My grain, my frog

Sorry for the lack of journals and photos, had a hard week with lots on.  Plus I've had a migraine lasting a few days topped off yesterday with a nasty Sinus head ache that doesn't seem to be budging. :+(

So here's a picture of a frog as I have one in my throat as well.

He or she has taken up residence on the side of our water barrel out the back.  At every hint of rain we hear a little croaking and find her tucked up under the dimple on the top of the barrel. Very unusual colouring almost like a toad.

Thursday

It was like a public holiday on Thursday with the boys home from school due to the teachers all day Industrial Strike.  So we decided to do some fun things.

We went to the egg farm to pick up 570 eggs, 19 trays of 30 eggs, I sooo hope I don't have a crash on the way to church on Sunday as these eggs are for friends at church.

While at the egg farm, the farmer said we could pick as many mandarins from the trees as we would like.  One of the trees had been chopped down due to it rotting, but the branches still had hundreds of mandarins, so the boys and I had fun picking them.  

Very juicy and tart, but still edible, I'll just have to do some searching for mandarin recipes now.  We always come away with something extra from the egg man, last time it was a huge bag of tomatoes.

After seeing some new chicks, dead rats and dead rooster, hopping on the tractor and picking mandarins, we got our eggs and drove to Berowra Waters.

At Berowra Waters we watched the boats come in, chatted to a man while he was fishing and then we enjoyed some fish and chips and fed the ducks.

 
 

It was a very peaceful day, the boys even wanted to stay longer to have a look at some of the luxury boats for sale and to search for sting rays, as I'd seen one last week with my mum & Toby.

Then it was home for some Nintendo.

Tuskan Raiders.....

.........or yet another way to maim your children.

Donald's dream to be an Ice Hockey player is aaaaaalmost there.

Trimming the sticks down to size and wearing our motorbike gloves staved off a few more injuries, there are still a few bruised knuckles and eyebrows though.

My style of football

More Freedom

Donald & I managed to get away again this week.  It didn't work out as well as last weeks getaway though.  We were supposed to go away on the bikes again, this time for two nights.  However Donald had a bit of a problem with his bike so he couldn't ride it and then he had some work to do which took a little longer than expected.  So eventually Don Solo & Princess Lisha went off in the Horrendous Falcon, heading Northwest this time.

Our first stop was just before Wiseman's Ferry, with a huge roofing screw in our rear tyre, which was changed immediately before it deflated.  We then crossed the river and drove the dirt road through St Albans north to Wollombi.  There's alot of water, vine yards, dirt roads and national park up that way, but every now and then a splash of autumn colours, it was very peaceful.  We thought we would stay in a B&B around Muswellbrook somewhere, but found out that Scone had their two week horse festival on and that the B&S Ball was to be on that Saturday night so there was no accomodation available anywhere.  After a few phone calls we found Carellen Cottages, just out of Denman, west of Muswellbrook.  

A more family oriented cottage with two rooms and a fireplace, though the bed was rather saggy, it was still a cosy cottage.  The landscape around the property had some amazing rock formations and bolders.  No sunrise the next morning due to the heavy clouds and rain, but a few pics of the rocks.

Driving home we drove down the Putty Rd through Wollemi National Park, famous for the many motorbike riders on the weekends riding through the twisty roads.  Unfortunately we couldn't do the twisties as well in the Falcon, maybe next time.........on the bikes.

Pot of colour

On Tuesday Toby, my mum & I went for a drive to Berowra Waters for a fish & chip lunch by the river.  While there, lightning and thunder were striking all around us.  So we packed up and headed home before that little bit of rain soaked us or the lightning got any closer.  On our way home we stopped at a nursery and my mum picked up some colours for the garden.  Yesterday the boys and grandma planted those lovely colours together.

Myrtles Magic

The crepe myrtles are producing magical colours again.  It is such a beautiful tree.  From green and pink in summer to yellow gold in autumn.

Hamburger Book

We had hamburgers for dinner last night.  Upon opening up his hamburger to view the contents, Toby said "It's like a book mummy, the hamburger is a book".  Afterwhich there were lots of jokes flying around the table about not eating books at the table and kept Toby in a constant state of giggles.

