Tiwi Islands Visit

Today was a very exciting day, as we welcomed ten students from the Tiwi Islands to Tintern, the school I work at. This has been a pet project of the school Principal's for the past few months, but the whole project has been mine to organise. This morning I was at the airport to welcome them when they arrived on a flight from Darwin and we travelled on a bus to Ringwood. They came with six adults - two Tiwi elders, a Tiwi College staff member and three women from The Smith Family (the organisation which fascilitates these exchanges between remote aboriginal communities and city schools). The girls were introduced to their host families (who they will be staying with) and also to their buddies (who will accompany them during the day), we shared some lunch and then they spent time together learning to use the digital cameras they have been lent for the week and how to upload and edit photos, ready to compile a journal of their time here.

Sunday Lunch

Another lovely sunny Spring day! We visited our good friends Zoe and Shane in their brand new house that was only just finished being built a month ago. It has turned out really beautifully and I loved the interesting materials they have used, like specially manufactured bamboo flooring and furniture (which looked nothing like I would have imagined) and some fantastic stone tiles in the bathroom. A really delicious lunch of roast vegetable & lentil soup and then vegetable frittata and salad finished the day off just perfectly!

Comics Lounge

We went out with our friends Lee & Les, Bianca & her dad Ray this evening to the Comics Lounge in North Melbourne. The food was good and the comedians varied from OK to really funny. I particularly enjoyed a guy called Gab Rossi, whose jokes were based mainly on the theme of racism and (even though I'm staunchly anti-racist and usually dislike discriminatory generalisations), I found his take on the various personality traits of the different communities in Melbourne really amusing. I liked the fact that he said he wouldn't make any jokes about the Sudanese just yet, as they "weren't ready". This showed that he was sensitive to how powerful a tool comedy can be and how it can be used to break down or to lift up a person or a community. All-in-all an enjoyable night with good company!

Vocal Vibes Workshop & Dinner

Vocal Vibes, the Sweet Adelines choir that I belong to, had an all-day workshop with a visiting vocal coach from Sydney - Lee Baker. What better way to spend a day than singing with my friends?

Then, in the evening some of the choir members went out to dinner with our husbands and our guest Lee Baker to the Kellybrook Winery & Restaurant in Wonga Park. It was a lovely way to finish a great day and to top it all off, towards the end of the night the Vocal Vibes members sang four songs together!

Here's a picture of some of the women in the choir with Lee Baker (on the right).

Swimming

I visited Mum and Dad again, this weekend. We had a lovely lunch at the Cowes Hotel yesterday, went to communion in the evening and then joined in with the shared supper at the Church. Today, Mum and I went swimming while Dad sat and watched. Then we came home and had lunch before I headed off home. During the weekend, I helped Mum set up her new mobile phone so that it can sync with her computer.

Mainly Music

I have really enjoyed helping with the Mainly Music pre-school activity at Mullum Mullum Parish each week.  I have a deep personal belief in the transformational power of music and have done quite a bit of research into the positive effects it has on the brain, not to mention the social aspects!
 
To offer the parents/guardians/grandparents and their children the enriching experience of music is for me the greatest joy.  I love to see the expressions on the faces of even the youngest babies as they realise they are experiencing something wonderful, to see the adults interact with them and each other and to feel the happiness spread throughout the group.
 
I believe God created music purely for our enjoyment, both individually and communally.  Attending Mainly Music is one of the highlights of my week.

Richie Top Gun!

Ritchie went to a fancy dress party tonight where they had to dress up as a character from a famous movie. Richie went as Iceman from Top Gun. How cool does he look??!! Not sure about the guy in the mask, though!

A Night with Basil, Cybil & Manuel

Ha Ha!  What fun it was tonight!  We went out to dinner with Shane & Zoe to Faulty Towers.  Well ... not the real Faulty Towers, coz that was just a TV program in the UK.  This one was a theatrical reenactment and was just as funny, if not more!  We were all laughing so much we could hardly eat, even though the meal was beautiful!  Another great memory was made.

Life without Limbs

Today, I had the privilege to hear about the life of an amazing human being.  I would recommend everyone should view this video:

Nick Vujicic :: Life without Limbs