Frosty's Frolics

Amy Starts University

2012-02-11T21:23:00.001-08:00

Amy started at university this week- lectures started on Monday. She is doing a Bachelor of Cultural Heritage Conservation and the University of Canberra. UC operate on a 3 semester system with a short winter semester in the middle of the year, which most of the undergraduates seem to have off. So she has an early start but will get two months off in June and July.

This semester she is doing Heritage Preservation, A Brief History of Civilisation, Chemistry and an elective on Belief and Argument or something like that. First day she had a lab for Heritage Preservation and they were examining clothing that had a bug problem and freezing them, so she was enthusiastic about that.

She has managed to acquire my car to drive herself to uni as Bill has started a new contact in Tuggeranong and so both he and I ride to work so there is a spare car for her to use! I actually got to drive my own car to work this week when it was threatening rain as she does not have uni on Thursdays!

New Stove Top

2012-02-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

I now have a new stove top after Lachlan destroyed the last one ( well not really, he was just cooking on it when the glass top shattered) but is sounds good!
I can see why people end up getting a new kitchen when an appliance goes- there were all sorts of dramas, matching the hole to the new stove, finding out that the regulations had probably changed since the first stove was put in, so the nearest burner had to be 200mm from the nearest wall otherwise you needed to put up tiles or something similar. Of course we had no matching tiles, or chance of finding any, and how much would it cost to put up 12 tiles and who would do such a small job. Thanks to Lachlan and some advice from the gas plumber and the friendly staff at Bunnings,the Internet, we put in the tiles ourselves- or rather Lachlan did! They don't match the existing tiles, but where they are you don't really notice them and they are similar to the colour of the cupboards. Lachlan also regrouted along the bottom of all the tiles in the kitchen, hung up a knife rack for me, and put in some hooks so we could hang things up and get rid of some of the clutter in the draws and cupboards. He also put some new hinges on a cupboard door, so he is earning his keep in handyman wages at the moment!

Parrots and Sunflowers

2012-02-04T21:51:00.001-08:00

We grow sunflowers each year mainly to attract the parrots but also as they are such stunning flowers, the parrots came again this year, it is always lovely to watch their acrobatic feats as they eat the sunflower seeds.

Alpine Classic 140km Ride

2012-02-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

Bill and I did the 140km option of the Alpine Classic this year. This involved climbing Tawonga Gap- 7km each way to ride from Bright to Mt Beauty and then back again and then to ride up Mt Buffalo to Dingo Dell which is about 22km of climbing. It was a warm day, but we had a good ride, setting off at 7am with lots of food and water stops along the way. The apple cake with custard at the top of Mt Buffalo tasted so good I had a second helping. We went with a bunch of cyclists from Canberra as we do every year and had a wonderful time, lots of fun and laughter and good food!

Bright 2012

2012-02-04T21:29:00.001-08:00

One day of our trip to Bright Bill and I rode from Myrtleford to Beechworth along the rail trail. It was an 85km return trip, with the section from Everton to Beechworth a 16km steady uphill ride, but as it was the path of the old train track it was a steady, gradual climb. It was a lovely ride, the day was warm but there was plenty of shade and it was quite a pretty ride, Beechworth was relatively cooler than Everton, when we arrived, but the ice cream at the end of the climb was very appreciated! You could feel the warmth as we descended, so it was nice to get back to the motel for a swim and a shower and some air conditioning!

Family History in Mathoura

2012-02-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

Bill and I recently went down to Bright as we have been doing for the past 15 years or so, but this time we took a detour to Mathoura- only an extra 400km! The purpose was to visit Mathoura, which is the town that Bill's grandfather lived before heading off to World War 1. He was working in the bank, left to go to WW1, then returned to Mathoura and became the bank manager. The town of Mathoura presented all those who returned from WW1 with a gold watch that Bill now has. Bill had been in contact with a local historian, who had sent Bill a newspaper article about the presentation so this was a chance for us to stand in the hall and see where this event happened. Eric Swanston Frost, responded on behalf of all the diggers according to the article. So we saw the place, took a photo of the building we think may have been the bank residence when he was living in Mathoura. Quite an interesting stop.

Mia, Charlie and the Dogs

2012-01-23T01:29:00.000-08:00

Mia and Charlie are a bit scared of our dogs- but they have got more and more comfortable each time they have been over and they especially love Jack because he is just the right size to play with! We took Clancy and Jack for a walk each day, we gave Jack a bath after which he rolled in the dirt so we had to bath him again, don't tell Bindi, but they even tucked Jack up in bed with them for a while! They really enjoyed playing with Jack!

Charlie and Mia's Visit

2012-01-22T20:34:00.000-08:00

Had Charlie and Mia come and stay overnight on Saturday, Bindi and Simon had a wedding so we took the kids of their hands for the night and had a great time with them. We made cupcakes- Charlie iced his blue and Mia iced hers chocolate. We also cooked pancakes- I had plenty of helpers. The kids where most impressed when Bill decided it was time to wake Amy up with the chainsaw- she was not impressed though!

Sydney 2012

2012-01-14T20:15:00.001-08:00

Took Amy and her friend Andrea up to Sydney this week to see the Picasso Exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and also to see an exhibition on the mapping of Antarctica and Australia at the State Library.

The weather was lovely in Sydney, we stayed the first night at Castle Hill with cousins, then Thursday morning caught the bus into Sydney. We stayed right in the CBD and enjoyed wandering the shops, visiting the exhibitions, eating out, staying in the hotel, wandering the Rocks and enjoying the shade of the lovely trees in the Botanic Gardens. We were not going to kidnap Chloe and bring her back- we have enough dogs at this house already!

