My First Blog Award...Eva!

I would like to extend my thanks to my namesake-but-spelled-differently-Robynne, from Robynne's Nest.

Robynne has kindly given me my first blog award.

Robynne is currently living in the UK, but is originally from Melbourne. In fact, right around the corner, up the road, a little to the right, then a little to the left of where we currently reside.

I would like to extend many many thanks to Robynne for my first award!


Robyn x

The Stuff (Kids) Dreams Are Made Of

Fairy Bread!

This country is full of new things that I have never in my life seen before. Or maybe I've just been living in a cocoon all my life.

So what is fairy bread? Some of you may already know the answer to this, but lets pretend you don't ;-)

I could go on here about and tell you all the things that may come to mind when you say "fairy bread". 

Perhaps something small and dainty?

No.

Light and airy?

No.

Something magical?

Err..no.

So what is it? Quite simple really. It is a very popular snack here Down Under and can be found in all good play centre's, coffee shops and kids parties! And according to Miss M, who kindly helped with this Fairy Bread recipe, also popular on the school playground.

So here's what you need...

A couple of slices of this. I've gone healthy wholemeal, but any kind will do.

 

...a whole lot of these...

...and your preference of margarine or butter. Just pretend I remembered to take a picture of my marg tub and should be in place of all this rambling ;-) Thanks!

And now for the really difficult 4 point action plan.

1. Spread marg or butter...whichever you prefer...all over the slice of bread.

2. Flip bread over so that the sticky marg/butter side is face down and dip into the 100's & 1000's...which you have already put on a plate

3. Press gently on the bread to make sure all the butter is covered in the balls.

Tip for free...if you only butter the middle, you'll only have this rainbow effect in the middle. It's not rocket science, so make sure ALL of the slice of bread is buttered...or marg'd...

4. Cut into your kids favourite shape and serve.

Crunch, crunch, yum, yum!!


Best served just before the end of the party so you can send the hyper kids home without you having to deal with the sugar rush from all the E-numbers.

Robyn x

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Blooming Marverlous in Winter

En-route to kinder is a corner house that you can barely see for all the tall trees surrounding it, and the agapantha's that literally litter the garden. There is a very small piece of lawn at the front which always seems to be full of the leaves that are still falling in this end of the world.

One particular tree has made me stop on a few occasions to simply glare. Why? Because we are in our 3rd week of winter and this tree is blooming.

I kept stopping and admiring and smelling these flowers. Now I'll just say right here that apart from the common flowers like roses, daisies and agapantha's, I have no idea about flowers. My husband is the gardener in our family so it's not something I have been involved in much.

Moving on...

To me they look like peonies...all frilly and fluffy...but remember I don't know what I'm talking about so I could be completely wrong. Can anyone help? Maybe they are peonies, but not the way I know them.

The odd thing about this tree though is it's currently blooming...by the masses.

Gorgeous little green buds with the pink of the flowers sneaking through, ready to burst wide open!

As of yesterday's walk past to kinder...they are still going very strong...and are still bursting open by the dozens.

One of the other gardens we pass has the same tree in their garden and is in the same blooming state.

 

Unfortunately, I never see either of the occupants so haven't been able to stop and ask. But it's got me intrigued as to what it is. Probably something really common and then that'll be another flower I know.

Then I'll purchase one myself so I can also have a plant covered in pink fluffy flowers.

Thanks for your help guys!

Robyn x

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Melbourne Aquarium

I wasn't actually going to do this post today, because the pictures came out really badly from my point and shoot. I had it mostly on the ISO setting, because I didn't want all the bright lights of the flash glaring back at me.

However, since this blog is about all we get up to and discover in this here land of Down Under, it is my duty to report on our day out. With below quality pictures. Christmas is coming and so is my present to myself!

The real beginning of this post:

Predicted weather for Sunday was  rain, so what a perfect opportunity to do something we hadn't done in a while. Playing tourist. Indoors. And what better place than a train trip into the city and the aquarium.

Once the over-priced tickets were purchased we entered and were met by this very friendly, toothy grinned guy.

Hammerhead sharks are on the endangered list, which I didn't know. This one was
caught in a fishing net and couldn't be saved. I remember seeing one of these being dissected one year at the Durban Sharks Board many many years ago.

