AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, OI OI OI

"Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi" is a cheer or chant often performed at Australian sport events. It is a variation of the Oggy Oggy Oggy chant used by both association football and Rugby union fans inGreat Britain from the 1970s onwards. It is usually performed by a crowd uniting to support a sports team or athlete. The alternate is for an individual to chant the line "Aussie, Aussie Aussie!" and the crowd to respond with "Oi! Oi! Oi!"  
It is also just really fun to say when you are happy about Australia!

Wednesday was Australia Day and we celebrated like true Aussies, with friends, barbie, and the beach. It was agreat day organized at the last minute by the unofficial American Ambassador in Mosman, Jenny. 
Think July 4 without the risk of lighting your/your neighbors house on fire with bootleg fireworks.

Check out this set up... Jenny got to the beach at 5 am to stake a prime spot for us. That tent is amazing! Makes our blue pop up look silly!

Notice the change in weather...Notice the Aussie flag flapping...Notice the big white tent on the ground...and yes that is CH in the bottom of the pic pointing and narrating the situation ala dramatic sports announcer. A huge gust of wind came and pulled the tent out of it's stakes that had been planted carefully with a HUGE wooden mallet(like the strongman kind!) The beach let out a collective GASP! Literally 1500 fun loving beachgoers gasped at once, luckily a big palm caught the tent before it ruined Aussie day. The only thing ruined was this amazing tent.  RIP amazing shelter.

Australia Day on Sydney Harbour, 2004
Also called	Foundation Day, Anniversary Day, Survival Day, Invasion Day, Day of Mourning (in 1938 & 1970)
Observed by	Australian citizens and residents
Type	National
Significance	Date of landing of First Fleet inPort Jackson in 1788
Date	26 January
Observances	Family meetings, picnics and barbecues; parades, citizenship ceremonies, Order of Australia honours, Australian of the Year presentation.

I GO SKOOOOOOOOOL!!!! I WATCH PEEP PEEP

This week brought the first day of school for the boys. I am not sure who was more excited, me or Carson, it was surely not Colin. He tried to act cool and play along but I could tell it was an act. Carson did not even want to brush his teeth for fear his rigorous 15 second routine would slow him down dramatically on his quest to get to school. He wanted his shoes put on while he was eating. He made Colin finish his breakfast on the go. Colin again played along. But I could tell he was apprehensive, his little face gives him away. When we got there Carson ran in, he would not carry his own pack back because he needed to sprint! Colin played along and followed and then came walking up from the back with the most knowing look I have ever seen and then the tears started. Then Carson started crying and apparently he was the tougher one to settle down. The director thinks he was probably expecting his other school(Primrose) and when he realized it was not he was extra sad,(so was I buddy). They eventually settled and had a great day. As it is no Primrose I am not sure what happened through the day. They had a little paint on their clothes so I think they painted, I am sure there was storytime and a nap, I know Colin fed he bunny a carrot. When I asked Carson what he did he exclaimed with great joy..."I watch peep peep." The bathrooms are open. So, yes I am sure he watched peep peep. Education dollars hard at work! In reality he could have spent the day doing only that and I would still be happy!

I GO SKOOOOOL!!!

This is where Car wanted to pose, with the not so beautiful neighboring apartments as his back drop

Gotta eat on the run, the pressures of getting to school on time!

We walked to school! New Thomas backpacks carried the essentials, blankies and the "guys," old doggie, new monkey, you know the entourage.

CH is not the only funny one

To combat the high price of Sydney living we are trying to turn CM into a street performer. His face tells me he feels more drawn to hard hitting no nonsense news reporting. In all honesty, last week, he really wanted to bring his microphone to the Balmoral Esplanade.

Touting is like what the porn pushers do in Vegas, busking is street performing. I had to look it up.

A little extra drama never hurt when it comes to getting sympathy from Mommy

Pretending sticks are band aids at Rosherville Reserve

Thomas and his friends!

TWINS!

MC LK on the mic

The main reason for visiting the Blue Mountains was the Day Out With Thomas. The boys loved it! Col was a little scared at first as Thomas is a real steam engine. And Thomas is loud and proud! I had never seen one running up close and the power and the sound it makes as it gets going is impressive. We also got the chance to wear coal EVERYWHERE as it blew in the windows as we puffed along. A few things came to mind:

1. Imagine your only transportation was horse and buggy, and along comes this beast. Now I can understand how you read about people coming from all around to see the train in the old days. It must have been mind blowing! The power and size of it was overwhelming for me.
2. Imagine having to travel that way rocking back and forth click clacking along and covered in soot.
3. What “old timey” things will our grandkids and great grands seek out and spend tons of money to do? Ride in a car? Surf the web? I can not even think of what it will be? 

SIR TOPHAM HAT!!! Despite the pic, Colin LOVES Sir Topham Hat or as they call him here The Fat Controller. Seriously.

James oh James! Is it really you?

This was a big boy ride and a little terrifying for me to let him do it! As luck would have it, battery on good camera went out and all of these pics were on my phone!

We were barely out of the parking lot. 

