Happy Al-pril!

Happy Al-pril! (That's the 30 days post my birthday, which is on March 30, dedicated to feasting and celebrating Easter…and me!)

Here are some shots from this past Easter Week: the children at the school decorated hats and had an Easter parade (1). (I pray to God that they also went to church on Sunday!) On Tuesday, the school threw a party and gave me a Pavlova (my new favorite dessert). I'm lifting it up in this photo (2). It's a dessert that was either invented in New Zealand or Australia (they debate the origin among themselves). It was crreated in the 1930's for a visit by the famous ballerina of the same name. It's made with a baked merangue base, filled with creamy custard and usually topped with passion fruit, kiwis and berries.

Last month, Pina, a parishioner, invited Juanita (who was preparing for Holy Week back home in Malasia) and myself and the friars for lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant, Il Lago. It's near the friary and has a lovely and reasonable lunch menu. It sits right on a man-made lake, hence the name. Here Juanita and I raise up our joint cake (3). (Juanita's birthday is later this month, but she will still be home so we celebrated a bit early.) Here are a pair os snowy white ducks (never seen such brilliantly white plumage on ducks here in Australia) snoozing by il lake (4).

I took these shots of some rainbow lorikeets mid week (5-9). They were all atwitter over some blooms up a palm tree by our carport. (See how many you can spot!) I love how crazy they get over the nectar, even hanging upside down (9).

Finally, here are some blooms (10-11) from around our shrine. The periwinkle blooms are on a shrub that reminds me of some that grew around my boyhood home in Sarasota, Florida. Not sure if it's the same shrub variety or not. And then I wonder, who imported from whom?

This is a selfie (12) with our bishop, a Conventual Franciscan like me, the Very Rev. Vincent Long, who came to bless a tower to St. Michael the Archangel on the property of the Shrine of the Holy Innocents, next to our friary. (Note to self: never take a selfie from below!)

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday, too!