Splish Splosh Splash

All this week and next week, Hallie and Oliver are participating in an early learning 'learn to swim' program. It is only $2 per child and we even get a free bus in from Westbury to the L'ton swim centre. Can't beat that.

We look like such a group, walking down to the Westbury Health Centre to be picked up by the bus. Katherine with Niamh and Gabriel in the pram and me and the kids all in their bathers practically running for the bus they are so excited. It is not one of those small buses either but this huge monstrosity. We always sit on the backseat so I can relive those school days of being the cool kid up the back or was it that I wished I was one of those kids.


Sarra is not allowed to swim because she is over 5yrs old so she has been our official photographer. I asked her to take a few photos today and she took 38. Niamh has been very good and without fail, Gabriel has fallen asleep on the backseat each time we have headed for home after our swim.

I like the idea that our kids come home tired. Hallie has been put in the independent group to swim by herself, naturally, and Katherine and I have to hop in the water with Gabriel and Oliver. The teacher has been encouraging us to also put our heads under the water with the kids so inwardly I have groaned but pretended to Oliver that it is the funnest thing out. I'm really counting on Simon to enrich the kids with his enthusiasm for water and swimming because it ain't going to come from their mother.




Simon adores anything to do with water. He was one of those kids who surfed regardless of the season and would go out all through winter and stormy weather to catch a good wave. I don't even know how to catch a wave into the shore, let alone do one with a board.



The kids get to go 3 days next week and then it is school shoes, uniforms and back to school. The first day back on the 14th is Hallie's first day of kinder where she gets to go all day. She is very excited.

PS. Good photo taking Sarra!!

Happy 40th Dion

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DION

Can you believe, Nan and Pop Triffitt's first grandchild has just turned 40. I am starting to feel old as the 21st birthday parties slip by and my peers are turning 30 and 40. AAHH!!

To celebrate Dion's birthday which was on Jan 23rd, Kay had organised a surprise party at the waterslide near the beach down at Ulverstone. It was very windy so we had a barbecue tea first at Oma and Pop's house.

The kids each had a go with the pinata

world war III scramble for the lollies

Kay had made an amazing 4 layered chocolate cake which if you know Kay, you mouth would be watering by now.

After tea we pretended to just go to the park for a play but seeing everyone's bathers and towels in the car, I think Dion suspected something. As another surprise Oma and Pop had hired out the waterslide for an hr from 6-7pm. The kids loved it and the big ones too. Jason worked out that if you go down without a rash vest you can go even faster.

After awhile the wind settled down and even though it was a little cold up the top of the slide, everyone had great fun. I did not go down as it was too windy for me and it needed to be about 10 degrees hotter. I like weather where you don't even need a towel after getting out of the water. So obviously I don't go swimming much in Tassie. Anyway someone had to be official photographer and towel holder. I greatly admired Tammy though who got in there and went down the slide as much as the kids.

Sarra stood up the top of the waterslide for 50 mins before getting up the guts to come down with Simon. She screamed the whole way down and made him go so slow that he had to push at the end just to come off the end of the slide. After that of course she wanted to keep coming down, always slowly and cautiously though.

Hallie came down by herself and tried new tricks each time to get herself going faster. "True Hallie" style. Josh would bring Oliver down and he laughed with glee each time.

Even Savannah who is 1 next month had a turn and loved it.

At one stage after Sarra came down for the first time, we all clapped and congratulated her and we forgot that Hallie was coming down a mile a minute after her. Simon wasn't standing there ready to catch her and she plummeted into the water and struggled to come up to the surface. it was a horrid 10 secs as Simon and the lifeguard rushed to get her out but she bravely held her mouth shut and worked to try and get her head above the water. She was a little shaken but went down the slide a few more times after that.

I think your up next Felis (Felicity Polley) in the way of Triffitt grandkid 40th celebrations so 'bring em on' I say.

NB editor's note. Waterslide photos are care of Poppy's camera as my battery went flat. Thanks Pop!

Summer music program

Today the kids participated in a summer music program run, a community program funded by the state government. Hallie and Oliver had been going all last year so it was nice to get some music in during the holidays. The classes are geared to different age groups so they really get alot out of it for only $3.

























































Toward the end of the afternoon, Uncle Jason popped in to say goodbye as he heads back off overseas. First stop is Sydney for a few days and then off to Denver Colorado. He was home for a month after working voerseas for the past gee, I think it is 4 yrs. At the end of the year he wants to settle back in Australia. I said somewhere warm with lots of cheap shopping so we can come and stay and have free accommodation. Come on families love to freeload off each other.

Bridport Escape

Sometimes when life is full-on it's nice to get away to the beach and let nature take over and replenish mind and soul. NAH!

It was just a good excuse to get out of cooking for a few days and do fun stuff like beat Collette at tennis... not

and lap up the hot Bridport sunshine.... it was freezing

and sample the district's culinary treats.... fish and chips at the local shop.

I must admit the peace and quiet with no phones ringing and no 'to do' lists to complete (I love lists too Toni) was very welcoming.

So on Monday after checking our blogs at Mum's house and cracking up at the hilarious comments posted on Scott's blog and the way the people who comment on his blog have a conversation between themselves, we headed off to Bridport with the whingey, I mean angelic kids. Finally about 7kms out of Bridport, I made Sarra switch places with Hallie so Oliver and Sarra would stop annoying each other. There is only so much a mother can take inside a car. This of course meant that Sarra carried on for the next 2 hrs and we were thinking, what a great start to our little trip. Don't you just love tired kids!

