August 15 we've been busy

We've been doing so much, I had to pull out our home made calender to put it all in place. (Some things are the same no matter where you go--try finding a calender in July wherever you live.)   Anyway, we started out on the 4th of August--our 1 month anniversary in this adventure, with a trip to the races.  We were generously treated to passes to the member's lawn at the biggest horse race day of the year Day 8 of the Darwin Cup. Many of the women were dressed to kill in cleavage bearing dresses,  outrageously high heels, and  these amazing hats that I've only seen on runway expos. Meanwhile, the men mostly wore shorts.  No matter the attire, everyone seemed to be having a tremendous time.  We discovered that the distinct advantage of the member's lawn was 1. no lines at the beer garden,2.  no lines at the bathroom,3.  a track side view of the finish line.  All 3 advantages being of equal importance throughout the day--Thanks Paul for the tickets and thanks Gurty--who watched the kids for us.  Without them, the day would not have been possible. Well, at the races we finally worked up the courage to ask how to  and then actually place a few bets.  We won some and lost some, but mostly lost--but not much.  Regardless, the day was fantastic fun!  For the next few days, I kept busy with the kids.  We went to our first Playgroup where we created octopuses, music, and a couple of happy kids.  Then we discovered McMinn's Lagoon--a picnic hideaway  just minutes from the house.  Next came more swimming lessons, Bryson and Jordan were literally bouncing in their seats on the way to the pool.  Thursday brought us to the Fun Bus again where they created some art.  In classic Jordan style, a masterpiece requires nothing but speed.  Her average project must be completed in 1 minute or risks being abandoned.  In addition to the art projects, they played with their friends and once again had a good time.  Friday we tried out the Leanyer Water Park.   This place is kiddy heaven with  water slides, pools, fountains, and a whole additional park right there--and, unbelievably, it's free!  We slept hard again that night, and the next day we headed out of town. After missing out on the fun during the week, Matt was able to join us on this adventure.  We met up with a couple of other families at a camp site at Robin Falls.  We picnicked and the kids braved the cool creek.  Later the women and children went out for a hike while the men "collected fire wood"--for those who don't know -- that's code for sat around and drank beer.   The hike was a success with a pretty little waterfall as the destination(--evidentially it's a pretty big waterfall in the wet season).  Jordan hiked as well as the big kids while Bryson hitched a ride on my back for most of the rocky trail, enjoying his view from up high. We aren't set up for camping just yet,but we hope to be soon.  So we came home that night. Sunday morning Matt headed out of town for a boys fishing weekend.  When he came back Monday there was no fish, but he did have some great pictures. I never get a lot of details out of him when he goes on these rugged retreats--sacred manly rituals I'll never know, but he did manage to reveal that he had a good  time and that the place was beautiful.  They went by sea, camped at a mangrove island, and everyone but Matt managed to catch a fish.  While Matt was gone, we had a visit with friends here at the house, and the kids recovered from another busy week.  Monday we headed to  a new park at Humpty Doo--yes that is the name of the town.  They have a terrific park there with some spacey looking slides and a silly looking Humpty Dumpty that lets you know they have a sense of humor about the goofy name of the place.  Monday night we headed to  a  movie at Jinglii Water Gardens.   Bryce, Jordan, and I watched  Finding Nemo under the stars and bats.  Amazingly, they both sat through the whole movie.   Tuesday's Playgroup brought  a special appearance by the Amazing Drumming Monkeys--a puppet show that had about 30 kids up jumping and dancing.  That afternoon I begged off and had a day at the beach by myself.   I spent the day beachcombing, walking when I wanted to, and stopping when I wanted to. I ended the day with fish and chips on the wharf watching the sky turn from blue to pink.  When I came home I found the kids in bed and Matt wore out.  Tuesday Matt was back at work again, while the kids and I headed to the swim lessons then to the beach where we did some beachcombing  at their speed.  We collected many treasures and built three sandcastles. 1 for Jordan and her extended imaginary princess family, 1 for me so I could feel like a kid again, and 1 for Bryson so he could squash it over and over again.  Wednesday the kids and I headed to the fun bus, but we were  a little lazy, so we left early to picnic at Jinglii park again.  This time we had a chance to explore the playscape and the fountains in the daylight.  Today we took a day off and spent the day at the house, swimming in the pool, and watching a movie--which is why I finally had a chance to write this all down.  Meanwhile, yesterday, Fiona let us know that Matt received a summons for jury duty in the mail.  To think of all the fun we could be having if we were back home.