Pilmeni Night

In the words of little Elliot - “Happy Birthday Dyadya Valera…here’s a special necklace just like mine!”. Sooo cute.

The Russians gathered to fill themselves with pilmeni and…

…to sing happy birthday.

Happy Birthday Papa

This is the time of the year where we have three birthdays in three weeks.  Today was Valeri’s turn…and as with every other year, he shaved.

The special present this year was a new and working coffee machine. He was so happy with the coffee, that he drank more than he should have causing palpitations.

That night we went out for a man size feast!!!

Happy Birthday Dedu

We celebrated a quiet birthday for Dedu Victor. Babu had just arrived home after a long stay in Melbourne, so it was a double celebration. Bella also said it was the school disco night, so that makes it a triple celebration.

Camping – The next morning

Morning! We had survived a very windy wet night and we woke up to a freezing morning and Becky wasn’t rushing to get out of her sleeping bag.

The boys put on the kettle…

…Nik started the fruit platter…

…and Franco started the damper after some requests from the kids.

The kids searched for sticks to make damper on a stick.

Bake on the fire, then remove the stick and fill with maple syrup. YUM!

We packed up camp and did a little more exploring. What a weekend!

Camping – Evening Adventures

That evening we stoked up the fire for the cold wet night ahead.

Let the challenge begin.

In Franco’s corner – special lamb ribs in tomato sauce with pasta.

In Bill’s corner – lamb roast, beef roast, pork roast and veggies.

Waiting!

Voila! Dinner is ready. Thanks Franco and Bill for a memorable meal.

Talking about memorable moments… the Salami Boys came back from the pub with a bang and spoilt our fun…or was it just the beginning of our fun?!?

Camping – Day Adventures

Here we go again…another work camping trip. What’s different…Becky came along to check out what all the fuss was about.

This year it was in Dwellingup. We arrived, claimed our plot and Franco helped us set up our tent.

Bella and Becky went for a walk to discover the surroundings. In 2007 this area was devastated by fires, but it was interesting to see the black bark trees with beautiful green leaves.

Then we hit the road again. We started to follow the 4WDers and soon realised we should take the easier path…

…which led to peaceful waters.

We arrived back in camp for a quick afternoon nap in our cosy tent.

Nik turns 9!

Our little boy is growing up!

Nik woke early to open his presents.

We took him to a special breakfast at Hillarys, where he had pancakes.

We then walked to the lighthouse for some reflection.

The day ended with a group of school friends, movies and pizza!