Hose Down!

Today was super hot, around 35 degrees, and I was just getting cranky with children inside being naughty etc, so I put them on the trampoline and hosed them. It was therapeutic for me, and fun for them :-)! These primary school ages are hard to beat... wish it could be like this forever!

We Can Be Heroes ;-)

Annabelle is a really physical kid, and is a total daredevil. She also likes to be the clown and have people watching her or laughing at her. This is her on the trampoline showing me her potential in the acrobatics and ballet arena. I was not sure what to think, to be honest... ;-)

Poetry in Magnets, by Annie-Rose...

This is Annie-Rose reading out the words and the poetry she made up using the peace-magnets from Aunty Louise and co in the US. We love word fridge magnets, and these are especially good as they only have good-will type words to choose from! Thanks for the pressies, Pearses! XX

Marlin and Nemo :-)

Here is some filming of Ben and his brood. Ben is, and always been such a natural as a dad. We have had our ups and downs over the years, but he has had his heart in his children's well-being and happiness since day one :-) Here he is doing daggy dad stuff with them at the pool.

Annie can swim perfectly providing her feet can touch the ground - so here she is having a fit because it is 'deep'.... sigh! We shall get there!

Summer Rain

I really have to go out and get a proper video camera. I keep just using my little Sony camera, and it is neat, but has no real internal light mechanism. Anyways, I hope this turns out with enough light to see or at least sense how lovely and peaceful our house is on Summer evenings after a bit of rain...

Oh I love to be by the seaside...

Here is some more footage of us at the beach. We go to the beach a lot. I think we should just move to the beach and be done with it! I grew up on the coast of South Africa, and we spent most weekends at the beach in Scottburgh, which was always so wonderful. I would like us to perhaps move to the sunshine coast, but am not sure what kinds of academic and IT positions are available by the seaside... we shall see :-)

Washing Up Team!

I just had to film this, as it is really cool to see your 'babies' doing stuff you never thought they would be able to do! It is amazing to watch your children grow up, and even better when they grow up able to do good things and be helpful and responsible :-)

Trick or Treat!!!!

This year Halloween turned out to be kind of a big deal and the children did costumes, went around the neighbourhood trick or treating with Ben and also got to cut up a pumpkin and make a lantern out of it like they do in the U.S.

It was a fun night - lots of giggling and way too much sugar!!

More Coolum action!

This is more cool Coolum action. Holiday coulda been longa! Ah well, we shall get there again soon :-)

Jujitsu Grading!

All three children went to Jujitsu Grading this weekend, and here are some videos of them getting their yellow stripe belt (Annie-Rose) and their Orange belts (Charlotte and Oliver). We were really really proud of them. Jujitsu is just fantastic for kids!


This game is so much fun to watch! And Oliver did really well here, and was one of the last few in. I love the way he ducks to miss the ball, and then Sensei gets him with a great return shot. Go Ollie!

Handstands at Coolum

This is the children going their fabulous gymnastics outside our tent at the Coolum campground, which was about ten metres from the beach. This was our family holiday for the Spring Holidays 2009.

Annie's first sports day race :-)

I just HAD to go along and see/film Annie in her first running race at school. Ben and I were both dreadful sprinters, and I am not entirely sure any genetic miracles have occurred in this realm ;-) But how fun is it to see your kids run in a race - too too cute!!!

UQ Swimming Pool on a Sunday Arvo :-)

This is all three children in the deep end of UQ pool having a swim, play, bombdive etc. They provide life jacket thingies for all those who cannot swim, and Annie is not yet 100% confident in the deep end yet, so she has one on. Her swimming is going great though - she swims just fine if she knows she can touch the bottom at any time!

This is Annie have a dance up in the backyard with yet another one of Charlotte's dress-creations on! It was a lovely Saturday afternoon. I was filming this from the love-swing, where my tomatoes are growing very healthily. Life is good!

Charlotte on Viola

Never to be outdone, here is Ms Shashie on the viola playing Scary Night. Very nicely :-)

Oliver on the Cello

Oliver's cello had the usual shaky beginnings of any young 'strings' student, but we are getting there, and he is sounding good now! Super proud of his progress!

