Adelaide International Kite Festival

This weekend the Adelaide International Kite Festival takes place on the Semaphore foreshore and beach.

One of the best spots to view from is Semaphore Jetty.

There are kites of all different shapes, sizes and colours.

Some big,

Some small.

This year there was a group of kite flyers from Queensland who performed close formation kite flying to music. 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This year we have decided not to send Christmas cards, and instead have made a donation to Cows for Cambodia on everyone's behalf. This is a locally run charity that provides poor Cambodian families with a cow.  This is how it works. Cows for Cambodia is essentially a “COW BANK”. They loan Cambodian families a pregnant cow. They must look after the cow, and when it has the calf they get to keep the calf. Cows for Cambodia take their cow back, ready  to be impregnated again. It’s more about providing an opportunity to break the poverty cycle rather than a direct handout. To find out more about Cows for Cambodia, (and also make a donation if you wish), follow this link.
We wish all our family and friends a very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.  We'll leave you with the weather forecast for Adelaide where we are expecting the hottest Christmas in 70 years and some pictures from some local houses all decked out for Christmas.

ANZAC Day 2014

Today is ANZAC Day, the 99th anniversary of the ANZACs landing at Gallipoli in Turkey early in the First World War. All over Australia and New Zealand, (and indeed all over the world), this day is commemorated with dawn services and parades.

We went to the parade in Adelaide this morning.  The crowd gathered early, eager to pay their respect to soldiers, sailors and airmen young, old, and departed.  Some made signs, others waved flags, but all cheered and clapped.

The parade was led by the Australian Mounted Police, the Colour Party and the army band.

There were some military vehicles throughout the parade, but everyone was really here to thank the veterans.  How proud they were, marching with their comrades, in perfect time with the marching bands.

Bringing up the rear was a contingent of the Australian Army, recently returned from Afghanistan, and a historical depiction of the South Australian Light Horse, a regiment that took part in the landing that fateful day in 1915.

 They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Lest we forget

Christmas in Rundle Mall

Since coming to Australia I find it very odd celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer.   These photos of some of the decorations in Rundle Mall were taken on the hottest December day in 82 years.  The temperature hit 44C (111F)

More Christmas Lights

In the week we took another trip out to look at more Christmas lights. this time we headed west, to Pelham Street in Ethelton, where many houses in this street decorate their houses.

We then headed towards the city, and the riverbank by the West End Brewery.  They put on a display each year along the banks of the River Torrens.  Some of the displays depict nursery rhymes, others childrens movies.