The Cousins

2012-01-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

It was a good chance to get a photo of all the cousins (bar one) they range in age from 4 to 21. It was lovely to see them all together and getting to catch up again. Grandma Pam enjoyed seeing all her grandchildren together.

Holiday Activities

2012-01-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

Holiday activities included - echidna spotting- they seemed to be everywhere down there, we played mini golf, went for walks along the beach, went to the beach, visited a farmers market, an art and craft market, had dinner out at the local golf club, played cards and ate very well! It was a great weekend away.

Gippsland Holiday Continued - Bike Riding

2012-01-14T19:43:00.001-08:00

Bill and I got to do some lovely rides while we were away- we did the Great Southern Rail Trail which goes from Foster to Leongatha about 70km. It was a lovely trail with nice views, plenty of cover and relatively flat. Another day we did about 95km riding out to the Agnes Falls at the back of Toora.

Family Chrismtas In South Gippsland

2012-01-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

Boxing Day we headed to Waratah Bay North in South Gippsland for a weeks holiday with my mother, my 4 brothers and their families. We had a great week away together, the cousins all enjoyed catching up and it was a relaxing break in a lovely part of Victoria. The first night we had Christmas Pudding with the charms- a family tradition- and we did lose one gum leaf, we opened presents and played a very noisy game of Christmas Bingo- great fun was had by all!

My Santa Apron

2011-12-25T01:40:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine made this Santa apron and gave it to me for Christmas- I just love it!

Hand Illustrated Wrapping Paper

2011-12-25T00:53:00.001-08:00

This year Lachlan wrapped our presents in brown paper and then drew pictures on them, I thought they were pretty cool!

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T00:45:00.001-08:00

You know things are changing when you have to wake the kids at 11:30am to open Christmas presents! It was after midday before we opened them! Amy got a present from Bill addressed to Wayne Palmer and some money hidden inside a crushed pepsi can that was tucked in the tree- you never quite know what Bill will come up with next. We sat down for a late lunch/early dinner about 4:30pm. It has been a quite and relaxing day, most enjoyable!

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-25T00:30:00.000-08:00

Finally found some time this week to get ready for Christmas- first up was the Christmas Pudding with the sixpences and shillings and silver charms. The other thing that needed to be made was the apricot fruit balls- yummy!

What Did I Do To Deserve This!

2011-12-18T02:09:00.000-08:00

My kangaroo paws didn't survive the winter this year, Bill allowed Benji to come home with this from his walk today and annouced that because my kangaroo paws did not survive Benji got me a new one! I am not sure who is worse- Bill or Benji!

The Good Life

2011-12-18T01:57:00.001-08:00

Have been picking quite a bit of produce in the garden this week, I have eggs, raspberries, loganberries, zucchinis and button squash- quite exciting!

High Tea for Amy's 18th

2011-12-18T01:45:00.000-08:00

For Amy's 18th we had High Tea to celebrate the occasion! We employed the services of a excellent cooked who helped plan the menu, cook all the fancy stuff and then helped set the whole thing up and it looked marvelous! We had a lovely afternoon, the guest were served punch and lemon lime and betters for drinks and then an assortment of sweet and savoury delicacies. It was a very successful afternoon.

Getting Into the Christmas Spirit

2011-12-10T15:18:00.001-08:00

Finally feel like I am getting into the Christmas Spirit! Mia and Charlie helped me put up the Christmas Tree on Thursday night while Bindi was doing Amy's hair and makeup for her Formal. We also decorated Bill's birthday cake as it was his birthday that day- he got to have party pies and dinosaur chicken nuggets for his birthday dinner- wasn't he lucky- I did take him to the Premium Lounge at the Dendy to see a movie on Saturday to celebrate his birthday so he wasn't too hardly done by and given the choice he reckons he would just skip birthdays all together, but that is another story.

On Friday night Amy and I went to the Christmas Markets with Bindi, Charlie and Mia and then we went back to Bindi's place and the kids, including Amy, decorated little gingerbread houses, so it has been a Christmassy Week and it has been lovely!

Amy's Formal

2011-12-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

It was Amy's Year 12 Formal on Thursday night at the National Museum. She insisted that she was driving herself in so we didn't go in to see the arrival of the students- can't say I didn't really mind. Bill was under instructions to be home by 6pm so he could see her all dressed up and ready to go (it still doesn't seem right to see her driving off in the car by herself). My sister in law Bindi came over and did Amy's hair and makeup and she looked just great. My job was to entertain Charlie and Mia so Bindi was free to create her magic! I would not have been very helpful in the hair and makeup department so was glad to take on that job! Amy had a lovely night and as you can see she scrubbed up pretty well and looked lovely!

Bath Time

2011-12-03T10:30:00.001-08:00

We would sometimes come home and find water splashed everywhere, it took us a while to figure it out. When Jack gets hot he decides to give himself a bath and the most convenient place for that is the water bowl! So now when we go for a walk or he is playing outside when it is warm we make sure the back door is closed so he uses the outside drinking bowl and not the inside one. He certainly provides us with lots of laughs, a small dog is quite different to the big dogs we have always had!

I Think This Dog Feels at Home

2011-12-03T10:21:00.001-08:00

We think Jack has finally settled in to his new home! He has very quickly made himself very comfortable and picked the comfy spots to settle! He jumps up on the bed given the chance and settles down with his head on the pillow- poor dog, it is such a tough life. He probably thinks he is in doggy heaven at the Frost home!

He has developed the taste for fruitcake! Bill gets his lunch out in the morning and leaves it on the bed, he can no longer do this as the fruit cake has disappeared twice this week- someone who will not name jumps up on the bed and extracts it from the bag and has some morning tea!

