The Whalley Tribe

After two months of the most glorious weather things turned a little strange…

2009-10-12T05:42:00.012+11:00

On Thursday 24th September we awoke to a peculiar blood red sky. Our house borders a nature reserve, and so our first thought was a bush fire – only there was no smell of smoke. We rushed outside to find all the neighbours in our street equally confused. I turned on the TV just as a special news broadcast was reporting on a dust storm that had enveloped Sydney. Quite a spectacular and very rare sight. Overnight our world had been transformed into a Martian landscape providing amazing photo opportunities!

9h10 The sun through the dust

9h15 Savannah in the front garden

Dusty view of the Harbour Bridge from a North Sydney appartment

And we thought the dust was bad... Look what else the storm blew in!

Eventually the dust settled and the clean up began… everything inside and out was covered in a thick layer of fine red dust – even worse than driving hell through leather around the Kalahari Gemsbok Park with the car windows open!

And then came the rain… which mercifully washed away the dust, but brought plummeting temperatures far colder than we’d experienced all winter. I'm so glad we hadn't packed away the winter woolies and electric blankets yet!

It was a beautiful but sad weekend…

2009-07-28T22:36:00.013+10:00

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.

A South African "Bring'n Braai"

2009-06-23T08:34:00.003+10:00

Also known in Australia as "Bring a Plate"

What's it called in the USA, I wonder?

(PS - A Braai is a South African term for a Barbeque. )

What do you mean ANOTHER holiday?

2009-06-21T20:12:00.061+10:00

There go the travelling Whalleys again!

Off on another adventure – this time a road trip along the northern New South Wales coast to visit our friends Philippa and Tony in Yamba and to see the sights along the way.

First stop the beautiful Sails resort in Port Macquarrie.

Then a few days at Annuka Beach Resort just north of Coffs Harbour.

The award winning Pet Porpoise Pool at Coffs Harbour is a most impressive attraction.

We loved the hands on interaction with all the animals, complete with dolphin kisses, smelly seal cuddles, and baby penguins to feed.

No surprise, the entire Whalley family hogged the lime light with their participation in the show.

A visit to the Butterfly Farm and the Honey Place to see busy bees at work in a real hive delighted the kids.

We even got to pick our own strawberries at the farm.

What a great way to educate the kids – Maria Montessori would be so proud of us!

We immediately fell in love with Yamba and had a great time staying with Phil and Tony.

Savannah and Kyle had such fun playing with Sammy & Nathan.

Mom and dad had their first surfing lesson and are totally hooked! I can just see us a few years from now - travelling around the world like ageing hippies with surf boards on the roof of the van. What better way to spend the kids inheritance!

And the best part of all – quality family time and fun with good friends. How blessed we are.

Now lets plan our next trip...

Our time at Coffs Harbour

2009-06-19T05:43:00.003+10:00

June 2009

Seven years into our marriage. (And we weren't forced to pose for this...)

Another exciting week in the life of the Whalleys

2009-05-29T21:51:00.043+10:00

Gosh, it's been another busy, fun filled week....

Our next door neighbor invited us over for duck. Savannah and Kyle dived right in!

And our other neighbours were doing some renovations. And Kyle dived right in!

Savannah loves going to Camaragal Montessori School.
She's learning to read big tricky words!

Did we mention Savannah now does Ballet with her best friend Arabella?

And she's become quite a little baker!

Kyle loves mountain biking best of all!

Let's not forget Dad and Mom...

Yup, dad's playing soccer again for the over 35's Lane Cove Soccer team.

Kyle and Savannah are his biggest supporters!

And mom had another birthday! Yes, 37's been real good to her...

Sorry there are no photos - she's the one behind the camera these days!

Twins!

2009-05-02T21:04:00.016+10:00

We've all heard the warnings before: there is a good chance that when you purchase a female guinea pig you may be getting more than what you bargained for... No kidding!

For the past two weeks we've watched our dear little Flash grow fatter by the day, until our suspicions were confirmed by the vet. Yes, we were expecting...

Imagine the excitement in the Whalley household this morning when Flash finally gave birth to two baby guinea pigs.

Guinea pig puppies are surprisingly large and are born complete with fur, an identical replica of the adult. They are quite self sufficient and were hopping about on the grass eating vegetables and seeds within a few hours of being born.

