Cooper- Maths Man

Cooper came home happy with his maths yesterday.  He had been the only one in his class that had been able to solve the maths maze.  He enjoys maths.

Captain Jack!

We were greeted with the news this afternoon that Jack has been elected School Captain at Antonio Park for 2018.  It's a great achievement. Congratulations Jack!

Barbeque Bombshell

It was a relaxed evening barbeque for the family at Adam and Kate's place. We had learned of the changes that are to take place in the near future.

But then the bombshell dropped.  Sophie had signed with the Mitcham Tigers Womens' Football Team for the coming season.  That's going to be new.

Back to Melbourne

Having selected to fly "Cattle Class" we were all packed into the plane for our return to Melbourne via Sydney.  we were able to see The Rock and Lake Eyre from the air.

In fact we were able to see the channel between Lake Eyre North and Lake Eyre South that we had visited when we camped at the Lake a year ago

 The discomfort of the journey was eased by wine.

The Inchleys headed home but we were stuck in Sydney for hours because of storms in Melbourne delaying our plane.  Others were not so lucky and had their flights cancelled.

Exploring Uluru

We had the luxury of being able to wander around the Rock at our own pace.  Being so large there are plenty of aspects to this Australian icon

 The first image of the rock presented to government was a drawing of this peak by the explorer Gosse in 1872 who named it Ayres Rock after a government official who never saw the rock.

Around the base there are caves and standing water.

There is a little rock art and areas of significance to the local population.

There had been some rain a week or two before our visit so  the area was surprisingly green.

We visited the climbing path we had used 38 years ago but decided not to repeat the climb.  In truth the decision was made by our knees.

Field of Lights

The primary purpose of the trip to the Centre was to see the "Field of Lights" installation.

The installation comprised about 50,000 optic fibre globes spread over many acres of land with walking tracks through the lights.

 The groups of lights slowly changed colours.  They were on flexible stalks so any breeze let them sway in the wind

 The lights are solar powered, consuming about 16 kilowatts of power and they switch themselves on at dusk.  Visually stunning and the strangest piece of art we have seen for a while.

Changing Light

As we were able to spend some time travelling around the rock, we had a chance to see it in changing light.  Each time it seemed to look different.

Desert Sunrise

It was an early morning start (about 4.50 am) to drive out to Kata Tjuta to see the sun rise in the desert. It is a beautiful sight.

 First light showed Uluru in silhouette on the horizon as the sun rose.

 Then we were able to see the sun rise and the first light fall on Kata Tjuta.

Kata Tjuta - (The Olgas)

Kata Tjuta is perhaps more impressive than Uluru.  It covers a larger area although it comprises a number of huge rocks whereas Uluru is essentially a single boulder.

Things are certainly different since our previous visit 38 years ago.  There are sealed roads all round the area and viewing platforms to cater for the busloads of tourists.

It was a hot day (so much so that some of the walks were closed) but there was still water flowing in the valleys from the rain a week previous.

Clambering around in the heat, it did not take a lot of imagination to understand how quickly you can dehydrate in this environment.

Off To Uluru

We decided to take a quick trip to Uluru with the Inchleys to see the Field of Lights installation.  On arrival it is almost mandatory to have a look at the rock in preparation for the evening viewing.

 We returned later in the evening to see the light on the rock.

Sophie's Birthday Shop

Sophie finally got to go shoping with Granny to round out her birthday parcels.  She is a well organised and decisive shopper. Granny approves!

 

Patsy's 80th

Yesterday we traveled to Tocumwal to celebrate Patsy Zousa's 80th birthday.  Patsy is Claire's cousin and is a chronic asthmatic and has not been in the best of health. Luckily she has been well recently and was able to enjoy the day.  Her family and friends arrived from all over the place filling a function room at the Golf Club.  It was a real opportunity for a family catchup.

 There was plenty of discussion in the room before the formals got underway.

Patrick and Sophie's Birthday Celebration

Last Sunday,there was a family gathering to celebrate Patrick's thirteenth and Sophie's tenth birthdays.  Adam and Kate had arranged beautiful weather for a very relaxed afternoon for all the distinguished guests (and Felix).

Our hosts ensured no one was left hungry.

The choir assembled to smooth Sophie and Pat's way into their next year level and the paparazzi recorded the event for posterity.

The celebration was concluded with a formal presentation by the Master of Ceremonies on what we can expect to see at the next similar occasion following the installation of the new wet area, stream and pond.