Camp Cudgegong Part II

After 'the Big Pull' our scout group headed off to morning tea.
Tea seems to be any event throughout the day where warm beverages and sweet treats are offered.
It happens in the morning.
It happens in the afternoon.
It can be a part of dinner.
It can be a part of supper (a meal that happens after dinner, which occurs at 6, as another meal after  pm).
It can involve barbecueing.

It happens A LOT at a scout camp.

Anyhow, we enjoyed morning tea and then were off to the rock climbing / absailing (otherwise known as repelling) walls.
Monkey was all over it.
Here he is climbing up using the handholds and footholds.
He made his best effort to get to the top.

On the other side was the absailing where Monkey climber up to the top of the tower by a ladder and then repelled down.
He was very confident and strode down the side.

I'm sure that it didn't take nearly as long as it felt for his father who was standing on the ground with his camera rather than standing underneath him ready to catch his boy should all safety equipment fail.
These were certainly his two favourite activities, however there were still heaps to come.

We enjoyed the 'bush croquet"

as well as the kite flying that was part of the 'human foosball' station (photo not available as Daddy was rather competitive in that station and wouldn't stop to take any photos).

All-in-all it was a great day to be out camping and we eagerly looked forward to the festivities that lie ahead in the evening and the next day. 

Dave and Monkey go camping in Cudgegong part I

This weekend Monkey had his autumn scouts camp in nearby Cudgegong. It was a 'family' camp - so we discussed our options and Dave quickly volunteered to go camping and leave Big C in charge of Mother's Day on Sunday morning. The posts on the camping are all written by Dave.

We set up camp early on Friday afternoon and rucked up for supper. We were remarkably well fed throughout the weekend, though I may need to ring out my arteries on Sunday afternoon due to the intense amount of vitamin G (grease). The most astounding part of the Friday night was certainly the sunset that evening. The unobstructed view of the hills, the lack of light pollution and the gentle bend in the Cudgegong river made for an absolutely gorgeous view. The moonrise at about 9 pm was also as stunning, though my phone would not take adequate photos.

 Saturday morning we woke up to the sunrise and the sound of little camp life starting up. We made our way to the mess tent for brekkie and found cereal with warm or cold full cream milk (which Daddy opted to go for), heavily buttered toast (with optional vegemite that Daddy opted to go for), hot milo (which Daddy opted to go for) and an array of fruit (Daddy scored a banana). After being well fed we made our way out to the opening ceremonies and our first activities.

Our first activity of the day was 'the Big Pull'. This worked out to be a massive black plastic tarp covered in corn flour where two boys are strapped to each other via a pair of harnesses and a pulley. Monkey had a fabulous time as evidenced below.

Our first portion of the scout camp was filled with plenty of food, laughter and sunshine. (Part II follows tomorrow :)

New Experiences that Elude Me

On the whole Australians are a bright bunch.  I'll forgive them their convict roots and give credit where credit is due.  They are an intelligent group on the whole.

So, with that said.  I can not for the life of me figure out why they consistently ignore best practices when it comes to things having to do with colder weather.  It isn't as if the technology doesn't exist.  Canadians, Russians, and the Scandinavians all manage to stay warm in cold climates just fine.  We've been doing so for years in fact.

So what is the issue here Australia?  In one of the local schools (name witheld to protect the ridiculous), the heating system in the auditorium consists of 4 elements resembling large toasters hanging at the ceiling level.  THE CEILING??  Heat rises Australia, it doesn't fall, yes, even in the Southern Hemisphere!  Do I need to bother to mention that they are highly ineffective?

So this morning I wake up to go for a wee trail run and there is frost on the windows of the car.  Apparently no one in this country has even heard of an ice scraper!  I'm serious!  Imma start importing those bad boys by the ship hull full and sell them to these people!  Apparently if there is frost on your car you are supposed to turn the hose on it.  I couldn't make this stuff up!  There is a long standing drought in this country. If you have a shower longer than 3-5 minutes everyone loses their minds but you use water to get frost off of the car?  Surely an ice scraper, a $5 item ($58 when I start selling them, save your pennies up Aussies), would be a better solution?

I don't get it at all.  Silly Aussies.

Canberra Episode III - Somewhat aimed at the W side of the family

Dave posting here.