Savannah and Kyle are ecstatic, and I have to admit that Pete and I are quite smitten too!

Pete's been wanting another baby for a while now, and, yes, I guess he did get more than what he'd bargained for!

Happy Easter in "Rap" from the Whalley's in Sydney

2009-04-05T10:58:00.004+10:00

http://www.flowgo.com/funny/10664_easter-hip-hop.html

So here's a cool song to wish you Happy Easter, and many chocolate eggs!

Click on the link below the photo and rap me baby!

Rodents!

2009-03-31T21:56:00.042+11:00

PRESS RELEASE
Sydney, March 28th 2009

In an unusual development, rodents have taken up residence at “the house with the orange door" in Wood Street, Lane Cove. This sunny suburb on the Lower North Shore in Sydney is normally pest free, until yesterday!

In an interview with a neighbour, it was revealed that two little terrorists had held mom and dad to ransom. Their demands were simple. “If you want the dummies to go, ya gotta give us the goods.” And in this case, “the goods” were two Guinea Pigs. One of the terrorist let slip that the Rodents names were in fact “Flash” and “Princess Wendy Sparkles Squeaky” (no identity crisis there...).

Further sources revealed that mom was not confident that Flash and Sparkles would survive the week, due to excessive petting, hugs, cuddles and bike rides.

The kids are in their element and the dreaded dummies a distant memory!

Annual Event in Adelaide

2009-03-29T09:20:00.004+11:00

Yup, that time of the year again. (March every year, that is.) Sybiz hosts their annual conference in Adelaide for the Dealers.

It’s lots of fun for Mom and kids because they get a chance to get out of their daily routine and spend some time on the beach, on the tram and visiting friends in Adelaide. And hey, even a camel ride or two!

Mom even gets a Dinner and Dance….. Here’s some pictures, and here’s Adelaide's location on this big old island of ours....

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

Camel Rides on the beachfront...

Kyle in the Glenelg Street Fountain...

Sex in the City (Sydney City, that is)

2009-03-08T17:51:00.003+11:00

Ha. Got your attention...

Tarongo Zoo has to be one of the best Zoos in the world because of the types of animals and magnificent location.

And of course when one thinks of Australia, one thinks perhaps of Koalas. But one is unlikely to think of Koalas in this fashion....(?) Or maybe YOU do....

It's Party Time (Part 2)

2009-03-04T21:33:00.011+11:00

And a wonderful day it was....

The sun rose, greeting the pandemonium in the Whalley house as presents were opened and SKYPE calls made all over the world. With webcam on, many shared the first few hours of Savannah and Kyle's day. Mother Hen clucked over the two little gollums before the hike down to Blackman Pack where the party was to be held. (Okay, it was a mere 200 meters from our back door....)

Tables were set up, balloons were blown, hide and seek items were hidden and Pat (Uncle Pat) was posted as the security guard, before everyone arrived.

And the throngs arrived. Gollee, there sure were a lot of people....

Ren quickly took command. The general in her stormed the bank and stunned the toddlers into submission with the first game. This was closely followed by the Oscar award winning (according to the Mom's and Dad's) Pantomime conducted by Ren and Pete (Directed by Ren) and supporting actors Pat, Mike and Clinton. Gee whiz. If you could have seen the kids faces...

Oh, did I mention that we finished off with cake - a most marvellous ice cream cake with a barbie AND a chocolate cake. Oh ye kids of great spoiling.... Mom made them both. (The cakes and the two Whalley children.) What is she LIKE????

The day ended at 9.00 p.m. Okay, not for everyone, but festivities continued back home

Another day. Another birthday. Older children. I hope it's not happening all too quickly....

It's Party Time (Part 1)

2009-03-01T08:15:00.008+11:00

Ren decided to have a joint birthday party for Kyle and Savannah. Dad agreed. No choice really. "Yes Dear...."

A date was chosen, a theme was brilliantly invented, the entertainment was planned, food and drinks were carefully analysed and clueless people were roped in. By clueless, I mean people who nodded "Yes, sure we'll help you" with absolutely no idea of what they were getting themselves into.

