Did You Know...

Australia's little koala is one of the few mammals (other than our night visitor, the Ringtail Possum), which can survive on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. To most animals, the leaves are highly poisonous, but the koala's digestive system is especially adapted to detox the chemicals in the foliage. The leaves are also blamed for having a soporific effect on the little fellas, but the real reason for their sleepy disposition is the high-fibre, low nutrient diet. Because they store little or no fat, koalas must adopt strategies that conserve energy, and sleeping is one of them.


Koala girl (below) doesn't share that problem...


But she does enjoy imitating them.


Much to the koala's amusement too!

Mary & Scott's Visit

Mary & Scott were with us for about three weeks, which passed in a blur of day trips, bike rides, brandy & cokes, tennis matches, G&Ts and city trips. The kids were thrilled to have them here too and delighted in visiting their bedroom early each morning for roll call. It was good to catch up with them & we hope that their time here might inspire a sea change (to Melbourne, of course).
Just like old times!

Dinner on the Old Melbourne City Tram.

Taking in the cityscape & exploring her alleys

Views from 88 floors up in the Eureka building

Visitors

Another reason for us having had such a good year is that we've had visitors to look forward to!
Felicity & Ian paid us an early visit in May, which was a lovely surprise & then Felicity was able to come out in September again to look after Liam & Dyl while Viv & Russ were away in the States on a training course...


Shanna & Andrew stopped in for a few days on their 2007 trip around the globe... and amongst other things (okay, bar Hey Dee Ho, Shanna :), enjoyed a spot of wine tasting with us.


Robynne H dropped by a little later in the year and it looks like business will have her back in Melbourne before long, which is great.

Mary & Scott joined us in November and Mom & Dad arrived mid December (more on their visits above). And we're really looking forward to seeing more of you in 2008.

Did You Know?

Did you know that Peppa Pig loves chocolate pudding? Neither did I, but Jack insisted on sharing his dessert.

Thank Goodness for Friends

A large part of settling in a new country depends on friends, and we've been very fortunate on that count. Not only did we have the excellent company of Viv & Russ (Scott's brother), who relocated at the same as we did, but we've also met some great people this past year. We were also delighted when Nikki & Neil, whom we met in the UK four years ago at antenatal classes, decided to relocate to Melbourne with their little ones Robyn (4) & Rowan (2)!

Faerie friends, Anna &Robyn


Ballet buddies, Taylor & Anna


A Mad Hatter's Tea Party


New 'Mates' Ellie & Holly


Halloween kit kats reunited

Egg & spoon race with cousin Liam (second from the left) and friends, Noah (next to Anna) & Aaron (far left)

Anna & Jack Update

Jack began the year as a happy and easy baby and, aside from the odd tantrum as we head toward the 2-year milestone (which is highly entertaining), he remains a relaxed toddler with a ready smile. He loves swimming, pottering about the garden, collecting and inspecting sticks, and tasting garden snails. He understands most of what is said around him but refuses to talk, even at 20 months old! It seems 'mama', 'dada', 'Anna' and a fair dose of moo'ing, baa'ing & shrieked exclamations will suffice for now. Questions are answered with a definitive nod or shake of the head. What more does a man need in the communication arena! Although, it has been suggested that he's not been given much of an opportunity to get a word in edgeways with his sister around. Maybe when Anna goes to kinder this year...

As for Anna, she's had a busy year with swimming, music (Hey Dee Ho), ballet and meeting new people. She really enjoyed her 9am ballet session each Saturday, which culminated in a three-hour, end-of-year production (Coppelia). She has asked to carry on next year and can't wait until classes start again! She still enjoys her puzzles and stories, although struggles with Jack's misguided but enthusiastic assistance with games. Miss Anna is definitely ready for the stimulation and social interaction that kindergarten will provide this coming year (and so is mama).

"I call him Man Cub"

While taking Anna out of her car seat the other day, she turned to Jack, who was shouting to go first, and said "Ssh, it's okay. Mommy will take you out the car now my little boy." She often introduces Jack to kids in the playground, or grannies in the supermarket, as her 'boy'. When I commented on this, she said: " Yes, he's my boy... I call him Man Cub."

A Regular Midnight Visitor

Getting used to unfamiliar noises in a new place at night can be unnerving at the best of times. In our case, the loud thumps, shuffling and rather disconcerting grunts caused a fair amount of concern (oh alright then, call it panic) until we caught sight of the perpetrator. Possum boy traverses our roof every night before making his way down the wooden fence towards the creek where he hops off, crosses the lawn and scales the gum tree to feast on the leaves and tear up the bark before making his way back along this route before sunrise. It turns out he's a neighbour, having taken up residence in an abandoned shed next door a few years ago.

