Dante at Ballina

Mornings with Grandma on the River

The Dolphins Ally found and Dante saw!

Kissing cousins..

Telling daddy a good joke

Checking the tide with Grandad

Helping Mummy find the best shells

Watching the tide come in on Grandma's riverside.

Reading a story to Grandad before bedtime.

Checking out Grandma's crabbing spot.

Saying goodbye at Cooloongatta Airport.

Four generations - Dante, Ally, Gemma and Thelma

The Paolino's outside Cafe Aqua looking back to Surfers Paradise.

The coffee break at Byron Bay.


Beyond Excitement - the trip in Grandad's boat.

Well I think the most exciting thing Dante did in Ballina was go for a ride in Grandad's boat. He was beyond excited - the little video tells the story. He slept well that night!

We did many trips to the beach and dined at Shelleys and at Pelican 128. We drove up to see my Mum at Southport and to take the compulsory four generation photos. Mum was in good form and we had a lovely session with her.

We had some quiet mornings on the riverside while the others slept and we had some great family feasts. Most days we went down to the beach and walked along the wall. Dante quickly sighted the dolphins and was able to see new sightings quickly.

Dante loved playing in the sand but wanted someone else to go and put the water in his bucket! He was excited about the crabs in the river here at Crowley but not so interested in the many pelicans and seagulls that were constants. It was lovely for me to walk him over the road to sit by the river and watch him explore along the river bank in safety while his parents had a sleep in.

A visit from cousin Billy Bellenger was great fun and it was lovely to see the two boys together. They seem to enjoy each others company and vie for the attention of their grandma and grandad. They both like their food so it is always easy to keep them occupied. they are both active but gentle little boys and I am so looking forward to seeing LJ again and getting three little boys in perspective before the next babies come along!

Another major enjoyment for Dante was to drive up to Southport in 'Grandad's truck'. He only got to get in the truck (the Discovery) on the last day but it was a wonderful day with morning tea at Byron Bay and lunch at Southport and afternoon tea at Marina Mirage. It was a long fun day and we all behaved. We dropped the Paolino's off at the Coolongatta airport and Bill and I were home in bed by the time their plane took off for Canberra.

It was a lovely visit. Monica and Steve - you are next!!

Visitors in August

Dante and Billy watching their own show and eating Grandads Naan bread.

Claire and Billy watching the big boats come in.

Dante visiting Dympna and checking out her Red Cardinal!

Ret and Dante enjoying a casual stroll along the boardwalk.

Having some quiet time before bed !

Some of my Theology Group members at afternoon tea at the Shutters.

Billy enjoying the sunset on the North Wall.

Lighthouse Beach in the late evening - I love to walk along this beach.

Well August is over and we are having fun going over all the memories. That is one benefit of the blog - I need to check all the photos to select the few that I share! I am trying to get at least one blog out each month. When it is exciting I am too busy to blog and then I need time to recover. At the moment I am trying to throw off the flu bug. It is quite persistent but I hope it is nearly gone.

We had Claire and Al down one weekend and got the boat in the water. See two previous blogs for story and pictures. Then Ally and Joe arrived and we had a very busy time fitting in all the visitors coming to see them. It was fun and Ballina provided the usual wonderful weather for us all. We had lots of fun on the beach, on the waterfront and on the river.

Family feasts featured strongly in our entertainment. Ally cooked up a storm several nights, Joe served up a tasty Laksa and Bill did his lamb curry with all the trimmings. I think it was the favourite. Joe's claim to fame was his willingness and ability to clean the kitchen every night. Come back Joe!!

We celebrated Ally and CLaire's birthdays with a dinner and a picnic. Ret and Pete came down for the picnic and while the weather was less than perfect (blowing a gale in fact) we had some fun down on the boardwalk.

And suddenly August 2009 was gone..........oh dear!

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