Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a lovely New Year's Eve (although I'm guessing most of you spent it in the land of nod like we did!).  I'm not usually one for New Year's resolutions but this year I've got one and I'm pretty keen to stick to it.  I'm sure it's pretty obvious to you all so I won't bore you with the details but I will keep you posted on the progress!

So 2012 isn't just a new year for our family, it's also a new country, a new job for Fanta Pants, a new school for Action Boy, a new preschool for Little Miss D, a new language, a new house, a new car, new friends and of course a new climate!

Once I realised how cold Montreal actually is, I became quite obsessed about the weather and how we were going to dress for it, especially baby A.  Thanks to lots of advice and some online shopping I think we're covered in that department.  

However understanding the weather is another story!  There are all sorts of new weather terms that we'll have to come to grips with.  For example, wind chill -  generally is about 5 degrees colder than the actual temperature.  Flurries - I think that means snow fall.  Freezing drizzle.  What the??!?  What on earth can that be?  My gorgeous friends from New York tried to explain it to me and even said that it feels like bits of ice when it hits your face!  What kind of crazy people decided to settle in these places?!

The current forecast for when we arrive on Thursday is -6 to -13 with a high chance of snow...  I'm super excited to see snow but from a logistics point of view I just don't know how it'll all work!  I'll let you know what happens...

xx

Montréal+

• More info

Current Conditions

-2 ^°C

Observed at:

Montréal-Trudeau Int'l Airport

Date:

12:00 AM EST Sunday 1 January 2012

• Condition:

  Fog

  Pressure:

  101.7 kPa

  Tendency:

  rising

  Visibility:

  8 km

  Air Quality Health Index:

• Temperature:

  -1.8°C

  Dewpoint:

  -3.9°C

  Humidity:

  86 %

  Wind:

  WSW 4 km/h

  Wind Chill:

  -3

•  

• +More info

Forecast

Tonight

•  
• -3°C
•  

Sun

• 3°C
•  
• 40%

Mon

• 0°C
• 0°C
• 40%

Tue

• -11°C
• -12°C
•  

Wed

• -9°C
• -14°C
• 60%

Thu

• -6°C
• -13°C
• 60%

Fri

• -6°C
• -9°C
•  

Issued : 3:45 PM EST Saturday 31 December 2011

Smog warning in effect.

Tonight

Cloudy. Risk of freezing drizzle. Fog patches developing this evening. Temperature steady near minus 3.

Sunday

Cloudy. 40 percent chance of flurries in the morning with risk of freezing drizzle. Fog patches dissipating in the morning. Wind becoming southeast 20 km/h gusting to 40 in the afternoon. High plus 3.

Sunday night

Mainly cloudy. Rain beginning in the evening and ending after midnight then 40 percent chance of flurries overnight. Wind southeast 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming southwest 30 gusting to 50 after midnight. Low zero.

Monday

Cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Windy. High zero.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Low minus 12. High minus 11.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 60 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 14. High minus 9.

Thursday

Cloudy with 60 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 13. High minus 6.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud. Low minus 9. High minus 6.

• +More info

Historical Data

Yesterday

Max:

-7.8°C

Min:

-17.4°C

Precip:

0.8 mm

www.weatherffice.gc.ca

 

Normals

Max:

-5°C

Min:

-14°C

Today

Sunrise:

7:35

Sunset:

16:20

Sheep

My folks have had their house down south for 14 years and we'd been coming down for many years before that but I only just recently found out about the Yallingup Shearing Shed.  What a terrific place!

It is a working farm with about 4000 sheep just 10 minutes out of Dunsborough.  Somewhere along the line the charismatic farmer figured he could make extra money and so opened a shop and started doing live shearing shows.  The whole experience was really great - feeding the sheep out the front, the amazing dogs, the little lambs and the farmer's presentation.  If you're headed down here I'd really recommend it!

Little Miss D didn't want to leave the lambs!

xx

Hanging around

Every Christmas since Action Boy has been around we have taken photos of him in the hammock.  Today Little Miss D and Baby A joined him.  Trying to take a good photo with two children is hard enough but three children in a hammock really is like herding cats!  There must be tricks to getting really good one.  Even though the photos I took today aren't perfect they are a reflection of what really goes on...

I'm really glad we have taken these photos over the years and I'll try to keep taking them.  Although it may be hard to get this stripey hammock strung up in the snow next Christmas.  Maybe we'll have to Photoshop some snow angels into the hammock!

 

xx

Dunsborough for kids...

We continued our tour of kid friendly venues today and came up trumps!  The Eagle Bay Brewery was just fantastic.  It ticked all the boxes - casual venue with plenty for the kids to do, yummy food, good beer (apparently), simmos ice cream for the kids and beautiful view.  Plus they were open for a late lunch/early dinner which works for kids who nap.  

Little Miss D and Action Boy had a great time racing down the hill on little ride on cars!

Fanta Pants and Uncle Fun took the kids to the reptile farm this morning and enjoyed learning about snakes, lizards, frogs and other scaly creatures. 

 It was paradise for Action Boy!

xx

Unexpected thank you...

On Christmas day, action boy found a very special helicopter in the garden.

We figured it was a Christmas gift that somehow got away from its new owner.  After admiring it, R put it on the fence post just in case it's owner came looking for it.  And they did.  When we came home this afternoon the helicopter was gone.

After the kids had gone to bed we noticed something on the fence post where we had left the helicopter.

It was a bottle of wine and a thank you note!  The owner was obviously very grateful they'd found their helicopter!!  The whole story made me feel warm and fuzzy!

