Ella's 6th

Ella celebrated her 6th birthday with some of her school friends at Reptiles Inc yesterday morning.  It was a cool rainy morning, heralding the first day of winter for us, so the first thing on the agenda was to check out the frill neck and blue tongue lizards in their glass sided enclosure - feeling much warmer than us under their special sunlamps.

Pete at Reptiles Inc puts on a great show for the kids. He's funny, informative, passionate about reptiles, yet very good at making all the kids feel like it's important to know about reptiles and their role in the environment.

Things started gently enough with a close look at a blue tongue lizard - a reptile Ella is already very familiar with - from playing in our garden.

And turtles are always very benign to handle.
 

But saltwater crocs are another proposition altogether - even a tiny baby croc like this one was.
 

I thought Ella was really brave handling this one even though she looked a bit dubious at times (Pete had its jaws very firmly (but gently) clamped in his hand while ever the kids were handling it).

None of the kids were at all troubled by the appearance of the snakes (they were only pythons after all). As the birthday girl Ella had the opportunity to have a very close up encounter with the Tiger Python.

And nobody minded being in this group shot with the magnificent Olive Python...
 

Goannas were next..first a huge and scary looking Sand Goanna and then this cute little fellow with the distinctive blue tongue which Ella was encouraged to hold like a baby (to make it feel safe and warm!) as she took it around the group for a closer look.

Abi missed most of the show as she was enjoying a cosy snooze in the arms of her Mum.  She woke up in an excellent mood ready to see what the big kids were doing, and more importantly, get her share of the added salt and added sugar items on the birthday party menu (first taste opportunity for her - and YUM! - she decided).

Ella provided me with the challenge of making a Lizard Cake (with co-ordinating cupcakes) for the party - but it had to be pink. As is my habit I had the cake baking and construction pretty well planned but doing the icing the same day as the party (so it's fresh) I often end up in a bit of a rush so my birthday cakes can look a bit "rustic" (IMO). This pink lizard was no exception, although my cupcakes looked quite fun I thought!

Anyway Ella seemed happy with the outcome - and the cake is always cut up and very quickly demolished anyway!

I love watching Ella interacting with her friends from school. They're are a bunch of sweeties this lot!

As is this birthday girl.
 

Ella asked to come home "to play with us" after the party. We spent a lovely few hours with her playing Monopoly (Ella's request) and eating Rob's popcorn while the rain persisted outside.

Back to normal

We've been back in Canberra a week now and feeling like we're getting "back to normal". We had really missed the girls while we were away and were lucky enough to catch up with them a few times during the week.  They came over on Saturday for brunch and we spent ages playing in our messy back garden. Ella had fun teaching Abi about piles of Autumn leaves.

When we first saw Ella her beautiful new front teeth were very evident. She must have gown even taller too as Rob and Josh had to make a few adjustments to the play equipment so her feet wouldn't touch the ground.  It's Ella's 6th birthday this week and in her second term at big school is making great progress with her reading. She was able to read (independently) most of the message on the birthday card we gave her this afternoon.

That stunning smile that lights up the world is pure Ella, including those very grown up new front teeth.

 

Ella always brings us drawings and sometimes carefully wrapped and beribboned treasures she creates for us.  Today we were lucky enough to receive this life size self portrait - perfect.

But we noticed even bigger changes in Abi over the past 6 weeks. She's looking so much like her beautiful Mummy - with plenty of hair, and now cut in a cute bob. Abi understands just about everything you say to her and has very definite ideas about what she wants (and doesn't want). She's very active and a fast mover but has no concept of risk management as yet. She's got a great sense of fun and loves a joke. She screws her nose up and laughs with her whole face when she thinks something is funny (which is often). Like Ella at the same age she uses her hands and fingers with great delicacy and precision - and she has tiny feet - cuteness personified.

 

Au revoir

We spent most of our last day in Paris in Montmartre. An easy Metro ride that started at Rambuteau and ended at Blanche brought us virtually to the doorstep of one of Montmartre's most recognizable (and cheesiest) landmarks.

...but I like the earby Hector Guimard designed Art Nouveau entrance for Blanche Metro much better.

...and walking the picturesque streets of the Montmartre butte is our favourite thing to do (and we all agree that Rue Lepic is the best foodie street we've seen so far this week).

We enjoy seeing our second moulin - the remains of the famous Moulin de Galette...and start to picture how this area would have looked in the days of Renoir and Toulouse Lautrec (and Picasso and the rest).

As we climb higher nearing the bend to Rue Cortot we see the famous Montmartre vineyard, the only remaining and working vineyard in Paris - and a reminder that this district was once covered in vines.

In Rue Cortot we introduce Ros and Pete to our favourite little Musee Montmartre - which houses  changing exhibitions celebrating the art and life of Montmartre in the oldest house in the district - where, at different times, Renoir, Utrillo and Degas have all made their homes.

Parts of the front garden are being reconstructed. This new swing in this rather bland newly planted area marks the spot where Renoir painted his La Balancoire (girl on a swing) in 1876.

The back garden of the Musee Montmartre overlooks the old vineyard.

We all found the current exhibition, tracking the art, history and politics of the famous Montmartre Concert - Cabaret , Le Chat Noir, very interesting, and very helpful in understanding the history of the Paris Commune era that was the context for all the emerging art movements of the latter part of the 19th century.  Very few people must know about this precious little museum as there are no queues and few visitors...wonderful for us.

As we emerge into the crowds of tourists around Sacre - Couer we find some unexpected foodie delights, a wonderful coconut flavoured macaron for me (and a first try of a macaron for Ros).

..and some roasted saucisson on baguette for the boys.

The Basilique Sacre-Couer is crowded with tourists and touts today and a lengthy queue to view the interior and dome. We don't find the church is an architectural marvel - apart from its amazing setting, so we vote to just admire its distinctive exterior (and great views over Paris) today.

We pick a different route for our descent down the butte, that includes a peek at the Bateau Lavoir, Picasso's famous home and studio on Montmartre at one stage. At least the street artists are active in this district still today.

We enjoy lunch at a character filled cafe on Rue des Abbesses, before catching the Metro back to Opera - to emerge from the station to the awe inspiring sight of Charles Garnier's wedding cake of a gilded building.

From here we walk to the nearby Galleries la Fayettes on Boulevard Haussman and admire the gorgeous interior (and the gorgeous Aussie Simon Baker - now modelling for Givenchy).

After fighting our way past the queues of Chinese tourists spilling out of the designer handbag boutiques in la Fayette we made our way south through Place Vendome (noting the massive reconstruction underway of the old Ritz Hotel) to the fabulous Rue du Faubourg Saint Honore.  We walked as far as the Palais de l'Elysee before catching the Metro from Champs Elysees back to Hotel de Ville, and then time for a well deserved Hoegaarden at our new fave bar in Rue Veille du Temple.

Even the fabulously well heeled had to queue to enter Laduree for their afternoon macarons today.

For our last evening in Paris together we decided to have a sunset picnic on the banks of the Seine, on the pretty l'Isle de St Louis, with our bottle of St Emilion red, a gorgeous apertivo board and some of Victor's wonderful bread.

We were right beside Pont Louis Philippe which appeared progressively more spectacular as the sun was setting, as did the rest of this magical city!

We ended this wonderful night with one of Berthillon's salted caramel icecreams and a walk across to l'Isle de la Cite. We were lucky enough to enjoy some wonderful music by a classical duo as we crossed the bridge, just to the rear of Notre Dame - which looked stunningly beautiful in the late evening light.  What a magical city!!!       Nous aimons Paris