Ballarat Trip -> Day 2

Everyone slept quite well and stayed in their sleeping bags all night. I woke up and went to the kitchen for a cup of tea and realised that I hadn't bought my tea bags with me. I read my book for a while, and everyone else was up by about 8am. We had breakfast and the kids scooted around the park, played in the playground, jumped on the jumping pillow, watched some tv, while I got ready for our day. The park had a 4 seat pedal car for hire, so we had a go on that before we went out. Caitlin and LiAM were able to pedal when the ground was flat, it was much harder when going uphill though, so I walked behind them and pushed when necessary, and I did have a bit of a turn at pedalling as well. It was raining while we were pedalling and everyone we saw made a negative comment about the rain, but it didn't bother us.

Around 11am we walked over to Sovereign Hill. It had stopped raining by now though was still overcast. We bought our tickets (valid for 2 consecutive days) and got the last 4 tickets to the next night's Sound and Light show. Luckily. It would have been incredibly disappointing to miss out on the show entirely. We wandered around to the main street, looking into mining shafts on the way, then checked out the Blacksmiths, the horses in the stables, and the lolly shop - deciding to buy our lollies on our way out rather than carrying them around all day. For now, we bought horse head lolly pops and chocolate frogs with crushed raspberry drops in them (one each). We explored the hotel, then while Caitlin and LiAM went to see the horses pulling the carriage, Millie and I popped in to the Mechanics Institute where she found a display of precious gems and stones which was fascinating. We joined the others and met and patted the horses, then wandered down to the Red Hill Mine, where we did a self-guided tour - the lights and voices are automated and led us through the mine, with holograms in places showing men digging for gold. It was well done and showed a pretty vivid picture of what it was like in the mines. Once above ground again we headed for the gold diggings. We sat on a log and ate our lunch, in between panning for gold in the creek. I'd done it before and had a vague recollection of how to do it but wasn't having much luck. The kids chatted to a European couple next to us who had found a bit. A guy came over after a while and helped me with my method (although he wasn't too critical for my liking) and after that I found several small pieces of gold. Very exciting. Once I'd figured out how to do it, LiAM lined up pans for me to work through and I usually found a couple of pieces in each pan. Another guy came over and asked if he could check the pans I'd finished, and he found a couple more pieces which he let me have.

Caitlin at the stables

Millie panning for gold

LiAM with a gold ingot worth $149,000

We wandered back up the hill, stopped in at the confectionary factory and sampled the raspberry drops and discovered that they sold really big jars of them, then went up to the gold mine and paid for  a guided tour. A quick toilet dash and then down into the mine with a group and a guide. We went underground through pitch darkness on an inclined tram - a bit scary and also quite exciting. This tour talked more about how they went about finding gold and how the mine was structured, and the differences between company and independent mining. The guide asked lots of questions which the kids usually answered, although many of his questions were more aimed at tricking the audience, which I didn't like. There was a seam of real gold that had been placed in the mine, that was quite cool to see. We went on a small train through tunnels to get to the exit tram - a little like riding in mine carts which had a nice minecraft flavour! Back up on the tram, then we climbed the tower above the mine shaft - but it was quite high and the wind was strong and everyone freaked out a little so we went back down. There was a line of mine carts at the base so the kids played in them for a while - Millie in particular had been excited all day at seeing mine carts and realising that they really do exist, they are not just a minecraft creation.

Mine carts!

From there we went and saw a demonstration of real gold being melted down and poured to make an ingot. It was quite interesting and exciting to see the process, then everyone got to hold it. The ingot weighed 3kg and was worth about $149,000 - it felt SO heavy because it was small and dense. The guy who poured it was chatting to us and discovered we lived on a vineyard and that the kids' dad makes wine, so he declared himself Caitlin's best friend and wanted her to come back with wine... We went into the shop and looked at lots of items made of gold, and bought a personalised gold coin for the kids' friend who loves rocks and minerals and gold and was having a birthday this week (we got his name and birthday engraved on it, and a wooden stand to keep it in).

