Soggy days

Thursday, July 30, 2020

There is a walking track that runs from our local train station to an industrial area.  It is quite flat, well graded and goes through open paddocks - a popular track for dog walks and bike rides.  There are cattle in these paddocks, which is a novelty for the girls, as all the fields in our area seem to be busy growing houses.

Last week we had quite a bit of rain and it shows that, naturally, our local area would be quite swampy as the land seems to flood easily.  And the land this track runs through is no exception.

Jesse, our dog, has fallen into the habit of jumping in the car with us when I take Charlie to the train station in the mornings for school and a few mornings ago he struck gold - on the spur of the moment I decided to take him for a walk along this track, while there was a break in the weather (he couldn't believe his luck, normally I just do a u-turn and go home!)

And half way along, the track ended in this:


Except for the fence poles, you could easily think this was the lake's edge!


On the way back I spotted this massive fungi high up in the tree.

Two days later I took the girls and bikes (and dog) for a run before picking Charlie up.  The water had subsided somewhat (at least off the track), but there was still so much water around - and lots of frogs and ducks and other water birds.

There is quite a comprehensive drainage system under this track and the girls discovered mini whirlpools forming for each drainage pipe - the force was surprisingly strong.


Of course, there was quite a bit of "accidentally" falling in!




We went home happy and invigorated, but with with cold toes!


A Wedding

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

On 21 June Christina and Broyce got married.  It was a Covid-19 wedding, capped at 20 people, with Broyce's family zooming in from WA.  It was the perfect day - the weather all week had been rainy and cloudy only to be warm and sunny on the wedding day.

Joe and Erin

Hayden, Beau (Broyce's grandson) and Robin



Natalie




Autumn Leaves

Sunday, July 12, 2020
There are some beautiful crafts made with Autumn leaves.  I saw lanterns made by gluing leaves between two sheets of greaseproof paper and using fairy lights inside.  

We used tracing paper because I had a huge pad of it, and I just made some paper mache glue (with flour and water), and slapped it all together and let it dry.  I ironed them the next day, then stitched them together with string after holepunching some holes in the ends (it looked like shoelaces).

We found various fairy lights at Bunnings that run on batteries and just put them inside.

They look beautiful!







For a few years I have been wanting to wax some leaves - I finally did it!  I intended to make lots of garlands ... that may have to wait for next year now, as all the Autumn leaves have gone brown (and soggy in the rain).




Our week away - Nelson Bay

Saturday, July 11, 2020
As I mentioned, we went away for a week at the end of June, essentially for Callum's birthday, but we were all more than ready to have a change of scene.  We had all of us, as well as Callum's girlfriend, Jenn, and our nephew, Joe.

It was a cozy experience, all of us in a house with much smaller rooms than we are used to (it was a reasonably big house, just smaller rooms) and Joe, Charlie and Rory had to share a room, but it worked.  We had beautiful winter weather - the house was a real sun trap, a pot belly stove and a pool table (smaller than expected, but well used nevertheless).

(Warning - lots of photos to follow).

Callum, Natalie, Erin and I went on a big walk up a mountain (well, it felt like a mountain) to an amazing lookout.  On the way we stopped at some battlement remains, from WWII, where they had set up guns to protect Port Stephens.  I also managed to leave my phone there, which I didn't realise until we got home, so I had a second walk halfway up the mountain (this time with Charlie for company) and found my phone being carried by a lovely woman who was walking back with her young kids.












Joe made us all pasta (from scratch)!  A big difference for him to cook for nine, rather than one or two, but he managed it and it was yummo!


We hired bikes.....





There was the best dog beach in the world!  Once Robin and I discovered it, we were there most days.  A beautiful, long stretch of calm beach with flat sand.  A good 2km walk from one end to the other and back again.  A popular spot with locals too - at times it was like a highway with all the dogs and people walking/striding/jogging along.











Some people shots......








 And we went for a camel ride!







Jesse's birthday

Friday, July 10, 2020
Earlier this week Erin organised a birthday party at our local dog park for Jesse.  He turned two on 30 June, so the party was a bit delayed, but Erin was determined.  His two "best friends" were invited - Ghandi (the Irish wolfhound) and Stanley (the Chinese hairless crested darling) - talk about polar opposites!  Erin made a meatloaf birthday cake, yoghurt and cream cheese treats, and party bags!

Photo opportunities were a bit chaotic, to say the least; but here are a few.

Erin was very excited to find the "birthday boy" badge!
Trying to line them all up to enjoy their birthday treats!

Stanley and Natalie


Ghandi and Temina




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