minimunchkin: Summer in Melbourne

I'm sure most of you have heard me say this over and over again. Each time I walk off the plane into Tullamarine airport, I know I'm home. It could be the cool fresh air or the familiar sight of the passageways, but whatever it is, it is a feeling I truly look forward to.

We spent two, much too short, weeks back in Melbourne over Christmas. We were all really looking forward to this trip as the last time we were home was a year and a half ago. Ryan was very excited to see everyone again and playing with his cousins. This was also going to be Mia's first trip home and we couldn't wait to introduce her to family and close friends.

We had the worst possible start to our holiday. Shad was very sick on the flight to Melbourne with a bad sore throat and chesty cough so he slept most of the way. Luckily Mia took two long naps and Ryan was occupied with the in-flight movies and games. Once we arrived, all of us came down with chest infections in turn and spent the first week on antibiotics and confined to the house for a week. So for the remainder of our time there, it felt like we were forever playing catch up with family outings, friends get-togethers, shopping trips and of course "makan" sessions!

Clear skies - something we don't see much of in Hong Kong

Amazingly clear blue sky - Ryan and Ah Kong on their duck feeding excursion

A lesson in geography

Ryan's favourite thing to do when we're back in Melbourne!

Shad's first car

Time for some outdoor exercise after being cooped up indoors for a week

Obviously drinking from the water fountain is not an inborn talent!

With Tania moving to London for goodness knows how long, we all went on one last family holiday together. It was a very different type of holiday from what we're used to, especially our parents, but one that the kids were really looking forward to. We went camping, or rather glamping as Alan calls it, at the Big 4 Camping Park in the Bellarine Peninsula. The ladies (plus Dad) stayed in a very comfortable fully equipped cabin while the men and boys slept in a tent under the stars.

Hans on our search for a restaurant for lunch (nope, that random dude next to Dad is not part of the family!)

Can't let the kids monopolise all the fun! (That's our comfy cabin in the background)

Young hoons

Under aged driver

A slightly older under aged driver

Mini Dame Edna???

Kids and the Daddies cooling off with a swim

Tania getting her feet wet in the freezing water at Ocean Grove Beach

Happily rushing off to play

Not so happy now - after a tumble in the water (Yee Chai caught on camera snickering in the background!)

Playing "in" the sand -courtesy of Daddy of course!

Fugu for dinner?

Monkey No 1, 2 and 3 loved jumping on the jumping pillow (Monkey No 4 still too young for this)

but loved falling over on each other even more...

Monkey No 1 busy at work

Mussels in wine and Mum's chicken and mushroom risotto for dinner

Roasting marshmallows over our "camp fire" - there was a total fire ban in Victoria so Karen came up with "plan B"!

Real camping - took a great deal of persuasion after the initial excitement wore off to get Ryan to sleep on that cold hard ground. The complaints were never ending, "I need to wee wee (several times!), I'm cold, I'm hot, I'm itchy... drove Shad nuts, didn't bother me though cos Mia and I were snuggled up in our warm soft beds in the HEATED cabin :)