Up to the candle making shop from there, where we purchased plain white candles and the kids were able to dip them into dye and colour them. It was an amazingly simple but effective process, using 3 vats of dye, to create a candle with 5 different bands of colour on it. LiAM played with the colours a bit more than that, the lady warned him that he'd get brown, but he was happy to add a 6th brown band and was pleased with his result. We went to the bowling alley next and all had a go at old fashioned 9 pin bowling - it was fun although the ball was a bit heavy for Millie to bowl very far. We wandered back down the main street and stopped to buy our massive jar of raspberry drops (and a couple more chocolate frogs). From there we meandered down the rest of the street and then headed back to the caravan park.

Candle Dipping

The kids played with the kids in the caravan next to us, on the jumping pillow and in front of our tent and caravan. One of the boys had just turned 5, and he and Millie played with all their soft toys together. I had a hot chocolate and read my book, then went to get dinner ready. The group we'd met the night before were having a party in the camp kitchen - at least 25 people - and they were too loud for LiAM and Millie so I heated up our leftovers and cooked some noodles and we ate back at our tent. It was getting a bit chilly so the kids ate wrapped up in blankets. We had a shower after tea, Caitlin went to the ladies and the rest of us used the family bathroom. We watched TV until the TV room closed then went back to the tent and read Eldest for a while.

Ballarat Trip -> Day 1

Last year Caitlin's school had gone on a trip to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. She didn't go with them as it was in the middle of her acting season and she had so many other things going on - and I promised that I would take the kids to Ballarat during Vintage this year and we would go to Sovereign Hill ourselves. So with Tony on night shift and the school holidays only a week away we decided that this week was the time to go. And having our camper trailer made the whole trip a bit cheaper - and I was keen to see if I could manage a camping trip on my own with the kids.

I had planned to leave around lunch time or later, then Caitlin suggested on Saturday night that we try and get to Kryal Castle while we were in Ballarat - it's only open on weekends so we decided to leave home by 11 at the latest in order to get to the castle in time to really have a good look around (and to see the jousting which was on at 1.30). So we packed the car and the trailer and actually were on the road by 11 which was quite impressive. It was the first time I'd towed the trailer without the car having mechanical problems, and it was amazing how much less stressful it was. The trailer was still heavy, but it didn't feel hard to drive with it, and not having to worry about the car breaking down was a big relief.

The trip took 2 hours and was uneventful. We listened to 'Magnificat' by Marilyn Edwards and chatted about lots of stuff. We arrived at Kryal Castle at 1pm, in time to get our tickets, have a quick wander through the Dragon's Lair (we meant to come back to it but there were too many other cool things to do and we didn't get time), get some lunch from the bakery (hot dogs for the kids, a chicken schnitzel burger for me, and an all-day-refill cup with a picture of a knight on it for us all to share), and then head to the jousting arena. The jousting was exciting - one of my favourite bits of medieval knightly competition, and Caitlin was enthralled by the horses, and the other two loved it as well. There was a bit of comedy and drama involved as well, but I really really loved the jousting part. Afterwards Caitlin went to see a pantomime, while LiAM and Millie played giant chess and I sat in the sun. We topped up our drink then all went back to the arena for sword fighting - it was only a small group so I joined in as well. We all got foam swords and shields and had a number of different types of battles. Millie at first would only fight if she was right next to me, but she gained confidence as the battles went on and in the end she was the best defensive fighter. After a while Caitlin and I (and some others) went over to the Mangonel (like a catapult) and played with it for a bit. Caitlin went back to the sword fighting and I stayed and talked to the catapult guy about medieval weapons and battle strategies. I learnt a lot and also affirmed some of my own previous knowledge.