There was a moment in particular at Questacon that made me think of my childhood fondly and wonder if the boys should be spending summer on a chicken farm as their dad had for so many years.
There was a section of Questacon devoted to machines that performed 'simple' tasks. There was a mechanism that spun magnets around until the centripedal force ran out and they all tumbled to the bottom of the wheel. There was a crank that made odd-shaped arms spin around in a seemingly random sequence of events. There were heaps of others that were totally ignored by the WB boys.
Why you may ask?

There was an interconnected series of pulleys, chains, lifts and silly devices that moved fake eggs around through a number of different stations. One of them even shone a light through the 'egg' to see if it was a bad egg or a good egg. The boys excitedly played at that station alone for at least 45 minutes making the eggs moved around, watching them climb to the top and then tumble to the bottom - only to start the whole process all over again.

If there are part time jobs in their future, I feel pretty confident that I can sign them up for some farm work on a nearby hen farm.

I imagine that if these types of devices were around that they'd even do it for free ;)

Also of note, the boys did spend (significant less) some time checking out the 'invisible harp' that played music by interrupting beams of light;

they were wowed by both the 'tube of intense blue light'

and the 'floating sphere' that resides on a side street outside Questacon.


All-in-all, this was one of the best places that we've checked out so far in Australia and one that we would go back to if we have the chance.

Big C and the volcano - questacon part II

Our day at Questacon had so many amazing moments that it certainly warrants another post (or two). At the lunch hour presentations on severe weather events, Big C was certainly a star of the show. We shared the 200 seat theater with a few other families and about 170 high school students from Sydney. When the questions about severe weather came up, BigC was often the first to have his hand up and get picked. Only rarely did Dave whisper him the answer in advance. He certainly knew what caused severe weather events and that a tsunami could be caused by an asteroid impacting the Earth. The teenagers were abuzz after Big C's responses.
When they were looking for volunteers for a demonstration to close the show, Big C's hand shot up quickly again. The host chose Big C and he was off and running.

I'll let the video of the event speak for itself.

Big C was delighted and we all left for lunch with huge smiles on our faces.

My Hands-It's a THING!

Those of you who have had the pleasure of being near me when I am cold have likely experienced these bad boys on your warm skin.  Questacon has a (Dave what is the name of the camera?) that shows the hot spots in your body.  Or, in my case, the not hot spots.  

Here are photos of my hands and then Dave's hands.  I can't wait to show these to my rheumatologist!

Canberra Day 2

On our Saturday in Canberra we were able to share the pancakes and Canadian maple syrup that Saje had prepared for breakfast with our amazing host family. After we'd all had our fill of maple-y deliciousness we met up with some of the other Canadians at Mount Ainsley. The view provides an excellent perspective of this pre-planned city and all of its organization. Here is Big C after he climbed the stairs to the highest view on the mountain.

...and here's the WB family as a whole with the city in behind us. The clouds and mist just cleared out of the way int time for this photo.

Next, we followed our Australian hosts to the National Gallery in Canberra. 

Frank, our art teacher host who'd exchanged to Kamloops in 2011, took us on a tour of the indigenous art. Here's Big C standing outside the 'reflection room' - which is surrounded by water and has an spherical interior. We were told that it  hosts the most amazing sunrises and sunsets, but as it was approaching mid-day we were only able to sit in silent wonder and watch the clouds drift by above. The indoor artwork was outstanding and having our artist tour guide added incredible depth to the stories and meaning behind the artistry. 

Saje and Monkey enjoyed some of the other outdoor artwork (photos were discouraged indoors as a sign of respect to the indigenous peoples). Monkey in particular enjoyed how half of the shapes made him seem very tall.

Monkey also particularly enjoyed the large artwork that looks a lot like an enormous soccer ball. 

 Following our tour of the National Gallery we took off for the Fyshwyck markets for lunch. It was an outstanding decision as the boys scored a great deal on sausages outside at the Salvos (otherwise known as the Salvation Army) barbecue while Saje scored an amazing kebab (otherwise known as a shwarma). Big C enjoyed checking out all of the citrus fruit, free samples and yellow watermelons! I think that he;d have stayed there all day.

 The grown-ups meanwhile found their own things to enjoy. Saje found the other Canadians and took in the wine tasting while Dave went off in search of craft beers in behind. He most certainly did not leave empty handed :)

 As the adults chatted and shared stories over wine, the boys took in the local musicians that played throughout the lunchhour. They're really bonding and growing in so many ways throughout the days and weeks.

 We've truly enjoyed the times in Australia where we get to learn and live as the Australians do. All of the little 'out of the way' places and 'best of' local moments are truly shaping our travels in amazing ways. We look forward to seeing where the locals will lead us next.