We have also had to move one of the older chooks around the front to separate it from the other chooks who have been picking on it, it still lays the occasional egg and Jack has learnt to sneak in the chooks cage when it is open, find the egg and have a little protein snack!

Karate Kid!

2011-12-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

The Young Women's group at church have organised a Self Defence Course for the girls and their mothers out at Hume which Amy and I have been doing for the last 6 weeks. It has been really good and Amy has really enjoyed it, I get scared though as I have been partnering against Amy and she beats me up- she is very strong! Anyhow it was the last week, and one week someone got to smash a peice of wood so Amy wanted to have a try and with the correct technique did it in one quick blow- very impressive. I don't think it would pay to attack Amy!

The Final Countdown

2011-11-26T15:18:00.000-08:00

There is only one exam and one assignment to go before the battle to get Amy through school will finally end! No doubt there will be other challenges but it will certainly be good to close the book on this one! I have been slack with my blogging the last few weeks, I just have not had the energy. However time has not been completely wasted I have become quite well informed in history and English. I have been listening to the practice runs on Amy's 3 oral presentations that were done last week, I could now inform you about the role that religion played in day to day Roman life, I could tell you how the prison system changed during Victorian Britain times, and I could tell you all about the little life lessons that the author of the Little Prince conveyed in his book!

Off to the Ballet

2011-11-26T15:05:00.000-08:00

Amy and I took Mia to see the ballet last week, it was Cinderella by the West Australian Ballet Company. It was a lovely ballet, lots of kids there to see it. Mia really enjoyed it, there were a few bits where the dancing did seem a bit long winded so I did understand when afterwards she commented " There was a bit too much dancing!" Amy just cracked up!

First Raspberries

2011-11-26T14:59:00.000-08:00

Most of the raspberries look like they are way off picking but there is a little patch that has some ripe raspberries so picked my first little bowl this morning, they taste delicious! Can't wait till the rest start to ripen, the loganberries are not too far off either!

Waterhouse National Art History Prize

2011-11-12T15:03:00.000-08:00

Bill and I went in Saturday afternoon to the National Archives to have a look at some of the winners of the Waterhouse Natural Art History Prize, they had some great stuff there. Friends had told us about it and meant to go last year, finally got around to going this year- it is the last weekend, but must make it a must see each year. It is run in South Australia but they bring over the winners for a display in Canberra each year. They have painting and sculptures. The winner this year was made of silver and quite detailed- inspired by sea urchins from Kangaroo Island.

Dog Hair Everywhere

2011-11-12T14:55:00.001-08:00

Just like the veggie garden is growing it seems dog hair is growing! Benji is malting and we are able to comb out oodles of hair every day- he just laps up the brushing and combing! Jack seems to get hot so decided it was time to take off the hair, we went halves in some dog clippers with a friend (who does not even own a dog!) so Amy and I had a practice on him yesterday!

Birthday Time

2011-11-12T14:47:00.001-08:00

Had my birthday during the week, we had dinner out on Wednesday night to celebrate- went to the Australian Pizza Kitchen for a light dinner as we had things on afterwards and didn't want a heavy meal, it was nice to all get out together.

Then on Friday afternoon went out to afternoon tea with some of my cycling friends and enjoyed a lovely piece of birthday cake which was delicious and beautifully presented, had a lovely time and got to bring the rest of the cake home which disappeared pretty quickly!

Work Christmas Party

2011-11-05T15:58:00.001-07:00

We had our work Christmas Party early this year, we had it out on a farm just east of Williamsdale, it was a lovely spot, set at the bottom of the hills and the area was looking very lovely with all the spring growth. They have alpacas on the farm and they were very curious as we were taking the photos for the annual Christmas card, they really must have wondered what we were up to. We had a lovely night, with a delicious lamb on the spit.

Halloween

2011-11-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

We never do anything for Halloween, we never have anyone call at our door because we are a battle axe and have big scary dogs, it is great! It hadn't even entered on my radar to have anything to give out, so when the doorbell rang on Monday night and the dogs started barking was surprised we had visitors! It turned out to be the two young girls that live in the street behind us and have adopted us- or rather adopted our dogs- they love the dogs and often come around for a visit. Luckily I managed to find something to give them!

The Final Countdown

2011-11-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

Only 3 weeks to go and Year 12 will be over and boy am I counting! Final assessments started this week and they are coming thick and fast over the next three weeks, including 3 oral presentations! I think I will just have to chant a mantra like- "It is nearly over, just one day at a time"! Then it will be over and who knows what will unfold for next year, but I will worry about that more after these next three weeks are over! Can't even think about Christmas till all this is over!

Science Experiement or Lazy Daughter????

2011-10-29T16:43:00.001-07:00

I was at Amy this week to retrieve the sandwich containers from her room and issued and ultimatum- no computer until the room is tidied and the sandwich containers returned- this is what was found growing in one of them! Revolting isn't it-she offered to clean it out and that request was accepted!

Amy has also been driving herself to school this week, driving over to visit her aunt and another time to her friends place for dinner, she is developing quite and attachment to the car!

We minded Charlie and Mia this week and played Mousetrap, which went well tell I landed on the "Turn the Crank" square and managed to capture Charlie and Amy's mouse. Charlie decided he no longer liked Mousetrap and was never going to play it again and it was all Auntie Sue's fault. Charlie and Mia where then playing Star Wars Chess, I was helping Charlie and he wanted to know how to "attack" being a non chess player I called in the reinforcements- Amy and she ended up giving the kids a chess lesson, but of course I forgot to take photos of all of this!