Jousting Demonstration

The sword fighting went for about an hour and the kids were happily exhausted by the end of it. From there we headed to the maze (via another drink refill). It was a stone maze and more like a labyrinth at first but then got a bit tricky towards the end - simple enough though that Millie could find her way through without wanting me to be with her. The kids had a bit of a play on a model horse and chariot, and sat in the big chair near the dragon in the foyer, then we headed off towards our caravan park.

Giant Chess

LiAM was the Prince on his team - they all had to protect him in this battle

The girls taking a break from the fighting

As I was checking in at Ballarat Goldfields Big 4, the kids ran off to jump on the jumping pillow. We'd stayed here with Mum 4 years ago when I was in Ballarat for an ABA conference, and Caitlin remembered where everything was. The guy checking me in changed the site he was going to put us in, and placed us right next to the jumping pillow instead - very thoughtful. I backed the trailer into place (a passing guy did help me but I think I could have done it myself - maybe not as elegantly though!) and then I couldn't get the trailer off the car! The guy from the site next to us helped me, then Caitlin and I set up the tent. It only took us about 25 minutes - it's getting easier every time, and there was very little stress involved this time. The kids explored the park - jumping pillow, lots of roads to ride scooters and the Ripstik on, tv room, games room, playground, and a pool. Once we were all set up we went for a swim - it had been a warm afternoon but it was pretty cold in the pool! Millie practised her swimming a bit and hung around with me, and Caitlin and LiAM played a game all over the pool. Millie and I got out and sat in the fading sunlight once we'd had enough, and eventually we all headed back to the tent and into warm dry clothes, then went into town to get groceries.

I cooked butter chicken for dinner while the kids played in the playground and rode scooters and played giant chess. We talked to some other people using the camp kitchen while we ate - they were here as part of a group and were playing Hand and Foot Canasta - a game I used to play a LOT when I was younger and hadn't thought of in a while - I might refresh my memory on the rules and show the kids how to play. We had ice cream and ice blocks for dessert, then back to the tent after I'd cleaned up. We set up our beds (me on the mattress, kids on thermarests on the floor) and I read Eldest until everyone was ready for sleep.

Upper Yarra Reservoir: Day 2

LiAM had trouble sleeping and Millie woke up and joined us at one point so Caitlin was the only one who spent the whole night on the floor. It was crowded with 4 of us on the mattress but there was enough room. I extricated myself once it was light and sat outside and had a cup of tea and read my book for ages by myself, it was lovely - an overcast morning with the mountain looming above me, very quiet and very peaceful. It did start to get cold so eventually I needed to find more clothes from the spare bag in the car (I didn't want to wake anyone else up so didn't go back in the tent). Caitlin joined me after a while, we went and cooked some porridge and sat undercover to eat it - it was raining a bit by this stage. After breakfast we played cards until the others emerged one by one from the tent.

Once the kids were all up they wandered over to see their friends from the glowstick party the night before. LiAM's friend from yesterday had left, but there was an 8 year old boy in the other group, so he quickly made a new friend. All the kids (ours and theirs) spent the morning running back and forth between the 2 campsites, exploring the area, playing the camper trailer, climbing trees and so on. Tony and took our time to pack up and chat and have a cup of tea and then some lunch. The trailer was much easier to pack up than I'd thought it might be, which was a relief.

Once everything was packed and the other families had left, we went for a walk on the Fern Gully Track. I'd forgotten how beautiful the river was until we were crossing the bridge over it. We walked on the loop track and the kids found a very long fallen tree which they played on for a while, then we completed the loop and had a paddle in the extremely cold river. Even Millie came a little way in. The kids then wanted to show us a place they'd found with their friends that morning, so we headed up the path to come back to the river further up - there was a little weir, and a picnic table was sitting in the corner of the river and the weir wall, which was a very exciting place to sit... We played on the weir for a while, surrounded by tall trees and ferns and the beautiful clear, freezing water. Eventually we extricated ourselves and got back in the car. I had a bit of reversing practice with the trailer on and then we headed home.

