Juicy Reds

 If your interest was purely in getting the most oil out of the olives then maybe waiting as long as possible until they are as plump as a Plucker Duck and dark red will give the best return.  I got up close to the last of the olives for this year as the branches came tumbling down. Yes the tree missed out on a trim last year but this time around it has been cut back into a neat ball.  Not your traditional hollowed glass shape but accessible enough for us and it did not cost $500.  You could try salvaging the olives and there might be 2 kilos worth but the birds will finish them off and we are out of time anyway.

Official Winter beach day

 I got the Grandies going with a birthday cake session. Now it seems that if they were not helping then the cake would not have turned out so well. Ho Hum!  The afternoon was all beach action but with some stirred up water they did not go fully in but there was a lot of splashing about.  With steady sunshine and no breeze the afternoon seemed hotter the longer we stayed. Nana got a big roast going after all the exertions but even so there was plenty of room for the birthday cake and Winter ice cream.  Nana's present was one of those internet attached photo frames.  These frames would work better if they were wired.

 

Sun Ride

 Yesterday was a rainy ride in the morning and a sunny walk in the afternoon.  We have gotten the bikes out again to much better conditions this morning and the grandies were better at the riding as well.  Absolute calm and acoustics to go with it as we rode the same track as yesterday. This time it was smooth going and Kaia was speeding along to everyone's amazement. There were less dogs and people so no holding back.  We finished the morning with a cake bake session. Estelle arrived just in time for some pancake snacks. Good timing.

Grandies Get Going

 The afternoon beach walk turned out to be a lot hotter than we were thinking. We had the rubbish bag which was filling fast and getting heavier. Two grandies were getting into the swing and were almost shocked to see rubbish on the beach.  The broken chair was getting harder to carry so coats were coming off then jumpers were coming off and before you knew it kaia was mostly wet from jumping and running thru the shallows. We got the haul back up to the top and into the bin, just. 

Asher Artful Artisan

 Doing some drawing has always been a hit and if it's a bit wet then get out the pencils. This activity is good for at least 30mins. We have around 5000 pens, pencils, marker pens, textas and crazy patterned ink rollers but not enough paper. Mental note to get some more paper. The drawing has improved over time with meticulous attention to the colouring. I used to finished mine just as an outlined sketch. Not any more it has to coloured in completely.  

pooh

Grandies Ride the Rain

 We checked out the sky and the forecast. No rain in sight. The scooters were being ridden inside and there were a few near misses so let's get some beans out by going for a ride along the cliffs. Yay they say.  We got all the gear on and made steady progress to the end of the track. Confidence was up and cartwheels were being performed along the way. In the distance we could see it coming.  The all enclosing rain cloud. So we got going with the usual dog hazards, people hazards and three year old bicycle skills. Kaia did well and Asher rode all of it but we did not make it back before we got wet. All part of the adventure.

Bicycle Views

 I have arranged to use a few bicycles in Europe but we are way out of practice so I went out for a tester spinner round the block ride. Some days back I mentioned the weather and the calmness of it, that was a mistake given the blast we have had for three days. Not today though. Riding was calm and sunny and I picked an old route where I was always swooped by a crazy bird no matter what time of year.  It was all clear this time so I will put that ride back in play. It has slight rises and lake views.

Zen moment