Book week, sewing, camping, wombat

This week was Book Week. On Friday the kids were asked to go to school dressed up as a character from a book. Max wanted to be Max from Where the Wild Things Are.

George helped. He was scissor boy and would snip threads for me. Then he wandered off and cut a hole in Royce's beanbag. After that he was relieved of his duties as scissor boy.

Photo: Giorgio Piccone

Max has been making a pillow at school in Art and one day he came home and made one here too. He tacked it together with a needle and thread, sewed it on my sewing machine (leaving a bit to turn inside out and insert stuffing) and now he sleeps with this pillow that he made himself!

Friday came, and Max had to tuck his tail into his costume so that he could ride his bike to school.

Max's teacher was dressed up as Barbie.

All 101 children got to tell the school what they were dressed up as.

George was not the only younger sibling to have gotten dressed up and participate.

George and I did some watercolour painting at home this week.

George calls this "Owl with his beak up".

The CFA (Country Fire Authority, the local volunteer fire brigade) is looking for new members. We went over to the fire hall and found out about what was required. The kids got to have a good look around the fire truck.

One day George and I went to the park, past the tree where the dive-bombing mother magpie lives.

This is the baby magpie shortly before George decided to run at it. I didn't get any photos of the mother magpie flying at George, because I was too busy swinging my handbag at it.

This weekend we went camping. Royce has got a beautiful new 2 room tent. 

A passing troubadour came to the campsite and sang many songs including Waltzing Matilda. Thanks Dave!

They were up early and went fishing while it was still the fishes' breakfast time. There was lots of nibbling but none were caught.

We went for a long walk around the lake and found a dead wombat (it appeared to have died of natural causes) and lots and lots of wombat holes.

At one point, George piped up and said that he would like to live here, become a wombat, and dig a hole.

Photo: Massimo Piccone

There was also a fantastic big trampoline at this campsite.

Photo: Royce Edwards

Swooping magpies, baby kanga, hair conditioner

Max was awarded his first badge at Cubs this week. 

This is the grand howl. "Akela we will do our best" (a reference to the Jungle Book).

Here is George eating some homemade icecream with hundreds and thousands on top.

George continues to go to preschool on Wednesday and Friday ...and still asks if he can go on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Max has been riding his bike to school as usual, but this week the magpies have become very protective of their nests, to the point of pecking Max's helmet as he rides past their tree.

This is the bird that swooped George. 

Its beak did not make contact with George's head.We just heard fluttering nearby. 

This orphan baby kangaroo is being hand raised by a carer. It lives in a "pouch" (a bag) inside a basket. It drinks a bottle of milk every 4 hours. 

Kirby invited us to his birthday party. There was a bouncy castle, mini golf and go carts.

George had some friends over this week and they all cuddled guinea pigs.

Here is Miff the cat enjoying her dinner. 

Photo: Giorgio Piccone

This week Max discovered conditioner.

It's great when they get along and play together. 

Scorpion, fire lighting, fresh pasta, horse having a shower

Last Monday Victoria's children got a day off school. It was a sunny day and we went for a drive towards Dargo.

We had taken a picnic lunch (including chocolate cake) and our camping chairs.

Max practised lighting a fire.

Max found a scorpion. I can't believe the way he finds animals. I had never seen one before. It was tiny and scared of us. We were also scared of it. But I knew it wasn't too poisonous because Max and I had done some internet research about scorpions a few years ago, and had learnt that the kinds with really fat tails are the most poisonous.

When it was time to go, Max went and got water from the stream to douse the fire.

Back to school the next day. We have to take a lunch box to school every day over here, not like those lucky little Canadian kids who get a hot lunch at school.

This week was the school principal's birthday. All the kids dressed up as him, or as someone from 1960s America (Mr Shoemaker is from Illinois).

George spent some time on the couch this week with an ear infection. He had to come home from preschool early because his ear hurt. He went to bed early. He woke up in the middle of the night saying he'd heard a "pop". His eardrum burst. We took him to the doctor who says it is healing up nicely.

At Cubs they reviewed some knot tying skills and then played a game where they tried to lasso styrofoam balls.

I made fresh pasta without a machine (what a workout!) and Max was my pasta-hanger.

You can see where George cut a chunk out of his hair with scissors.

A rare sight: Max eating something green.

Here is George's painting which he did at preschool. He says it is a turtle, but it's a "boy turtle".

This is a horse. The long line on the left is its nose. The dot is its eye. And this horse is having a shower.