Welcome home

Our lovely friend Julia and her daughter Ella arrived back this week, from 18 months living in Tokyo. Richard is there for another month before he comes back. We have missed them so much while they have been away, and our girls have done so much growing up since they last saw each other. Ella was really still a baby when they left and now she is the sweetest 2 and half year old. We have managed to gestate and produce a child while they have been away and Julia is now pregnant with their second child due at the end of the year. We all went out for dinner on Saturday night, alongwith Martin and Drew, with Scarlett under strict instructions to be nice to Ella and it was a great night. The only let down was Drew having to send his pizza back to the oven as it was too cold and it failing to ever materialise again. This week we also booked up a week on Lord Howe Island for my 40th birthday next May. I mention this only as it's a place you have to book up a long way in advance and to see if anyone else wants to join us. Lord Howe Island is two hours' flying time from Sydney and is an amazing Tahiti-type island in the Pacific, complete with perfect lagoon and mountain, amazing snorkelling and fishing and is actually part of NSW. Only 400 people are allowed to live there and visitor numbers are strictly controlled - a bit like Dollywood - hence us booking it today for a trip next May. There are no cars, only pushbikes and only one shop. Fancy it? The website for the place we are staying is http://www.arajilla.com.au/