Tell Me What You See, Part 1

   No visit to Melbourne would be complete without a trip to the Queen Victoria market. Gram picked up lots of souvenirs for family back home, I got some footy socks for the girls (see below), and we did a lot of "window shopping." 

Shopping Queen Vic market

Friday was Footy Day at school. The kids were able to dress up in their favorite footy team colors. Alanna goes for the Collingwood Magpies, and Aliya goes for the Carlton Blues (gotta love the Penn State colors!)  Alanna got lots of comments on her mismatched shoes, and Aliya got a lot of laughs by wearing her socks on her headband.

Footy day at school

   Gram and I picked up the girls early from school. It was the last day of term 3, so they weren't going to miss too much. We picked up Andy in the city after his meeting, and headed for the Great Ocean Road. 

Scenic lookout

Split Point Lighthouse

Hoping to get this in Gram's local paper at home

Playground at Lorne, letting the kids stretch their legs

   We were fortunate to have the use of a friend's holiday house in Apollo Bay. The house was perfect for us. Four bedrooms, so we had plenty of space. Best of all, there were lots of toys for the kids and even Harry Potter books for Alanna to re-read when she finished the books she'd brought.

Front of house

Ocean views

Thanks Great Grandma Nalda, for the Halloween Oreos!

Gram and Alanna could be found here every evening

Andy and Aliya could be found playing with the boys' toys

Footy people, one for each of us. Name those teams for extra credit!

   Friday night we had a pizza party at the house, then relaxed while reading, playing, and watching the Magpies play the Hawthorn Hawks in the semi-final playoff game. I'm sure it was a more technical name. All I know is the winner goes to the Grand Final next week. It was an amazing game, with the Hawks ahead most of the game. By the end of the third quarter, they were ahead 17 points. In the fourth quarter though, Collingwood really turned it on, and although it was late, there was no way anyone was going to bed until the game was over. In the end, the Magpies managed a win, 68-65. Now, Collingwood's reputation is a lot like, say, the Oakland Raiders (same colors too) so most of us were cheering for the Hawks. Alanna was quite happy with the outcome though!