Minnie

Double digits for Boo

The youngest has made it to 10 years old and we celebrated by letting him have a birthday party.  Truth be told, we are not great at organising birthday parties for the kids.  Don't read into this that we don't celebrate birthdays.  Of course we do.  As a family, we always go out for dinner.  It's just having a party with all their friends is something we are slack at arranging. 

It had been four years since Buster had last had a party with his friends.  Plus, as the kids get older, parties just seem something done for younger kids.  Henry and Milly both prefer sleepovers or movies with a select few besties.

With a variety of party venues as options, Buster chose Ninja Parc to unleash himself and friends on.  It's a great indoor obstacle course with lots of physical challenges and for a bunch of 9-10 year old boys a perfect place to use all that energy they seem to possess.

Happy birthday Boo!

First trophy

Boo loves his tennis.  He could hit balls all day.  He has a private coach and plays in a Friday night competition that goes for a school term, with players earning points based on the amount of games they've played and their results.  At the close of the last term, he received a trophy for coming first with the highest point score in his division. 

He had been desperate to win a trophy since he started competing at the start of the year.  He was always hoping to get the Coaches trophy for Most Improved, he never dreamed he'd get one for winning his division. 

His smile says it all.  So proud. 

Big Mister

He was once our Little Mister or just Mister, but now that he's almost as tall as Michael and he now has the longest feet in the house, "Big Mister" seems an appropriate title.  I now get his hand-me-down jumpers, and Michael get's his hand-me-down football boots.

So what has Big Mister been up to this year?  Well, he's a typical teenage boy.  Doesn't say much and keeps to himself.  He goes about his day without any drama or fanfare.  He's our quiet achiever.  He loves his dog, friends and family - and probably in that order too.

He played soccer this year with a terrific bunch of boys and is lucky to have a coach that thinks highly of them and is all about them having fun and being respectful young men.  His team made the grand final again this year, only to be beaten in the dying minutes of the game.  He's made some great friendships with these boys and he's signed on to play summer soccer as well.

He's in Year 8 now and has adjusted to high school life, and is still learning how to manage his time with school work, assignments, soccer and gaming.

Other than the usual school subjects, his two electives this year were Computer Graphics and Film Making, and Food Technology.

According to his school report, he is "highly skilled" in the kitchen and we are only now just starting to see his confidence grow in our home kitchen.  He's made himself a few things on the stove top and is good with an oven, but we are still waiting for him to cook us something.  At least now when he gets home from school he can make himself a decent snack to keep him going until dinner.

Indulging our creative arts in Sydney

Training it.

Last weekend was a glorious one to spend in Sydney.  It actually made me miss the place we used to live, just a smidge.  The weather was spectacular and we paraded ourselves around the harbour city like true tourists. 

Many months ago, Nanoo had gotten us tickets to see the musical West Side Story at the Opera House.  What started off as being just a girl's trip to see the show, turned into an adventure seeking the creative.  Milly has been studying the Australian artist Brett Whiteley at school, so we took the weekend away as a chance to expose Milly to some of the places he lived, worked and painted.

We took the train down and arrived in Circular Quay mid morning.  We had a good walk around, taking in the views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, and watched some buskers.  We then visited Gelato Messina for the best gelato in Sydney, then it was more walking around being tourists and taking photos before heading inside the Opera House for the show.

Being a tourist.

Gelato Messina's "Old Gregg".  Baileys gelato with ripples of butterscotch sauce.

I never tire of looking at Sydney Harbour on a beautiful day.

Sydney Opera House

What can I say about the show?  It was fantastic.  Live orchestra, set design clever, costuming perfect, choreography fresh, the young cast were brilliant and so talented.  Milly enjoyed herself.  She loved the dancing and her favourite character was Anita and the performance of the song"America".

After the show we caught a ferry across the harbour to Kirribilli to where we were lodging for the night.  A quick rest and refresh before heading out for dinner and a catch up with Corin, Yin and Casper. 

Ferry time.

Recharging.

Never gets old and always looks more glorious - it's just a bridge.

The next day we said goodbye to our lodge and hit the pavement for a bit of walking.  First stop was to show Milly, Brett and Wendy Whiteley's home at Lavender Bay where he painted some of his famous works.  Then we explored Wendy's secret garden that she began creating after Brett died.  The garden had evolved so much since I had last seen it, and it really is a beautiful and peaceful place to wander and contemplate.

We left Lavender Bay and walked around the harbour to Luna Park for another tourist photo before catching a ferry back to the city, grabbing a train and walking to Brett Whiteley's old studio and gallery.

Then it was back on the train and home again, home again, jiggety jig. 

Great B&B.

The Whiteley's house perched above Lavender Bay and the garden.

Just one of many secret paths leading you to another hidden set of paths.

Outside Brett Whiteley's studio.

Until next time Sydney.

When Dad came to stay

My Dad came to stay with us for a few days recently.  It's always great to see him and catch up. 

We thought we'd take him out to see the whales but despite it being a sunny day, it was in fact freezing and blowing a very bitter gale.  No whales to be seen unfortunately.

Winter walkies

Would I be speaking too soon to say it's been a mild winter? We have had some glorious winter days this season and are lucky enough to live in a coastal town where you can watch the whales migrate just by standing on a shoreline or headland.  I didn't manage to get any whale photos, but you'll just have to take my word for it that we saw a few whales and I never tire of watching them.

Michael does Vegas

Michael had the fortune of being invited by Dell Technologies to their conference in Las Vegas.  So we said goodbye to him for a week as he headed off for a few days of tech talks and taking in the sites of the City of Lights.

Michael tells me there are poker machines everywhere, including all throughout the airport.  So if you're desperate for a flutter while waiting for your baggage in the collection area... don't sweat it, the opportunity to lose some dollars is there.

Dell had booked Michael into the Palazzo hotel.  His hotel suite was huge.

VEGAS BY DAY AND VEGAS BY NIGHT

Around 1500 people attended the conference event.  Even Will.I.Am was there to talk about artificial intelligence.  The band Imagine Dragons entertained the congregation on the final night.

Then it was back home to three very excited children to see their dad.