I'm talking about Lorraine, our fairy Godmother and the lovely relatives, Jo and Pat, who flew in from Perth on their way to New Zealand. (I'm sure they'll rethink the stop over strategy in the future.)

And oh yes, of course, me, Dad, who generally has an optimistic view of things, and then finds out the truth as unruly events pan out.

No choice really - "Yes, Rene" we all chorused.

Ah, yes, even the weather was carefully planned....

And when we told Prince Kyle and Princess Savannah what the great day was about, and what theme we thought would suit them, a dreamy look came over their faces.....

2009-02-21T07:37:00.003+11:00

Look, if you're two years old, then food is important. And within the pyramid of food choice, there are MEATBALLS! Uh oh!

2009-02-04T22:02:00.012+11:00

Despite the continued heatwave in Sydney we've had a super week.

Some friends let us in on one of Sydney's best kept secrets: McCallum Pool in Cremorne Point. It is a lovely tidal pool with the most spectacular view of Sydney harbour bridge, opera house & city - and it's FREE! Ren's been taking the kids for a dip almost every day

On Wednesday night we all went down to Long Reef Beach for some surfing and a fish & chips picnic. Savannah spotted a lost little snake neck turtle on it's way into the ocean, which Pete rescued and put back into the nearby lagoon. The kids were fascinated, but Kyle was not happy when it swam away - imagine the tantrum!

Last night we had our friends over for a prawn BBQ. Their 2 girls, (along with Savannah) took great delight in dressing poor Kyle up in every outfit in the dress up box! He thought it was so funny and went along with the drag show with absolute delight! Thank goodness for the slightly more masculine Hiawatha and Farmer Max outfits!

Another moment in time.....

We're BACK in 2009!

2009-02-02T21:02:00.011+11:00

Okay, so life got a little busy in Sydney with two small children, our moving of homes, new travel adventures, and oh yes, WORK!

We've neglected our blog, and we've made a decision to start again, tracking moments in time.

It's our way of preserving memories so see you thoughout the year!

Ren, Pete, Savannah, Kyle, and Charlie the cat.....

Fiji Dateline Cruise

2007-08-10T20:59:00.000+10:00

A 7 night Fijian cruise with a 2 year old and a 6 month old baby? Nothing stops the Whalleys with their sense of adventure!

This is the route we cruised to explore the Northern Fiji Islands.

Why we love Fiji ~

Perfect weather, azure blue water and beautiful white beaches.

And our "home" The Reef Explorer in the background.

Yesterday, today and tomorrow?

The International Dateline has Savannah very confused!

Balmy days and a calm sea. How lucky can you get?

Mom's out there on the glass bottomed boat on her way back from the island where she went snorkling.

The Whalley family lunching on the upper deck.

A swim with dad on one of the islands.

Pete and Kyle enjoy the magnificent sunset at sea.

Our Fijian Holiday - Arrival - A photo Blog..

2007-08-08T11:37:00.000+10:00

This is marvellous... Peace and Quite and a portable DVD player on the flight. Pete's stunned...
On arrival in Fiji, a bus takes us to the Dock. "Tickle" is shown the way, with great excitement

On the Dock, about to board. Our first cruise as a family....... And the weather is wonderful!

Aha! The Fijian Assualt. Small children are revered in Fiji, and Kyle is overwhelmed!
Goodbye - leaving the docks, Bon Voyage - See you in a week! We're off!

My Sister Savannah SURE is growing old huh?

2007-03-04T20:37:00.000+11:00

Yup. She did it. O'l Grandma turned two. Sheeeesh. What a performance....

Mom arranged a picnic with Pooh in the park. (You know, we've got this great park across the road from my shack?)

I've done a poo in the park myself, but I don't have the voyeuristic intentions of my sister - i.e. I didn't need 30 people around me, when I performed. Poor insecure, insignificant other. Anyway, I digress.

So Mom was up the evening before wrapping little take away Pooh table mats and little chocolate teddy bears. Not bad. Have to say though, that after 8 weeks of milk, those Bear's went down a treat. Wonder which kid went without, like I care...

Dad even helped Mom blow balloons up. Excuse me while I stifle my guffaw. He already had a balloon on his cheek from the tooth ache, and Indiana Jones here wanted to help. Less said about him the better, except that I actually may be bigger than him, in about two months time.

