Weekends in Sydney are better than peanut butter on warm toast….
It’s normally an early start for Pete on the Saturday morning. Aromatic coffee, with one or two (perchance 3?) of Ren’s homemade rusks and a quick online catch-up of world news, sport and stocks/shares round up. At which time one of the offspring will arrive, tip-toeing up the passage, whispering “Good morning Daddy,” immediately followed by a “can we watch a DVD?” (TV is a special treat only allowed on a Sat or Sun morning or when it’s raining and mom’s trying to remain sane!)
Once the kids are settled, Pete makes another tea or coffee and quietly places one next to Sleeping Beauty. It’s a treat for Ren to sleep in on weekends because weekdays are under her whip. Then it’s a hasty exit for Pete and down to the study for a quick catch-up for ½ hour or so….
After mom leaves for the gym, it’s off to the Fish market or to Lane Cove‘s delightful little village with Kyle and Savannah for a babychino and a coffee for Dad as the weekend eases into first gear. Riding with dad on the bike is great fun!
Winter afternoons are Soccer time for Pete, with his family of avid fans cheering from the sidelines. After a beer or two the socializing continues - either an evening out with friends, or entertaining at home, very rarely a quite Saturday night in.
Ah, then it’s Sunday!
Same early morning drill, except a little more speed as its Savannah’s swimming lesson at 9h30. How cool it is, watching your daughter with big goggled eyes pouncing into the lesson and then practicing in the big pool afterwards with Kyle. Sometimes Ren even fits in a quick aqua-box class with her friends.
This particular Sunday was a little sadder. We babysat one of our friends dogs (a sweet little sausage dog) and during the course of the week, we took our eye off the ball and it promptly killed Simba, our baby Guinea Pig (we’re now back to having only the original two). Mom and Dad were devastated but the kids took it in their stride. Not sure if they “get it” yet, but Rene and Pete fielded the innocent questions about heaven and earth, whilst shielding watery eyes, and trying to keep their voices even …. We decided to bury little Simba in the garden with a little bush marking the spot. Sad it was, but also a good opportunity to share lessons on life and death with the 4 ½ and 2 ½ year olds. Rest in peace, Simba darling...
And the rest of the afternoon was a merry mix of painting, playing in the playroom and watching the Monsters Inc DVD (with much delight Savannah announced that it WAS raining) followed by Ren’s homemade (fantastic!) pizza’s, and the normal evening activities : If you’ve had kids, you know the drill, get them fed, bathed, read to, lights off, quick battle for supremacy, lights off again, dad and mom regroup and regain their energy… ready for another week.
Early to bed (Pete’s off to Perth at the crack of dawn) warm and snug, listening to the rain, grateful for the goodness of life in Sydney.
