Dear Blog......

... Allow me to apologise. I have been incredibly innattentive recently. And not even because I've had nothing to write. Just a lack of impetus to sit down and get it on paper, so to speak. So, where were we??

Well, since last writing we've been "down South" to Busselton for a long weekend. There were 4 families from school who went down but stayed in different places and got together for a bite to eat or a swim each day. The boys had a ball because even when we were at our own cabin the site had lots of other boys staying too, and they joined the "gang" for a cycle or scooter round the park.

While there we visited :

    A lighthouse....

   A very cool maze....

 A Brewery...

  A reptile park where B got to hold a snake (not sure he realised that was part of the bargain when he suggested the reptile park but there you go!) ..

Brian and Mildred the python.

and most exciting of all, went whale watching.

Mother and calf side by side.

This was a real highlight as the whales are heading back to their feeding grounds in the antarctic after breeding in the warmer waters to the North. Lots of mothers with their calves and they really are an awesome sight. Best of all from the boys point of view was the very jolly captain giving them a chance to "drive" the boat (that was better that the whales for them I suspect!)

Alfie.

Ru.

In the two weeks since then Brian has spent a week in Singapore, we've been to a birthday party, had a day at the maritime museum and very excitingly attended Alfie's sports day at school. Brian even managed to slip out of work for a couple of hours so he could take part in the piggy back race ( he was at his desk at 6am so he could be there, don't know how he had the energy to run when it came to it!)

In full swing..

Piggy back time.

Certificates being awarded.

After such a busy couple of weeks we spent yesterday in the garden, pruning, mowing and generally tidying the place up. While we worked the boys did "experiments" with lemons from the tree (using half my kitchen equipment to squeeze and grate them, plus salt, sugar and sand for the mix).  It was a beautiful day and very satisfying to get the place looking tidier as it was very overgrown when we moved in, and we hadn't done much since. One of the things we have to think of here is the possibility that if the place is too overgrown it might be possible for snakes to be hiding in the long grass, and it's almost certain that spiders would be too. So for everyones peace of mind, and for the love of it, it was a good job done.

And now here we are on a Sunday afternoon and I'm just back from the airport with two very tired, somewhat miserable boys. Daddy has had to go off once again. This time to Norway for the week, and understandably he'll take the opportunity to nip home to Kerry while he's in Europe. That means we won't see him for a whole ten days. We have lots of plans to try to keep busy while he's gone, but it's never quite the same when he's away.
Ru said it best when saying goodbye at the airport . "But I'll miss you" he wailed. And so will I.