So after a week of rain, the big day arrives, beautiful, calm, warm 30'C weather. I did my normal "I'm the happening thing around here" and essentially made things as difficult as possible. Shucks, I love my life. Dad ran around, and moved the table, Braai (there's that word again - what is it with our parent's home gibberish?) the bin, and 34 other items not used across the road. Mom cut fruit up, sorted drinks, tablecloth's, looked good, that kind of thing. Even friends helped, like Mom's mate Kim, who collected the rolls and cake. Yikes, nice babe, give me 20 years and I'll give her a call - oops sorry Gavin, but my Dad will smack you if you hassle me...

Dad made boerewors rolls while the gremlins consumed fruit and bears, and focused on creating havoc, playing in the park. I worked out that 96 % of the attendees were very interested in me. The other 4% were kookaburra's, so they don't count anyway.

Savannah had a ball, playing with all her mates, dressed up in that weird Piglet and Pooh dress/shorts (look sis, make a decision huh - dress OR shorts) and then had a song sang to her, Happy Biffday or something like that.

(Savannah with her mates)

She even had a bash at trying to blow two pathetic candles out, and failed . Duh! Come on Sis, even a sick platypus could have done that.

We also had the real deal Winnie the Pooh (some fat Teddy with yellow jaundice) sitting at the base of one of the tree's, in o'l Hundred Acre Wood. (Sure Dad, the park's like 30 square metres - gotta exaggerate everything, that Pop of mine)

And then, like a whirlwind, everyone left, and we cruised across to my place where some other cool cats pulled in. Mom and Dad entertained them there too - nice and cool it was!. I was held again to my heart's content. Yeah, bring on the parties, my kind of life.

And Savannah's response to the day? She's happy I guess, and boy did she stuff her face with food. I saw the look on Dad's face changing her nappy that evening. Ha ha - Dad, take a look at your Father's generation - they would never had got suckered into that rubbish - I'm telling you, I ain't doing that stuff either.....

Anyway, got to go. Mom's looking settled. Too settled. Here's some more photos for you. Not bad. I took most of them myself. For now, see ya later, mates...

The cake. Phew, I would have loved some....

All the mates except Kevin, who took the photo. He he - sucker...

That's Savannah with Jade and Rebecca, her two best mates. That's girl friends, by the way - I've see her ogle Harry out....

My brother Kyle SURE is growing

2007-02-03T15:02:00.000+11:00

G'day, mates. It's me Savannah. Thought I'd be a sport and post an entry.

So today I went to the Sydney fish market with my Dad.

Jeeesh. What a geek. He listened to AM Radio world news all the way, ignoring my needs and my music. Sure, we've heard the songs 1.3 million times, but come on Dad, have a heart.

Great ride anyway, and first thing at the market, we get a coffee. Dad had a "skinny" Cappuccino (made with skim milk - what's with that - not like he's Mr Fat, or something) and I had a Soy "Baby Chino" No coffee in the baby Chino, because Dad say's that's like putting me on steroids (which is?)

Whew, for an Aussie, I've got class. (Ooops, sorry Auntie Jo)

That was pretty cool quality time. Meandered into the green grocer opposite the coffee shop, picked up some veggies and stuff for Dad's Thai Fish surprise tonight. I think he's going out to some Thai restaurant - leaving me and Mom at home - SURPRISE!

Nah, only kidding, Dad picked the recipe for whole fish on the barbie (Dad calls it a Braai - strewth, what's with THAT word?) and we picked up four small fish, real beuwwwwwdieess. Like I care. Feed me, and make it quick.

Anyway, cool morning, got home to meet Mom and get moving because she had to take me to the Sydney Opera house for some cool kids concert called "I liked to sing." That's what I'm talking about!!!! I went with Jade (She owns Kim and Gavin as her parents) Annabel and Rebecca (they control John and Ronel) and Taylor (she owns Andre and Leeanne) I also saw Gretal and Stella - what a gas.

And yeah, Dad got left with Kyle. He he. Sucker.

Boy - is he growing, (not Dad, Kyle, but I think Dad can do with some growth) which I guess is the point of this blog entry. I really struggle to talk about others, when really it should all be about me.

