Happy New Year everyone, I hope you all had a good Christmas and didn’t partake too much of the strong stuff over the new year. We had an amazingly busy December as not only did we have Christmas but Zoe’s 2nd birthday party and a new year party here too. However, I will start at the beginning of December where we left off having been to watch the professional golfers do their thing on the Gold Coast.
Sorry, its a few days later than I had anticipated writing this, but we have just finished (well almost) a major project – making a new, larger decking area for the girls to play on and it has been exhausting in the 35 degrees of heat that we are experiencing at the moment.
The first week
The first weekend of December Tj wanted to clear out some of the clutter so she went to a car boot sale across the road and managed to sell around a 100 $au of “stuff”. Meanwhile, as it was swim class this morning, Bob and I offered to take the girls and Bob got in the pool with Zoe to do her lesson, while I sat on the side and watched Mia have hers, both girls have had lessons since they were little and love the water.
Monday morning and the girls are at home, the door wreath is almost complete so we finished it off, added lights and hung it up, the girls can’t wait until its dark to see it working.
During the afternoon the weather got very thundery and as I was getting changed upstairs there was a deafening bang and a startlingly bright light came at me through the window – I ran downstairs to tell Bob and Tj what had happened and they too had seen it through the lounge window. I have never before been afraid of thunderstorms, in fact, I quite like the smell of the air and the rumblings but this was a thunderbolt that hit the road outside the house thankfully missing the car. When I saw the neighbour a few days later she said she had seen the same, an experience I don’t want to repeat!
During the rest of the week Bob and I played golf at Victoria Park one day, the last time we played here I almost scored a “hole in one” – not so this time! We also did some Christmas shopping and had a playdate with one of TJs friends who has a new baby, (bit of ooh and ahh and a cuddle for everyone).
Adam and Bob spent some time in the loft trying to fix the tv signal, only to find that the thunderbolt had frizzled the box in the loft and he had to buy and fit a new one – not happy, just before Christmas. Wednesday was Zoe’s Christmas concert at daycare where the idea was that they all sang songs they had been practicing for weeks, however, Zoe, who had been singing these songs perfectly in the car, over and over again, suddenly became dumb along with several other children.
We have to remember that some of these children are less than a year old but they were so overwhelmed by all the parents standing in front of them expectantly, that they didn’t sing and all we could really hear was the teachers!! Everyone had taken a plate of food for after the concert, so as soon as the buffet was declared open, they all suddenly got their voices back, got up and tucked in.
For some time Tj had been considering buying a Thermomix machine, (it cuts, mixes, chops, sautee’s, stirs and cooks all in one) but its very expensive. She asked me to have a look at it to see what I thought so I went along to her friends’ house to get a demonstration of its capabilities and I was impressed. It also has a recipe store attached to it and you can download things to it, and it walks you through the recipe on an led screen. After dinner we had a family meeting where we discussed the pros and cons of purchasing this machine and our conclusion was that it would be good and healthy for the family. Thermomix ordered ….. can’t wait for it to arrive.
I woke early as usual today, Friday, and as I stretched and looked towards the window to see what was in store for us today I spied an intruder! There, brazen as can be was a very large spider, looking at me from the coving on the ceiling. OMG, I don’t mind normal spiders but this was huge. I rushed out of bed into Adam and TJs room asking for help …. did they have a spider catcher? Adam strolled in with a plastic sandwich box and a lid and just scooped it up and put it outside — phew. It was a Huntsman spider of medium size apparently but it looked gruesome to me.
Brisbane Council had made an enchanted garden in the Roma Street parkland and over the next few days the garden was open, free of charge for anyone to go and look. So Friday evening we met Claire, one of Tjs friends, and her children to visit the garden. O my, the queue was huge, Claire had arrived before us some 30 minutes before and she still hadn’t reached anywhere near the front of the queue. We slid in beside her and nobody complained, but we waited perhaps another 40 minutes before we were in. However, it was beautifully done and a credit to the gardeners, there were lights and fairies everywhere and the flower beds were manicured, Zoe kept stopping and looking at the flowers, not really interested in the lights, “yellow flower Nannie, red flower, pretty flower…. ” she is learning colours at the moment.
Adams next project is to build a better post box as the current one is a tin box on 
a very dilapidated wooden post. His idea was a little grand but we went with it and after several drawings we came up with a plan. As with all projects, they evolve as you work and we had to stop and re-evaluate on several occasions but by the end of the weekend we had a shape and a bit more of an idea as to how it was going to look. In the evening of Saturday Bob and I had tickets to go and see Paul McCartney at the Suncorp stadium, weather forecast for the weekend was heavy rain but so far it hadn’t arrived. We travelled to the stadium by train but as we arrived at Milton Station, the rain started and it poured and poured, the thunder roared and lightning flashed and it was so heavy that we couldn’t get out of the station.. Some very nice station people gave out some plastic ponchos so that some people could walk the last 200 yards to the stadium but unfortunately we didn’t manage to get one. There were heaps of people just waiting around and eventually about 20 mins later the rain eased enough to run for it. As we were about to go, an even nicer man asked if we would like a poncho to share as he had a spare – brilliant, Bob and I huddled under it and walked swiftly until we were inside the stadium. It was almost empty when we arrived as lots of people had also been stuck in the storm but we bought a hot drink and some chips and found our seats, great view but the wind and rain was coming into the stadium over the wall where our seats were so Bob had to take drastic action to stop his head getting wet.
