Pat has a Pearler!

Patrick had a great day at basketball today.  They did not win the game but they put on a great performance playing against both Eltham and the umpires.

Pat has really stepped up his game over this season.  He took a more aggressive line this week and was much more successful in grabbing the ball and wresting it from the opposition.  Good game Pat!

Pat with his No 1 fan.

The Forests of Gippsland

There are some beautiful locations around the hills of Gippsland.  We traveled the backroads to check out possible camping locations and saw some amazing country.

We found a camping area next to the Toorongo River which looked good.

Then we had a look around Noojee and the historic rail bridges

We checked out the Kurth Kiln State Park and the camping area and then on to Cannibal Creek Winery where we found a number of wines that we liked.  We now have a little additional weight in the car.
We finished the day with a wander around the park and  local creek followed by a further consideration of the local cheeses and wine.  Approval was granted.

Trial Run For New Van

The new van needed a trial run so we are testing it out in the wilds of West Gippsland.  We set up next to a creek in a park near Drouin.

We checked out the local produce with some interesting cheeses from Yarragon and a visit to the Narkoojee Winery and the purchase of some Shiraz and some Cab. Sav. 

We (that is - Claire) is trialling the cooking capabilities of the van.

and I am performing some heavy duty supervision with the assistance of the local produce.

Jets Power On

James and the Jets had a great day yesterday in their Elimination Final.  Although they had previously beaten Vermont, their last meeting did not end happily.  They came out firing from the start and overcame Vermont 51 to 24.

It was a real team effort with all the boys contributing to a great win.  So they play again next week. Let's hope they maintain the momentum.

AusKick

They had had a late night but Jack and Cooper were ready for AusKick this morning.  I am always impressed at the quality of this program and its ability to keep activities moving along and keep the children interested.  Cooper was concentrating on his kicking.

Lachlan (reluctantly) looked after Granny but he thought he really should be participating in the program.

Jack, as usual, enjoyed the whole experience.

Clan Reunites

It was a big night last night.  With the family all back in the same city we were able to have a family dinner together.  They are a noisy crowd, Brett's birthday song was deafening!

Jets down Croydon

James was on the ball this week for the game against Croydon.  Despite a rough first quarter, the boys rallied to win the game in convincing fashion.

James picked up another award this week.  He is never one to hang about for accolades so I barely had time to hit the shutter button!

Basketball - James

Well James team did not win against Balwyn but they did give a good account of themselves. James was in the thick of the action of course.

In the photo above, he is converting a foul to a point for his team. He does like to move the ball down the court.

Basketball - Pat

Pat's team played Park Orchards today and they put on quite a show.

Pat threw a couple of goals and in the second half he was grabbing the ball and generally getting in the face of Park Orchards.  It was one of the best games we have seen him play.  Great game Pat!

Constructor Kid

Lachlan visited this morning while Cooper was at kinder.  The mysteries of construction were the subject of the morning's studies.