Sydney

On his first night home from Sydney, Max moved his mattress into Jesse and Louisa's room to tell Jesse all about the trip. After mentioning the highlights - which follow - he told her that 'In Sydney they are obsessed with convicts and the holocaust.' Here's why:

Lee & Joan flew to Sydney and Roger and I drove with Peet, Louisa and Max. (Tom had work and Jesse was on her big swag camping adventure - we didn't leave them at home on purpose.)

Funny thing - it used to take us exactly 12 hours to drive to Sydney to go the temple - this time it took 14 hours. We think the extra time was taken up with stopping to see lambs, calves, the Standing Stones at Glen Innes and so on - when we had lots of little kids in the car there was no way anyone was getting out of the car unnecessarily - it was too hard to get them all back in the car.

The first day was Old Government House at Parramatta - loved it and would really like a warming oven but neither Lee nor Roger seem all that willing to build me one.

We might have some geraniums cuttings from the grounds too.

Lunch was on the side of the road while the boys admired the motorbikes at Deuc (?) Motorbikes.

Then on to the Jewish Museum. We've all been before but Max was a bit young last time. Sadly there were no holocaust survivors as guides this time. Max did get to ask one of the volunteers his burning question. We read Erica's Story recently and it left Max wondering why Jews still wear the Star of David when it has such an awful history. Max told us that 'she said it is because she is proud to be a Jew - but in a lot more words than that.'

Roger and Peet bought me a Shabbat knife for my birthday (Peet put money in from his magic money pants.) Louisa bought a sweet little figurine of a cellist. And I may have bought a book or two.

Then Glebe Books and chocolate coated fruit from the David Jones Food Hall because they are both addictions - I may have bought another book or two - Bill and Tony's for dinner - and home to bed.

The next day was the point of the trip - the Museum of Sydney was hosting Skint - an exhibit about the Depression years in Sydney. It was worth the trip. (Possibly another book!)

You will note that Roger has no coat and is wearing shorts while the rest of us are rugged up - that's because he is very tough - and also he left his warm clothes at home.

Next stop was Hyde Park Barracks Museum - a theme is developing. I love this museum and it was on Louisa's list of things she wanted to do again in Sydney.

Joan took Louisa and Max back up to these hammocks for a lie down. As they walked out the staff asked if they enjoyed the hammocks - horrified looks all round followed by relief and laughter when the staff said it is allowed and they just enjoy teasing people who think it is contraband.

Then home for lunch - we missed the bus so Lee & Joan took the monorail and we walked. Our bus stop was outside the Australian Museum - which we were never going to but Lee headed up the steps anyway - it seemed reasonable - just one more museum.

May Gibbs house was next - it was the one thing that Peet said he would really like to see again - and I figure when a 15 year old boy wants to see May Gibbs house again you make it happen. It is a lovely place.

Roger and Lee flew home - and made it safely in spite of the crazy man on the flight who was trying to send text messages mid flight!!

Since there was no way I was driving in peak hour traffic we spent the next morning on the harbour and eating chocolate bananas. It was also my birthday - Peet presented the knife on behalf of Roger, Max gave me a drawing he worked on during the drive down, Joan and Le gave me the kookaburra napkin ring I have been pining for since I saw it an antique shop and Louisa crocheted the most gorgeous camera cover. She worked on it during the drive too - and I kept commenting that the colours were great - and each time I did Max would turn to Louisa and silently mouth 'YES'. (Jesse and Thomas had fruit teas waiting for me at home too and Anne presented a great necklace.)

But I braved the traffic at midday and - bless the GPS - it was all fine. We drove out to the temple and then on to Wisemans Ferry and Windsor. We were actually looking for a pet shop that was there years ago and sold exotic pets. Louisa assured Roger that we wouldn't buy anything unless it was 'absolutely irresistible' - this did not really reassure Roger. But he needn't have worried because we couldn't find the pet shop. We did find St Matthews church where Roger's first fleet ancestors are buried (more convicts).

Finally it was a long drive home via Kempsey to see the museum designed by Glenn Murcutt then Coffs Harbour.

Lovely trip - even if they are obsessed with convicts and the holocaust.

Sewing savant

I think Jesse may be a sewing savant - she made this for the medieval ball - it was her first time ever sewing with a pattern - there is lining and it's a stretchy velvety fabric - no way in the world would I have attempted such a procedure. But Jesse charged in and I can hardly believe she did it.

This sewing talent does not come from me. But she said the best costume of the night was actually on Gav and Michelle Stevenson who went as St George and the Dragon.

(I am not a photography savant - it was better in real life.)

Max is 10

Max had the perfect birthday. He told me a few weeks earlier that he had no real wants for his birthday because 'as you get older you have less wants and more needs - like a scientific calculator when you go to high school.' So with no real wants - and no unmet needs - presents were a bit hit and miss - luckily they were all hits.

