Cyborg Central

We gathered for a barbeque at Brett and Cathy's place following the destruction of Civilisation during the day.  Mitchell had managed to build his new computer the previous day and install the software during the day, so he tried to convert the family to Cyborgs during the evening with his new VR headset.  He came close to succeeding.

Civilisation???

The post-Christmas malaise lead to the organisation of a game of Civilisation. The sole purpose of this ironically named game appears to be to give grandchildren the opportunity to annihilate empires that their grandfather is attempting to construct.  At least that is how it works out most times!

Mitchell's attempt to blend with and use "The Force" was, thankfully, a complete failure.

Hostilities had to be suspended for lunch

before the final onslaught.

Christmas Lunch

We were hosting Family Christmas lunch so some preparation of the room was required

The first order of business was to distribute the Granny & Pa presents.

Then it was into the monster meal.

The Christmas random present distribution game provided much hilarity.

Mitchell was particularly impressed with the cooking sauces he drew from the pile of presents.

Then it was back to the table to try and cram in sweets and nibbles to sustain us until Christmas dinner.

Christmas Photos

While we were all together for Christmas it seemed like a good opportunity for a photo or two. The CEO and Business Manager thought that we could try something different so it was order in the family.
Third children.

Second children

First Children

And the whole team.

One Step Closer

Phew! That was close. We have received the more detailed CAD plan of the new house following approval by Council to move the house forward on the block.  We now have a number of weeks over the Christmas period to review the plans in detail and gather information on options for the new build.

Development of the Boganmobile

It has taken some months of vacillation but Adam has finally had the Eagle installed on the Amorok.

 It might have taken  longer but for Kate's insistence that it be done immediately (in his dreams!)

Pond Installed

After a great deal of hard physical labour soul searching, the pond has finally been installed at Adam and Kate's front door.  It is a triumph.  The water flow looks like a natural stream and the surrounding plants will make the stream look even more natural.

Jack Initiated into Captaincy

It was the final Assembly for Antonio Park Primary today and time to farewell the current Year 6 students.

The Principal introduced Jack to the school as one of the School Captains for 2018.

His task on this occasion was to award the memento flag to the outgoing students of Year 6.

Antonio Park Year 6 Graduation

I was volunteered to take the photos of the Year 6 Graduation ceremony at Antonio Park PS.  The teachers and helpers had done an amazing job setting up the hall and the kids had a ball.

 All the students were presented and then they performed and had a meal prepared by the parent helpers.

 Of course the dancing rated highly with all the students.

Hailstorm

It is a worrying experience to start hearing massive hits on the roof and then start to see big hailstones start bouncing off into the garden.  The noise was intense and we were glad the cars were under cover.

We wondered how much rain had accompanied the hail because it was so heavy at one stage it looked like a thick fog.  We were unable to measure as the hail had punched a hole in the bottom of the rain gauge!

Lisa's Birthday - Take 2

Due to the marvels of on-line shopping, Lisa had to be presented with a virtual present during her family celebration.  It did make it before her actual birthday so it all worked out.

Lisa's Birthday

The family gathered at Brett and  Cathy's home to celebrate Lisa's birthday.  It was a great night with wonderful food and wine and a relaxed atmosphere resulting from warmer days and extended evening light and the grandchildren were on holidays or about to finish school. But it was all about Lisa.

The evening had additional interest as we were introduced to Harry.

The slow cooked turkey was the sensation of the evening.  But there were contributions from most members of the family. (I think Mitchell took a leave pass on this occasion.) It certainly is a good policy to have dinner in a family of cooks.

and the cake finished us all off.

Basketball - James

James is moving into the big league now in his Saturday afternoon competition.  We saw his last game for the year yesterday and they faced a very skillful team of big "boys". In truth all the players are closer to men than boys so the game is now fast and furious as those that have not been able to keep up have dropped away.

We were amused that a lot of the opposition talk related to keeping an eye on James and where he was on the court.  His presence was duly noted!

Pond Develops

Installing a natural looking pond turns out to be a lot of hard work. The jack hammers and cranes have been digging out rock and placing massive boulders to create the structure of the pond.  The finished product should look sensational.

Jack - Basketball

We caught up with Jack and his team today.  James is coaching them and has formed them into a tight little team.  They have been regraded up a number of times now but the match today was a bit of a "walk in the park" nearly doubling the score of the opposition.

The boys are very  attentive to James resulting in plenty of successes. Jack had a good game with plenty of goals and he is developing his defence skills.

Sophie - Basketball

Today marks the final games to be played this year before the Christmas recess.  Sophie and her team have stepped up a couple of notches since we last saw them and after a slow start they easily won their game today.