At the beginning of August, Dad went on a skiing holiday to New Zealand with his mates; yeah, it's a great life for some! Mum and I didn't go, mostly because they decided to travel around in campervans from ski field to ski field, which didn't sound particularly comfortable (we prefer five-star chalet luxury!); oh, and because it would be bloody cold. I do have a vast array of winter hats, and some nice warm jackets, but I think it would've been a bit much going to the snow at my age.
Rather than stay home and miss Dad, Mum and I decided that we would visit Nan and Pa instead. So we packed up the car and headed off there for five nights. We had a lovely time, but I was going through a bit of a "grizzly-don't want to sleep stage", so I made Mum's life a bit difficult. Pa was a good help, though; Nan had to work at the hospital a few nights while I was there, so we didn't see her as much.
One day we went across to Yarrawonga to have lunch with Uncle Matt, Aunty Jane and my cousin James, which was great fun. It was really cool to see them all again, and this time I really recognised my cousin! Check out our meeting on YouTube, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZVSkS1uCYA . (Incidentally, you can also check out James' blog, at http://thetinklerfamily.blogspot.com )
On the way back from Yarrawonga we stopped at Tocumwal to visit some more relatives -- my Great Uncle Tony, Great Aunty Debbie, and second cousins Natalie, Mick and Anna. I'd never met them before, but we hit it off straight away! They gave me a lovely present, and took some photos of us hanging out together. It was really fun.
While I was down that way, I also caught up with my Great Aunty Bernardette and Great Uncle Colin, who live in Jerilderie. I had met Bernardette before, while she was in hospital in Melbourne, and it was lovely to see her again. They both gave me lots of cuddles!
When we left Nan and Pa's, we had an extra something with us -- Nan! She came back to Canberra to spend a few days with us there and to help prepare for my Christening, which was to be the weekend Dad got back.
Charlotte and Carla come to visit
On the Friday before my Christening, Mum's best friend Carla and her little girl, Charlotte, arrived at our house. They had planned to come a few days sooner, but Charlotte had come down with a nasty cold. Anyway, they were going to stay the weekend for the Christening, and an extra day after that so that we could all hang out together. I reckon Charlotte is pretty cute; can you believe I'm already having chicks for sleepovers?! Yeah, I'm pretty cool!
My Christening
My Christening was on Sunday, 17 August. I was lucky to have lots of family travel from far away to be there -- Matt, Jane and James came from Wodonga; Great Aunt Caroline came from Kiama; Nan and Pa from Jerilderie; Kerrie, Michael, Ella, Jack and Lily from Cootamundra. Charlotte's dad, Sam, also came up from Coleambally; he caught a ride up with Pa the day before.
The Christening was at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Curtin, and the priest's name was Father Tony Frey. He was really lovely, and I was very grateful that he warmed up the water before he poured it over my head!
My Godparents are my Mum's friend Narelle, my dad's mate James, and my uncle Paul, who lives in Canada. He was there in spirit.
After the official duties were done, we all went back home and had a bit of a party. Mum and Dad had organised a lunch, which was lovely, and thankfully the weather was quite nice -- it was still cold, but the sun was out which helped a lot. Everyone had a good time, and most people left in the late afternoon. Oh, and I got lots of great presents -- yippee!!
Special Visitors
The following week we had some very special visitors arrive -- my Uncle Paul, and cousins Reilly and Chloe, who had come all the way from Canada. Reilly had last been in Australia when she was just a few months old (she's now 7) and Chloe, 6, had never been, so it was very exciting to have them here. It was also great to meet Paul; I'm told he'll teach me to play Aussie Rules footy when I'm older, cos that's kinda his passion.
They arrived in Canberra the Friday after my Christening, and stayed until the following Tuesday. The Murphys from Cootamundra, and Nan and Pa, also came up to see them and we all spent a lovely weekend together. We took them to the national science centre, Questacon, to the War Memorial (where my mum works when she is not having babies!), and to the Australian Institute of Sport. It was so wonderful to have them here, but my cousins sure do sound different -- they have funny accents!!
My second family holiday
August was so busy that Mum and Dad decided that we should take another family holiday at the end of the month. This time we took a plane ride to Noosa Heads, in Queensland. I know
some people love planes, but not me -- they hurt my ears. Mum did her best to stop it hurting by feeding me, but I really wasn't very happy on the trip. So it looks like we can rule out a career as a pilot!
Once we got to Noosa, though, I was really happy. Wow, it was so warm up there! I loved not having to be all rugged up in winter clothes -- I got in some very important naked time, just hanging out on the rug in our apartment. Oh, and Mum and Dad took me for my very first swim, too! The pool was heated, which was nice, but it still wasn't as warm as my baths so I found it a little chilly. There was a spa as well, though, which was really toasty, so I enjoyed being in there. Check out my very cute all-in-one bathing suit -- I'm very chic!
We actually went to Noosa to attend a wedding -- mum's old uni mate, James. He got married
to Whitney in a lovely garden by the beach, and then had a fabulous party at a restaurant overlooking the ocean. It was such a great night, and I was pretty good for Mum and Dad. I think they may have indulged in a little too much champagne, though!
While in Noosa we went for some lovely long walks together, and paid a visit to the Eumundi Markets. Mum and Dad bought a very cute puppet for me -- it's a rabbit in a top hat, and I giggle every time the rabbit pops out! We also had lunch one day with James and Whitney, and called into see the parents of another one of Mum's friends, Eliza. It was just a really relaxing, fun holiday together; I hope we get to do lots more of those in the future!!
Goodbye to the Canadian Cousins
Our return trip from Noosa left a bit to be desired: bad weather (heavy rain and high winds) meant the plane couldn't land at Maroochydore airport, so we had to catch a bus down to Brisbane and get on a flight there. That flight was delayed, so we had to wait around for ages. We were meant to get back to Canberra at 4.30, but it was nearly 7.30 when we eventually got home.
Anyway, when we did finally arrive Pa picked us up at the airport and we got to our house to find Nan had cooked a lamb roast -- yay! Uncle Paul and my cousins Reilly and Chloe were also there; they were flying out of Canberra and back to Canada the next day. It was great to see them one last time before they left; I hope it won't be too long before we see them again.
No comments:
Post a Comment