Swimming Carnival!

That's my girl!




On your marks...


They had the junior school Swimming Carnival, and guess who won their breast stroke race??! Yes - it was that Anna. I was soooo proud, and she was soooo excited! Well done Anna!

We are back into the school routine now. For the first couple of weeks it was a bit of a shock to the system to be back getting up at 6.30am, but now I'm waking up before the alarm clock and feeling less exhausted. All the after school activities are now in full swing, so I am dealing with dancing, singing, netball, riding and occasionally climbing for Anna, and basketball and cricket for George. George has a lot more homework than he has ever had to deal with before, and is needing a lot of support to get it done without becoming suicidal! He is also coming home sometimes on the bus and letting himself in when I have something with Anna. He is really growing up.

Also, I've volunteered for a couple of things. I'm helping run a book club at school, which involves collecting together all the orders and entering them in on a website, and I'm now a Year 6 Class Mother. Along with Maria and friend Paula, we will be responsible for all the parents socials in that year. They don't know what they've let themselves in for!

We've got lots of things to look forward to at the moment as well. Anna goes on her school camp next week, and not long after we are going camping at Jervis Bay with Sharon and Richard and their lot, and Nicky and Graham and their lot. Should be fun. Then the weekend after, Mum and Dad arrive and we will be out and about with them. We have a 2 day trip to the Blue Mountains planned, then a week at a bushland resort about an hour out of Melbourne, and then they are going with the children to Jervis Bay for a few days. Mum and Dad go home towards the end of April, and then it won't be long until we are back in the UK for a month in June/July. It's all happening, and I'm sure other lovely things will come up in the meantime.

We are cruising into autumn here - it's been the coldest February for 100 years, and people are pretty fed up with the poor summer we have had here, but we've had plenty of days on the beach, and a number of days when frankly I've been way too hot. I think it is probably a good thing that we have had a gentle introduction to a Sydney summer.It's very humid here at the best of times, and I have discovered that my head sweats tremendously. I know that only horses are supposed to sweat, but I can assure you that what I am doing is not glowing. I feel quite self conscious about it, but I'm told that it won't be long before I will acclimatise. The children really don't seem to be having a problem with this at all - in the UK I had trouble getting them to put on a coat in the deep mid winter, but here they think it is cold on days when I would quite happily be in shorts.

Hope you enjoy the photos - all Anna I'm afraid - George doesn't like me to take photos of him, whereas Anna is a bit of a poser!



Anna and Stanley the cat



Guess who?



Freshwater Beach Rock Pool, where the children have their school swimming lessons.



Anna and Olivia off to Ally's birthday party. They literally took all day to get ready!

Woman's Breasts

Parliament House

Andrew was going to Canberra to look at a site, so I thought I would tag along. It took just over 4 hours to get there, and in common with most major routes here, once we got out of Sydney, there was virtually no one on the road, which made for an easy drive. The scenery was interesting - initially flat pastureland giving way to tree covered cliffs with rivers tumbling over boulders in the bottom of gorges. We passed fields of sheep, some unexpected alpacas, olive groves and vineyards. Eventually we skirted around Lake George - not really a lake, but a vast flood plain creating a sort of prehistoric vista.

We hadn't heard much good stuff about Canberra. An entirely 'created' city (as opposed to one that has evolved), it has a reputation for being a bit boring and full of public servants (the latter not necessarily being the result of the former!). It is the largest inland city in Australia - although at 300,000 population it's not really much more than a big town - and was designed to be the capital in order to avoid the rivalry between the country's two largest cities, Melbourne and Sydney.

I tried to have an open mind, but the place is very odd. Generally I wouldn't agree with the Duke of Edinburgh about much, but he famously described Canberra as being 'a city without a soul' - and he certainly had a point. It's difficult to know when you have found the centre, as there is no one about, and the urban design has not really facilitated its ability to be a vibrant city or community. It reminded me of wandering about in the city of London on a Saturday, when no one is there. Except that it was a Thursday, in the middle of the day. There are many beautiful and iconic buildings - Parliament House, the National War Memorial, the National Gallery - but you are left wondering why these places are not in Sydney or Melbourne. And it is a city completely devoid of public toilets - which anyone who knows me will know is a bit of a problem....

