Australiana

Today we welcome some Brazilian readers of a trivial bent to our home here beneath the virtual dusty rafters of Palazzo Trivialista. Sejam muito bem-vindos! We look forward one day to visiting your gorgeous and spirited BRIC country with its enviable year-on-year GDP growth rates!

Yesterday la famiglia caravan responded to the best of invitations: “Come and help us celebrate turning 40 — bring nothing but your swimmers and sunscreen!” Love a day out that involves an exotic destination but absolutely no schlepping of alcohol or foodstuffs whatsover.

We made our way by car then boat. Seriousmo was fascinated by the scenery.

The male Junior Cost Centre had his eye on superior transport.

As did La.

This, though, is probably as good as we’d get without a significant capital raising or flogging the loin fruits on eBay.

The spot was The Basin on the Harbour City’s gorgeous Pittwater. The water was crazy clear.

And even though I’m sure Seriousimo’s lovely work colleague and her hubby only invited human species-type persons to their party, someone else decided the sausages smelt good.

Male JCC tried to make friends with John Eales (well, he’s a wallaby, after all) but JE was having none of it and hopped back off to his bushy hideaway.

It was so beautiful that even La, she of the remedial-level photographic skills, could take a decent snap.

I spied a curious piece of seaweed at one point, a seaweed…with what seemed to be…eight legs…which of course was no seaweed. Mr Octopus (funny — that’s what we used to call drunken, sleazy men back in los single days) sped off; suspect he was as scared as La.

A fab day in the Harbour City — Brazil might just have to wait.