Saturday Deck Life :-)

This is us all on the deck after a big lunch time swim at the UQ pool - we had a freak early Spring heat of around 35 degree days so we made the most of it. It is 'cold' again now, but it was so nice to feel the sun again for a bit. Something to do with pressure systems, but I am not an expert ;-) Oliver is playing with the car sent to BEN for BEN's birthday from Lou, Devon and Fiona and MUCH appreciated by Oliver :-) Ben was bludging in the hammock and got busted, and Charlotte is up the back dancing away in her usual pre-teen ways these days. I was listening to records, yes records and it was nice day.

All Hail Hail!

This is a little, but loud, hailstorm we had after the EKKA show day in Brisbane. Such an awesome way to end the day!

Arm Wrestling

This is Ben after work with the girls doing arm wrestling... it must be all that Jujitstu traing, because he is no match for the girls x

Intermediate Strings Orchestra

This is Charlotte on the viola in the Intermediate Strings Orchestra.

Junior Strings Orchestra

This is Oliver playing his Cello in his first school performance with the Junior Strings Orchestra :-)

Martial Arts QLD demonstration

The kids volunteered to help showcase their martial arts school, Martial Arts Queensland at the local Red Hill Fete. Here is Sempai Robert talking about the philosophy of the School. We were really proud of the kids here :-)

West End, Orleigh Park

Annie is really strong and coordinated on this kind of thing - like a little monkey! Our other children could only do this one a little later on, but she is doing great at it. This area is one of our favourite play areas in Brisbane - so green and right on the river :-)

Undies on the Beach

More of this beach nonsense. Annie in her undies because 'somebody' forgot to pack her swimmers. It's tough being the third child! :-)

Cool Kids at Coolum

Here are some snippets of the kids at the beach at Coolum, Winter School Holidays, July 2009.

Sing a song...

When Charlotte was really little, and Oliver hadn't been born yet, we used to sing this song together quite a bit when we were at home in the mornings... it is from Sesame Street and we both still love it!

Patti Smith eat your heart out...

Ollie and Ben went to watch the Lions play AFL at the Gabba and the girls stayed in with me to watch DVDS and eat pizza... needless to say we ended up with Mamma Mia on by the end of the night :-)

Beauty Salon :-)

This is Annabelle and Charlotte playing beauticians. They are just lovely to each other. Very patient and very fun :-)

This is beautiful Annie Rose telling me about her Mermaid painting :-)

Brisbane Flash Floods in Toowong

Brisbane has had some pretty unusual weather since the intense storm on November 16th 2008. The upside of this is that the drought is officially over. I took the children to see Perrin Park, which had turned into a lake. It was much more impressive right after school when the waters were really high. We rushed home, got changed, got the camera and came back to find a lot of it had drained down already. Still it was an unusual site that the children found exciting :-)

'How to put on a Shower Cap' by Oliver and Annabelle...l

Oliver and Annabelle mucking around with their shower caps after treating their hair for lice for about the 1000000th time. Yay!

More Leonard Cohen...

An excerpt from perhaps the best concert I have been to in my life thus far... Leonard is 75 years old here.

Happy 5th Birthday Annie-Rose!

Annie had her fifth birthday party in Anzac Park with all her friends from Prep. It was a great party.

Wheeeeeee it's a Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

We redeemed ourselves from taking off to Sydney for a grown-ups weekend to watch Dylan Moran live in concert and to see old mates and family (not saying any family members are old, mind ;-) by returning home with a Wii for the kids. Thanks Nick n Nikki!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xxxxx

Here comes the sun, little darlings... :-)

This is Ben doing an amazing backyard blitz in a bid to get some sunshine back into our heavily overgrown lives :-) And the children built a fab fireplace outside that we used later that day for cooking marshmallows - a great success all round!

Look what I made!

This is Annie and Charlotte telling us about what they designed and made :-)

Annabelle learning to swim at UQ Little Fish Swim School

Annie is going really well at these lessons! This is a clip from earlier on, and she can now swim on her own. She points her toes most conscientiously when she kicks - it is quite cute!

Tadpole Blues at the Easter Hat Parade

This is Annie's first Easter Hat Parade :-) She sang 'Tadpole Blues' with her class, Prep A. I love this song, it is so cute!

