Birthday Ice Cream Cake

This is the best way to have an ice cream cake big enough for all the family and friends and fit within a budget.
Get a 4 litre (1 gallon) container of ice-cream and turn it upside down. Then decorate it and plonk down a few candles.
Decorating with lollies (candies) is the best as each child then wants their piece with a lolly or two. We used a marshmallow at each corner, grated chocolate on the edges, red and blue M&Ms on the top and 100's and 1000's (cake decorations/ sprinkles) on the sides.
And the best thing is that there is no cooking required and no cake left over after the icing has been licked off. Just eat it quick before it melts!

Absurd Maths

by Ariel
While I was going through the archives on Melissa Wiley's blog I came across this maths game that is very interesting. I wanted to keep going but Dad said I had to do a blog entry first.
The bad guys, Powers 2B, have captured the internet except for one page owned by the Society of the Half Closed Eye, who are the good guys. You have to do certain things such as saving a being from another dimension. To get to the next page you have to answer a maths question. If it's wrong you must try again. Sometimes if you get it wrong the question changes.
It's not easy - it's challenging. I want to get back to it so I have to hurry up and finish this blog entry.

The eye of Sauron

I think I know why Sauron was such an angry fellow in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He must have had conjunctivitis (also known as "Red eye or pink eye). Just look at the movie - there is the eye with all those red bits radiating from the centre of the eye. It must have been really annoying.
This photo is of my eye. Luckily I don't have vast armies of evil creatures to unleash on the world. With some drops and time the eye should clear up but the hardest part is to avoid touching my eye with my fingers.
Also, I must only use tissues that do not get re-used. And wash my hands often and don't use towels as this may spread the infection. And don't start fights with the forces of good. That will really ruin your day.

Teaching Children to ride a bike

During Ariel's perusing of the blogs on our blogroll, she came across a great method for teaching children how to ride a bike on Melissa Wiley's blog. This is well worth reading.

Getting closer ...

The nativity set is up. This year we have used the wood stove as the base as it is conveniently surrounded by a fire grate to protect it from Rose. This is a very good plan considering this photo caught her trying to scale the fence already.
The stable only has a couple of animals and an empty manger. Over the next few weeks Joseph and Mary will make their way through the house to arrive there by December 24. Then baby Jesus will be there on the 25th with the shepherds too. Currently the shepherds are lurking nearby with their sheep scattered around them.
The tree is up, but bare of decorations. In the week before Christmas the children will get to add one decoration per day. On Christmas eve the lights go on and the rest of the decorations around the house. Then compulsory celebrations!
From Christmas to Epiphany the three wise men wander throughout the house with their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. The children will awake each morning searching for the wise men's new location - on a cupboard, under a chair, on a bench, behind a box and so on.

Garden Beds for all

Lana's dad has built three new garden beds. Today was the day each bed is filled with a nourishing soil mix of manure, mushroom compost, noral dirt and whathever fertilizer would make vegetable plants happy.
All the children helped with each garden bed assigned to two children. Here Rose is "helping" by plonking a toy fellow into the watering jug. At least she will if she lets go before James works out what she is doing!
Soon we'll see what begins to grow.

This blog would be G rated

This symbol is on all Australian film and literature and gives a guide as to what to expect when watching a film or playing a computer game. (More information is here). A similar system exists in the US, but with one very big difference. In Australia the symbol is prominent, coloured and on the front, side and rear of case and on the actual DVD, Video or CD.
In the US the rating is hidden in microscopic print somewhere on the packaging. Also the typical Movie Rental store had all the movies grouped alphabetically - without regards to whether the film was rated G (General viewing) or R (Restricted to Adults only).
We brought back quite a few movies and were pondering how to distinguish the US films from the Australian ones. It was very easy. We just look for the rating! If we can't instantly see it, we know it is a US movie.