LiAM and Caitlin at the end of a fallen tree (they are there in amongst the ferns)

Paddling in the river

'Picnic' in the river

The Yarra River looks very different here compared to near our place near Yarra Glen, or once it gets all the way into the city

About 15 minutes down the road the car started overheating. We refilled the water but the engine heated up again straight away so we stopped and called the RACV. Turns out the water pump had seized (I'd been told last week I needed a new one and was booked in to get one in about 10 days....). Tony took the kids into Warburton for fish and chips while I waited for the tow truck. They brought a replacement car for us - but it had mechanical problems too and after I had all our stuff in it the guy decided we couldn't take it after all... So he towed the car and trailer to the depot in Yarra Junction, we drove the dodgy loan car to the depot and transferred all our stuff (again) to a tiny little hatchback and we finally drove home. The guy took the trailer (and our car) to the depot in Healesville and Tony went down and got the trailer with his car, and hopefully my car will be fixed sometime very soon!

Despite the frustrating ending of our trip though everyone was still in good spirits (although very tired) and had an enjoyable time camping - all looking forward to doing it again!

Upper Yarra Reservoir - Day 1

On Friday I realised that we had a free weekend, and that this might be the last one for some time. In January Tony often works a day on the weekend, and sometime in February Vintage will start and he will be working at least one day each weekend, and once Vintage is over baseball will have started and he'll be away all day Saturday. So we thought perhaps it was a good (and possibly the best) chance to try out our new camper trailer. Getting ready to go on Friday seemed too hard - Caitlin and I were going shopping for boots and pants as she has horse camp this week, and I wanted to enjoy that and not be rushed, so we decided to see how we felt on Saturday morning and head off if we felt like it.

Saturday morning was very relaxed, Tony and some of the kids had a sleep in, we played games, LiAM plants Plants v Zombies Garden Warfare, Caitlin started packing for horse camp, eventually we talked about camping and decided that we would go, to Upper Yarra Reservoir Park (C and L and I had been there about 15 months ago on Scout Camp and I loved the location. It's only about an hours drive from us so felt like an easy quick trip). We packed the car and the trailer - it was exciting being able to put most of the camping stuff in the trailer, so the car just had our food and clothes and wasn't jammed full at all - and set off in the early afternoon, stopping at Coles in Healesville for food and a couple of other supplies. On the way we listened to 'The Longest Whale Song' by Jacqueline Wilson (this is the 2nd of her books we've listened to on Audio CD. Even though the main character was a girl in both books, all the kids were very engaged in the story. Tony and I too.)

When we arrived the kids got out to run around and Tony and I scouted around for the best place to camp. Caitlin and I had a go at doing most of the setting up ourselves, as I want to take the kids camping on my own during Vintage this year, and wanted to see if we'll be able to set up the tent - we didn't do it all without Tony helping, but did enough for me to be sure that we'll be able to when he's not there. While we were setting up LiAM met a boy from one of the other tents, and they ran around together for a while then the kids from both families had a water bomb fight. We spent a very pleasant afternoon pottering around getting set up, sitting down and having a cuppa, checking out the view - I love the mountain that is right next to the park - while the kids played with their new friends. They found a rope swing tied to a tree and then met a group of families camping nearby who also had lots of kids to play with.

I love sitting and looking at this mountain (although it doesn't look as impressive in this photo as in real life)

Almost set up

We had an early dinner (the kids ate as they came back to tell us things, then were off again playing) and afterwards went for a walk up to the reservoir. We walked through a fairly overgrown path to get to the first lookout (the kids pretended they were lost in the woods), which only showed us the outlet from the dam into the aqueduct, not particularly exciting - although we could see the dam wall from there and it was rather impressive. From there we walked up the road, which switchbacked up the hill to get to the height of the dam wall. It was a bit tiring for the kids (and Tony who had Millie in the sling) but the view at the top was quite spectacular. The sun was setting behind us as we looked over the reservoir, lots of pink clouds reflected in the water and the mountains showing ridge after ridge beyond the dam. The kids discovered that there was a significant echo if they shouted, so they had fun experimenting with that. There was also a monument to the men who had built the dam which provided a fun climbing spot and an even higher view of the dam for Caitlin and LiAM. We walked back down to our camp in the fading light, everyone was pretty tired when we got back - then picked up again when their friends invited them to join in around their fire and play with glow sticks. The kids played there while I set up the beds, then came back and went to bed fairly easily. I sat outside and read my book for a while (I'm finally reading The Time Traveller's Wife and am completely enthralled by it.) then joined the others in the tent. Tony and I slept up on the mattress above the trailer and the kids had their own camping mattresses on the floor.

