Hong Kong during July fest. Like a zoo.

Keren and Randy

The Ashman flames the top of the soy milk lemon pudding. Midweek luxury.

Kids show featuring my friend Cookie (Katie). Heaps of fun and colour.

He was making sure all the dancers and drummers were in time and had refreshments.

@ Festival

Festival in our village. Okinawa style

Sucking on a sangria in Araku.

Siblings
Originally uploaded by me.

This photo is all of the main suspects..  Grandma and her 6 children - my mother included. The family name is Kelly.
Back row L->R - my mother (Barbara), Grandma, Uncle Doug, Uncle Ned (Real name Raymond - note see surname for hint for nickname), Aunt Marianne
Fron row L->R - Uncle Robbie, Aunt Heather

Somebody had suggested that we all get together and go on holiday rather than wait until the next wedding as it seems that was the only time we all got together.  My Uncle Otto is a wedding photographer so he was usually working at these weddings so never really got a chance to hang out with everybody. 

There were a few milestone birthdays around this trip - Marianne turned 50 and Doug turned 60 - what a great excuse to organise a family trip. 17 people in all.  Sadly due to the stuffed shirts at Japan immigration, the Ashman wasn’t able to leave Japan for this trip as his visa hasn’t finished processing yet. 

We had a heap of fun - everybody was able to do their own thing as well as hang out for group activities such as meals, tours and boat cruises.  Fun for the whole family - so to speak.  Richard and I joined Otto and Karl for some diving - I will post my underwater shots when I get the film back.  But otherwise it was fairly mellow.

Only one altercation it seems and that was with some shifty bus drivers who were going to leave us stranded if we didn’t pay them double the original agreed price - bastards.  Hope they rot. 

Otherwise a great trip. 

@ Sydney
normal blogging to resume shortly.