Friday night fireworks in the city!

Last night we took the train into the city to see the opening night of Adelaide Festival of Arts. We had packed a picnic full of yummy food and fruits and watched the fireworks before we explored the arts.

Afterwards we strolled from one light and sound installation to the next and immersed ourselves in the very best international digital art. From large-scale projections to extraordinary laser works, building-mapping projects, and more intimate, interactive experiences, a fantastic experience! As much a family experience as a contemporary art exhibition - lucky it is on for an entire fortnight as I am sure we will return again and again during the festival, to see everything from the series of faces projected in trees to a larger-than-life three dimensional elephant light up this iconic precinct in the most unforgettable way!

And then we lost our train back home......and had to wait for a whole hour. The kids were so tired! The next train home was at 22:20!

Things about me

For assembly this week, Agnes and Elliot's class had prepared posters exploring who they are.

Agnes:

I like to explore new things and I have a twin sister. My mum comes from norway and I have been there. I have another sister called Milla.

Elliot:

I am unique because I am flexible and I can do the splits. My mum comes from Norway. I am a twin with Agnes. I am smart. I love my guinea pig. I am a good writer. I am pretty. I love school.

Happy Monday!

Cuddles before school :-)

The littlest Bilby

Milla (wearing her Luhkka) prepared a book report for school. The book she chose was The smallest Bilby and the midnight star. She made a drawing and completed the writings about the book, then brought it in to read it to everyone. Her drawing was amazing - look at the cute little Bilby!!

Weekend!

Before she went to bed last night, Elliot said: 'I've been waiting for the weekend!'

It is here!! Yay, weekend!!!

Hey valentine!

The girls made valentine's day treats for their class mates.

Red love heart chocolates and - their favourite activity lately - home made word search puzzles! Be my valentine!

Lovehearts!

Milla made us all Valentine's Day chocolates with popping candy...mmmmmm!

Lunch with GG

This is GG aka Ada aka great-grandma!

Is it because I'm cute?

The school chose to put a picture of Elliot on the front on their webpage. She asked: 'Is it because I'm cute?' And Gregg asked 'why do you think they chose it?'

She replied 'actually I think it's be because I look so happy - but my pigtails look kinda cute'.

She does look cute my lil' Elliot.

Buorre idit!

Milla's turn to say good morning this week at school:

She is teaching them all Sápmi :-)

Our Flinders Ranges Camping Trip!

Last school holidays we went camping with friends at Wilpena Pound. It is a crater-like natural amphitheater located in the Flinders Ranges National Park about 430 kilometres from Adelaide. Isn't it beautiful?

Even little Ted tagged along...he is Milla's special friend.

Fruit salad for driving snacks. It took us about 5 hours to get there.

And local cookies from some old ladies in a small town somewhere...

The road out there was so, so beautiful. Hours and hours with beauty like this...

The word Wilpena in the local Aboriginal dialect means a “place where fingers bend” or a “cupped hand”, and possibly related to a way how this place protects its’ local nature and wildlife from the surrounding desert.

For the first white man who stepped on to this aboriginal land, the valley surrounded by hills and mountains looked like a giant cattle-pound. So, this place was called – Wilpena Pound.

According to an ancient Aboriginal legend, some time during a Dreamtime, two giant serpents (Akurra or Arkaroo), each 20 kilometers long, surrounded a hunting party who were preparing for a ceremony. After the long and desperate battle, hunters killed the snakes and their bodies petrified forming the walls of the Wilpena Pound. Two peaks of the Wilpena Pound – St Mary’s Peak and Beatrice Hill – are heads of these serpents. We went for long walks and climbed the peaks while were there. The highest point is St. Marys Peak, approximately 1170 meters above the sea level. I couldn’t find an official height of this peak – different sources mention different heights, I saw – 1188, 1194, 1170 and 1171 meters.

Two places around Wilpena Pound that we explored were the Casneaux's Tree and the Blinman Pools. Cazneaux’s Tree, near Wilpena Pound, is named after photographer Harold Cazneaux whose photograph of the tree in 1937 ‘Spirit of Endurance’ won international acclaim. In it's solitude it is breathtakingly beautiful.

We also trekked up to St Mary's peak.  Emus e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e!  One of our hikes went out to the Blinman Pools. We drove as far as we could and then we went for a bush walk for a couple of hours. Wildlife abounds as you wind your way through the rocky creekbed to the Blinman Pools. There are cascading waterfalls, majestic river red gums and wedgetailed eagles.  So refreshing with a cool dip after a sweaty walk! One day on one of our excursions we even found a cooking 'festival' a small town I have forgot the name of: Every dish tells a story! Mr C wanted to sign up but we were too late to  join :-( Grasshoppers all over the place! Mr C's lunch Always room for home-made scones and jam! Marshmallows at the campfire after a long day At our campsite the kids had SO much fun. Here are some pictures from their favourite activity: catching grasshoppers! A whole box full of grasshoppers! After deciding to try and eat them (!), they had to be washed of course... The kids persuaded Michelle to fry them up for them (because they were quite chewy uncooked) A little bit of garlic and pepper... Ok, let's eat!!! Jacob first... ...Zack next... ...and Elliot... No probs! Mmmmmmm! Oh my god - SO MUDDY!!! Making mud cakes! Nice warm showers and pyjamas time with marshmallows! Doesn't get any better than this! And then this little fella' had breakfast with us in the morning!! Found a new use for the bull-bar on the car! Perfect place to sit for a ride around the campground! And time to go back home.....Agnes is sad... But what a wonderful trip away we had! Loved every second!