The Real Part 2

sorry Mum! 

John got back on time to put up some Chrstmas lights, which looks rather pretty.  The kids think they are great and we will have to get some more, I have my eyes on a few that will be on super sale on Boxing Day.  It does look better when its dark but I haven't taken that photo yet!


We have our first tropical plums on this year!!! Don't think they will be very big as it has been too dry, the peaches are smaller than lst year but quite plentiful.  Tasted great!  Not a lot of apples on either :-(

 

Bella got her first nose bleed, dont ask!

 

Haydens birthday cake.

Christmas Newsletter Part 2

See Mum, I did a Part 2.......

A Modern Twist on the Annual Christmas Letter

or as we all know, Tracey was slack this year and didn't get around to it!

Well its been a year since we started the blog to record our adventures.  It hardly seems like it and we can say its been an amazing year for us.  We have really enjoyed it and have grown as a family.  John arrived home about a week and a half ago, just in time for the end of year activities for school and Christmas.  We were all very excited to see him at the airport but it was very funny to see the goose down jacket and snow boots he was caring.  He went from -25 to +35m which wasn't too bad as it has been so dry here. 

 

Yep i travelled back with the three kids by myself, crazy but we wanted to get the kids settled back into school over here and were not keen on starting another winter over there.  With the kids moving up a grade, we would not have access to the school bus as we lived too close (by about 200m) to the school and walking to school in the snow is not fun at -17, trust me we did it a few times, poor Bella did it more as she had to walk down and back!  However i have to say, they were bloody awesome!  Business class travel does help, but Rhys pushed a whole trolley around the airport, customs and immigration were very kind and we were through and over to the transfer desk in no time.  Then a nice dude from Virgin went and got a bus and drove us over to the domestic terminal early.  i am pretty sure he was allowed to take the bus for a spin and he seemed to know what he was doing.  Although he did almost drive off the road when Rhys saw the Australian flag and proceeded to stand up and sing Advance Australia Fair, I just about fell out of my seat laughing!  It gets better when we landed in Mackay he got off the plane and threw his arms in the air and did a little celebratory dance, then (I told you it gets better) he kissed the car when he saw it!

 

The kids are all in school next year!  Bella did a preprep program at Pindi school and also was able to join the ekindy pilot this year.  She loved it and has made some new friends and reacquainted herself with old ones (as you do when you are 4) Before anyone asks, yes I will know what to do with myself!  When we got back the kids didn't suffer any jet lag and were back at school within a few days.  You should have seen the welcome back, only thing missing was ticker tape.  It was great! 

They have really enjoyed the remainder of the school year and were rather happy to put on the end of year concert.  Rhys has since admitted the idea of Aussie Jingle Bells is silly and he is not dancing Gangman for anyone!  He is however happy to sing about wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas......go figure????

 

 

 

 

Hayden (second from the left) and Rhys (in the red socks with no shoes on!), gettting their swimming awards.

 Hayden getting his Prep graduation certificate while being kept inline by Ms Green, he was doing silly hand gestures.......boys!

John as been rather impressed with my efforts while he was away, and so he should be.  I have become way to familiar with solar and wind power systems, water and all sorts of stuff, that I could have done without, he can have it all back.  I will however retain lawn moving rights, for the ride on, that thing is serious fun! 

 

Lots of work her next year but it will all be worth it.  This is the block we bought late last year.   It is rather dry and we are all doing rain dances at the moment.  So thats the end of part 1, I may add a part 2 or I may not...... 



 

 

As one Adventure ends, another BEGINS

Four more sleeps, we have four more sleeps.  Remember counting down to birthdays, Christmas, last day of school.....it's felt a little like that but also a little empty. 

Of course we are excited to go back home, to the place we built with lots of blood, sweat and tears (yelling and the odd tant), sad that John has to remain for a little longer, apprehensive to see what has happened (or not)

BUT  

We will miss this place.  Not the the business of the city and constant sirens, not the chance to live in a different place or experience a different way of life (which has been a great experience) but the chance for it to be just us as a family, living without the added stress home brings, no dramas or unexpected events.  I don't think I realised how much it drains us. 

So we need to keep focused on what is important to us as a family and do what is right and take time together.

and I need to finish packing

Ottawa Visit Part 1....Parc Omega

We had a long weekend and as you do, decided to head somewhere for it.  Ottawa is about two hours away and the perfect spot to visit.  Ottawa is the capital and sits in a beautiful part of the country...who am I kidding its all beautiful! 

There are lakes everywhere and I mean everywhere.  People have little weekender cabins, retirement homes, fishing shacks, boats, canoes, float planes, lake living is a whole nother way of life, which I think I would like. 

