Melbourne

Last week, we packed our bags and headed to Melbourne - 1000kms - for a birthday celebration.

My mother-in-law is about to turn 80, and our family decided that we'd throw her a surprise party.   It was quite an ordeal, which included months of planning and many emails to and from the various family members.  Mum's family is spread out over the country  - including Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory, so it was going to be quite an effort to gather us all together, and keeping it all 'hush-hush' would be even more of a challenge.

In the end, all her children attended, and most of their families.  As well, there were many friends and other relatives - around 70 in all - that were able to make it and celebrate the day with her.

The secret was well guarded - but the big question was - how were we to all arrive in Melbourne, and yet still keep everything under wraps?  Considering that we always stay at her house when we are in town, this was a tricky one, but fortunately, my sister-in-law, Carmel, came up with the perfect solution.

We decided to hold the party a couple of weeks early, which put the celebration in the school holidays, as well as the weekend being Carmel's birthday and my Emily's birthday as well.   Carmel also needed an reason to do a whole stack of cooking, so us stating that we were simply coming 'for a visit' gave her just the excuse she needed.

So, we rang and made our announcement.  The rest of the family arrived at various locations around Melbourne, with several staying at the youngest sister's house, and some making the most of it by turning the whole affair into a family holiday and renting cabins, etc. nearby.

After we had arrived, we 'decided' that it would be nice to take Emily and Carmel out for lunch for their birthdays - and so, the stage was set.  We all dressed up for a nice, 'quiet' lunch at a local hotel, but then received a phone call, asking us to drop off a box of supplies at the local church.  Once there, a friend popped out and asked my mother-in-law to come inside for a minute.

The look on her face was priceless!   And then to discover that all of her children were there, including the adopted son, brought her very close to tears.

It was a wonderful day, and we all had a ball.  The children loved being with their cousins again, and the adults had a fantastic time catching up.  And as always, there were a heap of games happening with the adults and the children as well - including some very interesting voices after sucking in the helium from the party balloons. And I'm sad to say, many of those who 'claim' to be adults got in on the act as well.   My dear husband, who naturally has a very deep voice, took in far too much at one point, and had us all rolling on the floor with laughter as he began singing in his now very-high voice!

And 'Granny', as she is now known to us all, had a wonderful day, which left a smile on her face the rest of the week.

Later in the day, it was time to line everyone up for the photo:

Grandchildren first (and we did it in age order, too):

But wait, there's more:

And more (including that gorgeous baby):

And here is the lady herself (in the middle) with her children, most of their wives / husbands, and most of her grandchildren:

Don't we make a grand bunch?

Well done to Carmel and Mary, who spent many hours planning and preparing the event.  The day was certainly a success!

:)

Linda.

A Party!

Every now and then, I decide it's time to have a party - not for a birthday, or anniversary, or anything else - but 'just because'.

With all of my children home for the holidays, I decided it was time to make the effort.  There were several people we hadn't seen in a while, and it was definitely time for a 'catch up'.

Sunday was the day - and we had a marvellous time! We started around 2pm, and chatted well into the evening.  Given that it is winter, a bonfire was on the 'activity list', so during the afternoon, we all headed outside to gather wood.  The wood pile steadily grew:

and grew:

 until we had a whopper of a pile, with more to spare.

 

The men, of course, were put to work on the BBQ, while the women headed back inside to slave away at making salads (pre-bought), and preparing the table  (OK, so in truth, the children set the table, while we er..  discussed very important, life-changing issues over a bottle of wine).

 

After dinner, it was time to light that bonfire:

The fire kind-of 'took off' at one point, and headed directly towards the pile of marshmallows, which unfortunately, were heated a little earlier than planned!  That's them on the seat in the photo below - right in the path of the fire.  Oops.  Most of the packets were still OK, though.

 

 

There was a ton of 'family love' and excellent conversations happening around the fire:

  

          

But as the night wore on, more and more people started to head back inside.


Band Hero, Air Hockey, and Pool were a hit with the teens, and the younger ones had a ball with our home-made pinata.

 

 

 

All in an, an excellent night, and one I feel needs to be repeat on a regular basis!


Linda.

A Rare Moment

‘Mothers hold their children’s hands for a while, but their hearts forever’.

We homeschool for a season, but boy, do those seasons move by quickly.  Two of my girls have now left the nest, but this week, we have them home again once more.  Plus one, of course – we do always seem to have a ‘plus one’ floating around somewhere, don’t we?  

This evening, we all attended Mass, and it was very special – it’s amazing how one can miss the simple things in life – like all hopping in the bus and heading off to church as a family, and then returning home to share the evening meal.

It’s wonderful to have our Rebekah here again, and even more wonderful to finally meet ‘her man’ – who, I think, is coping with our rather strange household very well!  And the timing is perfect, as Jess has also now completed her studies, and is able to be with us as well.  

 

This coming week, we shall be heading off to show Tim the sights of SA, spending time with friends at a BBQ, and no doubt catching up on a few movies we’ve all been waiting to see. And then, of course, there's Ultrastar, our new singing game (I may be in need of earplugs before too long, and my voice is already threatening to give out! ). 

