Holidays galore: A sojourn within a holiday

Thomas, Margaux and I spent four very special days in East Perth from Dec 29- Jan 2 in a flat in East Perth, which was perfect. We needed some time to be together alone - to have some proper family time.

We spent our time lounging in the flat, using the pool on the top floor, going for walks, and catching up with friends... perfect.

On December 30 we caught up with Barbara, Emma, and Katie from our Radio Lollipop days. Margaux was dotingly cared for by Mum and Dad, and we were grateful for a night off! We had a brilliant time at an Indian restaurant in Mount Lawley, but no photos for proof. Oh well.

New Year's Day saw us head through the city and up to King's Park, where we sat in the shade and watched Margaux entertain herself with the nature around her - and play with her, of course! The weather couldn't have been more perfect... it was the best way to start the year that I can think of.

We had a delightful catch-up with Brian and Damon, and James and Renée at the Royal on the evening of the 2nd. Margaux had had a late afternoon sleep so was in fine form at dinner! She wasn't interested in being in her seat at all, so Thomas spent a significant portion of the night following her around as she scampered throughout the restaurant... Still, we all had a fabulous evening.

That concluded our little sojourn within a holiday... it was time to get back together with the rest of the clan!

Holidays galore: Cousins' Christmas Bash & a new ukulele

It was January 2nd when all the Minchin, Marshall, and Randell cousins gathered at Cott Beach for a big family get-together - of the size we haven't had since we were kids! We came from all parts of Australia and the globe to be in Perth this Christmas so it was quite special. Five of the six grandparents, 10 out of the 12 cousins, plus all of their partners and kids, met at the very windy beach that morning.

Some braved the surf; others opted for take away coffee, which they drank in relative comfort while watching the swimmers emerge looking like shivering (though admittedly refreshed) drowned rats... I think you can guess which camp I belonged to!

It was decided that - particularly for the comfort of the 15 second cousins - it would be better if we relocated to a house, so we all headed back to someone's nearby abode for tea and golden peaches. The kids ran amok with toys and vehicles and balls, meaning we cousins could have a good old catch-up.

Following that delightful morning, we drove back to East Perth via Zenith Music Shop and Kings Park... the first for Mum to buy Thomas a ukulele as an early birthday present, and the second to practice it and let Margaux have a good run-around.

Thomas took to it as any good student would, with lots of concentration and effort.

Margaux crawled hither and thither, and found great delight in some particular sticks she discovered...

Holidays galore: generally enjoying Denmark

We had such a wonderful time down in Denmark. Thomas, Margaux and I left in one vehicle on the 29th of December, Nick was in another vehicle on the same day, and the rest of the family came back up the following day.

Being together for such a relatively long period of time meant that we could enjoy doing things in different combinations of people.

 

 

 

 

On Boxing Day night we all gathered at James' campsite for a beer or two and a few rounds of charades, which was hilarious. We had everything from Amelie to The Simpsons to Sex, Lies, and Videotape, and everything in between. Emily stunned us with her talent at both acting and guessing answers.

Margaux saw some close-up kangaroos, which interested her greatly. There were about 5 or so contentedly munching the grass and going about their business, but they did give Margaux cause for curiosity when they bounded away!

On Dec 27th Thomas and I took the rest of the family out to dinner at a Denmark restaurant. It is billed as a 'bar and bistro', so we were imagining a self-serve bain marie, but it turned out to be a cosy restaurant with some of the best table service around!

The food was amazing and the staff were great fun. Margaux fell asleep on the way in, but woke up part-way through the meal and joined in the atmosphere from the head of the table.

Dinner was preceded by chocolate mousse prepared by Thomas, and a very special bottle of Moet et Chandon, which Thomas had given Mum for Christmas. Amazing!

