Simple Summer Holidays

As the summer school holidays are drawing to a close it’s been fun to look back and see what we’ve done with ourselves.  Mr B took all of January off work because Little B starts school this year. We then detached ourselves electronically, turned off our mobile phones and placed them in a drawer and let the summer take us where it would. It’s been great family time and we’ve had a whole lot of fun :-)

:: We’ve explored our local surrounds and found new places we didn’t know existed (like waterfalls)

:: Been blackberry picking in our own backyard LOL (we get a bowl like this every 2^nd day) and found wild strawberries

:: We’ve spent a lot of time canoeing, bushwalking and exploring local lakes (yay for the warm weather)

:: Spent time at our local library weekly and enjoyed their school holiday activities like making carrot cars and croaking frogs

:: Read our way through the entire Flat Stanley series; then Babe the Sheep Pig, and re-read Stuart Little

:: Visited family and old friends, discovered new beaches and a new favourite – climbing trees.

The greatest thing I think has been how much time we’ve managed to spend outside and out in nature.  But with school just around the corner, we’ve spent the last couple of days readapting to the “real” world. Not long now and my faithful side kick will take his first big steps out into his new world.

Canoe Trip to Herring Island

On the weekend, as part of Little B’s advent calendar we took a canoe trip down the Yarra River to Herring Island.

There were so many things and people to see as we canoed along. I loved looking at all the old boat houses, and cactus walls. Little B loved all the baby ducklings and saying hello to everyone we “met”.

Sometimes, you need to just lie down for a little rest (hmmm mainly I would think only if you actually did the paddling rather than socialising LOL).

Originally created with silt dredged from the river, Herring Island passed through many hands (including the Scouts) until it became part of Parks Victoria in 1994, and is now an Environmental Sculpture Park. It’s also the home of a Summer Arts festival from January to April each year.

After a picnic lunch from our trusty esky, we did a walk around the island and checked out all the sculptures. Little B loved the “giant pinecone” and a falling fence to nowhere :-)

We’ve found a good travelling picnic lunch for canoeing is tombolas for Mr B and Little B and a sandwich for me, some fruit and a nutrient dense home-made slice or biscuit. Mr B’s current fave is bring along some home-made ginger beer (since he’s the muscles in our paddling).

On a side note, Mr B and I could not get over how dirty the Yarra River was. We canoed it a looong time ago (about 7 years ago) and it was dirty then but the level of pollution in it and the smell was disgusting. It dismayed us both over how much rubbish was floating in there. We always pick up rubbish from wherever we canoe following the Take 3 Clean Beach Principle (though in our case it is generally lakes and rivers). Little B does it naturally now though he is still saddened and doesnt understand why people leave it there in the first place.

Neither do I love, neither do I. All we can do is make the best difference we can. I wish more people did it though.

Lets Go Fly a Kite

Mr B went to the Henty Machinery Field Day with his solar trackers last week for work. While there he saw a man flying these amazing kites and had to bring one home for Little B (who adores kites).

Little B has been practising with his kite ever since at every given opportunity in the backyard.

On Friday it was the perfect windy blustery afternoon, so we all headed down to the local oval to let it loose…..

 Lets go fly a kite

 Up to the highest height!

 Lets go fly a kite and send it soaring

Up through the atmosphere

Up where the air is clear

Oh, let's go fly a kite :-)

Fathers Day Canoe Trip

What better way to celebrate Fathers Day than by launching our new canoe?? Didn’t hurt that the weather was beautiful and sunny too :-)

First up we made Daddy’s favourite biscuits.

Then we launched

And the day wouldn’t have been complete without a little daddy solo canoe to try out all his moves (and make sure it wouldn’t sink LOL - it's not in the best pre-loved condition but we had hoped we made it sound enough for this foray)

We canoed for 3 hours and had a ball. We were both surprised that Little B just took to it – paddled a bit, stopped an investigated the shores, enjoyed all the interesting animals and sights – and then sailed sticks and collected rocks while we packed up

It has inspired the potential interest in a future canoe camping trip.

Happy Fathers Day, my love – you are absolutely the best daddy I could have wished for our babe.