Stopping for some mango

The dam wall

Sunset over the reservoir

Queenscliff Trip

On Saturday we headed down to Queenscliff for 3 days away with Mum and Dad, and my sister and her family. On the way we stopped at Tony's cousin's house as we were thinking about buying their camper trailer (they have just upgraded to a caravan). We hadn't seen them for ages (nearly 2 years we think) so it was great to catch up and for the kids to play - LiAM was able to play Skylanders and the girls played on the swings and Millie set up a bit of a tea party for us. We set up the camper trailer and chatted about how and when to use it, and did decide to buy it - very very exciting, I've been wanting one for a few years and I'm thrilled to have one now!

We arrived at the house we were all sharing around 5.30 on Saturday afternoon. The others were already there and settled in. We explored the house and played with the baby and chatted to everyone and felt very relaxed and happy to be away for a few days. We had fish and chips for tea, then Tony and Dad and the kids and I headed down to the beach to see the sunset. Tony had thought we might see the sun set over the ocean because of the angle of the peninsula - and he was right. We arrived just in time to see it hit the ocean horizon and were able to watch it set - beautiful. The kids paddled in the edge of the water then started jumping the little waves, and eventually moved in as far as their knees and slightly bigger waves - they were all saturated and very happy by the time we headed home. The kids started a game of Monopoly back at the house and the adults played Monopoly, did puzzles, read books etc until we all went to bed. The kids and Tony let me sleep in the front room by myself on the sofa bed so that I could have a sleep-in the next morning - very much appreciated.

Sunday was a relaxing day with a leisurely breakfast, and then everyone in and out of the house doing various sight seeing things as the mood struck them. We had trips to the beach, to the shops, to the train station, in basically every combination of kids and adults. Tony and I had some time together browsing the shops, F & J were able to go out for lunch on their own, and the kids went out at various stages with different people, one, two or 3 at a time. Dad and I took the kids on a steam train ride which we all enjoyed immensely. We had a couple of trips to the beach each day - and discovered that at low tide, the beach where we'd watched the sunset turned into a series of rock pools which led to safe, calm water for swimming, and lots of chances to see sea stars, crabs, fish and heaps of plant life. With so many adults around it meant that usually each child could go home or go out when they wanted to, there was generally someone happy to help them out, and others could stay longer or not go out at all and it worked very well.

Monday was similar to the day before, lots of outings and lots of hanging around at the house. There was a great selection of games in the house - Monopoly, Uno Skip, Pictionary, which we played quite a bit. F had also brought along a trivia game which we played on Sunday night.

Tony left early on Monday to head back to work, and it was a bit weird not having him there - I kept waiting for him to wander out into the living area, I missed him quite a lot.

One of the highlights of the house for the kids was the spa bath. After each trip to the beach they returned home and jumped in the spa - a great way to warm up (the weather was a bit chilly at times) and relax and really feel indulged on our holiday.

My highlight of the weekend was an early morning (7am) walk to the beach alone, and a swim in the ocean. The tide was up but knowing where the rock ledges were meant I knew where the water would be safe - the swim bought back many memories of swimming in the ocean early in the morning (for a few years I did it every day). I felt so happy and excited and calm (all at once) in the water, it was an amazing start to the day. I walked home around the beach and headlands where there was only a tiny gap between the rocks and the water (tide was coming in) and got wet once - it felt like an exciting adventure trying to beat the waves around the headland.

