Aunty Gem & Unki Rob took Isabelle to AQWA. Hello Starfish! (I'm not sure I like this??)
Sleepover at Pickering Brook!
Sisters are doing it for themselves!
Playtime after yummy brunch at Port Beach.
Here are a bunch of photos and stories of what we have been up to since moving to Doha, Qatar, in July 2006. Enjoy! Brendan, Samantha, Isabelle, Matilda & Josephine
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
August in Perth
The fun continued for us in August! Here are just a few photos of the highlights!
Sisters are doing it for themselves!
Sisters are doing it for themselves! 
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Tour de Croissant
Le French Alps, July 2007
My preparation for riding in the French Alps was always going to be challenging given the highest point in Qatar is 80m above sea level and this happens to be a sand dune! The only advantage I had up my sleeve would only come into play if it happened to be over 50ºC in the alps! As for my domestiques... Mark and Paul’s efforts to get to France were made decidedly tougher when they were struck by a Mack truck travelling at 80 kmph. Thankfully they were both shaken and not stirred. Unfortunately however the sheer number of stitches in Paul’s buttocks meant he was unable to travel (we missed you mate). Surprisingly neither of them suspected that I may have tipped off the truck driver in order to compensate for my serious lack of hill training...
DAY 1. Dusty Doha – sunny Lyon
Staring out the window at the snow capped peaks of the Alps on the flight from Frankfurt to Lyon it sank in that I was no longer in Qatar. The regular commuters didn’t even bother glancing up from their coffee and pumpernickel bread but for a desert dweller the sight of snow glistening on the mountain tops is worth straining the neck for.
As the pilot made his final approach into Lyon I could see the wind swirling patterns in the corn fields below – so much greenery! Thankfully the bike made it in one piece and I headed for the cab rank.
DAY 3 – Stage 8
After a quick trip the local patisserie for fresh croissant & pain du chocolat all washed down with freshly brewed coffee, I knew I was on holiday!
We packed the bikes and headed for Tignes - the finish of Stage 8 of the TDF. Although on the map the drive looked a mere 150 kms the winding roads over the tops of col de Galibier, col de Telegraphe and col de l’Iseran took over 3 1/2 hours and we weren’t sure that the we’d be able to ride up the road & get a position at the finish line.
Fortunately we were able to sneak through and rode the course up the final climb into Tignes with the road lined with tour fanatics. It was a great taste of what a boost the tour riders must feel (minus the EPO ☺). We watched Rasmuessan take the line honours with daylight between him and the rest of the field. Cadel Evens came through looking very determined.
As the presentations today’s winners were being made we started to decent back down the mountain and almost ran into Robbie McEwen. He was in the “hurt locker”, still suffering his way towards the finish line just in front of the broom wagon (he was to pull out of the tour after completing this stage).
DAY 4 - Alpe d’Huez
A rest day for the tour riders and time for Mark and I to do some climbing! The joy of hurtling down L2A at 80+ km/h was somewhat diminished by the realisation that in a few hours time we’d have to slog our way back up it.
We cruised down through the valley towards le bourg-d’Oisans and pulled off into a car park at the foot of Alpe d’Huez to re-fill our water bottles. Well that was our first mistake cos we bumped into a couple that were just loading their bikes back into their camper van after surrendering to the beast.
The guy offered us a few words of encouragement... "That mountain is insane and it’s too hot to climb today". Well having conditioned myself in a Middle Eastern summer I wasn’t too intimidated by the 25º C outlook... the 21 switch backs that lay ahead was another thing all together...
The road to the top was littered with cyclists, some out for a training ride others just trying to survive. Mark and I paced ourselves and after all the trials and tribulations of getting to France thoroughly enjoyed the 1:12 hrs that it took us to reach the café at the top. Note: Lance did it in 39 mins!
We of course took the obligatory photos and enjoyed gauffers (waffles) and coffee before taking the back road out over the col de Sorenne. At just over 2,000 m elevation the brakes were literally burning as we plummeted down through the majestic scenery.
