Warships, black swans and washing our Siamese

Only three more walks to the beach and we'll be leaving for Mitchell in outback Queensland -- returning to Phillip Island in November.

Kids have been busy building sand castles. Major and Del had fun swimming in the sea and retrieving sticks. The sea water cleans their coats well; in fact, better than a bath. Brushing out the sand is the only drawback.

There were two unusual sights on Western Port Bay this afternoon. The first were two black swans. Never before have we seen black swans here at Ventnor. They looked majestic as they cruised along; their long necks elegant.

The other unusual sight was two warships on their way up the channel to the naval base at the head of Western Port Bay. The Seal Rocks ferry is also in the photo, small in comparison to the warships. On a couple of occasions we've seen a submarine come up the channel to the naval base. That gave me a creepy feeling; a sinister presence in our lovely bay.

Our packing is progressing to plan. Today I gave Katie Siamese a thorough groom and wash, prior to showing her the new bed we bought for her travelling crate. She loved the bed straight away, so we'll leave it in the house for her to use until we depart.

Katie is incredibly tolerant about having a bath. She stands perfectly still in the trough of warm water and lets me wash and rinse her chocolate and cream coat. Tonight she is silky smooth and beautiful!