Feeding native birds in Healesville

We've had a busy school holidays. The first weekend was spent away in Adelaide, for Izzy's gymnastics championships. She did really well for her first competition, with a silver ribbon, and three bronzes in vault, floor, bars and beam respectively. 

We had several days at home after that recuperating and catching up on washing.

A week before we'd been having drinks with the neighbours, and before you know it, we had a spontaneous snow trip planned for the second weekend of the holidays. 

I was really looking forward to this weekend, and I was not disappointed at all. Everybody had a fantastic time. 

Our choice of accommodation was the BIG4 Yarra Valley Park Lane Holiday Park in Healesville, Victoria. While we were initially taken aback by the lack of room in our cabin, we settled in well and realised this place was a gem. The park is set in quiet bush land with the most amazing tall trees.

The playground, jumping pillow and BBQ area were steps from our front doors and we could hear nearby Badgers Creek bubbling away beyond that.

The one thing that stood out when we arrived was the greeting from the local bird life. Before we had fully unpacked our car, there were several Rosella perched on our porch, checking out the new occupants.

We got our hands on some wild bird seed (available from reception) and loved the chance to interact with these beautiful birds. 
   

female king parrot

male king parrot

Rosella

Week 29 Bright - #fmy52weeksofmemories

A weekend at the Adelaide Shores resort

My place in time #89 This place is for sale

One hundred kilometres into our drive to Adelaide, we come across Larry the Lobster, in Kingston SE. This is the Big Lobster that radio hosts Hamish and Andy have been raising money for. Larry is in need of some fixing up. The popular tourist attraction is also up for sale, along with the building behind it, that used to be a cafe and souvenir shop. This would be a great investment for the right person. Hell, even I am tempted! There is always tourists there taking photos, and with the influx of overseas tourists coming into South Australia right now, it is a shame it isn't open.

The weather was glorious in Adelaide. We stayed at the Adelaide Shores Resort in West Beach. It is a fabulous resort for families, and our holiday villa was awesome, and great value for money ($250 for two nights), with two bedrooms and a kitchen. 

I would stay here again in a heart beat. I could even let the kids play in the playground while I watched them out the kitchen window while I cooked dinner (and sipped wine).

The beach was a stones throw away for a pre-dinner stroll, and the kids loved the heated outdoor pool. It was strange, we drove four and a half hours and the kids were swimming outdoors, after a six degree day earlier in the week, back home.

The resort is close to the Adelaide airport. Watching, and hearing, the planes take off so close, was a novelty for us. The noise did not bother us at all, and didn't affect our sleep, which we were a bit worried about. 

If you had kids that were obsessed with planes, they'd think it was Christmas.

week 28 Smile - #fmy52weeksofmemories

An InLinkz Link-up

ICAD 2016 - Week 7

ICAD #43 mint
This is a hybrid Minties and Mentos card. A local servo was giving away free mentos with fuel purchases. I put the wrappers to good use. I also had no idea there was a choc mint flavour, they taste pretty good too. Minties always remind me of my grandad. Whenever he came over, us kids were so excited because his pockets would be full of Minties, just for us.

ICAD #44  Rainbow making machine
This is where rainbows come from. Right?

ICAD #45 Play on words
Pardon the pun

ICAD # 46 Lighthouse

ICAD #47 Monochromatic
Monochrome doesn't necessarily mean black and white. I was looking through and old magazine to cut from, and there seemed to be lots of green, so I went with it.

ICAD #48 Aurora borealis
A bit of an abstract one. 

ICAD #49 superhero
It took me a lot of years, to realise my mum is a superhero. 

Done and dusted - school holidays week 1

We had a strange first week of holidays. 

Tuesday was as cold as buggery. A top of six degrees for the day, hail and rain. The reverse cycle was working hard that day.

