A Tempest and Water Spouts

"Leaf Litter" - A stack of palm fronds we collected in the backyard

Since Sunday, 29 May, we've been in a tempest. There have been high winds, hail, and rain falling in heavy sheets. Today is the first day of winter, June 1, the wet season has begun.

Standing water in the lower level

All that heavy rain has resulted in flooding in the house, again. The drain outside our front door gets overwhelmed by heavy rain. Since the floor of the house is lower then the outside entrance, the water comes down into the house and under the garage door. After the water came in on Sunday night, and again on Monday night, I got serious and bought some sandbags and plastic to barricade the front door and the garage. I hope it helps.


Plastic and sandbags barricade the garage and front door

When seen on radar, the clouds are circling around, collecting water from the sea and depositing it directly onto us. There were water spouts reported right next to our house. Here are some photos and a video of the water spout. For photos, click on the links at the words "photo" and "video" in the last sentence.

The collapsed shed roof that probably caused the flood in the girl's room

On Monday morning, I checked the lower level at 7:20am. Everything seemed good. The water outside had receded and there wasn't much standing water on the tiles. I was surprise when Zoe went to her room and reported that it was flooded. Sure enough, the carpet was soaked.

Soaked and smelly carpet in the girls room

I believe it was the shed roof collapsing, presumably with a lot of water on it that caused the flooding in the girls room. That gush of water fell into a place that normally stays dry. It found it's way through the wall of the girls' room. I rented a Wet Vac to help dry the carpet. We have the heat on and a fan blowing to help it too. It smells like an old, wet sneaker. It could be the carpet is ruined.

Clara and Zoe camped out in the dining room. We don't know when we'll be able to move them back downstairs to their room.

Term 2 Off to a Running Start

Term 2 began on April 28th. We've just completed Week 5 of Term 2.

On May 6th, Copa school held their Cross Country Carnival. The track was around the playground and tennis courts 3 times. There was even a parent run, which I participated in.

Zoe had been dreading running CC, but by race day, she was enthusiastic. She came in 5th in the 8 & 9 year old girls race. The top 5 racers in each category represent the school at the District level, Zoe was in.

Tristan ran in the boys under 11 years race. He was in First Place for two laps. On the last lap, he pulled his hamstring and had to sit out the rest of the race. He was very disappointed.

Clara running in the U14 Girls Race at Brisbane Water Zone

At the High School, Clara was also participating in Cross Country and Track and Field Events. She said she couldn't get the hang of the javelin, but she came in 3rd in the shot put. In cross country, Clara came in 6th and was on the reserve list for Brisbane Water District level.

Brisbane Water Zone Cross Country Race

On Monday, May 23rd, Clara ran in the Girls under 14 race at Brisbane Water with 7 or 8 other schools. Clara came in 29th of about 60 runners.

Rylee and Zoe in blue running at the Brisbane Water Zone race

On Friday, Zoe ran in the Brisbane Water District level for the girls ages 8 & 9. There were about 20 schools. She came in 57th with her friend and class mate, Rylee in 56th.

The race days on Monday and Friday were beautiful, sunny days. Which was a relief after the cold, wet, rainy days the rest of the school week.

Rylee and Zoe post race

Crazy Hair Day for Red Cross

Today is Crazy Hair day at Copa School. It's a fund Raiser for the Red Cross. Each child who participates brings in a Gold Coin ($1 or $2) or more. Our kids really got into it!

Sydney Family Show

Neo being very careful with the little chick.

The kids and I traveled to Sydney's Moore Park for the Sydney Family Show during the April school holidays. Moore Park is quite an interesting place and has a long history. There are shops, restaurants, and a movie theater. There are also playgrounds and ball fields in the park.

Tristan demonstrating how his Squiggle works.

The Sydney Family Show is very much like a county fair in the US. There were rides, vendors selling "one of a kind items" from various stalls, entertainment, and showbags. There showbags of all shapes, sizes and varieties for sale in the park.

Testing out the DS 3D

Checking out the fun house mirrors

Clara had a ride on the Zorb Balls. Tristan bought a Squiggle pet. Tristan and Neo participated in a sword battle with the TV show "Merlin". All the kids played with the new DS 3D at the demo tent. Everyone enjoyed playing with the farm animals in the petting zoo. Neo played on the playground and in the "prehistoric" bounce house. And on the way home, we all enjoyed dutch pancakes as a treat.

