All things Australian

We've just had an overnight stay in Coogee with the young ones so we saw lots of the banal kitsch that seems to go with our nation's "celebration" of Australia (Invasion) Day on the 26th January - although not quite as much of the flag belligerence as in the past (thank you M. Turnbull?). 

We like to "celebrate" in our own way - lunch at Barzura's, with its focus on Indonesian flavours and spirit and spectacular views over Coogee Beach (and my fave Stone & Wood beer from Byron Bay).....

 ....a magic morning on the beach with Josh and the girls (with great coffee and the best mango smoothie you'd find anywhere in the world).....

 Abi was thrilled to find an intact cuttlefish shell in one of her forensic examinations of the tideline.....

And to really place Australia day in context we took the girls to see Opera Australia's performance of "The Rabbits" - based on the remarkable book by John Marsden (illustrated by Shaun Tan) - an allegory about colonisation - but with a message of hope amidst the more disturbing events. Ella watched wide eyed for the whole performance. Abi spent most of the time asking me questions that showed she was really engaged, and she wanted to go back and see it again today!!!!  When I took the pic below the girls were terribly excited by the box of Maltesers we'd bought for them as part of the theatre experience!

Josh and Jody had some time together while we were at the theatre, walking around the Rocks, the oldest part of post settlement Sydney. They found some new headbands for the girls which rounded off pretty much a perfect day for them (and for us)!