Sorry, it's been awhile since we updated the blog - we've been busy!! We had a fun dinner with friends Walt and Ellen last week and made plans for another get together before it's time for us to head for home.

Last Friday, we spend with our friends Maie and Kevin Barrow. They had us over for a pizza night and we watched the video from the Australian Estonian Days, held here in Sydney last December. The event was remarkable, and many events were held at several different venues. The weather was in the 40s (very hot) but it looked like everyone had a great time. Maie put together an album for the days that is just fantastic, and she was kind enough to give us a copy to share with our Estonian friends back home. It is beautifully done, and should provide inspiration for our West Coast Estonian festivals.

We had the best time on Sunday!! Our friends, Jason and Kristen Tips invited us up to the Central Coast for a visit. We got up early on Sunday morning and caught the train at the Central train station, which is a typically cool, old big-city train station like those you see in Europe. The ride up the coast is spectacular - just incredible scenery everywhere you look. The train goes through the Kuringai National Park, which is a huge area of natural woodlands. The terrain is very hilly, so the view from the train was excellent. Then, we got to the Hawksbury area, which is a huge river that drains into the ocean. There are so many inlets and waterways and everything is green and crystal clear blue. We were entranced with the train ride, but when we got into Woy Woy, where Jason and Kristen live, it was like being in a beautiful, albeit quiet resort town. They have a lovely home that is nestled into the trees and the view out of their front window is of the natural woodlands that surround that area. They also have two cats named T-bone and Akiko, whose photos I've included here. (T-bone is on the hood and Akiko is on the roof.) After homemade cappuccinos and yummy Australian treats - Lamingtons and Hot Cross Buns - we went for a nice walk around the area - they are not far from the waterfront, and we saw oyster beds and some boating areas, then they took us for a drive around the area. We had lunch outside on the veranda of a restaurant and then after some more touring around the area, they took us back to the train station and we caught the train back to Sydney. A thoroughly, relaxing and wonderful day!!

Here's a picture of me with Jason and Kristen at one of the boat piers near their home












We've also had a chance to see some record-breaking surf conditions, due to the cyclones in the North combined with some other weather conditions that make the swells much larger than normal. Here are a couple of example of the waves

















We got lots more to tell, but it will have to wait for next time - we're off to dinner!