Another Family Activity

Yesterday we spent some time getting ready for Eric's birthday party next week. He is having a wargaming party when some of his friends will be coming over and playing Lord of the Rings wargaming.
We undercoated with spray paint lots of the orcs, elves, men of Gondor, Rohirrim, goblins and the rest of the crew. Then Ariel, Eric, James, Peter and I began painting the figires in more detail. This all started when Eric visited the Games Day in Atlanta earlier this year.
This photo shows the model of Faramir I painted. The Games Workshop site gives examples of how to paint all the figures which we use as a starting point. My style is different to the "layered" method Games Workshop prefers, but the results work out pretty well.
Ariel painted her batch of yucky orcs quite well.

I stomp on your floppy disks. Bah!

In going through all of my computer gear I came across a drawer of floppy disks. This is a good time to transfer their contents to something more stable. Of all the disks at least one third were no good, one third OK and the balance has some damage. These were all stored reasonably well and the salvage rate was terrible.
Are any of your backups on floppy disk? Quickly see if you can restore the data and put it on something more contemporary. If you are currently backing up to floppy disk, STOP. Use a USB drive which has more space, is faster and is much more stable.
The best thing for floppy disks are as children's toys. You can make castles, forts, patterns and so on. They also make a nice clatter sound when thrown onto the floor. Rose is showing the contempt all floppy disks deserve!

Parish Christmas Carols

Last night our parish held its annual Christmas Carols by Candle light. Actually the candles were citronella to keep away the mosquitos, and the candles were torches (flashlights). Various groups in the parish took turns singing. A children's nativity play was also planned, but on Tuesday our homeschooling group received an urgent phone call asking if we could help. The play hadn't actually been organised. Quickly the homeschooling families had a rehearsal on Wednesday and planned a quick nativity play based on a Golden Book someone had.

Before the activities began, we arrived early and all donned costumes and practiced in the gardens at the side. The first photo is of four little girls who were the angels that appeared to the shepherds. Little Elizabeth watched me whilst the rest paid attention to her sister reading the story, waiting for their cue. Our boys were the three wise men with their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. James did his best to look wise! The children did a very good job and we are glad we were able to help at such short notice.

At the last moment Rose decided she wanted to join so she became a sort of angel looking very pretty in a white frock. Whilst we were waiting she noticed lovely little stones and dirt on the pavement so naturally started playing with them. Who cares about being dressed in white when dirt beckons! Towards the end of the night the children were able to go back on stage and sing some lovely Christmas Carols. When they were deciding which carols to sing, Ariel and Eric mentioned the ones they knew from their time with the children's choir in our US parish.

These ended up being the ones chosen, even singing the first verse of Silent Night in German, as they practiced in the US. This photo was taken without a flash - just extended shutter exposure - and worked very nicely. All in all it was a lovely way to begin the Christmas preparations in this season of Advent. The children are getting more excited as each candle is lit on the Advent Wreath, meaning Christmas is another week closer. Once it gets to Christmas Eve we will be putting up our tree and the children should awake to a house transformed. Then it is compulsory celebrations of the birth of Jesus for the next 12 days of Christmas until Epiphany. Mmmm. Christmas celebrations. Yum.

My Apprentice

Today was Ariel's first work day. One of my clients needed some assistance with filing and office management so I arranged for Ariel to attend with me on my next visit.
Naturally she was very nervous and had a restless sleep last night. I have been helping this client for over 12 years so we know each other pretty well and he has spoken to Ariel on the phone before and have visited us socially too.
Today meant waking at 6:30am and leaving at 7:00am for a two hour drive to Sydney. Then a busy day before leaving at 5:00pm for a two hour drive home. A very long day to first experience work.
Ariel did very well, creating the folders and files as well as labelling and sorting. She did so well she can come with me next week too. This has been a good opportunity to experience life in the workforce, but in a controlled way. This isn't a full time thing, maybe it will be a day or two a month which fits in well with her existing studies. We intend to provide a rounded education and this works very well all round.

Comparative Medicine - updated

I noticed that my earlier post was noticed by an English blogger, so I better include UK prices in my comparisons too! He mentioned the doctors appointment was free, and the prescription was £7. This works out to about $16.20 Aust or $12.10 US.

