Hard not enjoy a week in the sun, showing off the North Coast to Francoise. We watch the daily French news and while we’re sweating bullets, the family in France is knee deep in -15C and snow.

C’est la vie!

In honour of our cousin from France, Francoise Prunier, the clan assembled at our house for an all time great feast courtesy of Linda, Katrina, Peter, Alex, Michel, Cherin, Shan Shan plus anyone else I have omitted.

Boxing Day was spent at North Head, picnicing on the leftovers and watching the start of the Sydney to Hobart.

A star is born. Tonight we saw Alice on stage co-starring as Marty in the school’s production of Grease.

  
Click here to see more photos from the production.

In March we spent a weekend in Melbourne to Mum, Jerome, Marion, Julian and Tom. Here’s a few of the best snaps. 

Jerome and Nick

Linda, Alice and Marion

Julian and Tom

One of the positive consequences of the internet is that it makes the world a whole lot smaller. And our world felt miniscule this week when by chance I bumped in to a long lost cousin on Bridge Base Online. The outcome was a delightfully long lunch with Ioana, Berry, their son Leo and his partner Zsofi and a resolve not to leave it another thirteen years.

Berry, Ioana, Alice, Edward, Linda, Nick, Leo, Zsofi

Here’s the three boys. Spot the difference…

Christmas / Jõulud 2007
The highlight of another King / Fahrer / Aavik Christmas feast was the presence of Linda (Emme) Aavik and this beautiful (and delicious) gingerbread house. Click on the cake for all the day’s pictures. 

I came home from work today to find we now have a twin-door garage.

“Honneur et Patrie” (Honour and Homeland) is the motto of the French army. In 1914, our grandfather and great-grand father Gaston Hoertel (1894-1975) travelled to the Turkish battlefields via Greece. We recently discovered a photo-album of pictures he took on his adventure.

 
Gaston was injured in the Battle of the Dardanelles (1915-1916) and was later awarded the Légion d’honneur.

 
Some of the photos are captioned, many are not – but I have notes on most of the photos which I am hoping to match. In the meantime, here is a selection of the most interesting photos from this priceless snapshot of Greece and Turkey during the Great War. (It’s possible some of the photos are from North Africa as well, and I’ll update when I know more).
 

Click here to see all the photos.

In May, Linda travelled to Estonia with her mother, Saima, and sister Ingrid and her family. Highlights of the trip included a visit to the family farm in Rakvere, meeting relatives, the exposure to real in-your-face Estonian-ness and generally hanging out in a 13th Century city.

 
Click here to see all the great photos.

Lawrence’s at Lighthouse, dinner for 14. Another feast, this was a beauty. Click on the kids for all the photos.