World Wrestling (theatrics included)

Oliver has seen some world wrestling and has been very inspired to engage in some, using Annie as his obliging opponent! They make a great play team! :-)

Boys n their Noise

I think that between Oliver, Harry, and Jack the boys had the noise level sorted ;-)

How was your day, Annie? ;-)

This is Annie explaining to me the complexities of Prep. social life and routine. I felt quite dizzy after listening to her on this occasion!

Praying Mantis. Two, to be exact.

I was trimming back some shrubbery and felt a sharp bite on my hand. I looked down and a praying mantis was on my shirt. I put him on the ground and then saw his mate waiting for him there. Not really sure if they were praying mantises or stick insects. They were cute, tho!

Shove Over White Stripes, this is the Oliver and Annie Song & Dance Show!

This is Oliver and Annabelle espressing theirselves!!!

Chanel-Billed Cuckoo - or Stormbird

If any of you have ever landed one of these in your backyard, you will be well aware of the absolute cacophony they are capable of. It is incessant. This cuckoo was raised by two very unfortunate crows, who are very stressed trying to feed a baby this noisy - who is also much bigger than they are.

These birds lay their eggs in other birds nests and are raised by them at the expense of their actual babies, who are never as loud or as big, and thus often starve to death if a cuckoo egg gets amongst them.

Happy Birthday Dear Grandad and Chaaaarlotte!

Grandad Carroll and Charlotte Carroll-Collerson share a birthday of the 27th February. This is us singing to them!

The girls and me doing our sensible faces :-)!

.... this is instead of doing homework, yay!

Mum n Daughter Shenanigans :-)

This is Charlotte and my good self running around our garden chatting about this n that :-)

The Incredible Leonard Cohen

This is Leonard chatting away to us at the Brisbane Ent. Centre. He says at the beginning '... so I turned to the religions and the philosophies... but cheerfulness kept breaking through' - too funny! At the end of this he says those amazing words 'Everything has a crack in it; it's how the light gets through.'

Cha Cha Cha!

This is Annie dancing to the music before her jazz dancing class. I have no idea where the robotic inspirations come from... she is an 8o's kid at heart, I fear!

Oliver the Princess!

Oliver doing more acting jazz :-)

Oliver the Great and his Steed!

Oliver loves to act. This is him acting :-)

Woodford Bound!

Jonas our neighbour plays drums and this is Oliver dancing to them. I reckon he is quite the mover! He will be dancing in the mud at Woodford Folk Festivals before we know it!

Bring out Your Dead...........!

The kids watched the Life of Brian and I think this had a terrible influence on them. Well, no, actually, it taught them that in the Middle Ages, people died so often that a wheelbarrow came round after the Milkman each day to collect those who had not made it through the night. They were healthily with the with the topic of death in this little play I found them doing ;-)

Oliver reading Andy Griffith's Bad Book :-)

Fi and Jay gave Oliver The Bad Book for Christmas 2008. Andy Griffiths is a very very brilliant author of kids' books. T This is Oliver reading from the book...

Annie in the Waves

... yet another glimpse of our Maloolooba holiday in December 2008. This was in the evening, which was still very warm - round 30 degrees C - with a pink sunset trimming the ocean on this night as the children played on the shore.

Macho macho ma-an... I wanna be a macho man!

Ben was doing the 100 press-up challenge that he got- you guessed it - from the Interweb. The kids were amazed and amused to see their dad doing so much exercise. I think he started getting some good muscles actually!

Me trying to teach Annie to swim!

This is me in the pool at the Maloolooba with the kids trying to teach Annie to swim. She is now at Little Fish Swim School at UQ and can swim pretty well. So watch this space for the 2009 movie when she is all DIY in the pool :-) x

Family on The Rocks

This is the children and us on our favourite spot in Maloolooba - on the rocks with all the waves coming in and making interesting pools to wade through. .. Just magic! This is from our December 2008 family holiday.

Blame it on the Boogie!

This is Charlotte in our hotel room at Maloolooba (Summer, Dec 2008)doing an funny version of Blame it on the Boogie with actions!