5 reasons I know she's Daddy's little girl...
1. She shares his sense of humour.
She loves slapstick and toilet jokes. She thinks that Home Alone 3 is the funniest movie ever made. Farts are funny. A whoopie cushion can keep her entertained for ages.
2. She shares his love of toys and games.
She likes Lego, computer and console games and best of all - console games with Lego characters.
3. She shares his lack of sporting prowess.
She likes to play tennis in the school holidays but forgets whether she is right-handed or left-handed. She is equally unskilled with either.
4. She shares his enjoyment of music.
She likes to listen to the radio at night as she falls asleep. She loves to sing and makes me laugh with her interpretation of the lyrics. Her latest favourite song is The Rogue Traders "You are my boobie child".
5. She shares his enthusiasm for travel.
Places on her travel list: Egypt, Austria, Antarctica and the Gold Coast.
Christine xx
The third week of April for the photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim.
15. Sunset
The marvellous view from my front door.
16. Flower
Beautiful flowers in my back garden.
17. Something I don't like
I don't like coffee. I don't even like the smell of coffee! But I do love a cup of tea.
18. Hair
Julia's gorgeous, long hair.
19. Orange
My crocheted orange angry bird.
20. Something I drew
A drawing from many years ago - a self portrait from high school. I can't believe it got a mark of 8½ out of 10!
21. Bottle
These little bottles were bought in Austria, on our trip several years back. I think they must be waiting for a special occasion!
Christine xx
Joining Sticky Fingers for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Action.
A few years ago I bought a new camera and my husband bought a new video camera at the same time. We went to the Botanical Gardens on a beautiful sunny day to try them out. I took lots of lovely photos of flowers and trees, but my favourite photo from that day is this one of my husband, deep in concentration. Lights, camera, action!
Christine xx
I am joining Kate Takes 5 again this week to share my top 5 wishes for my child.
I wish her health and happiness of course. But some extra gifts would be lovely!
These are my five fairy wishes for Julia...
Christine xx
This is me on my first visit to Disneyland in 1969.
This is Julia and me visiting Disneyland in 2011.
How many differences can you spot?
Christine xx
The second week of April for the photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim.
8. Inside my wallet
Hidden in my wallet, apart from lots of cards and receipts, is a photo of Julia's first visit to see Santa. Look how tiny she was!
9. Younger me
Taken quite a few years ago (let's just say in the late 90s), a photo of me and my brother.
10. Cold
Now that the weather is getting cooler, these coats and hats will soon be needed, especially on chilly Canberra mornings.
11. Where I ate breakfast
Gazing out into the back yard.
12. Stairs
We don't have any stairs at our house, so Julia and I built these block stairs together.
13. Something I found
Well, really something Julia found. Everywhere we went in the US, Julia would find one cent pieces on the ground. She had quite a collection!
14. How I feel today
Just like Julia's Easter picture - happy and full of chocolate!
Christine xx
My Mum and I went on a fantastic holiday together a few years ago. Our first stop was England, where we stayed in London for a week, then hired a car and travelled a bit of the country. One of the first places we visited outside London (once we managed to get OUT of the city) was Stonehenge.
This is my photo of the eerily beautiful stones.
And this is me. I am listening intently to the audio tour. This is about as close as you can get to the stones. But it wasn't always like that...
Here is a picture of me and my mum visiting Stonehenge in 1969. How fascinating to be able to walk amongst the stones!
Unless your name is Griswald. Have you all seen European Vacation? This movie still makes me laugh every time I see it!
For anyone who is stonestruck, I recently stumbled across a somewhat unusual little blog that you may enjoy... Clonehenge: A blog about Stonehenge Replicas.
Take a look at this post about a miniature replica Stonehenge at Cockington Green, in Canberra. This place is well worth a visit if you are travelling through my neighbourhood.
Dare I say it?... rock on!
Christine xx
It's a new month for the photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim. These are my photos for the first week of April:
1. My reflection
I'm not sure if I could live without my microwave! Here it reflects me and my kitchen.
