music and the moon

This week was the first week back at school for term four and also Fletcher's first keyboard lesson (which is actually piano lessons). He has always loved his music and the music school is right near where we have morning tea often, so one day we stopped in and booked him lessons. Fletcher loved his first lesson and is very keen to practice.

This is at the end of the lesson, not a great photo (cramped room and poor lighting) but I wanted to have a photo anyway.


We have also been spending many nights viewing the skies, I am not sure who is enjoying it the most, we all love it. Zac finds the planet, lines up the telescope, Fletch and I look, planet (and earth) moves so Zac lines up telescope again, and on it goes.

The moon is finally great for viewing and we have had some cloudless nights so we have been looking at the moon too.


I tried getting a shot of the moon and the telescope but found it very difficult.



Below is the moon that we could see with our eyes. With the telescope it was amazing, we could see details such as craters. I really need to work out how to attach my camera to the telescope.

Zac has insisted that I post a photo of what his car really looks like, apparently the photo I put in the last post isn't the exact car :-/. So here it is.

Carol :-)

End of holidays

A quick catch-up of week two of the holidays.

Zac has been loving his new car - the Skoda. This isn't actually the photo of his car, his is blue, I haven't taken a photo yet but thought I better include it before it is old news.

Now to me a car is a car, but this car (according to Zac) has some pretty cool features - like changing gears on the steering wheel. The only thing I really noted is that when you turn the music on it will get louder the faster you drive and quieten when you slow down.


Fletcher made a volcano out of plaster, painted it and then watched it errupt.



Fletcher and his little buddy made cookies (well Fiona actually made the dough) - they cut them with all different cookie cutters and then decorated them.


Here is Jarrod decorating his.

They had a great time doing this and the cookies tasted really good.

Swimming club started and it was cold (and I didn't even get in the water lol).

School is back on Monday for the final term of the year and it is only 7 1/2 weeks for Fletcher. We then have a short holiday (a couple of days) to the Gold Coast, Zac's birthday, Christmas and then back to Canada (in 10 weeks we are in Canada!). I am exhausted thinking of everything that needs to be done. But for now, time to go pack the school bag.

Carol :-)

Sydney Observatory

On Saturday we went for a trip to Sydney to visit the astronomy display at the Powerhouse Museum and go to the observatory. We had never been to the observatory before and it made me wonder why - it was fantastic (and very convenient being just off the harbour bridge).

The building is 150 years old. Unfortunately I couldn't get a great photo as I only took my 50mm lens so I wouldn't have to carry around a heavy camera. The roof opens and spins and Fletcher thought all of this was just amazing.


There were telescopes to look through and see distant landmarks - the clock tower at Balmain.


We also went in to the big telescopes (in with the opening and spinning roof). In the above photo Fletcher is watching people climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

During the night we also got to view Jupiter through the big telescope, but no photos as no flashes were allowed (I didn't want to blind anyone looking through the telescope).

There was also 3D movies about the solar system. Fletcher later told me he didn't actually wear his glasses in one of the movies as it was a bit scary lol.

There were lots of very cool models of the solar system and relative speeds of spinning planets and how the sun, moon and earth all work together.


In the weather room there was a computer that told you what the weather was like on a particular day in history. We all typed in our birth dates but forgot to go back and photograph Zac and mine. Which was most probably a good thing, as we were leaving late that night I spotted the sign in the entrance way that said no cameras oops.

The other great thing about the observatory is the location. It is one of the oldest parts of Sydney in gorgeous surrounds. I could go there for the day just to take photos (which caused eye rolling of the boys when I told them this).

Inside the observatory grounds you could see the harbour bridge, we could have gone outside the grounds but there must have been 6 wedding shoots going on being a Saturday afternoon.


I love all the old sandstone walls of the buildings.


Zac spotted the green door and thought is was a good photo spot!

Fletcher has spent Sunday playing astronomers and space exploration. Balloons became the moon and sun and he has spotted distant trees with his telescope. Tonight we are hoping to spot Jupiter again with his telescope - just hoping those clouds stay away.

Carol :-)

more photos

I had a bit of free time today as Fletcher went out to celebrate his friends birthday (who was actually born on the same day as him). So played around with some photos.

Love how this photo turned out with the texture.


Fletcher with two of his cousins. I had to desaturate the wall as it really clashed with the cousins clothes lol.

It became really windy on the foreshore so Fletcher is hanging onto the pole so he won't blow into the water.


Adding a texture. And to share a little bit of trivia - our wedding photos were taken in the lighthouse you can see in the distance.

Carol :-)

Birthday boy

Today was Fletcher's birthday - his 7th birthday. Where did all the years go? Looking at the photos I can see where each year went, all 7 of his birthdays. (click to enlarge)

He woke very excited to be 7.

Having some photos with his new telescope.
Since it was day time we did put the cap on the end of the lens so he wouldn't look at the sun.



In the afternoon we went into the foreshore and I took a few photos (well lots of photos) before dinner.

I also figured out how to put all three of us in the photo.


The birthday boy before dinner.

More photos and more exciting events to share, but will have to be in another post.
Carol :-)

Birthday party

Friday was the last day of term 3 and now we have school holidays for the next 2 weeks. As Fletcher's birthday falls in the middle of the holidays we decided to have a party on Saturday so he could invite his school friends.

We had booked a huge slide / castle but unfortunately the weather was not cooperating so had a replacement castle that had a rain coat. Although it wasn't the one Fletcher had chosen he still had loads of fun.



The castle all set up and ready to go.



Inside the castle was a whale. To get to the slide you had to go in his mouth.

But you had to do it before he shut his mouth!


Or you could get trapped lol.


Then down the slide to start all over again.


When it was time to cut the cake, someone yelled out that if the knife touched the bottom, Fletcher would have to kiss the nearest girl. Obviously the children are now at the age that the boys thought it was really funny and the poor little girl near Fletch went under the table.

Fletcher's friends are just waiting for him to touch the bottom lol.


The whales mouth really was the attraction of this castle.

The castle really was value for money, it is Sunday afternoon and it is still here! We are going to have one exhausted little boy tonight.

Carol :-)

Orange sky

I short post to share a very eerie day. We have been waking up at 5:30 - 6am lately (which is very early for this house) but today we all slept in. We had storms and strong winds through out the night so I guessed clouds were covering the sun and therefore not waking us up.

When I did open my eyes there was an orange glow coming in the room through the curtains. This is what we went outside to see:

This photo was taken at 7:15am which is usually bright and sunny.

There was a major dirty wind storm sweeping across Eastern Australia.

Both photos are SOOC with no editing of colour.

To my relief the children were been kept in their classrooms for the day - no outside play.

Even with windows shut I have had to clean window sills to get rid of the dirt. And unfortunately the weekend is going to be a big cleaning day outside, everything is covered with a film of orange dirt.

I am much relieved to see the skies back to a blue colour as the sun sets.

Carol :-)