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The last weekend in November, Zeke came over from Melbourne for a visit. The kids still got on well. While we knew him through the Dutch playgroup, Emma also went to the same nursery group with him. We went to the beach, did a harbour cruise on an old sailing ship and watched a dvd.
Sinterklaas
The first Sunday in December, we celebrated Sinterklaas with Piet's
Dutch school. We sang songs waiting for Sinterklaas, once he had arrived, all classes performed a sketch on stage - Piet's group did the pepernotensamba without Piet - and in the end there was a present for each child. Piet and Emma were a bit overwhelmed by it all; we hope they'll be more at ease next year.
On Sunday evening, we had booked a cruise together on an old sailing ship, the Southern Swan. As there was little wind, we motored out halfway to Manly and sailed back to the Harbour Bridge. We had snacks and drinks and by the end of the evening, the kids were fairly tired.
On 6 December, we put up the christmas decorations. No tree this year, as our old one looks a bit miserable. The next weekend, Remy came over from Melbourne for a few days with his mum. Again, the kids got on well. On Monday, we drove to Ku-ring-gai Chase national park and had a look at the Barrenjoey lighthouse. The kids happily walked down to a little beach. Due to the grim weather, there were not many people about. Emma stood on all fours.
We kicked a ball and enjoyed the slide in our backgarden. Piet thinks it is a small back yard, which it is compared to Eltham, but not by Manly or Dutch standards. Piet and Emma made themselves useful by taking the washing down together. For the teachers at Piet's pre-school and Emma's creche, we wrapped up some presents.
Bendoc
The Saturday before christmas we drove to Bendoc. As many people would be leaving Sydney, we intended to drive off early and guess what? Piet woke at 5am and we took it as a hint. We were on the road by 5h30 for a jam-free trip. We arrived at noon.
After lunch, Piet and Emma were keen to get started with assembling the new swings. Unfortunately, opa had to put it on some solid footings, so the first proper swing wasn't until the next day. New-hat-Emma and Piet were keen to help grannybunts pick raspberries. We also played with a rocket-launcher-bubble-blower contraption. In the afternoon, we were surprised by 1cm thick hail. Emma enjoyed a bath in a small tub in the shower room.
In line with tradition, we went out in search of a suitable christmas tree. For a change, we settled on a branch of an Omeo gum, which grows in the local highlands around Omeo. With the benefit of wise directions, opa managed to cut off a sizeable branch, which we took home. After a quick pat, the kids helped prune and decorate our beautiful christmas tree.
Predictably, Piet was the first one up on christmas day to check the presents in his stocking. Emma got up a bit later. Both received a toy car and some small lego (regular lego). This was only the beginning, as more presents - also a few for the grown-ups who had not put their stockings out - followed after lunch. The most creative present was Piet's dinosaur costume. After mum ran out of time, Emma had to make do with a mail order costume. Dinosaur Piet enjoyed his melon. Oma read us a book about the adventures of the cat Charlie.
Sandpit
Before our arrival, opa had build us a sandpit at the old entrance to the house. This meant we could play with our metal
digging machine on a stool. It comes in handy to fill
buckets with sand, while opa still knows how to build a jolly good
sandcastle.
For more pictures on the rocket-launcher-bubble-blower contraption, see this facebook album (opens a new window).
Finally, we were able to entertain ourselves with the large bubbles that a present allowed us to make. Typically, Piet would chase and pop them, while Emma was the creator. It was all good fun.
