Back in Cottesloe

After our big adventure up north in Shark Bay, we returned to Perth and rented an apartment at the end of our old street. This allowed us to be close to our former neighbors, Sally, Paul, Pete, Lucy and Mollie Rossen and to hang out at the great local beach. Clint N. also was able to sneak off to play tennis with our friends Derek and Helen Walker at the Cottesloe tennis club.

We arrived just before the last day of the school year. Since it is summer in Australia, December, not June, is the end of the school year. On the last day of school, Daley, Sode and Clint T. dressed up in North Cottesloe school uniforms (so they weren't in "mufti") and went to school with our old neighbors, Lucy (10) and Mollie (8). The kids basically played games all morning.

We also had a perfect beach day. Warm, no wind and perfect waves . We met up with our Brisbane friends, Cath, John, Ruby and Louie, who were visiting Perth for the holidays, for a morning at the beach. The kids couldn't get enough of boggie boarding or the water. Daley and Ruby decided to see how long they could tread water -- 17 minutes. . . It was an absolutely perfect day. Nothing could have been better.



We also enjoyed a little holiday cheer -- with "caroling by candlelight" in the local park. The kids -- as you can see in the picture-- readily joined in the fun. They especially loved belting out the Australian rendition of Jingle Bells:

Dashing through the bush
In a rusty Holden Ute
Kicking up the dust
Esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side
Singing Christmas songs
It's summer time and I am in
My singlet, shorts & thongs

CHORUS:
OH, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA
ON A SCORCHING SUMMER'S DAY
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
CHRISTMAS TIME IS BEAUT
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE
IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE