A LITTLE BIT OF THIS & THAT!

It's been busy here, so this will be a quick picturey post.
FIRST....................... 45 years ago today I had ............

this little one, my first.  She is now all grown up, married, with children of her own, a good career & is a  loving daughter.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY DD.
SECOND.......................and tomorrow would have been this one's birthday.  My Dad, who if still with us would have been 94, but here he is aged 2 1/2.

NOW FOR A FEW DAYS OUT.

We've been out and about with our visitors, who wanted to do some touristy bits.

PHILLIP ISLAND.

To see the Penguin Parade, Pelican feeding & some stingrays too.

2 Sculptures on the waterfront.  The bottom photo is made from all manner of things including, knives, forks and spoons.

Scenery around the coast of the island, which is about all the photos I took.  Taking photos of the penguins is not allowed and although I see people using their phone (still a no, no), I adhere to the rules.  We did this on Friday and had a very late night due to the penguins gathering from the sea at dusk and as it was the day after Summer Solstice, it was 9pm before they even started appearing.
Saturday was a rest day, with a nice walk close by.
Sunday D & R caught the train into Melbourne for some Christmas shopping and a mooch around our state's capital with friends who they travelled over with.
CHRISTMAS DAY.
As our own children were all doing their own thing this year, we took our visitors on an Australian picnic Christmas lunch, which was very different for them, coming from the Northern Hemisphere.

The view from Jindivick Cricket ground where we had lunch, undercover in the shelter shed, where there are tables, benches & barbecues.

Roadside views.  A must  photostop for said visitors.

We then took them to the Noojee Trestle bridge, which they loved.  We walked across this, then along the rail trail where, Hubby met us at the junction with the main road and we all had afternoon tea at the Noojee Pub.

A very different sort of Christmas.
BOXING DAY.
Tuesday had already been planned ahead and booked.  The friends who came with them and another couple who live here in Oz, decided to visit "Puffing Billy", a narrow gauge railway in the Dandenong Ranges.  We were invited along too and can you believe, it is something we'd not done.
A few photos follow.

One of the small trains pulling into the station on the opposite side to ours.

Views of hills, a reservoir in the distance and close up native forest with our tree ferns which they all admired.

Yes, you are seeing lots of people sitting with legs hanging over the side which is allowed.  Hubby and I didn't try it, as we don't bend as well as we once did, but the kids love it.  There are bars so no-one falls out.
The best I could do to try and capture the moment on the only trestle bridge (again) on this section of line.

OK, that's a small wrap up of why I've been quiet.  It's also been extremely hot over the last few days, which is doing me in.  If anyone is watching the cricket, they'll know about the weather.
Best get this posted, have some tea and relax a little before our visitors arrive back next week after a short spell in Sydney.  This post is probably wacky, but that's me.
Take care all and huggles from Susan/