New Soccer Shirts

Jack and Cooper called over to show off their new shirts.  They have been enjoying the indoor soccer skills training and now they have their uniforms.

Patrick's Auskickers vs Dads

The Auskickers were out to demonstrate their skills in the match against the Dads today.  Pat put on an impressive display of his ball skills.  He grabbed the ball from the centre and made a dash -

He performed well in the ruck against his Dad -

Once he had the ball, he was a hard man to catch -

After the match, the stars of both teams posed for the spectators.

James Takes a Speckie

While at Auskick, James was doing a little practice on the side.  His quest for the speckie of the year was looking good for a while -

but maybe the technique requires a little more work!

An Afternoon Socialising

Sophie, Cooper and Lachlan spent a bit of time with Granny and Pa this afternoon.  On the agenda was a some Driver Education:

There was a bit of time for drawing.

 Cooper tracked some aeroplanes flying over.

Lachlan was just happy to be outside after all the recent wet weather.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday Brett.  These bottles should be good for a celebration on your return.  (They will be stored in the usual place)

Jack Entertains

Jack had a kinder friend (Tam) come to visit for a couple of days.  Like all men, Tam enjoys a visit to Bunnings so Jack was keen to oblige.

They had had a tiring day so they had a good night's sleep.

Development Continues

Lisa and Justin's back yard area continues to develop.  The contractors were in this week and the ground prepared for laying the pavers.  The ground was dug out, the drainage put in place and the base concrete layer laid.  It's looking good!

Granny Tests Her Skills

Me?  I know when I am beaten but Granny believes she can manage to read the same book to a 1 year old, a 3 year old and a 5 year old all at the same time!

Donvale v Scoresby - The Final Game

James had his final game as an Under 9 footballer on Sunday.  It was a clear cold day (again) and for the final match the team traveled to the ground on the Team Bus.

For their final match, a banner had been prepared for the boys as they ran onto the ground.

James saw plenty of action.

Then back on the bus (and in high spirits)

and back to the Club to be presented with a trophy for a great season.

Last Training Session for the Magpies Under 9s

James had his last training session for the season last night.  Another cold, damp evening but there was plenty of enthusiasm for the workout.

The Boys are Back!

After a couple of weeks away, Jack, Cooper and Lachlan are back in town.  They came over to check that Granny and Pa had not got themselves into too much trouble while they were away.  Jack spent a bit of time catching up on the Family History.

Whereas the other two preferred to mess about with the toys.

Lachlan always seems pleased to catch up with Granny.

New Wall Photo

We had another photo session this morning to Granny could achieve her aim of having photos with all the grandchildren within a few months of each other. This is the next contender.

Photos From the Trip

Work continues sorting out the photos from our trip to see the Family.  Here is the first one that is going on the wall.

Donvale v Mooroolbark

James team played Mooroolbark today.  He had another good performance.

with the three quarter time oranges going down a treat.

The Great Wall of Donvale

Progress continues on the wall.  Luckily the rain has held off and the wall grows.

The amazing thing is that the wall is being constructed of (apparently) randomly shaped, rounded honeycomb rock scraped off paddocks to the west of Melbourne.  Have a look at the line of the top and the face of the wall.  The builder is and absolute artist!

You know, it is so big, you can see it from the moon.

Winter Clean Up

Having been away for a while the garden is becoming a bit overgrown.  An unfortunate side effect of working up the soil is that the production tends to get a bit out of hand.  Senior Management has decreed that a containment plan should be put in place before the actual growing season starts.

Grass Parrots

Grass parrots always seem to be birds that are seen at a distance.  During winter they must be more desperate for food as a few of them allowed me a little closer today.  I just wish I had had a longer lens at the time.

They did not, however, allow me to get too close.

Auskick in July

The weather is holding (although the next few days do not look promising) so it was another bright clear day for Auskick.  Patrick and Fletcher worked up their ball skills -

in front of an appreciative audience.

Weird Gadget Postscript

We had dinner last night with the Melbourne contingent of the family. Another delicious leg of lamb and a 2000 Rutherglen red that was already tasting great. We put it through the gizmo and the result was astounding. It might find it's way onto the table after all!