Jack Frost- Three Dog Family

2011-10-29T16:18:00.001-07:00

We have acquired a third dog- well maybe a 1/4 dog- Jack weighs 5kg and Clancy 20kg and Benji about 35kg so he is a 1/4 th size of Clancy. We had minded Jack once, and then he escaped from his owners and ended up at our house(maybe 5km from his house) we had offered to keep him, but he was returned then escaped again. He ended up at the pound this time and he wasn't going to be collected so we couldn't stand the thought of him being euthanized so he is now a full time resident of the Frost family and has settled in beautifully. He thinks he is one of the big boys, and has been no trouble at all. Well he did try to steal an egg when Bill was cleaning them, carried one off, but couldn't figure out how to crack it, and when he gets hot he just sits in the water bowl and has a bath!

Mum's House

2011-10-29T16:04:00.001-07:00

Had a weekend down in Melbourne last weekend catching up with mum and doing some jobs for her, thought it would be a good idea to take some photos of the house I spent my teenage years in to have on record and put on my blog.

Macarons from Cacao

2011-10-24T02:29:00.001-07:00

Went down to Melbourne for the weekend to visit my mum, my brother and sister in law dropped in to Cacao- a chocolate and patisserie store in Melbourne, they were the winner of the best Melbourne macaron in 2010- so just had to get a box to bring home, they were such beautiful colours and the lemon and the passion fruit were my favourite!

Mia, Charlie and Amy

2011-10-15T17:21:00.001-07:00

Amy and I caught up with Bindi, Charlie and Mia this week. We got to visit their new place in Melba and get the grand tour, and then headed out to Ruby's (formerly Gooseberry's) and had a lovely time catching up with them!

Australian Diamonds Versus England

2011-10-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Amy and I went to the AIS Arena on Wednesday night with a friend and saw the Australian Diamonds play against the England Netball team. It was a good match and we had an enjoyable night.

Beware P Plate Driver on the Loose!

2011-10-15T17:11:00.001-07:00

We now have a "P" Plate Driver- Amy got her licence this week and now she wants to borrow the car! If she is not borrowing the car and we go somewhere together she has to drive - I guess I could say I now have my own chauffeur- not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing!

Roulettes

2011-10-08T16:53:00.001-07:00

The day we went into Sydney the RAFF Roulettes where doing a fly over to get some publicity shots so we enjoyed the show for about 15 minutes- quite a treat!

Sydney Trip

2011-10-08T16:45:00.001-07:00

Amy and I had a short trip to Sydney this week and caught up with the Frosty relatives in Castle Hill. We had a day of shopping where we managed to get a lovely formal dress for Amy with out to much difficulty and then had a day in the city and enjoyed the habour, the views, the Lindt Cafe, and saw an exhibition at the Mitchell Library.

Putting Lachlan to Work

2011-10-08T16:17:00.001-07:00

We put Lachlan to work last weekend, I had some metal mesh that I needed cut to size so I could use them as trellis in the garden and some metal panels that needed to be cut. Lachlan was happy to oblige and use his tools- it was great having someone to do this sort of stuff. As night fell it made quite a spectacular fireworks show with all the sparks flying. Of course at the end Bill made the comment that he could have done it, but it was good for Lachlan to be able to do it! Lachlan and I just rolled our eyes- this coming from the man we brought a cordless drill for Father's Day many years ago and he is the only one never to have used it!

Out in the Garden

2011-10-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist a Native Plant Society plant sale at the Yarralumla Nursery this week! Got a few more plants for my garden, and it was a drizzly morning, so spent a couple of hours planting them out in the garden and getting things done, I really enjoyed my morning in the garden. I got a lemon myrtle shrub, have just been given some lemon myrtle soap and hand cream and it smells divine, so hoping to recreate that in my garden. Have also got some zucchini planted out and some to give away, but have to keep covering them up at night as we are still getting low temperatures!

Jack's Journey

2011-10-01T16:39:00.001-07:00

We minded Jack about 6 weeks ago for a week, and he fitted in with our dogs and famiily. Saturday morning I discovered him sitting at our back gate, him on one side and Benji just sitting on the other side! We were quite astounded that he had found his way to our place. It would be 4 to 5km as the crow flies and through bush at some point- a rather amazing peice of navigation! It turns out his owners are up in Sydney, he figured he probably needed a holiday as well so came to visit!

Nightfest- Floriade

2011-10-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

We went to Nightfest at Floriade for the first time this year and had a lovely time. It had turned very cold, but rain had been forecast and did not eventuate so we were pleased. The flowers were lovely under lights and we had a lovely time catching up with Bindi, Simon and the kids as well as some other friends, the Garcia's.

Drive to Young

2011-09-24T01:41:00.001-07:00

The next day we drove to Young, it was a lovely drive, rolling countryside and lovely yellow fields of canola. Another beautiful day, Young is a lovely town, with some lovely old buildings and very friendly staff in the visitors centre, and a yummy fudge shop that has generous tastings of fudge!

Peace Bell at Cowra

2011-09-24T01:35:00.001-07:00

They have a Peace Bell at Cowra and mum was most impressed, would fit in with all the work she does with the Interfaith Council she is President of back in Melbourne, so we had to get a few photos of the Peace Bell.

The Mighty Lachlan River

2011-09-24T01:30:00.001-07:00

The Lachlan River flows through Cowra, so I rang Lachlan and told him I was taking a photo of the river for him, and also told him that I went for a nice long walk along the banks of the Lachlan river. He did not seem overly impressed, but I am sure one day he will appreciate these photos!

Overnight Trip to Cowra and Young

2011-09-24T01:17:00.000-07:00

Mum and I went for an overnight trip to Cowra. We went to the Japanese Gardens at Cowra and spent a lovely couple of hours wandering through the gardens. They were just lovely, so peaceful and beautifully laid out. We also had another beautiful day. We then drove up to the ruins of the POW camp, the site of the break out of the Japanese soldiers, where over 300 Japanese were killed. We then drove out to the War Cemetery.

