahjong.

Landing we saw the long white cloud that told us we were coming into NZ. We welcomed ourselves by posing under the carved tiki in the arrivals area.

Off to Mellons Bay and our friends Kim and David, our Greek swim trek friends. They have a cream house set in a very well tended green garden with lots of white flowers – my favourite, with views towards the bay.

Kim had prepared a Greek feast to relive days spent in the Cyclades and with champagne and red wine we managed to settle in and have a wonderful night.
Next Morning:

Feeling very guilty we wandered out for breakfast around 9, well after David had left for work and Kim had had her hour long walk along the foreshore. Chris and Jill arrived – late- from Mandy’s B&B and we set off for the city.

Auckland is a water city. It is surrounded by bays and waterways and we drove the slow route around the bay into the Botanic gardens. The boys were going to the War Memorial and the girls to that other shrine – a shopping area called Newmarket.

Lots of eclectic boutiques with the latest fashions. The colour navy, in lace and sheers for layering seems to be favoured by the many NZ fashion designers. And there are lots of them. We visited Nicola Waite, Trelease Cooper, Verge, Briarwood just to mention a few.

Kim proved to be a keen tour guide as we meandered from one boutique to the next. No big shopping malls here. Lots of little streets and lanes with individual boutiques and fashionable sales girls modelling the latest. I gave up resisting and bought a simple shift dress from Briarwood. It has the most beautiful fabric and simple design. Hope it turns out to be a winner!

Jill definitely won the shopping! She bought 2 pairs of pants and 3 tops. She’ll may have to employ the de littering hints we read about in NZ’s Women’s Weekly.

We met the boys for lunch and heard stories of what they had seen at the Museum. Coming in at the tail end of the conversation I heard about NZ’s mower – ( really their Moa ) and thought that’s strange having a mower at the Museum!

Tonight we wandered up to the ‘local village’ and sat in the ‘Library’ of the local hotel. Quite charming. I do wish I lived near a little village like this. Such a great selection of shops from fashion to food, hardware to bookshops, cafes and restaurants. We had a hearty dinner so the swimmers would be fuelled up for their race tomorrow. Kim, David and Steve are doing the Beach to Bay ocean swim. A mere 3.5 km of swimming in the bay. So a fairly sober night for some of us!

If you have handy hints for Auckland please share them in the Comments Box.

10 Favourite Villages in Italy

February 21, 2016February 28, 2016 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

I’ve written about France……. Now for Italy. My heart is probably more in Italy. It’s where I feel more at home and speaking a little Italian makes it much easier.

So HOW do I narrow it down to just 10? I might group a few together according to my visits to squeeze a few more in.

My first visit to Italy in 1976 was the year after Steve and I married. It was fairly quick but I remember being struck by the history, the food, the people and the general La Vita Bella.We visited the big places and just a few smaller villages. These days I love the small villages as it gives me a chance to practice my Italian and join in a few activities in the village.

The next few trips followed quickly – I’ve always believed in throwing coins into Trevi fountain. Right hand over left shoulder, make a wish and BOOM! next year back again!.

I’ve been about 10 times now and love it all. Of course it’s good to see the cities first if it’s your first visit to Italy – and I’ll do a another post on the BIG cities in Italy. For the cities, in order, I love Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, Bologna and Verona.

So narrowing it down to smaller places – in no particular order I suggest these places to you. PLEASE tell me about your favourite village.

Lucca:

I spent 2 weeks here in 2012 staying in a little apartment with this gorgeous view. Its a small walled city, flat to walk around, lots of history, a beautiful amphitheatre, many beautiful churches, music concerts by local hero Puccini, great food and a refinement the locals promote! It’s on a train line (an hour to Florence) and great bus service to all surrounding areas. So what’s not to adore.

Spello:

Spello in Umbria is off the main tourist circuit. And is beautiful. You wind up the hill to get to the little village and from wherever you look out the view is gorgeous. There are about 12 churches, several very good restaurants, winding streets and, if there during Corpus Christi feast, there are 60 flower carpets lining the narrow streets.

It’s also a good place to have a car as you can visit nearby villages such a Montefalco, Bevagna, Spoleto and the bigger Assisi. Accommodation can be small hotels but I prefer an apartment to be able to live like a local.

San Gimignano

This beautiful village is a small walled hill town in Tuscany not far from Siena. It has around 12 medieval towers and beautifully preserved buildings. It’s quite touristy so it can be good to stay outside the town in the beautiful countryside in a farmhouse.

From this area you can travel to nearby Volterra, Siena, Florence, Lucca and lots of little villages with fabulous restaurants.

