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!