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December-January 2010-11 was a bit demanding, with Roger’s Dad departing on Christmas morning, aged all-but 91. The eulogy for a 1950s migrant, and his WWII-story, and his album, are on our site.

Bunhybee has demanded less weed-attack time this year, but we now have the small rainforest segment at Robertson protected, so that needs care too. Linda’s Mondays were mostly dedicated to Troy-sitting. And Linda’s Wednesdays were mostly spent stalking native plants around the district. Add in a long 2-1/2 days work every week, a busy dog-club Presidency and several other Committees and conservation working-groups, two long overseas holiday-trips, visitors (including Peter and Lisa Hofer from Austria), and dinner-parties for 2, 4 or 6 several times per week, and you can see why Roger’s writing the Christmas letter.

We lost our aged Mozza and are now cat-less. But we’re also dog-more, after a ‘working border collie’ (black kelpie to most of us) started chewing things and knocking down fences in November. He’s called Zero. That was his life-expectancy at the Pound that day. And it may soon be again, unless his current obedience training and near-future agility training fix the problem.

Fortunately, Roger’s consultancy has been running at a third of its pre-GFC levels. That’s left time to bed down the Super Fund in its role as tax-minimisation-scheme, chair the Australian Privacy Foundation for a 6th year, and do a 2nd as a Director of the Internet Society of Australia. His 7th PhD just graduated. He’s feeling a bit bereft with only one left, who should also finish pretty soon. His Visiting Professorships at UNSW and ANU continue until at least 2013/14, and papers are still flowing.

In May-June, we had 3 weeks in France, mostly walking and touring the French Pyrenees. It’s far enough away from Paris that Roger and the locals actually got on fine, and the country is wonderful. The next week was a flying visit in the Dolomites, followed by the biggest walk that we’ll ever do (up Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia – 30km, 1700m incl. hard climbing, and 14-1/2 hrs). Then we rested ... And in September, Linda spent nearly 4 weeks with our local walking friends, driving from Victoria Falls west through Namibia and down to Cape Town, clicking away at animals and deserts.

Russell graduated with both his B.Info.Tech. and his BA, and Kasia’s 1/3rd of the way through her PhD. Somehow they and Brendan and two friends managed to practise, write rock music, record it, and do their first half-dozen live gigs as 'The Knights of the Spatchcock'. They got noticed as well.

In 2012, we’re planning a quiet 35th anniversary in mid-January, and a not-as-rambunctious-as-last-year 5 weeks in Italy and the UK prior to the 25th occasion of Roger’s Bled conference, for which he’s editing a special volume of papers. And, sometime, we hope to do some local travel. We have many Australian friends who we all-too-seldom catch up with!