It turned out that the site Andrew wanted to look at was a carpark in the very centre of the city. It was clearly a very popular carpark, as it was full, but as far as I could see it was pretty much what you would expect - a concrete slab with a lot of cars in. It was therefore difficult to see why it had just been sold for $92m. Must be a pretty good carpark.I pretended I didn't know him while he took photos.....

So - I expect you are wondering why I have called this post 'Woman's breasts'. Well, I was amused to read that the city was officially given its name by a Lady Denman in 1913, the Aboriginal word 'Canberra' having been chosen. It was only afterwards that they discovered that this meant 'woman's breasts'. Classic....



Lake George - no, really...

Apologies all round

Yesterday was an historic day in Australia Day. The new Government, headed up by Kevin Rudd, made it one of their first jobs in office to give an official apology to the Aboriginal community for their treatment by successive governments regarding the forcible removal of indigenous children from their families to foster homes and institutions. In the astoundingly arrogant belief that these children would be better off with white families or in children's homes, they were removed from their parents, sometimes as babies but often as older children. Subsequent studies have demonstrated that these children experienced unimproved life outcomes in terms of education, addiction, suicide and life expectancy than those who were able to stay with their parents. The studies also revealed that many of these children were treated as slaves within their foster homes, subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse and never recovered from the experience. These acts took place from the beginning of the 20th century until the 1970s.

Of course, the apology is long overdue. The previous Government refused to say sorry, on the grounds that it was not responsible for these atrocities, which has ignited an interesting debate on historical responsibility. However, the new Government has taken the view that the apology is not about blame and responsibility, but about reconciliation. They have combined it with an undertaking to improve life expectancy, educational achievement and other disadvantages to the Aboriginal community, and it does very much feel like a new day has dawned.

All schools watched the broadcast, and many workplaces paused in their schedules to join in and there are calls to turn the day into a National Sorry Day public holiday.

Sometimes it really is just such a relief to say you're sorry.....


To read the text of the apology, follow this link:

Australia Day Holiday and Back to School

It's Skippy! G'Day Mate!




Maria and Sharon

Blimey...it's been a while hasn't it? Sorry about that! At risk of severely pissing you all off, I have to tell you that a large factor in my absence has been that it has been too hot upstairs where the computer is for me to sit there and write. However, you will all be very pleased to hear that it is now pouring with rain, and it looks like it will be pretty rainy for the whole of February.

So - what have we been up to? Well 26th January is Australia Day, and a national holiday (not a Bank Holiday - we've been led up that particular garden path before). Ozzies seem to take it very seriously, celebrating all things Australian, waving flags out their car doors and wearing Australia Day t shirts. Of course, the traditional way to spend the day is on the beach then have a BBQ, although when you think about it, that is pretty much the way they mark any special event. We chose to go camping with Sharon, Richard and their three children and Maria, Kenton and their three children.

Naturally, given that the trip had been some months in the planning, on the day it all started to go wrong. We were going to The Basin (which has featured on here before) and is only accessible by boat. As we were going on the Friday and George was returning from Mission Adrenalin on the same Friday evening, we decided that Anna would go over and spend the night with everyone else and Andrew, George and I would join them on Saturday morning.

The first obstacle to arise was when I phoned Sharon to ask what time I should deliver Anna to the ferry that morning. A certain amount of disharmony was being experienced in the Leifer household as Richard had unexpectedly announced the need to work that morning. Sharon was clearly frustrated, and we agreed that they would give me a ring when they were ready.

So Anna and I got all her things ready, planted them by the door and got on with things until we got the call. Unfortunately, when it came, and I tried to drive Anna off to the ferry, I discovered that the car and house keys could not be found anywhere. Eventually they were located - in the car. And the car was locked. Great. No way to get Anna to the ferry, and no room for Anna in Sharon and Richard's car. We agreed that Anna would join them when we had resolved the problem (which wasn't likely to be until after Andrew got home with George late that night). Anna was devastated but getting little sympathy from me as she was the one who had left them in the car!

