My run

The view from my run yesterday

Sitting on the beach

Sitting on the beach this afternoon. That's Daisy and Scott in the sea in the distance. It's a 5 minute walk from our house to this beach. Lovely.

It was less lovely at 9am yesterday morning in the rain, cold and wind (wearing a jumper and anorak) watching Daisy going through her paces in just a swimming cosi and rash vest on the beach. She's doing the Surf Life Save club's nippers program - surf safety and fun. This morning was sunny and warm and they learnt to paddle on the surf boards.

Christmas lights

This is our Christmas ritual - a trip to see the lights on a few houses in a local street. There is also a much bigger display which draws the crowds a couple of suburbs away. We decided to see those first and drove past with most of Melbourne at a snail's pace. Then we came back close to home and had a poke around these ones.

Baba Nam Kevalam by Hugo

Hugo sings Baba Nam Kevalam (which means love is everywhere) at kinder every day during their morning circle meditation. Scott's never been to morning circle so he asked Hugo to sing it for him - there's usually a guitar too.

Hugo's kinder concert

Hugo had his kinder concert last weekend. It was all based on the children's ideas and involved some animals going through a door in the woods and emerging in a land with weird animals - cats with wings, butterflies with ribbons and spiders on stilts - cue Hugo.

In his spider outfit.

And the full cast.

Piano recital

Daisy has been learning the play the piano for a year and has just done her first end of year concert. It was in a beautiful room that seated about 100 at Melbourne Uni. Daisy was really impressed by the grand piano.
She played Indian Dance

Dancing

Daisy wanted me to video her dancing.

Room makeover

Daisy has long since grown out of her small desk. It was an old school desk that we chopped the legs off many years ago to make a coffee table. It's been Daisy's desk since she was 3. We've been talking about getting a proper desk for her, then our neighbour put an old one out on the nature strip. So we snapped it up. It fits perfectly and is pretty much what we were looking for. Daisy loves it.

A superhero party (again)

Hugo chose a superhero party again this year. His party was on Saturday, the day before his birthday. We had 12 children in all and we were stuck indoors on probably the wettest day we've had in a long time. But pass the parcel, bashing a pinata and birthday tea kept everyone busy.

We forgot to get the camera out in the midst the frenzy of bashing the pinata, but here are its broken remains. 

Hugo is keen to start playing football (soccer) and chose a soccer ball cake. He nearly picked a soccer ball pinata too, but his love of dinosaurs won.

Birthday time

A few photos from the birthday day.

Unwrapping presents

and having cake with Nana, Pa, Auntie Julie and Claire at lunchtime

Halloween party

Daisy chose to have a Halloween party for the first time this year. She invited three friends from school for games, dinner and trick or treating.
We tried apple bobbing and eating jelly snakes from dangling strings.

Shoved our hands in cold green porridge to find hidden treasures.

Carved pumpkins (with help from Scott)

Ate pizzas

Had birthday cake

And then went trick or treating

House transformation

Here's the before and after photos of our new house in Brighton. We're pleased with the way it's turned out, even though we still haven't seen inside it!

The front needed repointing, so we also had it repainted white - we weren't fans of the 1980s peeling grey paint.

And while they were there, they painted the back too.

But the biggest transformation has been inside. This is the front bedroom. It was very purple with old carpets.

Painted white and with sanded floors, it's a lovely room now.

Same room, different angle.

And repainted.

Here's the lounge. You can't see it in this photo but there was a large damp area in the top of the bay. There was also patterned wallpaper and blue carpet.

Wallpaper gone, painted white and sanded floors.

This is the dining room - with pink vinyl wallpaper.

A big improvement.

A few pics here of the hallway before the painting, sanding and new carpets.

and after...

View from upstairs, before...

and after...

and downstairs after. I love the glass in that door (not the lounge door on the left - that needs changing)

Rather less of a transformation in the kitchen because the tired, old units have stayed.

But ripping up the blue carpet and replacing it with lino, and giving the room a fresh coat of paint has made a difference. 

There's still plenty that could be done - new kitchen, new bathroom, change the light fittings (if you look closely you'll glimpse a few of them in the photos), a few doors need changing back to the originals and then there's the UPVC windows... but I don't think any of that bothers the tenants.

Fun on the beach

The Noosa weather wasn't what were hoping for but it was still warm enough to go to the beach and have fun in the water. Daisy loved the surf and got pretty good at body surfing. Hugo had a go at body surfing on Scott's back but I didn't manage to get a pic of that.

 

Stopping for an ice cream on the way home from the beach

The house in Noosa

Here are some pics of the gorgeous house we stayed at in Noosa. We were a 5 minute walk from the beach and right on the river.