Lifelong dolphin dream come true...

MY OH MY OH MY!!!

This morning Laura and I went down to Manly for our weekly swim with the 'Bold & the Beautiful' swimming group who go daily from Manly to Shelley Beach and back again (1.6km). No sooner had we entered the water than one of our group spotted a huge pod of dolphins about 300-400m ahead of us. We swiftly decided to abandon our usual route to Shelley Beach and to swim straight out towards the pod of dolphins instead. At first they kept their distance, frolicking quite a way out from us but remaining in full view, but every time we put our heads in the water we could hear them whistling to one another so we suspected that they were getting closer without us realising it. Within minutes they were all around us, at least 30 of them in total at varying distances, mothers and calves came right up close - at one point only a couple of feet below Laura's and my legs! A moment later I looked down to see about 12 adult dolphins glide past in a close knit group about 3 metres below as well.

It was magical, amazing, perfect, what I'd always dreamed it would be if not better. All the pictures below were taken this morning by professional photographers at Manly Beach while we were out there with them!! You can even see one of our pink hatted swimming group right next to them and totally oblivious at that stage that they have popped up to his left!

An experience to be remembered and treasured....

Our beehive...

Our beehive was built by Dunc and the boys a couple of months ago and then we left it with a beeman over Xmas to get a Queen and some bees in for us. On Clive's last day here, he and Dunc donned the necessary garb and had a look inside the hive. It looked really good, hundreds of bees working away. We will leave the honey for them to live on through the winter but should get our first honey next Spring!

Arthur wakeboarding with the Morrells...

Arthur was invited to go to Wiseman's Ferry for a whole weekend of wakeboarding/knee boarding with Isaac and his family. Sadly it was the last weekend that Granny and Grandpa would be with us but we decided that having just turned ten last week it would be a fantastic opportunity (first time ever that he has gone away for more than just a local, one night sleep over!!) He stood up wake boarding first time and had a wonderful weekend of non stop exercise/water play. He came back aching from top to bottom but totally exhilarated.

Bean's 10th birthday...

Tues 8th Feb was a full day. Arthur turned TEN - can you believe it!?!? Where has that time gone!?! He went to school with 28 cupcakes, had the private scooter lesson with his brothers that afternoon, then we met Granny, Grandpa and Dunc in Manly for a yummy birthday dinner at the Manly Wharf Hotel and then we all whizzed home for birthday cake as dessert back at the house at 8pm before the kids collapsed into bed.

Triple birthday scooter lesson for the boys...

Lenka had the brilliant idea of giving Arthur, Barney and Tenzin a private scooter lesson at the local skate park with a young guy from Skater HQ. All three of them had received a new one-piece bar stunt scooter for Xmas or birthday this year so it was a very well received idea. Fenna, Iona and I watched and took photos as the three boys learnt a few tricks according to their age/ability. Iona was armed with Tenzin's cast off scooter and was convinced that she too would be part of the session but Fenna and I managed to entertain her outside the actual skate park as talented teenagers flew from one side to the other on skate boards at high speed!

Cole Classic - 1km and 2km Ocean Swim 2011

Dunc and I were part of 'Team Cathy' this year in our entry to the Cole Classic Ocean Swim at Manly. 'Team Cathy' was formed by our friend Laura to raise money for research into oesaphageal cancer as Laura's sister-in-law, Cathy, is currently being treated for this type of cancer. A gang of us signed up and raised nearly $7000 for this great cause - thank you to all of you who sponsored us. Laura, Kenny (Cathy's husband) and I set off together and despite those two being MUCH stronger swimmers than I am, they kindly waited at various points throughout the 1km route and were there on the sand when I finally arrived so the three of us ran through the finish line holding hands - very romantic! We were captured on camera by Channel 7 news and apparently were shown elated, holding hands and yelling 'Team Cathy - oesaphageal cancer!!' at the tops of our voices.

