Well summer has come early, the heat is on!.  Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come.

We did make the most of the warmer weather and take part in a few summer time activities

After 8 months off the road, Steve’s dirt bike actually made it out of the shed and off-road!  After a few major repairs and a lot of hard work Steve loaded up the Ute and headed to the hills for a long-awaited ride…….

…..for a whole 15 minutes until a stick when through his rear tyre and that was the end of that!. On a positive note, the bike ran really well until then and he now has a new tyre so hopefully this weekend will be met with a little more success.

Sunday was hot, hot, hot and with 2 out of 3 children sick, the planned day out was put on hold and we decided to wash the cars, all 3 of them (with tank water of course).  The Chev came out of hibernation for a wash and polish, then she was put back under wraps in the garage until we actually get a chance to make it out of the driveway!.

we washed the other 2 cars and then the fun really started…..A WATER FIGHT!…..again with tank water

the kids could have kept going for hours but we ran out of balloons and didnt want to waste too much of the precious wet stuff , who knows when the next rain will be. It was so much fun. It’s easy to forget what our children are missing out on with the drought continuing.  No sprinklers to run through, conserving every last drop of water. We did feel a little reckless filling up 45 balloons but we have over 3000lts in our tanks at the moment and decided “what the hey!”. Lucky for me I had the camera so Dad was the major target  

Please excuse the less than perfect pictures but I am using the Manual setting full-time and it’s still a bit hit and miss LOL.

Hope you all have an enjoyable week, stay cool ( or warm, for our international visitors) and Uncle John, I will post a picture of Matilda’s new seat next time.

Helen xxxxx

but only just!  Riley has been pushing the boundaries a lot lately, testing us in every way, but after many threats to cancel his birthday we finally got there

He was spoilt with many presents including a DS (YAY one each now, no arguments) and some “Rollerskaters” , one of which he has mastered and the other is a work in progress.

We celebrated the day with a family BBQ and skateboard cake, which was a disaster from start to finish (the cake not the BBQ).  Even though the cake was falling apart and the icing was melting in the heat, he loved it. 

We will continue with a few mini celebrations during the week , and then start preparing for the next big thing…….Christmas.

Helen xxxxx

Like most of Melbourne, we were hit by a MONSTER storm on Friday night.  Steve and I headed outside with my camera and tripod to try and get a few shots of the incoming light show and this is the result,

Steve’s amazing shot taken from our front lawn as the storm approached,

and some I took from our back garden (at 1am! ) as the storm moved away,

This last shot scared the **** out if me and my trusty sidekick Butch, who was the only one still awake by this stage.  I love storms and head outside to watch from the first “flash” but this was a little close to home,

Judging from the “crack” that accompanied this one, it hit just down the road. 

I am glad I got to use my expensive tripod again I am glad I did all of this on Manual and I am glad that I actually got a photo of lightning !.

It took nearly 300 shots of mostly black sky just to get a few “OK” pictures .  I have a new respect for any photographer who tried to do this back in the day of film cameras, must have been a very expensive process.

The other bonus to this storm was that we now have 3 full water tanks to take us into summer.

Helen xxxxx

and keeping life interesting

Riley ……October 29th 2009

xxxxx

Well school is back and so is my routine.  Cant quite believe we are already at term 4.   Riley started his school orientation this term.  So far so good, I think he is more than ready for school and will really enjoy next year.  I will be buying all his uniforms in a few weeks , then I am sure it will really hit home what he is about to start!.   He has also had fun at Kinder with “Crazy Hair Day”   His hair is always crazy and the style didnt change much, just the colour. You could not miss him that day!.

Declan has settled back into school, doing really well with his reading and also forming an addiction to Mathletics.  It’s all he wants to play 24/7.   He did take part in the Grade 1/2 sleepover at school last week. 170 kids “sleeping” in a  hall, can you imagine?.  He had a ball, got very little sleep (21 minutes is what he told me) but really enjoyed it.

Been keeping busy around the house with a few changes.