We really have a hybrid public/private system in Australia. That way we try to get the best of both - a health safety net for everyone, with access to specialist care and services for those who don't want to wait. Also enough scope for profit to allow innovation, and an Insurance industry which hasn't taken over the system. Also, we get the bad parts of government sloppiness and bureaucracy, but that compares to the sea of paperwork of the monolithic private Insurance Industry (note the capitals!)
Still, it is very scary in the US without any health cover. Our health insurance cost $1400 (US) per month!

Bushdancing

Last Saturday the local homeschoolers organised a bush dance. This is similar to square dancing with a caller, traditional country music, and lots of swinging and set moves. As this was not far from home we just walked, and the boys rode their bikes.
Twelve families attended which meant about 24 adults and around 80 children from a baby just two weeks old to an older brother 24 years old. This photo was taken earlier in the day with only some of the attendees dancing. Ariel is in the red going round in a circle.
Whilst the sun was still shining many of the boys were outside playing footy or running around playing other games (dancing was not the boy's highest priority). In fact, there were so many boys playing some of the village boys joined in after telling their Mum, "There are boys in the park playing footy. Lots of them!"
Many of the adults socialised outside (officially keeping an eye on the children) or in the back dining/kitchen area.
Each family put in $10 to cover hall hire, some drinks and disposable plates and cups and also brought a dinner and dessert to share. From the start at 4:00pm to 9:00pm the time flew quickly by. Everyone dancing had red faces from the pace of dancing. Peter was spun a bit fast in one set and went flying face down onto the floor. He went home with Lana and a tired Rose.
We have this type of event several times a year. Homeschooling families attend from up to two hours drive away and is a perfect example of positive socialisation. Our children think this is normal, as it has been normal for countless generations going back in time. We are getting to experience fun times with other families and children ranging widely in age. Bigger children assist smaller ones, and the smaller children learn from older ones around them. Adults are in authority, but it is the loving authority of parents. When it was getting a bit chilly outside I called my smaller ones in and then asked the others to come in too. As I was a Dad, they saw the "Dad look" and came along without a fight.
All in all a most enjoyable afternoon.

Comparative Medicine - US vs Australia

Last night Rose was feeling absolutely miserable - in pain from a sore throat and slight temperature. So from 10:00pm onwards she dozed for 10 minutes and then awoke screaming. It made for a very sleepless evening for everyone in the house.
Today we went to the doctor's and obtained a prescription for Rose's throat and made sure it wasn't anything more serious. Today Rose just stayed attached to Lana. Just like previously.

I was reminded of the difference in medical systems. This country practice of two doctors has one full time admin assistant. We walked in and let her know we were in and she gathered our files ready for when the doctor came out. He finished with a patient and then gathered the next file calling their name. When Rose's name was announced we went into his office and he asked what was wrong and examined her for various symptoms. On his computer screen was any history he had of the patient (none for Rose) and then entered his diagnosis and prescription on the computer. The prescription printed and we left together, paying our bill whilst he saw the next patient. Very efficient and anyone could read the prescription. No duplicated data entry or chance for transcription errors. And the total cost - not counting the government rebate for which our taxes pay - was $44.00 AUD (about $33 US) The prescription cost $14.95 ($11.20 US) with no insurance discount.
The US comparison?
A two doctor country practice has between six and eight extra staff. The appointment time and time you are called are mutually exclusive. You arrive at the scheduled time and enter your name on a list then join the other hopeful patients who have been waiting for ages. About an hour or more past your appointment time you are called by a nurse/assistant who takes your weight and blood pressure as you are led to a small cell. Between 10 and 30 minutes later the doctor rushes in and tells you what is wrong with you and determines his favourite prescription. He then rushes out and you wait in the cell until he returns with a piece of paper that allegedly has your name and prescription written in heiroglyphics. Then you go out and pay between $75 and $125 ($100 AUD to $167 AUD) before insurance. The prescription will be between $10 and $30 US ($13.50 and $40 AUD) after insurance. You just hope the pharmacist is able to translate the handwriting and gives you the right medicine and dosage.
I have excluded the Australian rebate provided by the government scheme. The price for the Doctor's visit is determined by the practice and is not controlled by government policy. The primary difference is the level of computerisation. Any government or insurance paperwork is provided by the computer system.

