We have just returned from a little holiday in Melbourne! We joined family friends, the Smiths, to celebrate Jill’s birthday. Monte’s sister Sarah and her family came along too and it was a really wonderful family holiday. One of the highlights was when all of us – all 22 of us – gathered at a beautiful Italian restaurant in Lygon Street for dinner to celebrate Jill’s 40th! It was great fun!

happy birthday, Jill!

The children – all seven of them – were so excited to be together again and it really struck us how well they get along, even though the cousins do not see each other very frequently. Cousins certainly share a special bond. I notice it with my own cousins too! Milly (10), Georgie (9), Harry (8), Isaac (7), Matthew (6), Lily (5) and Elora (2) all get along so well, each paring off into any configuration (perhaps with the exception of Milly and Georgie, who have been such close friends since they were born, and who stuck closely together throughout the holiday). Look at this photo of them all, waiting for the tram to the city:

waiting for the tram

As always, a special visit with family who lives far away makes me wonder what things would be like if we lived closer to our families. And then I am reminded that our children have had special adventures with their cousins in so many new and exciting places, and they would not be doing that if we all lived in the same city. Likewise, if we lived in the same city as the grandparents, our children would not get lovely long visits with their grandparents, where they possibly clock-up more grandies time than we would if we lived closer to them.

As I find the time and energy I will add to our story about our adventure in Melbourne, just check my holidays category if you want to read on!

standing on my homeground