4th Anniversary

What does one do on the fourth anniversary of their arrival in a new country?  Coincidentally go on a picnic with friends, and officially become residents!
Liz and Bronwyn masterminded this gorgeous lunch-time picnic, having studied weather forecasts which promised amazing weather on today.  We generally trust the forecasts although we don't raise our hopes too high when the word snow is bandied about, or when the little icon shows all sun and no cloud.  However, today they didn't let us down.

Although we had received notification regarding our residence, today our passports arrived back from Immigration with the new stamps declaring our updated status.  We were surprised to see that we are not "permanent residents", but just "residents" - a little digging revealed that it's a minor technicality involving travel conditions which I won't worry to explain.  So, we now belong!

Van-tastic

We're back in (bus)iness! We have been blessed with this beautiful people-mover, to replace the Mitsubishi which stood idle after it's July demise. This will primarily be my run-around, with Nick using the Scepter when he needs a car.  We thank the Lord for the blessing through friends!

We took the Lucinda out for its first run to McDonalds for ice-creams, and to fill up with petrol. It's a really comfy ride - and the boys are chuffed about all the space in the back :)

Men's work

This has been a long time coming...last Saturday I suggested to Nick that we set aside time today for tidying the garage.  I subsequently forgot - the weeks are so busy with school having started early Feb, and all activities back in the calendar - but Nick remembered.  While I was busy cleaning the inside of the house, he had mobilized the boys and got them started on dismantling the very old computer housed in the garage, so that we could red-bin the whole thing, rather than paying to dump it, and then he rearranged other stuff, hanging up bikes and his kayak, and finding stuff to throw away. The end result is that we have a much cleaner and much emptier garage, swept and organised.  Ahhhh!