Party Time - Mexican Style!

A party for the piñatas! One of Andy's work colleagues, Josuè is Mexican. As a celebration of finishing covid isolation and life becoming semi normal again, he decided to share a Mexican tradition of piñata. Firstly he organised a piñata making afternoon and then several weeks later gathered a crowd to break them open.

Several work colleagues and their families joined us on our deck in the afternoon winter sunshine for some piñata smashing along with some feasting. It was great to watch the children who ranged in ages form about 2 - 13yrs give the piñatas a whack. For the adults the hitting of the piñata was made somewhat harder as a blindfold was donned before being spun around numerous times before trying to bash the swinging piñata. Fun was had by all especially when the lollies fell from the broken piñatas!!

 

 

 

Bookweek

I thought we'd be done and dusted with Bookweek for Ella but apparently not! A last minute dash to the salvo's saw us whip up this outfit. The character is Cammie Morgan from the Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter.

The first book is I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You.

Goodreads summary : 

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"—but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her? 

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission—falling in love.

 

Off to Dog Obedience Class

Thursday nights are now taken up with Dog Obedience school for Indi. Held out at Mitchell, it's dark and freezing! Indi has about 8 other pups in her class ranging in ages from 9 weeks to 8 months. Her favourite friends are Frankie, the chocolate border collie and Winnie, the Australian Shepherd. Our whole family goes so that everyone can learn together and listen to the same advice however the girls attention spans are greatly tested. Only 7 weeks to go....

Dramas Continue

Susie's hamstring injury was serious enough to keep her off the slopes for the remainder of the trip. She did manage a short snow shoe excursion to take photos of us skiers. Katy was next to have an impressive stack wrenching her knee in the process. Andy was with her at the time and thought he might need help however after Katy had recovered from the initial shock, they were able to limp ski back across the runs and straight into the lodge.

It was my turn next - an injury not sustained on the slope but rather in the kitchen. I picked up a mug that the kids had accidentally broken the handle off and was considering whether to wrap it before placing it in the rubbish bin as I brushed my palm over the rough part. Unfortunately the broken edge nicely (and painlessly) sliced open my palm between my thumb and index finger. Susie was standing next to me and saw the whole situation unfold and we exchanged concerned looks at the sight of the cut before I quickly closed my hand to prevent it bleeding too much. Susie then rushed off for the first aid kit while I cursed myself for being so stupid especially as it was my right hand which is my scanning hand at work!! Although the cut was deep, we thought the I could get away by using steri strips to keep the edges together. After a few hours, I opened up my hand too much while playing cards and burst the clotting wound which then required another round of steri strips and a bandage to be applied. I was much more careful in not using it so all was ok after that.

The next day was home time. The lodge was cleaned from top to bottom, the kids cleared the snow from the balcony while the dads dug out the cars. All took about the same time - a few hours to complete! The drive out was very different with so much more snow covering the mountains and bush but not much on the road.

 

  

By the time we arrived home, Andy and Ella were both feeling sick. Although we thought they were run down from a big skiing holiday week, it was decided they should have a Covid test. Off they went late Sunday afternoon with Indi to the drive through testing facility at EPIC. Unfortunately pets were not allowed in the cars for the testing so poor Indi was tied up to a tree outside with a security guard keeping an eye on her!

By midnight, 7 hours post covid test, Andy received his text announcing he was negative. Ella stayed home from school on Monday and was patiently waiting for her text. By Monday afternoon, Ella's results were still unknown so I called work to let them know I wouldn't be coming in on Tuesday which would allow a bit more healing of my hand too. Ella had perked up by Tuesday and we were still not so patiently waiting for a text. By Tuesday afternoon despite the Covid info sheet saying not to call for results, I called!! Ella was becoming more anxious and as a health care worker I couldn't work until the test results came back. The lady who took my call was lovely and yes the results were ready - Ella's test was also negative. Not sure as to why we hadn't received notification sooner. Anyhow, Ella was so ecstatic that she scooted off to school for the final hour of the day!! By Wednesday life was back to the normal work / school routines and my hand held up fine.

Maiden Journey

Weather conditions weren't exactly perfect for our first backcountry ski but weren't bad enough to not go! After a brief downhill session followed by lodge lunch, Andy, Al, Rob and myself headed out in the very snowy conditions. Our aim was to walk as far as we wanted up the Paralyser, then ski down through the snow gums to the Snowy river and trek back to the lodge.

Negotiated the bridge over Farm Creek was interesting and I (mistakenly) decided it would be better to take skis off and in doing so ended up in thigh deep snow before making it on to the bridge!

 

 

Transitioning to ski back down!

