Today we took Amy and 3 of her friends to Jamberoo Action Park. They had a fabulous day and we were treated to wonderful whether (after a cloudy start to the day).
I’m not sure who had more fun today – the kids or Kevin & Noel!
Amy chose to have chocolate crackles rather than another birthday cake.
It was a super-fun day and everyone had a good time, lots of sunshine and too much water 
.
It’s safe to say I’m addicted to the Winter Olympics. I always knew I liked the Winter sports but it’s not been till now that I realized just how much. Last time they were on Christy was just 4 years old and we didn’t have Foxtel. I really thought I’d be a bit over it after a few days but I’m not.
I’ve been trying to work out while a non-sport watcher like myself loves these games so much. I think it’s because it’s about more than the athletes performance – the weather, ice or snow conditions and the actions of fellow competitors all come into play as well and make for exciting events. But I’m even enjoying the curling . The coverage on Foxtel has been fantastic. Four channels and full coverage in HD of all the events. The best $50 I’ve spent in a long time.
Before they started I thought I’d be able to use the laptop or do some crocheting while watching but it hasn’t really worked as I am WATCHING most of the events and you really can’t take your eyes off the screen or you miss something.
All I can say it’s lucky they only go for 2.5 weeks and that I’ve still managed to get the basics done around the house. I think the girls will be happy to have their Mum back though. Here’s to hoping they appreciate me a bit more…
When the Olympics started in Bejing we had Chinese for dinner but when I went looking for a special meal to celebrate the start of the Winter Olympics in Vancover it proved a little more difficult. Most traditional meals that I found involved fish – no good for this vegetarian. Eventually I remembered having a meal at Le Cellier in Walt Disney World – the Canadian restaurant in EPCOT. We had Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. The recipe I found looked a little fiddly but then I remembered I already have a tried and true recipe for Cheesy Potato Chowder. I made some homemade bread, decorated in red and alas, we had a special “Canadian” meal which we enjoyed for lunch before settling down to watch the opening ceremony – which was spectacular. Loved that it was on a Saturday afternoon so we could all watch it together.
Then later on we enjoyed some maple cookies made with Canadian Maple Syrup (that I bought specially). Boy, were they yummy!
Kevin thought it was all a bit silly until the cookies came out . But the girls seemed to appreciate my efforts.
At least the next Olympics are in London so that will be nice and easy to cater for .
Kevin is a bit like me and not really into birthdays but we always try and make it a little special for him. This morning the girls gave him a few presents and tonight Amy (or should I say I) made fondue. We started with cheese fondue with bread sticks for dipping.
Then an hour or so later we had chocolate fondue.
Christy ended up eating some of the chocolate with her spoon. This was the result.
It’s been the most lazy two days in a very long time.
Basically, Kevin and the girls did this…quality time playing the same game together .
I’ve done a few chores. And yesterday I went to my book group and today I’ve worked on plans for our UK trip and drunk lots of tea!
We did take a little time out for an early celebration for Kevin’s birthday – lunch out with Nan, Pop and Granny.
If you look closely you can see the birthday candle that came with his ice cream .
Australia Day is pretty low key at our home, and it’s only been in recent years that we have done anything at all. We now have a family lunch at Mum’s with some traditional foods like BBQ, damper and lamingtons. There were also pavlova nests – which I skipped as part of my healthy eating plan .
We finished up lunch with a game of Cluedo.
This afternoon Kevin & I headed off to a Day on the Green – an outdoor concert at a Bowral vineyard.
I’d never been to such an event so was a little nervous about crowds, parking, etc. We had booked seats as I’m a big Ronan Keating fan and wanted to be able to see him (as opposed to watching a screen). We were about 10 rows back which was fabulous. You can purchase a set seat (which we did) or bring your own and picnic.
We arrived just before Damien Leith went on stage. I didn’t know any of his music but was quite impressed.
Then was Australian legend, Tina Arena. Boy, can that girl sing!
There were plenty of food stands – we had bought our own but it was cool night so we ended up buying some profritteroles and a hot tea! Just as Ronan Keating was about to come on we started to get a drizzly mist but at least it didn’t rain. Such a difference from 40 deg yesterday – it was around 17 in Bowral! This was our REAL view of the stage.
