Canberra- The War Memorial

On the way home from Melbourne, we called in to Canberra.

We spent the morning at the shopping centre, most importantly the Apple store. I really wanted to have a look at any new cases and get some attachments for my new iPhone. None to be found, but I did manage to acquire a new macbook pro, which I am still trying to get my head around and work out how to transfer all my photo files and Itunes across to the new computer, time capsule and external hard drive any hints?

The boys were desperate to get into the Australian War Memorial.

We girls tagged along.

I have done the War memorial quite a few times with school excursions. But we followed a tour guide, who I found incredibly hard to hear!
So I practised some photography!
It's a very beautiful, solemn place.

People place poppies next to the names of relatives who have died an d whose names are on the walls

Our little bloke was up on dad's shoulders reaching up to put ours in.

These stuffed animals were amazing.

I found the statues and art works absolutely magnificent.

I got a bit lost and Daughter and I found the section way down the bottom on the African and Boer war. It was an area I had never done before and was truly interesting, I guess being so very old.

It was fantastic, especially these 112 year old chocolates given to the soldiers by the queen for new Year's Eve in 1900. YUM!

It was a hard job getting all 3 of these peeps to stand still and not push and shove and giggle and squirm, in order to take their photo with Parliament house in the background.

That little one thinks it is really good fun to pull the weirdest faces!

I have one from in Melbourne that would have been divine for the papers but he is unrecognisable with the funny face.

I hope our Oak trees are this magnificent one day. Hubby laughed at me and said I wonder if they will let us out of the old age nursing home to go and visit it. Hhmn.

I read yesterday that they are incredibly fire resistant. No wonder husband lighting up the fire drum next to ours doesn't hurt it.

Another funny stiff soldier face from the wee one!

It was a pretty good afternoon checking it all out, the 2 youngest kids can now say they have seen it.

It was especially nice to go home to this house which was practically brand new.

The owners of the motel we tried to get a room in had built it for themselves and hadn't got around to moving in to it yet.

The kids were under strict instructions, to not have any shoes on inside, all the bags were put into the front lounge room, so they didn't get dragged through the house. And all tea, coffee and biccies were consumed out the back in the BBQ area.

Not my style to live in, I am a much more eclectic, cluttered up antique sort of gal but it was seriously great digs and more economical than 2 motel rooms.

Melbourne - Victorian titles

After we'd finished at the dusty, noisy Deni Ute Muster, we went on to Melbourne.

Husband had lost his phone on the Saturday night at 1.30am in the Ute paddock and we went through a bit of a challenge having the phone cancelled on the sunday morning.

Just seconds after he had hung up from the Telstra manager who blocked the phone, we received a message on facebook from a friend who had rung hubby's number to find out how the kiddos had gone and he had got a very nice fellow who said that he had the phone and we should give him a call.

We did and found out that he was just a short half hour from where we were dropping off our trailer, rather than take it in to Melbourne town!

So we collected the phone and gave the nice chap a little thankyou present and moseyed on to Melbourne.

I was looking for the first available motel!

We stayed at a very nice motel near the Airport- upgraded due to needing 2 rooms for 3 nights.

Husband did his washing as he ran out of undies and socks( as he always does!!!) 

I don't think he knows how to count days in order to pack enough!

Then he got all scratchy on the Monday morning, suffering phonecall withdrawals, and had to get another Sim card for his phone ASAP. Hhhmn the search was on!

First stop the RM Williams outlet shop. Then we were told that the Highpoint shopping centre had a Telstra shop. So we made the trek! 

As desperate as I was to get to an Apple store, I did not want to go to another shopping centre so we spent the remainder of the day there poking about.

On the Tuesday we had the competition at the Melbourne show.

We had no dramas getting parking and compared Melbourne's show to a large country town's.

The big guy had a great time competing, It is really stiff competition in that age group.

The little one has this cracking behind the back down pat!

Check out the great advertisement for Wrangler jeans!!

Young Miss broke the fall clean off the whip in the accuracy component.

It was another pretty successful trip with Daughter taking home the Victorian Juvenile Title again and The youngest running second. 

From now on they are in different age categories and hopefully the little one will have some wins again.

Next Competition is in Glen Innes in early November. 

On the way home from Melbourne we called in at Canberra.

.....TBC.....

Whipcracking trip

It's more than a week since we returned home from our whipcracking trip and I am still not on top of things around here. 

I have also been back at work which makes a huge difference to how much one can achieve.

Not to mention the combination of all that with the start of daylight savings!

Off we went on the first Wednesday of the Holidays to Deniliquin in South west New South Wales which is where the NSW titles are held.

We stopped at Narrabri to get new tyres for the trailer as the ones on there were falling apart. Hhmn this was a sign of things to come.

We stopped at the BCF in Dubbo to get some additional camping supplies.

As we were driving to find accommodation for the night we passed a Trophy shop. I spoke up and said where are the trophies? which apparently we were meant to take along with us, as well as our daughter's one.

Shock wave hit! Stunned silence except for one person going berserk! That was not me!

I volunteered to retrieve them. So back home I drove to collect the boxes, which ALL 5 of us had walked past several times. A 4.5 hours drive at 6 pm at night. I had great little co pilot with me who kept up the girlie music and such. We needed to be back by 6.30am in the morning in order to get to Deni by lunchtime- to get in to set up the campsite. So an early start at 2.30 am back to Dubbo for us. This didn't leave much time at home. Plus about an hour after we had got to sleep, we had a prank caller. NICE! Thanks for that! 

I have never been so happy to hand over the keys to someone else to drive in all my life before!

Finally we got there!

Set up camp.

It was a bit windy and I took this photo when I sat in the car to eat.

But then on the Friday morning we were hit with 132km/hr winds. I was hanging on to a friend's campertrailer awning and thought I was going to do a Dorothy spinning up in to the air to the land of OZ.

These were our tents at the end of it all. Luckily we had swags to sleep out in the open if they were too ruined.

We know it got that high as the Police raised their helicopter and turned it at 100Km/hr as at that strength it could have rolled over the way it was facing. They recorded the gusts to get to 132.

The one on the left got all rolled up in a ball at the end and shoved in a big skip there.

Despite all that the kids had a great time.

About 2 seconds after this photo was taken that balloon hat was blown off his head and went pop, pop popping into the people across the road's site!

The roulettes were there again too.

 On the Friday afternoon, Our eldest son had a go in the Novice section.

Which he won, meaning no more entering into novice sections again. 

He circled back around the next day for a go in the Junior section.

He enjoys having a go. 

This cheeky little fella loves getting out in front of a crowd.

He is just like his father in that regard, a real showman!

He competed against his sister in the Juvenile category and had a go at the Bullock whip- which is open to all ages!

Was spoted and photographed with his mate for a Melbourne newspaper- The age.

I didn't see it.

He just loves it and is really involved wanting to help the organisers whenever he can.

 

And keeps a mean eye on the competition!

We had the circlework paddock right next to us! 

And the wind blew the dust all over us.

She couldn't help but laugh at the windy, dusty conditions.

Snapped off a few cups in the accuracy!

And tried her hand in the Bullock whip too.

Plus some judging of the Pee Wees (8 and under).

And had a heap of fun catching up with the mates from Victoria and South Australia.

Plus she won her age group and her little brother ran second!

Then we travelled on to the Melbourne Show for the Victorian Titles the following Tuesday!

Where I spent hours and hours cleaning myself and my camera!

Scary eh????

.........TBC