We were around the penguins at feeding time and watched in awe as these good little scholars stood one-by-one on a step and gulp down a tasty fish! Each of them quite happily let his mate have a go without incident.  Similar to kids standing in line.

While the woman on the left fed them the fish, the other made sure each penguin got off the step and moved on. And made sure there weren't any cheeky devils trying for fish number 2! Each of the penguins have a tag on their wings with a different colour combination for identification.


The Emperor penguins also got a share of the fish. They were really entertaining to watch - like kids all lining up for a special treat and so well behaved. No pushing or shoving to get in first. Each waiting patiently for his or her turn.

 

Of course there are also the uglies like this guy.

See the resemblance?

Now this ladies and gentleman, girls and boys...is what a Billabong looks like.

In there are eels, fish and tortoises. Along with many other little wet things.

Then there was this...not sure what he's doing in an aquarium though.

The water tunnel. These are everywhere so are no longer anything new. Yet still mesmerising to walk through and watch what swims above.

For an extra $150 you can get a chance to swim with the sharks, rays and other fish in the main tank. This money gets you 45 minutes that includes a brief, a short course and then 20 minutes in the water.

 

Must be an awesome experience but at the same time you are now the one on show. While you are trying to appreciate this expensive experience, you have half of the aquarium visitors standing outside on the other side of the glass staring at you. They wave, you wave back. They give the thumbs up, you give the thumbs up. All while trying to keep a 6-ton helmet on your head and a 2-ton weighted belt around your waist to keep your feet firmly at the bottom. 

Those helmets look extremely heavy and uncomfortable. It didn't look like you could turn your head without turning your whole body as well. They also wrote each other "underwater notes" but were clever enough to keep what they had written to themselves.

Although the leaflet says you'd spend 2 - 2 and a half hours there, we went very slowly around and even went back to one or two places as we were in no hurry. We stopped outside on the balcony for lunch and watched the Yarra River ferries. Then hurried back inside coz it was cold.

With the visit over, we made our way back home. And only then did the predicted rain start falling. Typical.

But we had a great day out.

Now we just have to plan with the girls to go back in and visit the new Zara store that recently opened!

Robyn x

Garbage

When I first saw this, I was quite taken aback. And ever since then I have tried to catch it all on camera. However they seem to be arriving rather early these days...in fact far too early for me to jump out of bed. So when I heard the garbage truck at the top of the road later this arvo, I grabbed my camera and ran outside.

Now a garbage truck isn't all that exciting I know, but it's the way the garbage truck operates that is fascinating.

We all know how it's usually done. You have a team of guys doing specific jobs. One drives, a couple gets the bins ready, hook them onto the back and they are hoisted up and emptied. Then they get dumped on the side of the road and all the neighbours have to decide which one is their's. Fortunately we had a number on ours so it was easy enough. Anyway...

Not here.

All you have is the driver. So how does he do it?

Watch.

Here he comes...

 

Did you get that? Lets take a closer look.

Up...

 

empty...

and down.

And that's how it's done - one man and his garbage truck.

If they're extra really good, they can make sure the lid is closed when they set the bin back down. This was the garden waste bin, the household waste was gone by 7am. I was still in bed.

And missed the Lunar Eclipse.

Naturally he saw me taking pics so stopped for a chat. He is South African like me, except he's been here since he was 7.

Robyn x

Long Weekends and Cake

We have had a gorgeous long weekend. Today is the Queens birthday and that means a public holiday here Down Under. The funny this is - the UK doesn't have a public holiday when it's the Queens birthday. This really is the Lucky Country.

So while I'm still not used to taking my camera around with me everywhere, I can't show you that Mr C, Master T and I had a shopping break at Theobroma Chocolate Lounge at the local mall on Saturday. Or the sensational Iced Chocolate I had, the Chilli Hot Chocolate Mr C had and the juice and chocolate heart with sprinkles Master T had. But we did. Promise.

Yesterday I finally managed to get started on the kitchen cabinet I blogged about here. Now I just need to get to Bunnings for everything else I need to get it finished.

That's my birthday present from a few weeks back sitting on top. I've been waiting patiently to use it.

Today was another day spent at another mall. Why? Well Mr C doesn't like shopping and when he does shop or is looking for something in particular, which isn't very often, it takes time to make sure he gets the right thing. In this case, work trousers and new shoes. 

