A sad farewell....

The hardest part of having your immediate family with you for four weeks is always going to be the farewell when you live on the other side of the world. This year mum's trip was different as she had to travel when she had school holidays which didn't coincide with ours. Therefore Beth and I spent much of the time while she was here working.... she did however have a wonderful time getting to know Alfie better and we did have some great family time. I was lucky enough to be granted two days leave so that we could spend a couple of days together down in Sydney.

On Wednesday we traveled down and found the hotel we had booked, much better than last years - no bemused looks and "Well can't he sleep with you?" when we asked for the cot we'd requested! We were quite central this time and so we started off with a picnic in the park. At was at this point we noticed how much attention Alfie was getting from Japanese tourists. Beth and I think that Alfie is cute (Don't all parents!?!) but with cuteness and the unusual to them blonde hair he's on to a winner. On the Wednesday he had his picture taken with at least three different Japanese girls! On one occasion he was cuddled and kissed - I did try to steal some of the limelight for similar treatment but it was obvious that they were only interested in him! He's quite the celebrity!

After the public appearance in the park it was down to Darling Harbour to visit the new Sydney Wildlife Centre. It was a great attraction with lots of Australian wildlife to see and touch. It was quite quiet and so we managed to get a good look at the cute, the cuddly and the downright dangerous! Alfie was quite taken by the butterflies, Grandma less so!!!!

I was pleased to see Hairy Nosed Wombats (....my favorite animal!) while we all managed to get hands on with a python! After the animal experience it was time to think about something to eat again but an increasingly tired Alfie put pay to that - he'd had a long day. Back in the hotel I managed to go out to hunt and gather as the restaurant was closed. I returned sometime latter to find a very worried Beth and Grandma! Later with the novelty of Mummy, Daddy and Grandma all lying in the darkness of the same room Alfie was always going to find it hard to sleep, so it was daddy to the rescue, stroller out and five laps of the block, much to be amusement of people waiting for a bus.

In the morning it was down for breakfast. It was free for Alfie although if they had seen what he would eat they might have charged him double. Breakfast also provided further opportunities to wave at Japanese people!!!

We then packed up the car and drove down to a very windy Bondi Beach. We quite like a TV show here called Bondi Rescue and so it was good to see where all the action takes place. Mum managed to climb the Lifeguard tower is scenes not seen since Pamela Anderson hung up her red swimsuit! ;0) In the shop Grandma picked up a T Shirt signed by Kerbox, Maxi and Hoppo (... Aussies will know these bronzed lifeguards!).

Then it was off for a tearful farewell. Mum missed out on a aisle seat on her way to Singapore but was upgraded to the upper deck en route to London, so she should arrive in some comfort! It was very sad to see her go, the house feels awfully empty tonight... so we are starting to save our pennies for a trip back home!