Baby birdbath
Whenever we visit friends or family we have to case the joint in advance, if possible, to make sure it’s baby proof.
This involves protecting the security of their precious objects and the safety of our precious babies. Most people without tiny children have coffee tables, etc with delicate decorations aboard. These can be easily broken in small hands, or can easily smash small heads.
While visiting my parents’ home on Boxing Day we noticed their birdbath in the back yard. So did the babies. We removed the bath from the stem for mutual protection and it promptly became a baby swimming pool (as demonstrated by James)!
Christmas in Porepunkah
Happy Christmas! This time of year at Porepunkah is hot and dry. The days are mostly 30 degrees or higher, but we’re fortunate in this sub-alpine area to have cool nights and fresh mornings.
We’ve established a sort of Christmas ritual over the past few years. We go to the Vigil Mass in Bright on Christmas Eve; this year it was at 6pm. We’re a small parish and will soon lose our resident priest to Myrtleford, but services will continue.
The big children wake early on Christmas morning. This year Dude was up at 5am. We had told them not to wake us before seven, but Juliet and I were both up very early as well.
I actually went for a 5km run at 5.30. That’s the first time in nearly 38 years I’ve done that, let alone on Christmas Day!
When I got back the rest of the household had risen and we exchanged gifts. This was the twins’ second Christmas and one they were able to participate in more actively. Next year it will be full on.
The big kids were happy to receive what they hoped for and took more part this year in giving. Juliet’s parents are with us at the moment, so it was quite a gathering.
We’ll enjoy a lunch of turkey, chicken, vegetables, salad and sweets early this afternoon.
Tomorrow we drive to my parents’ home at Moe. It will be the first time that we visit their new house; we didn’t travel last Christmas because the twins had just been born.
Ten best bowlers
I’ve commented previously on the 10 best batsmen I’ve seen since 1975. Here are my 10 best bowlers:
- Dennis Lillee
- Glenn McGrath
- Shane Warne
- Joel Garner
- Michael Holding
- Muttiah Muralitharan
- Wasim Akram
- Richard Hadlee
- Colin Croft
- Kapil Dev
Ten best Fitzroy players (I saw)
My previous blog on the 10 best AFL footballers that I saw (from 1975) created some discussion, so here’s my personal assessment of the 10 best Fitzroy players that I saw in the same period:
- Bernie Quinlan
- Paul Roos
- Gary Wilson
- Warwick Irwin
- Bob Beecroft
- Ron Alexander
- Alastair Lynch
- Gary Pert
- Laurie Serafini
- Michael Conlan
National Archives of Australia
I revisited the National Archives of Australia web site this afternoon for the first time in several years.
I came across the scanned military records of my great uncles James and William (Gorey). I also found the immigration application of my mother’s Wassenberg family, undertaken through my grandparents Francis and Johanna from the Netherlands.
The photograph (left) shows my Pop Wassenberg, of whom I was extremely fond. It was taken just before his departure from the Netherlands to Australia in 1955. I think there’s a definite resemblance with James, and to a lesser extent with Dude.
Mount Buffalo Road
Juliet and I have enjoyed several walks along a new track beside the Mount Buffalo Road from Porepunkah to the Buckland River bridge.
The surface is fine gravel, looser than the rail trail, but similar in color. I’ve no idea who created this track, because there’s been
zero fanfare. It’s a terrific service for local residents and people staying at the caravan parks.
We usually branch off into the pines for Snowy to chase rabbits. The bunnies are totally safe from apprehension.
Rollasons Falls
We enjoyed a family outing today to Rollasons Falls in the Mount Buffalo National Park. Fanie and Ouma came too, which meant we had to go in two cars. We took some of the neighbourhood children as well, so it was quite an expedition.
There is a 2km walk to the falls from the main road about 7km into the park. The walk is through ferns for the most part and descends quite steeply at the end.
We went to the lower falls, where there is a great swimming hole. The scene is absolutely stunning, like the pictures I’ve seen of Kakadu and other tropical waterholes, except this place is only 15km from home!
The difference here, of course, is that the water is freezing. It took some courage to plunge in, but after immersing myself I had no regrets.
The swimming hole is about 20 metres long and five metres across. The bottom is sandy and the depth is okay for standing in most places.
I tried swimming to where the water cascades down, but the current was too strong. It was like being in an ice spa.
The kids had a great time and the babies were able to paddle in a small rock pool.
Birthday party
We had a birthday party for the twins tonight with family and friends. The weather was great and everyone had a good time.
Birthday babies
James and Margaret are one year old today. It’s perhaps a cliche to say that time has flown, but that’s how it seems. The year has gone very quickly.
I can’t overstate the amount of love and happiness these babies have brought into all our lives. Most couples in the western world today have 0-3 children, so we’re unusual in having four.
Economically, we would have been better off having one or two children, but what price do you put on two beautiful human beings; the love, friendship and affection they can give and receive?
As “experienced” parents, Juliet and I have been much more relaxed with the twins than our older children, now 10 and 8. The babies are a total joy. They’re at the super cute stage, where they’re starting to walk, starting to talk, climbing, exploring and developing their personalities.
The older children have learnt and embraced the responsibility of caring for younger ones, which can’t be a bad thing on the path of life.
The babies have a constant flow of older children around them from which to learn, interact and emulate. It’s no coincidence therefore that they’re well advanced.
I never expected to have four children, but now I’m at one with Juliet in hoping for another.
Our birthday celebrations for the twins are being held tomorrow after the big kids finish their final day of school for the year.
Simple solution to sound problem
I had trouble yesterday getting Mandrake 10 to play audio. I wasted several hours searching the web, testing different settings and reinstalling.
I was about to give up and go to bed just after midnight when I wondered if the problem mightn’t be with the speakers.
Sure enough the power connection had come loose while I’d been fiddling around with modems earlier in the day. Doh! I should be experienced enough now to check the basics first. Lesson learnt.
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