We were certainly glad to hand over a few Euros for a couple of pints when we finally climbed back up to the top of L2A. A good days work!
DAY 5 – Stage 9
Stage 9 was a huge day for the tour riders, starting with l'Iseran, Telegraphe and climaxing on Galibier. We rode out to the backside of Galibier which was covered with camper vans that had been staking their territory days in advance.
After a couple of café au laits we found a good vantage point and watched the lads descend. Cadel Evens was an impressive 4th over the summit. It’s amazing to watch these guys descend at break-neck speed and sometimes what you fail to appreciate on television is that if they misjudge a corner and head off the edge that it’s – lights out!
Our ride home after the race was all downhill through narrow, dimly lit tunnels, avalanche zones, and alongside sheer drops into the ravine below. Not for the faint hearted and just what Mark needed I’m sure to help him get over the experience of being hit by a truck.
Once safely back on top of L2A it was time to put away a couple of plates of Mark’s sausage pasta washed down with few glasses of 1998 vintage vin rouge – yum, yum!
DAY 6 – Rest Day
A well earned rest day for us today and off to the local piscine (fortunately it was heated) for a little calf muscle therapy. Walking back through town in our bathers and smothered in 30+ sunburn cream it was a little odd to see snow boarders lining up for their lift passes?? Apparently the snow up on top of the glacier is still worth risking heat exhaustion in your ski gear at the bottom of the mountain for!
DAY 7 – Dirt Bike Diaries
Day of the Downhill MTB... after kitting ourselves out with full body armour we took a series of Telecabins up to the glacier at 3,600 m. The downhill mountain bikes resemble more of a moto-cross bike than the conventional bicycle that we were accustomed to. These bikes are designed to go where bikes are not supposed to go!
What a novel idea – taking a chairlift to the top and rolling down the hill. It had only taken us a week to figure out the whole gravity situation!
With folks skiing all around us Mark and I (dressed in shorts) thought we’d better get cracking before the frostbite set in. The path down the mountain (well actually there’s a choice – 135 km of choice to be precise) was steep and sections were still covered in snow/ice.
The descents were insane and we had to stop occasionally to let the braking induced cramps in our hands subside and the disk brakes cool. After a brief discussion, we decided against the double black run which had served as the course for the world cup race the previous weekend – soft I know!
The scenery was spectacular as we dropped back down towards the L2A village below and the spills limited – thankfully. Despite a close encounter with the local bovine population and a few marmotte burrows we both survived the ordeal relatively unscathed.
Our superb day was capped off with a scrumptious coq-au-vin compliments of Claire and a 98’ Bordeaux – yum! Tomorrow Galibier and our work will be done.
DAY 8 – Col de Galibier
Our final day in the Alps and what better way to cap things off than riding as much of the Stage 9 course as we can stomach. We parked the trusty VW Touran on top of Galibier and surveyed the descent – it was a little disconcerting that we couldn’t see the bottom, but pressed on regardless.
We descended down into Valloire which was to be our lunch stop, but not before we earned it. We then cycled through the picturesque valleys and villages and down col de Telegraphe. Not even half way through the descent we began to realise the gravity of our decision to park at 2,642 m and descend to 740 m without a chair lift insight! Had we learnt nothing from our mountain biking experience?
Oh well, we’d come this far so we continued down into St Michel-de Maurienne, did a u-turn, blessed ourselves as we rode by the cross on the side of the road and proceeded to climb Telegraphe. This mountain is viewed by some as a warm-up for Galibier, but not by this little lycra-clad gladiator as we battled our way to the summit.
Fearing cramp or worse we elected to continue onto Valloire rather than break at the top. Pasta was on the menu as we figured we’d need all the help we could get. Not sure of the digestion period but it seemed like the logical thing to do at the time.
