The last few days....

Container arrived - tick

Sleeping in a bed again - oh yes, tick!

Children have all of their long awaited toys - tick

House feels like a home - tick

Organised - ....mostly, tick!

Damage to our 172 boxes of belongings - tick, unfortunately there was some damage to a piece of Isla's furniture but that was it!

In hindsight I wonder if the wait was a little too much for Finn & Isla as they have been without most of their belongings for 7 months and they were so desperately excited to see everything.  The upside is that they are welcoming all of their toys like they have never seen them before and they are all like brand new to them!  We bought then some lovely welcome to the new house toys (large farm set for Finn and a huge dolls house for Isla) which we haven't even given to them yet as they are still rediscovering everything else!

 Toy time chaos

 Yes, I built the track!  Finn told me numerous times what a good track it was.  New table puts it all at just the right height.  Oh, how they have missed their Thomas train track.

 Obligatory over sized BBQ.  Construction Manager and Chief helper and screw loser.

 The finished article which has now been used twice with great success.  What's not to like - Andy cooking for the 1st time ever..!

 It was a very hot day when he put the barbie together and it took him 4 hours to construct.  With a little cajoling it was decided that a dip in the pool to celebrate after was a good idea.

 Action shot.  It was mighty cold - 21 degrees!  Refreshing I say.  Well I did from the edge!

 

 Andy decided to use the goggles and hoover the leaves out of the pool at the same time.  Very enterprising.

 And today we have been here - the famous Blue Mountains.  The 3 Sisters.  Bloody cold though!  After a few hot days at home I decided to wear my oh so lovely summery linen trousers.  13 degrees it was.  Slightly warmer in the sun.  Chilly!

 My very favourite little people.  They were very appreciated by some Korean tourists.  I thought they said they were from North Korea and they were horrified when they realised.  They were very quick to assure me they were from South Korea!  Quick read of the Wiki on North Korea and I completely understand why!

 Steepest railway in the World.  We all went on, queue Indiana Jones music and me panicking a little.  Kids loved it.

 We all survived and made it to the bottom.  Love them.

Super cute, totally cuddly, lovely company, smiley, happy, loud, screaming, sometimes stroppy, flexible, well adjusted & completely gorgeous. x

The park, Sydney Marathon & The Entrance

Good times.  Very good times.  We have had a lovely few days and here are some pictures of our intrepid adventures.

Fairyland Park - Lane Cove.  We have been here twice now.  Lovely well trodden paths through the gum trees and boardwalks over the swampy bits.  What an adventure playground for little people.  Always got a stick in their hands on a walk.  Always.

Sydney Marathon 2010.  We watched the winner romp over the finish line outside The Opera House.  We were up against the rails about 10 feet back from the tape.  Very exciting as he raced in with a helicopter overhead filming his win!

The girls at the finish line - lots of clapping from Isla.  Too cute!

On our adventures this morning, we packed up the car and drove 1 hour 30 mins North ish to The Entrance via a little tiny ferry at Berowra Waters.  Finn & Isla strapped in a ready to go and BBQ!

The back of our car packed for 1 day of family fun and a barbie.  One day I tell you!  I dread to think of the luggage for a weeks camping or such.

Andy's brand new mode of transport!  How exciting.  I went in the car with the children and Andy followed to get a little practice in before he takes on the commute on this in a couple of weeks time.  

Berowra Waters.  Breathtaking area.  This is where we caught a small chain operated ferry to cross about 500 yds.  Free & 24 hours a day!

Andy in my rear view.

Our route on Andy's phone - plotted by the GPS.

The Chef for the day.  Not bad hey...?!?

The lunchtime view from our picnic table.  Wow.  ....and Pelicans!

The Critics.  Thumbs up from them.  Daddy did well.  In fairness though if it doesn't move then they will give it a go....and sometimes even if it does!  Isla has progressed to king prawns.  We shell them and she eats them!

Post coleslaw.

I love how Isla is perusing the view with her hands behind her back.

A good buy.  Hours of endless fun....!  We have 2 and they still argue over them though..

Maverick.  Eat your heart out.

Wonderful beach.  We shared it with a few surfers and a few walkers and could see for miles and miles.

Industrious little person.

Literally.  Hours and hours....!

Sand angels.

Sometimes we had it all to ourselves.

Isla and I spent quite some time running away from and running into the waves.  We had a scream!  Until she fell over.  In the water.  She recovered well though!