Exploring Our Neighbourhood

Mornington Peninsula is brimming with studios, galleries, and interesting curiosities promoting local artistic talent. McClelland Sculpture Park is one of them, where the kids can romp around the imaginative installations without fear of reprimand from an uptight curator. Perfect!


















And then there are acres and acres of vineyard territory to chart














with delicious local produce to sample from cellar doors, gastro pubs, Michelin star eateries & farmers markets.



























(installations at Montalto vineyards & olive grove)














Mornington harbour (below) is just 10 minutes away from us... with a beach shaded by ancient cypress trees, harbour wall for fishing (though the boys have yet to bring home the Snapper) and a good fish & chips takeaway...

Crocodile Creek

Seeing as we've got some catching up to do... will try and keep things to the point:

In Sep 07 we moved to Mount Eliza, which is situated 50km south of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula, on Crocodile Creek... according to Anna. It's a charming (or so we think) little weatherboard house that needs plenty of work & a fair amount of expansion as it's pretty 'cosy'. The rear deck of the house overlooks a creek full of gum trees and noisy bird life, including three vocal Kookaburras who visit us each day hoping to get fed.

While the location poses somewhat of a commuter's trek up to the city (about an hour's drive), we do have an abundance of semi rural landscapes, vineyards, art galleries & studios, beautiful beaches & more to explore right on our doorstep.

We've been here four months now and have got to know the area, schools, coastline and neighbours a little bit better (some more than others... Scott's last poker game with our neighbour Craig & his mates running to 4am!!!). It's finally beginning to feel like this is home.

The Souvlaki Kid

It appears the youngest member of the family has developed a penchant for the popular Greek wrap.

Having caught sight (and probably scent) of what we were eating for lunch at Sunday's market, Jack circled past our picnic bench for a closer look (and signature 'sniff'). Without so much as a pause or flicker of interest, he continued on his circuit but swooped, mouth agape, on the third lap and tore a piece from the souvlaki, narrowly missing my finger. As he wandered off, all we could hear was an appreciative 'mmm, mmmm' for his lunch on the run.

A Lazy Sunday

There's nothing quite like waking late on a Sunday morning (of course, that's all relative... 7.30am is considered 'late' in our household) and taking the time to smell the proverbial coffee, dip into the weekly papers for an update (forget the in depth features, Jack allows about 20 minutes before paper recycling commences), then wrapping up warmly and heading off to a local outdoor market to sample the visual, craft and gourmet fare on offer. The indulgences necessitated an afternoon stroll where we took turns flying Anna's new kite while Jack studied sea lice and other sand creatures on Carrum beach. Ah for the simple pleasures in life.

A Trip to the City

This past weekend we decided it was high time we headed out of the burbs and into the city (talk about house move/packing avoidance behaviour!).

After a quick pit stop on the banks of the Yarra river (it was a hasty sandwhich, as it's still pretty chilly here), we headed to Federation Square where The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) is hosting an exhibition celebrating PIXAR's 20 of animation. I thought it would be 'one for the kids', but it turned out to be really interesting with a behind-the-scenes look at how Nemo, Buzz Lightyear and other such characters were conceived of & finally brought to 'life'. Anna & Jack were mesmerised by the multiple visual displays. "Wow, so many TV's Mommy," Anna whispered, shaking her head in disbelief before reverently dropping to her knees in front of the closest plasma screen. Admittedly, only minutes later, it was I who was gawping in uneducated awe at the next installation - the Toy Story Zoetrope. 'Using over 150 modelled characters from Toy Story 2 including Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Bullseye and the Aliens, this magical technical achievement employs early cinematic devices to achieve the perception of motion through the illusion of continuous activity. Rapidly rotating a sequence of objects, the zoetrope demonstrates the basic principles of animation before the invention of film' (explanation curteousy of the ACMI website). Fascinating.

Once we'd managed to drag Anna away from the attendants handing out freebies to promote 'Ratatouille' (the next big release) and cousin Dylan from the Wii consoles, it was nearing the 'tea hour' and the heavens looked ready to open. So we made our way back down St Kilda Rd to the National Gallery and headed for the members area in the hopes of finding a corner in which to enjoy a pot of tea and where the kids could stretch their legs. The members area turned out to be 'not one of those places' (more like a quiet 5 star hotel library), so we beat a hasty retreat to the gardens out back where the kids could romp & scoff chocolate cake impolitely. Perfect!

Mess Monsters & Mudcakes

We're sorry that the blog is a bit light on text of late, but the pictures speak for themselves... it's the (current) story of my life. Enough said.

The Party Season Continues

It was cousin Liam's (aka Buzz Lightyear's) turn to blow out the candles on the third of Aug & boy did the kids have a ball with party games, dress up costumes & each other for company!

Viv laid on a feast of treats... Jack, the erratic grazer, didn't leave the food table for 40 minutes after arriving. In fact, he even helped everyone finish off their milkshakes :)

Needless to say, everyone slept very well that night.