With 1 week to go until our big 60th birthday bash we decided to go ahead and build our deck. 5 days later, with help from Rick, Michael (Rick’s dad), Mac, Peter, Jill and Marg, Chris and i were very pleased to finish off the deck with a coat of decking oil. We used our new drop saw and work bench to cut every piece, thank you for the Christmas Bunnings vouchers. Finished off the deck we a gorgeous outdoor setting from Barbeques Galore, a late Christmas present from 2007. How good does it look!
The Merbau deck
Paspalum Way Christmas Spirit
Well after attending the street Christmas Party on Saturday night we were prompted into action to get our Christmas lights up for the first time.  We had bought them in the sales after Christmas last year and had almost decided to wait until we had some more before getting it going.  But after some prompting from the neighbours we promised to have them up by the end of Sunday. Let us know what you think for the first effort.
 
The vege’s are in
A little late, but none the less the vegetables have been planted.  Hopefully we will be able to produce some of our own vegetable to eat.  At least we will give it a try.  We have also planted the small garden bed outside the theatre room and added some window tint to that room to now stop the heat of the sun getting in there in the afternoon.  You can see the reflectiveness of it in the photo below.
The Front Lawn has arrived
Getting back into the swing of things we have completed the front of the house. We now only have to figure out how long the water is going to last from our tank and if we are able to keep it alive.
The Vege Patch
After about a month of preparation and work the Vegetable Patch has come to fruition and now only has to have the watering system hooked up and plants planted. Maybe we can then become a little self sufficient with our vege’s.
Getting closer to finishing the front
Another weekend gone and some more progress on the front Garden.  We were even lucky enough to enlist the help of Scott and Alicia to get one of the garden beds completed.  In our next bit of progress we have decided to continue on with the Kangaroo Paw as they add a splash of colour and we were excited to transplant a Grass Tree. Our fingers are crossed with the Grass Tree as they are extremely finicky about being moved.
 
  
 
The next stage of the garden
With a nice weekend upon us and no travel plans to go anywhere we have gotten stuck into the next section of the front. I think that this means that we have another 3 good weekends to go to get the front up to scratch with the grass going in last towards march. I think…
 
Tuross Head for Australia Day
With the opportunity available we made a quick fly by stop on the REX airlines to Moruya to visit Evan and Briony in their new house and also with their new addition Oscar.  The trip was mainly an excuse for Evan to be able to take me out on his new Polycraft 4.1 m to chase some flatties and bream around the oyster leases.  It shows that the practice has been paying off even when fishing in pretty slow conditions.  Five minutes into our first trip and Evan lands a large prehistoric flathead measuring a misely 86 cm.  This was just off the size of the measuring stickers that they provide you to make sure that you check the legal sizes. This one was clearly of legal size, but no good for the dinner table.
 
 
The Gristede’s come to visit & Michelle’s 30th
On their holiday up into NSW and back down through the middle of Victoria Ash, Shell, Mitchell, Shelby and Kristofer came to visit our new abode.  It just so happened to also coincide with Michelle’s 30th.
 
Grandma’s sideboard a welcome addition
Well after 12 months in storage and a good 6 hours of TLC. The sideboard has made its way from Murdoch Road in Wangaratta to Laurimar. Grandpa Keenan bought a house full of furniture from friends in Carisbrook as they were moving to Queensland after the house was burnt down in the fire in the late 1940′s.  It has lasted the test of time being at least 60 years old and possibly being an antique when the Keenan’s aquired it and has now made its way to our house.
 