The Lakes Areas:

Bellagio: on Lake Como

This romantic village is loved by all (therefore a little crowded) but has such charm with its century old buildings, cobbled laneways and being half way up the lake is the perfect spot to explore the whole lake by ferry. I’ bellagio,_lake_como ve also stayed in nearby Varenna and it is smaller quieter and quite charming.

Bardalino : on Lake Garda

This is a flatter village and was home to many fishermen. It is surrounded by vineyards and is quite a resort town. Not quite as romantic as Bellagio but beautiful with lovely walks along the lake, great restaurants, places to swim and colourful little ferries running around the lake. Very relaxing with great shopping.

Bardolino is about an hours bus ride to Verona and a short drive to the many vineyards in the area.

Positano: Glamour by the sea

No visit to the Amalfi Coast is complete without a visit to its jewel, Positano. To get there (without a car which isn’t necessary) you can take the train to Naples, then the Circumvesuviana, a small local train to Sorrento, then a bus which gives an amazing view of the spectacular coastline. Then its a walk down hill towards the water. I’ve stayed in a little apartment overlooking the beach. Each day was spent exploring the coast, tripping around on a boat to Capri to Amalfi, a bus to Pompeii, walking in the lemon groves, a bus up to Ravello and countless lemoncello and gelati!

Lovely Lerici

Lerici is where the Italians holiday – especially those from Milan, so perfect for practicing Italian speaking. It’s in Liguria on the gorgeous Golf dei Poeti and has flown under the radar of international tourists who flock to the Cinque Terre. I’ve stayed in both places and must say I love Lerici – but had the advantage of a week’s stay. If only allowing a few days then probably stay on the Cinque Terre (see next post).

Lerici has a medieval castle overlooking its beautiful bay and 3 kilometer promenade leading to San Terenza another lovely town with a white sandy beach. On the ferry its a lovely day to visit the 5 towns of the Cinque terre, the lovely town of Portovenere and the little island of Palmaria a great place for a swim and lunch away from the crowds.

Cinque Terre: Which of the 5 villages?

The Cinque Terre has had lots of attention – with good reason. The 5 colourful little villages are clinging to the cliff face and look gorgeous from the water. You can explore them by boat or by walking and climbing the clifftop path which connects the villages. I’ve stayed in the largest of the villages – Monterrosso – which has an old town and a new town and is easy to get to by train. My favourite village is probably Vernazza with its cute little coloured houses. If staying in Vernazza try and get by the water. Its crowded and you need to be looking at the water.

Taormina:

An ancient town high on a hill looking towards the sea on one side and Mt Etna on the other, Taormina is romantic , sophisticated and a great people watching place. I’ve been twice and loved it both times. With its Saracen castle and amazing Greek amphitheatre, which hosted a children ballet show the day we were there, Taormina is a great stop for few days. The passegiata along the main Corso is a must, the Sicilian tile shops, the park with sculptures overlooking the sea, the gelati, the steep climb up to the next town (Castelmola), the funicular ride down to the beach, the stunning grilled fish. A great place to stay in Sicily (though I loved Ortiga, Noto and Ragusa as well!)

Urbino to Mercatello: Finding Le Marche

My first language school was in Urbino. I arrived on my own and stayed a few steps from the little piazza. I had a week alone in a lovely little Italian house while I attended language school and made some lovely friends in the little village with its mini La Scala teatro. The following week was in the even smaller Mercatello where friends own a house . Very old, no bakery shop, no English spoken but a rustic charm.

Good base for trips to San Marino, Arrezo, and Urbania with its amazing church and art.

Oh dear. I’m up to 10!

I must mention:

San Remo – the city of flowers in Ligura

Cortona (who hasn’t read Frances Mayes’ Under the Tuscan Sun….)

La Maddelena in Sardinia – our first swim trek week spent here in its crystal waters.

Pisa: Got to climb that leaning tower.

I could go on but that would detract from my top 10!

Enjoy and Please tell me in the comments where you love to visit in Italy.💕

Marvellous Melbourne

January 27, 2016February 28, 2016 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

We’re in Melbourne for a few days whilst Steve works and I ‘support’.

We started with dinner on Monday night with our friends Valda and Guy. A short stroll down Toorak Rd from St Kilda road, past Faulkner Park and into Memories – a little Chinese restaurant. Lovely staff included 3 young Chinese girls who reminded us of the song ‘Three little maids from school are we….’ They moved around serving together and made a very sweet picture. Our braised pork and seafood plate were very good and the green beans delicious.

Australia Day: Tuesday morning we were up early and in a taxi for the short ride to Parliament House for the annual Australian Unity Australia Day Breakfast. Rob and Jordan scored an invitation so we met them there looking very smart and lowering the average age of the assembled crowd.

