And Then There Were Two!

Moving in for a closer look we discovered that there were two Frogmouths in the tree.  See upper left and lower right.

They appeared to be mother and youngster as one was larger than the other and the smaller one was more active. Mum on the left.















Later in the day the two got together.

Tawny Frogmouth

Looked out the window and in one of the trees there was a Tawny Frogmouth, Podargus strigoides lying along a branch.  We have been hearing them at night but we rarely see them during the day.  The area seems to be providing them with enough food to take up residence. He/she was not at all worried by the camera (although I was about 30m away)

Creswick?

We decided to look over the Novatel Resort at Creswick near Ballarat as a potential venue for New Year 2011.  It is an imposing presence in the countryside as you approach from the Midland Highway

The rear rooms and the Restaurant and Bars overlook the golf course.

At the rear there is also a pool separate sauna and gym for guest use.

It is all good if looking a little tired.  There is plenty to do in the area and the facility is very close to Ballarat. We might look at the option of a night at Sovereign Hill as well.

The Christmas Bonanza

It takes a day or two, but after a while you can get down to spending some serious time with the toys and presents you got for Christmas.  Patrick disappeared into his room for a few hours and completed a Lego Station.

Sophie spent time on her golf swing (the Golf set was the only thing she REALLY wanted Santa to bring)

And James spent time on the practice range with his monster machine gun

Fort Update

Since last report there have been some additions to the armaments available to the defenders of the fort.  New racks have been added and there has been an intensive training program.

While the level of equipment may appear excessive, scouts have found insurgents in the surrounding areas armed with RPGs as evidenced below.

Boxing Day

Crazy name, but Boxing Day is a time to relax and contemplate the spoils of the day before.  Sophie was able to spend time in her new kitchen cooking up a storm and practicing for her entry to Junior Masterchef.

James with his new Membership could sit back and contemplate the victories to come as the Bombers work their way back into the top 8 and, who knows, perhaps into Premiership contention?

And Patrick is working on managing the new bike.

James is on hand to provide a few tips.

Grandma gets out for Christmas

Following her operation Grandma seems to be much better in herself.  She still has problems with her legs but is happier and eating better.  This Christmas she was well enough to get out and about.  During the day she visited the family and had lunch before returning in the evening.  She enjoyed the day.

Fortification of the Fort

Christmas provided the opportunity to re-arm the Fort which now bristles with a formidable array of weaponry.

Christmas

Whatever the hassles associated with it - Christmas is a fun time.  This year it was a perfect day and the morning started with pancakes perfectly cooked.  The original cook had been sacked and reassigned to the construction of a toy kitchen (this took the best part of 4 hours and doesn't he look happy!)

The spoils of the day were many and varied from outside toys and books -

There were Magic tricks of all sorts -

And there was reference material together with health and beauty treatments

Melbourne Summer

The rain continues.  If we have to have a drought, this is the best sort to have as it seems to be raining every week or so.  The front garden is showing evidence of all the water - to the extent that the local Council is issuing notices to get vegetation off the pathways.

How about that?

Sometimes that coffee (or in this case - hot chocolate) looks so good you wonder if you should actually drink it.

A little shock at Aireys

In setting up for the summer rentals there was a confronting scene opposite.  Apparently a spark in the power line lit the powerboard and the whole house was destroyed.  It is so sad as it was a really nice place and, before he sold it some years ago, Rex Murfett had put a lot of work into developing it as a really comfortable little place.  This is all that is left.

Fort approaching completion

The Fort/Fairy Castle is developing to the point where it can be used even though there are a number of refinements that have been requested of the builder by the clients.

Grandma K Turns 90

We had a small gathering to celebrate Grandma turning 90.  Noel and Pam and Cameron and Cathy came down from Echuca, Jenni flew down from Canberra and Grandma herself was well enough to come out for the afternoon.  Thankfully the rain held off so the kids were able to play outside!

 

Patrick's Photo

It has been a while since his birthday but we finally got a photo of Patrick to mark his 6th birthday.  This is the one installed in Granny and Pa's gallery

.

The new Powderfinger

I present evidence of the new generation of Rock Gods that are emerging even as we speak.

The New Toy Arrives

An exciting day yesterday as Justin and Lisa picked up their new van.  Now the fun starts.

Melbourne = More Rain

It is getting to be a bit of a joke now.  The rain was so heavy you could photograph it out the back window!  This little rain event produced about 20 mm.

Lazy Saturday

It was a happy confluence of events.  Adam was home with the kids (Kate was on a shopping tour) others were available, no one had had a Pork Roast for ages, weather was good, a roof had to be installed on the fort/fairy castle so a Saturday roast lunch eventuated.

It was one of those strange warm humid days that sapped your energy but required you to be outside in the breeze.

Of course the kids seemed oblivious to the weather so James and Patrick rode their bikes, Jack worked on perfecting his technique on a scooter, Sophie and Cooper worked on the trikes and Lachlan just lay about!

Jack's Starfish Concert

On Thursday evening the Starfish Group at Jack's Kinder presented their end of year concert.  This is a special program to give the children additional exposure to a range of music experiences.  They presented a range of activities.  Here is the group and Jack on the Bongo drum.

He was an enthusiastic performer on the drums but quiet as an octopus.











On the other hand he went off on the bells but was a less enthusiastic dancer

He came in with a big finale as a dingo having a "Very Aussie Christmas" and riding in a rusty Holden ute.