I write this ready for a nap; and it is only 5pm!  We  had a busy and fun weekend apartment hunting and at the Reptile Park.  The weather was great; sunny and warm with a slight breeze.  Perfect for walking around outside.  Friday night we had a family dinner of cottage pie that Jax made.  Cottage pie is similar to shepherds pie but with mince (hamburger) and mixed veggies together and mashed potatoes on top.  It was delicious.  Saturday, Heidi, Brandon, and I headed to Balmain to check out some apartment inspections.  Heidi is nearly recovered from her illness and this was her first venture out since being able to eat again.  We had time to explore the main area of Balmain; Darling Street and check out some shops and cafes.  We even had second breakfast at an Argentinian place.  Brandon got pancakes that came with ice cream.  We ended our apartment hunt at a cafe back on the north side of the harbor for a late lunch of burgers and pasta.  We went to a bunch of different units, but none were the right fit for us.  All were 2 bed, 2 bath and we are thinking for the space we want for desks and everything, we will have to go for 3 bed 2 bath.  More pricey, but we feel it will be worth it.  The only one that we could have maybe gone for had a roof top pool and deck area that was right in town, but alas, the space inside was small.

Saturday night we went to church, then watched the new Baywatch movie.  It was funny and ridiculous.  Sunday, we took the bus to the train station and the train up to Hornsby.  Trains are great.  Quiet and relaxing.  So nice to sit and read on.  We met up with Jax’s friends Kate and Nigel, who we met at her birthday party, to go up the Central Coast to the Australian Reptile Park.  It was amazing!  There was a great representation of Australian animals there; from spiders, to reptiles, to mammals.  We saw a bunch of the talks starting with Galapagos Tortoises, a reptile show, Tasmanian Devil feeding, Venomous snake show, Salt Water Croc feeding, and koala feeding.  They also had a lot of their animals out to give pats to.  We got to pet an alligator, koala, Galapagos Tortoise, a frilled lizard, and some other lizard I forgot the name of.  Their picnic area also had kangaroos free roaming that you could feed and pet.  They are so soft and cute!! Like big rabbits.  Some were chilling in the shade in their rest area, but two or three braved the kids and came out for food.  We had hoped the wombat would be out and about being adorable, but he stayed sleeping in his log, so we pet the echidna instead.  Elvis was their Salt Water Croc, named the crankiest Croc.  They demonstrated his hunting techniques and again I was amazed at these dinosaur like creatures that call this country home.  We had packed a picnic lunch and had a great time with Kate and Nigel.  They dropped us off at the train station and we headed back to Neutral Bay.  I think this will be a lazy Sunday night and an early bed time for us.  We did a lot of walking and got a lot of time in the sun.

This should be a great week weather-wise; it is suppose to hit 30 C (80 F) Tuesday and Wednesday.  Sadly, I have Monday off, but I am sure I will be able to get out and enjoy the sun at least.  I feel so happy and refreshed after seeing all the awesome animals today.  It is so great to have the opportunity to be so close to them.  Be jealous of all the pictures and know you could do it too if you come visit us. 🙂