Alex's 18th birthday

Yesterday was Alex's 18th birthday and we headed up into the hills with Grandma and Grandpa to have a wonderful lunch together. There we were, overlooking the skyline of Melbourne on a warm, hazy summer day - sipping Yellowglen Bella - who's been hiding THIS from me?

We stayed up the previous night watching old videos of the kids when they were really young - recollecting Alex. Such a worthwhile thing to do every once in a while.

Alex was very laidback about turning 18. I thought she'd be far more excited but she carried an air of.....sadness about her....not sure what that was about. All her friends have gone away so I suspect that was behind it - that she wanted a far more glorious celebration than lunching with her family but that's not how her birthday panned out.

Needless to say, the rest of us were very happy about her 18th birthday. We went up to Mt. Dandenong and let me say, the Dandenongs never disappoint - regardless of the season. The gardens were flushed with colour and life and, given that we have strict water restrictions, everything was so beautifully green and lush.

My Dad took some really lovely pics of Grant and me in the gardens - we rarely have our photos taken together because I'm always behind the camera. I, in turn, took pics of Mum & Dad together. By this stage, Alex, Sticksy and Adam had chosen to come home as they were "knackered". I'm not sure what they were knackered from ..... where is the stamina for the younger ones?

There was a wedding going on in one of the lower gardens but Mum & I seized an opportunity to crash the reception area prior to the wedding getting there to take some pics of the setting. It was in black and white.