This is Winter

The Pope has brought spectacular winter weather to Sydney this week alongwith zillions of happy, singing pilgrims, road closures, prayer vigils and funny t-shirt sightings. This week he took to the water on a huge boat full of priests and cardinals for a big harbour tour. He ended up outside my waterfront office surrounded by hundreds of boats. The 8 helicopters hovvering outside our office windows was more than a little distracting.

With Greg, the world's best handyman banging and crashing about the house reorganising our miniscule laundry, fixing things and filling in things I took the girls to Balmoral beach for our first beach trip since the Autumn. It was spectacular. A cloudless sky, not a breath of wind on the harbour and hardly anyone else on the beach, save for a few hardy folk - usually in their 80s - who swim in the ocean all

year round. It was perfect for a morning of shell collecting, sand castle construction and paddling and, for Florence, her first walk along the beach since getting on her feet. Here are a few pix of our beach trip and our house.