HOME

We are all safely and happily home. Alex celebrated by playing with his toys and watching his favourite DVD, and James celebrated by rolling over (due to finally having time to play on the floor) and getting a tooth. I just counted the loads of washing that needed doing...

We are all tired - possibly due to the 24 hours of flying + 8 hours time difference + 6 hours in airport lounges; possibly due to the three hours of screaming James has done the last two nights at 2am in the morning (potentially linked to the celebration above); possibly due to some other confounding variable.

We are looking forward to catching up with our friends and seeing what has happened to them in the last month.

Catching up on blogging may take a while as someone around here turns three next week and they want a birthday cake (and party. Ha!). Apparently going to Europe just doesn't suffice as a birthday celebration when you're three unless it involves cake, candles and balloons. It might also take a while for my brain to compose sentences in English rather than the hydrid German-French-English-sign language that it has been using for the last month.

I plan to post pictures and thoughts once I get all the photos from my Dad - which should be after we have recovered from the latest set of celebrations round here. We hope everyone (ie all three of you...) that still reads this will be interested....

You know the travel preparations are at their zenith when

.... the two year old starts to make his own travel plans.

These have consisted of

• pointing at random cities on a map of Europe and saying "Coffee here, and Coffee here and Coffee here" (A man after his father's heart!)
• measuring (with the measuring tape and scales) the luggage and saying "Oh No - too heavy" or "Yes - its OK)
• playing "aeroplanes". Which consist of Alex the pilot ensuring everyone has on their seatbelts, and headphones before we take off. We then "fly around up there" looking out the window at "astronauts" and then "land". I think Alex might be a little disappointed that he won't get to fly the planes....

Holidays

We are about to go on holidays for a month - the sort of holidays that require considerable organisation and forethought. My parents, John and I and the two little boys are going to Europe for a month. I think we are organised ;-)

We are flying to Munich (via a few other cities) and we stay there for about a week. We'll be visiting Schloss Neuschanstein and Salzburg (birthplace of Mozart, and scene of Sound of Music). We'll also have a few days in Munich visiting the Englisher Garten and Nymphenburg Palace. Fortuitously it is the middle of their Opera Festival and they have a free outdoor opera on the weekend we are there.

We are then going to Basel in Switzerland for about two weeks. The Australian Federal Police Pipe Band (of which John is the drum Major) is playing in their Military tattoo. (This is why we are going). We're not exactly sure what we will be doing in Basel, but as it is on the French and German border and about an hour from Lucerne and Zurich I'm sure that we will find things to entertain us!

After the tattoo we go to Stassbourg (on the French German border) for a few days and then to Paris. We'll probably spend that time at the various Musee and Jardin... before coming home.

If it gets a bit quiet here on the blog it is because I am still busy cleaning the house for the person who is house sitting for us and getting organised here. If I'm still sane after the two 24 hour flights with two small boys then I might return and post pictures of our trip.

Temora Air Show

Last weekend we travelled to Temora (about 200km away) to attend one of the flying weekends at the aviation musuem there. One "plane/rocket/helicopter" obsessed little boy was very excited!

There were aerobatic displays and fly-passes from a range of prop-driven (mostly) WWII aircraft - Spitfires, Kittyhawks etc - as well as some jet-propelled planes (like the Sabre). We enjoyed our picnic lunch with the planes. After the flying display the allow the spectators onto the runway to talk to the pilots of the aircraft.

We finished the day with (very large) milkshakes at the White Rose Cafe - an art-deco style cafe that still has all the original fittings - including the rose pressed iron ceiling, before driving home.

In which Katherine attempts to summarize 2009 two full months after everyone else has

(My Apologies to all (is there anyone left who reads this...) for the scant posting in the last 1/2 of the year and the rather lame attempt to catch up with this...)

2009 was a very full year which seemed to get busier as the year went on.
There were good things:

scottish ball and a memorial dinner

• Visits to the Farm - which the little boy loves as it has all he wants; animals AND mechanized equipment.




