Sophie's Easter Bonnet Parade

Sophie had her Easter Bonnet Parade this morning and Granny and Pa were invited.  The children had worked hard on the Bonnets and were keen to show them off during the parade.

James Enters the Dark Zone

For his birthday, James invited a few of his friends into the Dark Zone so he could shoot them!  It all started innocently enough with a few computer games.

 But then they climbed into their cyborg suits and the destruction began.

It was all dark alleys, hiding spaces, shooting around corners, flashing lights and  thumping rhythms.  They had great fun.

Then the formalities of the food and the birthday cake before they were able to get into more shooting.

Granny and Pa in Charge

We were left in charge when Adam and Kate had a night out.  It was a fun night with a major task of the evening to referee the Battle of the Champions.

Video of this epic battle is at

Jack's Sports Party

For his birthday, Jack decided on a party at a sports centre.

Quite apart from the huge haul of presents he received, they had a great time playing a variety of games and running almost to exhaustion.

Then it was time for the food and cake.  There were plenty of chips so Jack was happy and he had requested a Super Heros cake.

He was presented with a trophy to commemorate the day which, I am sure, will find pride of place in his collection.

Footy Starts

James is playing with the Donvale Magpies Under 10s this season.  On Sunday they had a practice match with Warrandyte.  At the start of the match they were about 5 players down so they drafted some Under 9s.  It was going to be a tough ask.  In the first quarter James played in the goals so he did not see much action.

Once positions were swapped around he began to see more of the action.

James played well.  This was the first match where tackling was allowed so the boys were learning the ropes but unless they get a few more players it is going to be a tough year.

Cooper's Party

Cooper had his Birthday Party yesterday for his friends.  As with all 4 year olds, there was a lot of noise, cake and action.  The trampoline got a thorough workout and it looks as if a dance floor could be an option for future occasions.

The day was also significant in that I acquired a new photographic assistant.  Patrick took a lot of the photos that will be used to record the event for posterity.

Lachlan Comes To Play

Lachlan came over yesterday to play with Granny.  Before starting, we have to deal with the essentials like sustenance.  There is nothing quite like a Cruskit and a slice of cheese.

Once the energy levels have been restored we can get down to the business of playing with the cars.

Dinner

We had dinner tonight with the available crew.  The new table worked well and the Chef de Maison produced a wonderful spread that gained general approval. Crusty chicken with oregano curry and breadcrumbs, potato gratin, honeyed baked vegetables and cauliflower casserole.   YUM!!  Then we finished with Eton Mess.  Double YUM!  Against convention, we consumed a Saltram Shiraz 99 with the meal - it was like velvet.

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Pat's New Blog

Patrick came over yesterday and went through the photos he has on his iPod.  He made a selection of the photos to include in his new blog which he hopes to update from time to time.

Click here to see Patrick's Blog

While Pat was working on his Blog, James was getting prepared for the football season which is just around the corner.  Yesterday he got his helmet and mouthguard.

Ready to Go

We are now ready for the big trip.  I have finished making stone guards for the van and installed them,

and finished the mud flaps for the car and installed them yesterday.  They don't look much but making them was a protracted business because there were lots of little tasks to get the final result.

Camping in the Spectacular High Country

We are just back from a magnificent weekend in the Victorian High Country.  James and Patrick have wanted to go to Craig's Hut for some time but for various reasons we had been unable to go.  It all came together over the weekend and we packed the truck and headed for Mansfield and the Mt Stirling Circuit Road.  The weather could not have been better and we had a great run up to the hut.

It is in a wonderful location with views out over the mountains that seem to go on for ever.

There were a few people around so we took a four wheel drive track off into the bush and found a magnificent camping area and set up camp for the night.  Dinner was cooked on the fire.

 

 Sausages, damper and marsh-mellows.  We think we covered all the food groups.

 We even had our own Ninja warrior to protect us during the night!

It got down to near freezing overnight but we had a good night's sleep as the boys had their new super insulating sleeping bags.  Adam cranked the fire up again for breakfast of bacon and eggs.

Then one more look at Craig's Hut before returning home.

Click here for a slideshow of photos from the weekend.

Trial Run of Table

The new table was given a trial run last night. Most of the Melbourne contingent was present with the exception of Kate who was at a Japanese Cooking class.  It all worked well with more space available and less carting of furniture.  We are happy campers!

Final Game for the Under 10s

James' Team finished the season yesterday when they ran up against Banyule.

They played well as a team with all players included and sharing the load.  As Captain, James is learning to direct the play on the court which he does with the minimum of fuss.

As a consequence of playing flat out, he spent a bit of time flat out!

It has been a good team.  They are all playing football during the winter but will resume hostilities in the Spring.

Patrick's Team Ends the Season

Patrick's Team saw the end of their season yesterday as they went down to Bulleen

They held their own in the first half but Bulleen pulled away in the second half.  They have learned a lot during the season so the next competition should be interesting.

Wine Stocks Edited

Andrew and Douglas paid a visit on Sunday to make a deposit and a few withdrawals from the Wine Bank.