Ronan was fabulous – sang a great mix of songs both old and new and even did a great version of Bed are Burning!! Super fun night.
We left as he started to sing The Long Goodbye to try and beat the crowds. But unlike a normal concert he serenaded us all the way back to our car . It was good move as we able to get out of the car park without too much delay. Fantastic Night!!! Will definitely go another event.
And finally, just had to share my favourite Ronan song.
A couple of weeks ago when Amy was having a emotional time she requested a day out with just me. Today was that day. It was hard to think of something to do (that we wouldn’t want Kevin & Christy to miss out on). In the end we decided to drive to the Southern Highlands for some shopping and sightseeing.
We started to day with a visit to my optomotrist (I snapped the arm off my glasses last week which were fixed “temporarily”). We then stopped by Gloria Jeans for an ice chocolate (Amy chose Hot Chocolate) to enjoy on the way. And we headed off on our adventure.
First stop was the Visitors Center.We then drove on to Bowral where we wandered around the shops – so many lovely home shops – I could easily have spent LOTS of money but I was good and only got a few things I really loved. We got some clothes for Amy (some of which will be put away for our UK trip) and then had lunch at a cafe we had spotted earlier.
We didn’t buy any of the above yummies but they sure did look good. Amy had a pie which she enjoyed.
The same could not be said about my lentil salad. I ended up only eating the feta (which was delicious) and a few other bites. Really wasn’t my cup of tea.
While at lunch I checked out how to get to Wool Addiction. I thought Kevin would be very proud of me!
We loved the street of Bowral and the surrounding areas – so many trees and everything was green thanks to all the rain we’ve had lately. It was stinking hot day though – 38 deg. celcius.
We found the shop and got some wool (not that I really needed any). Amy picked some to make a scarf and I couldn’t resist after seeing a certain colour combination.
We then drove to Sutton Forrest to visit A Little Piece of Scotland. We had to buy some shortbread (which Amy tells me is nicer than the one we make – which I think is pretty darn good), Scottish Tablet and Scottish Breakfast Tea (which I’m enjoying as I type this).
Then it was on to Red Cow Farm where we explored the gardens, guided by the 3 collies who live there. The gardens were nice but well past their best. We still enjoyed our visit.
Our last stop in the Highlands was the Old Cheese Factory in Robertson. We had stopped for gelato but as soon as I saw they had scones with jam & King Island Cream I changed my mind. This is a cute little place – part shop and part cafe. Of course I had to buy some of the locally made camembert (my fav. cheese).
Loved the sign by the door.
After driving back down Macquarie Pass we headed to Shellharbour Square to get some new school shoes for Amy, baskets for my scrapbook room and a few other clothing items for the girls.
We had a fabulous day. Amy felt special and seemed to enjoy having me to herself for the whole day. I’ll definitely try to make this an annual event.
NOTE: Christy had a fun day out with her Nan – which included a trip to the movies – and I’ve promised her at least a half day out with me before she goes back to school.
This week we have been hanging out at the local roller skating rink – in fact we’ve been four times . I hadn’t skated in around 25 years and have been having a ball. I even got my VERY OWN skates! Here’s some photo from the week and a short little video Kevin took of me today – for your daily laugh!
Yes, we braved the shops (with not such a happy outcome) and saw The Princess and the Frog (much happier). To try and easy my stress levels we decided to try out the Lindt Cafe for the first time. One word – YUMMY!!!! We asked the waitress how many strawberries per serve. She said 5 so we ordered 2 to share. Oops, turns out there were 9 per serve. Which would have been okay if hadn’t ordeedr iced chocolates (hot choc for Amy) as well. We certainly waddled away from the cafe (and Kevin hardly touched his drink). Oh, well, live and learn. We will certainly be back.
Look at how cute Amy’s hot chocolate was – came with a serve of chocolate sauce and a jug of foaming hot milk. She said it was delicious.
The iced chocolates didn’t disappoint either.
Christy had a glass of water and a cheese roll from Bakers Delight .
