The Payne Family Blog: Midway through Winter

What can I say - it's bloody cold at night. Day time is fine, jeans, light jumper etc. I guess it's roughly around the 20 degree mark although we did have a few days when it didn't get over 17 and that wasn't pleasant but as soon as the sun goes down, ye gods and little fishes it's cold! We have had a few nights of about 4 degrees but generally it's around the 8 - 12 mark and houses just are not built to keep the warmth in. This means that most of the time it's warmer outside than in but we now have the wood burner and half an acre of trees so it's all good.

We went down to Sydney for a long weekend and Heather and I actually wore our UK puffa jackets but we were very lucky, the few days before were horrendous, major flooding, bridges collapsing etc and the rain started again as we prepared to board the plane to come home and NSW had appalling weather again.

Kevan and Abs did the Bridge Climb and loved it. I think I am quite glad that I didn't, sounds like major hard work and Heather thinks she is scared of heights although it's not real Acrophobia, it's just a feeling that we aren't supposed to be very high looking down. We went up the Skytower and whilst she looked out, she wouldn't go up close to the windows. I think this shot of the Bridge shows Kevan and Abs's group climbing up but not 100% sure

We didn't really do much to be honest, wandered a lot, ate loads of fab food and generally relaxed. Me and the girls did a harbour cruise which was great whilst Kevan wandered very happily around the Maritime Museum.

Here are a few photos of this trip.

The Gap. Sydney entrance to the ocean

Looking from The Gap back towards the city

Luna Park and Darling Harbour

Some more pics of the local area. We only discovered this walk at the weekend. Well we didn't discover it, judging by the amount of people around, it's been there a while !

Tallebudgera Creek and beach

Tally creek entrance

Burleigh Head and Burleigh Beach

Other news. Sadly Heather's mouse died the other week. She was too tiny and the night was too cold and she couldn't get to her sock and her mate in time to warm up. We haven't replaced her because each time I've mentioned it, Heather gets upset again.

We have finally got round to doing a bit of interior work. I've painted one wall - one of those "feature" wall and one other wall in another room to do. We have bought a Plasma tv which is fairly cool and have a unit turning up in the next few days to put it on. Then the suite should turn up and that room will be done. Have got the big mirror up in there as well so it should look ok. We were discussing options for the other room and decided that an open doorway (no door) was a waste of time so Kevan nipped down to Bunnings (Aus's answer to B&Q but the staff appear to have more than one brain between then), got some wood and some plasterboard and hey, hole in the wall has gone. We've seen the dining suite we want for in there, it matches the TV unit and the coffee table we haven't got yet.

Oh one thing which sadly to us seem fairly mega (us being Kevan and Me, the girls were unimpressed!) - plasterboard in Bunnings. The whole stack of it is in perfect nick. All laid flat, no broken corners, no damp, no bendy bits, just totally flat square plasterboard. Now, if any of you have ever seen that in B&Q I'll have to say you're either lying or dreaming.

The girls bedrooms are as finished as they can be without doing the floors. Heather's has a red sort of Japanese thing going and Abs's has a blue and chocolate thing happening.

Me and the girls are off to see Christina Aguilera in a few weeks time. Got Kevan a ticket but he reckons he would rather pull his eyes out than go to see her so will off load the spare to someone.

Some of you appear to becoming a bit shirty over this blog. We have had a couple of comments from two unnamed "friends". One saying she was bored with reading the same rubbish all the time and to update it more frequently and the other apparently likening it to Eastenders !!!!!!!! I'll see what I can do to remind myself to put more stuff on but I don't watch crap soap operas so I don't know what I need to do about that bit.

What else? Ahh, the retaining wall below the pool. Due to us being cheapskates and not thinking things through properly, we've had a few issues with this wall. Kevan has rebuilt it twice and now finally has had to concrete all the gaps so we think! it's finally sorted. All he has to do now is relay (again) some of the pool surround slabs. It's been a complete pain in the arse but never mind.