Lord Howe Island

We just returned from a week's holiday on Lord Howe Island. We picked mid-May because that's when the prices drop to the off-season rates, and I was a bit concerned that the weather would be cold and miserable. But it was beautiful! Clear sunny days, cool nights, and a couple of downpours that cleared away to lovely afternoons.


We stayed at Earl's Anchorage, which is the newest accommodation on the island. We shared a two-bedroom bungalow with my parents, and this worked out really well (there were two bathrooms ☺). Knowing we had a small child with us, they provided not only a cot, but a stroller (used only once) and a high-chair (used all the time).


Ned's Beach is the place to see lots of fish. People have fed their bread scraps to the fish there for many years, and now the fish mill around in ankle-deep water waiting for food. There are lots of big kingfish, small sand mullet, the occasional parrot-fish and many others.

At low tide you can snorkel there amidst the coral and see even more, such as anemone-fish and galapagos sharks. And there are ducks on the sand.

On the other side of the island is the lagoon, also great for snorkelling. We saw a moray eel and a butterfly or scorpion-fish, and Graham saw a turtle.


The other main thing to do is bushwalking, and the most challenging walk is to the top of Mount Gower. Naturally Graham wanted to do that. He would have liked me to come too, but I didn't like to leave Louka with mum and dad for the whole day, and neither of us thought it would be practicable to take her up the mountain. Graham said the walk wasn't too hard, the main problem being fear of heights. There are ropes to hold on to on all the steep bits, but Graham admitted even he got a bit wobbly in the knees at times. Still, I think it would have been worth it. The top of the mountain is a plateau covered in cloud forest, with orchids and moss in the trees ― all the views are from the cliffs on the way up. He also got to to hold a muttonbird, and see plenty of the local woodhens, which made my mum jealous (she did get to see them later).


Louka got to play on the beach a lot. She loved watching the fish and the ducks at Ned's Beach, and picking up shells and pieces of coral ―and putting them in her mouth. I think she even got a slight tan. So now we're thinking we'll have to take her back again when she's a bit older, say seven or eight, and can snorkel and bushwalk with us.

Mothers day

As usual on Mothers Day (and any other day remotely like a celebration, for that matter) the whole family congregated at my parents' place.

Also as usual, Max and Louka enjoyed each others' company. Max is very good with little children. He said he wanted to be a teacher when he grows up, and he could be good at it, but I'm not sure if he was joking.


Louka gave me a really cool set of clothes from Kate Moss for Top Shop: a pair of shorts, a singlet top, a belt and a jacket. She also gave me a new pair of pyjamas.

And mum gave me and Micky a present "to the mothers of my grandchildren" ☺. We each got a cake of olive oil soap and a New Norcia nut cake. Yum.

Outings with Pat and Iris

Pat and Iris had to extend their stay in Sydney to attend Joyce's funeral and look after things for a while. Graham spent a lot of time and trouble organising the funeral, as well as helping out with paying bills, returning walking frames etc.

During this time, we spent a lot of time with Pat and Iris. We ate several times at Tommy Thai Smile.


We took the ferry from Meadowbank to Circular Quay, then to Manly for fish and chips a couple of times.

We invited Pat and Iris over for dinner, and to see the Artarmon Community Fair. Unfortunately we arrived too late for most of the stalls, but Louka did get to see the farm animals.


And we visited Lane Cove National Park, where Louka played on the grass and watched the ducks, and Bobbin Head, where she enjoyed the mangrove boardwalk and saw lots of little crabs.