Show bags! The Aussie's love show bags!

Clara in a Zorb ball

These three were all dressed up making their way to the performance.

Sinking of the Ex-HMAS Adelaide

There was a lot of excitement in the area near our home on Wednesday, 13 April with the planned sinking of the Adelaide Battleship. The day was gorgeous, 70s and sunny. Sail boats, fishing boats, and boats of all sizes began moving past our viewpoint from early on. The ship had been cleaned up in preparation - removing everything that could be potentially harmful to the environment. The artificial reef created by the sinking of the ship was considered a boom for the economy, attracting divers.

Adelaide in position

There was a very vocal group that worked to block the sinking. The "No Ship" group was able to get the scuttle day held up by a year. They had questioned what contaminants might still left on the ship. Also concerns over it's possible break up and debris being scattered in strong currents. They took their concerns to city councils and other government agencies who took another look at the proposal. In the end, they held an overnight vigil prior to the scuttle day and messaged "SHAME" in the sky over the ceremony.

Boats of all sizes outside the exclusion zone, wait for the scuttling of the ex-HMAS Adelaide

At the appointed hour, the spectators were all in place, on the land, in the air, and on the sea. A friendly, playful pod of dolphins took center stage, stalling the event by more then 40 minutes. Zoe was complaining that it was "boring" and she wanted to go home. So 40 minutes after the planned detonation, I dropped Clara off at Captain Cooks Lookout in Copacabana and drove Zoe and Tristan home.

About 20 minutes after we left, the sinking finally happened. Here are some photos from the local newspaper, The Express Advocate.

Below is a newstory from the Sydney Morning Herald with video of the playing dolphins.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/hmas-adelaide-goes-under-after-dolphin-display-delays-scuttling-20110413-1dcwz.html

Blooms of Autumn

Double rainbow over Copacabana

Jacaranda

It's been feeling very "rain forest" here as we move from summer to autumn. It's been raining more and things are greening up. The temperature has been cooler at night with warm, sometimes sunny days. The flowers have been bursting out in bloom! Their fragrance is amazing, almost overpowering at times.

I had to throw in this picture of an illuminated phone booth.

Not many of those left in the world!

A couple of comments on the NSW election

The election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly occurred on 26 March. For an old political junkie like me, there was a lot to learn. From the parties and players, to the way a vote is cast. Besides the many differences in government between Australia and the United States (the Governor is appointed by the Queen of England), there were two items that stood out the most to this American: 1) the lack of nasty political ads on TV. The election was issues based. All candidates talked about what they'd like to change if voted into office.

2) The winner was announced in The Telegraph the day BEFORE the election! There were several stories on the percentage of votes for the Labor party.

The election was notable because the Liberal Party crushed the Labor Party! The large number of voters is not the surprise, it's compulsory to vote here in Australia. The surprise was the number of seats thought to be "Labor strongholds" that went for the Liberals. People were fed up.

New School Year 2011

The school year began on 31 January, 2011. Today is 26 March (election day for New South Wales) and Term 1 is nearly complete. With just 2 weeks remaining, I thought I should provide an overview of the school year.

Clara finally made it into 8th grade. It was hard on her starting school in September 2010 and joining her class in Year 7 when her friends in Madison were moving on to Year 8. Her year 8 classes are all required classes - she'll have electives next year. In addition to English, Maths, Social Studies, PE, and History, she has Japanese, metalworking, and cooking.

Tristan is in Year 4. His teacher is new to Copa school. From my observations, I think his teacher seems to do a good job. During role call, she posts the schedule for the day on the Interactive Whiteboard. I help out on Thursday mornings for 1 hour. Tristan is working on his multiplication tables. He has made a good start on completing the Premier's Reading Challenge. Tristan turned in 2 perfect spelling tests this term, earning himself a new scooter - Razor Pro.

Zoe is in Year 2. She has the same teacher she had in Year 1. She is happy about this. She really likes her teacher and most of the kids are the same too. She is reading really well. Zoe is also reading for the Premier's Reading Challenge. Zoe also completed successive perfect spelling results. She chose a baby Zhu Zhu pet for her reward.

