My bestest present was the rhyme Daniel wrote to accompany one of the presents he gave me. It was clues to finding the present which was hidden in the shed because it ws too big to wrap and put under the tree - I had to go and find it! It was a shopping trolley - you know the kind you fill with your shopping and then wheel it all home. It is going to help me lose weight becasue I will have to walk to the shops! Of course, the other best present was a zoom lens for my Pentax DSLR, so I had a little play with it late in the day while the BBQ was roasting the turkey and Dan and Andrew were having a game of cricket. More learning for me in the next year.


I hope everyone else had as wonderful a day as I did. Today is tidy up a bit, wash some clothes, eat leftovers and then play some more!
Cheers.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Daniel and made these gingerbread trees on Christmas Eve. We were very pleased and proud of how they turned out. We made one for each of us.

The present opening begins. Most of what Gregory received were books. He was wondering how long it would take him to get them all read. I reckon we won't see him for at least a week!

And of course, Daniel received mostly Lego boxes. He builds them and then insists that Andrew play a game or two with them and him.

Andrew's bestest present was a coffee machine - which I am sure I will use more than him! It does make a lovely cappacino - we have had a few already.

Coober Pedy and Lake Hart

Gregory and Andrew took a trip to Coober Pedy to go noodling (this what you call digging in the white dirt looking for opals). It was very hot and they didn't find any opal, but they had lots of fun.



On the way home they stopped to look at one of the huge salt lakes - this one is called Lake Hart. They decided to walk out to the middle of it. They walked for ages and still don't think they got halfway. I wonder how they knew which way was back to the car??? Probably a good thing I wasn't there!!!

Out in the middle somewhere they came across the remains of a tree. That was all they found besides lots of flat white salty ground!!

Beautiful Daylesford

Just a couple of pictures for Daylesford in Victoria, where we went for our last homeschool camp.

The meandering path down to the bridge.

Lake Jubilee

The old wooden bridge across to the other side of the lake, so you can walk around the whole of Lake Jubilee.

Waterlillies on Lake Jubilee.
Daylesford was so beautiful. There was so much to see and do. I am looking forward to going back there again.

Litle Furry Bee

I took this photo last week, when I was taking photos of fruit and vege plants. Tried very hard to get in close - nearly had a bee on my nose!! Hopefully there is a new lense for my camera under the tree that will allow me to take better macro shots of cool things like this.

Yellow Zucchini - very yummy. Will be on the barbeque with roast turkey and other vegetables on Christmas Day.

Spinach - eat this for lunch every day. Too much heat last week and rain has made it run to seed now. Will have to get some more.

Tomatoes - have 3 different lots in but they had a slow start because I forgot I was in SA and tried to plant them out too early - frost chopped the top off most of them - will see how they go?

Potatoes - Imagine growing your own potatoes - I think this is so cool. Have to stop myself from digging them up to check on how they are going!

That is the end of my vegetable and fruit garden piccies for now - there is more but not fruiting at the moment! Bit tricky to get them all to be edible at the same time to save on trips to the shops!

Productive Garden 2

Little tiny mandarins and also some Navel Oranges. They keep falling off with the wind though so will have to put some shadecloth around them soon.

Blueberries - ate the first one the other day - well Andrew did! Said it was yum but hardly worth the effort just for one! Maybe these 8 will all ripen at the same time and we will actually get a mouthful!
Strawberries - have had hundreds of these. They are so sweet compared to the poor sad ones I tried to grow in Western Queensland. Enough for all of us to have straberries and ice cream for dessert!
Onions are growing like crazy and they are huge! Supposed to be odourless ones - still make me cry!

The Productive Garden

Grapevine to provide shade on the outdoor area and grapes for eating.
Peaches that will be ready soon.
Lots of Silverbeet for Spinach and Feta Pie - Yum!
One of the two apple trees with about 20 apples on each. Last year they had 4 each so we are getting better. They are very heavy on the little stick of a limb, so I will have to rpop them up soon.

Woohoo for Daniel!

Just had a phone call from Daniel's piano teacher to say that he recieved a B+ for his Piano Exam. We are all so proud of him. His teacher seems to think that he can do even better now that he knows that the exams are not a big scary deal!

Woohoo for Daniel!!! A B+ for Piano and 98% score for Theory - how good is that!!!

What have we been up to??

Daniel put this elf on the back of the reindeer and placed him on top of the piano - too cute!

This is Daniel after we had sorted the Christmas decorations - he found the Christmas book we bought last year and had to read it straightaway complete with hat - again too cute!