Just like Daddy.

Note to self:  Must blog more regularly as when I do I spend ages doing a monstrous update and have forgotten half of the good stuff.  I will try.  Still "camping" in doors at the moment as our container is still not here.  Should be the end of this week - beginning of next week.  Fingers crossed.  I miss my sofa.  And my bed.  I am soooo over the whole air bed thing!

Home for the next 12 months

Got the keys and have started to move in.  Our air freight has arrived - hoorah!  Finn and Isla have been reunited with their scooters after a long 4 weeks - much excitement ensued!  The garden is wonderful and filled with fragrant jasmine and even an orange tree which has 2 oranges on it at the moment.  I love it.

Our container has arrived in Sydney, 10-14 days to clear customs and be delivered.  After not having a home of our own since January I am immensely excited about unpacking all of our lovely and familiar things and making a home again.  Finn cannot believe how long he has been without his toys and talk of the famous container arriving is now an every day occurrence.

Andy has a job - double hoorah!  It's a great position working for an American International company.  He really wanted it and the benefit package is great.  Happy days.

So, back to our new home.  A few pictures from today before we fill it with all of our things.

Good times - Finn & Isla with their air freight toys.

A kitchen to call my own....it's all mine...!

Open plan living

The front aspect!

Covered terrace at the front

The lovely garden backs onto the reserve full of gum trees teeming with parrots and kookaburras.  Finn & Isla love it (....so do I)!

Patio begging for little peoples bikes

The best bit as summer is coming....

A day trip into the city

Good news:  We have found a house!  Huge relief.  It is a 4 bed house out of Sydney a bit in a wonderful suburb which is just starting to back onto the acerage properties here.  So, room for visitors!    It seems to have a really nice community and there are some great pre-schools around there.  And the good news.....it has a pool for the summer!

More good news - my very good friend Marky and his fiancee Kat are visiting us this weekend for a few nights!  I can't quite believe we have only been here 2 weeks and we have a visitors coming already.  Long may it continue!  So excited.  Haven't seen him since January and it feels so long.

We took a day off yesterday for the family and caught the ferry into the city.  We parked for free at Huntleys point early and our tickets for the whole family return were $5!  This was the 1st time since we have been here that we have not had the whole car buying and house renting Sword of Damocles hanging over us.  We got off at Circular Quay and walked into The Rocks.  The markets were in full flow when we got there and we browsed and appreciated the gorgeous sunshine.  Bought a paperweight made from glass for our new home and 3 wooden models for Finn & Isla to put together - Koala, Kangaroo & Crocodile.  German fare for lunch in Lowenbrau which was good fun and busy - Australian Fathers Day here yesterday.  We then walked on around to the botanical gardens.  The children played in the gardens and in the trees and walked the whole way round.  Took in the flying foxes which amazed our two.  The locals however, not so much!  We all walked around faces skyward, amazed and were obviously new to the area.

Next we headed over to the monorail which Finn had been requesting for about the last 10 days - he was desperate to go on it.  So we did a circuit and then got off at Darling Harbour for drinks and some nibbles before catching the ferry back to the car.  I do honestly love the Sydney skyline as dusk draws in and the lights come on and twinkle from the back of a ferry as we pull out of the wharf.  There is nothing quite like it and I can't believe when I see it how lucky we are to have the opportunity to live here.

The boys enjoying a hot chocolate and a frappucino as we approach the markets in The Rocks.  Have to get into the mindset of the children wearing hats even though it is only just Spring.  The sun is still strong even if it is still quite chilly.

I think Isla looks so much like me but look at those eyes!  Andy through and through.  They both have gorgeous green eyes which are much darker around the iris.  This was at lunch - waiters in lederhosens!

Tree climbing in the Botanical Gardens.

Some of those trees were quite an effort for one so small!

It's remarkably hard getting a good picture of them together...  I like this one - Isla looks so enquiring.

Pile on....pile on....always interesting with a Daddy with a sore back...

Still in the Botanical Gardens - that is Finn & Isla running over to the pyramid.  My intrepid adventurers!

Walking back through the city to the monorail.  Finn having a little ride with "weapon" in hand.  Poor Daddy kept getting poked.  "Ooops, sorry Daddy..." was heard a lot.

What a great end to a fab time.  Two boat rides in one day - lucky littlies.

 We all slept well that night....