15th February - Hobart days

Monday 15^th February 2016

Hobart days are still busy – sometimes frantic, sometimes just…busy.  But all is well.  Australia’s biggest naval vessel ever is in town, looming importantly out from the Hunter Street wharf area.  We walked around from the car park to get a closer look, with three hot and exhausted girls (it was about 29 degrees…) I had a sneaking suspicion that they wouldn’t let us anywhere near the boat and indeed…we had to trudge back.  But the girls were happy – they  hadn’t ever seen the Stephen Walker Antarctic sculpture, and they were delighted to be able to clamber around them.

The marina provided a perfect viewing platform to see the naval ship anyway, so everyone was happy.

The last three remaining girls were leftover from our busy weekend.  We had all eight of Pete’s grandchildren for a sleepover on Friday night, followed by a morning at the Aquatic Centre.  We enjoyed it all very much; not many issues at all.  No fighting, not many tantrums.  Just a bit of an issue re food…some of these children really and truly hate eating.  IT’S NOT FAIR!! shrieked the most mild-mannered and gentle of the children (12 years old!!) when we tried to coax him into eating a small slice of toast for breakfast.  He thought he had eaten more than enough – three freshly picked blackberries and half an apple… (And yes he did get cold and exhausted in the pool; it was a bit hard to feel much sympathy.)

Ella, Holly and Tessa weren’t being picked up until six, hence the waterfront walk.  But first - a trip to the museum!  They were highly entertained and impresses.  We had to rush them through because it was the end of the day, with less than an hour before closing time, so they probably got a very strange, blurred impression.  But never mind!  We all loved it!

Sunday morning was the Thomas children megaparty – the four of them are exactly two years apart, and are turning 10, 8, 6 and 4 this month(ish).

The weather was perfect – not as hot as it has been, not windy, no rain – all of this changed soon after the guests had left.  There were fabulous cakes:

Hilda the horse for Rose, a big pink fish for Zoe, a pineapple themed eva for Eva, and a Valhalla ice-cream Harry Potter cake for Leo.  Sensational!

The activities were sensational too.

A fairy party for the smaller girls

A disco for the bigger girls

A mad rush and scramble in the bush with nerf guns for the big boys.

Katy and Jeff put on a GOOD party!!

There were (approx…) 24 children, and many many adults.  Everyone polite and pleasant and delightful… But there is always one annoying person in a group, isn’t there?  Our Sunday pesky person declared herself quite early by following Katy around telling her she was thirsty.  Well yes but there was a jug of juice on the table with glasses.  I reckon she pestered Katy with this sort of question/information about fourteen times…As Katy was walking out to the outside table with a cake alight with candles, this same eight year old girl tapped her on the arm and said, “I only want a small piece of cake, thank you.”  Katy’s eyes were glittering; I could tell she felt the need to dump the whole cake on a small annoying head…