We commenced the epic 18 km climb of Galibier at 16:15 and passed several combatants heading in the opposite direction with wry smiles on their faces. No turning back (not when the car is parked at the top!). For the 18 km to the summit the col manages an average gradient of 7% and rises to 10% near the top almost exactly at the point where your respiratory system discovers that oxygen is less abundant at 2,600 m – exciting times! Reaching the top a shade after 1 ½ hrs later capped off a great couple of days in the mountains for these two happy campers!
PREFACE
Bonjour comrades... here’s a few pics from my recent trip to the Alps to savour a little of the Tour de France. I took a few notes along the way to remind me of why we work for the other 48 weeks of the year! Feel free to skip the dialogue if you prefer...
Bonjour comrades... here’s a few pics from my recent trip to the Alps to savour a little of the Tour de France. I took a few notes along the way to remind me of why we work for the other 48 weeks of the year! Feel free to skip the dialogue if you prefer...
My preparation for riding in the French Alps was always going to be challenging given the highest point in Qatar is 80m above sea level and this happens to be a sand dune! The only advantage I had up my sleeve would only come into play if it happened to be over 50ºC in the alps! As for my domestiques... Mark and Paul’s efforts to get to France were made decidedly tougher when they were struck by a Mack truck travelling at 80 kmph. Thankfully they were both shaken and not stirred. Unfortunately however the sheer number of stitches in Paul’s buttocks meant he was unable to travel (we missed you mate). Surprisingly neither of them suspected that I may have tipped off the truck driver in order to compensate for my serious lack of hill training...
DAY 1. Dusty Doha – sunny Lyon
Staring out the window at the snow capped peaks of the Alps on the flight from Frankfurt to Lyon it sank in that I was no longer in Qatar. The regular commuters didn’t even bother glancing up from their coffee and pumpernickel bread but for a desert dweller the sight of snow glistening on the mountain tops is worth straining the neck for.
As the pilot made his final approach into Lyon I could see the wind swirling patterns in the corn fields below – so much greenery! Thankfully the bike made it in one piece and I headed for the cab rank.With the cab driver pretending that he couldn’t speak English and me pretending I could speak French we negotiated an extortionate fare which I’m sure left him thinking that all Australians are extremely generous folk. From the seat of my taxi which I will now refer to as my limousine for the above mentioned reason, the first things that strike me are: (i) I can wind down the window and the air doesn’t singe my nostrils, (ii) there are such things as trees and grass (iii) Rivers also exist (iv) not everyone in the world gets around in a V8 SUV. Perhaps only folks back in Qatar will relate to these experiences?
Arriving at the hotel in downtown Lyon was also a pleasant experience. Having mentally prepared myself for a Paris-style bed-sit, being upgraded to an executive suite at the Hilton overlooking the mighty Rhone river and the old city on the hillside beyond, removed any residual bad taste from the taxi fare.
The city of Lyon is built on the junction of two grand rivers, the Saone and the Rhone. The buildings are nestled into the hillside and trees have the right to grow as they please. Much like Copenhagen, most of the locals opt to get around on bicycles (I think the is due partly to all the one way streets which make it very difficult to navigate in a larger vehicle), anyway I feel at home on my two wheeled transport.
It’s true that the city of Lyon is even more beautiful by night than day, with street lights carefully positioned to reflect their light off the rapidly flowing rivers and up-light the buildings beyond. Mind you, I had to stay awake till 11 pm to witness this – that’s what European summers are all about I guess. I’m surprised the sparrows don’t throw in a mid-summer migration just to get a decent nights kip.
DAY 2 – Les Deux Alpes
Breakfast in the Lyon – firstly the plates are a normal size and not the flying saucer proportions that you find accompanying most Arabic buffets and secondly there is real bacon, ah bacon, sweet, sweet pig fat!!
The drive into the Alps is spectacular. Shear walls of rock reach upwards blocking out the sun in many of the valleys. Small villages that look unaffected by the passing of the last hundred years. Mountain streams rush downwards carrying their cool green/grey water.
