December in Windang

     Yikes, here in Australia it's already December 1st! Thanksgiving came and went for us without any turkey. But we'll make up for that next year. In the meantime, Steve and I have been having fun in all kinds of crazy weather.
     Last Saturday (November 24) Steve and I headed up to Sydney for the twins' Christmas Concert. It was a picnic in the park!(What a difference a hemisphere makes!)

Andrea, Owen, Steve

 



     Sunday afternoon was gardening time.

Olivia found a snail.

     After returning to Windang, Steve and I decided to spend two nights down in lovely Kiama. Steve had found a great cabin directly overlooking the ocean and a beautiful natural rock pool. It seemed perfect for doing all the things we wanted -- swimming, hiking, and BBQing. Plus, we had heard the nearby town of Berry was a must see, so we planned to go there as well.
     But Mother Nature had other ideas. On Tuesday afternoon when we arrived in Kiama the weather was breezy and cool, but pleasant. We settled into our cabin, did a bit of shopping, and called it good. The next day we had big plans...
     But on Wednesday, the worst storm of the year hit New South Wales. Sydney got the brunt of it, with tons of flooding and the airport mostly shut down. For our part, Steve and I were pretty much stranded in our cabin with a deck of playing cards. The few times we did venture out, we got soaked. But at least we had a dryer to get our sodden clothes dry again. It seems we had picked the worst possible time to go. Oh well... As Kiama isn't very far by train, we might still try a day trip before we leave. (These pictures don't to justice to just how miserable it was!)

     When it isn't storming around here -- rain and/or wind -- Steve and I are really enjoying having bicycles at our disposal. It's nice and flat here by the beach with a great bike trail along parts of Lake Illawarra. Having not biked for a few years, it's a bit hard on our butts, but otherwise great. The Pacific Ocean is less than five minutes away!

 

     On a typical evening's walk, here is some of the birdlife we see...

     Yesterday, our Airbnb host, Alan, generously drove us to the Illawarra Rainforest where there is a canopy walk through the mostly eucalyptus trees. After the recent deluge, the forest was especially fresh and green. The word "Illawarra" means "high place near the sea."

     Today (Saturday) Andrea, Adam, Owen, and Olivia are coming down for a visit. The weather is perfect and we hope to have a great time playing on the beach, etc. Pictures to follow soon!
     Speaking of Olivia, she just lost her first tooth! It was super loose when we saw her last Sunday. The next day it fell out while she was at preschool. Take a look at her gap, and at the note she wrote to the tooth fairy!