Dump and Burn, Baby!!

Today was the start of the Brisbane River festival, a three week long celebration that highlights life in our River city. We spent it, and a belated Fathers Day, down at Kalinga Park. It is a stunning park, interwoven with a burbling creek that attracts kids like moths to a flame. Today the kids even saw two clutches of ducklings bumping along the creek with their Mother and a big water dragon!

This park has special significance for our family as Tony and I were married there, along the banks of the creek where we loved to run the dogs, playing in the shallows and exploring. We hoped to bring our kids to the playground and watch them grow and explore as we had. It wasn't to be as vandals burnt it to the ground.

We hadn't been to the new playground in some months when we came to the Park one day and were met by a kids absolute wonderland! The playground now nestles amongst the trees, inviting the children (and parents) to indulge in wild games of tag, fanciful imaginative play and exercising young minds and bodies....and its great fun too! Its consists of four tree houses, all interconnected with slides, ramps, moving bridges, ladders and firemens poles. There is also a large sandpit for the toddlers to explore and build in.

We enjoyed a simmple picnic lunch sitting under the trees and watching the birds come down and pilfer our scraps for their nestlings. The park was alive with the sounds of children playing ball, bicycles, scooters, laughter; quite simply, it was a beautiful spring day.

After lunch the kids and Tony went down to paddle in the creek. Caitie of course got thrown in while the boys splashed around like seals. The water was cold today but the boys still had a blast. I was quite content to enjoy the scenary, our own little piece of the bush right in our backyard!

I had to include this fantastic photo of Caitie who loves to mug for the camera. She is getting so big. At one point her father was pretending to throw a ball at her while she was on her bike. When she got close enough, he did throw it, where it promptly bounced off her and beaned him fair in the head. I don't think I've laughed that hard in ages...the look of shock was priceless.

Tony took the opportunity to have a ride on Conors scooter where of course Conor had to help him. They were so cute together. Papa Bear and Little Bear.

And here's the three rats, together, probably planning something naughty!

After we came home, it was time to plan for the nights entertainment. Every year, the River festival is started with Riverfire; a showcase of fireworks set off in time to music. This year we had halo's, hearts, happy faces, waterfalls from the bridge and lots of OOOh's and AAAAh's. We have enjoyed it every year, watching from home for one very good reason.

DUMP AND BURN BABY!!!!

Sorry, I get carried away with those four words. The dump and burn is the F1-11's screaming over the city and doing a fuel dump, blazing across the sky. It can be clearly seen from our home and is the highlight of each year. Sadly, after this year, the F1-11's will be retired and its the very last dump and burn....but gosh darn, it was fantastic!!! Right at the end of the clip you can hear the roar as the jets fly over heard, two small fireballs that lit up the sky.

It was a poignant end to a great day. Happy River Festival everyone!

Cheers

Cin

A Farm Girl at Heart

I grew up on a farm. Actually I grew up on many farms, piggeries, massive properties, the works. It was always my job to look after the chickens. Of course, as a kid, any time not spent playing was wasted so I hated it.


I was also a lonely teenager who lived in a small country town where most of my friends lived outside of town and I had no transport, therefore no friends whom I saw after school or at the weekend. And there I found my first love of chooks. I loved their orderly lives, I loved that they would take any bit of garbage and turn it into fresh eggs. I loved that mine would come running when I called out 'chook, chook, chicKENS!' I loved seeing them delve with much pleasure into table scraps. I loved the feel of their feathers and the sheen they had in sunlight.


And stupidly enough, I learnt to understand how they worked in a flock. I learnt how to round them up and get them to go where I wanted them to go. Chooks are a bit like sheep, they follow the leader and the slightest body movement changes their direction. My kids don't understand this and it frustrates me. And my kids also don't get that chooks need food to produce eggs and clean water to stay healthy...this too frustrates me.


But all in all, I just love having them around. I love to indulge my passion for chooks by spoiling them with a new layer of mulch or some oats in their food. I love that they are undemanding, that they make the coolest noises and they are just plain pretty. I love that they can live in small backyards as well as they can in huge open barns. I know, its strange but thats the kinda girl I am...

The girls enjoying the "muck billy"

Did I mention how much I love black chooks??

The girls having a gossip "Did you see Mabels egg this morning it was sooo tiny"

"Yes, I knowwwwwww"

And the ultimate gift, farm fresh warm eggs. They are all natural and aren't dyed.

This was going to be one of those wordless Wednesday posts but HA! I couldn't shut up if you paid me too!

Cin
p.s. hugs to Gen on the loss of her Nanni. Chin up chook!