On Tuesday morning we all packed up in a leisurely fashion. F & J left around 11am and the rest of us were ready to go around midday. Mum and Dad were coming home with us as Tony had taken their car on Monday. The 6 of us went down to the observation tower near the ferry terminal - LiAM had been keen to go to the top all weekend. The view from the top was fantastic, seeing the headlands on both sides of the bay and out to the ocean, and the bay and shoreline in all directions. From there we went back into town and got a big bag of lollies each from the lolly shop and a gelato from the gelato shop (we'd had an ice cream the day before from the Swedish ice cream shop), then headed towards home.

We stopped in Geelong for pizza for lunch and for me to pick up Caitlin's christmas present (a RipStik), and then again at Tony's cousin's to pick up the camper trailer to bring it home - I was a little nervous driving with a (very heavy) trailer in peak traffic, and down the hill at Christmas Hills, but it wasn't too difficult and I made it home happily without incident.

(I have photos to add, once my internet speed is faster and can actually hang in there long enough to get the photos uploaded...)

Houseboat/Wedding Trip Day 5: Hawkesbury River -> Home

We awoke with no rush to another sunny morning and pottered about the houseboat. Tony cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast and we ate them up on the roof. Afterwards we went for a swim off the back of the houseboat - Caitlin and I were much more confident this time and stayed in for ages, and Amelie and LiAM came in with their life jackets on - at first for very quick dips then back on the boat, then becoming more confident and staying in for longer. The water felt amazing and it was a beautiful place to be swimming. Tony and I were in and out depending on what the kids were doing (so that there was always someone either in the water or on the boat if that's where the kids were).

We had seen a few sea eagles during our time on the boat, including a couple circling straight overhead when we were onshore on Friday. This morning an eagle came and landed in a tree on the shore closest to our boat - then circled round and around, low, in our bay. Very exciting. My aunt and uncle came to visit us in their tinny, pretty cool to get visitors whilst on the water!

The view from our houseboat in Deep Bay

Sea Eagle

Swimming

We decided to get moving fairly early as the forecast was for 41 degrees and we knew from Friday that it felt much hotter down in the gorges of the creek than in the more open river closer to Brooklyn. So after our wonderful swim we set off - the cool thing about travelling in a houseboat is that we can do the dishes and cleaning up while en route - Tony drove and I sorted out the kitchen. I had planned to pack our bags while we were moving but it was more interesting talking to Tony, looking at the scenery, helping LiAM with his lego sticker book. We had music playing on Caitlin's iPad mini so there was dancing happening as well.

The view as we left Berowra Creek and headed up the Hawkesbury River

We made good time up the creek and went the long way around an island rather than the shortcut we'd taken last time, then under the bridges again and around to near Hawkesbury River marina where there were more public moorings. We moored here and I started to pack - there were so many other boats going past, on a hot Sunday morning, that the boat was constantly rocking in the wake, and with my head down packing bags I was feeling more and more nauseous and kept wandering outside to breathe. We decided to move somewhere quieter and just float around rather than mooring, so we went around the far side of Dangar Island and looked at a little waterfall there, then after a while headed back under the railway bridge and just cruised up and down in the large area of the river between the bridges. Eventually we were packed, Tony made lunch and cleaned up the kitchen, then we were ready to head back in to the marina so called for a boat to come out and pilot us in (around 2pm).

We were taken back in, got our stuff of the boat, left some bags at the desk for Mum and Dad to pick up on their way to Newcastle, and the guy dropped us at the station just in time for the 2.37 train. It was pleasant to be in the air conditioning of the train after the heat of the day. It looked like a storm was coming too, so while it was sad to be off the boat, we were glad not to have to face any bad weather while onboard.

