Introducing...

The Millenium (Horrendous) Falcon, the fastest hunk of junk this side of the galaxy.  You may ask why we call her the Horrendous Falcon.  We bought her third hand in 2003, no not second hand, you see she's had a few previous owners since she was born in 1996.  I have this feeling that she will belong to us until her dying day.  We have been living with her previous owners mistakes and dodginess and keeping her alive so we can transport our family to all the places we need to go.

Replaced so far:

Batteries, various bits of engine wire, starter motor, flicker switch, various engine bits, interior roof lining, it all started caving in and leaving foamy bits all over the inside of the car, we call it car dandruff.

The radiator and every part attached to the radiator have been replaced at one time or other and we came back to square one again last month when we needed to replace the radiator cap again.  Every couple of years we replace the front two tyres, just done last week, a last minute job to make the registration requirements.

  

Also a last minute job the front left head light needed replacing, again a requirement for registering the car.  Don Solo has managed to scrape up the parts needed to replace all necessary bits so the Millenium (Horrendous) Falcon can fly again.

The front protective plastic panelling (a little alliteration there), that fell off on our Canberra trip that protects the under side of the engine from stones was taken care of by Don Solo yet again.

Rear plastic panelling flew off on the way to church one morning, couldn't find it again, and hasn't been replaced.

Side plastic panelling on doors, never replaced, just taped up and held in place (due to a dodgy paint and repair job from previous owners, they tried to silicone it up) not much else we can do there.

And don't forget our trip to Gunnedah when the steering column started smoking and it took two days to replace it because we had to get the part from Tamworth.  Oh the journeys we've had with our Horrendous Falcon.  We do look after her and she does get a bath a least once a year.  We're saving water you know.  

I do love my Horrendous Falcon, she's comfy to drive, she fits us all in, we can load up the back and drive halfway up the country to Queensland or down south to Canberra.  Yes a new Ford Territory would be nice but I don't think we'd have half as much fun on our travels if we didn't have bits flying off the car, or steam coming from the radiator, or smoke from the steering column.  She's another part of our Earth Walker family and we wouldn't be without her.

Grateful

There are days that go by and you are rushing through it to get to the end of the day.  You are hurrying the kids along, hurry up and finish your breakfast, hurry up and get dressed, hurry up we're going to be late for school.  You want that peace that comes with having survived another day.  You kind of forget that each and every child has their own agenda that they're trying to get through.  I just want to play, I was in the middle of  a good chapter of this book, I just want to escape from homework and play with the magnets in a battle, I'm singing on the toilet...... can I play nintendo?  We forget because we're just too busy trying to do the right things for our kids and get them where they need to go or feed them so they will grow.  I love the moments they are together and interacting as little people do, in the bath, at the table, on the floor or reading books together on the bed.  It's moments like these you just don't want to rush, savour them and be grateful.

Did I tell you...

I missed this guy while he was at pre-school today.  As I said good bye to him this morning, I felt like staying and playing as he watched me go with his serious face and tongue poking around in his cheeks.  But I know that after I left, his happy face came back and he got on playing without me.

Before.....

.....and After

The boys room is finally finished, remember we started stripping the wallpaper after Christmas?  It is so refreshing now, it's lighter and brighter and they actually want to sit at the desk to do their homework, for the time being anyway.  I asked Sam which did he prefer the wallpaper or the new paint, and he replied "I liked them both".  You mean we could have left the wallpaper up and they would have been happy?  I think I prefer the new paint job though.

We used Taubmans Easy coat with Microban (to protect against mould etc.) for the walls in  Tahnee Blue and Milk Dew for doors and trim.  For the yellow cupboard doors we used Nippon  Advance, deep gloss in Gleam 3, however it becomes rather textured and took on the grain of the brush or roller which we didn't really want but finished it up with about 3 coats to smooth it out as much as we could.  It's not so bad with the textured surface though, we can live with it.

We had to move the boys dressing tables out into the spare room as we didn't have enough room for all of the book cases as well as the dressers.  At least there's a little play space and lots of books for them to choose from.  We love books, we love space, but somehow the boys still gravitate with their toys and books into the lounge room to play.  

Canberra trip - day 3 continued

Before we left Canberra we decided to visit the Royal Australian Mint (RAM).  

I had visions of it being bigger like a factory with the workings of the mint and money making in view.  Alas no, so a little dissappointed there.  No viewing gallery, just the shop, a little video telling us to go and stamp your own $1 coin, which we did, it cost $3 to get $1.  We knew that was the case, at least the boys have a little keepsake.  

If you're planning on going to the RAM don't go until after Easter, I understand they are doing a revamp of the place with viewing gallery and tours etc.  at least check the web site for details.