When we turned off the road from le bourgd’Oisans and started to climb up towards the village of L2A I tried poorly to conceal my shock at the steepness and length of the climb. At 1,600 m in elevation it makes Welshpool road look like a speed bump.
When we finally arrived at the top we found the village of L2A bathed in sunshine and alive with active looking folks running, blading and biking about their business.
Through the streets roll groups of downhill mountain bikers that look more like medieval gladiators. A little out of place in the 25°C sunshine are the snowboarders and skiers, although I’m assured that the nearby telecabin takes only a few minutes to transport you to the glacier at the top of L2A. At some 3,600 m elevation it is still possible to enjoy some winter sports action.
The location of chalet is perfect with an uninterrupted, paranoramic view of the valley below and ice capped mountains in the distance. Time for a cleansing ale...
Arriving at the hotel in downtown Lyon was also a pleasant experience. Having mentally prepared myself for a Paris-style bed-sit, being upgraded to an executive suite at the Hilton overlooking the mighty Rhone river and the old city on the hillside beyond, removed any residual bad taste from the taxi fare.
The city of Lyon is built on the junction of two grand rivers, the Saone and the Rhone. The buildings are nestled into the hillside and trees have the right to grow as they please. Much like Copenhagen, most of the locals opt to get around on bicycles (I think the is due partly to all the one way streets which make it very difficult to navigate in a larger vehicle), anyway I feel at home on my two wheeled transport.
It’s true that the city of Lyon is even more beautiful by night than day, with street lights carefully positioned to reflect their light off the rapidly flowing rivers and up-light the buildings beyond. Mind you, I had to stay awake till 11 pm to witness this – that’s what European summers are all about I guess. I’m surprised the sparrows don’t throw in a mid-summer migration just to get a decent nights kip.
DAY 2 – Les Deux Alpes
Breakfast in the Lyon – firstly the plates are a normal size and not the flying saucer proportions that you find accompanying most Arabic buffets and secondly there is real bacon, ah bacon, sweet, sweet pig fat!!
The drive into the Alps is spectacular. Shear walls of rock reach upwards blocking out the sun in many of the valleys. Small villages that look unaffected by the passing of the last hundred years. Mountain streams rush downwards carrying their cool green/grey water.
When we turned off the road from le bourgd’Oisans and started to climb up towards the village of L2A I tried poorly to conceal my shock at the steepness and length of the climb. At 1,600 m in elevation it makes Welshpool road look like a speed bump.When we finally arrived at the top we found the village of L2A bathed in sunshine and alive with active looking folks running, blading and biking about their business.
Through the streets roll groups of downhill mountain bikers that look more like medieval gladiators. A little out of place in the 25°C sunshine are the snowboarders and skiers, although I’m assured that the nearby telecabin takes only a few minutes to transport you to the glacier at the top of L2A. At some 3,600 m elevation it is still possible to enjoy some winter sports action.
The location of chalet is perfect with an uninterrupted, paranoramic view of the valley below and ice capped mountains in the distance. Time for a cleansing ale...
DAY 3 – Stage 8
After a quick trip the local patisserie for fresh croissant & pain du chocolat all washed down with freshly brewed coffee, I knew I was on holiday!
We packed the bikes and headed for Tignes - the finish of Stage 8 of the TDF. Although on the map the drive looked a mere 150 kms the winding roads over the tops of col de Galibier, col de Telegraphe and col de l’Iseran took over 3 1/2 hours and we weren’t sure that the we’d be able to ride up the road & get a position at the finish line.
Fortunately we were able to sneak through and rode the course up the final climb into Tignes with the road lined with tour fanatics. It was a great taste of what a boost the tour riders must feel (minus the EPO ☺). We watched Rasmuessan take the line honours with daylight between him and the rest of the field. Cadel Evens came through looking very determined.
As the presentations today’s winners were being made we started to decent back down the mountain and almost ran into Robbie McEwen. He was in the “hurt locker”, still suffering his way towards the finish line just in front of the broom wagon (he was to pull out of the tour after completing this stage).
