Foto's of our weekend away to see the wild flowers


https://picasaweb.google.com/118153332706348543500/WildflowerWeekend

City to Surf

Finally I did it! The City to Surf. A huge event where you run 12k from the city to the beach. A great run for us as we actually run home. I tried training for it but didn't manage enough. Still finished the run without walking ( and it's quite hilly) only a bit slower than I wanted at 1.20 min.

Willem ran the 4k with Jamie in roughly 23 minutes and Frank walked with Corinne and her daughter Annika. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed it very much!

Art work with the Dutch Kindy

I really enjoy working with the 3/4 year old Dutch kids. I have 4 groups now. Work all day Monday, Tuesday morning and Friday morning. We've done some great projects. I also have started voluntary work with Meerilinga, a charity "promoting positive childhoods". I try and include this little boy with developmental delay in the group sessions of this playgroup. It's really nice work (officially called an special education assistant). Especially as I get to work with some really nice people. The playgroup works a lot like we used to work in Scotland.

I also had one day of relief teaching at an Australian school! Its was at Bold Park community school, a Reggio Emila school. Really good fun as well. Hope they'll call more often. Problem is of course that a lot of days I am not available..

 We're going on a bear hunt

 Songs about sheep

 Crocodiles

 Musical instruments

 Self portraits

Ladybugs

Holiday in Europe

The end of June I flew with the boys to the Netherlands. The flight was easy. I had a 4 hour stopover in Singapore between 9pm and 1 am and assumed it would be difficult with the boys at that time but they were brilliant. Fantastic travellers..
Toke and Wim collected us from Schiphol in the morning and it was soo good to be back! It had been a whole year! The 2 weeks were quickly filled with lots of lovely social events. A wedding, a weekend to Amsterdam, trip to Amersfoort and lots of nights out with friends.
The boys had the BEST time with opa and oma

After 2 weeks Jamie arrived and we had a weekend away in Aberdeen. It was great to be back and meet up with all our friends. Aberdeen hadn't changed at all and I could imagine us living back in Scotland again.

 The weather wasn't the best but it could've been a lot worse as well. We still managed to get out and about. Oranje Zon was frequently visited.

 The boys love the fair!

And a night out with Ozzie friends Evelien and Lilith!

 We also managed to squeeze in 4 days in England to see Jamie's family. Always good to see them and Willem and Frank had a great time with their cousins.

4 weeks fly past... Why is Perth so far away!

Matt Corby, Evelien is leaving and Art Gallery

Last week: A young Aussie singer/songwriter. Biggest influence, I would guess, is Jeff Buckley. His concerts are sold out all over the country. I managed to get 2 tickets of Gumtree and went with Katja to the Astor Theatre, the lovely Art Deco one. It was different this time and they removed the seats at the front so you could stand close to the stage. Always prefer that anyway, then seated concerts.
He was really good. Didn't know many of his songs (only "Brother"). Really enjoyed the concert. He has a great emotional voice.
Evelien has left Perth. I organised a wee farewell for her in a stylish tapas bar with her close friends. It was a lovely night. Luckily Eef lives in Middelburg so I will see her again!

This Friday was the opening of Picasso to Warhol at the art gallery. It's an exhibition of 14 masters and all the artworks come from New York. It's great as I've never been to NY and I know a lot of people from WA never have as well as they've never even made it to Europe. So it's a great opportunity for them to see these masterworks. I went with 4 girlfriends to the sold out opening night. There was a bar, a great band (Tippan Orange, from Melbourne) and it was great to be at the gallery at night.

 Beauty from Picasso: a green still life

Also loved all the works from Calder. There were also artists I didn't know like Louise Bourgeois and Brancusi.

What else... hm.. Willem won a golden medal with running at school!
He had his assembly about inventions. Frank received a certificate because he's kind and helpful. We've had a big storm with wind gusts of 100km per hour.
And 3 nights sleep and we're flying back to Europe! Yippie!

And then it was June..

Gosh, time flies! Haven't written for ages! Will write a quick update and will post some photos. What's happened. Well, Willem started AFL footy on Sunday mornings. A sort of funny style rugby. He really enjoys it as his friend Lucas also plays (as half his class). It's nice because we can just walk down to the oval at City Beach and half the school is there. Frank tried two classes but didn't like it. He gives up quite easily if things don't go his own way so when he lost with dodgeball he was unhappy.
We've had a couple of dinners with friends here at our house which is always nice.
I celebrated my 40th Birthday in a nice wee wine bar. Had a couple of nights out. Reading club is still going strong. I am still running.
We had a great walk in the Perth hills. We climbed mount Vincent and mount Cuthbert. Boys walked around 8km. Very good! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous (up to today.. it's raining now and it will most of this week and next). Just 25+ degrees and sunny days. We even could sun bathe on the beach and had a bbq there with friends in autumn/nearly winter!
Last week I went to see Missy Higgins with Corinne and that was brilliant. What a woman!
Also we went camping with Katja and her family in the woods.
This week I took Frank to the dentist (at school) as he had a cavity. He was very brave! I felt pretty bad about it, though. Less sweets and better brushing from now on!
Tomorrow I'm going out for dinner with Urmila and Tamar (Aberdeen friends) and on Friday I'm out to a lovely Tapas bar to say goodbye to Evelien. She's moving back to The Netherlands, but she's in Middelburg so am sure I'll see her again.
At work things are going well. Really enjoying the project "we're going on a bear hunt" and this week we're making binoculars out of toilet roll and are really going on a (teddy) bear hunt. Kids are so excited. Great!
Soon I fly back "home" with the boys. Can't wait!

Here are some photos, not in order!

 With Inge and Katja at The Cabin for my 40th.

 With Corinne and Tamar..

 BBQ on beach late november. So lovely, the weather!

 Willem's AFL training

 On top of Mt Vincent

 On the way up

 Camping near Collie River

 Frank's first writing!

 We're going on a bear hunt, walking through mud.

 MISSY HIGGINS! She's a star!

 So is Frank. Brave boy facing the dentist without an anaesthetic!

We're going on a bear hunt: Oh no, a snow storm!

Willem reads more and more

He's especially interested in reading non fiction and he also really likes Zac Power, about a spy.
He's doing really well, although this video is really short and doesn't do him justice. Still, thought it was nice.. Nothing wrong with his comprehension!