Floriade

2011-09-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Took mum to Floriade, it was just a perfect day, warm, sunny, not too hot, lovely and still. We had a wonderful time just wandering through the flowers, stopping off for some talks and shows, and had some lunch and then wandered through the market stalls. It was a great day.

Parliament House

2011-09-23T19:54:00.001-07:00

Have had mum up for a week visiting, we had a tour of Parliament House on Tuesday and went into Question Time, which was very interesting, had to drag Amy away- she really enjoyed it as well. I was not very impressed with the behaviour of the politicians in Question Time, I wouldn't accept that level of behaviour from my kids or any class I taught! Great experience though.

Fruit Bread

2011-09-23T19:43:00.001-07:00

Have been experimenting with bread again- made a fruit loaf, tasty yummy and looked pretty good as well!

Using My IPad

2011-09-21T04:07:00.001-07:00

I am having lessons on how to post to my blog on my Ipad.

Taming the Demon!

2011-09-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

As you know last year I took my mother on a trip to Europe to visit my brother. She did need some persuasion to get her there, and needed to be persuaded that we should make the most of the opportunity and visit places like Paris, Budapest, Cesky Kremlov. We had a wonderful time and mum enjoyed herself immensely. In the process I have unleashed the genie from its bottle, she now has a passport that is valid for 9 more years and she wants to get some more stamps in it. I was recently advised that when Amy finished Year 12 that I would no longer need to worry about her and could take mother on another overseas holiday! So this week some specials came out for New Zealand came out, so we are heading over to the North Island in March for 10 days, so that should keep her quite for little bit, I now have a trip to plan!

AST Finally Over

2011-09-10T16:25:00.001-07:00

No exciting photos or events to report this week. The main thing this week was that Amy sat her AST exams on Tuesday and Wednesday. These are university entrance exams, and a scaling test for the colleges in the ACT. They are over two days and have three components, a multiple choice exam, a short response exam and a writing exam. I am pleased to report we survived the week without too many dramas so that was plus!Just three more weeks before this term ends, with a couple of assesment tasks due and some more exams, so will be glad when this three weeks are over!

New Car

2011-09-03T17:29:00.001-07:00

We have sold the corolla and have brought a Hyundai Getz, which is automatic, as Amy has been learning in an automatic. We decided Amy couldn't afford to run a car, and that we could probably try and manage on two cars, as Bill and I often ride to work or I walk in or even catch the bus. So we will see how we go! Amy has been doing lots of driving and is not far of getting her P's which is a bit of a scary thought!

New Carport

2011-09-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

One of our projects this year was to put up a carport as the garage is full of bikes - both pedal and motor, and Lachlan's workshop which seems to be expanding at an alarming rate. It has taken a while to get the carport done, but it all happened last week and is now up and ready and doing it's job and we are very happy with the outcome.

Amy's Glasses

2011-09-03T17:13:00.001-07:00

Amy regularly gets headaches and has a particularly bad run of them lately, so I checked with the optometrist and found out it was two years since her last eye check so off we went for a check up and found out that she did have a problem with her eyes, so needed to wear glasses for close up work and computer, so is now the wearer of glasses and I told her they made her look very intelligent!

Uni Open Days

2011-08-27T17:23:00.001-07:00

Amy and I spent the day visiting the open days at the ANU, University of Canberra and Bruce CIT. It was a productive day, we went through the Classics Museum at ANU and visited the School of Music, went to UC and Amy got to hold a snake and a turtle, visit a computer gaming display, and we went to a talk on the Cultural Heritage Conservation Course, which involves learning to conserve historic artifacts, photos, etc and learn about working in museums, a course which Amy is very interested in. We also called in at the CIT at Bruce to check out the animal courses that they run there. A long day but very productive and if animals are involved it makes it even better!

Amy's New Hat

2011-08-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

Amy got herself a new hat this week, a hat from Firefly- a show she watches. Hope you can tell which one is Amy and which one is Benji- there is some theory that dogs are like their owners and as Benji is Amy's dog I have spotted a few similarities over the past 4 years!

My Greenhouse

2011-08-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

I got myself a small greenhouse from Bunnings this week, I have assembled it and planted out some seeds so getting ready for the spring/summer veggie patch.

Lachlan's Pot of Chilli

2011-08-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

Lachlan made a lovely pot of chilli this week, we have to make sure he does not put too much chilli in it as Bill and I are not hot food eaters, but this was very yummy and just a bite of chilli in it. He is quite the cook and very handy to have around.

What is it with Dogs?

2011-08-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

We put out a little dog basket for Jack who is staying with us for the week and guess who tries to sit in it- not Jack, but both Clancy and Benji who are way to big for it!

French Toast for Breakfast

2011-08-27T16:50:00.001-07:00

One of my favourite breakfasts is French Toast, strawberries and bananas. I bought two bananas this week as they were down to $10 a kilo, and strawberries are cheap at the moment, so Amy and I had French toast for breakfast- she is looking a little sleepy as it was a school morning! At least she had fruit for breakfast.

Off to the Ballet- Don Quixote

2011-08-20T19:03:00.001-07:00

Amy and I went to see the ballet- Don Quixote at the Canberra Theatre on Wednesday night. It has been quite a while since we have been to the ballet.It was put on by the Dancers Company which is the school of the Australian Ballet and was part of a regional tour, they had a few Australian Ballet dancers in principal roles, and tickets were very reasonably priced. It was a lovely ballet, very lively, with a mixture of traditional tutus and classical music and dancing and then dancing and costumes with the Spanish influence, it was a lovely night!

