The Gib

Our second weekend of national orienteering competition was held at the Gib, a rocky hill near Bungendore with the Middle Distance on the Saturday and Relays on the Sunday.

Our split starts meant Andy entertained the children first taking the gang around the string course. A perfectly created course meant Andy could supervise the gang from the centre watching them complete the string course numerous times and then several more backwards!





On my return it was evident that the gang was still full of energy despite their laps of the string course so we decided to take them out on the blue (easy course). Turns out the gang dwindled a little and we were left with 7 girls! Together with Cath and Carolyn we wandered up to the start hoping they would still be there and we were in luck.




Assessing the gang, we opted for several groups each sharing a map - Lily & Aoife; Luca & Ella; Mira, Zoe & Katy. As soon as we started the older group sprinted away and it was the last we saw of them! So I had the pleasure to trundle along with the younger ones.

The three girls very diplomatically took turns holding the map between the controls. They each had an SI stick and checked each control number. Planning the route sometime involved choosing which bare rock to sit on to look at the map! I encouraged them to find where we were, identify which was our next control and we planned how we would get there.

We had the usual occasional fall but nothing too serious, drink stop and toilet stop. We saw love heart shaped rocks, the occasional pretty flower and admired the view down to the assembly area even waving to the parents! Early on in the course, a kangaroo was hopping around panicked looking for an escape route. I was just about to point out to the girls that I though the kangaroo's pouch looked big when out plopped the joey! Still very stressed, the mother kangaroo was madly hopping around with the poor little joey desperately trying to keep up. Finally she found a hole under the fence and hopped off with the joey still trailing behind.

Some 45 minutes later, the girls ran down the finish chute all very chuffed with themselves and by all accounts had a great time out there.

With no string course or easy course available on the Sunday, the gang spent most of their time between watching Makhaya's magic tricks, swinging in the hammock (until a few people fell out and hurt themselves!) or playing in the pine trees! All very low key but they still enjoyed themselves.

One of the really great things about big competitions is that we get to catch up with our interstate friends. Sunday night we had a full house with Cath, Eoin & Aoife and Ceri, Graham, Kate, Lachlan & Rohan for dinner.

Spot the Difference

Orienteering at Slap Up Creek 29th September

Orienteering at the Gib 4th October

School Holiday Fun

Ella has been enjoying her first proper school holidays since the previous two were incorporated into our UK trip. Thankfully it's been made easier due to the two Mondays being public holidays! Last week's highlights were -

 Making pizzas for lunch and butterfly cupcakes.

A day of chores required a trip to the mall which in turn involved spotting the giant trampolines. Katy plucked up the courage for her first time on the trampolines and thoroughly loved it even doing a back somersault! Ella was thrilled to jump as high as possible. The trip was topped off with takeaway sushi that was consumed at Weston Park prior to another session of outside play.

While the rest of us were at work and childcare, Ella had a Nanna day which included a visit from the cousins too! Ella loves spending time with Nanna. She comes home excited by the fact that she gets to look through Nanna or Grandpa's treasures, polished the silver, sew buttons and the latest was learning how to knit!

Friday was a Daddy day. With a clear and sunny day, Andy decided it would be perfect opportunity to oil the front deck. Ella and I had managed to wash it down before I started my late shift which allowed enough drying time, before Andy and Ella sanded and oiled it. Ella was very enthusiastic about painting despite Andy insisting her to be careful!

Then they rode the tag-along bike to the arboretum to check out the new pod playground. Apparently it's pretty cool and Ella spent 45mins exploring. A quick coffee at the cafe before returning home in time to pick up Katy from childcare.

One week down, one week to go!

The Mob

We fell asleep to the sound of the wind whistling and blowing our tent around. Thankfully we awoke to blue skies and quietness only broken by a kookaburra laughing. Even though it was only 5.30am, there was no going back to sleep.

After porridge, the truck arrived so I helped out in organising the assembly area while Andy ventured off to wake up some 25 controls. The girls were happily playing on the big rock along with a couple of other children. By 8.30am all was ready to go, just an anxious wait for the competition to begin and the finishers to trickle in.

A late start for me meant that I could take some willing children around the string course. Turned out to be quite a mob! Ella, Katy, Aoife, Max, Mira, Abby, Zoe, Mica and Jessica (with Grandma Elizabeth and Jessica's Pappy) all raced around the animal string course forward and backwards receiving an animal bookmark for their efforts!