We now have 3 water tanks hooked up and ready to go . Hopefully they will keep the garden going over summer

Speaking of gardens, we added a small veggie patch today. The kids were going to help but spent more time fighting over who was going to do what when that I ended up doing most the work.

We are now growing tomatoes, capsicum, beans, carrots, strawberries and a few herbs.  As much as I love gardening I have never ventured into the vegetable side of things so will see how we go.

Steve has been kept busy with laying some new flooring in our tiny hallway. The carpet here was so worn and horrible and dirty that it just had to go.

It is such an improvement.  The flooring was left over from our family room and has been hiding out in Riley’s cupboards for about 4 years.  We were never quite sure if we had enough to do this space but lucky for us we did as the colour has been discontinued. I have just picked out a new colour for the walls which will be painted soon.

Been playing with my camera a lot lately, taken heaps of photos and many of them on “Manual” Yay!.

Busy week ahead which will end with my baby boy turning Five .

Have a great week

Helen xxxxx

of the school holidays boo hoo   I am sad that there is only one day left.  

these last few days have been busy with bowling, lunch dates, scrapping nights and lots of work going on around the house. 

Steve is putting together a stand for our second water tank which should be hooked up tomorrow and I have been clearing down the side of our house, getting it ready for a little “makeover”.  I had some wonderful helpers today, who made the task take ten times longer than it should have but I know it’s the thought that counts.

I  discovered that the side of my house, with the afternoon sun reflecting off the windows, makes a great spot to take some pictures. Not the “best” photo of the afternoon, but its the one I like the most. 

I also had a wonderful find at the supermarket today, Decor have a container specifically for storing sheets of pastry!.  I have no idea how long it has been around but I have been waiting and waiting for Tupperware to bring something like this out.  I am sick of finding broken pastry sheets at the bottom of the freezer.   I was thrilled when I saw it today and at just over $6 its worth every single cent (and then some).

Last night, instead of scrapping I made some cards. This is my first real attempt at using up my scraps and I think they came out OK

I hope to continue with this and its a nice change from scrapping pages.

More work to do outside tomorrow, enjoy the last day of the school holidays.

Helen xxxxx

Lets start this post with a funny. 

Love this label on a top I got for Steve during the week just had to share.

Now back to reality.  I cant believe that the school holidays are nearly over   I love having no routine and not rushing around in the morning.  We have been busy doing not much at all. We are getting a few chores around the house done, the weather has been perfect for spending lots of time indoors with the odd break of sunshine for some gardening.   The kids have been brushing up on their skateboarding skills with a few minor injuries.  Riley is really getting into it and Matilda is never one to shy away from a challenge.

Declan is also doing quite well, maybe chewing on the strap from his helmet helps with his balance?

Declan has starting using Mathletics at school and is now slightly obsessed with the program.  It’s an online Maths website where the children earn points with each correct answer. They can play against children from all around the world and the points are then added to their classroom total.  The teachers can also log on and see how each child is going.  Yesterday Declan actually made it into the top 100 in Australia for points earned that day .  At the moment he loves it more than his DS and that is really saying something. 

We took a trip to Tooradin for a picnic .  I have driven through the town so many times but never actually stopped there.

I have been busy with my camera as well. In September I took over 1700 pictures with Matilda being my most willing model.

She is just growing up so quickly but seeing as she is in the midst of the terrible twos she can keep on growing!. 

Helen xxxxx

This is as good as it got!.  How photographers do it I will never know. 

family + friends = fun at the park

What a fantastic way to start the holidays.

Helen xxxxx

I know I have some catching up to do. I really want to keep my blog going, even if only for myself, as a way to record our day to day lives.

This post will be photo heavy

In August, Matilda made the move into her big girl bed. She has done so well and is sleeping much better.  Her bed is from Freedom and is called the “Tilly”. I have had my eye on it since she was born but resisted the urge to buy it there and then. A few months ago I decided to see if it was still available only to be told that the line had been deleted BUT our local store had one left at the bargain price of $129!. Steve picked it up that afternoon and it has been in our garage ever since, waiting for ME to be ready to take the next step and actually put her in it!.   She was soooo ready for the move and loves it to bits   Steve worked a lot during August so any family time was precious. Spring also made an early appearance, and my garden started coming back to life.  

