Outdoor Cinema & 40 deg.C

About a week ago we (finally) had the leak at home fixed. It involved some jack-hammering and plenty of noise. We thought Eugene would not be able to sleep through it, but you know kids, he did not even stir!

Last nigth Karin and the kids (I worked the arvo shift) went to Palmyra Primary school for an outdoor cinema showing of Toy Story 3. They loved it! I am now having to go buy the DVD...

The screen which was set up on one of the sports fields.

Today (Saturday) we reached 40 Deg.C, but then a storm rolled in and things cooled
 down a bit.



Australia Day - Skyworks in Perth

Looking towards the city of Perth from Point Walter.

A song sung by Travis Collins which helped us through some tough times.

We are proud to be here and to become Australian!

I came from the dream-time, from the dusty red soil plains

I am the ancient heart, the keeper of the flame.

I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come.

For forty thousand years I've been the first Australian.

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

I came upon the prison ship, bowed down by iron chains.

I cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.

I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run

A convict then a free man, I became Australian.

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm the daughter of a digger who sought the mother lode

The girl became a woman on the long and dusty road

I'm a child of the depression, I saw the good times come

I'm a bushy, I'm a battler, I am Australian

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm a teller of stories, I'm a singer of songs

I am Albert Namatjira, I paint the ghostly gums

I am Clancy on his horse, I'm Ned Kelly on the run

I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, I am Australian

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

There are no words of comfort that can hope to ease the pain

Of losing homes and loved ones the memories will remain

Within the silent tears you’ll find the strength to carry on

You’re not alone, we are with you. We are Australian!

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

There are so many heroes whose stories must be told

They fought the raging fires of hell and saved so many souls

From the ashes of despair our towns will rise again!

We mourn your loss, we will rebuild. We are Australian!

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm the hot wind from the desert, I'm the black soil of the plains

I'm the mountains and the valleys, I'm the drought and flooding rains

I am the rock, I am the sky, the rivers when they run

The spirit of this great land, I am Australian

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

I am, you are, we are Australian!

We are one ….. We are many ….. We are Australian!

Karin & the kids

I had another chance to take some pictures this morning, just before we went down to the beach. It is AUSTRALIA DAY here today.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, ..., Oi, Oi, Oi!!

The absolute loves of my life...

Us this morning - Karin was not quite ready :-)

Some family pictures I snapped this morning. It is strange to see myself in photo's.

* Click on any picture for a larger version

The Spur (Mandurah), the Freo Rec Centre & the Coffee machine

The Spur Steak Ranch is a South African franchise. As you can imagine there are a couple in Australia due to the large ex-patriot population. Burgers cost ~$16 and are sooo tasty. The Golden Cloud Spur is in Mandurah. We drove down there last night (60km South of home).

Waiting for the food to arrive. The restaurant overlooks the estuary feeding
into Peel Inlet. Nice.

The last swim at the recreation center in Fremantle.

A small panorama Karin shot to give you a slightly wider view.

Our new and much used coffee machine. I have the whole process down pat, and we use Fiori coffee. Mmmmm! The coffee shops are losing money since we got it, haha!

One of Karin's delicious home-baked Lemon Meringue pies. Very, very tasty.

Karla's version of Spongebob. She does this from memory, which I think is amazing.
She can also draw any cartoon character the same way. I reckon the way she
get's the proportions right is the most impressive thing. Cool Karla!

Dinner in Rockingham

What a lovely spot, and the pizza and pasta at "Bellisimo" was pretty darn good!



The food had just arrived (~8pm) and it was worth the wait.
We had all had a 3 hour afternoon nap earlier in the day (my boss is a slave driver...),
so the kids were A-OK to be up a little later.



Karin's mum is flying back to S.A. on Thursday, so
this was a farewell dinner of sorts. Nice photo Karin!
(Snapped at ISO1600 with 2nd curtain sync flash).

Another one of those unusual WA beach signs...never mind sharks and rips,
keep your eye's on the sand for the snakes, haha!

Weber Gas Conversion - Ian Math costing Brendon money again...

The "gassed" Weber doing it's thing with some wool bales acting as a nice, rustic background.

A large (in size not weight :-)), well-versed Weber chef checking on the boerewors and potatoes...looks A-OK to me.

Ready for the taste test by lab, sampling, QC and DP staff. The result? Brendon will be somewhat poorer in the not too distant future. Thanks for that Math...

Eugene Swimming in Mandurah (and putting his head under water!)

Freo Markets - A quick, hot visit (it is 37 deg.C)

Karla, Eugene, Karin and Karin's mum outisde the Fremantle Markets - It was nice and warm.

Inside the market - It was still warm, but the water-mist fans (not pictured) worked quite well.

Rottnest Island Family visit & a new family member



My Uncle (Peter) with Karin, who is holding Natalie & Bevan's first child, Van. He was born just before midnight, 5th Jan.



A peaceful Van resting in his grandmothers arms.

________________________________________________________________________________

ROTTNEST - Family Visit

Karin and the kids just after we arrived at Thompson Bay on Rottnest Island.

On the way down to Pinky Beach for some Snorkeling...

Karla and Karin in the water, snorkeling and enjoying the aquarium-like scenery beneath the surface. Unfortunately the wind had made the water less than crystal clear. Next time!

Karin and Karla enjoying the world beneath the waves.

Your's truly out in the Indian Ocean...

Eugene tried his snorkel, but nearly drowned twice, so it was only used on land most of yesterday. It is a first step though, so by the end of summer he should be a-for-away.

Brother and sister having a ball!

One of the island residents (the place is covered with them). The Quokka's are very tame, and I suppose having people on the island from the mid 1600's has helped.

A beautiful picture Karla snapped looking back to Bathurst lighthouse.

Karla just before her swim at "The Basin", which is the next beach over from Pinky Beach.

On the way home at 9PM. Eugene went off with the fairies soon afterwards. The seas were rough, with several people throwing up on the way back. Eugene slept through it all.

Point Walter with the Lindsay's

Today was all about the kids. We arrived at Pt. Walter ~11:30 and left just before 16:00. Karla, Isobel, Aiden and Eugene were in the water for just about all of that time, and loving it. They all got along like a house on fire, which was great!

Aiden taking the plunge...

...followed by Isobel.

A posed photo on the stairs at "the deep end" of the Pt Walter jetty.

Buddies!

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Eugene and his grandmother enjoying the warm water together.

Karla and Isobel. It took nearly 5 minutes to pry them away from the jetty.

Isobel jumping in the "deep end" with Aiden looking on.

..and then Aiden also took the plunge. Today was the first time Karla also jumped in here. Normally she is a little scared of "things".

...what Eugene looked like at the end of it all, haha!