After the elation of having finished the 1km race (albeit in record slow time!), it was then Dunc's turn to get ready for his 2km swim. I took the kids for a swim while Clive walked with Dunc to the start line and Alison made a last minute dash to see his group set off. The kids' interest started to wane but we were all there at the finish line as Dunc emerged from the surf and charged up the beach. A very proud moment once again.

Swimming carnival and relief from the heat...

One week when Clive and Alison were here the temperature was a constant 38-40 degrees or so. Now that we have no pool we spend a lot more time at the beach than ever before, however on those days when it all seems too much hassle we just get out the good old sprinkler! Check out the rainbows that appeared.

The Allambie Heights School Swimming Carnival took place on day five of the new school year. Barney had his first chance to take part as he turned 8 this year. He stood his ground and came 4th in his heats for freestyle, breast stroke and even the 200 m medley against kids from years 3 and 4. I didn't even know he had ever done butterfly but there he was doing 50m of it as part of the medley! Arthur did well in his heats and came 2nd in his freestyle final so will go through to Zone for the third year running. A very hot day for parents and great fun for the kids.

The day before our Cole Classic swim we took the boat out across the harbour. It was a real scorcher and our picnic and swim at Store Beach was fantastic. As we approached home later that afternoon the thermometer read 42 degrees outside the car and it was 5.20pm!!!!!

Bits and bobs...

Dunc, Laura and I planned to do the Manly to Shelley Beach return swim (1.6km) on Australia Day, as we normally did once a week with the informal group - the 'Bold and the Beautiful'. Normally between 40-70 of us would turn up but on Australia Day 600 people appeared! We all sang "Advance Australia Fair" on the beach wearing our flourescent pink hats (always a good look) before setting off. There was an eery mist that morning when we awoke in Oxford Falls and it ran the length of Manly Beach too. Even as we left the life savers were announcing that no one could be seen in the surf unless they were down the far southern end.

Back at the ranch, baking with Granny, painting with Grandpa and our new friends - Chocolate and Lollipop - the two possums that thunder around on our roof!

The Basin with Granny and Grandpa...

The last time we took Granny and Grandpa out on the boat was when Iona was only a week old so she and I took the Palm Beach ferry over to join them at The Basin two years ago. This time it was great to all go over there together on our 'tinny' as Clive calls it. As always a divine few hours were spent by the shark netted lagoon after a sausage sarnie, followed by a spot of fishing on the way back to Bayview.

Tenzin's 5th birthday 'reptile' party...

A few days before Tenzin's actual 5th birthday he had his first ever party of his own. Alison and I took the four kids to Play Planet where we were joined by 9 others (mainly 5 yr old boys!) for 2 hrs of playing in the tunnels, birthday tea in the old fashioned bus, private reptile handler showing and passing around a variety of reptiles and more rough and tumble on the equipment before handing them back to their parents. That night we left the kids with Fenna, who had only just returned from her travels, and took Clive and Alison to a party at the Verity's. Within minutes Alison realised that she had studied at medical college with the brother of a friend's Mum who was over visiting from the UK and who we introduced to C and A soon after we arrived! This was the first of three small world events in as many days...

Good friend Lewis enjoying the 'Children's python'...

Tea in the bus...

Only the birthday boy got to hold the crocodile!

The night before Tenzin's actual birthday we had a lovely dinner with the McPs and the Howes. We had been meaning to introduce Laura, Matt and Hamish to the McPs as we knew they would get on like a house on fire. What we had not expected was to find that Laura and Lenka went to the same girls' boarding school and Clive and Matt also went to the same boarding school (slightly longer gap for the latter!) Small world indeed. Lenka and Laura even knew some of the same people, despite going a couple of years apart.

On the actual day of Tenzin's 5th birthday he went back to kindy for day one of the year, armed with 30 icy poles as it was a scorcher. That afternoon Bridget and Django came for his 3rd birthday cake - he certainly did well this year!

The birthday stunt scooter...