Going West.

Going on a little trip...to Perth. A place known for its black swans.

Black Swans....

....remained with us for the weekend. The seagulls were cross with them.

Dust Storm at the Lake.

Toasting Marshmallows....

....at the lakehouse, it was really cold. We had had another dust storm in the morning.

A Little Tired.

Animal Shortbread.

Koalas, platypus, kookaburras and wombats. The kangaroo's tail was too narrow and the shortbread got stuck.

A Kookaburra Came A Calling......

Dust Storm.

Dust storms here, bringing red dust from the centre of our state and further, South Australia I believe. They had strong winds over there, disturbing land affected by the drought. Some have said that this is the first dust storm of this magnitude that New South Wales has experienced.

The Shire Spring Fair.

We had really looked forward to this. The pair of scarecrows at the bottom were an entry from the M family and they won second prize!!

Toot Toot!

It was our three year old nephew's birthday party on Saturday. Husband E and the two little ones went and rode on some model steam trains. What fun!!! I was with our older two at a Sydney University Alumni Day.

I had hoped that the noise would not scare our younger two, but have been told by all three in our family who attended, that it was a wonderful event, lots of fun and extra special, as it was a cousin's birthday and a future buddy for 5 year old daughter's school next year was there too!

This Morning:

I am sorry but I hate craft, little children love craft. Prayer for patience as we do Occupational Therapy for 5 year old daughter. This morning's efforts went quite well, 3 year old daughter joined in too because "I am big enough!".

Celebration

for 7 year old daughter's success in her running race today and

for 10 year old son's fun and success in lawn bowls.

This post perhaps should not have followed on from the previous one....

Healthy Action (from another blog)

Tania from Outback has some excellent information regarding healthy action.
Check out her recipe too for a very healthy slice.

The Weekend.

Our first hot weather.

Little Chefs.

It is the plan at present that each child can enjoy browsing through recipe books and then select one or two that they would like for dinner. They then get to help with some of the preparation of the meal. 7 year old daughter chose Coq au Vin and meat pies.

Teaching Each Other.

7 year old daughter is teaching 10 year old son to start recognising some notes/keys on the piano. She is a good little teacher. 10 year old son is teaching 7 year old daughter to play handball.

Decorating Biscuits.

A Special Birthday.

A good friend held a Jane Austen party on Saturday night.

Imagine candlelight, ladies dressed elegantly, and dancing.

Trifle, bakewell tart, chocolate coated marzipan and fruit, to mention but a few.

Our party favours were so thoughtful: a fabric drawstring bag with some lovely goodies inside.

As gift wrap was only evident later in the 1800's, we wrapped the present we gave in fabric, decorated with some sprigs of lavender from the garden.

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud.

We all felt like chocolate cake:

500 g butter

2 cups caster sugar

6 eggs

2t vanilla essence

Separate bowl, mix and sift:

2t baking powder

3 cups plain flour

1 and 1/2 cups cocoa

Fold into butter mixture and add

2 cups almond meal

1 and 1/3 cups milk.

Divide into 2 cake tins, bake for at least 45 minutes.

Prayer and Reflection.

Last night was the first Prayer and Reflection evening at our new church. The church was quiet, with low lighting and soft music. We heard some passages from the Bible and inspirational readings. We were left, unhurried to pray and reflect. What a lovely evening. A chance also to meet some lovely ladies that I had not yet spoken with.

Cookies on the Little Table.

I can rest freshly baked cookies on this little table in the kitchen. They don't last long though as the older children walk past and enjoy!

Spring Sandwiches in the Garden.

Can you see the jasmine hanging from the clothes' line?

Mum suggested punch: ginger ale, with tinned fruit in natural juices and sprigs of mint. Delicious.

The production line:

I made chicken and mayo, roast beef/sundried tomato and chive cream cheese, smoked salmon/dill/ cream cheese, ham/Thai pesto/lettuce.

One tray, sprinkled with alfalfa to retain moistness.

I am glad this lunch was held yesterday as today the valley is filled with smoke with burning for hazard reduction.