Happy 13th Birthday Bethany Rose

Happy 13th Birthday Bethany Rose

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Bethany,

Happy Birthday to you.

Love you heaps Beth, we hope you had a great day!

There were a lot of pressies floating around today. Lots of clothes, and .... an MP3 player. After brekky we travelled up to the Old Butter Factory to spend time looking through all those wonderful shops. Beth came home with two pairs of leather shoes, Elsie with a leather bracelet, and Willem with a pair of soft soled shoes.

Lunch was fun and 'friendly'. Crispy chicken, chips, carob cake, lemonade and rocky road.

The children went to the park with Dot this afternoon, taking her dog and our puppies. No-one had much of an appetite this evening, but found space for icecream and jelly.

Willem had fun with the cake.

Two gorgeous teens...

The official 13th birthday carob cake.

Dolphins

Friday morning was spent enjoying dolphins, seals, penguins, turtles and Port Jackson sharks. We're visiting Grandpa and Grandma at the moment and they took us to the Pet Porpoise Pool for a treat. And it is was a wonderful time. The children laughed and clapped and cheered on cue. Jessica jumped up and down in her seat in excitement, squeeling with delight at the antics of the sea animals. We all fed the fairy penguins, and held out fish tidbits for the some of the other larger fish.

We all got to kiss a seal, too - man! do they have fish breath!

Our Track

This is the first view of Wallaby Scrub our visitors encounter - the front gate.

As we head out 'Nine Gates' track, this is our first open view. The road is not as smooth as it looks!

I always remember the night John was driving the van home from town and he let Josiah out at Bunny Flat to chase rabbits. Josiah darted all over the paddock, diving after the bunnies, and all that in bare feet. It was one of the funniest sights I'd seen for a long time. John even went off the track so Josiah could see by the beam of the headlights. There we were, bouncing all over this paddock, John in fits of laughter, the other children yelling out sightings of bunnies, and me, hanging on 'for my life'.

This is affectionately known as Bullrush Dam. It's always full of water, and is the only place I've seen feral pigs. The road goes over the dam wall and down into a little, wet gully (where the van will bottom out if I don't take the right track).

Puddle Gate - Getting more so after every rainfall.

Here's Josiah, the gate keeper for the day.

And finally, the little bridge that leads us out to the main road. Up to the right of this bridge is a paddock full of Shetland Ponies and Miniature Horses (this is the part of the journey Elsie likes best).

So, that's a snapshot of the track into Wallaby Scrub. It's the scenic route, that's for sure.

Trip to the Hardware

Took Josiah to the local hardware outlet this afternoon. He explained the dilema he had recently found himself in. Our shed is full of timber, nails and glue, Josiah's head is full of ideas, but the tools have a lot to be desired. He asked if maybe we could invest in some wood working tools. So off to the hardware we went.

He chose sandpapers, a chisel, file, tape measure, and a couple of other things. It was great to see him explain to the shop assistant what it was he wanted to make, and the tools he thought he would need. The guy was so patient and helpful, he took a lot of time to show Josiah all the different tools, how to use them, and which ones he thought a boy just starting out would need.

When we got back to the car Josiah turned to me and said, "Well, Mum, what would you like me to make first?" I don't know. Perhaps a coat rack, or a hanger for all our keys, or maybe a nice kitchen dresser (or am I getting ahead of myself?)

I suppose I won't see much of my boy now, he'll 'be down in the shed'. Ah, the beginning of the Wallaby Scrub range of bush furnishings - sounds good doesn't it.

Wallaby Scrub Then and Now

We've done a lot to the place....

As you can see there's been a lot of changes to the old house. We pulled down the barbed wire fencing and erected a post and rail fence. We've tidied up the yard, mown the lawn regularly, and got rid of a lot of rubbish. The posts and beams that John has erected for the verandah give the house a rustic feel, and a lot more protection from the elements.

Our first home.