Twas the night before the night before Christmas and I had not yet started the Christmas newsletter. I am currently with Mum and Dad in Rye Park and have been reading about the family exploits in the various newsletters and have got a serious dose of the guilts. So I will begin....at the end.

The family had planned a three week trip east for Christmas and Mum and Dad's40th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately the morning of the flight over from Perth was greeted with a very sick Sophie who had picked up the gastro bug of the month and was in no state to fly. We decided to split the travel due to flight availability and Lachlan and I have headed over as the advance party with Steph, Sophie and Tim to join us on Christmas Eve. Sophie's illness ended as quickly as it came and all is set to get the holiday back on track. We plan to spend our time over here spread between Rye Park, Canberra and various short holiday spots e.g. Sydney, the beach etc. This will be a busy but relaxing finish to what has been a very busy year for us.

Lachlan has just completed Year 2 and has found the addition of weekly tests in Maths and spelling a bit stressful. By the end of the year he was very tired and looking forward to some time out. He has continued with his soccer and his team went through their competition undefeated. He has also taken up Kanga cricket which is a modified game to introduce kids to the game. He fancies himself as a bit of a fast bowler, but doesn't much like the hot weather he has to play in so it will be interesting to see if he sticks with cricket.

Whilst Lachlan heads off to cricket and for two hours in the sun on Saturday morning, Sophie heads to the pool for swimming. I think Sophie might have the better sport especially when we head into the 40's later in summer. Sophie has graduated from Pre Primary this year and will tackle Year 1 next year. This will mean a school uniform and a little more structure to the day. We think she will handle this well as she seems to really enjoy school life and does like the challenges of classroom life. Sophie continues to be a fantastic kid and a real handful at the same time.

Tim is growing at a great rate of knots and is very much the little man. He has kept his blonde hair and blue eyes and getting taller by the day. He is great company for Steph during the school days and a just loves being a boy and mucking around the backyard.

We, and more specifically Steph, are expecting our fourth in Late March. Stephhas had a fairly good pregnancy but we are just about to enter the third trimester which can be tough during the summer months. Steph has joined a book club with some of the school mums and now is rattling through a book a month. She has also had a bit of fun on nights out with the Pre Primary mums, one which ended at about 4am. Steph did the pumpkin thing and headed home at midnight but I think has a great time with this wild bunch of mums.

I have battled my way through a difficult year a work. There was a cross roads earlier in the year where my Exploration team could have been scattered to the four ends of the earth. Some timely success with our field programs and a few long days and nights finalising a strategy document seems to have turned things around. We are now enjoying strong support and increased budgets which means a lot more fun for all. In the later part of the year my team and the company's global exploration team where consolidated in one larger group. This may result in me managing a few overseas projects with China, North America and Southern Africa currently on the list of possibilities. All in all, from a work point of view I am looking forward to the calendar licking over into 2004.

We are also busily looking for a home in Perth and a new car (one that can fit six). Our house in Kalgoorlie is now on the market and we are looking to settle down in Perth after renting of the past three years. It is not the best time to buy at the moment but probably the right time for us.

Well as years go the last was a busy one and the one ahead looks like it will be that and some. We will keep all informed on the progress of number four and the new address when we have it.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.

Love to all, Peter, Stephanie, Lachlan, Sophie, Timothy and bump