The Eyres Abroad

We had such a wonderful holiday in Perth, and most of it we owe to the Eyres family who very kindly house-swapped with us. After returning to Hong Kong we had just a few hours when our paths crossed to exchange news with the Eyres before they had to leave for their flight back to Australia.

We took them to Tai Mei Tuk for a bike ride and dinner.

Lollipops were a special treat for dessert.

Our kids and Joelle put on a final show together for the grown-ups.

Then, it was sadly time to say good-bye. You can read all about the Eyres' adventures in Hong Kong on their blog here.

And if any of my readers are keen to have a holiday in Hong Kong, we are very open to another house swap in the future!

Good-bye, Perth ... Hello, Hong Kong

Our flight back to Hong Kong was quite the opposite of this time last year. We had a direct flight, no one was sick, and the plane was so empty that the children stretched out on two seats each and Craig and I each had four! We stepped out of the airport into muggy heat, but we are all feeling relatively happy to be here.

More photos from Perth

Thank you, Lori, for taking this family photo of us at church. And thank you, Manou, for finding a replacement doll for Tirzah. She loves her "Alinta Number Three"!

No trip to Perth would be complete for us without a visit to Hillary's for fish and chips. This is the same jetty in Craig's painting here.

I was delighted to find our old cat Bronte still healthy and happy at the Adams' house. She is thirteen years old now.

Australia has so much grass! It's perfect for kicking a ball...

Having a picnic...

Playing Polly Pocket...

Having another picnic...

Or even just rolling around on!

Jemilla and Keegan attended a fun Vacation Bible School at North Beach Baptist Church for five days.

We went to the drive-in cinema and saw Cars 2.

These photos were taken at our friends the Matchetts' house.

The Matchetts organised tickets for Craig and Keegan to an AFL game. (Geoff, just because Keegan is wearing an Eagles scarf does not mean that he has switched allegiance from the Swans.)

Tirzah and her friend Suzanne wore identical dresses to church one day.

Our good friends the Luptons kindly timed our visit to Perth with the arrival of their new daughter Amali. Here I am with Leonie and her mother and Amali.

Keegan loved participating in a multi-sports holiday program at a nearby stadium.

Here is Jemilla on a visit to her old school, Kingsway Christian College.

None quite like this in Hong Kong!

This was the kids' first time driving through a car wash.

One last photo from my time with my best friend Amanda...

Grandparents

It was so lovely for the children to spend time with their grandparents in Australia. Brian and Eleanor flew over from Dubbo for just a few days, including Craig and Keegan's birthday. Most of the photos below were taken today when we went to lunch at Sizzler together, followed by a play on the playground at Whiteman Park.

July 21

Today was Keegan and Craig's turn to celebrate their birthdays.

The Lego plane proved to be a favourite present!

The same as last year, Craig's parents celebrated the birthdays with us. Also the same as last year, we went out to eat at Hog's Breath.

We had chocolate birthday cake for dessert, made by Nana and decorated by Jemilla.

Happy birthday to my two men!

Alyssa's party

Tirzah's friend Alyssa turned four this week and had a Princess Party to celebrate. She kindly lent Tirzah one of her dresses to wear at the party.

Tirzah liked dancing to "Musical Bobs".

Then it was time for "Pass the Parcel".

"Pin the lips on the Frog"

Yummy party food

Happy birthday, Alyssa! Thank you for inviting us to your fun party!