March 31, 2026 — Welcome

Life so far has largely been getting over jet lag — something very boring to write about. So, we thought that instead we’d tell a little about where we are.

    Our kids’ home has a lovely guest room at the front of the house, looking out onto their front garden. The second picture is a skink, a small, totally harmless member of the lizard family. They’re usually very welcome in everyone’s yards as they love eating the bugs.

    Our family lives in Windsor, NSW, the fourth-oldest British settlement on the Australian mainland. It was initially established in 1791 and named Green Hills. In 1810, the governor renamed it Windsor.

    Buildings from that era still stand. The best example is St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, which opened in 1820. The rectory was built shortly after in 1825. Both are a short walk from the kids’ home.

St. Matthews

St Matthews’ Rectory

Similar to many European churches, the church is surrounded by its cemetery. I like walking through them, reading the stones, and learning a little bit about the people and their history. One stone had three names with the same surname, all less than a year old, all of whom passed away between 1810 & 1814. A sobering reminder of how tough life was back then.

    It’s a special day here. Our granddaughter turns 16 today. After school, her mom is picking her up and taking her to get her learner’s license. Supper tonight will be at the birthday girl’s favorite burger joint. More on that in the next post.

    We’ll try to post something a couple of times a week. Please keep coming back. If you have questions or comments, please email us at beancounter34@gmail.com (John) or bluebabe59@gmail.com (Beverly).