Here's to many more...

It's been a busy time here at the Castle, which is why there has been precious little posted in the last week or so.  I've been madly trying to restore some of the Frescos in one of our rear facing apartments in preparation for a residential shuffle.

It hasn't been all work and no play here though, we had a wonderful excursion to Phillip Island in the last week.  My wife's itinerary for the trip: do everything.  I think we nearly succeeded, though a hunting party for the rare Banded Sharp-Tooth - a beast with some reputation on account of its enourmous claws - had to be disbanded at the last minute on account of the lad falling asleep.

It's a rather lovely place, Phillip Island, and there is plenty to see and do.  Though much of this is out of doors, so one best travel during clement weather.  We visited several beaches, a heritage farm, a koala sanctuary, a wildlife park, saw penguins parading home after a long day of swimming and catching fish (I presume they were swimming and catching fish, holding a wise council at an underwater round-table between warring factions of the sea kingdom seems unlikely - but I can't be 100% sure).  We also played our share of mini-golf and meandered through a 'house of illusions' - the most enjoyable part of which was a room with an steeply angled floor but built to visually appear horizontal.  One of the most enjoyable sojourns was to wander about the wildlife park hand-feeding wallabies, kangaroos, emus and cassowary.

We did take a big bag of games with us to play, but with an active lad bustling about from the rising of the sun till after dusk we ended each day too tired to get any on the table.

We saw a few other things and wandered about a few other places, but the short of it is: that was our excursion to Phillip Island.  Highly enjoyable all round.

The next big thing to sweep our fair lands here at the Castle is the celebration and general revelry surrounding my dear wife's birthday.  It's been 30 glorious years since she first graced this Earth, 12 of which she has spent studiously teaching me to turn the lights off as a I leave a room and generally pick up after myself.  While these lessons have largely been unsuccessful, she has filled my daily life with love, warmth, laughter and much enjoyment. While the lazy days of sleeping in, or sitting down at midday on a weekend to watch a string of films, have passed, we have the joys of watching the effervescent lad bustle to and fro leaving a happy trail of mayhem, dinosaurs, lego and game pieces in his wake.  With another on the way our personal definitions of 'busy' will undoubtedly morph again.

Here's to many more '12 years' of industrious children, playing games when we can, watching the odd film and love and laughter.