Donvale v Wantirna South

It was a great morning for football on Sunday and James had a good day on the ball and he set up some scoring shots for the Team.

More photos at http://thedmfc.blogspot.com/

Weird Gadget File

I have been intrigued at the difference a little exposure to air can make to wine.  So when they were offering a cheap aerator on a sale site, I had to give it a go.  Amazingly - it works really well!! I could not believe it.

You pour the wine through it and a swirling venturi pulls air through little channels into the wine as it drops into the glass.  Even though it produces an amazing result I am not sure that I would be prepared to put it on the dinner table.

Action Day

It has all started again for Adam and Kate.  Harry came across with the excavator, Adam had the bobcat and David arrived to prepare for the new wall.  The excavator made short work of preparing the ground.  What a toy!!

The activity in the back yard bypassed others in the family.

Auskick Continues

Well, at least the days are getting longer now but the sun is still low in the sky for the start of Auskick.

It was a clear morning and the grass was not too wet for the handball practice.

While the Dads got on with the important business of networking.

Welcome Nathaniel

Marcia and Geoff are the proud new parents of Nathaniel born (naturally) a week early.  Great excitement in having a brother for Gabrielle.  We visited with camera in hand to record the occasion.
Additional photos can be seen at Nathaniel's Blog at that we set up for him.
http://nathaniels-story.blogspot.com/

Donvale v Ferntree Gully

Sunday saw the Donvale Under 9s out at Ferntree Gully for their match.  It was a crisp morning and the match was played on a waterlogged ground so there was a bit of washing to be done at the end of the match.  (Boys and clothes).
I thought I would play with my favourite Black and White application and these are the photos of the day I like best. In the first one, James had marked the ball that was a bit like a pudding in the wet and was kicking off.

This bloke had been playing really well but it was his turn to stand out and he was desperate to get back in the action.  I like the look n his face.

Auskick in Winter

I wonder if you can tell from the photo that is was a cool morning for Pat and the Auskickers?

Pat warmed to it as there was a little more action.

And there was always good advice being offered by champions from the past.

Jay spent his time practicing "speckies".

Developmental Studies Resource Material

Just in case anyone was studying the development of a Manager of Human Resources, here are a few photos of the early stages of development.

Grandma in Good Shape

We went to visit Grandma and despite a bit of a cold, she is in really good shape. We spent the visit catching her up with all the news and answering lots of questions. She is certainly on top of things at present.

Back to Reality

After a wonderful time away and then the realities of adjusting to GMT +9.00hrs, we were back in the zone.  It was another beautiful day in Melbourne, cold morning but clear skies so a barbeque was called in the park.

Even though the grass was very wet, football was a mandatory activity.

Sophie decided that she had better things to do and spent some quality time with Rosie.

Then it was time to move on and consume the Lamb Roast that Granny had been preparing during the afternoon to be followed by a Chocolate Brownie desert and dark chocolate sauce with berries that Kate had made, all washed down with a delicious 99 Cab Sav.  Heaven!

Last Day in Singapore

We decided to give the city a good looking over so we started with the Singapore Flyer.

 The wheel is slightly larger than the London Eye and more recent.  There are evident improvements in terms of access and the air conditioning works well.  From the top you can see Malaysia and the massive amount of shipping in the Straits and the full extent of this City State.

The massive building on the left is 3 towers that dominate the skyline of the City.  It contains a Hotel, offices and a Casino and on the top there is a 1 hectare park and gardens and pool.

The afternoon was spent in various markets and shopping malls seeing how they do it.  Boy, can they shop! There is every type of shop and every type of shopping experience from the highest end to bargaining for trinkets in market stalls.

Getting Singapore Sorted Out

We had a day getting around Singapore on one of those "jump on - jump off" buses. If you don't want to look like a tourist, perhaps the bus is not the best idea!

We also looked at the Singapore River and Marina Bay to see the city from the water.

It is certainly a city of contrasts with the old and the very new standing together.

There is building everywhere but there is also an attempt to retain some of their heritage as can be seen in these old shopfronts of China Town in one of the main roads.

Singapore

Travel can get a little tiresome!  We left Brighton about 8.00 am and the Flight departed at about 1.45 pm then it was a 13 hr flight arriving in Singapore about 8.00 am local time.  So we are starting the new day with no sleep.  Luckily, the Hotel was able to give us our room and they upgraded us because of local renovations.  The CEO decided that touring Singapore could wait.

Last Day

There had been plenty of activity in the last few days so our last day was conducted at a more leisurely pace. Mitchell and Ebony showed considerable patience and (eventually) skill in building card houses.  There had been a lot of collapses before Ebony produced this one.

Then it was off to Devil's Dyke for a little kite flying before we had an enormous lunch at the pub.

Then in the evening we were lucky enough to be on hand for a play that had been prepared and acted by the kids in the neighbourhood.

Mitchell, Ebony and Holly all had starring roles.  The parents had organised a huge meal to follow so we all waddled home.

Birling Gap

Another perfect day in the land of perpetual complaints about the weather.  (Who is kidding who?) So it was into the car and off to Birling Gap to see the Seven Sisters.  These appear to be high points on the white cliffs along the coast.

The best thing was too be able to get up close and personal with the chalky white cliffs and see the flint embedded in them.  The eroded cliffs leave the flints on the beach and Mitchell spent time cracking them to make cutting edges.

Then it was tea and scones at the cafe before the trip home along the coast. 

London

Another beautiful day in merrie old England so we headed for the train to go to London.  It is an easy ride from Brighton (provided you catch the express).

First stop was the London Eye. Brett had had the foresight to pick up some express tickets on the Net so we had a fairly easy passage onto the eye.

It was a real experience to see London from such a vantage point.  A great view over the House of Parliament, Big Ben and the Thames.  You only get one circuit on it that takes about 30 min but that is enough. It was not a warm day but it was oppressively warm in the capsule despite the air conditioning.  I think you would fry on a hot day.

Mitchell (and Pa) badly wanted to have a look at the Science Museum so we hopped back on the Tube.  Then Lunch on the lawn outside the Museum before an afternoon of wandering around the exhibits.

Nyman's Garden

The day was one out of the box.  Clear blue skies and cool wish a gentle wind so we set off to Nyman's Garden, a property owned by the National Trust.  This is the sort of thing that the Brits do well.  The property had a whole range of garden settings, all beautifully maintained.

The original house was burned down but the new house has been used up to a few years ago.

Then it was down to the beach for some monster ice-creams and some rock throwing.  I am realising the attraction of beaches without sand.

Current Obsessions

Mitchell has been showing us the important things in life.  The two most important things, currently, are electronic toys:-

and computer games.  The iPad is good but the computer is better.