New Years Eve and Dad's Birthday

Ron and Joan as we all toast Dad's birthday and welcome the New Year.

Ron makes a little speech

Not sure how old Dad turned . . ?

Well, it was the day that went . . . all day!

We enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea with the family and some of Ron's close friends. Tom was voted best cappuccino maker in Canberra. Only two of the pretty tea cups were used, sigh. Plenty of fancy food which survived the occasion 'till kids came back home.

Meanwhile, the storm brewed silently in the distance.

A BBQ dinner was in the offing. Then Chris ducked off to feed horse and Mum & Dad trotted home to feed Mitsy and collect salad and sweets. Our friends the Clarks arrived to share New Years dinner.

The storm broke!

45ml of rain fell at our place in half an hour and 64ml fell at Dad's during the evening. Chris' car was on a road that flooded up over her bonnett and after she made it up out of the water, she called for help because the road was blocked by a fallen tree. Mum and Dad waited till the worst was over before coming back, unaware at this stage that their garage was full of water and grassy debris. Tom was out under the clothesline cover in the thunder and lightning, rain and hail, cooking the meat.

Chris was rescued, and returned sopping. The guys went off to see if anyone else needed rescue and to find/bring back her car (the brakes were wet and dead).

Well, it was a nice dinner after all and we all celebrated the New Year at 12midnight.

So New Year's Day turned out to be a clean up the filthy-wet-garage day at Ron and Joans and at our place. Dripping carpet,videos and wet boxes on the trailer off to the tip.

We found out so many others fared far worse with hail damage and serious flooding.

Well, we wanted a wet start to the start of 2007.