Caching Around Mt Painter

Yesterday's geocache excursion was such a success, I suggested a loop around Mt Painter. Surprisingly the girls once again agreed and off we rode. We locked up our bikes for a loop of 3 caches. The first cache was a bit tricky, located in the end of a guard rail but we eventually found it. The next one super easy and the third involved us trekking halfway up Mt Painter! Beautiful spot for a break and while we were enjoying the views, Ella realised she'd lost her phone from her pocket!!

No problems we thought, we'll just use find my phone but Ella's phone didn't have reception. She had remembered last using it at the first cache which was 700m away and so I was thinking that our chances of finding the phone were pretty slim especially in the long green grass. Nevertheless, we spread out and retraced our steps. I was FTF (First to find - a geocache term!) the phone when we were about 10m away from the first cache! Phew... morning disaster averted! On we continued.

At the next cache we recorded our first DNF which is always a little deflating. However we were beautiful roses greeted us at our last cache and brought back our smiles. Takeaway coffees and milkshakes from Little Oink completed our morning.

 

 

Replacement Exercise

We are struggling to get the girls out and about since all organised activities have ceased. Going for a run or ride isn't their kind of cup of tea ...yet... so I reinstalled the geocache app we began six years ago. Interestingly the girls are so much happier when they are enjoying the great outdoors and even more so when they are engrossed in something.

Off we headed on our bikes to the bottom of Aranda Hill for a geocache loop around the kangaroo paddocks. It was a gorgeous afternoon to be wandering around for a few hours. Our favourite cache today was the frog in a sock while the hardest one was the micro at the old rabbit hutch.

 

 

 

  

Covid - 19 Creeps In

Arriving home from Melbourne late on Sunday night, the girls came to pick me up. Both were bubbling about their recent working bee tales from Guthega. Katy was also very excited to be packed and ready for school camp - a three day adventure to Camp Cooba located between Cooma and Berridale, the next morning.

Over the weekend, Covid-19 restrictions were beginning to take shape. The Australian government had made an announcement that all organised, non-essential mass gathering attended by more than 500 people must be cancelled from Monday 16th March. Although this announcement  didn't recommend school closures, it did apply to a range of school events which included school camps!!

Katy was devastated to find out the next morning that camp was no longer on. Unfortunately for Katy, it's the second year in a row to miss this exciting and memorable event as we were in France last year. Actually for us the camp cancellation was a blessing in disguise as Katy woke up fairly sick and would have struggled at camp. In fact she spent the next three days home sick!!

Camp wasn't the only thing to be cancelled, so to was the Autumn Score Series and Netball. As the week progressed the outlook was becoming bleaker! Gymnastics and Silks closed their doors. Our weekly timetable of activities was becoming bare!



Next came the email and abrupt end to the school term...with the ACT schools becoming pupil free! Andy was to take charge with the home schooling as he is able to work from home unlike my job. So on Monday night, Andy and the girls set up their new home school desks and work areas -  all ready for the next morning!! Andy and Katy in the front room and Ella on the dinning table. Bring on home schooling!!

Split Weekend

Covid-19 reached our shores in late January after emerging from Wuhan China as an epidemic declared in December 2019. By the end of February there were 26 cases reported Australia wide. Half of these cases travelled from China while the other half contracted the virus while on the cruise ship the Diamond Princess. By now, the World Health Organisation had declared Covid-19 a pandemic with China, Italy and Spain leading the way with confirmed cases.

The first case reported in Canberra was on March 12th.

We were beginning to realise that perhaps our future looked a little uncertain as information filtered through regarding this new virus. School newsletters encouraged regular hand washing and good respiratory hygiene as well as keeping any child who was sick to stay at home. As we rolled into the weekend, I flew down to Melbourne to attend a Gynae Ultrasound Conference while Andy took the girls to Guthega for a working bee weekend at the lodge.

My weekend was very quiet as I knew no-one else at the conference. Unfortunately both the UK and Sydney speakers wisely opted not to travel during these increasingly concerning times and so presented their talks via video links.

The UK speaker was fantastic with very entertaining talks. One of his topics was ovarian pathology which focuses on pattern recognition. His point is that we as humans are very good at pattern recognition - as proven by this slide where we can differentiate the chihauhaus from the blueberry muffins!!

Meanwhile Andy together with Rob was giving the laundry / workshop at the lodge a clean out and face lift. The girls were under Al's watchful eye painting room 8! In between these jobs, they joined the line to transfer the wood from the pile out the front to neatly stacked inside the wood room. Plus the kids still had time to fix up the cubby house outside the back of the lodge and Andy managed a short run up Guthega Trig. All in all a productive weekend!

 

Year 7 School Photo

School photos take place early in high school so that school ID cards can be created and include a student's photo. Growing up fast Ella!

Our Hearts Break

Today we said goodbye to our gorgeous dog Pippa. She was a month shy of her 16th birthday. Pippa was an amazing dog to have lasted so long. As we departed in Dec 2018 on our trip to France, we were sure she wasn't going to be there to greet us on our return. No only did she do that, but lived for another 15 months!

However as the months ticked over, her body began to fail her. Arthritis had crept into her legs and neck, she was mostly deaf and her eyesight definitely wasn't that great. Dementia had well and truly set in as well as incontinence. We helped to ease her aliments - medication for the arthritis and incontinence.

Over time though her spark for life was slowly dimming. She spent lots of time asleep and would need to be woken up in the morning or when we arrived home. She was beginning to have trouble getting up the two back steps.  Her tail wagged less upon seeing us and I began to question her quality of life.

Then without any specific incident, the time felt right for us to let her go and we made the decision with the girls the night before subject to the vet bookings. All the stars lined up the next day. We met at the vet after school and work. Pippa slipped away quickly and peacefully and our tears flowed.

Back at home she has left a big void.

Thanks for all the wonderful memories Pippa! Here is a snap shot of your wonderful life....

 

  

 

        

 

   

    

   

    

 

  

  

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 Pippa 10/4/2004 - 11/3/2020