Cupcakes for my little cupcake!

Wendy, Karen and I made beautiful cupcakes at Wendy's place today. They are for Sarah's birthday party tomorrow... and the icing was particularly yummy! Thanks Wendy and Karen!

Stage 2: Put up the framework

After the piers are set, Robert and the boys get to work getting the frame up for the extension to the toy room, and the new ensuite.

Here's a look at the new ensuite

After 10 days the overhead support beams have gone up ready for the roof to be replaced next week.

Stage 1: Rip it up!

Hey, it's all happening at last. Robert our builder has arrived and has demolished the back deck and has dug holes for the footings. Tomorrow he'll pour concrete in and doors and windows will be ordered for the new family room extension. Robert also built the extensions for the Bottas and the Rees so comes highly recommended. He is also a really nice guy.

Sarah get your skates on!

Sarah turned 11 on Wednesday and here she is with her new roller blades. We'll take her to school or to the park so she can skate away to her heart's content, but for now she has to be satisfied with the hallway and the back deck...She's very pleased with this present!

Bronte to Bondi

Here's a walk we like to do often. We went from Bronte to Bondi with our good friends Linda, Peter, Elly and Harrison and got the best from the weather...it only rained when we stopped for lunch but we were under shelter. Ben and Harrison ran most of the way - just like little boys do.

New hair

Ben and I have new hair cuts...mine by choice but Ben's wasn't due to the unexpected arrival of some pesky head lice...aarrrgggghhh!

Here's his new look and mine

Benjalina

Should I discourage this? Well, I just had to put Ben's photo on here because he was so funny the other day... sort of pretty even...well, when his father likes to put out the bins in his mother's heels, what do you expect?

This week in May

Since we got back from the Coasts of Gold -

Tanya had her birthday...and I got to hold Baby Ryan (boy he's so cute).

Top: Aunty Tan holding baby Ryan

Middle: Mummy Deb and Mum-to-be Bel

Lower: Ness giving me the fork

The teachers had a strike on Thursday so the kids stayed at home - the McLeods, Wisharts, Amanda and Robyn went on a walk around Bicentennial park and mangroves (but we lost Amanda and Robyn) and met up with Serge and boys afterwards.

Top: Kids on the climbing frame at Bicentennial Park

Next: Tahlia, Sarah and Keely

Next: Sarah, Jesika, Ben, Tahlia and Keely - on our walk

Lower: Back at the tower

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Back from the Coasts of Gold

Ross and Fi , queueing up for the water rapids ride at Dreamworld - photographer Nicholas Wilson (aged 8 yrs)

We just got back yesterday from 4 nights away at the Gold Coast. We met up with our very good friends Ross and Fi and their boys Samuel, Nicholas and Jamie. We've been friends since we were kids/teens and travelled around Europe with them in a combi van. So many memorable moments.


Samuel, Ben, Jamie, Sarah and Nicholas waiting for the ride to start - WIPEOUT - a chunder machine

It's nice that our kids get on so well, they don't see a lot of each other because of the distance between us, (they live in Mapua, Nelson, NZ). When they do hang out with the Wilson boys, they really enjoy each other's company - they're so funny together. It was so good to spend some fun days doing a couple of theme parks with them all. We went to Dreamworld and Movieworld - the decision was mostly out of our hands - kids rule!

The Superman ride at Movieworld - it was great!

But the kids had a ball and egged each other to go onto the 'big' rides...and of course parents felt compelled to show some form of bravery too. Thus, I ended up doing the giant drop at Dreamworld not once but twice..."please Mum, come and do it again". No pressure, haha!

We also went on the Tower of Terror - which wasn't that terrifying ... really

Fi was tricked onto the Scooby Doo ride by an innocent son saying it was a gentle ride (not) but was talked into going on a rollercoaster in Movieworld.



Fi and the kids after the Roadrunner Rollercoaster (she's still smiling)

Four days wasn't really long enough, and our fun was mixed with tinges of wistfulness recalling some precious memories, and some sadness...it was hard saying goodbye. We were so glad we went, we love them dearly.

Brent turns forty three

For Brent's birthday we had a great night away at the Shangri-La Hotel in the Rocks, Sydney. I decided to go the cool black and white look for these pics.

The Horizon Bar (at the Shangri La) where many cocktails have been consumed in it's time

Brent looking pensive

Self portrait

Views over Sydney Harbour from where we had afternoon tea

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Officially True Blue...well maybe with tinges of Black and Silver

Here we are at our citizenship ceremony at the Ryde Civic Centre...so we really did it!

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Africa

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in twelve-thirty flight
Her moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say: "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you"

[Chorus:]
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become

[Repeat chorus]

[Instrumental break]

Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you

[Repeat chorus]

Toto - Africa (Live in Amsterdam)

Here's my favourite song live in concert at Amsterdam

...TOTO in concert!

We went to see my favourite band in March - which is obviously TOTO!

I've been waiting all my life to see them live...it was amazing...really amazing...but my camera ran out of batteries - man oh man, how seriously annoying!

But just to prove I was there, here is some (very rough) pre-concert footage before the batteries died...

Here's a link to some vids of them live

http://www.toto99.com/multimedia/videos.shtml

Han in Oz, and Family and Friends in NZ!

Sort Of Dunno Nothin' - Peter Denahy

I liked this one

Ceremony time

Yes, it's time to actually go ahead with the ceremony. We'll be Australian on the 17th April! Now I'll have to practice my 'Strayne'...

Lola - I mean Yoda (Lego Star Wars style)

Ben liked this...so I thought I's share with you

Approval

It can be good to get approval. Depends on our motive. This is a good one....Last month we got approval, for our renovations, for more money from the bank, for a citizenship ceremony...

It means that we can start on the extension and henceforth owe the bank even more money! It's a great feeling!

CD season...

Yes indeed. It's CD season again, and we're nearly done! And I think we're all a tad exhausted but it'll be a great CD. It's going to be called 'Kingdom' - and will be out in time for Christmas!