Sitting here wondering if I'm Pollyanna or Eeyore - Day 212: New chips

I can't recall where I was but look - chips! YUM!

Sitting here wondering if I'm Pollyanna or Eeyore - Day 211: Reading

After an emotionally exhausting full on week or so, today was a chill day with much reading ...

Sitting here wondering if I'm Pollyanna or Eeyore - Day 210: Farewell Aunt Win

A very sad day in many respects as we attended the funeral for the amazing lady that was Aunt Win, a passionate woman before her time who advanced social integration of the disabled, travelled widely and thought much. I only met her twice but she impressed me both times as a remarkable, beautiful lady and I can see why Steve and her family loved her so much.

After a touching service, we headed across the road to the pub in Mitcham for a wake of sorts with Steve's cousins Janice and  , and Steve's full family which stretched all afternoon till we had to go home, pack and change and head home where Fahmi collected us from the airport.

On the way to the airport, passed the Melbourne Eye or whatever it's called.

Sitting here wondering if I'm Pollyanna or Eeyore - Day 209: Aunt Win's place

Spent much of today with Steve's - at their place for yummy lunch then off to Aunt Win's place in Mitcham - and while Steve and his mum relived old memories, Steve's dad and I had a good talk and I found some photos lying on a dirty, messy table in the garage. Precious day ...

Then back to Darren and Melissa's for a wonderful, wine-fuelled dinner of delicious leftovers from Matisse's birthday BBQ on the previous Friday night ... wonderful night ...

Sitting here wondering if I'm Pollyanna or Eeyore - Day 208: Happy birthday to my gorgeous guy!

Even though Steve's birthday had been overshadowed somewhat by the very sad death of his beloved Aunt Win, and we were travelling down to Melbourne for the funeral the next Tuesday on his birthday itself, I still wanted it to be a special day for him, as did his wonderful, lovely family.

So to start the day off, we had breakfast - early for us on a Sunday at 8.45am - at The Grounds at Alexandria, a hugely popular foodie complex that takes forever to get into normally unless you get there nice and early which we did.

We only waited 15 minutes to get in, filling in time wandering around the grounds of The Grounds looking at their gourmet food store, before sitting down to divinely yummy food like quinoa omelettes and thick, big polenta chips, after Steve had opened his presents which I had spent lots of time tracking down in Abbey's bookshop (Beethoven book) and Ebay (A Last Quartet DVD).

They use pub buzzers to alert you when your table is ready - fun!

Then back home to finish packing, off to the airport - thank you Waz for the lift!! - and to Melbourne where Steve's sister Carolyn met us, and after a stop in at her and her partner's Ric's place where we were staying so Steve could get his birthday present from Carolyn and Ric and we could presents to two of his nieces and nephews Lucy and Hugo ...

We headed out to dinner at a pub The Carringbush Hotel which used to be a haunt for both Darren and Brian (I had a fabulous catch up chat with Melissa and Sue particularly but all of Steve's fabulous family) ...

Steve voguing the jacket his mum and dad gave him

I bought a brownie dessert for him and arrange for it to be brought in

And here's some of the fabulous birthday wishes given to Steve online via my Facebook page ...

And I got two great shots of my niece Zara, one of which doing the silly faces I love so much ...