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February 2026 (Tasmania and Sydney and then returning to Tasmania!!)

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  What a great month – we spent most of it in our motorhome, Vandie, travelling from Devonport to Cradle Mountain, Launceston, Coles Bay, St Helen’s, Maria Island, Hobart (including Bruny Island and Richmond), Strahan and back to Devonport. 3 and a half weeks with only a couple of “down days” (ie no activities planned on those days) and we still didn’t have enough time to see the coastal areas! Another trip beckons… We took Vandie over on the Spirit of Tasmania and were blessed with two smooth sailings (I was still a bit seasick both times). For years, we have seen the Spirit from our deck at Rye so it was cool to finally be sailing on it! We loved travelling in Vandie – it is super comfortable and it is so easy not having to pack and unpack and having food with you and even a toilet when you need one on a long drive! Have to be real though and the Tasmanian roads were almost always single carriageway and often windy. It was hard driving at times and slow driving always. Didn’t mat...
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January 2026 (Rye, Palm Cove and Tasmania)

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Question: Where did January go?  Answer: In a lovely blur of family, lazy days at Rye and a week in Palm Cove, Far North Queensland. We had all the kids and partners and some of their friends at Rye until they all went back to work earlier in the month. I have forgotten how much food six (to a dozen or so) adults eat! Added to the holiday congestion that descends on the Mornington Peninsula every Christmas/New Year, I did feel a bit like I was relaxing in between supermarket visits!!! Also, a big group deciding what to watch after dinner is a minefield. Especially when there are a couple of voices very keen to watch the Big Bash which seemed to go on endlessly! I like cricket but Test cricket during the day followed by T20 at night is too much for me. Not whining….even though this reads like whining!! It was lovely to all be together. Our son, M, turned 30 so we had some celebrations for that too. Yes, I have a 30 year old child. How did that happen??!! Said 30 year old child and h...
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December 2025 (Vietnam, Cambodia, Melbourne and Rye)

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We started the month by meeting our newest granddog, Kevin. Adorable! (and a bit scared of our two Golden Retrievers who are giant by comparison). Kevin is a groodle and his nickname is “Big Kev” so he’ll catch up fast! Go doggie zoo at family get-togethers! I headed into town one day for the Australian Society of Travel Writers’ Victorian Christmas lunch. It was held at the brand new Hotel Indigo on Bourke Street (adjacent to the brand new Holiday Inn) and neighbours with the brand new flagship MECCA and Rodd & Gunn stores. With the equally brand new Metro Tunnel, I am hoping that Melbourne is on the way back after the awful Covid lockdowns that snuffed Melbourne’s light. The ASTW lunch was actually only the second Victorian event I have been able to go to, the first being in early June last year. I didn’t know a soul last year and found it very hard but I now know a few people and met a few more that day and really enjoyed it. Writing is a solitary profession and I am beginning t...
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November 2025 (Melbourne, Perth and Wadjemup/Rottnest Island) GRANDPARENTS ARE BORN!!!!!!!!!!!

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    WHAT. A. MONTH!!!!   Our baby granddaughter was born a couple of days early on 3 November. Little baby V has our hearts forever. She, Mummy and Daddy (and their dog, little H!) are doing very well.   We just came back from Perth so we didn’t see V for a week but, otherwise, we have barely gone two days without gazing at this little bundle of delight. She is perfect and we adore her but I think mostly what we adore is the lifetime she has ahead of her and all we want to do with her, teach her and experience with her. For now, she is a precious little creature with super soft skin and a newborn smell but, soon, she will smile and goo and play and we can’t wait!   The ASTW Convention in Bendigo was a good couple of days – I made a few more buddies and a few more contacts and I learnt a thing or two. Spending so much time with Andrew these days, it is good for me sometimes to do something solo.   Baby V was born just after the Convention and we basked in he...
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October 2025 (Melbourne and Rye)

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Just a quick update this month as we have had a pleasantly quiet few weeks. As I write this, we have been in Melbourne (or Rye) for a WHOLE.4.WEEKS. Whacko!! I could say that I have cleaned the house from top to bottom and the same at Rye but that would be a lie 😂  I have done a few things – unpack is one 🤣 – but, generally, we have just got back into a bit of a rhythm. The dogs have gone back to being walked daily, the daughters have meals cooked for them (sometimes!) and we have caught up with family and friends. Our granddaughter is due to be born next week (first baby so who knows???) We are all verrrrry excited. A few days after we got home we threw a Baby Shower for A which was a beautiful afternoon of pink, pink and more pink! My girls did a lot of work with “the vision” and it was a lovely day. A few days later, it was time for our daughter-in-law to be, K, to turn 30. A and M turn 30 in coming months so it was the first of three 30th birthdays in the next three months. W...
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September 2025 (Africa and Europe)

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Well, channelling Heidi was better than I even imagined it could be. If you want to see what I mean, you’ll need to watch our Uniworld destination video on YouTube. It will be live in early October. The Uniworld experience video is online now. You can watch it here –  https://youtu.be/9_KD9_YNpBY?si=x_RaaDu2XB6CAARX We joyfully met up with M and A outside of Notre Dame. Baby J bump was now well on show! It was lovely to see inside the restored Notre Dame and then we wandered happily around Paris ending up at a restaurant for dinner where N and K joined us. We hadn’t seen them since May other than a one hour visit at home when I was sick so it was wonderful to see them too. Having our two boys and their partners with us for dinner was special, special, special. We spent most of Sunday and Monday morning together. An activity highlight was a visit to Galerie Dior where we learnt about Christian Dior’s Empire and viewed some beautiful fashion. I really enjoyed this as did Andrew. High...
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