Zombie Zac and the Billy Cart of Doom

Here are Zac dressed as a zombie for a school assembly, and Tash, not dressed as a zombie, proudly showing off our billy cart.

It took us a few weeks, but we finally collected all the things we needed to put it together - wheels, the frame from an old barbecue, a shopping cart, some old rope, a few nuts and bolts and washers.

So thanks to all the people who left their junk outside in the council clean-up.

Sadly, not long after the billy cart had been created, it flew down a steep and bendy hill and crashed into the gutter.

Unfortunately, Zac was driving at the time, and moments after he was in the gutter as well.

Here is the proof. Scabs.

See if you can spot the hidden six-year old in the photo.

Ant.

We didn't go to Echo Point

Well, that's not strictly true. We've been to Echo Point a number of times since we moved out here to the Blue Mountains.

Echo Point is in Katoomba, the biggest township up here, and as you can see, it's where you get the biggest views, looking out over the Jamison Valley towards Mt Solitary, or nearer to the Three Sisters.

I never get tired of the spot. It at once puts you in your place, a mere speck against nature's backdrop, and yet at the same time opens up vistas inside yourself, vistas too easily forgotten or ignored in the day-to-day.

But these excellent photos were taken by Meryl, Judy's sister, who has come out from England with a friend Sam to stay with us for a couple of weeks before flying up to Coffs Harbour to see Lara and the gang.

This is my first post on the blog for a few weeks, which I guess means that we're well and truly settling in now and have slowed down with the touristy stuff. It's not so interesting posting entries about shopping and walking the kids to school.

Fascinating though that kind of thing might be to me.

Ant.

Mr Incredible Came Over

A rare sighting of Mr Incredible outside of his movie career.

Alex, Zac and Hamish in our kitchen in Hughes Avenue, with Tash obscured behind them all.

Ant.

A South Lawson Bush Walk

The winter holidays seem like ancient history now that school has been back for a couple of weeks, but here are some photos from the bush walk Tash and Zac and I went on with some of our friends from the neighbourhood.

As you can see, Zac found some warpaint with which to adorn his savage features. And we found some great waterfalls.

Ant.

Sports Day

Sports Day here in Australia was not all that dissimilar to the Oxford variety - a series of event stations manned by parents and teachers, between which the different groups of students rotated during the day.

It was a little more competitive, though. Whereas the St Christopher's sports day was hardly more than sports-like games and activities, with only the winning team being announced, Lawson at least was an athletics carnival, and embraced the running, the jumping and the throwing in the traditional manner.

In addition, the winners and runners-up in their age groups go on to the District Carnival later in the year, where there will be further striving towards the Zone Carnival and beyond.

So congratulations to Zac, first in the 10s Discus, and also for winning his heat in the 200m - as the top action shot above shows. Wow, I got one in focus!

Sadly, Tash wasn't quite as thrilled as Zac with the way the day panned out. When she heard that she was going to a carnival, she assumed the obvious.

Consequently, the lack of sweets, fairy floss and rides was a bit of a downer.

Ant.

Wentworth Falls

Wentworth Falls is two suburbs west of us here in Lawson, about ten minutes by car, and a popular destination for tourists of all shapes and
denominations.

To be fair the views are not quite as breath-taking as those you get a mere ten minutes further west in Katoomba, but it's still about a 7.9 on the Grandeur Scale.

The fish and chips in Wenty Falls are spectacular too,
possibly the best in the upper mountains.

The Choc Nut Top ice creams are fine as well.

I just eat the nice bits off and give the rest to the animals...er...the kids.

Ant.

We went to Taronga Zoo

A couple of weeks ago we drove down to Eastwood to link up with my mate Phil Stallard from the old days. Phil and I used to play in The Quarks together back in the late 80s, and now he is the driving creative force behind Big Fat Squid, as well as being a successful and critically acclaimed artist. Not that that has much to do with going to the zoo.

Phil and his wife Lisa have two boys, Jim and Max, around about the same age as Zac and Tash.

From Eastwood we all drove to Meadowbank and caught the ferry down the Parramatta River to Cricular Quay, from where it's but a short - and spectacular - ferry trip across Sydney Harbour to the zoo.

This was the first time we'd been in the heart of Sydney since we'd arrived in Australia, and the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House looked fantastic.

It's hard not to feel a bit sorry for some of the animals in the zoo - the tiger is clearly completely mad and spends the whole time padding back and forth in its cage with a crazy look in its eyes. And I've never liked the idea of elephants in cages, they're too big for that caper.

So it goes.