Welcoming 2018

We saw in 2018 with friends at a place with a good view of the city. As a result we were able to see the many fireworks over Melbourne city and experience the bangs and wizzes of the "illegal" versions over our suburb. The night had perfect weather for it. The wobbly lines in the fireworks snaps are because Peter was taking the snaps without a tripod. The pictures look more fun and creative this way. Anyway... Happy New Year!

sparklers in action...

Summer Evening

The longest day has recently happened and the days are very long at present, the twilights lasting way past 9pm (Summer Time). This particular evening had very magical lighting due to the complete cloud cover after a rainstorm. We felt like we were walking in a large light-box. There was no shadow and the light was bouncing off everything differently. It was still and a little muggy and the colour of everything was much more accentuated. The greens were rich! Peter took a number of snaps but had to vary the exposure in the processing to get close to how it looked. The greens are still far better through our eyes. The camera could not catch the magic that we experienced.

 

 

Stunt Kite Fun

Jaz received this Christmas gift from us and there was a convenient breeze blowing over the Lillydale parkland, enough to successfully launch the dynamic thing many times. There was a bit to learn to keep it behaving in the sky and and many people had a turn. Peter videoed one of its flights controlled by Simon. You can view it here. Yes it did go down, after a few wild sweeps of the ground.

Christmas Day

The day was a perfect 25 degree day with a gentle breeze. Many spots were taken at Lillydale Lake so we accepted dappled shade at the edge of the field. We settled in and made it our home for the rest of the day. We played Frisbee and cricket. Jaz successfully flew his stunt kit that he unwrapped on the day. There was just enough breeze. We played cricket with complete strangers from India (we're pretty sure). We forgot the ham but there was food enough for all. The present exchange took some time and was gentle and spontaneous. Everyone was blessed with something special and the grandkids with extras plus. It was a day of positive memories and a certain amount of inconsequential sunburn. Praise God for our positive gift of family and for the supreme gift of the Messiah of the world born a long time ago.

Gifts for the snow...

Santa making a late appearance.

Playing 'Photosynthesis' in the evening.