Anyway, to keep the peace, I thought I'd feign some interest in the Jackaroos growth. I've given you pictures, one per week, showing how he is changing. I'm so creative, I could scream. Here we go...

One day old! Come on, Dad, Mom, I was a lot prettier, huh?

This is day 8. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed. Kid does NOTHING all day

Day 15 - Hoooray! He's GOT EYE'S! Starting to look human, brother!

Here's my brother lying around on day 20 of his life. Yeah, bud, take advantage while you can - our folks can be hectic - you'll see...

Lounging around in the car seat, day 21 of his life, so far filled with sleep and food. Huh. The cheek of it all...

It's Australia Day, Jan 26th, 2007

2007-01-26T07:10:00.000+11:00

Today is Australia Day.

It's like Independence Day in the USA, or Republic Day in SA.

We're going to support a few friends who are getting their citizenship this morning. It's kinda cool- they get congratulated, get given a plant and a meat pie and a flag by the local mayor. Some sun tan lotion, a Fosters beer and a croc. Okay, the last sentence I made up

And so to celebrate our Australian Family (one little Wallaby and one Opal) here's a quick photo blog of our little Australian's and their daily lives

Aaaaarghhhhh, SHARK,
SHAAAARK - RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

Look Sis, stop the shouting dude. You're already irritating me and I'm only three weeks old...

Hey! We're not stopping Fashion week because of some fall out with some fish!

Fish???? That's all a shark is???? I'll eat the thing! Sushi they call it, I think...

This may be the last normal photo of me. Mad daughter. Mad husband. New baby. Goodbye cruel world...

Strange but True Australian Signs

2007-01-13T15:50:00.000+11:00

We've been wanting to share these photos for some time, and the Blog is the perfect medium for this. Here's a collection of photos of signs we found found throughout our travels here in Australia. Take a look at the first one, which we came across in far North Queensland.....

Or how about this one below, taken on our way to Kings Canyon, just south of Alice Springs. As we drive through this town we spot this sign.... (it was true, by the way)

Can't work this one out - on a toilet in South Australia. "Only people with one big foot allowed into toilets?"

And finally, on our way to NSW, from Adelaide, we pass over this little creek, one fine day...

My name is Kyle Dylan Whalley, and I was born on the 8th Jan 2007

2007-01-12T07:45:00.000+11:00

The story of my birth actually began on Friday night, with a quick dress rehearsal just to make sure everyone was ready for my grand arrival. I’d been giving poor mom hell for weeks trying to break my own record for stretches and somersaults in a confined space, so when I decided to change tactics and stop moving about and curl up in a tight ball, she naturally became concerned.

Off to the Mater Hospital we rushed, for a bit of monitoring, but once I was convinced the facility was up to standard we returned home for a nice relaxing weekend.

Monday morning 8th January 2007 started like any other, with the usual trip to Dr Michael Fortune (a.k.a Make-A-Fortune) in Mossman. To everyone’s amazement he pronounced that mom was already 3cm dilated, and that I’d probably be born sometime that day. Dad was delighted that I’d thwarted mom’s last minute shopping spree at the mall – us boys have to stick together, he he!

Now you probably know that the Whalley's are not known for our patience, so as soon as we arrived home I decided it was time to get things on the go. Why wait around any longer? And anyway, I was becoming a little claustrophobic. Mom was so cool about it all, so much so that the nurse did not believe she was truly in labour when we arrived at the hospital at 13h05. A quick examination promptly changed all that, and Dr Fortune was immediately summonsed!!!! Mom was praying that the red Ferrari she’d seen in the parking lot earlier was one she’d helped pay for when Savannah was born two years ago, as he was still examining patients on the other side of town!

After that things happened really fast, and the next 45 minutes are a bit of a blur. All I know is that there was a lot of pacing and panting and moaning, with dad taking a lot of abuse for his attempts to humor and distract mom. Mom insisted on waiting for Dr Fortune to actually earn his fortune, and refused to get onto the delivery bed until he arrived at 13h50! And then everything happened extremely fast… With all the lights, cameras and action I rightfully deserve: I made my debut at exactly 14h00! The grand finale… “It’s a boy!”:

I am alive! Kyle Dylan Whalley is born! And so the Whalley family name lives on. (My mom wrote this up, by the way - I just dictated it. Good to be the king...)

