ROYAL MELBOURNE SHOW...

Nick and Sarah helping the SES guy fill bags with sand.
Mia tries her hand at fishing in the Government Expo Building.
Mia's reaction seeing all the baby goats running around, and baby pigs and baby cows :)

Mia on the swing ride.
Tomas' picture of the 4X4.
Mia to the left, and Sarah to the right.
Mia and Nick with the baby pigs in the Baby Animal Nursery.
Mia fishing in the Government Display Building. Catch the fish and measure the correct size.

Tom and Nick driving the dodgems.
Mia with her Barbie Balloon "How DID they get Barbie inside this balloon?"
Sarah with her Saddle Club Hat and bag.
Nick the Pirate Harrdyyy Harrrrrr!!
Sarah with her hands raised at the bottom of the Euroslide.

School Holiday Time..

There are so many things to do out there these school holidays. Alot of the time is spent here at home, going for walks, doing puzzles, having friends come over for BBQ's and just chilling out. The kids are having a wonderful time already, and I love having them home. Last night I was reading some books with Sarah and Mia, although Sarah read most of the words un aided herself. She self corrected too, a true sign of comprehension in anyone's book. Sure, our kids can sometimes be little rats, but any child is capable of that! Anyone who said their kids were angels 100% of the time has to be kidding.

This coming weekend is Grand Final Day, the game does not involve our beloved footy team the Tigers. So, we are barracking for the Cats...GO CATS!! Somehow though, I have the feeling Port Adelaide will surely win. They have been such a strong team.

Next year my boys, and maybe Sarah, will do Auskick. That's footy for the younguns here Down Under. They already have a few friends who do Auskick, the boys' friends are just their age too which is great. One of them is only 6 days older than Nicholas. They both love their footy, and the Tigers ROARRR!!

12 Year Anniversary...

12 years since we were hitched. 12 years and 4 sproutlings later we are still head over heals in love. Sure, we have our fights, you would be a bloody liar if you said you never had a barney with your other half. And..you know what? It'll be so many years more that we will be together!

And so, without further adieu, I give you a SONG my darling husband :)

FRIDAY HISTORY POST: Dromkeen.

Dromkeen is a graceful nineteenth-century homestead that has been classified by the National Trust, and accredited through Museums Australia - Victoria. It is situated in the small township of Riddells Creek, outside Melbourne in Victoria. It is the home of the Australian Children's Literature Collection, a unique collection of original artwork, manuscripts and other pre-publication material from Australian children's books.



DROMKEEN HISTORY:
At the turn of the century, Dromkeen was the home of Judge Arthur Chomley, who presided over the County and Supreme Courts of Victoria. His country estate, built in 1889, was named ‘Dromkeen’ to maintain a connection with his mother’s family home at Tipperary in Ireland.
In 1973, Dromkeen was purchased by Joyce and Court Oldmeadow. They used the homestead as a private residence and as a bulk store and freight centre for their educational bookshop. Before long their love and interest in children’s literature led to the establishment of the Dromkeen Collection, and Joyce and Court's house became a home for Australian children’s literature.


Joyce and Court Oldmeadow dedicated their lives to preserving for public display the original artwork and manuscripts of Australian children’s literature, many of which had hitherto been lost or destroyed. Passionate in their desire to inspire children with the creative processes of children’s books in the making, they also wished to preserve this unique part of Australia’s heritage as a ‘living’ collection for everyone to enjoy.
Court Oldmeadow died in 1977, and in 1978 Scholastic Australia took over the responsibility of maintaining the Collection.
Joyce Oldmeadow continued to develop Dromkeen. In 1982, she inaugurated the Dromkeen Medal, which is awarded annually to an Australian citizen whose work has significantly contributed to the appreciation and development of children's literature.
To guarantee a permanent home for the Collection, Scholastic Australia purchased the homestead in 1985.
Joyce Oldmeadow died in 2001. Daughter Kaye Keck continues her parents' legacy as the present Director of Dromkeen.
Scholastic's involvement fulfils Joyce and Court Oldmeadow's dream that the Dromkeen Children's Literature Collection should be available for children and adults alike as a constant source of enjoyment and inspiration.




Possum Magic
Author: Mem Fox

The Dromkeen Collection is a priceless exhibition of original artwork and manuscripts from our continuing heritage of Australian children's literature. Dromkeen also boasts fine gardens with Australian and English plants and trees.


The Man from Ironbark
Author: A B ('Banjo') Paterson

Children's literature comes alive through bronze garden sculptures, and the gazebo provides a welcome resting place following a walk around the Heritage Trail. You can picnic in the extensive gardens, or go visit some of the neighbouring wineries after you leave Dromkeen.