For our final night we all met up with Wren and some of her friends on the way Boat Harbour for a BBQ and some quality beach time. I went with Nick, James and Em in Jim's ute, which was great comfort in the soft, sandy drive there! All three vehicles (two vehicles for us plus the hippies) made it with varying degrees of success, but all came out with everything in tact! It was a really great evening, with lots of great conversations flowing.

Wren and Co. headed off after dinner to an unknown destination - unknown even to them! Thomas and Margaux joined Mum and Dad, who left after the sun had fallen - or at least they tried to... inexplicably the engine failed to start in their car, but some solid work by auto experts they managed to get it all going

We four sibs remained and shared a very memorable evening of drinks, charades, stories and experiences... none of which will be recounted here!

Holidays galore: Christmas Day in Denmark

What a special Christmas Day!

We started off with a morning swim, followed by a sumptuous breakfast. All the presents were ready and waiting to be opened, but we managed to hold off until about 2:00pm. It became a very creative opening process with Nick playing guitar at different speeds while each person opened their present. We had a competition going to see who was most in sync with Nick's timing and who appeared the most genuinely ecstatic about the gift they had just received. Hilarious.

We had a feast of salads, ham, and veggie burgers for lunch, followed by Christmas pudding that Dad had been preparing for the last week - accompanied by some delectable wine and refreshing beers - delicious!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and generally enjoying ourselves. Bliss

Holidays galore: Setting off for Denmark and enjoying the beaches

Finally, the time had come: We were all off to Denmark for a week in a big house! James secured a camping site nearby, which added an extra element and which Em and Nick used as an alternative place of abode.

 

We arrived on Dec 23rd, which was a bit of a mad rush for Thomas. Here is his itinerary:

 

20 Dec: arrive and go straight to the farm

21 Dec: wake up at the farm and generally get bearings



22 Dec: fly on 06:40 flight to KL for an interview with the national oil company there
23 Dec: fly back from KL, arriving at 05:35 AND go with the family to Denmark. Thankfully Em had set up a luxurious bedding arrangement in one car, ensuring he would get at least a couple of hours' sleep on the way down!

It took us 8 hours from when we left Perth until we arrived in Denmark, thanks significantly to stops for an interview that Thomas had on the way down (!) and some issues in Dad's office that hadn't been resolved - and needed to be before everyone left for Christmas.

Finally, in our various stages of jet-lag and tiredness, we arrived and began the unpacking process. Who would have thought we could fill two cars with people and belongings (food, clothes, snorkeling and swimming gear, pram... thankfully Mum had organised for a baby cot to be there when we arrived!) for just a week??


From this date until we left on the 29th, we all enjoyed sleeping, swimming, eating, cooking, walking, playing music, and generally lazing about the house or campsite.


A morning swim at Ocean Beach was a favourite start to the day... something which I wasn't keen on until I got into the water! The waves were relatively gentle and the sea was clear, clear blue. Amazing! Margaux wasn't yet ready to get into the water, but she paddled about in the shallows and enjoyed crawling about in the grassed area.

(The above is a collage of two beaches: the two photos at the bottom right are Greens Pool, while the others are at Ocean Beach.)

It had been a long time since I had been tossed about in the surf, and it was a lot of fun! I slightly caught a couple of waves, but nothing that delivered me completely to the shore. I also got dumped many times, which I think helped sort out my niggling neck problems...  an added bonus that could have gone the other way.


Greens Pool was a big hit, in part because of its Margaux-friendly environment: clear water, no waves, shallow depth... everything a one-year-old swimmer could want! She spent the first visit, which was with Mum, Dad, Em, Thomas, and me, curled up in someone's arms or watching from the safety of the sand.



 Emily introduced Maggie to seaweed, which she found fascinating. We didn't get around to sand castles with intricate seaweed-and-shell decorations... maybe next time!

One of the significant moments of that visit was when we were having a relaxing drink on the top of the rock that splits Greens Pool from Elephant Cove (there's a photo of in the middle row of the last column) when we saw a stingray!

