Kids in the Kitchen

On the middle weekend of the Spring School holidays J, P & R and kids and Cliff, Mitch, Sheldon, Caitlin & I spent a few days at Mandurah.  We were only spending Saturday and Sunday night there.  We decided that the kids could cook dinner on Saturday night.  Caesar Salad was decided on.  Mitchell (18), Eila (15), Sheldon (15), Caitlin (14), Lewis (13) and Aaron (13) headed to the kitchen and without one fuss all decided what part of dinner they were doing.

Mitchell diced the chicken and he and Aaron headed off to the bbbq to cook it.  Caitlin diced and cooked the bacon.  The boys diced up bread and drizzled it with garlicy olive oil and put it into the oven.  Eila, Sheldon & the others then set about cutting up the salad.  Lettuce, onion, capsicum, avocado etc.

The final result was spectacular and delicious and we were all very proud of our kids.  Not so much because of the food but because not one of the whinged and there were no disagreements.  Total Team Work!

More amazing is that without a sound Eila headed back to the kitchen and washed and wiped up on her own!

Stormy skys over Avalon (Mandurah)

Last weekend was a long weekend.  We went to watch the Dockers play (Aussie Rules Football live) on Saturday night against Richmond.  It was a great game to watch, with the exeption of 1/4 where Richmond scored 6 goals straight.  Instead of the Docker laying down and dying they rose to the challenge and the game after this was just fantastic to watch and very exciting…. unfortunately 1 1/2 minutes before the end Richmond got the goal which put them 3 points in front.  The umpiring was very uninspiring and uneven and in the dying seconds of the game Dockers marked it in their goal square but the umpire called ‘play on’ and then the siren sounded. So another loss… but at least the games have been enjoyable to watch because they do not give up!

Sapphire Skys over Avalon

So…. we got home from the football about 10pm and thought “let’s go to the beach house”! So Cliff and I packed a few things and headed off…. we arrived at 11.30pm.  The weather took an immediate turn for the worse and storms set in the the remainder of the 36 hours we were there.  The lightening over the ocean was amazing.  The black, dark grey and sapphire blue storm clouds were extraordinary.  The thunder scared Mahli, who spent most of the weekend hiding under a blanket.  We managed a couple of walks on the beach in amongst storms (cos there is no way I would be outside when I can SEE lightening!).

The lightening was so severe that a passing helicopter which was flying along the beach decided to land on the nearby school oval and didn’t take off for an hour and a half when the weather had cleared sufficiently.  I wouldn’t want to be sitting in a tin can 100 metres off the ocean either during a lightening storm!