this is what happens to maths homework from last year

We make paper.  I had flashbacks to making 100 wedding invitations out of recycled paper - and I insisted on them being maroon.  I made recycled paper until my hands were dyed pink and my friends couldn't look me in the eye because I would fuss to them about paper pulp.  Katy and Pippa - true friends of the paper pulp bride.

We chucked in some lavender from the front garden.  Hopefully there were no beetles.

We paper mached. 

There are plans for a paper mache pig.  I am not sure what the cylinder will be...

Holidays are slipping away, receding like a wave, leaving behind the jetsam of time well spent in the summer - tanned legs, craft projects, laughs with friends, iceblocks and BBQs.  I can feel the need for school coming - the girls spent much of today playing a 'school game'.  Their books are covered, their pencils are labelled, and thir tummies are wriggling with the newness of an unknown teacher and class.

But for now we have one more week to make our own time.

Roll up!

I have negotiated that the girls do one 'paid' activity over the Christmas holidays. They both chose three days at Flipside circus.




Oh to be young and to fling your body around on a trapeze and jump on the trampoline. It is ironic that they have been doing this for three days and I have put my back out again so I hobble in to drop them off.




I think they have dreams of joining the circus - there is certainly enough performance, leaping off the couches and living life upside down here.









Fun times.  Recorded with terrible ipad photos.  I forgot to bring the camera to pick them up.

I declare...

that there is not a really good word in English for an adult that is a friend and not a teacher and not a relative but you still need to show some respect for the adult.  Mrs Surname is too formal, and Shazza is not respectful enough.

I learned today that there is such a word in Afrikaans as I was having a cup of tea with my lovely South African friend at our annual book covering party support group (as a side note all books are now covered for the school year with relatively little bubble contact action and much use of the new label maker).

The word is 'Tannie'.  An aunty who is not a real aunty but a friend aunty.

So from now on I will encourage my children to call adults friends using the address 'Tannie "insert name here".

I forgot to ask if this was for both male and female adults.  We could offend the Springboks if we yell out at a game 'SCORE TANNIE "insert current Springbok player name here".

yes it has finally turned hot here

 " Oh you mean this pool was not set up specifically for me?"

The crickets humming where the air hangs heavily in our backyard, and I chase a breeze around the house.  For a few days each year I wish we had air conditioning, and then we get creative about beating the heat.  We play water games and lie under the fan and make almost unnecessary trips to the shops to be in the air conditioned car.  We chase comfort over jobs.  The grass gets higher and our clothes lie in a puddle in the bathroom.  We eat salad and call it dinner, and wait for the clouds to build in the south west, to rumble and rain.  We are on a holiday schedule.  Which is none.

Ahhhh.

reasons why children are handy

1. they can drop back the library books into the slot without you having to leave the car (I have taught them to drop their shoulders as they roll out of the car to prevent injury)
2. they can find the remotes so you do not have to leave your carefully positioned mountain of cushions of the couch
3. they can be taught to make you scrambled eggs and a cup of tea in the morning (an occurrence that is wonderfully frequent on the holidays)
4. they can knock up a quick powerpoint for you for church while you are in the shower on a Sunday morning
5. they can dart all over the supermarket getting items while you stroll along with the trolley
6. they can read the street signs when you don't wear your glasses for driving
7. they can feed the dog and collect the eggs from the chooks.  Sometimes without being asked.

I need to remember all these qualities as the fourth week of holidays comes to an end, and the sibling fighting enters the thousandth round.

art it up

I took the girls to the Gallery of Modern Art - as we are only doing Free Things On the Holidays (apart from the activities I paid for before the holidays when there was still school on and still some extra money before Christmas).  In between cries of 'what do we do?' and 'what's next?' and 'here we are now entertain us' (only not sung or smelling like a teen spirit) I heard myself proclaiming quite loudly 'WE ARE HERE TO LOOK AT THE ART AND APPRECIATE IT SO SOAK UP THE ARTINESS AND BE THANKFUL FOR GOMA'.

We looked at the art.

We walked through the art.

We posed with the art.

We made the art.

We marvelled at the art - tiny bits of coloured sugar (interesting choice in a kids art exhibition - very difficult not to touch and taste - and I am 38.  Imagine the self restraint required for a three year old.)

We walked past the art.

We went outside and enjoyed God's art by the river while having lunch and cartwheels.

great sandy island

We took the opportunity of days off from Chris in between Christmas and New Year to go camping at Fraser Island.  This was my first camping trip there - we had visited for one day on our honeymoon - and the first run of the new tent for our family.  The tent held up well in the rain and wind.

It was an awesome trip filled with games and sand driving and swimming and lots of food.  And the moment in the morning in the tent when you are busting but weigh up for about twenty minutes how much your bladder can hold and is it worth walking the 200 metres to the campsite loo.

And the moment when I kind of broke the car a bit driving in soft sand - we lost acceleration for a day when I took some bumps too fast - sky! sand! sky! sand! children hitting their heads on the roof in the back seat!

Fraser is a wonderful place to see the creativeness of creation unspoilt.  I thank God that I was able to spend time in this wonderful place with my family and some great friends.

Here are just a few of the many many photos I took at Eli Creek, Lake Berribeen, Lake Wabby, Lake Mackenzie, Maheno Wreck, Indian Head, Dilli Village, on the barge etc etc etc.

Love Fraser Island.