Indian Summer Visit to Werribee Zoo

It's been a while since our last update, so here are a bit of news about what's happening...

Yasmin got started with Tordal Property with my first client signing up. The client has two properties, where I currently manage one, and will take over the other shortly. I've had a lot of fun getting into things and learning to use the property management software - PropertyMe, which is a cloud based software package that covers everything from maintenance, communication and inspections to trust accounting, but it's all very easy so far! 

I also had my first inspection in March, which went well as I got to try the mobile feature of the software where you take pictures as you go and enter comments per room on your mobile phone - at the end you just publish the report and the landlord can log on and see inspection comments and pictures! Brilliant!

Kasper finished up with Target in Geelong on the 24th March and have been busy with interviews for a new job. He starts his new job with TabCorp on April 18, which is in the city, so he will have to battle peak hour traffic again :-( But as a bonus of not starting until after Easter, he got a few weeks off to enjoy at home with Oscar and me :-)

We have spent this time wisely to try and finalise our new house plans, but more about that in another blog post....

As we have had a brilliant Indian summer so far (temperatures has been mid to high 20-s throughout March), we decided to take a family trip to Werribee Zoo last week to enjoy the nice weather. 

As Oscar is obsessed with busses, we decided that Kasper and Oscar could take the bus to Williams Landing train station, and I could pick them up from there and go to the Zoo. Apparently that was a big hit! Oscar was full on singing "Wheels on the bus" all the way, and even got a cheeky teenager to join in :-)

As the Easter school holidays started last week, 1000s of other parents had the same idea about enjoying the nice weather at the Zoo, so the Zoo was packed! Nevertheless, we had a super fun day spotting some Australian animals and getting a ride on the safari bus (Oscar's favourite)!

Here are some pictures from the day.

Driving the safari Jeep with a little mate

Fun on the big net swing

Weeee swing up high!

This playground is so much fun - big slide

woo-huuu so much fun!

Moving the big balls from one end to the other

There you go!

Walk around the Australian section, we spotted a koala sleeping in the tree

Up and close with the kangaroos

It is a bit safer on daddy's arm when an Emu walks past

Some grey ducks and a kangaroo (Oscar was more interested in the ducks :-) quack quack)

December 2016 - Happy New Year!

Despite good intentions, I didn't quite get this post about December 2016 up before 2016 ran out... Oh well, better late than never :-)

Christmas Eve - 24 December

Even though we have been living in Australia for 14 years now, some traditions you just can't change... one such tradition is that we celebrate Christmas on the 24. December in the evening.

This year, Oscar understood a lot more about Christmas and Santa Claus and presents, especially since he had a advent calendar where he received a present from Santa Claus every day in December. He was quite excited every morning to go and find the next number on the advent calendar and open the presents. Most days were just a small present with a little toy car (hot wheels), because Oscar still doesn't eat lollies or chocolate, so we had to do something different.

On Saturdays and Sundays, he received some "larger" presents, e.g. a set of toys with little diggers, excavators, dump trucks etc. or a little puzzle. All in all, he really enjoyed his presents.

On Christmas Eve, we decided to get him dinner and a bath before starting the festivities with all the presents under the Christmas tree. So while Kasper gave Oscar his bath, I ran around like crazy getting all the presents under the Christmas tree. By the time Oscar was done and dressed in his pyjamas, he came into the family room and saw all the presents under the tree and went nuts!! :-) Presents, presents, presents... We managed to sing a few Christmas songs before he was let loose to go and get the presents :-D

Then he came with the presents one by one and we helped unpack the presents. All presents was studied closely and played with enthusiastically before he remembered that there were more presents to open under the tree.... so the whole process took a while to get through. Oscar was just as excited about mummy's and daddy's and Bailey's presents as well and was a good little helper in regards to opening all presents.

Little Bailey also turned 11 years on 24. December, so she was pampered with yummy presents and a lip-smacking dinner of roast pork with all the trimmings!!

Pictures from the evening below...

Christmas tree with presents

New chair from grandma mormor Ulfet and Christian (was put together earlier in the day)

cool underwear from uncle Dani

Cool car with disco lights and music from friends

Played a bit with the car, but now it's time for the next present

Big world puzzle from Mummy and Daddy

Magnetic drawing pad & learning alphabet from grandma farmor Lise

Cool star wars and disney cars clothed from uncle Dani

Water Wow colouring with animals from grandma farmor Lise

Getting another present under the tree

Found Bailey's present, and she loves opening it herself :-)

To Daddy from Oscar and Bailey - here you go Daddy

Oscar testing out Daddy's new headset while Daddy tries to convince Oscar the car is more fun :-D

Another present from Mummy and Daddy

Wow! Duplo firetruck playset

Another present for Bailey, a new toy!

which she happily took to her bed to play with :-)

Present from granddad and grandma - bedstefar & bedstemor Hans and Elin

A nice memory game :-)

Present from cousins Bertram and Savannah

It's a magnetic alphabet 

Finding all the letters

and putting them on the fridge

Last present from granddad morfar Ole, Bailey is quite excited too

Wow, it's a Duplo digger!