2. Colour
Julia's fun with Easter stamps.
3. Mail
We get lots of junk mail - Julia loves to go through the toy catalogues and circle all the things she wants.
4. Someone who makes me happy
My daughter Julia, of course!
5. Tiny
Julia looked all around our backyard for something tiny for me to photograph. She found little shells in her sandpit and little stones on the path, but they weren't very interesting. She looked everywhere for a ladybird but no luck today. So these tiny flowers were perfect.
6. Lunch
This is Julia's lunch, ready for school. She likes to choose between a sandwich, a rollup, a croissant or a mini cheese & bacon roll (but if I have leftover chicken, she will always choose a chicken sandwich). Kiwi fruit for fruit break and pikelets for recess. I use chalkboard stickers to leave her a special message and some Magic 100 words. She likes to show me how clever she is!
7. Shadow
A tall shadow in the late afternoon sun.
Christine xx
Joining Sticky Fingers for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Easter.
The Easter Bunny always leaves treasures to find... and the Easter Egg Hunt is anticipated with glee by Julia each year.
Julia's first hunt was three years ago when she was just Little Miss 3. I had to guide her around the back garden so she could find the eggs that the Easter Bunny had left for her.
Last year I wasn't expecting a hunt, until a few days before Easter when Julia, then Miss 4, let me know that was what the Easter Bunny did every year. Mr Bunny hopped very quickly to the shops and stocked up! This photo is taken after that hunt... Julia is very pleased with her egg treasures!
This year the Easter Bunny left puzzle clues which Julia (now Miss 5) had to follow until she found a basket full of eggs. It was a bit more of a challenge this year as she had to read and decipher the clues herself. She loved the hunt and managed with very little help from me.
If you are looking for some inspiration for next year, these are Julia's Easter hunt clues. You can download or print this sheet in pdf format here. Enjoy!
Christine xx
The fabulous Kate Takes 5 has dared me once again to show my age! Almost a year ago Kate set a Listography task to share my top 5 band albums. Listography this week is my top 5 albums by a male solo artist. I love to share so here goes...
1. Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell
I grew up with Meatloaf. Not just on my dinner plate but at every party for at least a year. Twenty or so 14- and 15-year-olds sitting at a party with this album (LP/record) playing on the turntable. Every one of them belting out every word to every song on this album.
At school, a teacher set our class a task, much like the game of Consequences, where we had to write a line of a story and then pass the paper to the next person to write the next line. We wrote out the first verse of "You took the words right out of my mouth".
It was a hot summer night and the beach was burning
There was a fog crawling over the sand
When I listen to your heart I hear the whole world turning
I see the shooting stars
Falling through your trembling hands
This album is an absolute record-breaker.
2. Rod Stewart - Blondes Have More Fun
I had to make sure that my Dad wasn't listening when I played this album. I'm not sure that he would have appreciated his 14-year-old daughter singing along to "Dirty Weekend" and the line "You kicked the shit right in my face" from "Is That The Thanks I Get" was not language used in our home. But I loved this album.
3. Alice Cooper - The Alice Cooper Show
I was introduced to this album by a friend who borrowed it from her older sister. I was 15 and it was awesome. There is something so very wrong with playing "I Love the Dead" at full blast as you walk through the Sydney Hospital carpark to the Domain.
I saw Alice Cooper on stage in 1997 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Front row on the floor - totally fantastic!
4. Billy Joel - Storm Front
This album still makes me sing. Whilst "We Didn't Start the Fire" was perhaps the biggest hit from this album, I loved the all other songs too. This was definitely one of my most played albums in 1989 and 1990 and probably 1991 and 1992 as well.
5. Robbie Williams - Escapology
Purchased at a crossroads in my love life, "Something Beautiful" was the track that got me hooked on this album. However, I have one confession to make - I always skip over the first track!
This list has brought back some wonderful memories - thanks Kate!
Christine xx