DAY 4 - Alpe d’Huez
A rest day for the tour riders and time for Mark and I to do some climbing! The joy of hurtling down L2A at 80+ km/h was somewhat diminished by the realisation that in a few hours time we’d have to slog our way back up it.
We cruised down through the valley towards le bourg-d’Oisans and pulled off into a car park at the foot of Alpe d’Huez to re-fill our water bottles. Well that was our first mistake cos we bumped into a couple that were just loading their bikes back into their camper van after surrendering to the beast.
The guy offered us a few words of encouragement... "That mountain is insane and it’s too hot to climb today". Well having conditioned myself in a Middle Eastern summer I wasn’t too intimidated by the 25º C outlook... the 21 switch backs that lay ahead was another thing all together...The road to the top was littered with cyclists, some out for a training ride others just trying to survive. Mark and I paced ourselves and after all the trials and tribulations of getting to France thoroughly enjoyed the 1:12 hrs that it took us to reach the café at the top. Note: Lance did it in 39 mins!
We of course took the obligatory photos and enjoyed gauffers (waffles) and coffee before taking the back road out over the col de Sorenne. At just over 2,000 m elevation the brakes were literally burning as we plummeted down through the majestic scenery.We were certainly glad to hand over a few Euros for a couple of pints when we finally climbed back up to the top of L2A. A good days work!
DAY 5 – Stage 9
Stage 9 was a huge day for the tour riders, starting with l'Iseran, Telegraphe and climaxing on Galibier. We rode out to the backside of Galibier which was covered with camper vans that had been staking their territory days in advance.
After a couple of café au laits we found a good vantage point and watched the lads descend. Cadel Evens was an impressive 4th over the summit. It’s amazing to watch these guys descend at break-neck speed and sometimes what you fail to appreciate on television is that if they misjudge a corner and head off the edge that it’s – lights out!
Our ride home after the race was all downhill through narrow, dimly lit tunnels, avalanche zones, and alongside sheer drops into the ravine below. Not for the faint hearted and just what Mark needed I’m sure to help him get over the experience of being hit by a truck.
Once safely back on top of L2A it was time to put away a couple of plates of Mark’s sausage pasta washed down with few glasses of 1998 vintage vin rouge – yum, yum!
DAY 6 – Rest Day
A well earned rest day for us today and off to the local piscine (fortunately it was heated) for a little calf muscle therapy. Walking back through town in our bathers and smothered in 30+ sunburn cream it was a little odd to see snow boarders lining up for their lift passes?? Apparently the snow up on top of the glacier is still worth risking heat exhaustion in your ski gear at the bottom of the mountain for!DAY 7 – Dirt Bike Diaries
Day of the Downhill MTB... after kitting ourselves out with full body armour we took a series of Telecabins up to the glacier at 3,600 m. The downhill mountain bikes resemble more of a moto-cross bike than the conventional bicycle that we were accustomed to. These bikes are designed to go where bikes are not supposed to go!What a novel idea – taking a chairlift to the top and rolling down the hill. It had only taken us a week to figure out the whole gravity situation!
With folks skiing all around us Mark and I (dressed in shorts) thought we’d better get cracking before the frostbite set in. The path down the mountain (well actually there’s a choice – 135 km of choice to be precise) was steep and sections were still covered in snow/ice.
The descents were insane and we had to stop occasionally to let the braking induced cramps in our hands subside and the disk brakes cool. After a brief discussion, we decided against the double black run which had served as the course for the world cup race the previous weekend – soft I know!
The scenery was spectacular as we dropped back down towards the L2A village below and the spills limited – thankfully. Despite a close encounter with the local bovine population and a few marmotte burrows we both survived the ordeal relatively unscathed.
Our superb day was capped off with a scrumptious coq-au-vin compliments of Claire and a 98’ Bordeaux – yum! Tomorrow Galibier and our work will be done.
