Winter on the Sunny Coast

It's winter time! It's also the mid-year school holidays here at the moment but I haven't posted anything for a while, so I'll show you what we were getting up to a few weeks ago.

We've been down to the park by the river, to the beach and playing in the garden.

Evie is really enjoying her swimming lessons at the moment, especially sailing in her little blue 'noodle' boat across the pool. They start the lessons by swimming to the bottom to put sticky animals on the floor of the pool to look at as they are swimming along. Then, at the end, they have to swim down to get them again. Hard to believe that this time last year Evie couldn't swim or even put her head underwater.

A Glossy Black Cockatoo outside Isla's school:

We've been up to Noosa National Park for a look in the rock pools. I read somewhere recently that it is the second most visited National Park in Queensland, so we are pretty lucky to live so close! No dolphins this time, but a few crabs and fish were there.

Isla had her first ever school sports day. It is called an athletics carnival and was for Prep to Year 2 students. They had tug-of-war, bouncy hoppers, sack races, sprint, long jump, high jump and throwing. Unfortunately, it started to rain before Isla got to do her favourite event, the long jump! It was great fun watching the bouncy hopping and sack race though. They were competing in their different teams, yellow being the eagles. The other teams are the magpies, kookaburras, and seagulls. 

A bike ride through a park:

Down by the river, with a poorly Evie:

At the weekends, there are regular markets by the beach. We met up with some friends at the market where there were special activities for children. Isla and Evie loved going inside an actual ambulance, where a paramedic checked Isla's heart rate for her. Then we bought some freshly made doughnuts and ate them on the beach.

Back at home, Evie was all better again after a couple of doctor trips (and a couple of balloons too!). We bought some air dry clay to make some pots, penguins and a hedgehog:

There's been a lot of dancing going on recently! Hits such as 'Fairy Dancing Girl' by The Fairies are popular in our house at the moment.

Evie made a boat at playgroup:

Last weekend, at the start of the school holidays, Isla and Evie went to a birthday party by the river. The children spent most of their time climbing trees, playing with toy parachutes, and eating apple slinkies, sausages and birthday cake.

The weather was pretty amazing at the weekend. At Noosa main beach, we all had a swim in the sea and had a relaxing picnic.

Surfing dogs and looking for dolphins

The other week, we decided to go on a boat trip to look for some sea creatures. Avast, me hearties!

 Alas, there were not many sea creatures to be found that day, but the boat trip was still pretty fast and exciting!

Evie and I went to the library and had to park under a fruit bat camp where the noisy bats were squabbling with each other:

Isla lost her second tooth!!!! She had finished her swimming lesson and the wobbler fell out in her towel.

Evie and I went on a sneaky trip to Noosa National Park. There is a track that provides views of the sea on one side and bush on the other. There is so much to look for here, with dolphins and turtles in the sea and koalas in the bush. The track is very popular with surfers carrying their boards, tourists, and joggers. 

There was an international food fair at school last week. As well as having lots of nice food, there were lots of rides to go on.

Some noisy magpie larks, or peewees, have been visiting our garden and annoying Monty:

Did you spot the surfing dog and the dolphin?!!!!! :)