Today is my dad's birthday - and although we're meeting up with him and my mom in Sydney in a few days, we wanted to wish him a happy birthday today. So here are Owen and me, singing and playing our ukuleles.
I just realized I mentioned Owen's baby-ccino in a previous post but didn't describe it to the poor uninitiated among you. Let me help (as a neophyte myself, it's my duty) - a baby-ccino is what you get for your child at a cafe when he or she is old enough to understand that an espresso beverage is something of very high importance and a bringer of great pleasure, but is not yet old enough for a latte or even a hot chocolate. It's just foamed milk (often just foam - no liquid milk at all) with a dash of cocoa powder on top. It's how cafes get your kids addicted to the experience of going for your daily cuppa. And, diabolically, they're often free. And, of course, Owen learned the word immediately, and asks for one regularly. I can't really blame him - hanging out in a cafe and enjoying a good latte (although here a flat white is my drink of choice) is one of life's great pleasures, IMHO.
Our shipment of goods arrived on Wednesday, and it was with a mixture of relief and dread that I watched them unloading the truck. It sure seemed like a lot of junk, all piled up!
Happily, it was a dry morning (it's winter here, remember...) and the mountain (Mt. Wellington - Hobart's small but impressive local lordly peak) was out, in fine form (unfortunately partially blocked by a power pole):
Owen was on lookout for the truck (any possibility of a truck sighting is cause for great excitement):
And there it is, looking like it came straight off the ship, rather than over-ferry and overland from Melbourne:
Owen supervised the movers from the driveway, baby-ccino in hand (as a good supervisor should):
After a few hours, here they are, all our worldly possessions:
Maybe the most important single item was Owen's train table, which he hadn't seen, but Jayde and I had been eagerly anticipating (thanks, family - at last it has arrived!) Owen helped with assembly:
And here it is, all put together (the tracks were an after-bedtime assembly project):
This last picture is was taken about 8 am - by 9 most of the tracks had been disassembled and many, many more cars, trucks, and planes had entered the scene - like a mini-history of late 20th Century US (and Australia) rail transportation, played out in the living room of our home! I'm so proud!
Hopefully this is what you're here to see - sorry that there hasn't been much other content yet...but since most of my daily life revolves around Owen, this is pretty much what life in Hobart has been like so far...
Here's Owen singing Happy Birthday (again, with a pot set out in case we want to contribute to his college fund)
And here he is eating pomegranate. We got a pomegranate from a friend, and we made this to send to her to show how much he enjoyed it. (And at every subsequent pomegranate eating session Owen has asked to be photographed or recorded - in his mind the two go together)
I bought 2 little soprano ukuleles for Owen and me, since I've wanted to learn and Owen is fascinated by string instruments in general (all generically called banjos in Owen-speak). I also fantasize about starting a father-son ukulele band. Owen and I get our inspiration from this guy:
There's a great open-air market in Hobart on Saturdays, and we often go for breakfast and to shop for fruit and veg. (Yes, that's what you should call it here.) There are plenty of buskers throughout the market, and Owen enjoys watching them and giving them coins (he no longer takes coins OUT of their hats/cases/etc, which is a relief). So Owen often sits on the floor to play ukulele with a pan or box in front of him, and sometimes asks for coins after playing and singing. I didn't catch him asking, but here he is, making a living the best he can:
So this is a bit out of chronological order, but it was a special request:
Before we came to Tasmania, a friend sent us a few discs of In the Night Garden..., a BBC children's series that features a bunch of quirky toys and creatures come to life (that's how I think of them, anyway. I'm not sure what the creators were thinking.)
Owen loved the show right away, and we watch an episode most days (the other days he watches Totoro, but that's another story). The characters have become a big part of Owen's imagination and daily storytelling - and he interacts with the show (telling characters what to do and playing along).
In many episodes, a group dance ends the show. If you haven't seen it, you can watch a little clip here:
And here's Owen dancing along. The kiss-blowing is based on Upsy Daisy's dance style. The other characters that Owen mentions are Makka Pakka (he says Makka Makka) and Iggle Piggle (Owen calls him Iggle Wiggle).
