Another trip to Brodie Creek

At the beginning of August we were surprised with some more snow. The kids spent most of their days outside sledging, snowball fighting and generally getting rosy cheeks. Euan and I had been reading Eragon together and found the DVD in the library the day before. As always with Euan books or films trigger off ideas in his head and he came in to ask me to take a photo of the snow dragon that he and Henry had been making together.

I think he has such a wonderful face and a real character. Unfortunately the snow started to disappear by the afternoon taking his snow dragon with it.

Miss Ellie not to be out done as usual and created her own snow penguin and snowball pile that she wanted me to photograph. She was most upset about an hour later when he was only half the size.

That night we had an absolutely spectacular dispay in the sky above us.

The colours got brighter and brighter as the sun set leaving just after this shot

which made it feel like the sky was on fire again. I know I keep on about the sunsets but they are so spectacular because very little breaks the horizon and you get a vista which is unforgettable.

The next day we awoke to find all the snow gone and decided to make the most of it by taking another trip out with Jayne and her children. The car was packed with kids and dog who was then in turn dressed up as a rap artist by the boys in the back.

It is such a good job he is a patient old boy as the fits of giggles coming from the kids as he sat there in his attire was shaking the car.

Jayne asked if I would take her down to Bodie Creek Bridge as she has never been. I mentioned it was quite a bit of off road driving involved which could be interesting due to all the wet weather we have had over the last month or so but she was up for it.

The hills on the way down to Goose Green where stunning and shrouded with misty sunshine.

Through the gate at the top and then looking at the track stretching out in front of us, we took a quick minute to decide if this really was a good idea. This may look nice and firm but it is mostly peat and can quickly go from solid ground to very deep bog.

After an initial bit of swearing and tense wheel gripping, Jayne settled down into a good pattern and was soon whooping and giggling as she headed sideways on occassion down the track. I have to admit here that I am not a good off road passenger. I hate it with John and that still didn't change in someone elses car with another driver. I would rather be in control simple as!

We eventually arrived down at the bridge and Ellie allowed me to try and get some photos of her up against the lichen wall that I love but I wasn't particular satisfied with the results.

Maddie scrambled up the bank that I couldn't get onto and took this lovely picture of the bridge for me.

We took a mosey across and then lined the children up to get a group shot. We tried to get Fergus in the picture but he just kept running over to me as I tried to take it. There was just too much good stuff for him to explore.

On the other side I had to do my usual and get arty farty with some rusting chains on the beach.

While his nibbs was busy trying to chase the seabirds as they flew around the shore line. He yipped his way backwards and forwards for a good twenty minutes. You can just see him running along the shore line about half way up on the left.

We wondered up onto the opposite bank for a way and then decided that the sun was starting to set quite quickly and we should try to get back before dark fell.

As we crossed back over the bridge we were greeted first by a lone seal and then,

by a whole group. Does anyone know what a group of seals is called other than a colony?

These photos don't do justice to them, there were so many of them bobbing in and out of the water watching us move across the bridge.

Back in the car and Jayne was getting very excited about heading towards all the gates at full speed in a sideways position and I was soon instructed to get out and take the mandatory puddle splash shot for her.

As I shut the gate and headed back towards the car I had to chuckle at the state of Jayne's tow hitch, do you think she might have been having just a little too much fun? That turf stayed in there for weeks before it dried up and dropped out.

We drove back into camp just as the sun was starting to set and I managed to capture this picture which I love. If you haven't lived on a military base you wouldn't understand the stark utilitarian feel of the buildings and miles of barbed wire surrounding everything.

As we made our way back from Jayne's to home we were treated with one more colourful display as the sun slipped behind the horizon.

I had to laugh as a few days later Jayne said "you do know the locals don't go on the bridge as they think it is to unsafe" paaaa I said we are not that soft, then again they may have a point!

