Easter near Clandulla
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
The Easter 3-days orienteering was in the home state this year with races in amongst Clandulla State Forest and its fabulous sandstone cliffs.
It was great staying at the rather large Turon Gates property and a comfy cabin and gorgeous views to go back to. A shame the sun dropped behind the mountains so fast...but lucky for the log fire inside and the campfire outside, and for Cathy's buying out all of Rylstone's marshmallows.
We got to do gold panning, finding specs of real gold thanks to Jonno's expert technique.
There were no golds for us in the races, but we got around. Even Tiia on her first Easter having to race unassisted now she is in W12s. I remember how scary that was. Lucky we didn't have to rush home this year and Tiia got to go horse riding after all that.
We stayed an extra night, so enjoyed an unhurried breakfast and packup then joined our cabin-buddies for the very first part of their Blue Mts bushwalk from Blackheath, then dropped in on the Normal Lindsay Gallery. The first National Trust site Australia we have visited in Australia, finally putting to use the passes we have only used in England.
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Big School
Monday, 3 February 2014
 Kari started big school without a hitch. I guess it is pretty familiar territory for him as third in line. And he is lucky enough to have 5 kids from our street starting up too. Familiar faces for me as well - lots of younger siblings in this round, and I went to high school with Kari's teacher, and one of the other mums.
Paul couldn't be there to drop him off as he had a "new starter" at work. Pointing out we too had a "new starter" seemed to prompt him into action as he showed up for school pickup.
Pretty nice to have 3 kids at school and avoid the double drops off and pickups. The trickiest thing now is locating Kari when I want to now he's in school uniform - no more dressing him in bright colours for easy playground locating.
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Bendigo races and festivities
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
We returned shortly before midnight last night from the Easter 3 Days in Bendigo. 4 Days for me, since I ran “elites” and they had a Prologue race on Good Friday. I was lucky to get dropped at Sydney airport by my family early Friday morning and fly down to Melbourne, get picked up by mum and dad and escorted to the race while Paul continued on driving 9 hours with the kids.
 Bendigo has a big annual Easter Fair, and we happened to book our accommodation very close to the fair as well as mum and dad’s motel. Kari particularly loved petting the animals and the Hidden Creatures hunt… and we kept getting this song in our heads: “We went to the animal fair. The birds and the beasts were there….”
Another highlight for Kari and Jamie was the amazing string courses. Not your usual 2 minute jobbies. These were distance string courses, taking Kari around 20 - 30 minutes to walk/ jog around and he would run them twice, not to mention walk sometimes 1km to and from the events from the carpark. 
We entered Tiia in W10N and she did great, often joining forces with Zali and Jett. Thanks to Dad, Liggo and I’m not sure who else for shadowing. I placed 10th in elites which is my worst ever place except for my the ones I’ve mispunched, but I was happy for the amount of training I have been doing and am all keen to lift my training, I had so much fun. Stix did well to come 8th in 45’s since it was a tough field and he didn’t even think he’s be able to finish more than a day because of a bad knee. Though his knee is still stuffed and now his shoulder too thanks to a fall on Saturday. Nicola, who I have been coaching, finished with a blinder and was selected in the Australian team for the Junior World Champs in the Czech Republic.
We also enjoyed sharing our place with Mark and Ewan, catching up with friends at a BBQ at ours on Saturday, egg hunting at the McCombs on Sunday, before a mine tour for all of them, while I took Kari back to the fair.
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Jamie's Lucky Week
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Jamie was very optimistic that he would win a prize in his school's Easter Hat Parade and very focussed on winning the trophy in beginners' tennis. It seems that his expectations are realistic or that its his lucky week. He won "funniest hat" for his creation - a bird (that Jamie made out of Lego) suspended with wire from a coathanger that dropped an egg which splattered on the hat (which I fried, contacted and stitched onto his hat).
He also enjoyed his school excursion to the Rouse Hill farm today, filling us in with details of what olden days name he was given, his "cousin" was given, etc.
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Luna Park
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Paul's work held a charity/ Family Fun Day at Luna Park. Tiia can now no longer whinge that she is the only one in her class that hasn't been on rides in Luna Park. I'm sure that's an exaggeration but the kids due as we have often walked through Lun Park but dodged the expense and experience of the rides until now. Tiia and Jamie were very brave and really got their money's worth on their unlimited rides tickets.
 I have never been one for rides - a bit too scary and nauseating for me. The last night I went to Luna Park at age 11 or 12, the nausea from the rotor happened to hit me when on top of the ferris wheel which was messy. So I chose who I would accompany well (mostly Kari) and enjoyed spectating, riding the dodgems and being free of contraptions on the old-style slides in Coney Island the best.