Something that wasn't warm and fuzzy was the frog little miss D found in a watering can today.  As we do every Boxing Day, we visited the outlaws and our little cat who has gone to live with them while we're away.  They have a beautiful property which is perfect for children and cats!

Poor little frog endured at least 10 minutes of being swung around in the watering can before anyone realised that it was in there!  He seemed to recover ok and was happy enough to hang around for some photos...

xx

Tartan

This one is for the NPPG girls...

The colours for tomorrow's lunch are tartan with a touch of gold!  It's a nod to Mum's Scottishness.  We're all to wear white so as not to clash with the tartan.  

I must admit preparations for lunch are much more subdued this year with everyone preoccupied with their respective moves.  In the end I think the simplicity will be very nice.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas - hope you all enjoy the day with your loved ones.  

xx

Beaches and babies

Every beach loving family with small children will understand this - small babies and beaches don't mix easily.  Our family loves going to the beach for swimming, fishing and foraging for sea creatures.  However, six month old babies don't really like beaches.  They're too small to really enjoy the sand and the sea but too big to just lie there.  It's all too windy, too much sand, no where comfy to sleep and salty boobs! Pushing prams over sand is no fun either. 

We try and tag team so A doesn't have to come but sometimes we all go together and it's definitely worth it...

xx

Eating for Canada

In the car on the way from the supermarket this afternoon, R asked for another snack and this is the amusing conversation that followed...

Mama - "You're a very hungry little boy at the moment."
R - "Yes I am.  Do you know why I'm such a hungry little boy?"
Mama - "No, tell me"
R - "Because I don't know what food they have in Canada so I have to fill up now."

It's hard to hold back the laughter when they come up with little gems like this!

Speaking of food, the kids and I cobbled together an IKEA gingerbread this afternoon.  It's not an easy task trying to get the walls to stay up without it being completely covered in icing sugar!  They enjoyed themselves making it and I know they'll love eating it in a few days time!

This is the picture you get when you ask the kids to look at the camera!

xx

All I want for Christmas...

is my two front teeth!

This poor baby has two little teeth ready to come through and it's not much fun for him!  Fingers crossed they'll pop out before we get on the plane....

We're continuing our tour of good playgrounds for little people.  I highly recommend Miller's Ice creamery in Cowaramup.  Excellent ice cream and a great little play area complete with refillable, milkable cows!!! I wish I'd gotten a pic of the kids having a go!

This afternoon we had a gorgeous afternoon at Wills Domain.  The view of vineyards in the valley is truly spectacular.  It was great food, great company and the kids had a ball in their playground.  I'm keen to check out one last venue - Eagle Bay Brewery.  It's kind of tricky to get to these places with two kids who nap so we'll have to wait until they extend their opening hours after Christmas.  In the meantime, we're just going to try and stock up on vitamin D at the beach!!!

xx

Boy vs Wild

Meet my son Bear Grylls.  We're in Dunsborough and R is in his element.  In the last two days he has caught a lizard, a stingray and a flathead with his bare hands!  (I wish we'd got a pic of the stingray).  If he could, he'd stay at the beach all day to swim and catch things...

While our very dear friends are here we're doing a tour of the playgrounds of the greater Dunsborough region.  Today was Aravina and it really does have a great playground and an amazing garden.  You've never seen so many hydrangeas!  Tomorrow we'll try Miller's Ice Creamery - I didn't even know it existed but you can't go too wrong with kids and ice cream!

xx

Light

We've really enjoyed staying at Scarborough.  It was great to get away from the house while it was being packed up and now that's done it feels like we're on holidays!  The kids are loving swimming in the pool and heading down to the beach.  I'm really enjoying watching the sunset every night.  Tonight there were kite surfers - it's amazing how many different ways people use the beach.  Living a 10 minute drive from the beach is definitely something I'll miss!

Fanta Pants and the kids went to check out some different lights tonight.

Friends of ours have done an amazing job decorating the front of their house with Christmas lights complete with music.  Dressed in their pjs the big kids had a great time dancing and checking it all out.  Not only is it fun, it's also a fundraiser for PMH.  Nice work Bullens!

xx

Going, going...

GONE!

The storage, airfreight and sea container have all gone and the house is now sparkling clean ready for the new tenant.  I can't believe it's all done and how quickly it all happened?!?!

I was having a quiet swim by myself this afternoon in the hotel pool and as I floated looking at the clouds I wondered - how did I end up with three little munchkins about embark on an adventure to the other side of the world?  Amazing, scary, exciting!!!

xx

All packed up!

The house is all packed up and waiting for the container to arrive.  Luckily A escaped being put in a box!  Poor thing is looking grumpy after his 6 month old immunisation yesterday.

R and Papa entertained themselves while all the packing was going on by making a cubby out of dissembled trampoline and an old painting sheet.  Who needs expensive toys when you can have this much fun with some poles and a sheet!

xx

Goodbye...

On Saturday afternoon we said goodbye to many friends.  It was fun to see everyone, especially those we haven't seen in a while.  Thank you everyone for coming along - we really appreciated it.  The native animals were certainly a hit with the kids.

Having to say goodbye to everyone made me think about some of the things that I'll miss the most while we're away.  (Besides family of course and in no particular order).

• Paris - saying goodbye to two cats in one year is too much to bear

• Tuesday mornings with Danielle and her girls

• Playgroup - the most amazing group of mums and kids.  We certainly got lucky there!

• Waking up to this view every morning

• Friday afternoons with Mel at IKEA

Tears have been shed and now it's time to look forward to our new adventure...

xx