The breakfast guest speaker – Prof Ian Harper – spoke very well about the economic picture of Australia since settlement. Very succinct. The singer this year was Deborah Cheetham, an Indigenous Opera singer who composed and performed a wonderful piece for the opening of the Sydney Olympics.

From there we went back to the hotel for a change of clothes, then out to St Kilda to meet my school friend Petrina, husband Lynwood daughter in law Emily and cute Grandson Henry.

Republica restaurant was perfect for an Australia Day lunch. Right on the beach. Loads of families, young people, hipsters and passers by of all shape, size and ethnicity. Lunch was lamb of course. We had a great time eating, drinking then walking along the boardwalk in an effort to walk off the food and drinks and observe Melbourneians at play.

A really great fun lunch and as luck would have it, I’m now in possession of a few free tickets to the tennis in Thursday. Emily has a friend who gave her 2 tickets for the 11am session Thursday. Up in the Gods but hey they are free so I’m in!

Back to hotel for recovery before a drink with one of Steve’s fellow board members.

Crashed into bed!

Victoria’s Art Gallery NGV

Wednesday – kissed Steve good bye at 7.30 and planned my day.

A tram ride to NGV to see their latest big exhibition – Andy Warhol and Ai Wei Wei. On the way in I ran into friend Cathy Campbell and her husband.

The exhibition is great. If you are coming to Melb try and see it.

Wonderful parallel shows.

From here I went next door and booked a ticket to Pennsylvania a one women show by Betnadette Robinson For tonight , when Steve goes to a fancy restaurant for his board dinner.

From the arts precinct – into the city to browse and visit the Manchester Unity building on the corner of Collins and Swanston St. It’s a beautiful Art Deco building slowly being restored by a Chinese man who owns Smile dentists and has bought the whole building. It’s looking very beautiful and will be great when more public areas are incorporated.

Further wandering concluded with an ice cream in a deck chair at Federation square watching Murray play Ferrer.

Now it’s risotto for dinner watching the rain pour down before leaving for the theatre. It should stop before I leave I hope.

Tomorrow – the tennis.

Just got in from the theatre. What a performance by Bernadette Robinson. She had a one woman show a few years ago where she played a girl in the dressing room and sang lots of songs impersonating other performers. This was similar but she was an assistant to several Presidents of the USA. She told their story and her own and sang songs by performers such as Marilyn Munro, Barbra Striesand, Tammy Wynette, Diana Ross …….. Great show.

Now waiting for Steve. I wonder what he had for dinner.

10 Favourite Villages in France.

January 17, 2016January 29, 2016 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

Today I’m going to tell you about my 10 favourite villages in France.

I usually prefer smaller villages as they are easier to get to know in a few days. Big cities need longer to delve into.

So ……. In no particular order

Cotignac in Provence. I’ve been here twice to stay with good friends in their house in the village. It’s a beautiful village – almost perfect when it comes to French villages. Big enough to have a good selection of businesses – bakery, cafes and great markets on Wednesday and Saturday. It is a good base for exploring nearby villages Aups, TourTour, Salernes as well as the Gorge de Verdan. It’s about an hour to the coast and lovely seaside towns like Cassis. Also an hour to Aix en Provence.
Avignon Also in Provence this is a great base for exploring the area. It’s a good size to be interesting on it’s own – it has the amazing Palace of the Popes, so lots of history and is a driveable distance from the charming St Remy, L’isle sur-la-Sorgue, Arles and many other little villages. As an alternative stay in St Remy visit Avignon and other little villages.
The Loire Valley: This is a gorgeous area and you can choose any number of little villages to base yourself. We picked Amboise. It has a wonderful Castle and is also home to Chateau du Clos, the house and garden of Leonardo da Vinci. We stayed at a great little house directly opposite the castle. Not expensive and very comfortable. it can be found on http://www.homeaway.com.au/holiday-rental/p258188vb The Chateaux in the area are magnificent.
We’ve also been to the Champagne area and stayed one night in Epernay and then in Hautville, a small village nearby and for me a better option. Only 15mins away so easy taxi ride in to do a Champagne House tour. The B&B was very good La Chevalee. We also visited Reim but I wouldn’t stay there…..
We travelled south into Burgundy and stayed at Noyers-sur-Serein. A really lovely medieval village. We had 3 nights and explored the area. Our B&B was called Cote-Serein – Chambres de la Tour and was in the village.
Strasbourg Not a village but a charming small city. I had a week here on my own and loved it. Its only 2 hrs by fast train to Paris and easy to get around. A car might be handy to explore the Alsace Lorraine wine trail but there are trains and buses to get you around. I took a great wine tour .
Carcassonne on the west is a lovely walled town (we stayed in the Best Western inside the walls). A great place to base yourself to explore the area.
St Emilion, Biarritz and Bordeaux are all lovely places to explore. Biarritz is good in summer for a swim. Its a lovely village with good food and a not so lovely Casino. A half day drive to St Emilion for a few days to explorethe wine region and easy to get into Bordeaux for the day by train. Stay in the lovely Des Chambres l’Ovaline B&B right at the entrance to the town. The town has a wonderful underground Church and a tour of the vineyards is good to do.
Bayeux You must go to Bayeux to see the tapestry. It’s a must. Also as a base to explore the beaches famous for the Normandy invasion. Stay at La Villa a great B&B.
St Malo: The book ‘All the Light I cannot see” by Anthony Doerr is set here and it’s a charming seaside village (surrounded by a large modern town). Its a port and you can sail from here to the Channel Islands.its also close to Dinan another lovely village.