Playing with my Duplo digger, but getting a bit tired... bedtime for Oscar after a big day!

Our roast pork Christmas dinner with all the trimmings :-p

  

Boxing Day Christmas Lunch (26. December)

For Boxing Day, we had invited some friends over for a Danish/Aussie Christmas lunch. In short, we prepped food most of the 25. December and the 26. December in the morning. 

While I was busy prepping food in the kitchen, Oscar and daddy played in the garden with Oscar's new kitchen set, booking their own food... as it ended up, Oscar had a picnic lunch in the garden before his nap.

Oscar had just gone to sleep for his midday nap when guests started arriving, which was good, as everyone had presents for him (more presents to open when he woke up).

Everyone also brought small presents for our Kris Kringle game (pakkespil), which was a lot of good fun! But first, we served up all the traditional Danish Christmas lunch foods like ryebread, herring, currysalat, fish fillets with remulade, prawns with aioli (Aussie), and eggs, served with snaps, beer, wine and soft drinks of course :-) 

2nd round of food came out, and people couldn't believe it! They had eaten a lot of the fish, even though we told them to pace themselves!! We then served a big smoked ham (Aussie), roast pork with red cabbage, home made liver pate with bacon and mushrooms, browned potatoes, and a couple of fresh Christmas salads. Everyone loved all the food, even though all were pretty full by the end of 2nd course!

Time for the Kris Kringle game. All the small gifts were placed on the table, and the dices went around the table. Every time someone rolled a 6, they could pick a gift. Once all gifts were taken, we set the alarm for a secret time, and the game continued, this time every time you rolled a 6, you'd steal a gift from someone else. Of course, there were a few gifts that were extra popular, so a couple of the presents went up and down the table a few times, while everyone nervously awaited the alarm to ring. Lots of laughter and screeching in delight every time the gifts ended in front of you!! Luckily, everyone ended up with gifts :-)

And amazingly enough Oscar slept through it all!! 
When we finished up the Kris Kringle game, he finally woke up, and came out to greet all the guests. And then found all the presents they had all brought for him, so happy little boy went around to all the guests, asking them to help him open the presents :-)

I recruited one of the guests (who works as a barista) to man the espresso coffee machine, while I served up a dessert of ris a'lamande with cherry sauce (see recipe under recipe section of this blog) and homemade marcipan.

All in all a very good day, and everyone had good fun :-)

Here are a few pictures from the day!

Table is set and ready for Boxing Day Christmas lunch

Oscar playing in the garden with his kitchen playset

picnic lunch in the garden

Picnic lunch in the garden

Christmas lunch - all the lovely ladies on one side of the table :-) L-R Ania, Cher, Daisy and Jing Jing (JJ)

Cheers! Martin and Lee

Ania, Cher and Daisy

A look at some of the food + table

Managed to get all guests in one photo :-)

And a picture with me too :-)

That's it for this time...

Visit to Werribee Zoo

Sunday afternoon after our fun brunch with the mother's group, I was relaxing and thinking about the things I had to get done the last week before Christmas while Oscar was at daycare, so planning activities for Monday especially....

Ding Ding, message comes in on the mobile... it's Oscar's daycare lady - she's had dental surgery on Saturday and in so much pain that she is cancelling daycare Monday. Boum Boum. Aaaarrrggghh, what to do??! 

Then it occurred to me! Instead of sitting home all day and Oscar going bonkers because he now had to spend another day home with Mummy, I decided to go to Werribee Open Range Zoo. We live about 10 minutes away, and Oscar has been into these videos lately with all the animals and the sounds they make, so I though I'd be a great day out!!

On top of that, the weather forecast was perfect with a sunny 25-30 degrees.

So this morning after breakfast, I said to him: "You want to go to the Zoo and see all the animals?". Oscar went nuts, running towards the garage... "Go and see the animals, go and see the animals"... Great! He's excited :-)

So off we went!
As I was buying the entry ticket, the lady asked if we wanted to go on the safari bus at 11AM, and I thought why not?! Turns out that was the best decision, as all the animals we checked in on before the safari was either sleeping, eating or hiding :-I

Oscar was excited though, and thought it was good fun driving the jeep at the lion's enclosure (sorry didn't get any pictures of that). But he was definitely most excited about the safari bus... "go on the bus" "we are going on the bus" "see the animals"....

The bus ride was a bit bumpy, and so Oscar started singing "people on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down, aaaalll through the town" :):):) haha. Luckily, the safari bus tour was the "junior" tour, so plenty of babies and toddlers on board, and they even played a few good sing-along songs on the bus :-)

Here are some pics from today's adventure. BIG success! Come back soon!

Excited about seeing all the animals at the Zoo!

Snack break next to the Hippos

Hippos sleeping

We are on the Safari bus ready to go, Oscar is excited!

Camels relaxing/sleeping in the shade

Saying hello to the giraffes

Oscar looking at the giraffes

Zebras

We got super close to the Rhinos

Oscar is still singing "Wheels on the bus" even though the tour is finished :-)