Paul arrived on stage on time to a packed audience and sang for almost 3 hours non stop – he was amazing especially at 75 years of age. He sang lots of old Beatles and Wing songs along with a few new ones too. We left the stadium on a high, humming all the old songs he had sung as we walked back to the railway station.
2nd Week
The girls go to daycare on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays so on Monday, as the weather was hot I suggested a visit to Southbank beach with TJ and Bob.
Southbank beach is right in the city on the other side of the Brisbane river and is a manmade beach with pools for everyone to swim in, a water play area and cafes, so we spent the morning splashing in the pools and having a bit of lunch before bringing the girls back for their afternoon naps.
Tuesday is Bob and my day so we went up to Wantima golf, north of Brisbane for a round. We had seen lots of advertising for this course so thought we would try it out, unfortunately it was only mediocre in value and quality so ticked off the list of courses to play but not on the play again list ! Wednesday was gardening day, the front of the house will look great when the new post box is complete and installed but it just needs a bit of tidying and moving a few plants around to make way for it.
At the weekend TJ has tickets for the Wiggles, (an Australian childrens’ entertainment team) so she wanted banners made for them to wave. Nannie was charged with the job of making them …… that was the afternoon used up while Adam and Tj went off for a Christmas works lunch and the girls had their naps. At teatime the Thermomix arrived and Tjs friend brought it along and set it up for us.
Friday morning was Mia’s turn for a Christmas concert, being nearly 4years old this was a much bigger affair.
The daycare had rented out a nearby school auditorium and almost 2hrs of singing and dancing was in store for us by probably nearly a hundred children from all the classes up to school age. Adam had taken the day off work to be there and Mia was a star, I know, I’m biased but she sang her heart out, remembered all the words and the Happy Feet dance class she attends did a fabulous routine. After dropping her back at Daycare, Adam and Bob continued with the post box construction and Tj and I played with the Thermomix and made some chocolate chip cookies in no time at all – love it!
Saturday morning and the girls are so excited to be going to the Wiggles Concert at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Luckily we left in plenty of time and arrived without any traffic problems but Tjs friend Claire wasn’t so lucky as she left home a bit later and got stuck in a jam. Fortunately, the concert was delayed for 30 mins to allow those in the traffic jam to get to their seats and not miss any of the show. The banners performed well and the girls looked amazing dressed in their “Emma” and “Captain Feathersword” outfits.
Wiggles concert
I learnt some new songs and moves and had a great time along with the girls.
As a treat, we went out for dinner in the evening,
to an outdoor food market where you can buy almost any type of cooked food from a stall and sit and eat it. A band played a mix of songs for entertainment and the girls enjoyed a dance. Early to bed as tomorrow is a big day too……
Sunday is Wet n Wild day, a water park on the gold coast some 45 minutes away. It’s part of a group which we have annual tickets for which includes MovieWorld, SeaWorld and a smaller farm park so we can visit as often as we like. We met up with 2 friends of Tj and their families, we took snacks and lunch with us and set up camp near the children’s waterslide and pool area.
They all had a splashing time, Mia finally went down a covered in tube that she hadn’t wanted to ride before and Zoe, with her “puddlejumper” water wings thought she was invincible and just played happily on the slides and in the water. Both girls were fast asleep within a few minutes of leaving the park as they had had such a lovely day.
Zoe with her wings
3rd Week
I’m sorry if you are struggling to read all this but December was a particularly busy month for us so lots to write. Monday we stayed at home, catching up with housework stuff as we had been out all weekend and in the afternoon I set up some paints on the patio for the girls to express themselves and do some art ….. didn’t quite go as I had planned …. no explanation just look at the pics …. haha
Tuesday I feel icky and not right, think I am coming down with something so I have cancelled golf and Bob has gone off to his Thursday group of golfers at a local course in the hope that some of them are there today to play with while I stay in bed. I slept and slept on and off all day and only just about appeared for an hour in the evening before going back to bed with more honey and lemon and paracetamol. Wednesday I am feeling a bit better and managed to venture out to the local DIY store for some lawn edgings, cement and some flowers. Not up to helping much but I sat and watch Bob jet wash the path and re-grout it with the cement, oversee the flower planting and edging the lawn. I think the day of rest worked as I’m feeling much better by Thursday so while Bob is at his normal golf course this morning, TJ and I check out Gumdale swim pool.