Freedom

Donald & I for the first time in 5 years or so escaped without kids to the Blue Mountains.  With my mum looking after the boys Donald & I headed off on the bikes towards the Blue Mountains on Wednesday.  We rode through Windsor and Richmond then up the Bells Line of Road to Lithgow.  It was a cool ride heading into the sunset, and I mean cold.  My teeth were chattering all the way up the mountain, unlike Donalds bike, Black Betty doesn't have heated hand grips.  We stopped at the view at Kurrajong Heights which was just so clear.  

On our way up we saw the steam trains from the zig zag railway near the road and Donald tried  to take a photo with his helmet on.....not so great, but you get the picture.

The sun setting made riding into the sunset not as romantic as it sounds, particularly on winding roads where you could hardly see the road in front of you for the glare.  We made it to the Lithgow information centre just before closing and found a lovely spot to spend the night.  Seclusions boutique spa cabins just a little way out of town and past Lake Lyell. Gorgeous rustic log cabins in the hills with spa and fire place.  The cabins were really lovely, with polished wooden walls and benches and a rattan/straw like covering on the ceiling.  Donald and I have dreams of building a place like this some day, maybe a little bigger, especially to fit the 3 kids in as well.

  

The fire place made the room very cosy.

It was much cheaper staying mid week than on the week ends.  Seeing as we were the only ones there we got an even better rate.  They provided an assortment of things for breakfast for us to make ourselves, but no dinner.  So we went back into Lithgow to the Workies club for a grill and some pool.  Donald thrashed me at pool.

Not being used to sleep in's I got up early and caught another sun rise.

We packed up at 11am an went back into Lithgow to visit the Small Arms Museum, Donalds choice, but it ended up being fascinating.  The museum is situated right next to the Steel factory where they have been making rifles for the Australian army since 1908.  The collection of rifles and hand guns is just amazing.  Not that I'm into guns but the history of the factory is fascinating.  Donald is the war history enthusiast, so he was in heaven.  Time got away from us in the museum so we headed to Katoomba for a view of the Three Sisters.

We were very fortunate with the clear, dry weather, not only for the bike riding but for the spectacular views of the mountains.

After which it was a late lunch in Leura before battling the traffic home down the mountain.

  

Happy Mothers Day

Mothers Day has started early for me this week.  My mum arrived on Tuesday to spend two weeks with us.  Then on Wednesday my mum looked after the boys while Donald and I went on a trip to Lithgow and the Blue Mountains on the motorbikes for the night and the next day.  Aren't mum's great!  Not only does she look after the boys, feed them, clean them etc etc, we come home to a perfectly clean house, the laundry basket is empty, dinner is on the table........and the children are happy.  What more could you ask for? I love my mum.

Today the boys school held their annual Mothers Day Morning tea.  We collect the boys from their class rooms, select a plate of goodies each, which the dad's are serving to us, and then have a picnic on the front lawn with all of the other mum's, grandmothers and kids.  We had some of Ethan's class mates join us whose mum's weren't there today.

Also at this time the children present us with a gift which they helped create.  This year it was a beaded bookmark.  The children actually did the beading. 

 

Last year they made beaded sun catchers, and another year they made beaded necklaces.  There's alot of work that the fundraising team put into these morning teas and it's a lovely idea.  Of course we pay for the gifts, morning tea and also have to make some of the goodies, cakes & slices for the morning tea. 

Happy Mothers Day to all of the women in our lives, mums, sisters, grandmas, mothers in law, aunts, cousins and girlfriends. A wonderful day to you all xxx.

Just like his Daddy

Donald's game

It's been a busy few weeks and I haven't been able to post many of my favourites from my 504 pictures, but stay tuned there will be more soon.  So as an interlude, I've finally got some pics of Donald playing soccer.  He hasn't had many games yet this season, they're either on a Sunday morning or the fields have been closed due to wet weather.  Last Saturday wasn't their best game either, they were up against a team which I don't really like.  Over the years you can tell which teams are fair and others which are just pushy, rude and obnoxious.  This orange team was one of them, although they weren't at their worst on Saturday but they certainly made it hard for Donald's team to score any goals, with a nil all final score.  So here are some action shots.

The guy in orange second from the right above ended up getting a yellow card for having a foul mouth.  He was one of the obnoxious ones.  I'm really glad the refs are coming down on the language used in the game, it's kind of hard to take the kids to watch when you know there's going to be alot of swearing.

And here are the boys totally engrossed in watching Donalds game.

Laidley sunset

I love watching the sun set so I dragged the boys outside to look at my favourite colours.  They actually appreciated seeing the colours too and enjoyed the peace at this time of day.