However, later on - good news! At least for Anna....Maria and Kenton had arrived on their boat, and discovered that they had left all the food in the fridge at home, so they were coming back, and would pick Anna up.

It was all going splendidly....lol.



Shark net at the opening of the lagoon


And worse was to come....when George got home, he was COVERED in spots! We were told there had been an outbreak of chicken pox at his camp, but I was sceptical. George has had it at least once already, if not twice, and it didn't seem to me that the incubation period at the camp had been sufficiently long. George had been spot free before getting on the bus, and then erupted during the five hour journey home. He'd had a great time though, and was dirty and exhausted just as you should be!




Messing about on boats

Problem was, that even if George didn't have chicken pox, he clearly had something else very contagious...in the morning our GP confirmed that it was a weird virus (ie he didn't know what it was but it wasn't chicken pox). A camping trip to the Basin was clearly out of the question for George. In the end, Andrew and I did a night each, which seemed fair, although the last straw was when one of the poles for our brand new tent broke when we were putting it up....




A goanna investigating our camp

However..... we did have a wonderful time. The Basin is ridiculously beautiful, as you will be able to see from the photos, and the weather was exactly what it should be in an Ozzie summer (too hot). We were visited by wallabies, bush turkeys, and goanas, the children played from sun up to sun down, and us adults enjoyed some wine, a bit of kayaking, some power boating and a lot of chatting. And we have been inspired (despite everything) to go again at Easter! This time we will be going somewhere with hot showers (only cold ones at the Basin, but to be honest it was so bloody hot we didn't really care - and we had some solar showers, which are basically a big black bag you fill with water at the beginning of the day, and by the end of the day it is a lovely warm torrent of water). And somewhere you can get to by car, and not take every morsel of food you and drinking water you will need for the duration!



Look how clear the water is in the lagoon. Can you see the fishes?

So we returned home and then it was haircuts, pack your bags and back to school!



Oooo - haven't you grown??!

This year George is in the middle school, where they have a two week rotational timetable he is trying to get to grips with, and an hour of homework 7 nights a week. They do, however, get to wear long trousers and no longer have to wear the Billy Bunter hat. There is always a silver lining eh? They have both really grown - especially Anna who now comes up above my nose. It's not going to be long before she is as tall as me....

Right - I have to go to bed. I did two classes back to back at the gym today, and my legs are killing me. I don't know what possessed me....

Mission Adrenaline!

George and Andrew excited before getting on the bus, but also concerned to remain looking as cool as possible...




Apparently George is faaaaarrrrr too cool to give his mum a kiss and a hug before he goes on the camp....


It's been a very quiet week here. George has been away on a camp run by the Department of Sport and Recreation called Mission Adrenalin. We had to have him on a bus at Sydney Central Station at 6.30am on Monday and then pick him up on Friday. His friend Andrew went with him, and they were both really looking forward to a week of climbing, canoeing, abseiling, paintballing....you name it - they are going to be doing it! I have to say that I did suffer from some anxiety about it all - they are 5 hours away, in the outback, in an area where mobile phones don't work. It can get very, very hot inland like that, over 40 degrees, so I was pleased that the forecast for the week wasn't really all that good - a bit dull and only mid to high 20s out there.

Whilst her brother has been away, Anna has been on a constant round of sleepovers, and going to the cinema. This week she has seen Enchanted, Alvin and the Chipmunks (I'm quite relieved to have been spared that one!) and The Waterhorse, all in the company of friends. This has meant that I have been able to tidy the house, and meet friends at the mall and have coffee (and maybe a sneaky bit of retail therapy).

However, there have been events at home, which have really brought home the distance we are from the UK. Friends really should be there for each other when they are needed, and all I can do is be supportive down a phone. But the people in question know that if they want me to come, I'll be there. Always.