Here are the catch up details..................

22 October

Daniel and I went to Adelaide to meet some new friends. Well they aren't really new friends... they were girls I chat to nearly everyday on the internet and 2 of them where flying home to Qld from WA and decided to have a stopover to meet up with another girl, so I invited myself along too. It is strange feeling to meet someone for the first time in real life but you know quite a bit about them?? Anyway we had a great time at the zoo, the museum and the mall in Adelaide. Hi Julie, Sharon and Leonie (and Kloe and Jack) if you are reading this!!!!

31 October

Daniel went to the high school to sit his Theory exams for music. It was a bit scary but he seemed to cope well with it all. And today we know that he did cope very well indeed - he got 98% for his Theory Exam. Woohoo Dan!!!

3 November

Daniel and I off to Adelaide again for his Piano exam. We had a very yummy dinner out the night before and found the building in the Uni grounds - I had visions of us walking around for ages trying to find it!!! This was more nerve- wracking than the theory exam for me becasue I could hear him playing from the room next door!! We haven't heard about his results yet but he came out of the room with a big smile on his face and said Ok Mum let's go and have McDonalds for lunch now!

Dashed home from Adelaide to get dressed up in some girly clothes for Susy's 40th birthday party. It was a great but very cold night! Just the girls being served food and drinks by the husband's of Susy and Tanya's. The cooking was delicious and the waiter was very well behaved but he kept kissing the birthday girl!!! Most of the girls got into the karaoke - but not me I don't even sing when I am all alone!!! It was a fabulous night and I'm sure Suse enjoyed herself too!

13 November

Gregory and Andrew jumped in the car and drove to Adelaide to see Crowded House in Concert. It was Gregory's first concert - a big event in a young person's life! Whe he got home all he could say was - that was awesome Mum, what's the next one??

25 November

Daniel and the other children who learn piano here put on a recital for all the parents at the town hall. Daniel played a piece called The Old Abbey. I took a few photos but they didn't turn out so good. We found out after the concert that the Piano teacher won't be here next year - he has scored himself a job at the Music Specialist High School in Adelaide. Wonderful news for him but we are hoping to find some way of continuing Daniel's piano lessons?

Rest of November

Committee Meetings, homeschool excursions, friend's birthday parties, party plan parties, music lessons,hair cuts, Eye appointments, Book Club, selling raffle tickets, car service, work on election day, Craft Group

26 November

Andrew had decided he wanted to take some time off work, so he asked the boys what they wanted to do. Daniel said he would go fishing and camping so they headed off to the Glenelg River for a couple of days. They caught 3 little fish, were kept awake by possums and mosquitos but I think they still had a ball!

30 November

Andrew had one day at home and then he and Gregory headed off to Coober Pedy to do some noodling(playing in the dirt looking for opals). They too have had fun and will be back tomorrow late with some very dirty clothes!! Andrew is back to work on Wednesday and as it always does he will take a little while to be happy to be back??

Now we have caught up

On Wednesday, the boys and I are off to the very beautiful Dalyesford in the Macedon Ranges north of Melbourne for 3 days. It is a homeschool camp organised by the lovely Dora. We haven't been to this camp before but it is meant to be a very relaxing one at the Jubilee Lake. We are all looking forward to it.

That brings us to tonight!

8 very lovely ladies have jsut left here! I hosted a Body Shop Party and it was lots of fun, trying new yummy smelly stuff and chatting and eating! I was lucky enough to be rung by the State Manager of Body Shop and I won the random draw of the prize for this week! Woohoo, lucky me! I don't know now whether to smell like Mango, Rose or Vanilla?? I don't know about the others but I don't do the parties for the prizes or goodies but for the social gathering!

Anyway if you are still with me, I will try to upload a couple of photos. Yayyee they worked! Cheers for now!

Still here!

Wow, I can not believe that I haven't blogged for so long!

I got myself a little sidetracked and haven't been doing much of anything!

Anyway, I am back and will try to update often so that friends and family can see what we are up to for the Silly Season.

I have been making lots of Christmas Cards. See photos...... Just have to neaten up the annual newsletter that goes out with them and they will be in people's letterboxes well and truly before the magical day!

Daniel and I got all the Christmas Decorations down out of the hall cupboard yesterday. We had a bit of a sort through them but can't put anything major up as the big boys are away at the moment and they would be a little mad if we did it without them!

Just realised that I need to do a huge update on what we have been doing so I will go and consult diary and be back with the nitty gritty.

See ya later today....................