My gym's actually a Real Estate Agency

2007-01-05T14:22:00.000+11:00

You see, I have a point to this (this is Pete writing, by the way)

"Renovators Delight" - sounds like absolute pigsty; "Warm and Cosy" means freaking small place and my all time favourite "Location Shot" (normally a view of the ocean, house in Alice Springs) Sounds familiar?

Well, my gym has just joined this gallery of con artists. (Hmm, collective name for con artists?)

Let me explain, if I may. I'm reading a book called Natural Health, Natural Medicine, and it inspires me to pick up my cardio exercise routine. Sure, I do the soccer thing during the year, and I ran the City to Surf 14km like an idiot, but regular cardio exercise - nope - can't say I've got a great record, glancing back through 2006.
So I pick up my gym's exercise phamplet and it's got some great classes, one of which I go to yesterday, called "Body Attack." Allow me to read the description: " ..."high intensity moves, exercises and activities. A great cardio workout...."

Great. I'll be lean, trim, fit, and full of stamina, shortly. Girls will leer at me.

So I'm into this and I pitch up at the gym and walk into the class. I casually notice there are no men. In fact, I notice 16 girls. Did I reconcile this with the fact that it may not be a "Body Attack class?" the way I see it. Nooooo. Not me.

Did the instructor ask the old "Who's new to this class" question (read "Who is the idiot in the tight shorts, slightly caved in chest?")

Did I put up my hand, and did 32 eyes (although some of the girls really squinted at me, or glared, so I can't be certain of the number) glance at me with a spasm of interest, then quickly turn away, as if they were about to witness an accident?

What they actually meant was Aerobics... You see "Body Attack" actually MEANS Aerobics. So how come my gym has teamed up with my local real estate agent?

I start to perspire (yup, I no longer sweat) before the music comes on, because I've seen this movie before. The scene opens with the lead actor in the dance studio, struggling his way through the dance routine, followed by coffee with one of the girls, some general chat throughout the movie, some falling in love, and a regular championship dance at the Sydney Opera House. Followed by cute babies arriving, white picket fence yada yada yada. The end.

In my version, shot in cheap black and white, the wide eyed buffoon (remember the ferret's eye's from the movie " Ice Age") in fact spends 45 minutes convulsing to the music and dance routine. He is in fact clueless and uncoordinated. No girl leers. Some weep.

I leopard crawled to the shower. In hindsight, I guess I enjoyed it, and I'm sure I'll go back. But I am now going to take more care with the description of the classes

Check who owns your gym....

Happy New Year

2007-01-03T10:35:00.001+11:00

Ahhhh. The smell of a New Year. The promise of new beginnings, the washing away of the old and wise days of 2006, the freshness of a deep breath in the serene surrounding of a mountain stream, and a belief in the present... Happy New Year to you all!

And yes, the start of our family Blog.... Hopefully not one of these new year resolutions that fall away.....

And what a year it promises to be, to get right back on track of this Blog...

A new "Whalley" into the family. "What it it?" I hear you cry?

" Not sure," we scream back! But it's a baby, and not a dolphin, neither a possum, this we know!

Rene's common war cry in our home when people ask how she is feeling is "Full and Fat and tired of that" Having said that, I know she is keen to enter the "Mater Weight Loss and Relaxation Clinic", also known as the Mater Hospital, so she can be entertained, and lavishly gazed upon like a brand new star. Alas, she will have to share the fame with "Billie Goat!" Why Billie Goat, you shout accusingly at us - 'tis true - it is a BOY! Nay, we screech - "Billie" is a name for male or female! Ha!

Other wonderful news in our household is that Rene's mom has joined us for a little sojourn, from her Kenton-On-Sea abode, to help the poor lost husband, and "Speedy Savannah" during this time of change. Ahhh, the waft of the freshly scrubbed and rosemary doused roast lamb, gently eased from the oven womb, is a fulfilling (excuse the pun) gift from the Mother Outlaw that cannot be replicated after the future departure of this wonderous cook...Gulp, hope my mother does not cast her eyes upon this blog!

And so, onto our next post....whenever....