DAY 8 – Col de Galibier
Our final day in the Alps and what better way to cap things off than riding as much of the Stage 9 course as we can stomach. We parked the trusty VW Touran on top of Galibier and surveyed the descent – it was a little disconcerting that we couldn’t see the bottom, but pressed on regardless.
We descended down into Valloire which was to be our lunch stop, but not before we earned it. We then cycled through the picturesque valleys and villages and down col de Telegraphe. Not even half way through the descent we began to realise the gravity of our decision to park at 2,642 m and descend to 740 m without a chair lift insight! Had we learnt nothing from our mountain biking experience?
Oh well, we’d come this far so we continued down into St Michel-de Maurienne, did a u-turn, blessed ourselves as we rode by the cross on the side of the road and proceeded to climb Telegraphe. This mountain is viewed by some as a warm-up for Galibier, but not by this little lycra-clad gladiator as we battled our way to the summit.
Fearing cramp or worse we elected to continue onto Valloire rather than break at the top. Pasta was on the menu as we figured we’d need all the help we could get. Not sure of the digestion period but it seemed like the logical thing to do at the time.
We commenced the epic 18 km climb of Galibier at 16:15 and passed several combatants heading in the opposite direction with wry smiles on their faces. No turning back (not when the car is parked at the top!). For the 18 km to the summit the col manages an average gradient of 7% and rises to 10% near the top almost exactly at the point where your respiratory system discovers that oxygen is less abundant at 2,600 m – exciting times! Reaching the top a shade after 1 ½ hrs later capped off a great couple of days in the mountains for these two happy campers!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Shoes & scooters!
Isabelle wears Mormor's high heels. Matilda wears Mormor's first clogs (from age 2).
On an electric scooter with Alec! Isabelle's getting the hang of it.
Visiting our new cousin in Kalbarri!
Isabelle and Matilda were both enamoured by their new cousin, Eleanor. What a cutie! Of course, it was lovely to catch up with Julia & Mike too.
Climbing the whale watching tower.
Endless kisses and cuddles.
Eleanor is very obliging.
The Tite family.
Hi Daddy! We're missing you!!
We promise, we're not having too much fun! Here are photos from our first week in Perth, getting spoilt rotten by all the family.
Isabelle & cousin Alec enjoying cafe lunch in winter sunshine in Kings Park.
Sisters horsing around at home. (6.30am, mind you.)
Isabelle, Kevin, Alec, Martina & Matilda (and Sessan!).
Fun day in Kings Park... wow, this is a new experience for me - Matilda.
My first babycino!! Yum yum!!
Isabelle & cousin Alec enjoying cafe lunch in winter sunshine in Kings Park.Sisters horsing around at home. (6.30am, mind you.)Isabelle, Kevin, Alec, Martina & Matilda (and Sessan!).
Picking oranges with Kong Kong in the Swan Valley.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Matilda's Birthday Party (Doha)
Matilda had a fun second birthday party! There was lots of yummy food, great friends, stickers & crayons, pink balloons... what more could you ask for?
I just have to mention an eerie coincidence... Isabelle's 2nd birthday party was held on 4/4/04, and Matilda's 2nd birthday party was today, 7/7/07. How weird is that??
Opening the presents...
Anyway, we're now winding everything Doha-related down, and getting packed & ready to hop on the plane tomorrow! Very exciting.
The blog may be a bit quiet over the next couple of months, but I will report again in September. Brendan may add some travel updates from his epic cycling "Tour de France". Hope to see a lot of you in Perth over winter!
I just have to mention an eerie coincidence... Isabelle's 2nd birthday party was held on 4/4/04, and Matilda's 2nd birthday party was today, 7/7/07. How weird is that??
Opening the presents...
Anyway, we're now winding everything Doha-related down, and getting packed & ready to hop on the plane tomorrow! Very exciting.
