A nice quiet Tuesday

Just sitting having a cup of tea - yep another old love has returned. I have just about given up coffee and now it is a cup of tea beside me as I type, sew, scrap, paint etc. Gotta leave the tea bag in though - I like it nice and strong! Better still is a pot freshly made - but I would rather have someone to share that with than have it on my own.

I have done 2 loads of washing, washed and cleaned up the kitchen, checked emails and blogs, met the new neighbours and now I am being calm before I head off to the doctor's for the check up. Think I might mention that I have been sick for over a week and I have a funny cough. It feels a lot like Asthma - which I haven't had since I came down to South Australia. Hope it isn't?

I worked on my canvas for the Cancer Council Pink Ribbon Day Exhibition last night. I am liking it so far.... The idea was that the CC sent you a canvas which you completed how ever you wanted and then they come and collect it and display it in the Adelaide Arcade in Adelaide on October 8. Then it is sold off to raise funds for the Cancer Council. Three other wonderful artistic ladies - Susy, Sandie and Christina are giving it a go too. How is it going ladies??? Remember you have to have them over to my place by Thursday!!

Spending some time organising the school reunion. I can't believe it was 30 years ago that we were all 15 and so excited about finishing Year 10 and heading off into the future. Some of us went into the workforce. Goodness that would be Gregory in another year!!! A lot of us went away to different boarding schools to do Year 11 and 12. Some of us went onto Uni or further studies. I can't wait to hear what some of them have been doing for the last 30 years?? One lady has a 3 year old child, another has a grandchild the same age, a couple never married, a couple never had children, a couple have died. Wow! i really can't wait!!!

Ok gotta go - will be on time for doctor but will probably have to wait awhile though!!

A quote for today:
I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It's seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It's seeing what other people don't see and pursuing that vision. Lewis Grizzard.

My Old Love

Yep I have gone back to my old love today..... yes you heard me right..... today I spent most of the day with my darling Janome! I sewed and sewed and sewed and boy did Janome and I enjoy ourselves!!!

I took him in for a check up with the doctor in The Mount and now he is purring like a kitten. Together we made covers for the long lounge cushions and the chair I sit in. Then a new cover for the footstool. And then two new cushion covers in matching material. And..... then.... we went way overboard and made a very basic table runner for the dining table which is in the same room.

We are now resting and basking in the warm glow of a job well done.

And now for an appropriate quote:

Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad. ~Norm Papernick

Ciao

Photos of Us For Edwards Family and Lisa.

This is Gregory from the back! Some people think he needs a haircut - but I think it would be a shame to cut off all those gorgeous curls! What do you think?

This is Gregory while he is playing on the computer. The game must have been going well as he is smiling!!

This is Daniel, smirking at me because he caught me taking a photo of him! Aren't those green eyes and dimple gorgeous?

Then there is me! Only one chin and a bit of a second one that will be gone soon too I hope?? Nothing I can do about the wrinkles though!!

Wish I was visiting with you guys in Brisbane - I am sure I am missing out on so much fun!

Just for Xanthe

I have been told that I haven't updated for ages!! I don't have any news to tell.

So I will take some photos tomorrow to show you and Lisa what we all look like now!

While I am here, I should leave a quote. In honour of old friends and new -


Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Author Unknown

Enough already!!!

This is what the kids are saying here - they have had enough of my silly childhood songs but before I stop I have to do just one more!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8jlJpceXpY&feature=related

Enjoy your banana splits!!!

Puffnstuff

An another oldie but goodie!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-yLYz6ejqw&feature=related

enjoy!!

manamana???

Who remembers this little song from the Muppets??

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4668196322523357460&hl=en

Hope this link works??

I am sorry, I know Susy told me how to call this something else, but I don't remember how to do it.

Spider Ride and Footy

How high up did you say we were going to be???

A lot higher than this that is for sure!!

Heading off to the footy at the Telstra Dome. Gregory and Andrew watched Essenden get flogged by St Kilda, with standing room only!

Photo taken fom the balony of our apartment - There was only 49000 people crammed in there??? I don't understand the attraction myself, but obviously I am in a minority on that!

While we were in Melbourne we also went up to the top of the Eureka Tower to the Skydeck. It is the tallest residential building in the Southern Hemisphere - 88 floors. It was very windy out on the terrace and you could see the glass quivering in the wind!! A little disconcerting!!

We found an amazing display of old books at the State Library. From a cuneiform tablet from 4000 years ago to some modern day novels. Fascinating display if anyone is in Melbourne! We loved looking around the Library too - some many books in one place!!!

The other amazing thing we did was eat out every night - this is unheard of for us! It was great and we tried not to have the same thing each night but I am afraid I can eat sushi every night!! Yum yum yum!! I did have risotto and authentic Italian pizza too.

