The Slow Path

We have been taking it easy and enjoying time together this month. These are some of the things I love about summer holidays...



time spent in and around the pool



catching up with friends

 



peaches from our garden...so delicious

 



baking monte carlos

 



revisiting old friends on the bookshelf

 


just hanging out



with cousins

beautiful, beautiful rain

 

 

 

Reporting from the slow path 
Kate xx

 

Bring on Christmas Day!

For the last thirteen years Great Southern Rail has hosted the Indian Pacific Outback Christmas Train during December. This event spreads Christmas cheer across Australia as the Indian Pacific travels 4,352km from Sydney to Perth.

Each year Santa travels on the Indian Pacific, along with a special guest to perform free concerts at regional stops along the way. This year Australian rock band, Chocolate Starfish accompanied Santa and it was with much excitement my children's school choir was also part of the concert in Broken Hill.



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Earlier this year Great Southern Rail teamed up with Adam Thompson, front man of band Chocolate Starfish and professional music mentor, to put together a uniquely Australian Christmas carol. Adam travelled  to some regional towns, including our home town, and with help from some of the school children along the way, they created an Aussie carol – ‘Bring on Christmas Day!’.

 

My son was lucky enough to be one of the children who spent time workshopping with Adam and his group collaboratively wrote the second verse.  Needless to say he had an absolute ball and is still enjoying his rock star status!

 

 

The day the Christmas train pulled in to town we were up and dressed extremely early to meet it on the platform before school and our school choir performed "Bring on Christmas Day', along with Chocolate Starfish. This was of course after they had entertained the crowd of parents, train passengers and staff and  other onlookers with songs that showed our age (or lack of it in the case of some teachers and all the children!).

 

here comes the train




Adam and the children singing 'Bring on Christmas Day'



Yes, we live a long way from anything and many visitors comment on the fact that our place is in the middle of nowhere but, while this brings many challenges, it also brings so many great opportunities such as this one.

 

The end result, 'Bring on Christmas Day' is a brilliant Australian Christmas song, and not only is it a catchy tune, but every time someone downloads it on iTunes, funds from the sale will be donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Adam and his crew were extremely generous with their time and attentions and made the kids feel very special. He remembered them, he got in with them, he said "Hi" and he posed for many photos. He even caught a soccer game and gave the kids a half time pep talk while he was in town making the song, after finding out that many of the kids he had worked with all played in the same team!

Here is the end result. The kids look like they are having SO. MUCH. FUN!

 



 

A Conversation

Every year the local Ulysses club organises a Toy Run collecting donated toys for less fortunate children. They are coming to our school this week to collect any donations so today we went shopping...

On the way to the shop there was a very interesting conversation in my car which made me realise that the idea of not 'having' things is a very abstract concept for my children. Master B said that he thought giving toys was a great idea but wondered where the toys went as there was probably not anyone who would need it in our town! In my line of work I know this is not true and it got me thinking.



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My children are not over-indulged but they do not want for anything. They have the basics and more. I do not want to take things away so how do I foster compassion in them while a less fortunate life is not their reality?

I have been doing some thinking and while there are many options for sponsorship, donations of money and goods or time, especially at Christmas, I would like this to be relevant to my children so I think that helping other disadvantaged children in Australia is what I would like to pursue.

It is certainly food for thought, especially as I did not realise that, even though we talk about those less fortunate, Master and Miss B do not really understand or relate this to themselves or their community. Thanks to Mr Google I already have my eye on The Smith Family organisation as they are Australia’s largest national education-oriented charity, supporting disadvantaged Australian children to participate fully in their education and giving them the best chance at breaking the cycle of disadvantage. They run learning support and mentoring programs to help children in need to fit in at school, keep up with their peers, and build aspirations for a better future for themselves. Education is something very close to my heart and part of my children's reality as well.

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Do you volunteer with your children or support any causes along with them?
Have you had conversations with them about what we can do?  
What do you think is the best way to foster compassion for others less fortunate?

I'd love to hear what you think!

Kate xx

Markets, Mud, Merlot and all that Jazz ~ Part 3

I have been sharing my family's weekend adventure to the Barossa to take in the 2014 Gourmet Weekend last weekend which you can read about here and here.

We started our Sunday with a small family scuffle about the location of breakfast so to keep the peace ,we shared the love and had a movable breakfast over two locations! Our first stop was Café P.O.D in the main street of Tanunda.

The Little Gourmets breakfasted while we enjoyed the first coffee and took in the eclectic mix of furniture and crockery while talking about what we could squeeze in before we had to start heading home. Next on the list was breakfast for the Big Gourmets and we headed to Jacob's Creek in search of the kitchen garden and their toasted muesli with poached pears and honey and cinnamon yoghurt.

We found ourselves in a beautiful spot, sitting in the kitchen garden in the sunshine while the children had the opportunity to take part in a hands-on gardening experience with one of the Jacob's Creek staff members and a couple of other children. They planted in the garden as well as learning about and tasting a few of the other things growing there. They also planted their own seedling to bring home. After retiring their gardening gloves, they tried their hand at some bocce and kicked the ball around with some new found friends while we took in the view and tried some of the liquid produce!

Our last stop for the weekend was Kellermeister where we rolled out the picnic blanket, took in the view, the sunshine, the sounds of Blue Lagoon and some magnificent lunch! The mood was relaxed and just how Sunday should be.

It was here that some of the travelling party ignored calls to prepare themselves to leave and made not so subtle enquiries about schools in the Barossa area and hints about the kind of house they would like to live in!!!!!

So we had the most fantastic weekend, which we are still talking about and we will most certainly be going back for more. The 2015 Gourmet Weekend in already on the calendar as well as the possibility of visits for other pursuits.

This weekend has not been nearly as much fun as we catch up on the jobs we were not doing while 'gourmetting' around last weekend! Such is life....it does make the adventures more special when they happen though.

Kate xx

Linking with One Mother Hen's Open Slather

Markets, Mud, Merlot and all that Jazz

Last weekend we headed to the Barossa Valley for a 'vine change'.

The 2014 Barossa Gourmet Weekend was on which gave us the perfect excuse to make the drive and apart from some family time and some good eating, we arrived with no plans and a whole weekend to enjoy.

Our very first stop was the Barossa Farmer's Market which is based in Angaston and held every Saturday morning. There is nothing I like better than a farmer's market and I was not disappointed! I could have wandered around all morning touching beautiful, orange carrots, taking photos of earthy potatoes and smelling the coffee.

My family were also pleased as they breakfasted on local fruit toast, egg and bacon rolls, offered fudge to taste test, encouraged to take sour dough and dip it in dukkah and they took part in a verjuice tasting. We all marvelled at beautiful cinnamon scrolls, admired loaves of bread and tasted local beers. We listened to stall holders playing music to entertain the shoppers, bought  muesli, brownies and cheesecake.

 

Just before leaving the markets my children had a little brush with fame as they stood a couple of feet away from one of their television and kitchen idols, Maggie Beer. The Barossa is her local stomping ground and like any good local she was out doing her carrot shopping, much to my children's delight!

 

This close encounter led us to our next destination for our Barossa Gourmet Odyssey. Stay tuned in for  the next instalment of "Markets, Mud, Merlot and all that Jazz" to see what else we got up to....

 

Kate x

 

Connecting with Alicia at One Mother Hen's Open Slather