The blog may be a bit quiet over the next couple of months, but I will report again in September. Brendan may add some travel updates from his epic cycling "Tour de France". Hope to see a lot of you in Perth over winter!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Summer holiday sleepover party!
Our girls invited their "sisters" Elsie & Ruby from across the road for a sleepover. The results were fun, fabulous, frou frou, fantastic... see for yourself.
We made yummy pizzas, built our own ice cream sundaes (I say "built" because some were skyhigh!), did makeovers (gee, I didn't know I looked so good in purple eyeshadow), danced forever, and then settled in front of a movie until bedtime (which was a reasonable 9pm!).
Phew. Good fun.
We made yummy pizzas, built our own ice cream sundaes (I say "built" because some were skyhigh!), did makeovers (gee, I didn't know I looked so good in purple eyeshadow), danced forever, and then settled in front of a movie until bedtime (which was a reasonable 9pm!).
Phew. Good fun.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Isabelle is a winner!
Isabelle took home the prize for best science model today! The pimary school held a science day last week, and every grade was competing. She had been learning about our five senses in class, and decided to make a tongue to show the different taste sensations. Well, needless to say, Brendan and I are super proud of our little girl! A budding scientist!! Here she is with her certificate and book prize presented today at the school assembly.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
New member of our family
A fortnight ago, Brendan and I started talking about possibly bringing a puppy back with us from Perth. We decided on a pale cocker spaniel, and I started enquiring about this. Once we found out about the specifics of exporting a dog, we decided against it.
Well, as luck would have it, yesterday I saw a notice about a pale cocker spaniel who needed a new home. Her name is Bonita, and her owners' youngest son had turned out to be allergic to dogs. So, acting quickly, I went and saw the dog, and half an hour later she came home with us. The girls are ecstatic! She is 6 years old, so housetrained and extremely good with kids. We adore her. Here's a photo... (she has been shaved to minimise the allergic effect... but we'll let her hair grow again)
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Isabelle in School Assembly
Isabelle and her Reception Red classmates lead the school assembly today, by performing Eric Carle's "Very Hungry Caterpillar". It was awesome! The girls were butterflies and the boys caterpillars. They told us everything they had learned about "minibeasts" - insects with less than 8 legs. Here are some photos...
Saturday, June 02, 2007
School Holidays continue... days 3 & 4
The next 2 days were just as eventful. Fingerpainting (which quickly turned feral once Daddy walked in after his bike ride), baking Mars bar muffins, ice skating for Isabelle & Mummy (boy, my calf muscles are sore), eating out at new Thai restaurant, and plenty more. Here are a few photos...
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Kids' Paradise
Isabelle is on school holidays (mid-term break), so we're checking out all the indoor facilities in Doha since the thermometer has hit 47 degrees C.
Yesterday, Caroline and I took our kids to Cafe Ceramique, a new place where you get to paint a piece of pottery and have lunch. Isabelle and her best friends, Ruby, Elsie & Felix (well, Felix is the younger brother, and they have a love-hate relationship going on, very competitive) created amazing pieces (I'll post photos next week once I've picked them up). Caroline and I tried our best to match the creativeness of the kids with our platters... we'll see how they turn out (may not put photos of those on the blog!).
Today, Isabelle, Matilda and I went to FunCity - in other words, kids' paradise. Climbing, jumping, sliding, balancing, rolling, throwing balls at their mother... fun fun fun. Here are some photos...
Yesterday, Caroline and I took our kids to Cafe Ceramique, a new place where you get to paint a piece of pottery and have lunch. Isabelle and her best friends, Ruby, Elsie & Felix (well, Felix is the younger brother, and they have a love-hate relationship going on, very competitive) created amazing pieces (I'll post photos next week once I've picked them up). Caroline and I tried our best to match the creativeness of the kids with our platters... we'll see how they turn out (may not put photos of those on the blog!).
Today, Isabelle, Matilda and I went to FunCity - in other words, kids' paradise. Climbing, jumping, sliding, balancing, rolling, throwing balls at their mother... fun fun fun. Here are some photos...