For some reason, maybe because we were confined to the inside of the house, I had the urge to spring clean. For a while I hadn't been bothered doing a thing around the house. All of a sudden I wanted to do stuff, like dust and get rooms ready to paint. I began tearing the wallpaper freeze from the toilet wall, and had the bright idea the kids would like to finish what they had slowly but surely been doing, for the last couple of years. Peeling bits of it off. They loved it and had it finished it no time. 

Mum gave me this polar fleece, she had been intending to make Gran a dressing gown. She thought better of it (because, sewing) and gave it to me. We made a knot blanket with it. Izzy helped at the start and at the end, lost interest in middle, so more or less, I made a knot blanket.  'Soft' - #fmy52weeksofmemories

Isabel reveled in collecting hail from the trampoline, much to my dismay. She kept in the freezer to for later, when her friend from next door came to play. Kids feel cold so differently. Bugger that shit. I was frozen.

Later in the week, we headed to Adelaide. We drove four and a half hours and the kids were swimming outdoors, in a heated pool before dinner! Who would have thought.

This was before the snot had started pouring out of her face.

The jumping pillow was a hit.

We had a gorgeous couple of days in Adelaide, blue skies and sunshine. It was awesome. We went shopping and silly me didn't buy a single thing for myself. It didn't really bother me either! I sure knew though, when the kids had enough of traipsing around, it was time to go! 

Brett doesn't get it though. He could have kept going and was oblivious to the fact that the kids were playing up because they were tired, and hungry.  He only sees naughty kids, and not good kids that need a break. He gets narky at me because the kids are being shits, so I have double barrels pointing at me while trying to keep my cool for everybody. It's bloody exhausting!

I should have bought something for me.

The whole purpose of our trip to Adelaide was so Izzy could compete in the Gymnastic SA country championships.

She did well, I was so proud. She earned a silver ribbon in vault, and three bronzes for floor, beam and bars.

I am looking forward to this coming week with a few days of sleeping in and relaxing again before we are off to the snow this weekend coming.  After that? We ain't going anywhere for the rest of the year!

An InLinkz Link-up

ICAD 2016 - Week 6

ICAD #36 Crystal or prism
When I googled 'prism', Pink Floyd's, Dark side of the moon cover came up. So I went with it.

ICAD #37 meditation
My first Mandala!

ICAD #38
When I was preggers with my first, 24 years ago, mum and I attended a folk art day class. While I didn't have the right brushes, or paint, this card was easy.

ICAD #39 Lens
Why am I still seeing women wearing leggings as pants. The trick ladies is, to wear a tunic top that will cover your bum. Really!! It's not that hard!

ICAD #40 Surfboard

ICAD #41 Longitude and latitude
It took me just about all day to work out what I was doing with this prompt. The coordinates are for the Canunda national park. I love going there. 

ICAD #42 Yellow
When I thought of yellow, my mind went to Itsy bitsy yellow polka dot bikini, and stayed there for most of the day! Isabel even asked "Have you got that song stuck in your head Mum?". 

Eyes #fmy52weeksofmemories

Both our girls have gorgeous grey coloured eyes. 

A cross between my green eyes, and Brett's blue eyes. 

I love that they change at different times of the day. The way the light catches them. They are beautiful and unique. 

Summer and I have the flu in the last week. Brett has just gotten it over the weekend and there's been no sympathy from me. It's always turns to the man flu with him, he didn't even get out of his pyjamas yesterday! Some people have the life.

I am hoping Isabel is saved before she has to perform at the gymnastic championships on the weekend. 

Friday night Isabel and I attended the opening of the Wattle Range photographic exhibition. I was so proud as she accepted her merit award in the youth section, for the photo of her Pop. It was a much needed boost to her confidence.

There were so many amazing photos. I was so happy with myself for being brave, in entering photos for the first time. 

The exhibition is a fabulous community event. Photos from this exhibition are chosen to appear in the local council calendar. Hopefully we will see Isabel's photo of Dad there in next years calendar. That would be exciting.

We are in for a wet week here. Rain rain and more rain. By the end of this first week of holidays the kids are going to be climbing the walls to get out. God help me. 

An InLinkz Link-up