The first afternoon was not all that warm so the kids entertained themselves by doing gymnastics on Collette's loungeroom floor.




For tea we went to the fish and chip shop and as you can see Oliver's favourite part was the ice-cream at the end.

The next day we went to the beach. It was absolutely horrible weather but we had promised the kids and they would have nagged at us all day until we had taken them. We also played tennis after being inspired by the Australian Open but I did not take any photos because why bother when Collette beat me 6-0.


That night we watched Collette play basketball in Scottsdale. That was momentous in itself, checking out the country league. This guy chatted away to me like I was a local and knew everybody that he talked about. Being the polite person I am I did not let on that I had no idea who he was talking about and pretended I was a born and bred Scottie local lass. He even went into great detail about how he got a broken arm after being beaten up with a baseball bat and then went into this tirade about how the cops did nothing. I felt like saying, "I've heard all this before mate" but of course I did not let on that I knew more about cops than he did.

When we got home from basketball there was this most magnificent full moon. Honestly it was the biggest and clearest I had ever seen and the way it shimmered on the water was magical. I took some photos but they so don't do it justice. Where's Lisa and her SLR when you need it. I know it would have come out so much better with her camera. We stood out on the deck for ages looking at it.



Then we watched the tennis and talked until 2am in the morning. Yes, I had put the kids to bed. It is so much more fun watching tennis with Collette. She loves a game of tennis and cracks jokes about the players which cracks me up. She gets right into it and bags out the commentators along the way. Does anyone else find Jim Courier like the most annoying person out? He is so obnoxious.

Today we tidied up and got ready to come home. Now you know when it is the summer holidays because Mum lashes out and buys all the trashy New Idea and Women's Weekly mags for the month so Collette and I read the stash she had (while eating chocolate of course) It took us all the 3 days to get through them and the time wasting past-time rubbed off on Sarra. All in all a good 3 days of time out. Just what the doctor ordered.



And I will win that game of tennis Collette!!

Another BBQ

I know I know. Not ANOTHER barby at the Triffitts but yes we did it again. Tonight we had Jasmin and Robbie, Mick and Kate, Dan and Tom and Tash for tea. Tom used to live with Jasmin and Robbie when he was doing his apprenticeship so it was good for them to all catch up but you would not believe the most AMAZING thing of the night...................


Wait for it all you pregnant friends......................................

Tash gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy yesterday at 10.30am weighing in at 9pound 5 ounces and TODAY, yes today she came out at midday and kept our tea date for tonight.

Luke Thomas Wilson

She was due on Friday and I had invited everyone last week and joked to her that I would completely understand if she had to miss it if she had had the baby and so it was so totally unexpected when she text and said was the barby still on. I said she was CRAZY but she looks great and the labour was not all that easy and quick either.

Now don't think I am clucky but I got to hold a 32 hr old baby in my own home and I was even able to give him back. Then to blow me away even more when they were leaving, Tash tells me that they walked up from their house, about 2kms away and would walk back home again.

I would like to think she could just not miss my awesome cooking but somehow I know you wouldn't all believe that. Jackie's breadsticks were a hit as usual. I think I can cook them with my eyes closed.

Poor old Kate who is on the other end of the baby pendulum had to use the bathroom after tea because her morning sickness is still not the best. Hmm I hope it was the morning sickness and not just tea!!

Anyway it was a lovely night and even though we did not get to use the deck because it was too windy, we all had a great time. No more BBQ posts for the rest of the month............. I promise!!

Dan brought his new dog Cora - she is a gentle giant. Our cats disappeared for a few hrs though.

Tomorrow I am taking the kids to Bridport with Collette for a few days. Only 3 days as blogger withdrawal symptoms will set in otherwise.

Water and Windows

This week of the holidays Sarra has had swimming lessons each day at 11am. The Rotary Club of Deloraine have been running a free swim program for 26 yrs and for 2 wks each summer hols kids get to participate. it is run by Austswim teachers and is really beneficial for the kids, particularly for the ones that live on farms with dams. At the end of the course each child gets a certificate. Ir has really helped that the weather has been so warm.


The other activity for the week was helping Simon put the windows in for the house. We even roped Collette into coming and helping us.

Collette's reward was a hazelnut Time Out chocolate

BBQ with the Walker family

Tonight we had the Walker family over for tea. It was nice to see Liz sit down for once and relax because she is always so busy with her FIVE kids. I am so glad it did not rain because I don't know how we would have all fit in the house. We had Darryl and Liz and Emily with her boyfriend Stefan and Jackie, Phoebe, Lilly-Mae and Ben. Hallie had been swinging on the front gate waiting for Ben since half past 2 and they did not even arrive until 6pm.

Oliver got a water pistol for Christmas so once Stefan got hold of it, there was no escape. Liz's girls love our girls and Sarra worships the ground they walk on so it was a wonderful relaxing evening. I even talked Liz into putting her own blog together and helped her set one up. She loves reading everyone elses. Slowly we are taking over the world!!

Emily and Stefan

Jackie

Stefan aiming and firing away

Ben and Lilly-Mae buried Hallie