Righto, back to reality - off to do some housework with maybe a little stop off at my scrapping table?? Lol!

Melbourne Luna Park

The Ghost Train ride the boys all went on - I had to look after the bag and camera!!!

Gregory getting ready to launch on the Pharoah's Curse ride. He can be a little melodramatic!!

And after the ride - look at that smile!!!

More zoo for you....

Very goodlooking fella we found sitting in the fork of a tree.

Water dragon trying to look fierce - and doing a good job of it!!!

Daniel waited so patiently in the butterfly house for one to land on him.
It paid off because this one took a liking to him and didn't want to hop off. Daniel had to take it to a tree in the end.

Did you know that I love elephants the most of any animal in the world? I have an elephant collection here at home.
There was the most gorgeous stuffed fluffy elelphant at the gift shop but the boys wouldn't let me buy it - I don't know why??
It was only $500. Well worth the money I thought!!!

Going to the zoo

Andrew is working in Melbourne for 2 weeks, so we thought we would head over for a long weekend. We got to stay at the Quest Apartments right next to the Telstra Dome. We only had to pay for the rooms to be upgraded to a 2 bedroom from 1 bedroom - cheapest accommodation for a while.
On the Friday, we were lucky to met up with Dora and her 2 gorgeous girls, Kai and Rosie and another young lady, Sunshine. It was a beautiful sunny day with the temperature around 18. Perfect for walking aorund the zoo. I took over 300 photos, now I just have to find time to go through them and delete the crappy ones and send the good ones off to be printed.
There was 3 male lions in a cage together but they were all very well behaved and posed so well for us.

The lemurs had us in stitches. They were sitting in the sun, with their tummies turned to it to catch all the warmth. At times, with their little hands resting on their knees, it looked like they were meditating. ooomm oomm oomm

This mandrill was so good looking from this angle, but from behind he was even more spectacular!! His butt was all shades - blue, green, pink, all shimmery. But the photos I took don't show the shimmeriness (is there such as word??).

The baby chimpanzee had us mesmerised for ages. He was up on the platform near the viewing area and was just doing his thing. He was like a toddler - trying to walk around and falling down. He would keep going back to his Mum and the other chimp, who were having a grooming session, to check up on them, then toddle off again. So cute.

Tagged....

gee thanks Donna! http://donna-wardle.blogspot.com/
I have been tagged to write 6 UN-SPECTACULAR things about myself.
Here's how it works.
1. Link the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yourself
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them & leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged

ME...
1. I have a serious love/hate relationship going with my hair. I love the curliness, except in the wind- then I look like an evil old witch, I hate the grey but love it when it is about 4 weeks after colouring - then I need to go back for more colour!
2. I love chocolate but not like some people who can eat a whole family block - I like to buy a small block and eat it slowly - even suck it until only the taste is left!
3. I have to wash my clothes by lights and darks and very rarely will a sheet or towel go in together or with the light or dark stuff. I also like to peg it all out with 2 pegs on everything.
4. When I hang out the washing I have to give everything 3 shakes - this takes out the wrinkles and saves on ironing time.
5. I have to have a clean house before I can do any fun stuff like scrapbook - gotta get over that!!
6. I need to check my emails and blogs, first thing in the morning - in my pjs, eating my breakfast.

Well there you go - very unspectacular.

I can't think of 6 people to tag, so I will send out a general tag. If you read my blog on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday of this week - consider yourself tagged!

Ciao

Bring Donna Down Under!

My friend Susy and I adore Donna Downey's style of scrapping and art!! So we have decided to bombard her with lots of messages and emails in the hope she will give in and visit Australia, and do some of her awesome classes for us!

This is what Susy said on her blog -

OK for all of you Aussie scrappers out there my friend Kathryn and I have devised a plan to try and get the very talented Donna Downey to come to Australia and do some classes. We are going to use good old fashioned nagging (works for the kids) We thought if those of you who are out there who would be as excited as us to do a class with 'her miss scrappiness' herself could leave a comment on her blog ( weekly if possible) she might just feeled loved enough to want to travel down her and see us all. It's worth a try hey?

So Susy and I are in - who else is going to help us?? Send Donna an email asking her to come down under!
Let's go - we can do this!!

Hello World!

After not saying a word on my blog for over a month - I have now put on 4 entries in one day. I was trying to catch up and now I have with the picture side of things.

A quote I found this morning and which I had to share -

"It's not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences." - Audre Lorde

How is that for deep and meaningful? And with that I leave blogdom again.

Ciao until next time.

Daniel is 11

It seems like only last week I was blogging about Daniel turning 10. And now here we are a whole year later!!