Lachlan Cooks Another Yummy Dinner

2011-08-20T17:27:00.001-07:00

Lachlan cooked dinner on Wednesday night- it has changed from Thursday to Wednesday because of timetabling schedule, it was bruschetta on Wednesday night and it was very yummy!

Jack Comes to Visit

2011-08-20T17:21:00.001-07:00

We are minding a little dog for some friends, we picked Jack up on Thursday night and he has settled in well. He is so tiny compared to our dogs, he seemed a bit intimidated by the size of Benji and first, but is fine with him now. Jack follows poor Clancy around and likes to settle down near him- not sure that Clancy is all that impressed!

We Have Been Adopted- or our Dogs Have!

2011-08-20T17:07:00.001-07:00

We have been adopted by two young girls that live in the street behind us. They are setting up a dog walking business and often walk pass Benji and Clancy in the lane way so decided to call in and meet us and drop off their flyer! They just loved Benji and Clancy, especially Benji, but we told them that Benji would be too strong for them to take for a walk. They did not believe us at first but after they had played with him for a while I think they realised we were telling the truth. They dropped in the next day, and then on the following Tuesday afternoon and offered to take Clancy for a free walk! They then came around with a voucher- buy three walks and get 2 free- so I signed up for the deal- they only charge a couple of dollars to walk the dog and I thought what they were doing is great, so they now have a customer and our dogs love the extra attention. Last weekend they brought their dog Chester over to play with Benji and Chester and Benji had a great time playing together and of course Amy just loves Chester- he is a labradoodle!

House Hunter

2011-08-13T16:38:00.001-07:00

My brother and his family are returning to Canberra next month after 3 years overseas, we are very excited to have them back in Canberra. So yesterday I was on a mission, I had to go and check out some new townhouses that are for rent out at Queanbeyan. There were 6 units to look through in 30 minutes, all fairly similar with similar fittings etc but all had little differences. Had to take notes and try and keep it all in my mind so I could report back my findings! Then had to chat with the real estate agent and make a good impression on her- so if she figured I was nice then my brother would be a suitable candidate, and she wouldn't find out what my brother was really like!!!!!!!!

Bill in the Kitchen

2011-08-13T16:31:00.001-07:00

Bill every now and then takes morning tea into work, quite often it is rocky road as we usually have the ingredients on standby in the pantry and it only takes 5 or 10 minutes to throw together. I don't mind doing it, always a good chance to lick the bowl and eat a few chocolate melts, Amy doesn't mind doing it either, but we decided it was time to teach Bill how to do it so here he is at work. We figured it was a pretty safe dish for him, he would have to try pretty hard to ruin it!

A Bit of Culture

2011-08-06T03:35:00.000-07:00

Meet some friends at the Art Gallery on Friday- I think we should call it the Friday Gallery Club - this is our second session this year. We had a short tour with one of the ladies who is a volunteer guide at the gallery. I learnt stuff about cubism, abstractism and minimalism! Don't ask me to repeat it, but now when I look at a square in a picture, or a plan white painting with lines in it, I might not like it but I now have a bit of insight into what they are trying to do! It challenged my brain and it was fun- and all in about 30 minutes followed by a hot chocolate in the cafe!

Costco

2011-08-06T03:31:00.001-07:00

Canberra's Costco opened about two weeks ago, we waited for all the fuss to die down and headed out this week one day after work, Amy and I. We had fun just wandering up and down all the aisles, checking out the prices and buying a few things. We got a box of junior mints- yum, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, toothbrush heads, yoga pants, drinking chocolate, dried mango- all sorts of things. Lots of fun!

Third Prize in a Raffle

2011-08-06T02:27:00.001-07:00

I won third prize in a raffle and it was a manicure at a local beautican. I have probably had 4 or 5 manicures in my entire life so it was a bit of a treat! I had to look after my nails carefully for a few weeks so there was something for the beautican to work with! It has been over 24 hours and they are still okay- not sure how much longer they will last for but they certainly do look neat!

Hair Cut and Highlights for Amy

2011-08-02T03:26:00.001-07:00

Amy had her hair cut and highlighted tonight. She is very pleased with the finished product and I am too- she had been talking about blue, pink, orange etc but is very happy with the honey blonde look! Bill couldn't tell the difference but says it looks wonderful!

Lachlan's Week

2011-07-30T18:16:00.001-07:00

It is a tough life being a uni student! Lachlan started back at 2nd Semester 2nd year this week. He didn't have lectures on Monday so he worked instead. Tuesday he had to go in for some a couple of lectures, Wednesday no lectures so slept in, Thursday he has some lectures and then Friday was Bush Week so classes were cancelled. He had to sign up for Labs and Tutorials this week but they don't start till week 3! He didn't get the times he wanted for some of those so wil have a few long days and a few gaps he didn't want but I don't feel too sorry for him!

Amy's Week

2011-07-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

Amy started back for her final semester of Year 12 this week. One week down and around 15 to go! It was a relatively easy week this week, which helped ease her back into the routine. Amy has dropped maths and picked up another history, so all going well she will end up with a major in History, English, Chemistry and Biology and a minor in Maths. She has the same teacher for English and her two History Classes- Roman History and Early British History, so she is happy as he is a great teacher. She has a new teacher for Biology and is already having interesting arguments with him and enjoying it- he is an atheist and she is doing Evolution and Biology and Amy is not afraid to express her opinions. Chemistry she says is okay but again she has a great teacher which makes all the difference, so at least this term is starting off on a positive note! She has one class on Tuesday morning and a late start on Thursday which means she can have a sleep in with full days the other days.