Fun time skiing down through the snow gums - lots of laughs with a few stacks!!

We all agreed that this short loop was probably the best ski of the whole week! We're all looking forward to doing more of this in the future.

Day 5 - Snow and more snow

And the snow continued to fall so much that it was a Guthega Blue Calf day. The one t bar was open but luckily it has multiple routes down. Even so, I only managed 13 runs. The big boys spent much more time out there - racking up just over 40 runs for the day - not quite cracking the half century! Ella chose a lodge day while the other girls accompanied Susie on a short snow shoe walk to check out the situation of the cars!! Looks like digging will be necessary!

 

Day 4 - Injury!

Venturing off in different groups at different times, our aim was to converge at Interceptor chair. To do so, we caught the Ski Tube down from Blue Cow bumping into Rob. Max and Mira who managed to make it on to our train literally as the doors were closing! We rode the Village 8 as a group then split up again. 

I was with Katy and Mira. We wandered towards Centre Valley before looping back to Interceptor where we ran into a big crowd. As we slowly inched towards the chairlift, we kept a look out for everyone else. Soon we spotted Patrick, Josh and Mia and then Andy, Ella, Rob and Max had conveniently caught up too. Just waiting for Susie and Maki. We continued on to the top debating what to do next. Unexpectedly, Patrick received a call for help from Susie - she'd hurt her hamstring coming down the Discovery trail with Maki!! The group once again split -  a rescue mission for a few, a short extra ski for others and a break for most all while waiting for news on Susie's predicament.

Word came through that Susie was unable to continue to ski and had been taken on a skidoo down to the Perisher medical centre. Maki rejoined us and we all headed back to the lodge except for Patrick who stayed with Susie. Eventually a few hours later, Susie and Patrick arrived back at the lodge. We heard of Susie's unfortunate face first tumble over a steep drop followed by the lack of an available skidoo back to Guthega resulting in Susie's slow gingerly descent from Blue Cow terminal to the lodge. Sadly for Susie her skiing holiday was over and she spent the remaining few days hobbling around icing her hamstring as often as possible.

Day 3 - the Snow has Arrived!!

Wow! We woke up to a wintery snowy landscape thanks to the overnight storm. Unfortunately the clouds remained during the day along with a constant light flutter of snowflakes. The upside of course is that the grassy patches and rocks that were beginning to emerge on the pistes would once again be covered.

 

 

I'm definitely a fair weather skier. I like to see where I'm going, when I'm going to hit a bump and plan my turns - all for self preservation and to avoid injury at any cost. Hence on days like today when the snow arrived and visibility plummeted, I really struggled to stay out on the slopes for very long at all. I thought lasting for 2 hours was an awesome effort!! Andy on the other hand is a ski die hard - he will spend every last minute on the slopes pretty much regardless of the conditions. Today he was mostly confined to the blue calf and brumby t-bars making the best of the very snowy conditions.

 

Day 2 - On a Mission

Trying to remember everything is difficult and even the best of planning is sometimes not quite enough. Part of our usual routine for organising to go to the snow is to stop at Jindabyne to purchase last minute items at their freshest - bread, milk, cream, leafy vegetables... With list in hand, while Andy went off to complete his list - a new snow shoe strap, bakery items, coffee I detoured into Woolies for the necessary food items. 

It wasn't until late Sunday night well after the unpacking was done that I had that sinking feeling that I'd forgotten something...the milk! A quick check in our fridge revealed that I was correct - somehow between looking at the milk in the supermarket wondering how much to get and turning around to search for the cream I forgot to pick up the milk as I passed by in a hurry to get the ice cream! Oh well, we survived a few days on everyone else's generosity but the time had come to venture over to the supermarket at Perisher. 

After the kids had had enough of the terrible conditions experienced during their morning ski on the blue calf t bar, Andy and I headed off.

The Pleasant Valley chair was still broken due to a mechanical issue, so we caught the ski tube down. We had a sneaky lunch break enjoying a pizza before purchasing the milk and other required supplies. On our return trip, we saw an injured skier and ski patrol guy catching the interceptor chair down! Weather conditions were continuing to decline so we beelined our way back to the warm lodge.

Day 1

First day of our ski holiday dawned - cloudy overcast conditions and still not much snow. Off we went for a tour heading over to Blue Cow to check out the quality of the snow there. With our buff masks on we completed a few laps of ridge and summit chairs finding our ski legs again. The group split into several smaller gangs with everyone eventually converging at Blue Cow terminal for a break.    

As the weather and energy levels declined, the kids peeled off at different times to return back to the lodge for lunch. Post lunch saw various combinations of people head out for another ski, with the weather keeping us close to Guthega. Meanwhile back at the lodge the kids kept themselves entertained!!

