It's almost Christmas...can you feel it?

The last few weeks have been a little bit crazy but things have calmed now school is over for another year. One of my elves had their hard work acknowledged with an award at presentation night, the other elf had the honour of escorting Santa in his sleigh in the Christmas pageant. There have been work parties, Christmas parties for groups we are involved in, school concerts and get-togethers with friends. My calendar is exhausted (& so am I) but we are so lucky that we have so many friends, workmates and family who want to celebrate 2013 and the season with us!
It's starting to look a lot like Christmas here....

little elves decorating the tree

 

baking...cranberry bread

gifts for the special teachers we were lucky enough to have this year

 

my favourite decoration

Santa sacks at the ready, cards up, presents under the tree. I think we are prepared!

the WHOLE family is getting in the spirit

We are looking forward to some of our family arriving soon and the anticipation is rising. The food is in the fridge, the pizza oven in clean and wood chopped and presents are wrapped and under the tree (some are hidden too!)
There will be lots of small children, great food, laughs, sparkle.
I hope that all my blogging friends have a very merry Christmas too. Looking forward to more in 2014!

Kate x

P.S. this picture was shared by a friend of mine and it sums up how exactly how I am feeling today! Merry Christmas xx

Bricks to the Bush

Living where I am means that it is easy to think about the things we miss out on but sometimes our isolation makes us special and we get to experience things that not everyone gets the chance to.

Last year we had a life sized Lego Forest pop up in our Living Desert (which you can read more about on my blog here). This was a part of the Festival of Play to celebrate 50 years of Lego in Australia. It was very cool...

This year we have been lucky enough to have another Lego exhibition visiting us at the Albert Kersten Mining and Mineral Museum. The Lego Colosseum has been on display and there are enough bricks in this to make any young (and old) Lego lover's heart pitter patter!! 

This largest ever scale model of Rome’s famous Colosseum has been built entirely from LEGO bricks by Ryan McNaught, aka "The BrickMan". Mr McNaught has Master B's definition of the dream job being one of 13 LEGO certified Professionals and the only one for the southern hemisphere. If you have recently seen a big Lego something chances are Ryan was there!

You could spend all day wandering around, or if you are like me, on your hands and knees with the children crawling around marvelling at the detail and sheer Lego-ness of it all.



 


I loved the fountain

 








Look at that happy little face...in Lego heaven!

 

I think Lego brings out the child in many of us. We have probably played with it as children and many of us who are parents or aunts and uncles have vacuumed it up or stepped on it.

I feel lucky to have been able to see this exhibition and I hope it's one of many that visits us in the bush, reminding us that we all need to play.

Now I will hop off my Early Childhood soapbox...and go an pick up some Lego so I can vacuum :)
Kate x





Linking with Jacana for Totally Thursday

and they're off and racing...

It's spring racing season and we too have joined in the fun locally.

 

There are two race meetings where I live, one rather large and fun one around St Patrick's day and another that happened a week or two ago.

This race meeting is advertised as more of a family day so this year we put it to the test with some friends and their children too. It was so much fun!



Look at that fabulous view!



 We talked, we watched the fashions and the horses parading, we shared a glass or two and the children studied the form and 'voted' for which horse they thought might win the next race. We all left the track saying we would do it again next year!

Have you backed a winner in the last few weeks of racing? Do you get caught up in it at this time of the year in any way?

My methods of 'voting' are shaky to say the least and most often not to be trusted so I generally leave that part of the occasion to others!!!

Kate xx

Linking with Jacana for Totally Thursday

Fete Fun

Don't you agree that there is nothing like a school fete!



Parents work for months organising stalls and helpers, food and entertainment. People pot up plants and strike succulents. There is baking for the cake stall.  Lolly necklaces and bracelets are made. Teachers organise art work to be displayed and activities to entertain.

Plant stall

Art gallery...we are the proud owners of two masterpieces!

 



The whole school community comes together for one evening of community spirit, hot donuts, fun, face painting and toffees.

 

Our school community came together this week to do just this and it was a fabulous evening out. The children came and went as they spent our change with gay abandon while we talked to friends and teachers while eyeing off the cake stall and the second hand books.

 

Master B taking his turn at manning the put put golf







Enough jewellery to make a little girl's heart flutter

cake stall

Italian baked potato for dinner...Yum!

 

Is there anything you look for at a fete or market?

Hot donuts are my weakness!

 





Kate x 

 

 

 

Linking with Jacana for Totally Thursday 

Where's WALT?

I had a visit from a furry Western Australian gentleman bear a couple of months ago (whose outback adventures you can read about here) but has anyone wondered what WALT has gotten up to since we sent him on his way?

Well he seemed to have got lost and we had almost given up hope when he popped up at Janet's house. What a wonderful surprise. He was a little worse for wear and unable to account for his whereabouts for a few weeks but he was back on his journey.

After Janet's he was found living it up and lending a hand to Lani in the ACT.

Have a look at these links if you want a peek into different parts of our great country as well as keeping up with WALT's news.

I wonder where he will be next?

Double Figures

Do you remember turning 10? Do you remember how important it was to have made it to double figures? I do...

I had forgotten just how important it was until recently as there was a special birthday in our house and Mr Now-10 was extremely excited. It reminded me that I was told I could not learn to ride the motorbike parked in our shed until I was ten, that I would probably be able to reach the dustpan and brush hung on a high hook when I was ten, that I could have a charm bracelet when I turned ten...

Mr 10 invited a friend to come out for dinner with him to a place of his choice then a sleepover and as you can imagine, dining with two young gentlemen (and a lady sister of course) was almost as much entertainment as hosting a party for twenty children in your backyard.

Between fizzy drinks, accidentally setting a menu on fire through inattention and tea light candles on the table (!!!), exploring the murals that decorate our chosen venue, The Palace Hotel and running up and down the  upstairs verandah because sitting for a whole meal was taxing for some of the party, we had an excellent evening.



fizzy drinks for everyone!

The Palace Hotel...a little bit famous



On the way home we were open to requests to take the scenic tour so we took in the view then went home for cake...



Line of Lode restaurant and Miner's Memorial





great view

 

Just quietly I can't believe I am the mother of a ten year old! He's over halfway to his 18th...more fizzy drinks and craziness if I remember correctly!

Linking with Jacana for Totally Thursday

 

Out of Town for the Weekend

 



cheers




Local watering hole on a Saturday evening

 



bbq breakfast

over the Darling River

 

 

simply messing about in boats

Gourmet Food Parcels {Wordless Wednesday}

What do you get if you cross a self confessed gourmet foodie with an avid internet shopper?

One exciting box of goodies from the Maggie Beer Farm Shop on my doorstep...

Bon Appetite...bottoms up and all that  :)

Kate xxx


Linking with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday