An early morning start in the wind and rain for Andy who headed off at 5.45am to join the ‘Boot Camp’ group at the beach.

After a 5k run and then a brief dip in the sea, it was coffee at Vini’s for a catch up with the BC brethren before returning to the studio for 8.15am and the start of the day….

With the weather this morning being far from beach friendly, we agreed to hit the mall for some last minute Xmas shopping. Michelle and Amelia were dressed to impress. Eva joined us too as we went in search of gifts from Westfield Warringah Mall.

The first gift was some new nails for Amelia who was keen to match up with Eva.

As Eva and Amelia indulged in some self gifting, we went to buy Amelia a few presents for the big day. It’s all about the cosmetics so Mecca and Sephora were the main targets.

Post lunch the girls headed to the cinema to watch Wicked, an annual movie tradition which started with the Greatest Showman back in 2017.

Andy decided to walk back to Manly and have a wander around to check out the sights and sounds. A visit to Manly and Shelley Beach’s, 4 Pines Brewing Company (beer purchase), Hugo’s restaurant for a birthday meal and a walk along the Corso.

A return to Manly is never complete without a walk from Manly to Shelley beach, one of our favourite destinations.

After a fun day re-exploring Manly and for the girls an enjoyable treat at the cinema, it was our turn to host with Caroline, Charlie and Eva coming round for party games and pizza. Charlie was the compere for the quiz games and it was soon clear that Eva and Amelia were going to be the people to beat on the general knowledge….

It had been a long day for some, particularly Amelia who was starting to feel the effects of her jet lag, so by 8.30pm she was falling asleep on the sofa.

Tomorrow we are back on the social scene with the first of the pre Xmas gatherings with a visit to Freshwater to see Tracy and the gang for lunch.