Of course, the story is not so cut and dry for our weekend a few funny things happened. 

I went into Coles for one item and came out with 8 boxes of mega pack Pampers think 800 diapers, they were $20 off per box and they are PAMPERS, PAMPERS PAMPERS Glorious PAMPERS!!! The back of our car was PACKED!

Carson was acting up getting his diaper changed and I was telling him what to do/not to do and he covered his ears.

We stopped at the liquor store and in the cold section Carson asked the worker "where waffles?" 

The boys missed their nap so they were in no shape for dinner out on Saturday so we got takeaway from a terrible Thai place and planned to eat it in the park in Katoomba. While I was paying carson kept running in screaming.."Hi, MY here!! My here, My here." The other patrons looked devastated that we had opted for takeaway!  

At the park, as I was putting out the food I could hear a strange noise like a cat meowing but, it was a busy park filled with the typical park cacophony, crying, playing, toys squeaking so I did not think anything of it until a petite Calico kitty came LEAPING out of the bushes and bounded onto ONTO our table. She was very friendly, still we had to shoo her away but Colin was in love. 

Then gnats descended on us in droves.

Then a scary dog started stalking us, literally stalking us and our horrible food, we(as well as all the other people with sense) hightailed it out of there! 

Mike told Carson we were going out to breakfast and he could have whatever he wanted...toast OR waffles OR pancakes. Colin started to whine that he was hungry, Car told him.."going to breaffast, you can have toast AND waffles AND pancakes! 

When we unpacked out bag, we have the a/c remote from the hotel. OOPS!

"I personally think he may have gone a bit overboard."

The guide so Britishly understated at the Leura Toy and Railway Museum. Oh, do ya now? You think a 8000 sq ft mansion packed with toys and 12 surrounding acres filled with train stuff is going overboard? Hmmm...Someone call Imelda Marcos and inform her she in fact did not go overboard in comparison. This is the new definition of overboard, she is off the hook! He also then began to tell me delightful tales of his own collection of blah blah blah toy train and blah blah blah other model train and on and on...I escaped quickly as I felt a little bit like I was a at a treky convention hearing a secret language. Despite that, this was one of the craziest coolest places I have ever been. I had no expectations except that my kids will probably like this so lets stop and we all ended up loving it. When I say this man privately collected every known and unknown toy. I mean EVERY SINGLE TOY! He had things from antique dolls to Barbie to Star Wars to tin toys to an entire exact historically accurate reproduction of a British Durbur in India. 

You could not take pics inside but you will just have to trust me that there is no way your brain can even comprehend the number of items that were in this "summer home." It was a private residence until 25 years ago!!! I have no idea where the people would have stayed? In the Barbie Dream House? In the replica train station? In the replica Matterhorn? Cuz there was surely no room at the inn for anyone! I am adding this to my favorite things tours. Take note Oprah!

Inside were trains and train stuff and like 100,000 German army men

You thought I was joking about having a Matterhorn?

artsy huh?

Giant Giant Giant train set, multiple trains/tracks/villages everything you can think of.

THANK YOU EVBODY FO RI-ING SKY SAPARTY!

"THANK YOU EVBODY FO RI- ING SKY SAPARTY! HAVE A GREAT DAY!" Carson screamed at the top of his lungs at just the perfect moment on the Scenic Cableway. The guide was about to make his grand finale speech, and made the mistake of pausing to breathe as the Scenic Cableway reached it's destination in the Blue Mountains. The tram of about 40 heard this "THANK U EVBODY FO FAFAFSKASAFFFFAAAAFFFFAAARRR, HAVE A GREAT DAY!" Carson is loud, he projects very well and the tram of 40 was hysterical! I asked him later why he did it and he said emphatically, "I was ready to get off!"

The Term 'Scenic Railway' dates back to late 19th century English amusement rides at funfairs and seaside amusement parks that were, by today's standards, very tame roller coasters. They consisted of a freely running carriage on rails that was raised to the top of a slope by various means, including horse drawn, pushed manually, or later, steam driven. The carriage, which carried 8 or 10 passengers, then rolled past a series of backdrops painted with exotic scenes - usually Swiss alpine, Egyptian Pyramids, jungle scenes with tigers, elephants and so on. Hence they were known as 'Scenic Railways'. The use of the term widened as time passed and by the 1930s was readily accepted as a name for what was to become the steepest incline railway in the world, at Scenic World, Katoomba.

The Three Sisters

Getting ready for the scenic railway, he is not so sure about all of this fun and frivolity!

 The Blue Mountains are so named because, from Sydney, they look blue. They are clad in vast forests of eucalypts (commonly called gum trees), which in the hot sun discharge a fine mist of eucalyptus oil from their leaves. The mist refracts light, which makes the haze look blue at a distance. That same oil makes the Australian bush as volatile as a pine forest in a bush (forest) fire. The vapour explodes, causing the fire to race through the canopy.

Scenic World was great! If you do not think you are going to do much hiking but want to take advantage of all of the scenic rides, go after 2pm when it is discounted! Plenty of time to see everything and a good value too! A rare thing in OZ!