Our holidays have begun – time to put the feet up and relax! 

Linda.

Camp Willochra - Day Five

All too soon, our country homeschool camp came to an end.

Several of the teens had actually managed to stay up all night, and although they truly did pitch in and help with the packing up, they were tired!  Certain people were well and truly ready for sleep:

I think we killed him!

I was impressed, though, that they not only managed to stay awake throughout the whole ‘group photo’ happenings, but they even managed to look bright and cheerful.

Our Homeschool Group

By 10am, the camp site was pretty much back the way it was when we arrived.  After a thorough check by the warden, we were given the all clear, and we were on our way back home.  

Packing the Bus

Needless to say, it was a very quiet household for the rest of the day, as our party animals went to bed, and stayed there until evening.

Camp Willochra was over for a another year.  It was fun, entertaining and very relaxing.  We all very much enjoyed ourselves, and it was wonderful to catch up with old friends, and to make new ones. 

Already, there is talk of another camp before the year is out!  It’ll just be a matter of mustering up enough energy to organise it.  :)

Linda.

Camp Willochra – Day Four

On Day Four, I crawled out of bed and headed for the kitchen.  We were supposed to be going for a hike down into Alligator Gorge at 9am, and it was already after eight, so I knew we needed to get moving.  Wandering into the kitchen / dining room, I was greeted with this scence:

One Empty Dining Room

Yep – I wasn’t the only one who had slept in!  9 O’clock came and went, and no-one cared.  We were all quite happy to take our time and get going at a leisurely pace.  Having said that, however, it was time to rouse the teens, and Jess took delight in telling them all to get a move on.  After another hour or so, we were all ready, so we loaded the vehicles and headed off towards Wilmington.

The Terraces

Alligator Gorge is a beautiful spot.  After a winding road to reach the top, we parked our vehicle and then descended the 250 stone steps to reach the walking track.  One of my favourite places in the Gorge is ‘The Terraces’ – part of the creek bed that has been worn away over time to look like a terrace.  Unfortunately, this time there was no water in the creek, but nevertheless, it was still very picturesque.  

The teens found a walking track, and came up and out of the Gorge a different way, and later we met them back at the top. During that time, they had also decided to have timed races down and back up the steps – with a couple of very fit youngsters completing the course in under 3 minutes!  Dear hubby and I had a lovely stroll through the gorge, and of course, I managed to stop and take a great number of photos along the way.

Some of the Stone Steps

 

The Race

Ascending the Stairs

After we returned to camp, we had lunch and then some campers played games, kicked the ball around, and took a walk along the Gibbon Line, which one of the mums had brought along.  There were some rather interesting acrobatic moves, but fortunately, no major injuries.  And then a few of us managed to escape to our ‘quiet room’ for some more craft activities.  It was a very relaxing afternoon that was over far too soon – before we knew it, it was 6pm and time to organise dinner, for next on the programme was concert night.

The Gibbon Line

  

Craft Afternoon

We began the night with only a few acts, however, just before my Aimee was to sing her first ever solo in front of an audience, my camera decided it’s memory card was full, and so I grabbed my computer and began to download some 450 photos and 12 videos.  During our little ‘technical hitch’ moment, others decided that they would get involved, and suddenly, the number of acts increased enormously, which was fantastic.   The acts were wide and varied, including singing, musical numbers, juggling, story-telling, and some where the whole audience was called upon to join in.  I still can’t get the ‘Pizza Hut – Kentucky Fried Chicken – McDonalds’ number out of my head!

G'Day G'Day

  

Loch Lomond

Bumblebee Act

With the concert out of the way, we said a few ‘thankyous’ and reminders for the clean-up the next morning, and then some of us went to bed, while others decided that, being the last night of camp, it was time for an all-nighter, and proceeded to stay up all night.  This was agreed to, so long as they would all be prepared to help out with the cleaning and packing the next morning.

And so we left them to it – and that was Day Four.

Linda.

Camp Willochra – Day Three

Day Three was Anzac Day.   

Following some morning activities including word searches, puzzles and the making of paper poppies, the girls headed into the kitchen to bake a cake with one of the mums.   

The games continued of course – including a not-so-serious card game among several of the teens.  As the weather was finally beginning to warm up, a few people also braved the swimming pool.

After lunch, it was off the Big Shed for a traditional Australian Bush Dance, hosted by our very own Jessica.  Many of our campers joined in the fun – and soon the music was blaring and the ‘Heel and Toe Polka’ went into full swing, followed by the ‘Flying Pieman’ and ‘Ned Kelly’s Land Stand’. All had a wonderful time, and afterwards, we headed off to the kitchen for dinner.  

Keeping with the Australian theme, it was BBQ night, and many ate their dinner outside, at the bonfire. One of the Dads had very kindly gathered up a heap of wood during the camp, and the bonfire blazed well into the night – and even into the next day.  Of course, marshmallows were toasted, and some camp fire songs were soon heard drifting across the camp ground.