• Visits away with friends (apparently it is necessary to light a v. large bonfire everytime we have visitors come away with us)

There were some not-so-good events, including the death of John's grandmother in August, and the death of some friends in a car accident in October. The ramifications of the second are still being felt as the custody arrangements for their little boy are not yet established.

There were birthdays, some of which were more "milestones" than others. We now have a combined family age of 62. (and yes, I did have a birthday party and no, there are no photos to show).

There was some card making and crafting - including this effort for Father's day. (Alex did the stamping and provided hand for outline.)

The latter half of my year was preoccupied with "baby-growing" which meant lots of sleeping (for nine months) and nausea (for about five months). The "baby-growing" project (the external part of which begins any day now... I hope) has meant that sleeping and "(unsuccessfully) trying not to throw up" have superceded "writing about life on the internet" on the to-do list.

We spent Christmas in (rainy) Sydney housesitting for relatives. Cricket, swimming and lazy around their pool were the order of the day.

Alex watching Aunty Jenny attempting to bat with 2 year old sized equipment.

One on One swimming lesson tuition with Daddy.

Somewhere in there we nearly bought a house, but reconsidered due to the building report.

2010 is shaping up to be just as full as 2009 with the much-anticipated addition to the family, John being committed to additional work responsibilities and extra-curricula activities - the latter of which includes a probable family trip away for a month in Europe - and the usual trips away. It remains to be seen if being on maternity leave gives me sufficient moments to update you on our life! But bear with us, we are still here, peering into the windows of your life, even if we don't quite manage to draw the curtain on our own that frequently!

Catch Up

Went away to Farm. Visited friends on way. Got sick. Came home 4 days later. Washed. Cleaned. Worked. Packed. Went away to Sydney. Shopped. Caught a cold. Visited Friends. Went to 90th Birthday Party. Came home; still sick. Worked. Clean house. Cooked. Worked. Washed mountain of clothes. Still sick. Packed (again). Went to Mum and Dad't for Mother's Day. Got sicker. Toddler now sick and grumpy. Came home. sick. Worked. Cleaned. Washed. Gost hair cut. Locked self and child out of house. Worked. Cleaned. Cooked. Went to charity dinner. Slept in. Toddler learnt how to climb out of cot. Worked. Cleaned. Worked. Spent afternoon "sleep time" putting jack-in-the-box toddler back to bed.

Whew.

That has been our May so far. (I think I just wrote about 4 blog posts worth of stuff). It has been so frenetic that I haven't really had time to think because we have been so busy doing. (That's not quite true - I have thought quite hard at work but not on matters of my choosing). This is the first week where we haven't been away for the previous weekend - and for the first time this month I am not behind in the housework.

The rest of May is looking better - we have three (that's right three) weekends where we are home (not free but home) before we possibly go away again. This cold/sore throat should go. Maybe then I will be able to post some photos of what we have been doing ;-)

Hope to catch up with you more often!

What we Do on our Weekends away, Part IV

Play in (John) or Watch (Alex and I) Kendo (a Japanese martial art)

Well John trains for this on the weekends (and during the week) that we don't go away, but occasionally (3 or 4 times a year) we travel to tournaments, gradings or seminars.

Just before Alex was born we went to Melbourne to the Australian Championships (John came 3rd in his grade, and his team came first). We spent a couple of days either side having a holiday.

They had also won a teams competition about a month before that.


We've also attended competitions in the ACT and in NSW.



Alex has so far been pretty good - especially as it is not a quiet sport! - sleeping in the pram when we've been places and charming everyone when he is awake. Maybe all that time listening to Kendo in utero, and then being made to sleep while Band of Brothers was playing when he was a newborn actually worked!

Chrstmas Holidays - Fun and Farm

Despite all the work involved in the flooring adventure we did manage to get in some fun activities during our holidays.

In between laying floorboards we went swimming.

Once the work was done we could play so we went boating.