 

Where is the Snow?

We held our collective breath for several months waiting and watching as to the impact that covid would do to the ski season and to our annual snow trip that was planned for mid August. Luckily covid plateaued and didn't make it to the ski fields. Like many organisations, the committee of our lodge worked extremely hard to figure out how our lodge would be impacted by the covid restrictions and recommendations. Thankfully, they felt Doorack could remain open (unlike many ski lodges who chose to close for the season) however with a reduction in the beds available and strict rules to adhere to. Perfectly was the fact that our party consisted of 14, the maximum covid number of bed available - our family of 4, the Kluth family of 4 plus Maki and the Jones/Walter clan of 5 fitted perfectly! Also extremely fortunately the other 10 people who booked during our week either cancelled their booking, or were able to move to another date.

As the weeks ticked by, snow began to fall, the ski season opened and covid remained at bay, our snow trip eventually arrived. We were looking forward to a change of scenery and an escape from everyday covid life. Sadly though, rain had fallen during the week leading up to our holiday washing away a decent amount of snow. The drive through Kosciuszko National Park was particularly bare. Definitely no chains were needed today! As it turned out our sled was useless too as the road to the lodge was free of snow. Both the Kluth and Jones/Walters cars drove up this normally closed section of the road to dump their luggage close to the lodge. 

The patchy blue sky from Canberra was replaced by the grey skies at the lodge and unfortunately for us stayed that way for most of the week.

Awkward

We have 2 local coffee shops that we frequent - Little Oink which is walking distance from home and 2B10 conveniently located opposite school. Both have been around for 5+yrs and do great coffee. Prior to Covid, we would always sit down to enjoy a coffee. Obviously when covid hit this wasn't an option, however takeaway was still available at both establishments. For Andy who only drinks out of a takeaway cup in extreme circumstances, he stopped going to the cafes and bonded more with his home coffee machine. 

Meanwhile I often would still grab a takeaway on my way to work. As Katy wasn't going to school, I would rarely go to 2B10 opting for the closer cafe Little Oink. Procedures at Little Oink had adapted to the changing conditions and one was required to order at the door, then wait outside until your name was called as your coffee was delivered to the outside table. Thus the staff at Little Oink learnt my name (having already mastered my order previously).

Anyway as restrictions slowly lifted, we returned to 2B10 a little more and I had two wildly different experiences recently that made me chuckle. Firstly one of the staff members calls me Jackie and despite correcting her on at least 3 different occasions, she continues to do so! Anyway no biggie really however, the other morning she served me. As I approached the counter she greeted me with 'Hello Jackie, a medium latte today?' while writing down Jackie on the takeaway cup. I nodded and paid before taking a seat continuing to sift through my emails. Funnily though was when she called Jackie, I stood up collected my coffee and turned around to see a confused look on a fellow school friend's mum face - yep long story I said to her!!

Then within the week, I returned again. This time while waiting to be served by a new staff member, I heard a familiar voice come from behind the coffee machine  'Hi Natalie, lovely to see you again!' Turned out to be a staff member who had recently returned from overseas. She'd been away for the past 18 months and when calling out my correct name commented 'What happened to the mochas?!'

Circus Party

There was a fair amount of organising during the morning to be ready for Ella's afternoon party. Unfortunately the weather was not at all amenable to use the slackfline or silk in the front garden on arrival. As the rain fell steadily, all of the activities needed to be conducted inside the house or inside the garage.

Unbeknownst to Ella, Andy and I decided to get into the Circus mood...

Each activity, accrued points for each circus performer and at the end of the night scores were tallied and prizes could be selected.

First activity was Balloon Pop - performers used a dart to pop a balloon and collect the points behind. It worked really well!

  

Next was voting for best costume with 

Lolly Jar guess had performers counting lollies in one of three mason jars with the closest winning the loot!

Then it was time for the Ping Pong Toss where performers earn points based on which cup their ball randomly landed in.

 

As darkness descended, it was a good time to play Ring Toss using glow sticks. A knock out competition took place.

  

A carnival dinner was planned next. It was good to have the girls calm down for a moment while they ate!!

Chocolate Coin Game was played - with performers tossing a coin hoping to land it onto either block of chocolate to earn points and their choice of a mini chocolate bar! A popular game.

A little bit of free time mucking around with the Intsagram frame!!

 

 

Cake time!!

 

Post birthday cake, scores were revealed, prizes chosen and then Circus party had come to an end. Hoping all the performers had a memorable time, I know Ella did. Katy by this time had warmed up...possibly a little too late!!