It slowly flapped its way along the shore - thankfully we had been out of the water for a while and were the only ones on the beach - and then followed the curve of the rock we were on. Thomas took a photo (first column, second photo) but it is a bit hard to see.

Our second visit to Greens Pool was just Thomas, Margaux and me, which was really special. The beach was packed like I've never seen before, but there was still some space for us. :) Margaux LOVED being in the ocean!

She was tentative at first but grew bolder. She was sitting in the shallows (see the photos in the first of the beach collages), shivering cold and almost blue in the lips, but having an absolute ball. She loved watching the waves come in and disappear again; she loved seeing the sand swirling in the water when she displaced it with her toes; and she loved trying to catch the bits of seaweed that floated up in the water, only to be taken away with the tide.

Eventually, she was ready for a swim. She propelled her little arms and legs intermittently, and tried to drink the water. Although she was still shivering and blue, she continued to have a whale of a time - but was very happy to cuddle up with her Daddy afterwards!

Holidays galore: sibling dinner (which is chronologically before 'Daddy arrived!'...)

We four siblings decided to have a night out with the latest family member before Thomas arrived.


We started out meeting James and Nick at Port Beach and then headed off to Memorial Hill, where we enjoyed a cheeky beer and a spectacular sundown.

Margaux was desperate to escape and took every opportunity to do so, but ultimately she failed this time. She was beginning to get more comfortable around James and Nick (Em was already a hit), and she loved being part of the action.

From there it was on to The Balmoral for a memorable meal! Margaux was wonderfully behaved, having had her dinner on Memorial Hill, meaning the rest of us could enjoy a delicious dinner and a really good catchup.

Holidays galore: Stair master

A big feature of this holiday has been Margaux's mastery of climbing up and down the stairs in Mum and Dad's place.

She began this quest at Rita and Jean-Paul's, but now she really has the hang of it - except the climbing down bit. Despite Mum's lengthy efforts at encouraging Margaux to turn around and go downstairs backwards, she just can't bring herself to move in reverse.

As a result, Margaux uses only short lengths of stairs for her forward-facing descent!

She began quite clumsily but now she is like a demon on knees! Up and down and up and down she goes. She has perpetually bruised knees and shins, but it doesn't stop her from doing her daily exercises!

 

Her favourite vantage point is from the landing, half way up. She has the perfect view of everything and of course we all lavish attention on her.

 

Due to Margaux's inability to reverse down stairs she gets to the top and, when she's ready to come down, let's us know that someone needs to carry her down. It's funny though: she doesn't cry or complain; she just makes enough noises that we know she is more than just entertaining herself. Clearly it's sufficient, because we all (mostly me, really) jump into action to bring her down - just so she can repeat the activity.

 

Since she has begun to walk while gripping on to someone's fingers, her latest trick is to 'walk' up the stairs. She does it exactly the way she sees us doing it - taking one step at a time! Her poor little body can't keep up with her legs so she ends up in a very awkward position with her torso effectively one step below her legs... I'm sure she'll get the hang of it eventually.

 

Maybe by the time we leave she'll have figured out the backwards descent, however I think for the time being she's figured out another way she can still manipulate us into treating her like a princess!

Holidays galore: Daddy arrived! and The Wonky House!

Margaux and I spent the following few days getting over jetlag and catching up with friends.

We had a delightful afternoon tea with Anna and her newborn, Isobel, on the Applecross foreshore. Isobel is SO cute and has a calm temperament - or did on that day, at least! We have plans to catch up again, which will be great.

Miss Maggie and I also went for lunch with Gillian in Roleystone, followed by a trip to Stirk Park. We thought we'd find a fairly empty park where we could enjoy a bit of a crawl around the grass, however it was packed to the gills with a festival for the New Zealanders in Perth!

The highlight of the week without doubt was that Thomas arrived!! He touched down at 17:35 on the 20th Dec. Mum, Margaux and I collected him from the airport and whisked him straight up to the farm for the inaugural sleep in the Wonky House!