And thus ended Day Three – well, as far as I was concerned.  The nights seemed to be getting later and later, but, that’s camping!  I wandered off into dreamland, as many of the other campers stayed wide awake, continuing to enjoy the fun.

Linda.

Camp Willochra - Day Two

To begin the day, the teens headed off for a hike up Mount Remarkable. Some rather keen adults and young children followed along a little later, and the rest of us settled down for a cuppa, a chat and some board games.  After an hour or so, some of the campers then headed into Melrose to have a look around the town.

A couple of hours later, I telephoned the teens to ask if everyone was still alive.  When I received and enthusiastic, ‘No!’, I figured all was well!   Eventually they returned – mostly fine, but with a few bumps and bruises here and there.  They’d had a good climb, and some of them had even reached the very top.

The afternoon was spent either relaxing, playing games or at a craft workshop.  After dinner, it was time for the ‘Quiz Night’, hosted by yours truly and my trusty sidekick, Margaret.  That was an effort!  It was the first time I’d run a quiz night, but I think all went well, and the general consensus was that there were a good variety of questions – some easy, some more difficult, and others, well….  Interesting!  My favourite question of the night was:  “According to the 2001 UK Census, how many Britons stated ‘Jedi Knights’ as their religion?”   I’ll leave the answer to that one in the comments section in a day or two!

After the ‘Marshmallows’ team took out the ultimate prize for the night, out came the broomstick, and the line up for ‘Limbo’ began.  I gotta say, it’s amazing how flexible some people are!  Some of the girls especially amazed us with their abilities to simply flip themselves backward!  My friend Jacqui and I sat back and enjoyed the show, and..  er… threw some entertainment back at them by singing (at the top of our voices) along to several of our favourite ‘eighties’ songs. 

 

 

And that was Day Two.  Successful, relaxed, and a whole lot of fun.

Linda.

Camp Willochra – Day One

 After packing the bus the day before, we were (mostly) ready to head for camp on Monday morning.  However, the bus suddenly seemed very full once food, eskys, and other bits and pieces were added, so we made the decision to take our little car along as well.  Bravely, we placed ‘L’ plates on both vehicles, and our learner drivers took their respective places to drive to camp – with Carpenter driving our bus, and Daniel the car.

All went well, and we arrived at the campsite around 10:30 am.  Instantly, the games were brought out, and a round of Yahtzee started the week.  One by one the families began to arrive – old friends and new – some had been before, but for several of our campers, this was their first visit to the Willochra camp site.  The games continued in the dining hall – including a round of poker and more Twister entertainment.

Once everyone had unpacked, we proceeded to cook and eat dinner, and then it was time for the ‘official welcome’, where I took care of all the ‘necessary but boring bits’, such as reading out the rules and so forth.  Afterwards, we celebrated some birthdays.  One camper had turned 17 the day before, another had their 17^th on the 1^st day of camp, and a third would celebrate their 17^th in just over two weeks – so, we gathered them together for a cake and a round of ‘Happy Birthday’. 

Games night was then on the list.  I would describe the whole affair as being ‘semi-organised’.  I’d listed games night, and I’d brought along several board games, but as to what would actually happen on the night would be up to the campers.  Carpenter had a wonderful idea of beginning the evening by building a human pyramid, and many of the teens, children and even the adults plunged in, and they did quite well! Over the course of half an hour or so, several pyramids were attempted, including one just for the younger children.

Later, the games continued with many other activity-type games including ‘Tangled’, ‘Mafia’ and ‘Electric Shock’, where the ‘message’ to grab the towel was sent down the line by each person in the team squeezing the hand of the next one along.  And of course, these were followed up with even more ‘Twister’ hilarity.

All in all, it was a successful night, and a great start to the week!

Linda.

A New Banner

We are home after a very eventful and exciting week at homeschool camp (blog posts and pictures to come soon).

After a very late night (some going without sleep at all), we lined up for some photos, and I now have an excellent new photo to use as a Banner:

Loving our new family shot - well, family - minus one, plus one!  :)

Linda.

Umm.... Oops?

Archery has certainly been a hit at our house:

 But just imagine walking into your dining room to see this:

Yep, he's been at it again.....   Carpenter decided it had been a while since he'd created a gruesome mess, so, today we were ..  er...  'treated' to his wacky imagination - which included a broken arrow, sticky tape, a bandage and red 'goo'.

 

Pretty cool, huh?  



But of course, that was only the beginning - out came the makeup and various other items, and soon we had a beaten up Lizzie as well:

And as if that wasn't enough, yet another teen arrived on our doorstep this evening!  It seems no matter what, I keep ending up with eight children, including six teens.  Jessica has gone back to her home, and now, there's Peter.  Mind you, the ratio is therefore improving - we now have three boys and 'only' five girls in the house.  :)

I wonder what tomorrow with bring.....


Linda.

 
Disclaimer:  All injuries, blood, and general yuckiness in the above photos are fake.  No need to call the ambulance or the authorities - although it's only been a few hours, they are both completely cured!