The next day we awoke to snow storms covering the ground again with a real biting high wind. It was enough encouragement for me to stay indoors and get on with some scrapbooking. I don't seem to be making in roads with these at all and since we are already into October and I haven't started this years yet I should really get a move on. These are from Ellie's album from last year.

Long overdue for an update

So it has been a while hasn't it!! I have to be honest, I have so much to tell you about and so many photos to share that I just don't seem to know where to start. It is almost to big a task to surmount. I will attempt over the coming weeks to get caught up with all that has been going on in our lives over the last few months and in recent weeks. To start with I am going back to the end of July and the School's talent show. They had their very own X Factor show where they could show off their talents in groups of individually. Euan and Maddie were not really up for this at all but they put in a good performance on the day. Euan was the head rapper with his group performing a Granny rap! For someone who doesn't like to be up on stage and talking in front of people he did really well and looked very relaxed.

He had just enough attitude to pull it off.

Ellie and her friend Siobhan performed a dance to Beyonce's "Should have put a ring on it" complete with leg slapping and multiple leg/arm movements. Ann one of the Dance instructors here kindly helped the girls out with some of their moves which was very good of her.

Ellie was also in a group that sang a rap about what hip hop was which was rather good.

Maddie joined all of the infants to dance a Bugsy Malone song, there was much twirling and arm waving with this one. I had difficulty trying to get a picture of her as she kept hiding behind the girl in front of her with a silly embarassed grin on her face.

Then she appeared again with two of her class mates to sing and play hot cross buns and Joe, Joe stumped his toe on the way to Mexico on the recorder!

All of the children did really well considering they were not given much guidance in school. The following week after school broke up we went out with Jayne Smyth and her two children to have an explore around Stanley. Jayne had not been over to Yorke Bay or Gypsy Cove yet so we decided that was a good place to start. There were a lot of horses that had been put out to graze on the way there and they were very inquisitive. I had some sherbet lemons and foam shrimp sweets in the car which brought them right over.

The girls are still mad about horses so they were straight in there with their hands out ready to feed the hungry muzzles. We found out on the way back that they had liked the sherbet lemons but discarded the foam shrimps!!

By the time we had five horses on one side of the car we decided it was time to move off before the fighting started and the car got kicked.

We had the mandatory picture of the Lady Liz ship wreck. I will write about this ship at a later date and give you her history.

We drove on around the shore line to get to Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove. Both of these beaches were mined during the conflict in 82 and as such you are not allowed to walk on them. It is such as shame as Yorke Bay especially is a stunning white sandy beach.

The penguins do live there and seem to manage okay with the mines but I believe a cow was once killed in a mine explosion around this area.

There are several information boards and a nice path that has been man made which makes walking around the top of these two areas very pleasant and easy.

Of course me being me I had to take some arty photos of the barbed wire as I went.

and the amazing signs which you just wouldn't come across in the UK.

here is Euan part way down the path with Yorke Bay in the background.

And again demonstrating his goatee for me with some of the local lichen. It was getting rather chilly so we decided to bundle back into the car and head to Shorties for some lunch when we came across this fellow under the iron bridge.

I was so pleased with these shots as I have been really struggling with my camera skills recently. He is called a Night Watchmen Heron and his beak is really that wonderful lime green colour that I love so much.

He was busy catching little fish at the bank side but soon got fed up with me inching closer and closer. He eventually disappeared around the rocks where I couldn't get to him.

Jayne decided I had taken so long with my shots that she would show me how fed up they all were and drive off without me, the girls thought this was hilarious as you can see by the above shot!

After lunch I showed Jayne where Surf Bay was and we let the kids do some more dune surfing while the dog had his mandatory seaweed fest and duck chase.

With a really biting wind we didn't last long down on the sand and started to make our way back to the car. Little Harry managed to con Ellie into giving him a tow back which was rather funny as

he has not yet learned about Ellie and that the fact that she doesn't often do a good deed unless it is reciprocated. I think Harry might have regretted this with her weight on the sledge!

All in all it was a good day with fresh air and very sleepy happy children and pooch on the way home.