On Monday night we sat down and came up with a list of options for next year which included:
- Arts Degree in History and ANU ( not sure if she will get high enough marks to get into ANU)
- Vet Nurse Course at CIT
- Gap Year- get a job and work
- Public Service as Year 12 graduate ( no idea how easy or hard this would be)
- Customs Dog Handler ( have since found out requires physical fitness test so would require a lot of effort on someones behalf to get fit!)

Then later in the week I was looking on the University of Canberra website to see if they offered an Arts Degree- they don't have the traditional arts degree but you can do a Bachelor of Arts in Museum Studies but the one the did raise some interest for Amy was a Degree in Cultural Heritage Conservation- where you learn how to conserve artifacts- photos, books, artworks, sculpture etc, so that is now another option.

At least we have a bit of a starting point and somethings to go look at at the open days for ANU, CIT and UC coming up at the end of the month!

Zonta

2011-07-30T17:25:00.001-07:00

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On Saturday morning I went to the Zonta Activity over at Lyneham Chapel to assemble 4000 Birthing Kits for women in Ethiopia. This has been a yearly event, with the church helping out Zonta for a number of years, but this is the first time I have been and feel a bit guilty that I have not done it before. Zonta is an International Women's organisation that are involved in various programmes to assist women and this is just one project. Lyneham Chapel has a big hall and when I arrived at 9:30am it was full of tables and people working away. I spent nearly 3 hours folding black plastic and putting them into zip lock bags. We were just doing the preparation and in the afternoon they were expecting at least another 150 people to arrive to help assemble the kits. I got to catch up with my friend Louise Lambert, so the time passed very quickly.

Parramatta

2011-07-24T02:54:00.000-07:00

Amy and I stayed in Parramatta for one night on our trip to Sydney, I had a lovely time walking around Parramatta, there is a lot of history in this city, with a heritage walk that takes you past some of the historical buildings and places of the early European settlement of Australia. We then caught the river cat into Circular Quay and spent the night in the city after going to Mary Poppins.

Life is Too Short, So Eat Desert First

2011-07-24T02:49:00.003-07:00

I must confess I have a sweet tooth- I wish I didn't but it is hard to fight. So when we discovered the Gum Nut Patisserie in Berrima on our trip up to Sydney I just had to take this photo! I love this suggestion!

Amy and I shared a cake- there were so many to choose from- they were delicious, so much so that we called in on our way back home for another taste test. I think it is an excellent half way point!

Mary Poppins

2011-07-24T02:38:00.000-07:00

Amy and I went to Sydney during the week to see the musical Mary Poppins, it was just fantastic and I enjoyed every minute off it! It is my most favourite musical ever! The costumes, songs, choreography and the whole stage production was just wonderful. Amy wouldn't let me sing along to the songs, but it was okay for the little girl sitting behind us to- that was cute- life is so unfair!. Amy loved it, but she rated Wicked as the one she has enjoyed the most. Mary Poppins the movie came out when I was a young girl and back then going to the movies was such a big thing, so I think it is associated with lots of childhood memories. We had a wonderful night and the fact that it rained practically non stop the whole time we were in Sydney and put paid to some of our plans did not dampen our spirits!

Not Much Sleep

2011-07-23T19:24:00.001-07:00

Have had broken sleep the last few days- the Tour De France has been just too exciting. Normally I watch the highlights at 7:30am and at 6pm and don't watch the live coverage as it is too late for me, but since Thursday night, the tour has been too exciting to wait, so I have been doing things like sleeping with the TV on and when I wake up see what is happening, or last night going to bed at 9:30pm and getting up at 12:45pm to watch Cadel Evans in the time trial. It was worth it last night- as Cadel made up the 57 seconds he needed plus more to take the Yellow Jersey and 99.9% be the winner of the Tour De France- the first Australian to do so! We were all up- Lachlan and Amy couldn't believe their mother was up so late! One more night to see him ride to Paris- then I will be able to get some decent sleep!

Tour De France

2011-07-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a quiet week at our house, nothing much to report, however at 7:30am each morning or 6pm each night some members of this household will be found with eyes glued to the TV watching the highlights of the Tour DE France. I find it too hard to stay up late at night and watch the live coverage, but Bill has stayed up on the weekend. It is all very exciting and so far so good for Aussie Cadel Evans. Who knows what will unfold over the remaining week or so!

Not only do I love the bike racing, but the scenery in France is just beautiful, I would really love to go and see more of France other than Paris. Speaking of Paris, I got an email from my mother regarding Paris informing me of all the places we should have gone to see while we were there- all this from the women I had to force to go to Paris! She has also informed me that once Amy has finished Year 12 and that I don't need to worry about her any more I need to take mother on another overseas holiday- I fear I have unleashed a demon!

Purple Package

2011-07-11T02:01:00.001-07:00

A mysterious purple package arrived in our letterbox today from an overseas destination. I had to make sure we were not under surveillance when Amy opened it up. It contained two syringes of a suspicious looking substance. It says on the packet it is an oral shot of chocolate. I am not to sure about this, maybe I should insist that I sample them just to make sure!

Monga National Park

2011-07-10T02:28:00.001-07:00

On the way home we drove in to look at Monga National Park. It is just over the Clyde Mountain and about 15 km from Braidwood. It is a lovely stretch of temperate rain forest and there is also a glade of ferns and plumwood trees with a boardwalk. It was a lovely little stop, and I always enjoy going somewhere I have never been before!

It was a lovely break away and the kids survived fine without us, didn't seem to miss us at all!