Friends had told us that on the way was a place called Parc Omega and we would all love it, they also warned us to take lots of carrots.  Actually two families told us that!

So we packed the car up (this time a Ford SUV, no Dodge Caravan :-( ) cleaned the fridge out of fruit and veg, grabbed a huge bag of carrots and headed off.

 

Just after the entry (cost about $70 for our family of five), which was staffed by a really friendly lady who told us all about the park and asked us what we were doing and where we were from, is the main rest area.   

We had been driving for awhile and decided to grab a quick lunch here.  The food was pretty good for a tourist attraction.  The grown ups had burgers and the kids had hot dogs and fries

There is also a pretty cute gift shop here and rest rooms.

Around the entry doors they have been putting up the antlers that are shed each winter. 

Looks really amazing. 

A bit of bear love.

 

You can sit inside or outside on the deck that overlooks the lake. There are several really intricate bird houses, built like mini log cabins and  some small animal pen with foxes, raccoons etc. 

Then you drive through the main gates/grid and this is what you get!

Eww deer drool!  Good thing it was a hire car!!!!

At this stage I will pint out the kid who was freaking out was the first one shoving carrots down large wapitis gobs.  They are the giant deer.



Little cutie pies

I could have bundled one of these up and taken it home.

You will have trouble keeping them in their seats!

#superexciterment!

I am still killing myself laughing at this.  You should have heard them screaming!

Now what do you do if you get stopped by one of these things?

Big Beautiful Bison!

There are also wolves, black bears, ibex, lots of types of deer... a moose that was raised from hand (and I hear they have some new orphan moosies).  Would we go again, you bet!  We had so much fun. 

Faces...These things are Everywhere

Everywhere we go there are these things....

From the aviation and space museum in Ottawa.

Biodome

Outside the RCMP shop in Niagara Falls.

Ben and Jerry's in Vermont

Summer in Mont Tremblant.

So we did what you have to do, lined up and took silly photos!

Ketchiccan Lumberjack Show

The other thing we had organised for Ketchikan was the Lumberjack Show.  Well you know how one of the things you think about Alaska is all the timber being sent down the rivers with big hairy men in flannie shirts stading on rolling logs???  I wanted to see if it was true. 

Not so hairy lumberjack

Action shot, would be better if they were cutting fence posts.

Flannie shirt.

Look a human squirrel!  They climb these massive poles as quick as anything and then you should see them come down, heart attack time.

Now we are talking ....

It goes for about an hour and cost $35.

After that we had to skedaddle back to the ship before it left but not before I went to the Christmas Shop.  It was amazing and I was very well behaved, much very much to someones surprise!

Alaskan Cruise Day 6 ...... Ketchikan Alaska

Hello Ketchican.  Catchy name that one!  Did you know its the salmon capital of the world?  Nope nor did I but we all do now!


  See proof, the sign says so.



There were four cruise ships docked!  Two Princess ones, us and an NCL one.  John liked the NCL colours, the kids liked the huge movie screens up on the Princess top decks (How come our ship doesn't have one of those?). We are the ones with the dark blue hull.

Ketchikan is actually on an island, with its airport on another island.  You have to take a boat across to get there, although most air traffic is once again float planes.  These are seriously cool things and  if you can get the Sarah Palin images out of your mind, they would be worth the $150 for a flight if we had more time.  It was fun just watching them take off and land.  Most of the houses are along the waters edge and have their own docks with either a boat or a float plane....if you are rich both.  Land is a bargain but building would kill you. 

Coming into port we saw orcas dear a dry dock.  Biz was pressed up against the window calling "Here fishy, fishy, fishy", must have worked.  No photo once again!

The Ketchican Duck Tour was our first activity for the day, its a bus tour with a difference, you get to drive around on the water.  You should have seen the kids faces when we were going down the boat ramp.  Like all good boat ramps there was some dude parked on it when we wanted to get out. So we did lappies in around the docks.  As you do!

 

Fishing is the other big industry (apart from tourism and timber)

There is even a Deadliset Catch tour There is one here which was in the show early on.

This isn't the boat!   

Told you these things are cool, look his and hers!

A little more about Ketchikan.

Here the kids are hanging off a statue in the port. 

Every photo he stuck his tongue out, every one!

Whats the best thing about the duck tour? Sticking your head out the port holes like a puppy.

Class my kids, all class!

Glacier Bay....more photos

 I'll say nothing but let you drink in the visual splendour .....

that is Glacier Bay National Park.

Now try and so some work after SOMEONE leaves me a comment!