Around the Lake

Mum's here and we're having a lovely time. We walked right around Lake Albert on Monday (yay for public holidays!) while the children rode with Andrew.

Of course the riders beat us around which suited us very well as they had fish and chips ready for us.

Spring is Wagga is so lovely, shame it doesn't last....

Family fun

Our visitor-filled holidays are almost half over! Sare, Ty and kids came to stay for a few days and they have been days filled with merriment. They arrived late Tuesday afternoon and looked after our kids on Wednesday while Andrew and I were at work. I finished at 3, as usual, but after sorting dinner out, went back to work from 6.30 til 9pm. We had our very first HSC Lock-In where we opening the library exclusively for HSC students. We weren't sure how it would go, or if more than 2 students would come so were thrilled when 18 students and 1 teacher came and they all loved it, asking for us to hold several more before the HSC!

Working such a long day was even more worth it when I remembered that I won't be going back to work again until Tuesday, thanks to a flex day today and the long weekend. That meant that I could enjoy Thursday with our visitors. Sare helped Joss with the crystal making kit she bought at Questacon.

We made the obligatory trip to the Junee Licorice Factory. Jossie, who wore that memorable outfit to the pool last week, objected to Bethany's choice of attire. Pick your battles, I say. If she wants to go out in the holidays with orange feather hair and blue eyeshadow, I'm happy for her to do it!

Sadly, I didn't get many good photos of everyone. We played lots of games and enjoyed lots of good food.

They left this morning and I have been making mini muffins all afternoon for our church's street fair tomorrow. I wonder if I'll get a long sleep in at some stage.

Loving the Eighties

I love the way Paul Weller can sing with chewing gum in his mouth.

Lasts

Friday was the last day of school for term three and Jossie's last day in her Wagga Wagga Christian College winter uniform! She and Toby went to Kids' Club on Friday evening and we realised that it was her last Kids' Club as next term she'll go to SAYGE, which is the youth group. Kids' Club and SAYGE both allow kids from the year below (year 2 for Kids' Club and year 6 for SAYGE) to come along for fourth term. She's growing up! The last Kids' Club for each term is held at the pool and she and Toby both looked 'interesting' when we hopped into the car. Toby's board shorts are longer than his sports shorts and Jossie put this little outfit together herself. Funnily enough, I remember being big on long, striped socks, though I was in year nine at the time. Very advanced is Jossie!

I have been rather busy in the last week with our church's Big Day Out. Each year the whole church heads somewhere, usually a little way out of town, for a day of fellowship and teaching. For the first time I was asked to organise the catering...... for 120 people! I was freaked out to say the least and I can't say that there were no tears involved in the lead up, but with lots of help it all came together in the end, thanks be to God! We had it at Downside which is not a town but an old hall on the way to Coolamon where they have bushdancing. We went there recently for Narelle's birthday.

The weather was perfect and while I didn't get to experience the day in the same way as everyone else, I know they all had lots of fun.

After lunch there was cricket......

swings.....

and Bethany's favourite, face painting.

All my head space had been taken up with my job for Saturday so I had nothing planned for dinner afterwards. We went into town and tried a Chinese restaurant we hadn't been to before. We haven't had great experiences at the others we have tried over the years but were pleasantly surprised and the kids really enjoyed it. I tried to talk them into fried ice-cream which was a favourite of mine as a child but they didn't like the sound of it (?!). We were right next door to Gelatissimo so had gelato instead - the pistachio was very nice but I missed the batter.

I took this photo this morning. It's the garden next door to church and I just loved the white blossoms against the sky. The kids now have two weeks off school and I am very pleased that I won't be making school lunches tomorrow. Shame I have to go to work though.

Loving the Eighties

Those were the days, when real men wore eye liner and lipstick, not fake tan. One of the female singers has a rat's tail (I had one in year six) and the lyrics are positively sinister! I really did like Phil Oakley, though.... he also sang Together in Electric Dreams. Did you know that Bud Cort did the voice of the computer in that movie? That's a little bit of Harold and Maude trivia for you. My head is full of useless information!

Travel all over the countryside

I remember going to Canberra in Year 6. We looked in the gate at The Lodge and......um......ate lollies and didn't sleep in our motel. That's pretty much the extent of my memories of that trip. Jossie and Toby have both been on big excursions in the last couple of weeks and took my old camera in order to capture their memories.

It's interesting to see what they think worthwhile photographing. Joss took plenty of photos of Parliament House.

This is one of many fuzzy photos of the Senate. I think, on the whole, Joss enjoyed getting away from school with her friends most of all.

Toby, on the other hand, talked non-stop for ages when he came home from Dubbo. He told me every story he had been told about escape attempts at Dubbo gaol.

He tried to remember every single animal he saw.

This is Jossie's favourite animal. Ever since she went to Dubbo Zoo two years ago and bought a soft toy rhino called Greg (her choice) she has been rhino mad. She wants to be a rhino when she grows up.

Bethany bought a giraffe at Taronga Zoo earlier in the year so she also has a favourite animal. We discussed, before Toby left, which animal he would buy. I suggested a lion because that is my favourite (Aslan), or a meerkat because they are so funny.

He came home with Steve.

Though he didn't take any self portraits on the bus (a shot very popular with Joss) he did take a few of friends photographing him.

And this one of his teacher in the stocks. I'll bet she wishes she had some of these in the classroom.

It's nice having everyone back home again and now there is only one week til the holidays! We're having lots of visitors, can't wait!

Loving the Eighties

This one is for Andrew who still loves Nik Kershaw. We bought one of his newer albums when we were in the UK and listened to it in the car as we drove through Scotland so I would have to say that I am rather attached to him myself.