Floriade

Since visiting Floriade for the first time in 2008 with 18month old Ella, I haven't missed a year except this year. My excuse...work/school but mainly the weather. Actually it was the first time in the 29 year history of Floriade that it was closed for two days due to....the weather.

Luckily for the girls, they got to go with Nana and when the sun was mostly shining! All the normal activities were ticked off the list - the reptile people were there, a gnome was painted, picnic lunch complete with ice cream plus a ride on the ferris wheel. Life in bloom was the theme although according to the girls the flowers weren't as good as previous years. Perhaps it wasn't too bad to have missed out??

  The new gnome making friends in our garden...perhaps not sporting that bloodied lip??

More School Holiday Moments

I feel like an old record but this weather is driving me crazy. One minute it look like the warm weather has come only for the next day to return to rain and cold conditions.

More indoor time has meant Ella's homemade damper for lunch and Katy's raspberry ice creams for dessert!













One afternoon we had a quite short intense storm with hail and strong winds which bought down many trees and power lines. Thankfully we were lucky to escape both of these scenarios. However as the evening wore on we learnt that the storm left a trail of destruction including the decimation of a large group of trees at Aranda Oval opposite the school.

Andy took the girls for a bike ride around Lake Ginnindera the next morning. The highlight of the ride was definitely seeing this family of swans. On the way home they checked out the damaged trees. It was pretty impressive - many trees uprooted, lying in the same direction. According to local sources (Jase and BA) who live across the road, it wasn't long before people were turning up with trailers and chainsaws taking advantage of the free wood!

More bike riding on the weekend saw us complete a one way ride to the Kingston Markets. It was a ride of three stages - down the hill; up and down along the edge of the lake and then finishing with a game of dodgems with the many pedestrians visiting Florida and walking central basin! Lunch was enjoyed by all at the Kingston Markets.

Knitting Frenzy

The very unfavourable weather has kept us indoors more than we would have liked over the school holidays so out came the knitting needles....Ella and Katy preserved with this tricky business. Much easier was the finger knitting they tried. Suddenly long knitted ropes appeared all over the house in a variety of coloured yarn.

Meanwhile I decided to branch out and create an infinity scarf for each girl in the household using a different stitch. These might come in handy for our upcoming trip to Japan!

Ella scarf is in blackberry stitch

Katy scarf is in mistake rib

Mine is in basketweave

A Few Moments of Sunshine

That's the theme of these school holidays. The weather has been dreadful - cold and wet. The fire is still going! It's also a school holiday with multiple long weekends. So on our first long weekend, we found a few hours of sunshine to go for a mountain bike on Bruce Ridge.

We also found time to play driveway cricket. Cricket is a recent interest of Ella's. She has made the 3/4 school team and is hoping to play with Mia in a girls summer competition.

Veggie Patch Update

Yipee...the asparagus has sprouted and I've eaten the first spear!!

















We've been busy in the veggie patch. In have gone snow peas, tomatoes, raspberries (another attempt), spinach, zucchini, eggplant, capsicum and carrots (both orange and purple ones!). I've netted the nectarine and plum trees in hope to avoid the bird and possum raids! No sign of the potatoes yet but the broad beans are still flowering profusely with not much action of beans. Perhaps this persistent cold, cloudy weather has hampered their progress....

Just 50 Words

Aranda Primary School has a competition each year called Just 50 Words. All students are encouraged to participate. This year Ella was runner up for Year 3 with her piece called Aves. Her love of birds and reading shone through - well done Ella!

Fatherless Fathers Day

Unfortunately Andy's recent trip trip to San Diego and LA coincided with Fathers Day here. While he was off hiking with Isa, Diego and friends, we were heading out to the ACT O champs.

Let's compare activities -

Andy's day out started with a short 30min leisurely drive along the freeway to the Mt Woodson Trail. This 6.5miles hike begins at Lake Poway and climbs 550+m to the top. The trail offers wonderful views, interesting boulders, no shade, rattlesnakes and a famous rock formation known as Potato Chip Rock.

Yep there is the rattlesnake!

Potato Chip rock...apparently there is a line of 20+ people waiting to have their turn of a photo on this rock!!











Meanwhile our day began with a car that wouldn't start....thanks to the interior lights being left from the afternoon before! NRMA was relatively quick in turning up which meant although we missed the mass start we could still get there in a reasonable time. The hour long drive also meant that our battery would have a good run too! Unlike Andy, our day was cold, overcast and windy. Thankfully it rained overnight and was dry during the event. The girls ran the blue course - Ella unassisted and Katy with help. Only a few kangaroos were seen on the course. Both girls then enjoyed playing in the cattle yards followed by the mud while I did a short course. Everyone was glad to head home for some warmth and dry clothes!