Boo is eight

My little man is another year older.  Could time please just stop now!  How is it that my baby boy is eight years old.  So while I was coming to grips with his ageing, he was busy celebrating opening presents, taking phone calls and generally having an awesome day.

Disappointed that he had to go to school on his birthday was buffered with a breakfast out at his favourite cafe before school.  Henry couldn't join us because he was in rehearsals for the boys school dance group.

Milkshakes for the kids and a pot of tea for me.  Buster only ever orders poached eggs on sourdough toast but today he wanted to try the chocolate chip pancakes.  He took a couple of bites and then looked across the table at my poached eggs.  He didn't like his pancakes - too sweet.  So we did a swap and he had my perfectly poached eggs while I spent the rest of the day feeling sickly from eating his pancakes.

Another perk of the birthday boy was getting some special reading group time with me for 20 minutes at school.

Afternoon time was spent at home with a visit from Nanoo and the lighting of the birthday cake.  This year's cake request was for a chocolate cake with Oreos on around and on top.

Thank you to everyone for his birthday presents, cards, calls, best wishes and thoughts.

Another year older

Another year older and I got to spend it with my nearest and dearest.  A big thank you to everyone who called, sent cards or messages.  I had a lovely birthday and made a weekend of it.

His present was a big hug.  Best present ever.

My birthday started with a catch up chai latte and scones with two girlfriends.  Mum came over to the house with some lunch, and then it was school pick up time and the afternoon with the kids.  I told them I didn't want to cook dinner so they could have whatever they wanted.  They chose Pringles and were surprised when I said yes.  Not the healthiest of dinners but what the hell, it was my birthday.  They probably won't ask for Pringles for dinner again.  What first seemed like a great idea became reality when they struggled to eat them all.

Saturday was the usual running around with swimming lessons and drama classes.  We managed to fit in a trip to the movies to see Thor Ragnarok - which was awesome.  Lots of laughs and we all want to see it again.  Saturday night was Milly's final Cinderella performance and after party.

Sunday started off lazy (which is how we roll).  Late breakfast, some work in the garden, then it was off to a birthday party for one of Buster's classmates.  It was held at a dog park and you were encouraged to bring your pet.  Minnie had a great time.  The kids all had fun and there was a pinata full of dog treats to keep the pooches happy.

Sunday night was out for my birthday dinner.  A great way to end a perfect weekend.

Raclette

"Raclette is a type of Swiss cheese. It is most commonly used for melting. It is also a Swiss dish based on heating the cheese and scraping off the melted part."


I remember a few times in my childhood coming home from school to find my parents and their friends drunk from an afternoon of long lunching on raclette and plenty of wine.  They'd be playing a game of cards and falling about laughing.  My brother and I, hungry from a full day of school, would be scrounging for any cheese or deli meat leftovers to keep us going until dinner time.  Great memories and probably why I'd always prefer getting together at someone's house for a good time rather than hitting the nightclubs, when I was younger.  There's always the chance to be a little more debauched and less PC when you're not out in public, and you have the safety net of your friends surrounding you.

Anyway, on to the raclette. 

Nanoo had just returned from an overseas holiday where she'd caught up with family which reminded her of her Swiss sister and her raclette.  Her thoughts then extended to the local grandchildren who had yet to experience a much loved eating tradition within the family.  And so, a school holiday raclette lunch was arranged.

Melted cheese, boiled chat potatoes, red onion and a gherkin.  Basic fare but combined, a match made in cheese loving heaven.

Note:  This photo of Milly was taken just after her week-long gastro.  You can see how skeletal she became.

This kid loves a little bit of potato with his butter.  Wasn't a fan of the melted cheese.

Our little star

Her first theatrical production closes this weekend.  I finally managed to get a photo of her in one of her costumes.  I present to you, one of the Footmen in Cinderella.

Walkies

All we have to do is show Minnie her harness and lead and she is in a frenzy of excitement.  The whining starts, the running around mental starts, the eagerness to get to the front door and out into the world is overwhelming for her.

She is a very strong dog.  She pulls and drags us along, only to briefly stop and sniff at the bushes.  When we go for a walk around the block it can be exhausting for all of us.  There are a lot of steep hills and we are all huffing and puffing (well, maybe not the kids) at the end of it.

Sometimes Minnie gets to go for "walkies in the motor car" before she gets to walk by the beach or greet the kids at the school gate.  She certainly loves her walks.

Beach days

Michael took some leave during this past school holidays, which proved timely as Milly was sick and then busy with Cinderella.  Buster also caught the gastro bug but managed to bounce back quicker than Milly.  Thankfully, the rest of us stayed healthy.

With the weather warming up, a trip to the beach was needed.  To avoid the heat of the day and crowds at the beach, late afternoon swims are our beach going time of day to hit the sand and sea.

The water was still a bit chilly for Buster and Milly, so they busied themselves playing in the sand.  Henry and Michael took on the waves.  Henry has really tried to embrace body surfing.  Michael only too happy to teach him and glad one of the kids is finally keen to go to the beach more often for a swim.

For me, the water has to be bath temperature or I'm dying of heatstroke to get me in the water.  I'm quite happy sitting in the sand, supervising and taking pictures.

A Star is Born

Our girl has been in rehearsals for the past two months for her first theatre production.  She is a member of the ensemble cast for a production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.  She plays a villager, palace chef and footman for Cinderella's carriage.

Five days before the first performance she fell ill with a nasty gastro bug.  She was very sick and dehydrated.  She missed all the final technical and dress rehearsals, and also had to miss her first two performances.  Naturally, she was disappointed.

When she was finally fit and well enough to return there were some costume problems.  She had lost so much weight, one of her costume skirts was too big.  Because there are some quick costume changes, the dressers needed to safety pin her skirt together to stop it from falling down.

Otherwise, her first performance went without any dramas.  She loved performing and is continuing to enjoy the experience.  She already has her sights set on auditioning for a production of Alice in Wonderland in a few months time.  This time, however, she wants an individual role.

Mister and Minnie

Poor Mister has had a month of illnesses.  Just when he has recovered from a bad head cold, he gets a bout of the vomits.  Then he recovers again only to get another bad cold.  It's just as well Minnie can sense when he's feeling poorly.  She won't leave his side until she's snuggled up making him feel better.  We call it "Minnie's magic".

Nanoo's birthday

A few weeks ago, Nanoo took me and the boys out for lunch to celebrate her birthday.