Happy Birthday, Rachael xxx

Sorry we can't pop over to Pittsburgh with a bunch of roses to say happy birthday, so we'll have to make do with a sort of virtual bouquet. We hope you'll have a happy day and that the year ahead will be a good one.

Your planned trip sounds an excellent way to celebrate the passing of another year.

God bless and lots of love,

Pa and Ma xxx

It's in blue and white.

By now the whole world knows the outcome of last nights epic struggle between the two top Aus Football League teams - Geelong and Collingwood. The struggle took place at the justly famed Melbourne Cricket Ground. The ninety thousand who attended the match and the countless thousands who either watched on TV or listened on radio considered it a rehearsal for the Grand Final in September. People take Aussie Rules football very seriously here. Geelong's newspaper the Advertiser, like all newspapers, is generally printed in black and white, the colors of the Collingwood mob. To the Joy of Frank Costa, president of the Geelong football club, the Advertiser printed its match eve paper in the colors of the Geelong team - blue and white.

Their confidence in Geelong was well founded. As the whole civilised world now knows, Geelong Cats won the bruising contest against the Collingwood Magpies by 36 points.

I know you were just longing to hear about this!

"Lemon tree very pretty"

The words of the songwriter are echoed every day by residents who pass up and down our court here at Abervale. In fact so many comments have been made that we felt it would be criminal to deny you all an opportunity to behold its beauty! It has blossoms, green bulges that are promise of lemons to come, half-ripe specimens, and fruit ready for use. The singer was right when he said that the lemon tree is very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet, but he was wrong to sing of the juice of the lemon being impossible to eat! Not so our Meyer lemon. If you don't believe me Rachael, just pluck one and try it in that swish kitchen of yours! Love to you all, Pa and Ma.