Let's see what we do tomorrow... I think Brendan is on duty then!PS. Nice of Isabelle to show her appreciation with this drawing she just did for me... she knows how to guarantee ice cream for dessert!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
WELL DONE GIRLS!!
After only a few weeks at her new school, Doha College Primary, Isabelle was awarded with a merit certificate at assembly today! She had earned 25 house points already. When she talked about it, she mentioned that she thought it was fun to shake the principal's hand.
Not to be outdone, Matilda came home with this lovely box that she made at nursery.
We're so proud of our girls!
kisses, Mummy & Daddy
Friday, May 18, 2007
Well, that was traumatic...
As Brendan and I marked our 6 year wedding anniversary on the calendar, I was caring for Matilda in hospital. She had such bad sores in her mouth and throat from hand, foot & mouth disease, that she hadn't eaten or drunk ANYTHING for 48 hours... so was badly dehydrated. The doctor put her on an IV drip for a day and a half, but she was still averse to putting anything in her mouth fearing that it would hurt. Great friends of mine, Caroline and Kelcey, came to the rescue on our second day in hospital... with mini porcelain tea cups and a McDonalds chocolate thickshake, we tempted her to start eating again!
Now, there is no stopping her! There has been a huge improvement, and we're finally back home!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! I was woken up with a card from the girls, written so beautifully... thanking me for all that I do! It brightened my whole day!
Our month continues with more illness in this family. After recovering from her bout of Giardiasis, Matilda has hand, foot & mouth disease - the worst case the hospital has ever seen! Poor thing, she is suffering a lot with a painful mouth, and is not willing to eat or drink anything but sips of water and scoops of vanilla ice cream! We all hope she gets back to the cheerful little kid soon! (I need some sleep!!)
Summer is on our doorstep... the thermometer has reached 45 degrees Celcius, and we're spending more and more time indoors. Still cooling down a little in the late evening, so it is possible to sit out then. Brendan is cycling earlier and earlier on the weekends to stay cool... getting out at 4am! He's preparing to meet up with good friends from Perth in Alpe D'Huez to cycle the Tour de France mountains in July.
The girls and I have booked our tickets to Perth... we'll be home on the 12th July! The next two months are going to fly by for me, with final assignments and exams around the corner. There's nothing like high stress levels to remind you that you're alive!!
Until next month...
Love, Samantha
Our month continues with more illness in this family. After recovering from her bout of Giardiasis, Matilda has hand, foot & mouth disease - the worst case the hospital has ever seen! Poor thing, she is suffering a lot with a painful mouth, and is not willing to eat or drink anything but sips of water and scoops of vanilla ice cream! We all hope she gets back to the cheerful little kid soon! (I need some sleep!!)
Summer is on our doorstep... the thermometer has reached 45 degrees Celcius, and we're spending more and more time indoors. Still cooling down a little in the late evening, so it is possible to sit out then. Brendan is cycling earlier and earlier on the weekends to stay cool... getting out at 4am! He's preparing to meet up with good friends from Perth in Alpe D'Huez to cycle the Tour de France mountains in July.
The girls and I have booked our tickets to Perth... we'll be home on the 12th July! The next two months are going to fly by for me, with final assignments and exams around the corner. There's nothing like high stress levels to remind you that you're alive!!
Until next month...
Love, Samantha
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Matilda
This last week has been a bit traumatic for poor little Tilly. She has a mouth full of ulcers caused by a virus, and at the other end, she has contracted Giardiasis! Poor love has been out of sorts, but we're hopefully over the worst of it and heading towards recovery (I only had to change bedsheets twice today). Needless to say she can now say "doctor"!
As you can see, she is still a happy little kid.
Singing Sand Dunes
Isabelle & Brendan took Grandma to the Singing Sand Dunes (they hum as you walk along them making vabrations). It was 42 degrees out, and the sand was HOT!
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