I remember fondly my first trip to Dromkeen as a child with my school. An Australian Author read one of her books to us and we sat in the garden near those sculptures o listen to her. The illustrator was also there. It is a magical place. And so, my love of books began here.. Mr Lizard and Gumnut Baby
Author/Illustrator: May Gibbs


My favourite thing of al here is the writing on the plaque accompanying the very top image hre on this post. It reads "Visitors will be captivated by characters from Australian Children’s stories including Koala Lou, Wombat Divine, Shy the Platypus and the inspiring dragon representing the children’s Dromkeen Dragons club."
Do visit and do touch!

Amazing things..

Check THIS out...what a freak out hey?

WE had parent teacher interviews, the kids went so fabulous I am a proud mother hen. Tomas did his own interview, showed off his work. Nicholas did his own interview and was ever proud of his achievements. Sarah blew us all out of the water by being the best reader in the class...way to goooo...All ticks and no crosses here :)

They have all become such book worms, even Mia too. I love it that they love to read..it shows all the hard and wonderful work is paying off.

Our Sunday..

FRIDAY'S HISTORY LESSON: AUSSIE WORD "FURPHY".

A furphy, also commonly spelt furfie, is Australian slang for a rumour, or an erroneous or improbable story.

An original Furphy
The word is derived from water carts made by a company established by John Furphy: J. Furphy & Sons of Shepparton, Victoria. Many Furphy water carts were used to take water to Australian Army personnel during World War I. The carts, with "J. Furphy & Sons" written on their tanks, became popular as gathering places where soldiers could exchange gossip, rumours and fanciful tales.
Originally it was synonymous with "rumour" and "scuttlebutt", but the modern meaning (especially in Australian politics) is "an irrelevant or minor issue raised to specifically divert attention away from the real issue".
A scuttlebutt, however, originally was a term for a cask of drinking water on a ship.

DESCRIPTION: furphy n. (pl. furphies) 1 a false report or rumour. 2 an absurd story. • adj. (furphier, furphiest) absurdly false, unbelievable: that’s the furphiest bit of news I ever heard.
This Ozword comes from the name of [John] Furphy, a blacksmith and general engineer, who went to Shepparton from Kyneton in 1871 and set up a foundry. John Furphy designed a galvanised iron water-cart on wheels and his firm, J. Furphy & Sons, manufactured them. Each cart had the name FURPHY written large on the body. So successful were these carts that during World War 1 the Department of the Army bought many Furphy carts to supply water to camps in Australia and especially to camps in Palestine, and Egypt.

So there you have it!

Travels..

Today it rained..yayyy, we do need more of a dumping than the intermittent down fall that we had though. It was still decidedly a warmish day though.
I changed readers for the Prep class..all very cute.
I caught a train out to the other side of the city and visited the lovely Rachy. She has been there since March..I can safely say I will never complain about having spent many weeks in hospital myself as a patient. Let's hope she gets better and is able to go home and spend time with her family some time soon. I know it was fun when we went out to the pub for a drink last year..her mum and I nattering about all things nursing. But being able to spend time in your own house and out on your own porch is heavenly after such a long time.
Got back to the school after having done some shopping. Sarah is practicing for a concert she is in tomorrow..singing , "Food Glorious Food!" I cannot wait!!

Lots Happening..

Sarah had to dress up for school on Friday. Each child went as their favourite book character. The teacher dressed as one of the female characters out of Harry Potter. They all enjoyed the day. The School term comes to a close in a few weeks. So ends are being tied up in each class and paper work filters home in their school bags. I love seeing what the kids have done at school. Parent Teacher interviews will also be happening.
Mia loves books at the moment..and so do Tom and Nick, they have been reading a set of chapter books called Horrid Henry. Looks like a trip to the local library will be in order..lest it cost me a fortune for books at my favourite bookstore. I LOVE the smell of bookshops!!
Sarah lost her second front tooth. She could sing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth", but, I think they will come pre Christmas now. Sarah is whistling mighty fine I have to add, HAHA.
I have been doing alot of exercise, mainly walking at a very fast pace. I feel really really good for it too. Leave you with a SONG.....take care!!!

FRIDAY HISTORY POST: Hurstbridge..

30 kilometres north-east of Melbourne you will find the quaint town on Hurstbridge. Regular readers will recall my family outing to this lovely town aboard the steam train a few weeks ago for the Wattle Festival.

Railway in Hurstbridge.