From Central Station we caught the rail-replacement bus out to the airport, where we had plenty of time to check in carefully and slowly (no rush this time), then go and have a leisurely dinner in the food court, and watch the low clouds racing across the airport outside. We had a few hours at the airport and it felt like just the right amount of time - then our plane was delayed as the crew had been delayed on their trip up from Melbourne - the storm had prevented planes from landing for a while - so we left about half an hour late and the kids were really ready to go by then. It was a bit of a bumpy trip, but uneventful. The kids and Tony all watched movies and I did puzzles in my book. We arrived in Melbourne after 10, went and picked up our car, then home at 11.30pm with 3 sleeping kids, moved them and our bags inside, fed the animals, then went to bed ourselves.

Houseboat/Wedding Trip Day 4: The Wedding

Everyone slept better this night, although I woke with a shock at 5.10am thinking we'd slept in because it was so light outside - being further east and north of home, the sun rises and sets a lot earlier. We had planned to get up at 5.30 so I got up and started to get organised, everyone except Millie woke up easily and had some breakfast, and we were on our way in the tinny, with a sleepy Amelie, by 6.30am. Beautiful time of day to be out on the water.

We arrived back at the penthouse by 6.45, ready for me to start getting my hair done at 7. It was lovely having the hairdresser play with my hair with all my family and my brother's new family around. She did a braid across the front and down one side, and softened up the curls elsewhere. Throughout the morning she also did Caitlin's hair (2 braids leading around to a plait at the back, and soft curls underneath), and hair for my sister, the bride, her sister, and Millie - who had a Elsa braid - twists leading to a plait (Millie still had lots of dreadlocks and her hair is not really brushable at the moment, and she wanted a plait, so this was perfect). We hung around for the morning, played with the baby, chatted to everyone, ate fruit, it was very relaxed and casual and a lovely way to prepare for a wedding. The bride was the most relaxed bride I've ever seen - confident that everything would go to plan, or if something didn't, that it would work out one way or another anyway. At some point the morning shifted from relaxed hanging out to 'time to get ready' and the 14 of us there were suddenly rushing around getting dressed, which was also quite fun.

The kids looked amazing in their flower girl and ring bearer outfits. LiAM left with us and we all went on a ferry with other guests to the Berowra Waters Inn where the wedding was being held. The girls stayed with the bride and her sister to come on the bridal boat.

Waiting for the bride

The bridal boat arriving

The girls arrived at the wedding and Amelie bravely walked in by herself, followed by Caitlin and then the bride. The ceremony was lovely, and moving, and in a beautiful setting, on the deck of the restaurant overlooking the water and the mountains. There were parasols for guests who were standing in the sun so it wasn't too hot. LiAM took the rings up at the appointed time and placed them on the marriage book for the celebrant to hand them to the bride and groom. My sister (with baby T) and the bride's sister did readings.

After the ceremony there were bubbles to blow, and lots of people to talk to. We had a session of family photos before the food started.

The wedding attendants

With the bride and groom and my parents

The rest of the afternoon was a mix of yummy food (although there wasn't enough food for the kids, who managed very well despite being a bit hungry and very hot), speeches, chatting to the other guests - I met lots of the bride's family and they were all welcoming and interested in our family. It was also fun catching up with some of my brother's friends who I hadn't seen for many years, and my aunt and uncle and some old family friends who were there. The kids explored the area around the restaurant, played with the bubbles and parasols, danced, chatted to numerous guests, and impressed everyone with their conversation.

Around 4.30 the bride and groom left, and the ferry came to pick up all the guests. We went back to the penthouse and changed into more comfortable shoes/clothes as required, had a bit of a rest, then went to the after party at a nearby house, friends of the bride and groom. More chatting, playing, dancing until our boat transport came to pick us up around 7pm to take us back to the houseboat. It was sad to leave the party, although we were all very tired and I really wanted to be back on the boat before sunset and have something to eat and settle down before dark. We had a very quiet evening on the boat, eating leftovers and sitting watching the boats go by the end of our bay, and everyone was in bed by 9pm.