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Swim Carnival time
Thursday, 21 March 2013
 Tiia's swimming has been coming along and after a questionable dive in, she won her 50m freestyle heat then came 2nd in her backstroke heat.
I was on duty for diving in if necessary and apart from a couple times when it unclear whether the kids were very tired or in need of rescue I had one of the easiest jobs of the day.
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Pirate Ahoy
Sunday, 10 March 2013
 The kids were really lucky to be invited to two birthday parties for boys on our street. Paul volunteered for parent duty for the Cockatoo Is pirate party, while Tiia, Sun Mi and her girls Megan and I went to the Autumn Vibes festival in the Botanic Gardens. We met Kate and Elsa (unexpectedly) then took the ferry to Manly and saw some cool art with dad on the way to Fairlight.
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Bumps and scratches
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
I was not there at the time...but Kari had a bit of a spill from his scooter.
It hasn't dampened his spirits.  
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And the rest of our mad weeks
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
I didn’t know they started them that young, but Jamie got voted in by his year one class on the Student Representative Council and has had a leadership training day and everything! On Tuesday lunchtimes he is going to Chess Club and to Funky Jazz afterschool while Tiia goes to her flute lesson. On Wednesdays Tiia does afterschool Funky Jazz and Ballet. On Thursday afternoons Jamie is doing tennis and on Friday mornings Tiia goes to band rehearsal then to speech therapy in the afternoon... Not sure how we'll manage when Kari starts doing activities too!
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Monday afternoons
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
The kids are happy with their teachers. Jamie has a male and female jobsharing and Tiia thinks her teacher makes school fun.
 The afterschool activities are shaping up - On Mondays it is swimming lessons for all the kids, and then off to the Sprint Series for now. Paul and I orienteer, sometimes Tiia and Grandma and Grandpa too. This owl keep Dad company for hours yesterday at Pennant Hills, just behind the finish table. It's a Southern Boobook apparently.
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Wild waves
Thursday, 31 January 2013
 The school hols have now come to an end and this is what my Tiia and Jamie got to experience with Grandma and Grandpa on their last day of freedom. Kari started up Preschool again today.
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On the Big Stage
Monday, 3 December 2012
How proud we were when Tiia got to perform in the opening dance at Dance Sensation's end of year concert at the Chatswood Concourse in front of hundreds.
And when our once shy Jamie strutted on stage in his tux and sunnies with 3 boys from his school class to rapturous applause from the audience before all the girls from his dance class joined them on their Tom Jones' Kiss number.
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Farewell Grandad
Sunday, 5 August 2012
When I was still in the UK I received news that Grandad was on his last legs. Luckily mum and dad had been up visiting since Dad has been producing some orienteering maps up the North Coast. The funeral was held a few days after I returned home and it was sort of weird but nice to have a road trip again with Mum, Dad and Grant along the Pacific Highway again, like our Byron Bay holidays of the 80s then catch up with lots of cousins and meet some of their kids.
We learnt that Grandad was a stoker for the navy on ship heading to PNG in the war. There were some interesting cycle racing stories with victory rituals of swinging the bike around about his head and otehr anecdotes of his strength. He wasn't much of a family man until retirement with very few days off work and mum's family never went on any holidays but did get to go to the trade fairs. Grandad was a jeweller of fluctuating business success. Dad said his family never went on holidays either because of their Flower Farm then Nursery business. I guess we are lucky with all ours.
I last saw Grandad on New Year's Eve in 2011 when my family visited him in his nursing home with Mum and Dad then family in Woolgoolga. He'd met Tiia when she was a baby but introduced him to our boys. We told him how Kari shares a birthday with him to which he said, "You have a lot of years ahead of you. I have a lot of years behind me".
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Holidaying in Europe
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
I have been a bit slack/ busy for blogging. Will try to backfill some details re Jamie starting school, crafty and garden stuff, school 60th anniversary celebrations, orienteering... And now we are on hols in the UK, visiting family. Not the best European summer, but it's not slowing us down. Got to beautiful Sweden for 11 days, including a 3 day race in remote mountains. Will face the traffic chaos and head into London tomorrow. More on all that later too.
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The School's Diamond Jubilee
Saturday, 26 May 2012
The school celebrated its 60th birthday year with a fete for the kids, open day for the families and friends and evening do for the parents with art auction, silent auctions, (not quite enough) food, drink and dancing. I was rather excited when the mosaic table that Liz and I helped Tiia’s class create was fiercely fought for and bought by the principal. I then somehow ended up with the winning bid for Jamie’s class’s artwork.
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