Sports day Spectators

The winner is - Gracie!

Unfortunately, Grace had to give back her gold medal after her sample was declared uncalled for by the other children sitting next to her in the grandstand.

Her coach (Laura) is appealing.

Her manager (Rich) is revolting.

Sports Day

Charlie really enjoyed participating in his school's sports day in March. Here he is warming down after a big race.

Buzz and Susan

Charlie and Grace love playing together. Their favourite game is 'Buzz and Susan'. They get married, dance, defeat enemies and participate in other fun children's activities.

Buzz Lightyear Pancake

Not many people know that Rich did a TAFE course on pancake art. Education is never wasted.

Going Out

Here we are waiting for a cab to take us to Charlie's tennis lesson. We believe in that old adage that 'a family that prepares for a multi-million dollar career together, stays together'.

Grace and Jane help Charlie practice his "Come on's!" and Rich has just finished reading Do's and Don'ts for the Successful Tennis Dad by Damir Dokic.

It's a family effort.

Kids

A popular pastime in our home is 'bun-catchers'. The rules are that Dad chases the children around the dining room table, up the hall and to the bathroom for bed-time teeth-brushing. Dad extends his wiggling fingers while the kids scream with mock fear. The allure of this game is that buns are never actually caught but there is always the danger that they may be.

Jane enjoys a swing in Victoria Park.

Tooth, line and sinker

A major milestone in our home was reached in February when Charlie lost his first tooth. Don't believe what you might read in the tabloids or on those slanderous blog-sites - that Grace was somehow involved. The tooth came out voluntarily as we were eating our dinner together. Thankfully we were not eating rice that evening as that may have proved somewhat confusing and possibly a little ugly.

Laura's Birthday

Laura celebrated her 33rd birthday with family and friends, including Grace (right) and Pink Pony (left).

Laura's Birthday 2006

The children and their dad prepared breakfast in bed for their mum. Jane thought it was a strange custom and was not that supportive.

100th Day of the School Year

To celebrate the 100th day of the school year, children were invited to dress up as either:
1. A one hundred year-old person; or
2. A person from 100 years ago; or
3. A person from 100 years in the future.

Laura and Charlie put their heads together and came up with this unique 'look'. I believe Charlie is a one hundred year-old man living one hundred years in the future, who also happens to be a retro-type who likes dressing in the style of 1906. Something like that.

What ever the interpretation, Charlie turned some heads in the classroom, got some tongues wagging at the drinking fountain and set some major new fashion trends among Hong Kong's 'guppy community' (ie young yuppies).

Grace's New Glasses

Grace is adjusting really well to having glasses. Perhaps, though, we should not have let her choose the frames.

Driving Misses

Flowers

A couple of mates enjoy the gorgeous flowers.

Swarthy Mates

Piracy is a very attractive lifestyle, it seems. We were hoping that the children would be drawn to medicine, law, engineering or some other law-abiding and constructive field....but no, it appears that they have salt-water in their veins and have become entranced by the siren call of get-rich-quick schemes upon the high-seas. Even poor Jane was swept up in the excitement. She was promised a chance to see the world and all the treasure she could put in her mouth.....yet all she ended up with was a hanky with the initial 'R' on her head and a plastic sword.

Hike

One of the Chinese New Year activities we participated in was a hike. Here you see Grace and Jane working up a sweat.

Sweet Baby Jane

Our girl is a delight. She now enthusiastically eats pumpkin, sweet potato and apple. She moves backwards very efficiently - always backing herself into nooks and crannies, and under the piano or couch. She is dying to start going forwards. Won't be long now.....

Hong Kong Academy CNY Celebrations

Charlie had a wonderful time performing in his class presentation for Chinese New Year. Here he is in the audience, performing (seated on left) and with Gracie at home.

Chinese New Year

Kung Hei Fat Choy!!!
Hong Kong is buzzing with year of the dog talk and we're eating lots of year of the dog food. Woof!

Hong Kong Disneyland!

Disneyland was fun! We went on the Buzz Lightyear ride about 27 times!

ahoy there!