Miss M has a Science project due tomorrow so this is how we spent the late afternoon/early evening.

You mean you don't know what it is?

It's an edible Animal Cell.

Basic Victoria cake topped with icing and all manner of sweets...or lollies as they are known here...representing what the cell is made up of. We have Mentos mints, coloured icing, chocolate coins, jelly beans, strawberry clouds and cowboy strips.

Wonder how much of it will come home tomorrow ;-)

Mr T then wanted to take some pictures while I had my camera out.

 

His big sister...

...his aboriginal art he did at kinder.

And that's basically our weekend in a nutshell. Shopping and sanding.


Robyn x

ps Everyone feeling much better and all back to routine from tomorrow.

Down Time

There are some things I will just never understand. Like how when I live in a freezing cold country for 8 years I never had a cold. I've lived in a hotter climate country now for 8 and a bit months and I've had 2 already.

So things have been quiet on the blog front for the week because that is exactly what has happened.

My oldest is hating me today because I sent her to school regardless of a bad head and a cough. My reason? It's lost property day today and she has been without her big warm fleece school jacket since last week. No doubt going out into the cold mornings without it as contributed to her demise. It's a hard lesson that I hope she will learn. One day. Anyway else feel the same?

And then there's the little man. He also has a cough. And a blocked nose. However he seems to be handling this a whole lot better. It's an inconvenience for him to have to stop playing in order to blow his nose.

Last but not least is me. I can't afford to complain or take to my bed until this cold snap we are currently experiencing - we had the coldest night on Tuesday in Melbourne for 30 years - because it's my fundamental duty to take care of those around me. So as a wife and mother, I come last in my list of priorities.

Hopefully we'll all be back on track in no time!

Robyn x

ps - Miss M is home and in bed with extra covers and all dosed up.

Oops, I Did It Again...Thrifting Find

I have acquired another piece of furniture before doing diddly squat to both the coffee table and the hall table from next door. And after spending time on kinder duty again today, I've decided to add even more things.

When we moved over from the UK I got of rid of all the little crafty bits and pieces and only brought some essentials with me, and I have yet to replenish them. With the winter holidays coming in a few weeks, I need something that will keep the cling-ons busy inside during the cold days.

This find at the local Vinnies when I dropped off some too-small clothing, is a small solution to the storage problem we have in this temporary rental.

It's a kitchen cabinet that is one day soon going to get a make-over and will be used to store the board games and the craft bits.

The 2 drawers will hold all the little bits and pieces in small containers, and I will get larger ones to fit inside the cupboard for the rest of the stuff.

The dining table is the only table in the house and everything from homework, to eating, to blogging, to sewing, to everything else is done at this table. So after everything we do it all has to be packed up again ready for the tables next use.

Although not currently actively looking, I will also be getting a couple of desks and a kids table and chair so that things can be left to come back to later. At least then the rumpus room will be more than a glorified extension of the laundry room.

Now if only it would stop raining so I can actually get out there and sand the thing down!

Robyn x
The would-be furniture maker-over as soon as it stops raining and I have the time to do it-er

The Kindness Of Others

It's always a great feeling when someone does something really unexpected for you.

I spotted a gorgeous piece of jewelry on the wrist of a lovely fellow blogger when she did a post on her blog a few weeks ago. The post wasn't about the bracelet itself but there were a number of comments from that post about it.

In her next post, the blogger did mention which shop she got the bracelet from. Unfortunately the 2 closest stores I went to didn't have it. So imagine my surprise when the blogger emailed me one day to say she had been in her store and they not only had one, but she bought it for me!

It arrived last Friday. I couldn't wait to open it which I did then and there. Then wrapped it all up again so I could take these photo's.

It came gorgeously wrapped in multiple layers of white tissue paper, string and a piece of linen ribbon. And a lovely little note attached too.

And this is it.

I've worn it a few times now and I absolutely love it!

A huge thanks to the blogger for her generosity and for thinking of me when she saw it. I bet all her 1000+ other followers wish they were me right now ;-)

Robyn x

On The First Day Of Winter...

The man upstairs gave to me...

puuuurfect blue skies,

Melbourne area

Summary

Max 19

Sunny.

You gotta do it with the tune.

Robyn x

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