Luna Park

George and Anna have been desperate to go to Luna Park for ages, but we just haven't gotten around to it. However, given the disappointment over Jamberoo, I told them we could go and they could both take a friend.



I'm generally not a big fan of theme park type places.....I don't like the rides, so they are a bit pointless for me, but usually, having paid the fee to get in, I feel kind of obliged to risk life and limb and give a few of them a go.

Luna Park is a bit different though. It's a famous Sydney landmark, on the harbourside in the shadow of the bridge. It has been there since 1935 and still retains a good part of that 1930s feel, plus fabulous views of the city and the water.



So off we went, with George's friend Ari, and Anna's friend Olivia with us. It was pleasingly easy to get to, despite being in the city centre, and there was a large underground carpark there which we just drove straight in. I discovered that you don't pay to go in, but can buy various different packages for the rides. This meant I wasn't obliged in anyway, and could settle myself in the middle of the place, sip coffee and write the shopping list. The children went off with their wristbands which gave them access to all the rides as many times as they wanted (for $48 which is about 22 quid, which I didn't think was bad), and I wandered about trying to not be appalled when I occasionally came across one of my children being flung about the atmosphere upside down. It all proved to be a bit too much for Anna, who unfortunately threw up on the Tango Train, and was still not recovered fully on the way home, as we had to pull over and hold her hair out the way then too! Kids eh? Olivia was the most game of them all - insisting on going on rides which can't possibly be fun...



Only Olivia wanted to go on this one....



....and I think this is why! She's right up there at the top, waiting to be dropped like a stone!

Anyway, despite the vomiting (!) everyone had a great time, and I even felt like I would be willing to go back. But perhaps I'll keep Anna off the chips next time....

100 miles from Sydney, a million miles from care...

If I was asked to name the most beautiful city in the world, I'd have to say it is Sydney. Although other cities have more beautiful historical buildings, and are architecturally more attractive, Sydney is blessed with the most amazing natural beauty, which has not been diminished by its development as a world city. Better still, if you fancy driving for a couple of hours for an afternoon out, you can be here in no time at all....



This is Seven Mile Beach, a national park a couple of hours south of Sydney - where we spent yesterday afternoon. We had gone out with the intention of visiting Jamberoo - a water park (although I was very much a reluctant passenger, as I couldn't understand why we were driving 2 hours to visit a place which had a pretend beach but there you go - the kids were desperate). However, when we got there, it was absolutely mobbed, with the most people I have ever seen in one place in Australia. Andrew didn't want to go in, and George wasn't bothered (we couldn't even find a parking space in the VAST carpark) but Anna was heartbroken. I had never wanted to go in the first place, so I kept quiet and let them decide what to do! In the end we decided to go to a beach.

We hadn't been south of Sydney before, although we had been told that it was beautiful - and it was. Rolling green hills, a rocky coastline at first then giving way to vast long sandy beaches backed by rainforest. We explored the are a little, stumbling upon this - The Blowhole - which was pretty spectacular.






The Blowhole was a small aperture in the rocks through which a spout of water was forced every time a wave came in. It made a terrific noise and was pretty impressive. George spent a long time standing in the spray area - it was 32 degrees yesterday - but Anna was still in the sulky recovery period after the Jamberoo disappointment.

When we got to Seven Mile Beach, it was perfect. The children stayed in the water for over 2 hours - it was crystal clear with flat sand and surf that was ideal for body boarding. In fact it was so lovely that even I had a go, which is highly unusual. Although it was very hot, on the beach there was the usual lovely sea breeze so it didn't feel uncomfortable. You do have to be very careful though - it's easy to think it is not that hot with the breeze, but then you take off your flip flops and discover that the sand is too hot to walk on.












We are so happy here - how couldn't we be? We are closer as a family, as we spend more time together. We are more relaxed because we are no longer both rushing about all the time. And when the weekend comes we can go to places that make us feel like we are on an exotic holiday. We miss everyone, of course, but we are so very fortunate that we have been able to make this choice and that we are able to have such a good life.

As the Ozzies say - it's all good....