Back to a Routine

How ya goin’,

We’re well into the flow of life in Albany on the most southerly  tip of Australia. On a clear day you can see Antarctica?  Boyd has been working at a vineyard  named Gibraltar Rock Wineries, named after a rock formation in the Porongrup Mountains overlooking the vineyard.  It grows grapes for Pinot Noir and Riesling wines and one other one whose name escapes us.  It's a few weeks before harvest (picking) starts so he was  pruning,  raising wire etc. It’s classified as his unique  “Australian work experience”. The vineyard is 65 km north of Albany in the northern slopes of the Porongurup Mountains. Work there started at 7:30 so we’ve been getting up early (5:30 – 6:00) so we both could get to work. Next week he starts at a timber (lumber) store for a month or two. Just slave labour but it is located in town 5 minutes from the house and approximately half way to Nancy’s school; that should be more convenient.

Nancy is becoming more and more settled into her classroom and the kids are finally able to understand that weird accent!!!!!  And her driving has improved dramatically as she scoots about hilly Albany. Even the hills are not causing undue amounts of stress; well, most aren't.

Have you  ever heard of tingle trees?  Unbeknownst to us they are quite rare and exist only in south west Australia. .....nowhere else in the world!! Most of them are now protected in a National Park. There was a wonderful tree top walk with a height of 40m  with spectacular vistas of the forest.  A local tourist information centre in Walpole (small nearby town) guided us to an even more pristine forest a little off the beaten path. The Giant Tingle tree has a circumference of 24m!

This weekend we did a little bush walking in the Porongurups (Castle Rack Trail). They are not the Rocky Mountains but the trail wa quite nice ( and darn hot!). Next weekend  should be filled with sunset sailing at the local yacht club and attending a pre season AFL (Aussie rules football) game. That should be fun.

Cheers for now. Boyd and Nancy