Catch up

Although the past month has been full of birthday celebrations and travel tales we've still enjoyed some great times at home with Ella.

One wet and rainy Thursday morning at the end of September we all discovered how much we still loved the Easybeats She's so Fine (thank you Grandpa). Ella loved Little Stevie's wild introduction and used all her dance moves through the endless repetitions of the song's limited lyric line.

And then more wild times at Floriade in mid October as Ella experienced her first ferris wheel ride high above the beds of tulips (she loved it!).

And then a lovely afternoon with the P families - more birthday love for me as well as the company of two gorgeous boys - and some birthday cake.

J&J&E were meant to be with us too but we found out they were waiting at Canberra Hospital for Ella's split ear to be attended to (caused by a fall against an architrave in the hallway). After an 8 hour wait she had two beautiful neat stitches installed in her ear- which in no way made up for the horror of waiting 8 hours to be treated.

But less than two weeks later she was fully recovered and back in her beloved Erindale Pool - for swimming lessons.

We were astounded to see the progress she had made since last swimming season. She launches herself through the water with great confidence, floats on her back, can "swim" for 3-4 metres using all the right overarm strokes (but not breathing yet).

She really likes and trusts her teacher - diving to the bottom of the pool on command........

......... to retrieve objects.......

...and does very tricky dolphin dives.......

......pure happiness.

Ella is loving the warmer weather and all the growth in the garden..especially when it means she can collect bouquets of flowers in her favourite colours: red and pink and orange roses and purple daisies and petunias.

Us girls visited one of the open gardens in Farrer last weekend - a fund raiser for the acquired brain injury foundation.

We'll have to do this again when the opportunity arises. Ella LOVED the garden - all its meandering secrets and spaces, the silky bantams.........

and Edward the aged black cat.

We stayed for ages, enjoying the late Spring sunshine and the delicious tea and scones served with homemade grape jelly (we sat under the grapevine from which the jelly had been made) with oodles of whipped cream.