Canberra Day One-Questacon

     Today we embarked upon our journey to Questacon in Canberra

. From what we had been told it was a very interactive science environment with rave reviews. The boys and Dave took some photos at the entrance to the building, including the very cool Einstein statue (from the side it looks like an eagle!). The boys were very excited to get inside so we wasted no time.

    Our host family in Canberra had given us a gift pass for free family entry (the family are amazing hosts!) and we quickly made our way to the first of the exhibits. Big C was intrigued by the ‘noise’ tower’

 that dropped different density spheres through a track to make different pitches of sound. Monkey meanwhile was quite impressed by the visual sensory activities.

  We took in the natural disasters show where Big C was chosen as the volunteer to make the volcano erupt using liquid nitrogen. He was an excellent Vanna White and was all smiles throughout the demonstration.

  After a quick lunch on the steps of the Australian High Court next door we returned inside to check out many of the other rooms inside. Big C’s favourite was the aerodynamics wind generator where he was able to cut up paper cups and have them float in the air. He one little guy in stitches every time that he started up the machine and made his cups float. I think that he would have spent all day there given the chance. When we left there however he was keen to check out the water zone with Saje and make water on the screen stop and accumulate.

   Monkey favoured three areas in particular – the free fall drop zone where you were dropped about 5 meters after suspending yourself on a bar and then letting go onto the slide below; the psychedelic light show where your body movements were transformed into 70’s disco images on the screen; and the earthquake zone where you could make buildings and then see how they stood up to minor tremors and then a series of earthquakes.

  Dave had a great time with the chemistry area and watching the day unfold through the eyes of his boys.

  Saje had a great time throughout the place, but I think she particularly enjoyed the ‘games room’ with the 4-person air hockey game with the spinner in the middle, the full-body ‘bop-it’ game against Dave, the 3D tic tac toe with Monkey  and the times watching her boys being boys.

  It was a superb day and we’d certainly love to come back again if time allows.

Canberra Weekend

What would the weekend be if we were not on the road to somewhere?  This weekend is Canberra, Australia's Capital Territory.  The views before the sun went down were spectacular!

 The windy, rain soaked roads after the sun went down were garbage!  We made a note to drive home in the daylight.  Canberra is just over 5 hours away from Mudgee.

 We arrived shortly before 9pm to discover that this family has a new kitten living at their house.  All three boys were beside themselves!!

 We sat and chatted with our hosts over a few gorgeous bottles of wine until after midnight.

 This darling kitty picked her favourite lap and purred and purred.

 The boys had to wait until the morning to be allowed to play full on with the kitty.  Her name is Kitty.

The Boy's Cross Country Meet

Thursday was the school cross country meet.  The younger kids ran 2km an the older kids ran 3km.  Monkey was keen to place in his 3km race and has been practicing quite a bit.

BigC's class wasn't going to run, but he was permitted to run if I was able to supervise him.  He opted not to run 2km with his 9 year old peers, but rather to run 3km with Monkey and HIS peers.

 They both ran tremendously hard.  Monkey was visibly giving it all that he had.  He held on to second place until the last 10m when he was passed and he came in a solid 5th place.  He will advance on to the zone competition in a couple of weeks.

 BigC placed high;y as well, though it got a bit murky about just how well he may or may not place as he gave a FAKE NAME when he crossed the finish line!!  He was terrified of going to the zone competition with the 12 year olds and he came in first of the 9 year olds...because he started in advance of them and ran an extra km...it does in my head.  We promised that he would not have to go to zone and they put him down as 10th place for the 9 year olds.

I am incredibly proud of these two boys.  Please don't ask Monkey if he got a ribbon, he is devastated that they were only awarded to the top 3 finishers.

Norman **there are arachnids in this post!

While we were away in Tasmania I left my Ultimate Sandbag in the living room at home.  Norman here decided to take up residence.  I don't blame him.  There were three solid uninterrupted weeks there.

 If I'm honest, he likely had a few weeks before we left that the sandbag wasn't getting used...so he had some time to get comfortable.

So you can well imagine our shared fright when I suddenly picked up the sandbag again and he most unceremoniously fell out and on to my foot.

Poor Norman.  He darted under the couch to get his bearings.  I yelped, but realized quickly that he was only a Huntsman, and not scary.  I caught him and released him.  The last we saw of Norman, he was scampering up the garage wall.

Sorry buddy, only one of us gets to live in the house.