Neo is in 2 different preschools. I wanted to get him into a highly recommended preschool. The only day available there was Monday. He also goes to the care center/preschool near to our house on Wednesdays. He takes attending 2 different schools in stride.

While Neo is in school on Wednesday, I'm taking my class. It's called Mind Your Own Business, or MYOB. It's the preferred bookkeeping software in Australia. When I complete this course, I will be rewarded Certificate III in MYOB.

Dave continues working at the Department of Education - Middleware Support. He now has remote access. He used it on Thursday to work from home so he could attend a doctor appointment. It worked out very well.

The Box Head Trail and Tallow Beach

The Box Head. The land across the water is part of Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Dave enjoying the view from the Box Head. Lion Island directly across The Brisbane Water.
Here's another view of Lion Island - from Blackwall Reserve Lookout

Looking from Box Head trail towards Maitland Bay.

Lion Island and to the right is Umina Beach/Woy Woy area. The Brisbane Water.
Here's another view of this area - from Mt. Ettalong

Dave had Monday 7 March off from work. With Neo in preschool and the other children in their schools, we had the day to go for a bushwalk. We decided to walk the Box Head Trail. The morning was cool and overcast, but it soon warmed to a beautiful sunny day. We were glad we went early, as the temperature was in the 80s F (26 C). As we neared the Box Head, we had to duck under many, very large, spiders. If you wish to see a Map of The Box Head Trail and Tallow Beach, click on the link at the web page that comes up.

One of the many, large, spiders at the Box Head

Once we climbed down from the Box Head, we walked down to Tallow Beach. Tallow and Little Tallow Beach are part of the Bouddi National Park.

By the time we return home for a late lunch, it was time to pick up the children from school.

Dave on deserted Tallow Beach.

Tallow Beach

Catherine & Dave on the trail...I'm flushed

Planet Shark

As the summer holiday drew to a close, I took the children to the Australian National Maritime Museum to see the exhibit "Planet Shark". We took the train from Woy Woy (where Dave collects the train daily).

The children playing on another fountain

A sign of our destination

Sydney 2000 Olympics memorial

daily). We all enjoyed the Shark Exhibit - and learned that the shark is definitely the prey, and we are the predator. I enjoyed looking at a "shark deterrent" suit designed by a US inventor which was lined with bubble wrap. Inside the bubbles were shark deterrent chemicals. No one was willing to try out his theory, since the initial shark bite to release the chemicals could potentially be fatal in itself.

The kids enjoyed this inground fountain

A sign post on the Wharf

Walking on the Boardwalk

daily). I also enjoyed the "On Their Own: Britain's Child Migrants" exhibit. One of the museum volunteers told me that the 4 year old boy featured on the website is an active volunteer of the National Maritim museum. He opened the exhibit.

We enjoyed the day. The first time the children and I visited Sydney since we arrived 5 months ago.

A beautiful old building in the Sydney CBD

Australia Day 2011

Australia Day is on 26 January. This year it fell on a Wednesday. Dave had the day off of work so we had some family time. We swam in the pool, enjoyed watermelon, and cookout foods. Then we went down to Killcare Beach where 3 of us swam (Zoe, Tristan and I) and Dave and Neo explored the rocks. Zoe and Tristan jumped the waves at the shore. Clara was worried about Blue Bottle jellyfish, so she didn't swim. The swells were high, but once I got past them, the water was calm and fun to float on.

Neo in the rocks @ Killcare Beach

Clara keeping watch @ Killcare

Tristan and Zoe enjoying the waves @ Killcare

In the evening, Zoe, Neo, Clara, and I went to Woy Woy for the lantern parade. Zoe and Neo made lanterns earlier during summer vacation. There was a big festival going on in Woy Woy when we arrived, with a band stage and many vendor booths. It had been a hot day, so children were jumping off the pier into the Brisbane Water. The parade started at 8:45pm. As we walked along the parade route, people were taking pictures and videos. It was fun. The parade ended in a park along Brisbane Water, where the fireworks were scheduled to go off at 9:15. We were front and center!

Zoe & Neo in the parade

Pelican in the Parade

Whale

Neo & Zoe with lighted lanterns (candles)

The boat we followed, prior to it being lit.