Some day we will go back......

One of those things on the bucket list, is to go back to Namibia and show the kids where we spent a year of our life.  It has been over 13 years and I wonder how much has changed in a country so young.  It was only a decade since independence when we arrived and massive changes were occurring.  Having said that it was a safe and peaceful nation, except for the Capri vi which we didn't get a chance to explore.  In the next 2-3 years we hope to go over.  The kids are old enough now to go and I think they would really love the experience.

The first thing we saw after arriving in Walvis Bay (which use to be part of South Africa) was this....

 

Yep, even we could work that out!

 

Actually they are warning signs as sand can get blown across the road.  During a bad sand storm we saw cars that had their paint blasted off.

 

Swakopmund was a very pretty town on the coast.  It reflected its German past in the styles of buildings, restaurants, shops and German was still quite widely spoken.  Actually I would often get spoken to in German when I entered a shop, but JB didn't?????  It was all very colonial.  The Swakop River runs out to the Atlantic Ocean although it was mostly dry, we did see it flood the first weekend we were there.  It only took 2 inches of rain to do it.

 

 

The Swokopmund Lighthouse over looked the Mole and near the lighthouse was a restaurant by the same name, where we drank many G&Ts, couldn't risk getting malaria!  They also made a great mussel pot, filled with cheesy hots mussels and rice.  Yum.

 

 

 

I wonder how long we should go for.....  This time there are a few extra places we want to visit.  Maybe I should get out the travel planner and see what a budget looks like.



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!