Sunday, January 18, 2015

Jack's 8th Birthday




It as Jack's idea to go fishing the day before his birthday and he was pretty happy that he caught 4 fish in the 3 hours we were fishing from the jetty. William caught one tiny fish all by himself.



We had perfect kite conditions and went for a swim in the afternoon. Surf beach was perfect. There were flags, showers and a cafe right next to the beach.  



Jack woke up at 5am on his birthday morning and was so excited he just couldn't get back to sleep. He spent 4 hours putting his Lego train together and then had dinner with Grandpa and the uncles at Out Back Jacks. What a HUGE 8th birthday!



Thursday, January 15, 2015

Getting Ready for School


William was very shy about putting on his uniform for the first time today. He didn't want Jack to see him and when I asked why he giggled and said, "cause I don't know what they do there (at school.)"


Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Kambah Adventure



It was windy and overcast today so perfect conditions for kite flying. I've never had much luck with kites before but the wind was just right and held the kite up for over an hour of fun.



William turns five


William asked for a chicken cake for his birthday which was quite a challenge but after hours of cutting out individual feathers she came out perfectly. The boys were all suitably impressed. He just loves his chickens.



The morning was full of surprises and his own digital camera was the favourite gift. 


We took the cousins to the zoo and enjoyed watching the otters being fed. 


We spent the following day with the cousins at the park. Molly gave Nanna's dog a wash in the river. It was the funniest thing watching her drag Rosie into the river and them both doing doggy paddle back the the shore. The boys were laughing hysterically.


The baby chick has moved in with the black hens. What a happy little family. 





Saturday, January 3, 2015

Coffs to Canberra


After a long drive we took the scooters for a long ride up the jetty at Coffs Harbour and came across Mutton Bird Island. It was a steep climb but the views at the top were spectacular and it was a good way to get moving after sitting for so long in the car. 





The boys travelled brilliantly on the long drive. Jack lined up 5 movies but William only watched one of them. He spent most of the day playing I Spy and spent the last 200kms playing Minecraft. Jack hardly said a peep all day and just enjoyed the scenery.





Visiting Aunty Ruth

Lunch with Aunty Ruth in Alstonville was certainly worth the stop. We wished that we had planned to stay longer. We had the most delicious egg and bacon slice with salad for lunch with juice and green tea. 


Ruth was keen to share just a few important pieces of family history. Jack and William ate all of their lunch, they listened to the story and enjoyed looking at the old pictures. Ruth said the boys were "just delightful."


Maude Campbell - Stuart's Great Grandmother




The picture below is of Ruth's father, William Duncan with his first wife.  


Eric Duncan (pictured below) was Ruth's brother and Stuart's grandfather. He was affectionately known as Little Bill Duncan because he was so much like his father.


It really was amazing to hear Ruth's version of the history and her recent travel stories from Scotland. She is sharp and quick witted for someone just shy of 90. Grandpa says she's a very special lady and she most certainly is.


Happy New Year 2015


We spent New Years Eve drinking Mount Tambourine Turkish Delight with lemonade overlooking the pool then we wandered down to watch the 8pm fire works on the beach just 100 meters from the resort.

The loudest tropical storm came over between 3 and 4am which left us all exhausted the next day. We sat on the beach while the boys swam and tried to catch little fish in their bucket. We shared the beach with a very large and happy Tongan family. A couple sat right next to our beach tent with their guitar and played 'Under The Rainbow.' It was just beautiful. What luck!



The boys had a long nap in the afternoon before we dined at Arigatou Teppanyaki at Broadbeach. The food was fast, fresh and all GF. The boys loved it. Right next door we enjoyed Gelato and vowed it would be just one. last. treat!



Sitting By the Pool


We spent at least half of our time swimming in the Diamond Beach Resort Pool. 
Every day was perfect for a swim. On our last night we jumped in after 8 and swam under the moon light. 













The best thing about The Majors being just down the path from out apartment was the sleep overs. There were so many sleep overs. The boys loved playing together in the mornings and chatting before they fell asleep.  


3 AMIGOS