The children loved their new PJ’s from China/Hong Kong.  Matilda would wear hers every single night if she could, how cute do they look?.

Auskick finished for another year. Declan received his medal and certificate whilst I was away.  We have been enjoying the warmer weather and having the chance to play outside again, with the odd storm thrown in!.  I have been trying to get the garden back on track after winter.  I have a bit of work to do there over the next month, trying to get it ready for another long hot summer.  Steve has been mastering the art of drinking Absinth ( a little duty free gift from me).  Interesting concept I must say.

We battled the crowds and visited the Star Wars exhibition at Scienceworks. The boys loved it so much, I was freaked out by Darth Vader and Matilda is the latest Star Wars fan in the family.

Science works was lots of fun.  It was the first time Matilda was let loose to explore. Both Declan and Riley got so much out of it this time. Its a shame the place is always so busy.

October is shaping up as a busy month so hopefully lots of updates from me. 

Helen xxxxx

After a few gentle reminders that I actually do still have a blog (Hi Uncle John, Hi Mum!) I thought it was about time for an update. So where have I been?, well to all the usual haunts, School, Kinder, Playgroup, Swimming Lessons…..Hong Kong.

Mum, Caroline and I made our long awaited trip to Hong Kong earlier this month We had a wonderful time, I survived the flights (only just with my weak stomach) and we all survived the heat. Boy was it hot, around 28 in the evenings and 34 during the day.   Luckily every shop, train, bus etc has wonderful air conditioning so it was easy to get break from it.

After flying all night we arrived very weary for our first day in Honkers.  We ventured down to the Harbour and took in the amazing view both during daylight hours and at night.  I must admit Hong Kong looks its best after dark.   This also seems to be the busiest time of the day with most shops and markets open from 11am – 11pm, with the peak shopping being around 10pm, the streets are just packed at this hour.

I ate noodles everyday for breakfast and even tried truffles with smoked duck.  We had a half day tour of the city including a ride on a Sampan (boat)  through one of the fishing villages and a cable car ride up the peak for more amazing views of the city. 

We visited a temple and rode the local subway many times.  It is so clean and fast and efficient and cheap.  On one day we changed trains and lines more times than I care to remember but it was so just so easy to do.

We spent the day at Disneyland which I think was my favourite part.  It was lots of fun and so clean.  Mum spilt some of her tea on the footpath and within 1 minute there was a man there cleaning it up with water and paper towels? .

We took a day trip to Shenzhen in China. It was certainly different.  Our tour guide worked for her “government” , who were of course the most wonderful people in the world, mmmm.  We visited the smallest museum ever with the largest shop, ate at one of the locals restaurants, much to their amusement, visited the most chaotic shopping centre/market and yes, even used a chinese toilet!  I can honestly say I never felt at ease in China and was happy to cross the border back into  Hong Kong.

I did indulge for a moment in my love of taking photos of flowers and even managed to take and nice “soft” photo of one of the waterfalls at Disneyland. That right there is my $200 photography course, see I did learn something!.

We did see some unusual sights as well.

1. Dont hang your washing or linen out to dry at the square/plaza in the heart of Hong Kong?

2. All the scaffolding in Hong Kong is made of bamboo, even if the building is 20 stories high.

3.  Pizza and Jelly in the shape of Micky Mouse in Disneyland

4. Nearly every ride at Disneyland included this sign stating you must be sober to ride.  Dinsneyland never really struck me as the place to go to get sloshed.

The trip home was made a little better as we flew part of the way on the new A380  Airbus.  It was a very quiet, smooth flight. It was also nice to see that earphones on planes have improved and with the addition your own personal entertainment system the long trip was a little more bearable.

We all had a wonderful time and I would highly recommend Hong Kong as a holiday destination.

Helen xxxxx