On our way home I really wanted to drive through a town called Taralga, it is just north of Goulburn and that big ram.

The country is really lovely around there rolling hills, lots of stone houses and stone walls, sheep and cattle.  

Anyway the best way home (I thought) was to drive along the Wombeyan Caves road instead of driving home through the Blue Mountains.  Little did we know it was a windy single lane dirt road that hugged the southern end of the Blue Mountains and took us past the Wombeyan Caves, up and down the mountains all the way to Mittagong. FYI very slow going, honking your horn around every corner on the one lane dirt track it took us over an hour just to get to Mittagong.  Beautiful scenery along the way though, if you don't mind 50 foot drops from the edge of the road, a few cows along the way and a bit of wild life.

My bubble gum chewing children, notice the purple gum on their teeth.

So we arrived home with a dirty car, minus a few bits but it was good to get away.

Popping up

Don't you love how flowers just pop up out of your garden?

These guys were popping up and down too!

Red sky

The sunrise this morning was so red and beautiful, but it was gone in the blink of and eye.  It was very uplifting and calming and it reminded me of a red sky I once saw in February 2003.  We had been down to Jindabyne to look at some land and were going to camp in Canberra (to do what we finally just did), but could go no further than Cooma, a town just south of Canberra.

It was 3pm, the sky was dark and red, a thick heavy orange/red.....the air was red, and ash was falling from the sky.  It was as if a volcano had errupted and was spewing volcanic ash and fire all around us but it was quiet, very quiet.  

The road north to Canberra was closed.  The Canberra fires had consumed the outskirts of the city and devastated many families and their houses.  We had no clue as to which direction the fires were coming from or going to.  It was still a long way away, but the intensity of the sky and air was amazing, beautiful and scary.  I can't imagine what the people in the Victorian bush fires are still going through.

So we headed to the coast in our faithful old van and camped there.

I pray that the cool southerly change comes through today to dampen the fires still roaring in Victoria.  Our boys pray every night that the fires will stop and the people and animals won't be harmed.  I will always remember Cooma and how red the sky was.

Canberra trip - day 3

Donald made breakfast for us of pancakes and bacon, but everytime he tried to cook a pancake on the pan it burnt, not necessarily through Donald's fault (cause Donald makes great pancakes) a combination of the thin dodgy pan, the shake and bake pancake mix and gas stove top.  So every time a pancake was cooked the fire alarm went off.  It went off about 5 times.  I ended up standing on a chair fanning the fire alarm with the Canberra travel guide.  Needless to say only 5 pancakes were made.  I'm suprised the neighbours didn't complain or the manangement come out in their pj's to see who's cabin was on fire.

Anyway we packed the car and headed for Parliament House (PH) again.  This time we got to tour through the inside.  On my school trip in year 7 we got to visit inside the old PH and attended morning tea with Flo Bjelke-Petersen, so the new PH was astonishing.  What an amazing place with lots of incredible details inside by Australian artists and designers.  


My favourite things to see were, the inlaid wooden designs of Australian flora all around the entrance of PH, 

an Arthur Boyd painting (I'm rather partial to an Arthur Boyd painting)... 

...that was created as a design for this magnificent tapestry, a bit blurry sorry.  

The silky oak benches everywhere, I wanted to rip one up and take it home with me.

 

Donald was our tour guide, as he'd been here before on his way down to Moto GP, so we toured the building and various parliamentary rooms with commentary by Donald.  

The Green room, House of Representatives

The Pinky/Red Room, The Senate

The Throne room

Sorry about that one, that just slipped in there, the throne room from PH.  We also went up on the roof top for the spectacular views of Canberra.  

The old PH in the distance

Crazy kids

Kids getting in trouble

Kids in various stages of "time out"

To be continued.....

Canberra trip - day 2

Our main purpose for visiting Canberra was to visit the Australian War Memorial. I hadn't been there since my year 7 Snowy Mountains/Canberra trip back in 19somethingorother.  It is an amazing place full of Australian military history, memories and days gone by.  We spent 5 hours there.  Not only is it a war memorial but it has a huge museum inside.  Donald and the boys were in heaven when we spotted the tank and the Amiens gun.

The boys had an incredible time watching, reading, learning and dressing up (me too).  I think my boys look good as peace keepers or how about nurse Lisha off to tend to the wounded soldiers.

My favourite parts of the war memorial were rather moving and beautiful.  The Roll of Honour and the specially placed poppies, the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier with tiled mosaics and stained glass windows, the sandstone walls and arches looking up to the Roll of Honour and the gargoyles sculpted out of sandstone of the Australian People and Animals.