Molasses Ginger Biscuits/cookies

Lana noticed this recipe on one of the Cross stitch groups and gave it a go yesterday. We doubled the recipe and it made about 6 dozen or more biscuits/Cookies. Very tasty.

Wet Ingredients:
2/3 cup veg oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg (well beaten)
1/4 cup molasses (Treacle in Aust)

Sift together flour mixture
2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda (Bicarb Soda in Aust)

Add flour mixture gradually to wet ingredients
Use a teaspoon per cookie/biscuit, roll into a ball and dip into sugar and place about an inch (2.5 cm) or so apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350F/180C for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Try 8 or so minutes for soft chewy cookies.....

By Angela from Lana's Cross Stitch group

Now that's a Sand Pit!

We had promised Clare and Rose a sandpit so the day after the cubby house was moved, Lana's Dad built one. It is based on one we built earlier but made smaller and with more reinforcing and built to last!
The pit also has a cover (not shown) made from wood and shade cloth. Clare was shown very carefully what she must do each evening. Run a special piece of wood across the top levelling the sand and then close the bi-fold cover. That way cats won't use the sand pit for their own nefarious purposes!
Clare reports this of her new house and sandpit: (We asked her what she would tell her American friend Christiana)

The Sand pit and cubby house has things in it. Like toys, books and dollies. A cot, chairs and a table aaaaannnnndddd cooking things too. And nothing else. Me and Rose play in it. We play some games. Lots of Mum and Dad and Baby games, and kid games. There's boys and girls. Only.

There! A striking recommendation for a job well done.

The mystery flower - it's American!

The mystery flower (posts here and here) is an import from the US called:

Coreopsis Lanceolata

Lana's dad has done some research and come up with the following info:

Legend of its spread in Blue Mountains (A fascinating tale of irresponsible spreading of non-native seeds)

Weeds of Blue Mountains Bushland

Dept of Agriculture information

Also check out Images on Google

Was Calliopsis, and is also mentioned as Choreopsis and Choriopsis in Images (National Park in California USA)

Moving House

Today we moved the cubby house from the back corner of the property to near the house. In this way Clare and Rose can play and not be too far away.
As we gathered around the small house planning the proper methodology, Lana's Dad arrived and said we had 30 minutes before a huge rain and thunder storm would hit.
I was on one end with the two wheeled trolley whilst everyone else held the other end. Together we pushed and pulled it and its deck to the new position.

It began to get VERY dark as we hurriedly joined the little deck to the cubby house and we settled it into place. As the first large drops began to fall we raced to cover and watch sheets of rain drench everything. There was so much rain that the tanks overflowed after 10 minutes, which meant we received enough water to cover several washings and two days of water use.

Now Clare and Rose have a little house in which to play, and we plan on building a small sand pit right next to it too.

The luxuries of business travel

I often need to travel interstate or overseas to assist my clients. This sounds very exciting - visiting new places, seeing new people, and so on. But business travel is really just seeing a different airport, hotel and office. Often you are so busy that you spend long hours at the client and then some more work afterwards in the hotel room.
For a number of my clients I organise to stay at the business owner's home. This saves on hotel and food bills and also makes it a more interesting stay for me.
In this photo I am resting on the bed I recently slept on whilst away. It is a very fast bed (being red) and if you were to check out the front of the car, it had an "ELVIS" number plate (tag). This was certainly memorable and much better than a boring old hotel room.

Going walkies

Today was a wet and dark day. Then just before dinner the clouds parted and the sun gave a last show.
Once dinner was over we went for a walk to enjoy the break in the weather. Clare was in her Snow White costume and wanted to pick flowers for Mum and Grandma. Can you tell what type of flowers they are?
Yes. The hayfever flowers. (see the previous post)
So we didn't keep the flowers, but I did get a good photo.