For more information on these places check out the rest of the blog.

Please put the names of your favourite villages in the comments box. Love to get some of your suggestions.

Watch out for my next post: Paris. Where to stay, what to do.

How to pick the perfect accommodation.

January 11, 2016January 12, 2016 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

Lots of friends ask me tips for choosing the best hotel , apartment & B&B.

Admittedly I do spent a crazy amount of time selecting but over the years I have become better at finding good accommodation.

These are my guidelines.

1. When you know where your are going start by googling that place and usually I’ll then go to Booking.com. I have signed up for an account and this pays off because the more you use it to book the more points you earn towards better deals. I also like to use it because all the bookings made ( or even cancelled ) are kept on your account. This is a good reference when suggesting places to friends. It also often lets you book but often allows cancellation without penalty.

2. Then you put your destination in and dates (if you know them ) and when the list comes up I go straight to the map and look at the locations. It’s no good finding what sounds like a great hotel but then finding its away from the main part of town or city.

3. Browse a few to compare. Look at prices and features and read reviews. I focus more on the negatives. If there are just a few picky type negatives I tend to go to trip advisor to see the reviews there and compare. Be careful to check air con if it’s summer, stairs if no lift, parking ……

4. I always Google earth the location and look at the satellite view to see if it’s next to something bad – major highway, tip, railway line.

5. Make a booking but be sure you can cancel without penalty. In peak times this is very important because things book out very easily. You can always cancel if something changes or you find another place.

6. Look on Trip advisor reviews for room tips. They are usually at the end of a review if someone mentions the room they liked. Then if you get a few tips put that in your booking request. Eg: first floor away from the street.

The only time I have broken my own rule on location I was sorry. I had thought it was too far away from the action! But I booked anyway. And despite the good reviews of great breakfast , good beds , free bikes, all day tea coffee …… I would prefer a great location.

I’ve got good lists of places to stay particularly in Italy and France so email me if you want some advice.

brisbanefrannie@gmail.com

Travel plans for 2016

January 11, 2016March 3, 2016 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

The New Year is here and we are planning our next adventures.

I look back at our holidays last year. The trip to France and Spain in August was wonderful. Check the stories out in earlier posts. Then our recent trip to Cambodia to see Pete and Elena and celebrate their engagement was amazing.

As I sit on the beach chatting to friends we share stories of last years travel and what’s on our bucket list for this year.

Lea fancies Norway and Russia and as does Jill. Two friends both leaning towards the same places! Susie is looking at India and maybe a wedding. Carmel will be going back to Sri Lanka and India for work. And the Maitlands have a few little holidays and surprise surprise another swim trek. This time to Montenegro. We’ll follow up with a week or two in my favourite country – Italy. This time in the heel of the country – arriving in Bari and heading south to Otranto and holidaying the way Italians do.

Other little holidays or ‘getaways’ this year include. Melbourne for Australia Day and perhaps a night at the tennis. Another visit in February to Melbourne with friends for the Edinburgh Tattoo. Yes it’s coming to Melbourne!

Then in April, New Zealand with Chris and Jill Wilson to visit friends from our Greece swim trek. Steve is braving the cool waters of Auckland and doing a swim with Kim and David. We’ll also visit the area called the Coramandel.

We head to Sydney for niece Pips wedding to Hugh in April and then nephew Patrick’s wedding to Lauren in Port Macquarie in May. Hopefully we’ll be able to call into Crescent Head to visit the McGregors.

By June we’ll be preparing for our holiday swimming in Montenegro and touring Puglia.

Maybe the USA in October to visit our swim trekking friends and sample the wines near Lodi where Jordan’s parents live.

Then in December it’s back to beautiful Cambodia for Peter and Elena’s wedding. It’s on Dec 20. The date they met and the date two years later they got engaged. We can’t wait.

So that’s it’s for holidays at the moment. Lots to look forward to.