Official Family Portrait - Christmas 2005

It's quite an effort to get all dressed and made up and to go into a studio for an official family portrait, but after such an interesting and wonderful year, we felt it was worth the effort.

The look we asked our professional photographer, Claudio, to help us create was 'homey, relaxed and a bit wind-swept'. I think you'll agree that his skill and the time we all put into the shot really shone through.

By the way, it took three industrial fans to get Jane's hair to do that.

Laura and Rich in Tassie - Christmas 2005

Rich is smiling in this picture because he has not yet discovered that:

2 weeks in Australia
+
many family parties
+
many cherry ripes
=
5 kilograms

Never mind, now we are back in Hong Kong it is back to the South China Beach Diet (ie lots of rice).

Grace and Hinckley

Christmas 2005.

Dog Training - Christmas 2005

Here are Jack Russell, Aunty Woo and Baby Jane. Jane is looking away because she is annoyed that Jack uses more haircare products than she does.

After some initial disagreements, Charlie, Grace and Jack became best of friends.

Jane enjoyed her holiday to Australia

Jane is developing a very positive and sunny personality. How many people respond with smiles like this one when greeted with comments like: "she's huge!" or "what a whopper!"?

She also reached the 'double roll-over' milestone on Aunty Woo and Uncle John's floor. Even though conditions were in her favour (ie low humidity, dry floor, gentle breeze), all credit to Jane for a well-executed bi-roll.

Grassie Girl

Having lived in Hong Kong since she was 5 months old, Grace finds walking on grass a little daunting. Big brother Charlie helped out when we were staying at Aunty Woo and Uncle John's home by telling Grace that their grass was the juiciest he had ever seen. So, after a couple of days of park-going, she took her first steps and discovered that parks and grass are fun.

City Park Launceston

Peter (the guy who drove the Thomas the Tank Engine ride at City Park, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia) said that the park was the second oldest in Australia and that some of the trees were older than Melbourne. Charlie and Grace were flabbergasted by these facts, as pictured.

Who's sitting on my air-sick bag?

Here we are training for our eight and a half hour flight to Australia for Christmas holidays. Practice makes perfect especially for those bulkhead seats.

Grace: Do I have to watch the Wiggles again?

Jane: Wah?-wah?-wah?

(Translation: Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?)

Let's ride to Tasmania!

Laura wanted to ride from Brisbane to Launceston on our recent Christmas holiday - something about getting into the spirit of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race - but the rest of the family talked her out of it. Jane was especially boisterous in her disapproval.....at least that's what we think she was boisterous about.

Christmas Time - 2005

Happy Christmas from the Hong Kong Hunters!

The monsoon season is over....

- but it pays to be prepared, just in case.

Alright, let's go!

Gracie

Jane at 4 months

Deep breaths, Jane....count to 10....

They'll both be big school-kids soon and you'll have mummy and the house to yourself from 8am until 3.30pm weekdays.

Does this hat make me look like Benny Hill?

Mates

Charlie and Grace watching Pooh's Heffalump movie. It's nice to share some interests with your sibling.

Uniform Boy

Charlie's first day of kindergarten....with a uniform.

Three

Sometimes Charlie and Grace's sophisticated jokes are lost on Jane.

Strollin'

Even if you're just going for a stroll on the Podium it does not mean that you should relax your grooming standards.

Love Quilt

Alice and Marion show off the quilt that Victoria 1 branch Relief Society made for Jane. Our creative daughter is adding some colourful little spots of her own. Lovely.

Chillin'

Here's Gracie just relaxing with her beverage of choice (ie apple juice, diluted to the point that it's still recognisably apple juice but could also be confused with HK tap water).

Princess Party

Gracie recently attended her friend Natalie's 'Princess Party'. The guest entertainer was a middle-aged British expat woman, aka 'Princess Barbie'. She did magic tricks, put on a puppet show and made snide comments about Prince Ken. Gracie loved her and really enjoyed the party.

The Famous Five Get Dressed Up

This was taken by Grand-dad Thomsett, as we prepared to go to church (September 2005).

Five