Feeding ducks and chasing trains...

What a fun day we had Tuesday, the last remnants of the summer storm hung over us, the day was warm and windy with more rain forecast for later on in the day.

We had promised Emma and Lucca that we would go down to the pond and feed the ducks, I had been collecting scraps of bread over the last few weeks, so the bag was full.  As I was busy with the "grandies" Evette took photos.

Not far from where we live we have the Glenbrook Vintage Railway, and as Lucca is a full on" Thomas the Tank Engine" fan Poppa and I were very keen to take him down to see the train come in. We drove down  and waited for the train, and we waited, and we waited and nothing happened.  No train coming around the bend. Poppa decided we should drive to where  the train left and we could  then follow it into town, what a lot of fun it turned out to be, with both Emma and Lucca shouting out with excitment every time they spotted the steam coming from the train. We drove like typical "possessed" grandparents to get them to see the train come into town. I felt like a character from a Robin Williams movie.

Eventually we arrived back into town and met the train. The excitement on Lucca's face was priceless, he was grinning from ear to ear. He just kept on saying: "look Nana it's James, it's Gordon " going through all the characters and naming them......

And then it happened, Lucca looked up at me and said" we go on the train Nana?" I looked at him and the full force of what was going to happen dawned on me. Here I was with no money, and having to explain to a "Thomas" fan that he couldn't go on the train. Oh no, I could just feel the tension in the air as I told him we couldn't go on the train, I could feel his frustration staring to rise and I prepared myself for a full on meltdown.

One of the conductors was watching all of this, and kindly said that we could take the train to the end of the line, and Poppa could drive and meet us there. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, he was really going to let us go on the train!!  So that's what we did, we got on the train and rode to the end of the line.

Check out the smiles on the tourists faces behind us, they couldn't stop laughing at Lucca's excitement at being on the train..

 This is Diana the engine we rode behind...

With Poppa, waiting for the train to go to bed.  Emma was looking a little bored by this stage, but Lucca was still "super excited".

Let the Fun Begin......

All the weeks of waiting are now over, Evette, Emma and Lucca have been in New Zealand for two days and what a fun filled , action packed two days it has been.

Emma and Lucca have been awesome, from the moment they landed, and even after such a long trip, they have been "on the go" keeping us entertained. 

Day One saw them , riding and then washing the little ride-on motorbike, chalk drawing our driveway  and after a nap and a change of clothes,  we took a walk down to our local school to play on the play ground.

Day Two was a day full of laughter and catching -up with family. Great Uncle Ivan and Aunty Connie gave Emma and Lucca bubbles as a gift and they were a hit.

If the last two days are anything to go by, the next six weeks sure are going to be action packed..

Merry Christmas to you all......

Well my blogging friends, it is  Christmas Eve two sleeps to go before Evette, Emma and Lucca are here.
The presents are under the tree, the ham has been glazed and is in the oven as I write this post, and the Christmas cookies have been baked.

Christmas Day will be spent with family, we will have a BBQ, salads, Nan's trifle with fresh summer berries and of course  lots of noise and laughter.

Boxing Day ( the day after Christmas Day) will be full of tears, laughter, hugs and lots of kisses as we go out to the airport to pick Evette, Emma and Lucca up. I am so excited I can't contain myself.

It may be that my posts will be infrequent as I make the most of the time with the "grandies" and with Evette.

Merry Christmas to you all, may you have a wonderful day with family and friends.
Here is one of my favourite Christmas songs, if you are driving over Christmas take care.

Feel the Heat - Summer is here - Santa is on his way #4

Feel the heat, we certainly have been having some hot days over the past few weeks. We are experiencing the type of  weather we would normally have in  February, and the humidity has been unbearable. At present we are having drizzly rain showers, and although you would think this would bring some relief, it doesn't reduce the humidity. The farmers are already crying "drought" and the fields around us are looking parched.
 This field is around the corner from our house, and is looking very brown, this was taken a week ago.

 

The count down to Christmas is now into days, the Christmas tree is up and we have resolved the issue with the timer for the outside lights.
As I was putting the finishing touches to the tree, which I might add has taken me all week to do, I started thinking about the things on the tree that are traditional and have special meaning..

These decorations I bought a few years ago in memory of the pets that are no longer with us,

This paper star,  Samantha made for me when she was five, has adorned our Christmas Trees for the past 26 years...


And of course every Christmas I get my collection of Angels out and display them around our lounge..
These are two of my favourites..

 

 

Our Christmas Tree is adorned with Angels, bells and Christmas balls...

What traditions do you have at Christmas? Do you have special decorations that go on your tree every year?

Feel the heat - Summer is here - Santa is on his way #3

Oh no!! I feel the Christmas Grinch starting to take over. Work has stepped up  six notches and it is  just plain crazy. My head is full of the anticipation of Evette , Emma and Lucca arriving the day after Christmas Day, and all I want to do is go out to the airport and wait for them.

Yes I know there are 18 days to go before they arrive and I should "get a grip" and focus on the "now". But I just can't help myself. I think I may be a little excited.

My Christmas Tree is only half way completed, the lights are strung but the decorations are still waiting to be hung, as of today there are three decorations on the tree.

Christmas presents are nearly all bought, but not wrapped.

The outside lights are all up...but there is now a problem with the timer that controls the time they go on and when the turn off, it is doing neither. In fact there are no lights going on at all.

How are you all going with your Christmas preparations?
Are you super organised or do you just "wing it" and hope for the best?
Is your tree up, and your house decorated?

Here is a glimpse of what I have done so far.....

Gold is my theme for our Christmas Tree, with Angels and Stars being the main decorations.

 

Our old oak sideboard has my Christmas Candle and a beautiful red Begonia on it..

And St. Nicholas is  overseeing it all..

I think little steps are the order of the day. What do you think? After all how can you stay inside when the weather is just so gorgeous. Look at the sky this morning..

Scavenger Hunt Sunday..

1. In my Home..I have posted a photo of part of my garden, "more at my home " than "In my Home".

2. It's beginning to look a lot like......Christmas. I love this St. Nicholas that my daughter gave me a few years ago.

3. Sweet Treat.. My" addictive "sweet treat, Pineapple Lumps. Chocolate covered pineapple nougat.

4. Time..My collectors "Beatles" watch, the face of the watch is a pic of my favourite Beatles album, Abbey Road.

 

5. Everyday...When I go for my walk, I am in awe of the beauty that is around me. Sunrise this morning at 5.30am.

 

Shadow Shot Sunday

Thanks to Tracy over at Hey Harriet for hosting us, you can visit her over at Shadow Shot Sunday: http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/


This morning, while tidying the kitchen , the sun cast a shadow on the plug from the kettle. Perfect for Shadow Shot Sunday..

The weather here is hot, humid with no sign of rain.  How's the weather at your house?

Random Pics from November..

At the end of each month I like to share some photos that have not been posted on my blog. I  limit the number of pics to four or five, and try and show very different shots of my world. Here are my November Random Pics....

1 & 2) Diwali ( Celebration of Lights) when the Indian community celebrate a very important part of the year. Beautiful bright saris worn by young women so very proud of their culture.

3 & 4) The beaches on our west coast are surf beaches and very wild. This is Hamilton's Gap, rugged hills, and sand dunes...

5) Soft pink rose petals with black flax taken at the rose garden ..