My birthday cont'd

Last night we celebrated my birthday at Ian and Claire's. We enjoyed a perfect lamb roast and chocolate mousse followed by Lisa's yo yo biscuits (my all time favourite!) and birthday cake. The night was different to most dinners as we ended the evening with the Australia Day fireworks display. Thankyou everyone! (I forgot my camera, but the photos were taken care of by the author of 'What's Going On').

My Birthday

On my birthday, I was greeted by the children bearing gifts and hand made cards. Sophie had decided to buy me a mango slicer (as we all love mangoes), Pat bought me a Pete Murray CD and James gave me a mortar and pestle. We travelled to a cafe for lunch followed by a family bike ride. That night, Adam and I visited Spice Temple for the second time. We love the interesting menu and had one of our favourites, 'Tingling Prawns' which makes your mouth 'tingle'.

Last night we celebrated my birthday with a family dinner cooked by mum. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of prawns, fish cakes, chicken, beef and salads 'al fresco'. It was an amazing meal for someone who had worked most of the day. I was spoilt with lots of cards and presents, including recipe books, perfume, salad servers and a handy travel case for our next holiday. Thanks everyone!

Cooking dinner

Last week, we had a quiet afternoon at home and the children decided to cook dinner. On the menu was tuna, chicken, potato salad, carrot and herbs from the garden followed by a delicious fruit salad blended with vanilla yoghurt. Everyone enjoyed their dinner which was followed by James washing all the dishes! It was a pleasant change from the usual routine.

Sophie loves to spend time patting her girl, Rosie.

The hazards of camping

The boys returned from their camping trip yesterday afternoon and were directed straight to the showers for a good scrub. Meanwhile, I began washing the smoky and dirty clothing while Adam unpacked the camping gear. Pat was starving and sat down to a wholesome salad sandwich followed by some antihistimine for the allergic reaction to the insect bites on his forehead. Pat awoke this morning with further swelling so I will get the doctor's opinion today.

Our weekend

This weekend, we visited Rohan, Sharon, Vijay and Rajesh at their new house near the beach. It was great to catch up after such a long time and the children played very well together. We stayed the night on Saturday which allowed the adults to have a good talk while the children slept.We then spent Sunday morning playing at the beach and beach playground before lunch at their house and the journey home.

Chesterfield Farm

Last week, we introduced nanny to one of the children's favourite places to visit, Chesterfield Farm. After a sleepover at nanny's, I drove everyone to the farm where we spent most of our time in the animal nursery, the favourite place within the farm. It was nice and warm in the nursery unlike the unseasonally cold,windy weather outside. We have had very diverse weather this summer.

Cherry Picking

Today we went cherry picking in Red Hill and it was a great way to spend the morning and eat too many cherries. There were sour morello cherries and the sweet cherries we are used to eating. Most of us preferred the sweet cherries and we soon found a good supply in the higher branches where we used the ladders provided. James loves his fruit and was in heaven eating cherry after cherry (the owners explained that the entry fee we paid was an 'eating fee'). By the end, he had a deep red stain around his mouth and said that he wouldn't be eating lunch. Sophie collected a good amount of cherries and decided that she would make a "fruit salad" for her friend Scarlett. We left the farm with close to one kilo of cherries to take home.

After a morning tea of cherries, we drove to Morning Sun Winery where we enjoyed an outdoor Italian lunch of quail, polenta fries, bruschetta and pizza. The children surprised us with their good appetite then spent the next couple of hours playing in the gardens and climbing trees.

Following our long lunch, we decided to visit Rickett's Point in Black Rock for some rock climbing (a favourite activity of Kassians) and running around on the beach. After this energetic activity, it was time to eat again, then run around, then take some very tired children home for a bath and bed. Sophie was particularly tired and I had to explain to her that it would be too late to make her "fruit salad" and we would have to make it in the morning.

Rock climbing at Rickett's Point

Sophie's new bike

Yesterday, while the boys were busy playing with friends, Sophie and Adam visited Granny and Pa and had planned to get another fruit tree from Bunnings. When they returned home, there was a new girls bike in the back of the car! Adam explained that he and Sophie agreed that she needed a "girls" bike to ride instead of the old "boys" bike she has been using.

I asked Sophie why she chose the bike: "because dad said it's the monster bike for big girls...it has a pretend flower on the basket and grass on it and a bubba seat and a bell. They are all the things I loved. Adara has one of those bikes with the bubba seat".

That afternoon, Sophie rode her new bike up and down the driveway ensuring that each of her bubbas had a ride in the seat and basket. She cannot wait to go on a real family bike ride on her own bike (she is too old to be sitting on the back of Adam's bike now). Sophie also wants to Holly to know that the bike has a name on it - "Holly".

Our garden

The hot weather and rain have been perfect conditions for our new vegetable garden. We have harvested all the butter lettuce so far and will soon have an abundance of cherry tomatoes and other varieties.

Prior to Christmas, Adam also found time to work on some steps leading from the upper part of the backyard to the lower part. As pictured, there is also a  bench seat at the top of the stairs. Once the hot weather subsides, we will begin planting which will make make the area more appealing. There is always something to do in the backyard!

Patrick's guinea pigs, Homer and and Marg, are enjoying their new home, otherwise known as 'Guinea Pig Mountain'. Patrick visits his pets morning and night with a handful of pellets. We have noticed that they begin to make their squeaking noises when they hear Patrick putting on his boots at the back door with food in hand. In addition to the pellets, they eat the grass and now share vegetable scraps with the chickens. Patrick tried to catch one for a photo but they are very fast and have lots of hiding places amongst the long grass and pipes that run through the 'mountain'.

Our NYE cont'd...

At night, we enjoyed a relaxed evening at Trav and Elina's with Lawrence, Paola and Maddison. The kids enjoyed a swim and managed to stay awake until after midnight. James and Kassian bravely slept  in a tent in the backyard while we opted for the comfort of the air conditioning inside. On New Year's Day, we spent some time at the beach using Trav's catamaran, followed by lunch, another swim in the pool, then fish and chips (as requested by those with a hangover) before getting home with some very tired little (and big!) people.

New Year's Eve

Our New Year's Eve began with lunch in Healesville then a visit to Hedgend Maze. A great day trip, but will visit again when the weather is not 38 degrees! It was too hot to be in the sun for long.

Slip n' Slide

With the hot summer weather lately, it has been perfect to try out Patrick's new slip n' slide which was given to him by Granny and Pa.