Neice Week 2018 - Pakenham

Fiona and I drove to Pakenham last Saturday to spend the week with Heather and Sarah while Mark and Emma are vacationing. As usual there are a wide variety of activities.

One consistency is walking the dogs a couple of times a day. In this instance they neither noticed the chipmunk while I had time to take a picture of it.

So cute and the woods here are over run with them.

At least one walk a day we go as far as the pond. I was going to crop Monty, in this inelegant pose, out of the shot but the girls insisted he stay in (it is one of the purposes for the walk).

Caesar in a more appropriate pose. Caesar is less enthusiastic about the walks than Monty. Going up hill I am spread eagled between energetic and curious Monty and Caesar acting like a sea anchor. Until we turn round and then they both trot happily back.

On one walk a fox trotted across the road and stopped at the edge to look back at us. Of course I had no camera with me on that walk but I couldn't have taken a picture anyway as Monty was going ballistic and eventually Caesar also clued in that there was something going on and joined in the general hulabaloo.

What is it with cats and suitcases? Rasta always sleeps on my suitcase if it is around.

This is Chloe, one of 3 cats who meow and mill around twice a day at feeding time. You need 5 arms to deal with 2 dogs eating the cat food and 3 cats eating the dog food and each others food (as the 3 cats have different medical issues, therefor different diets)

One afternoon we spent at a nearby beach, with Sarah's boyfriend Josh. Here they are eating chocolate, chocolate chip banana muffins (there were an abundance of over ripe bananas when we arrived).

I am a bit of a beach snob but this was quite nice, on the river, so no wind or waves,

peaceful and not over crowded.

One day we spent watching the first Mama Mia movie in the morning and going to see the 2nd at the movie theatre in the afternoon. Can't have too much Abba music!
Another day the girls were invited to a neighbours house for a watercolour class. I asked if I could come too and Heather opted to stay home and relax ( and clean her room?)

We all started with a still life of pears. These are Fiona's.

Sarah's. Afterwards we learned about landscapes, water, skies, reflections and trees and we composed our own pictures. Quite a variety.

My pears.

Fiona has run three times so far. Today it was on the track in Almonte as we had to go in to take Sarah to work.

Even so she was game to go for a bike ride with Heather this afternoon, though she was a little nervous (she hadn't been on a bike for a couple of years and didn't feel very sure of herself)

Heather is a confident bike rider and started of riding down the hill while Fiona walked. They rode to Pakenham and back (over 10km) Upon returning Fiona biked back up the hill, full of confidence now, and Heather walked up (said her legs had forgotten what it was like to ride that far). It wont take her long to get her fitness level back to where it was last year.