Seafood Extravaganza

2011-07-10T02:20:00.000-07:00

As part of the accomadation package we had, we had two nights accomadation, a cooked breakfast delivered to our room each morning and Saturday night we had dinner in the Briars Restaraunt- the Seafood Extravaganza. We thought it sounded a bit over the top but believe me it was not! When it arrived at our table all the other diners around us just stopped and watched it arrived, a number commented and offered to help us eat it! I didn't have my camera with me and should have- I even googled some seafood platter images to see if I could find one like it but none of them came anywhere near it! It was just superb and we had a magnificent feast of seafood. A whole lobster cut in two, Clyde River oysters ( I left those for Bill), king prawns, king prawn cutlets- which were very lightly battered and on a skewer, calamari - with a very light salt and pepper batter, Morteon Bay Bugs, grilled fish, sauces, french fries and a lovely garden salad with caramlised onions and chargrilled vegies through it- it really was a feast! The amazing thing was that before I met Bill I only ate fish!

Summit of Mt Durras

2011-07-10T02:14:00.001-07:00

It was lovely and clear at the top and you could see all around. We spotted two kangaroos, a mother and her older joey, they just looked at us like we were looking at them!

Batemans Bay

2011-07-10T01:10:00.000-07:00

Bill and I went down to Batemans Bay for the weekend- it was our 23rd wedding anniversary, Bill suggested we go so I couldn't say no! We left Friday night, Saturday mid morning we headed out for a walk at Durras North. It was clear and sunny and no where near as cold as Canberra! We walked along the headland then up to the summit of Mt Durras, had a lovely time.

Interesting Tree and Fungus

2011-07-10T00:59:00.001-07:00

Walked past this tree and thought I had to take a photo, it has an unusual trunk for this part of Australia. I also spotted some fungi, so took a photo of that!

Bill at Bike Racing

2011-07-03T02:57:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos of Bill, he has the red bike, blue shirt and ride stripe in his cycling shorts. Our club has from A Grade to G Grade, I ride in F Grade and Bill rides in D Grade. The race was out at Gundaroo and though it was cool it was clear and sunny.

Bike Racing

2011-07-03T02:23:00.001-07:00

One of the club riders is a photographer and he was out at bike racing the other week and took some photos of us all. Here are a few of me. It was a mass start as it was a Secret Handicap and nearly everyone took off really fast- except me, so by the time I got to the big hill the big bunch had gone, at least it meant I got some good photos of me taken!

Lachlan's Fire Party Commentary

2011-07-03T02:21:00.000-07:00

Couldn't get this to attach to the previous posting so I am trying this way.

Lachlan had a late birthday celebration and start of the holidays dinner on Monday night with a BBQ and fire party at our place. There were about 8 of them, all studying at ANU, mainly college and high school friends. Lachlan brought out Woolies supply of sparklers and with a couple of bags of flour they seemed to amuse themselves! There was a new person there, one we hadn't met before, Erin, from Newcastle who happens to be in some of Lachlan's psychology classes and physics class. That is about all the information we know!

Didn't get many photos as I was tired and it was also very cold- we had a minus 5 that night!

Fire Party

2011-07-02T19:31:00.001-07:00

Lachlan in Holiday Mode

2011-07-02T19:27:00.001-07:00

Lachlan has finished exams and is now on holiday mode for the next few weeks. On Friday he got up about 2pm and cooked himself breakfast- looked pretty good!

Solar Panels

2011-07-02T19:13:00.001-07:00

Our solar panels were put up on Friday, we signed up for them back in March so it has taken a while. They still have to be inspected and connected to the grid but at least we have progress! The photo was taken at 4pm so the solar panels are mostly in the shade but normally we will have pretty good solar access as we are a north facing house!

The Third Dog

2011-06-25T17:37:00.001-07:00

Amy keeps asking if we can have a third dog, and the answer is no! She sort of got her wish these last few weeks, but not really!

Boots is the dog next door, she looks a bit dopey but she is a lovely natured dog and she has been coming around for regular visits! Boots was used to a yard full of dogs but they have all now gone, so I think she is a little bored, so she is always coming to visit our two dogs. Somehow she manages to escape out of the cage she is left in, jump their shoulder high side gate, come around to our place, jump our side gate and spend the day with our dogs and make herself at home! She fits right in and she and Benji have a great time running and playing in the back yard. Boots took Benji on an explore the other week, they disappeared for a couple of hours, but finally came home! We thought we must have left the side gate open but it turns out Boots can undo gate latches!

We haven't had any visits this week much to Amy's disappointment, it seems Jess may have finally worked out how to keep Boots locked up, but at least when she did escape she was somewhere safe and didn't seem to want to escape our yard!

Cold Canberra

2011-06-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

It has been very cold and windy this week in Canberra. Friday, Saturday and Sunday saw the winds die down but we did get some cold, frosty starts with minus 4's and everything being white and the dog water bowls and chook water bowls being frozen!

Amy Goes To Sydney for Supa Nova

2011-06-20T00:10:00.000-07:00

It's a bit scary when your kids have minds of their own and want to go away with friends without you! Amy went up to Sydney this weekend to go to the Supa Nova exhibition in Sydney- cartoon, science fiction, nerdy stuff, anima, manga, star trekky stuff, that I know nothing about. She has a group of friends that play Dungeons and Dragons, and have been out a place a number of times to play, they seem to be a really nice group of young people. One of the girls is 21 and has her own car, so they organised a trip up to Sydney, stayed in the Meriton Serviced Apartments in Parramatta and had a great weekend. I texted Amy a number of times to make sure she had arrived safely, but it all went without incident and they had great fun! It is scary having your kids grow up! The photos above are some of the things she bought at the expo, she even got some Lego earrings, but the photos of those did not turn out so well, will try taking a photo another time.

2011-06-19T03:04:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday dinner and cheescake for the birthday cake, I wasn't supposed to put a candle on and Lachlan refused to blow it out! We all enjoyed the cheescake though!