CBR

Canberra's bold and ready (CBR) we've been told to tell everybody - which is a pretty tall order when most of us probably feel more timid and tentative (CTT?) most of the time . This is Canberra's 101st birthday weekend and there is an awful lot on. We're mostly enjoying the long weekend, beautiful 25 - 26oC days, the start of the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival (celebrating 25 years), and the joys of "Enlighten", Canberra's Autumn festival of light.

We saw our first French film on Friday night, the gritty "Grand Central", set in one of France's (many) nuclear power stations with a cast of vulnerable characters, so, by the time we joined the crowds around the lake we were in the mood to have our spirits lifted.

The crowds were as happy and as beautifully lit as a Renoir painting (hmm esp. his Moulin-Galette).

To say nothing of our national buildings....... This year animation effects were added to the ever changing visuals.

The entrance to the High Court was a sea of flame, a "Fire Garden", a stunning crowd pleaser.

Questacon and the galleries were open for evening tours and there was a South American Fiesta happening in the grounds of the National Gallery, to celebrate the "Gold and the Incas: Lost Worlds of Peru" exhibition.

We were intrigued by Fiers a Cheval...the puppetry: three inflatable horses, lit from within, and set in motion by their puppeteers as hind legs - an oddly mesmerising perfromance.

There's a balloon festival, Diner en Blanc, an Arboretum 10th birthday celbration, a comedy festival Elvis Karaoke at the National Portrait Gallery..too much for us to deal with really..especially with a french film we must see almost every day over the next few weeks of the festival. Anyway happy birthday CBR - we love you, bold and ready or not.

Party party

Despite its "rustic" finish my Peppa Pig cake took a while to put together and involved a fair amount of Internet searching and mulling over ......

But whatever time it took and however much effort was involved it was all rewarded by the reaction of the birthday girl......sheer delight and happiness....a favourite, much loved character AND slathered in all that pink sugary icing........

...and Smarties!

There were presents too. The birthday girl adored her new pink fluffy dressing gown and it seemed like she understood every word and symbol on that new Peppa Pig DVD.

Luckily, Abi had attendants to put together her new farmyard Duplo while she did more swooning over her DVD and cake (while wearing her fluffy pink dressing gown).

 Did we mention there were Smarties involved?

We all made a mental note not to eat the outlying sweets on this cake as they were all pretty well handled by now!

 Abi had lots of help to get through the obligatory blowing out of candles.

I was laughing too much to capture the next 10 minutes of hilarity. Abi did everything short of diving onto the cake to get her hands on Peppa (and all that sugar). At one stage she scooped her spoon into Peppa's face and shoved a huge slug of cake and icing into her mouth. The kids thought it was hilarious eating Peppa's arms and nose and removing her head.

Peppa Pig set the scene for a pretty wild afternoon of partying..there was loud music, hilarity, wild dancing and ball games and even a brief period of nudity at one stage - one of the best parties ever at our place we think!!!

Diversions

We were in Sydney over the past three days hoping to provide a bit of a diversion. Pete was given a leave pass on Friday from the Mater so we were able to enjoy lunch together and a bit of a wobbly walk to the end of Ridge Street to admire the amazing view towards Cremorne and the beautiful harbour beyond.
 

If you have a hospital stay ahead of you can I recommend the Mater Hospital in North Sydney, just a short walk from this very pretty park and one of the best views in Sydney (and some good lunch spots).

Trying not to think too much about the day ahead for Pete we caught an early evening movie at Dendy Circular Quay (Le Weekend - which was a bit poignant actually) and then some wonderful views from the Opera House boardwalk. We thought it would be fun to have a drink at the bar but decided we felt too old to cope with the crowds, the noise and the music.

It was quite a magical evening really. The Diamond Princess, heading out from the international Terminal, linked the two Sydney icons rather beautifully.

We ended the night at The Spanish Fly at The Spot and walked back to the apartment quite late.

Pete was scheduled for 9.30 surgery on Saturday morning so we filled in some time with Ros at the Orange Grove Organic Markets at Lilyfield (really good markets) and a walk up Balmain Road in search of the wonderful Bellingen Gelato in Rozelle.  We got Ros back to the Mater in time to talk to the surgeon as he emerged from theatre and to see Pete in the ICU. The rest of the day was spent feeling thankful relief that all went well, and that it was all over.  Rob felt too tired after a big week of driving so he didn't join Ros and me at another night at the movies - The wonderful Nebraska at the Randwick Ritz.