Alex watched his father very closely when he drove the boat and first opportunity he got - he was copying how to drive.


The grown ups went water skiing - although some of us a better than others! ;-)




After being at the dam we went and had a few days at the farm in Central NSW where John's family live. In between yet more work (moving cattle and around 28 tonnes of wheat) we had plenty of fun - Alex enjoyed playing with his cousins and being allowed to roam free after being cooped up in the cot for 5 days.






This sign about 15 minutes from my in-laws always makes us laugh. See if you can spot what is wrong with it? (hint: think geography and social studies!)

Christmas Holidays - Flooring

After spending Christmas at my parents with my sister (unfortunately I have no photos of that) where my parents did much of the work - cooking, cleaning and looking after small child! - we drove across NSW to Burrendong Dam, where my in-laws have just bought a cabin.

Having just bought a cabin, the family have decided to extend it so that in total it will be about 4 times it's original size. The rest of the family spent the week around Christmas building the frame and putting most of the roof on. When we arrived, it looked like this:

We (by which I mean John, his father and brother) spend the next few days finishing laying the joists, laying the floor and then decking. I was designated as cook, scullery maid, housekeeper, painter (did I mention we had to seal the floor) and chief toddler entertainer!

Alex spent large portions of time locked with me in the cabin (due to welding), or stuck in the portacot outside (once the first section was done and it was no longer a hurdles competition to leave the building!). When he was allowed out, he thought he had better lend a hand.

We finished the building work late on New Years Eve (as in around 11pm) after drilling in 2600 screws in the deck and ~400 in the floor.

The finished product on New Years Day:

There is still some minor work to go - just little things like, walls, balustrades, ramps... etc, but is more accessible than it was (and more usable) so hopefully the rest of the family can enjoy it while they do some more of the building work!

What we do on Our Weekends away, Part III

Perform in (watch) Scottish Pipe Bands!

In October, there was a Scottish style Tattoo in Condobolin run by their local pipe and drums band. John is old friends with one of the organisers, and as he had some pipe band experience (drum major - not an instrument but he claims it still requires skill!) he was asked to go along.

So we drove the 4 hours to Condobolin, he got all dressed up in his kilt and paraphenalia and the bands marched up and down the street and then up and down a square for the tattoo. Unlike some of the other bands that were present, Condo band is ... non-proffessional ... so they hadn't had a great deal of practice so John just did drum major flourishes (ie throwing the mace in the air) for the Condo section rather than fancy scottish tunes or fancy marching.

We stayed the night at our friend's place and then turned around and drove the 4 hours home!

It was a fun weekend - Alex was beautifully behaved at the tattoo, and the dancing and the piping were fairly good. [The best pipe band in the Southern Hemisphere was there] If you click on the link above then you may even like to see if you can spot us in the photos that were in the local paper!

Flashback Friday

This weekend is our 11th anniversary - not our wedding anniversary, but the anniversary of when we first 'got together'. And how are we celebrating - by being in different cities of course!

This photo was taken about a month later - when I had gone on holidays water-skiing with John's family. I look at this and see how much younger (and skinnier) we both were, and yet it does not feel all that long ago.

UFO update 1 and Christmas preparations

One week after I discovered the pile of UFO's which had been packed away when we moved, I have actually managed to finish the first one on the list - the rather large pile of mending. Unfortunately, the mending isn't very interesting to photograph (it has metamorphised into a pile of ironing ;-)).

As for my Christmas preparations, I put up our Christmas tree on the weekend. I waited until Alex was asleep, because it was not the sort of job one does with a 16month old about.

I know that if I was a true advent lover that I would wait until Christmas Eve, but we are going away for Christmas. It is also the first time since I left home that I/we have had a Christmas tree. (or decorations of any description really!)

According to some magazine I read there aren't enough decorations (apparently for a 180cm tree, there should be about 240 - I only have 80), and it is rather monochrome, but Alex isn't fazed. None of the decorations are precious, so it isn't a major drama if he does touch one. We are attempting to dissuade him but I suspect he will not remember.