The extension of the railway to Hurstbridge in 1912 was primarily to service the local fruit growing area, but it was also responsible for the early growth of the Hurstbridge Township.
Most of the early growth was centred along the Main Street, on land subdivided by Frances and Bill Gray and occurred between 1912 and the mid 1920s.
Several of the older buildings, shops and houses along the main road are good examples of the architectural styles of that time.

The majority of the Hurstbridge township area was not subdivided into residential blocks until after the Second World War (1945-46). Electricity came on in 1957.
The coming of the railway changed many things and gradually produced a change in the population and the work patterns and opportunities for the residents.
It was then possible to reside in the pleasant bushland setting of Hurstbridge and work in the city, much as the people do today. Getting there by train takes 50 minutes on the Melbourne-Hurstbridge line.

Settlement of the area.

The Wurundjeri people were the traditional owners of the country that extended from where Melbourne now stands to Mt Macedon and Healesville. The Wurundjeri spoke the Woiworung language and, with other tribal groups, was part of the Kulin nation.
The Wurundjeri Willam clan lived around this local area for at least 40,000 years in small family groups.
Their descendants still live in the Melbourne area, with a strong community centred around Healesville, in the Yarra Valley.
In 1841 Cornelius Sharp Haley took up, from the Government, the 'Allwood' run. Haley ran cattle and horses and built a slab hut close to where the present Allwood House stands.
Henry Hurst, a surveyor, came to Victoria, from England in 1852.
In 1859 he moved to 'Allwood to manage 160 acres for Cornelius Haley. In about 1865 Henry's parents Frances and Robert Hurst and some of their seven children joined Henry at the Allwood run.
It was about this time that Henry built the first log bridge across the Diamond Creek. This was soon known as 'Hurst's Bridge'.
On the 4th of October 1866 Henry was fatally wounded by a bushranger, Robert Bourke. Bourke was captured and was tied to a wheel of a wagon under a tree (now known as Bourke's Tree) until Sergeant Fawcett and Trooper Hall from Queenstown arrived. Bourke was tried, found guilty of the murder of Henry Hurst and was later hanged.
Come on, visit this lovely area.

Browse the local antique shops, including the Old Tin Shed
Follow the Hurstbridge Heritage trail around the town and learn about its early pioneer beginnings. Collect a brochure from a local Visitor Information Centre
View kangaroos in the wild on the town outskirts
Stop at a local café for good coffee or enjoy vegetarian and organic fare at Chocolate Lily.
You may care to visit the Yarra Valley wineries (five of which are within 10 minutes drive of the town centre). Interstate and international visitors, quite often make Hurstbridge their base and go into the city by train on the Hurstbridge Line, or take day trips to the Yarra Valley or the Dandenong Ranges.

Oh, and every weekend there is live music played out in the main street during the month of October too :)

One Year Anniversry..

A year ago I wrote about THIS. I cannot believe it has been one whole year..time goes by so fast. My kids still won't believe he is gone, larger than life on the TV he was last night. I know alot of people couldn't take his enthusiasm on board..it seemed that when you first ever seen him in interviews or on his show that he was just acting, playing us along. But, he kept his energy going and he never seemed to faulter. His love for life and nature and his family could be noted by so many people out there in the community. Happily he is remembered by our family here. I think they broke the mould when Steve was born.

Hindsight is great..after the fact...

You see, it is by nature I am a giving person. Oh, I know, I am not tooting my own horn, merely stating a fact. When a friend is in need I will always help them. This is not a good thing, I know this now. I forgot about my family, I forgot about mySELF. So, in the process, making this person number one over mySELF and over my family. Then, we realise that this person misleads others and manipulates them. The need to be in the centre of attention at all times is just so draining on those around them. Anyway, that is their forte'. I am not mad, I feel sorry for them....they do not know this, you know, to get help, how can a narcissistic personality know this?
I will always help a friend, but I will never ever put them before mySELF and before my family again. That is an assured thing.
Friends look out for each other, they do not use others to get to where they want to be. I do not hate people, bit I can be permitted to dislike the things they say or do.
The saying that "naturally decent people can sometimes attract people who are not decent" does come to mind. What is this magnetism nice people like us have?

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ... I must remember this.

Anyway...have a friendship turd on me, I hope it makes you all laugh.. it is cute don't you think?

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

To all the father's out there who love and adore their children, and to my loving husband...HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! I hope you are as loved and spoiled by your children today and every day.
The kids have brought some really cool things for their dad today from the school stall. But, above all, it is the things they make that are special, the cards and the words "I love you dad". Or, as Mia's card says, To Daddy, Roses are red, violets are blue, You know I'm gorgeous, And so are you. Love Mia.com.au Haha.