Platypus spotting last weekend was great. It felt like whale watching on a smaller scale. They are only small cat sized, and stay under water about 30-60 seconds.

They are very easily startled and will disappear quickly if they see you when they open their eyes after a dive (yes, they close their eyes under water).

They are also very lazy and spend about 20hrs a day in their den only coming out for a couple of hours at dawn and dusk to eat.

I was really lucky to get a great video with my good camera before it got too dark. I had to be zoomed a long way out so it’s not really steady.

We saw 5 or more during the hour we were on the lake.

We will go back with Sarah and do a dawn trip to see the local birds next time!

Home

We needed to get out for the afternoon and after a quick rollerblade to the store we headed to the beach.

While MacDougall isn’t a water dog by any stretch of the imagination, he is getting more used to the beach.

We learned this past weekend that The Great Ocean Road is a memorial to WWI.

We stopped at the marker on our way home on Monday.

I’m so glad our kids like learning about history.

The kids really wanted to go on zip lines and high ropes courses, so off we went yesterday to Trees Adventures. It was a fun adventure. They have no fear!

For our next spring holiday adventure the kids went to a local Gelato shop and learned how to make ice cream and sorbet. From what I can tell it involves a lot of licking utensils.

Quiet morning in pajamas

Considered the most significant lighthouse in Australia it is a fabulous structure from 1848 that has seen a lot of history on the site over the many years.

There was more to see here than I thought. It was a great visit.

Colin had Athletics day at school. He had a great time.

His favorite was the 3 legged race with Andrew. They eventually got the hang of it and finished. They both had lots of fun.

Laura has been working all term with her house at school to compete in Housefest which is a performance number thought of, choreographed, performed, supported, and created by the girls in the house. Everything from script to lighting to sets to outfits is done by the house team.

Laura was the only Yr 7 in the very technically choreographed dance number that her house did. She kept up beautifully with the older girls and showed how strong a dancer she is.

Her house, Sheppard-Tyson, came second overall by 0.5points. It was close and she loved it!

Colin wanted to do a sewing project, too, so we have started on a little stuffed cat. so far we have made the ears and tail, and cut out one of the body pieces.