What a great little place, its only a couple of dollars to go in, its got a baby pool only a foot deep with 4 slides and a climbing frame in it, another graduated pool only about 3 ft at its deepest with 2 bigger slides into it, a deeper swim area attached and then a separate 25 metre length pool for the bigger kids and swimmers. It has a covered picnic area, 2 climbing frames for younger and older kids and a cafe too.
Ok, it’s not posh and probably needs some tlc here and there but it is a great place for young children. It doesn’t take long to wear them both out and after a picnic lunch we are on our way home. Bob is on babysitting duty tonight as Adam has tickets for the new Star Wars film that came out a few days ago. Bob isn’t a Star Wars fan but Adam, TJ and I loved it.
Gosh Friday again already, Adam finished work at lunchtime for the Christmas holidays so he can continue with Bob on the post box and put the bark down around the flower bed to make the front garden look good, in the afternoon. Tj had to work today so I set about finishing off some sewing projects so I could put the machines away for the Christmas holidays.
Its almost Christmas and by the afternoon, the post box is complete, it takes all 4 of us and 2 large fence posts rolling it up the drive from the garage into position. We stand back in admiration, it is a masterpiece!
During the afternoon we watch, laughing, as local people walk past it, stop and do a double take, it makes such a difference to the curbside appeal of the house – well done Team Gallard. However, Bob has sunstroke, it was sooo hot outside today and he looks awful, lots of water and a re-hydration stick but he still threw up ….. poor Bob. Tomorrow we were going to go to the “all you can eat” Glen Hotel for a Christmas Eve breakfast but as Bob is still unwell we postponed it until later and spent the day resting. At dusk, TJ and Adam took the girls out to see the Christmas lights that people have put up on their houses as there is a street where almost everyone decorates. Then, we put out the plate for Santa and the reindeer and the girls go off to bed dreaming of what’s to come tomorrow.
Last Week
At last Christmas is here, the girls are up early and very excited, we do the family video with Lucy, Adi and the boys and have a good breakfast.
We had intended to go to the beach for the day but there are weather warnings of very high temperature outside so we decide that as Bob got sunstroke only a couple of days ago, that it’s probably not a good idea to be in the sun too much.
Adam fired up the BBQ for a nice steak lunch and after the girls naps, Bob and Adam had a water pistol fight with the girls in the garden – a lovely relaxing day.
Boxing day is sales day so we all troop off to the local Westfield shopping centre with Tjs list of things she wants to buy at bargain prices. However, after lunch I am flagging so Bob and I offer to take the girls home and leave them to continue shopping for another 4 hours of bargain hunting !
Wednesday and Thursday TJ is back at work and Wednesday the girls are back to daycare so Adam and I have time to discuss and start to draw and plan the decking project. Thursday Bob is playing golf so Adam pumps up the tyres on TJs bike and we take the girls out to a local park and have a picnic, the girls love the children’s climbing frame and even Adam enjoyed playing.
We cycled over 5 klms which was good for me, considering some of it was up hill and Adam had the trailer attached to his bike with the girls in!
Friday is Zoe’s 2nd birthday, she is overwhelmed and puzzled at the pile of presents again, but she loves the new baby doll we bought her and she has called it Polly (think it’s from the song- Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick sick)?
We are off down to the gold coast again, this time to Movie World for the day. Again the temperatures are extreme and there has been an accident on the motorway and the normal 45 minute journey takes an hour and half. However, we arrive a little after 11.30am, have a drink and a sandwich and then start joining queues to go on rides, as its heaving.
We all had a great day but after the parade at 3.30pm lots of people went home so we stayed (not wanting to get stuck in another traffic jam trying to get out of the park) and the girls stripped down to their undies and played in the water fountains.
Saturday is cleaning, preparing, baking day, preparing for Zoe’s birthday party tomorrow and the new years eve party – hope we have enough food ????
The party starts at 4pm and everyone who arrives is amazed at what we have achieved, apparently here in Australia they don’t go quite as much to town as the Gallards do!
All 12 ish children and 16 adults had a great afternoon, they all brought a plate of food and drink so there was more than enough for everyone. One or two went home in the evening but those who stayed to see in the new year with us, children included, had a great time. The children all played together well and we watched from the front of the house, a firework display from the leagues club across the road at around 9pm. As the clock ticked nearer the witching hour we all donned fancy dress outfits, (a Gallard tradition now I understand), for a photo shoot.
Amazingly the children were all still happy running around until 1.30am when they all went home.
Great party TJ and Adam, can I rest tomorrow ? Not likely – clean up and starting the decking tomorrow …..
Well that’s the end of December blog, you will have to wait and see what happened with the decking for the January blog. Happy New Year again to everyone, love and miss you all – but we are having a great time here as you can see. xxxxx