The mob tired from all their orienteering efforts headed to check out the shearing shed. We looked, touched and smelt the sheep's wool, then toured the pens to see which way the sheep came in, where they were shorn and how they got back out in to the paddock. Grandma Elizabeth even demonstrated going down the sheep chute!! Soon 90% of the mob made their way down (and then back up) the chute too!!

I tag teamed with Andy and reluctantly headed to the start. Unfortunately I'd left my concentration back at the assembly area, resulting in a rather large mistake on #5, followed by another one at #7. By then I'd decided to cut my losses and jogged back.

Meanwhile the event had run really smoothly with lots of positive comments and thankfully the wind and rain had held off alleviating some of the stresses with parking access. We left around 3pm, stopping for a well deserved ice cream on the way home.

Saturday at Slap Up Creek

No such thing as a sleep in for the first day of the school holidays in the Nandies house. We were all up at the crack of dawn on our way to Slap Up Creek which is situated about 110km from Canberra between Captain's Flat and Breadbo. Slap Up Creek was the location for the 2013 Australian Long Distance O Champs that Andy had volunteered to control.

As such, Andy's job on Saturday was to ensure the 88 controls were all placed in their correct spots. Andy headed out just after 9.30am, meanwhile my role was to entertain the girls for most of the day while this occurred!

With a cool breeze, we set up our picnic rug in the lee of the car and with the sun shinning, we enjoyed drawing, writing, reading and morning tea. Prior to leaving Andy had suggested to wait to put the tent up when he returned as the forecast was for the wind to pick up mid morning to mid afternoon and then ease. By mid morning the clouds came in and the wind stepped up a notch so without the shelter of the tent, we opted for the warmth and protection of the car.

Inside we played numerous games of connect four then began to read Charlotte's Web. After 7 chapters my voice had had enough and it was time for something else. Although I couldn't convince the girls to explore the rocks on the top of the hill or visit the river, they eventually compromised (with bribery of chocolate) to walk to the nearby forest to explore some rocks.

To be honest it was windy and not very nice but good to actually do something. After rock climbing and eating the chocolate, we collected several straightish bits of wood and lugged them back to the car. Again in the lee of the car we built a tee-pee! It was big (just) enough for the girls to sit in but unfortunately didn't survive very long with the strong wind gusts.

We retreated this time to the shearers kitchen for lunch! A great basic shed with fridge, microwave and urn. During lunch we were joined by 6 year old Jess who lived on the property. The girls became friends instantly and were off playing. Once the lunch stuff was cleaned up, I found the girls on the rock climbing wall in the shearing shed all very happy so left them to it.

After half an hour of peace, I thought I'd go and make sure they were ok. First visit was shearing shed - no not there, next shearers kitchen - not not there, portaloo's - no not there either, other sheds - no not there, farm house - no not there....starting to get slightly concerned as there weren't many places to go. Bumped into Lisa (property owner and Jess's mum) and she hadn't seen the girls either but assured me they would be ok...must have sounded like an overprotective city slicker! We then saw movement inside her car and sure enough the girls was tucked up in there! They were playing on various phones and gameboys, with chocolate across their faces from the  Milo sachets they'd found!

Andy arrived shortly after that. We helped carry hay bales to a couple of fence crossing and moved the finish chute bunting before erecting the tent in the lee of the car (again). The girls get so excited with tent life and were instantly making home with the mats and sleeping bags! As the sun set, the temperature dropped so it was a relatively early dinner and bedtime - all ready for the big day ahead.

Juan, Natanya & Family Farewell

It is sadness that we bid goodbye to Juan, Natanya & family. Juan took up a post doc position with Andy three years ago. During this time we have watched their family grow....Ana into a little girl sharing many special moments with Katy at childcare and the addition of Oliver. We will treasure many memorable moments together - aquarium in Melbourne, a few days at Guthega, Summer concerts at the Botanical Gardens, not to mention the numerous birthday parties and work gatherings! We wish them well in their new adventure and setting up home in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Kindergarten Asembly

The second last week of school saw the three kindergarten classes join forces to host the junior assembly and with a late shift, I was lucky to go and watch with Andy.  The teachers encourage the students to have a speaking part and they all did a great job!

The Kindergarten curriculum last term focused on several authors - Mem Fox and Eric Carle as well as the topic of movement. We enjoyed a photo slideshow on their excursion to Questacon, wowed by their artwork and impressed with their French counting song!

The highlight was watching the three classes present their favourite book "Hattie and the Fox." All students spoke the Hattie parts (with one student flapping her wings very enthusiastically), while several small groups of students represented the goose, cow, sheep, pig, horse and Ella was the narrator. Was very entertaining to watch.