What a wonderful photo this is !

You two are having too much fun I think!

You are a wonderful big brother to Poppy, Toby.

O- M- G It's a My Little Pony ! ! ! !

Darling Poppy is sitting up.

The world is your oyster now little missy!

Surrounded by dinosaurs and you find the pink my little pony.... that's my girl !

What a darling little poppet you are.

Duncan and Julia's Year 11 Art Projects

Well done Duncan and Julia !

I do love your reflection in the back of the wooden crate, Julia. A nice twist.

Gala Day - End of the soccer season 2011

BU18 Runners Up - Lindfield








Battling to field a full team - again. But the guys played very well. Nice way to end the season.

Lindfield Soccer Team U18

Duncan about to take a free kick.

This is a late posting dating back to August. Over the 3 months of the soccer season we thought ourselves lucky as we only had one game played in the rain. Quite a few were postponed due to wet fields but to play in the fog, where just seeing the opposing goals was difficult - now that was a first. Duncan is #14 (navy & white stripe)

Our Noisy Neighbours Come to Visit.

Julia and I are taking advantage of the lovely mild spring day out on the deck. Yes we do leave some seeds out for the various parrots that come to visit.
Today, 17 + sulphur crested cockatoos came to check us out.

Well hello to you too!

All together now........

Such show-offs!

St Ives High School SRC Executive 2012

I was lucky enough to attend the Students Representatives Council induction ceremony held in the school hall today, in front of their peers from year 7 through year 12. The outgoing SRC was thanked for their efforts and wished well in their imminent HSC exams before introducing the newly elected SRC.

Michael Gates (School Captain) Julia Clark (Vice-Captain) Angela Taljaard (School Captain) & Michael Weinand (Vice-Captain).

As you can see by the numerous photos I'm a very proud mum. Plus I love to see young women achieve and push themselves to step out of the box. Angela and Julia worked together in the debating team as well as the very successful Mock Trial team. Both challenging extra cariculum activities and it shows.

2012 SRC St Ives High School

Left to right: Michael Weinand (Vice-Captain); Jason Dooley (SRC member); back, Michael Gates (Captain);
front, Angela Taljaard (Captain); back, Tyler Martin (SRC member); front, Julia Clark (Vice-Captain);
back, Madeleine Davies (SRC member); front, Georgia Turner (SRC member).

SRC Induction Ceremony SIHS 2011 - 1012

Julia pinning on her Vice-Captain badge at the induction ceremony. We are very proud of your efforts Julia. You will go far!

Constant Visitors

Spring has sprung, as you can see by the almond tree in blossom, one of the few signs of the changing seasons in our garden.

Some of our noisy neighbours waiting for the seed bowl to be filled.

3 Sulphur Crested Cockatoos
Each night we have 50+ cockatoos vying for position the the gum trees before they roost for the night. Such a special gully we live in.

Louisa Goes Exploring

Australian Wallabies at play.

How lucky to run into our team while at Coogee Bay, of all places.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,

Oi, Oi, Oi !

Louisa Goes Exploring

Well who do I spy?

The Australian Rugby Union Team at Coogee Bay Oval. With the Rugby World Cup starting this month in New Zealand I felt pretty chuffed to come across the guys at practise.

Quade Cooper, (back) and cute as a button James O'Connor (front)

That was 45 minutes well spent.

Louisa Goes Exploring

Coogee Bay Swimming Pool

I find it interesting that many Australian beaches have a public swimming pool cut into the rocks at one end of these beaches, filled with sea water, tide trapped fish, sometimes seaweed, sand and shells. Why when the beaches are magnificent, long and safe, well relatively safe, if you don't count the sharks. I expect the safely issue is the reason, still it makes me wonder.

Louisa Goes Exploring

While filling in 3 hours + waiting for Julia to complete her Spanish exams I went exploring around the Coogee Bay - Randwick area of Sydney. I came across this wonderful cemetery, Waverly Cemetery, dating from 1877. Sitting on the cliff tops looking out over the Pacific Ocean, I admit I was pleasantly surprised. When growing up it was nothing unusual for us as a family to pull up beside an old cemetery and wander the rows reading names and dates, inventing lives and occupations for those we came across.

Didn't all families do this?

Duncan and Julia's Year 11 Art Projects

Julia's Year 11 Art Project

1 - Photos mounted on foam core. Subject - model of a human heart. Photos taken on disposable cameras. Cameras subjected to various treatment, frozen, submerged in water, in zip-loc bag, and various treatment over lenses.

2 - 3D piece Slated wooden crate, representing a ribcage, lined with mirror and reflective paper with model heart suspended.

Duncan and Julia's Year 11 Art Projects

Duncan's Year 11 Art Projects

#1 Religion is out theme. 4 canvases painted in acrylic using bronze additions to illuminate the paint. Overlayed with hand cut stencils representing stained glass church windows.

Featuring a large spider centred over highlights using a hand cut stencil.

#2 3D Element. Cathedral made from fallen sticks and bark. Smaller representation of the featured stain glass window is placed in the church tower, lit by a battery candle. Hidden inside the church is a large spider. Cobwebs are woven over the structure using stands of hot glue.