 

 

Margaux was asleep when we picked Thomas up, however we pulled over as soon as she woke up so they could have a proper hello. The main photo in the collage above was taken at that time.

 

 

So. The Wonky House. I must begin by mentioning that Emily, Margaux and I went with Dad up to the farm on the 10th, so we had a sneak preview of what we were about to visit with Thomas.

 

We all had such a delightful day together. Margaux and Em really bonded, which was gorgeous. Dad worked on some grouting in the Wonky House, while Em watered trees, and Margaux and I went for a bit of an explore (but generally stayed inside where there was air-conditioning and no biting marsh flies!

 

 

The House looks phenomenal. There are still some finishing touches to be applied - along with a coat of paint and a chip-heater for the outdoor shower (also yet to be installed) - but the overall effect is already amazing. The glass bottle features that Wren and Clare installed glow beautifully, but it is the long windows with the spectacular view that really make it stand out.

With Thomas there, we slept on a mattress on the floor while Margaux slept in her travel cot at the foot of the bed. We all had a wonderful night's sleep - and woke up on the 4th anniversary of our marriage in France!

There was much admiration of the Wonky House and discussion as to its progress, and I think Thomas is really rather keen to get our own one going!

By the afternoon of the 21st we were ready to head back to Perth as a reunited family once more. :)


Holidays galore: A girly jaunt to KL

One week after Margaux and I touched down, she, Mum and I took off to Kuala Lumpur for a long weekend. Yes, it was a bit of a crazy plan, but Thomas had been looking for work there and I said that, if I were to consider moving there, I would like to get a bit of a feel for the place.

As this was all very sketchy and more of a notional plan than anything more, we tried to keep the real reason for going a secret. Mum and Dad had great difficulty trying to explain to their friends and family that we were going 'for a girly jaunt' or 'just because we can', and tended to opt for the truth - much to my frustration!

We flew the 5-and-a-half hour journey on the afternoon of Friday the 12th December, and returned on Monday the 15th. We navigated footpaths and traffic (no mean feat with a pram, I tell ya!), experienced the light rail, window-shopped (mostly) our way through two massive shopping complexes, and took a tour up the PETRONAS Towers.

China Town was an eye-opener for us... Margaux was stroked and patted by all sorts of people - and offered in exchange for handbags/ watches/ etc... Hmm, I think I'll go for Malaysian Ringgits instead! Margaux tried her first Rambutan (the lychee-looking fruit below) and loved it. I think the weirdest thing I saw there was chicken meat that was so processed it looked like squares of salami!

Margaux was an object of fascination on the streets of KL. We came upon a couple of girls who exclaimed, "Oh, she has blue eyes!" - as if all the photos of Caucasian fashion models in the clothes shops were photo-shopped. And many people reached out and touched her arms or her hair, or who wanted to have photos with her, or hold her, which made me feel really uncomfortable.

We spent a very memorable evening with Fred and Cecilia, who live in KL and came to visit us last August. It was such a lovely opportunity to meet them again, and it was great for them to see Margaux for the second time! We had the extra bonus of a Skype with Thomas, who wanted to see both us (Margaux) and have a chat with Fred. Perfect!

Margaux was a very well-behaved traveller, so we felt very lucky. We enjoyed the swimming pool on the top floor of the hotel, which had marvellous views. She loved being in the water with both Grandell and me - and crawling on the concrete around it. Her crawling overall was improving at great speed, however, so she became very frustrated at not being allowed to crawl anywhere but our hotel room floor.

She made up for it on the way back, though! For a significant duration of the flight back she was crawling up one aisle and down the other, and then doing the whole thing over again. She became transfixed with any wayward rubbish or food that was on the floor, and fascinated with people's shoes and hemlines - much to their amusement!

All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile visit, and it was a great opportunity for Mum and Margaux to bond.