We saw Pete this morning in the ICU all bright eyed and feisty despite the myriad tubes emanating from his body and the mammoth scar running down his middle. He's being a very brave boy and we're all wishing him easy weeks ahead (and for Ros) as he recovers from all this.

This girl is two

Our gorgeous Peppa Pig loving girl , big sister (Dare Dare), Mummy, Daddy, Nellie (nawny doddy = naughty doggy), chocolate (doccy) loving girl (Abi) turned two today

This girl is full of laughter and fun, quicksilver action and is almost impossible for her (slow to react) Granny to keep in focus.

We had a quiet celebration of her actual birthday today over lunch. She laughed as we sang her Happy Birthday but preferred to outsource the candle blowing to me - which she found pretty funny too. There was one pink smartie on her birthday cake which she sucked on for AGES, the absolute highlight of her day!

Our "Percy" girl is personality plus, like her big sister, but more of a daredevil and probably more of a cheeky monkey too at this stage. We think she might favour her left hand like her Mum's Mum and her Dad's Dad. 

She is enjoying having a go at new words now she is two. Her Aunty Ros (and Pete) sent her a new Oobi skirt for her birthday and she loved the RICRAC trim - which she had no trouble saying (so clearly too)..another very "punny" word in her rapidly expanding vocabulary!

Doing stuff

We really admire the way Ella is really into "doing stuff" at the moment. She is focussed, solving problems and always keen to "get it right".

In the last week of the holidays we spent a lovely afternoon at the Gold of the Incas exhibition at the National Gallery. Ella spent most of the time in the "play room" experimenting with all the lovely materials and activities designed to get children and young people engaged with ancient Peruvian cultures. 

We had to be kicked out in the end by the security guards at closing time. Ella wanted to go back again the next day!

Yesterday I watched her make a "Rupert plane" - one of the hardest paper plane constructions you could wish to master. Previously, her Dad and London Davey were the only ones I knew of who were able to whip off a perfect Rupert plane from a standing start! It takes some very involved folding and sophisticated aerodynamics to master one of these.
 

Abi loves "doing stuff "too: daredevil acts on chairs and railings, mastering the art of going nappy-free, playing hide and seek with the big girls, lusting after the doccy (chocolates) on the rare occasions they're offered!

Joshy's current "doing stuff" challenge is to create the perfect roast Sunday night dinner. This was his first attempt at a pork leg roast on the bar-b-que - very successful - and very popular with the girls.

The stuff of legends

Post by Rob......

I took delivery today of the rebuilt 'Coolum Victa' from the maestro Adam from Kambah Lawn Mower Centre.  This old lady is vintage 1956 and has links back to the era of the FJ Holden and the 1956 T-Bird and Pontiac; a time when things were built to last.  I think they started to make them after the Second World War and she originally had rubber covered steel wheels (I still have them). 

She has her own poem written for her and ranks with the important pieces of hardware in a man's (or womans') life like old shovels and tools you inherit from your dad, old guitars, a TR and beautiful things given as gifts that encapsulate an expression of true feeling (the things that are a wrench to part with).  

I am told that she is a collectible.     

 Note the hand fashioned handle on the pull chord, a link back to her previous owner (Stan) and her previous life keeping down the buffalo grass at Coolum Beach.
 

Adam has completely rebuilt her internals as they were a bit tired when I took her to him. In fact she had no puff at all. This is a young man who knows a thing or two about the zen of lawn mowers.

 

I wrote this poem for her about 15 plus years ago when she took a little holiday after I had her doing some hard work over the road on our hill.  I am much older and more respectful now. 

The Coolum Victa

The Coolum Victa has died

Josh said that its’ bearings are fried

This is the diagnosis of our son

He is a Mechanical Top Gun.

It came to me from Stan

And he was the man

Who could make that Coolum Victa sing

And I kept it alive

But it could not survive in my care forever.

It was the pride of my fleet

But it could not meet

The heavy demands

Of a Kenyon tart's* garden

They're pretty hard  'n

Every Victa today

Must pay its’ own way.

It goes now into Victa Heaven

Where it can mow the grass

For Kenyon's First Eleven

Or perhaps prepare the lawn

For SRV** to give a concert on.

I will never forget her

Our family history will not let her

Fade away

So RIP Coolum Victa

You are laid to rest today.

Epilogue

She didn’t die,

Apparently she just had a little holiday.

* term of great admiration and affection
** Stevie Ray Vaughan