He had a fabulous day! Present opening at home with the family, homeschooling friends for a game of mini golf, afternoon party and cake with Naracoorte friends, tacos for tea and then watch some Get Smart with Dad, before collapsing into bed! What a day!!
Big brother birthday hugs.

A quick round of golf with Zach.

Chocolate cake with chocolate icing - what else would do???

One of his haul of super pressies!

At the age of 11, he has nearly caught his mother in height. Anyone who knows me will be laughing now because being as tall as me is nothing to aspire to!! Daniel is tall for his age though and has now reached 5 feet. At this rate he will catch his 5' 9" brother in no time!!
I love that he still likes to play imaginative games and watch fun shows like The Addams Family and Get Smart!! He will be all grown up before I know it.

Port Fairy

for a girls' weekend.
What a wonderful idea, Sharee had when she decided to invite 6 of her best friends to have a girls only weekend in Port Fairy. We all enjoyed it so much we have decided that it should be a 3 monthly thing. Some of the topics of discussion can not be repeated in polite conversation. There was also lots of walking, eating Indian food, drinking coffee, eating chocolate, chatting, laughing, shopping and then more of it again!
We were supposed to be refreshed and revitalised - I was exhausted in body but refreshed in my mind. Definitely a must do again thing!


Port Fairy Lighthouse

Boats moored along the Moyne River Docks.

Gregory straightened his hair

or rather he allowed Bianca and Lee to straighten it for him. Bianca has been asking him for ages, if she could straighten it. She was a bit sad one night while we were in Melbourne and Gregory brightened her night up by allowing her to do it. I could not believe how long it was! I am so used to the long curls that I was just amazed by this gorgeous hair! The one of the back of his head still stuns me!!

I may be biased but isn't he gorgeous too?
I look at photos of him now at 14 and a half and wonder where my little blonde baby boy has gone?? I console myself that I now have handsome curly-haired kind-hearted young man - and I am blessed!!

Melbourne Scienceworks and Goal

Away away away we go...

off to Melbourne for the week. Boys and I only though - poor old Dad has to stay home and go to work to afford this great life we lead!!

We are sharing a house with 3 other Mums and 10 other kids!! Planning on going to Scienceworks, into the City, the Museum, around Williamstown and lots more. It is going to be great!

Gregory is also fitting in a LAN party at his friend Luis' and then is going home to Bendigo with one of the other families for nearly a week. He laughed last week, when we were talking about our lives here, and he said he is now the most social member of our family! This is the boy who until he became a teenager was happy to spend everyday at home, doing his own thing!! Now that is Daniel, most of the time. Wonder if he will change too???

In our previous life, in Western Queensland, I was the social bunny, with someone over for a cuppa nearly every afternoon. Sometimes I miss that so much, but perhaps it is the lovely ladies I used to sip coffee with that I miss. I am planning a Queensland trip in November this year, so those ladies better be ready for serious coffee and chatting!! Ooops just realised that I have dropped my intake of coffee to just one cup a day and to be honest I didn't enjoy it at all today. I may have to find something else to sip while chatting???

In the trip to Queensland, I am organising a school reunion and hopefully a reunion with some of the people I went to Uni with as well. Busy busy trip!!

Anyway better go check the car has everything in it, so we can blast off early in the morning. Don't like my chances though - both of these boys do like to sleep in!!! Especially when it is so chilly!!

See ya next week, with lots of photos I hope?

Petticoat Lane, Penola

Is where we went today for our regular Friday Homeschool excursion. We choose different things to do each Friday of the school term and we go as a group. Today was my turn to organise something so I chose Penola. I think I could live there, it has a beautiful feeling about it. I feel very comfortable there and there is always something to do or somewhere to go or something to look at. Penola has galleries, coffee shops, antique stores, an old fashioned lolly shop and so many other things going for it.

Today we did a short history walk down Petticoat Lane which is the original street. We heard a lot of history of the people who first lived in Penola. Then we walked back to the Mary McKillop Centre and saw the little school house where she lived and taught the children of Penola in the late 1800's. We went into the Mary McKillop Interpretive centre and saw all about her life and the life of Father Tennison Woods. He fascinates me as he was a priest and a scientist back in 1880. He is responsible for a lot of the geological information around our area - and there is a lot of that!

Of course, there is always so many lovely things to take photos of when you step back in time. I hope you like the ones I chose to share - they are my favourites of the day.

A homeschool excursion to Penola is not complete without lunch in the park and a play with the other kids ( and a good old natter for the parents) followed by a trip to see Sue at the Lolly shop before heading home. Bit of a worry when you are on a first name basis with the owner of a lolly shop in a neighbouring town???
Home in time to do some grocery shopping, some washing and drying, cooking tacos for tea, then settling in to watch Silent Witness and Spooks on the ABC. So that means it must be bed time now!!
Sweet dreams!