Roger and I gave him a compass, a beanie I crocheted since Lisha's beanies were so appealing, and a new book by Isobel Carmody. Louisa and Peet presented light sabers to go with the Lego Star Wars wii game and Jesse and Tom presented a boxed set of hot wheels - Max is always keen on boxed sets of anything.

He loved them all and proudly took them to school since Jesse was working on his birthday and could mind his treasures when they weren't being shown off.

Max's friend Declan - a Pine kid who lives just down the road - had a sleep over. There was an afternoon tea with the cousins and a birthday menu of Chicken Spaghetti salad and vinegar cake with cream cheese icing.

Peet made a treasure hunt using the compass for Max to find Lee & Joan's present - a telescope he had his eye on when we were in Sydney. And Anne and Caroline sent cash. Robert and Samuel brought a carefully wrapped nerf gun - Samuel assured Max that if I wouldn't let him have the nerf gun Samuel would be happy to have it.

Roger made it home in time for cake then left for meetings at church and Max and Declan settled in for a happy night watching movies and laughing.

It was beyond sweet to watch him being so happy and proud of his presents, and so thankful. He is a delight for all of us.

We started a new birthday tradition - who knows if it will take. I bought a book for everyone at the birthday dinner to write in - the idea being that we will keep adding to it - so this years entries were from Kim, Roger, Tom, Jesse, Peet, Louisa, Declan and Lee. My original idea was to buy one book for the whole family but Louisa and Max said we should get one each so that they can take it when they leave home. Roger was immediately in favour of individual books - anything that comes with an implied promise of leaving home one day is a good thing in his opinion.

Nathan

Nathan left for the MTC, farewelled by all and sundry.

Kites

On an especially windy Saturday Louisa and Max remembered that buried underneath Max's cupboard they had kites!

It was a success.

And Louisa didn't even have to change out of her pyjamas.

To the Ball

Jesse was reluctant but felt obliged to attend the YSA Ball - besides Tom and Kathleen were going. A quick scout around the family wardrobe yielded a Collette Dinnigan dress and Gucci shoes from Petie and a velvet jacket from Vientiane from Joan, and earrings and a clutch from Jesse's stash and she was done and looking great.

Kathleen was about as quick to get ready and looked lovely - Tom just looked happy to be there.

All in all it was a fun night - they left early when Kathleen had been up for 23.5 hours straight and came home for a long sleep.

Alec ...

.. is in Narooma - about 260 km south of Wooloongong. The new mission president told him to be creative and have fun - and to wear street clothes and go hang out along the river banks and jetties to contact people.

You'd have to believe in inspiration.

He spent about 3 weeks in Chatswood (Greenwich Ward) which he really enjoyed - he was with the Chinese speaking missionary and so the lessons were simple - just Alec's style. Then a new mission president took over and he's in heaven again.

Except that it is bitterly cold -and because the Sydney North Mission and Sydney South Mission merged the rules got a bit confused. South missionaries took their blankets with them to each new area and North missionaries left theirs in the flat - so he arrived to icy conditions with no blankets. All part of the fun.

The Scariest Movie of All Time

Because Tom's girlfriend, Kathleen, came up from Melbourne for the YSA Ball, Thomas and Jesse had a few friends over for a bonfire and movie night. We projected the movie on to the side of the new site hut that will be the QPI office - and made it a scary one. The scariest movie ever made in fact.

When I was maybe 10 years old, Samantha and Petie and I watched House of Wax. I don't quite know how we got away with that but it scared the living daylights out of all of us. For the rest of my childhood I had to have the bed near the door - the other two reasoned that I was the oldest - therefore I had lived the longest - therefore it was only fair that the wax man should take me first. We must have watched the movie without permission because though all three of us were cowering in our beds we never did tell Lee or Joan till we were adults. I slept with one eye open for years. But I did eventually get over it - Sam stills credits that movie for her fear of fire and Petie cannot sleep with an unlocked window - no matter what.

Louisa will back me up - she came in part way into the movie and burst into tears saying it was just too scary - and had nightmares that night.

Max disagrees - he thinks it was funny - what would Max know.

By the way - we like Kathleen very much - she quilts - she's a nurse - and she got ready for the ball in 20 minutes - what's not to like.

Hepburn

Louisa tells me that David and Granny both said she looks like "Ordinary Hepburn - but I don't even know who that is."

Actually it's Audrey - and actually she does.

Samson and ....Toshiba?

Max's primary teacher - Nathaniel Watts - has a knack for story telling and for making Max love him. Today's lesson was about Samson. Max spent all evening interrupting conversations to share another fun fact about Samson.

One of which was that Samson was named after a TV.

Think Samsung.

He's a child of the 21st century!