I also wrapped the Christmas presents I have already acquired. They will not be staying under the tree as I fear that they will be far too tempting for a little boy, so they are ensconced on the top of our wardrobe. Instead, I have left a 'Christmas Train' - minus batteries under the tree - that one is ok to touch ;-)

What We Do on Our Weekends Away, Part II

One of the very common activities that takes us away from home on the weekend is visiting friends and family. One weekend in September we went and visited some friends who live on a property near Young, NSW about 2 hours away. Their property backs on to Iandra Castle, which was having an open day that weekend.

The "castle" was build by George Greene, in the early 20th Century. Mr Greene had emigrated from Scotland, and pioneered share farming in the district. He built this house for his family, modelled on the English fuedal system. There are some thirteen bedrooms (all of them upstairs), including the"orange room" and the"blue room".

The room upstairs to the left is "Mrs Greene's sewing room". I suspect that it is easier to stay serene and quiet when one has a entire room purely for sewing.

Downstairs there is are morning rooms, dining rooms, a smoking room, studies, withdrawing room, fernery, conservatory and games rooms. It's all very Austen-like with the men going to the smoking room and games room and the women sitting in the "withdrawing room". (Notice how out of place David looks?)
The house was at one time left to the Methodist church and was a home for boys. Unfortunately it therefore does not have many of the original furnishings. More recently it was in private ownership and there has been some attempt at restoration. The hallway with it's panelling (v. Federation) looks pretty good.

There are other buildings on site, including a Managers residence, and chapel. John was particularly impressed with the stable and electricity generation building.

The day we were there it was v. v. stormy with rain on and off all morning. The friends we were staying with we very happy about the rainas they are wheat/sheep farmers. Alex also thought the rain was fun (or maybe that was running with mummy in the rain that was fun.)

We had often driven past this "castle" on our trips between Canberra/Goulburn and my-in-laws but we had never actually been inside. It was good to finally see when we had read about before. (The house features in a book called "Grand houses of Australia").

PS It was also fun to catch up with our friends ;-)

What we do on our Weekends away, Part I

For the last few months, it seems like we have been away nearly every weekend. Unfortunately we rarely get to share what we have been up to so I have decided to post some stories and photos here in a semi-regular fashion .

At the beginning of August we went skiing at Perisher for three days with my dad and some of his colleagues (Mum was working and after tearing a ligament last time wasn't keen on skiing again). Our little family was fortunate enough borrow snow-gear from some relatives - even some for a nearly one-year-old. Alex spent the days happily playing in the childcare centre while we skied (or attempted to...). The poor little mite couldn't really move in the snow gear though - it's so thick that he can't bend which makes carrying him a little awkward. In fact it was impossible to carry Alex and a pair of skis and stocks!

We all had fun and our skiing improved, so that after a grand total of 4 days skiing (total time in life) we were actually on blue runs. There was much more snow than there had been the last time we were there, and it snowed overnight making it good to ski the next day. Dad had so much fun that he is planning to go to Japan skiing early next year. (Needless to say, this was not his second time skiing).

Alex wasn't quite sure what to make of the snow - he wanted to touch it but it was too cold and wet! It is amazing how much difference a few short months can make - here he couldn't stand by himself, and now he would be attempting to run on the snow and copy what we are doing!

The only blight on the few days was that Alex decided to not sleep properly for two of the three nights - which was just what his parents and grandfather wanted after they had been busy skiing all day! The must have been something wrong though because he definitely made up for the sleep once we got home. Maybe he got cold in the night ;-).

Here are my two boys - both of them tired after a long morning, and both bothered by the bright, bright, sun. Alex is so rugged up that you can't see much of his face, while John obviously didn't wear enough sunscreen and has the start of a skiers tan!

We're not sure if we'll be able to go much again - it is prohibitively expensive, but we both enjoy it and it is the sort of skill that is easier to learn young rather than old so we will have to see what happens for the next few years.