Catchup 3rd installment

The day Chris and Grant left to return home to Christchurch was also the day we flew to the Sunshine Coast to have a shared week of fun in the sun with Donald, Mary, Ollie and Gabe. Our adjoining 3-bdrm apartments were very nicely appointed but more importantly, the pool and the beach were excellent. Most time was spent lazing in and around the pool but the beach was used most days too.

One day we ventured out together to a nearby maze with assorted other puzzle-type, mazey things to do as well. On the way back we stopped at the giant pineapple, a Sunshine Coast icon, and rode the train around the estate.

On our second to last day the Armstrong-Scotts went to Seaworld at the Gold Coast to meet up with a friend who works there. Peter took the Watt girls to the nearby marineland which featured a Kelly Tarlton-like tunnel through a huge tank and a seal show. The special thing about the seals was that after the public show we had booked a "seal encounter" for the four Watts which involved an up close and personal experience with a particular seal and individual photo opportunities in well-rehearsed positions. Even Peter was captured for posterity although I heard he had tried to weasle out of it at first. Before anybody feels sorry for me for missing out on the seal thing, don't worry, I was back at the ranch making good use of the in-house beauty spa for several hours - coconut/sugar scrub, body wrap with Dead Sea mud, pedicure etc.

On our last day there it was Mary's 46th birthday so we made the most of it. Donald sent her off for a pedicure at the beauty spa (on my recommendation) which she thoroughly enjoyed, the kids decorated our apartment where we had lunch and we went "out" for a birthday dinner downstairs to the restaurant.

Since coming back it's been back to school and Howqua for the girls and the grindstone for the workers. I will be in NZ for a couple of weeks playing concerts with a piano quartet and catching up with a few people so the next blog will hopefully show a bit of that. Meanwhile, Kasi is here in Melbourne to keep things in order.