Skye off the diving board:

Just wanted to mention that she is the one who suggests diving off of the diving board every time. It is no one's idea other than Skye's!

Skye swimming:

Skye started a new swimming class in another club and she is much happier! No arm bands, no screaming and on her second day, she actually wanted to jump off the diving board all by herself!!!!

I believe that this is the first time I see her swimming by herself and smiling during a swimming class!

What a difference!

We made it!!!!

We are back and we found our way to the city and back on the train! I can't believe how easy it was! The train actually stopped underground and when we got out, it was right in the center of town! We did not even need to walk! We saw all the Christmas decorations and we went to the kids' festival. Between a disco baby, a shadow puppet workshop, an outdoor cinema under the stars and a create your own book workshop, I am shattered! I am glad they don't have festivals everyday! Oh, wait, no, they do!

Anyways, we had a blast and Skye chased her friends inside a maze made by passerbyes with newspapers. It's such a creative and artistic town. We had so much fun that we decided to do it again the following day. This time, we went to the museum, as you can tell with the enormous dinosaur.

The maze made out of newspapers in the city center.

The museum...Obviously.

The art exhibition.

The museum.

In the same week, we went to the Christmas party at the playgroup. There was face painting, wild animal encounters, lots of food and fun and Santa, of course. But, Skye decided to hide. Santa was too loud and too big for our liking...

Daddy and Skye with a wild Dingo.

New Adventure...

There is a lot happening in the center of town between the festivals and the Christmas decorations. Parking is always a nightmare or too expensive. So I have decided to take the train with Skye today, all by ourselves. We usually go on such adventures with friends so they can navigate and show us the way. I always followed. I never know where I am and how I got there.

Michael reckons it is easy. I cannot go wrong. It is one way after all!
So I am extremely nervous. I got 3 maps of the same area, I should manage to read and understand one of the three at least! Of course, there is always plan B, which is stop people on the street and ask for directions.
I'll stop thinking about it because my hands are getting sweaty.
But will tell you all about it once we get back.

The Huntsman Spider...

This is one of the most horrific stories ever published on this blog. You have been warned.
While at the playgroup, I happen to stumble on a LARGE shadow in the dark gap between the fridge and the kitchen cupboard. One of the Aussie mothers said that it looked like a Huntsman spider. So we decided to brush him out to the backyard. But he was motionless. So we reckoned he was dead and dried. Still,carefully, we managed to brush him on a dust pan while poking him to see his reaction. Still nothing...

We flipped him on his back in the dust pan and suddenly, my friend and I barely managed to decipher it. But we looked at each other and we knew. We understood. The "Made in China" label was not very impressive actually but more embarrassing! The quality and the details of this spider were impressive! A story that will linger for a while in the air...If you listen carefully, you can still hear Michael, my husband,  laughing in the distance.

Shark attacks on our Beaches...

What has been happening lately... From the ABC North West Australian newspaper...

Perth man survives close encounter with great white shark

If faced with a five metre white pointer in the waters off Western Australia, not many people would swim toward it to get a closer look but that's exactly what Paul Hosie did over the weekend. ...

Shark Attacks

Monday 14 November 2011

ABC Perth

Two monster great white sharks spotted off Perth coast

Two five metre great white sharks have been spotted off the coast of Rottnest Island, 20 kilometres from Perth....

Shark Attacks

Monday 31 October 2011

ABC Perth

Perfect predators

Shark hunts carried out in the wake of three deaths in Western Australia have caused anger among shark experts. They question the motives behind such hunts and ask whether it will have any affect on public safety....

Shark Attacks

Tuesday 25 October 2011

7.30 Report

Chopper to patrol WA beaches for sharks

...

Shark Attacks

Wednesday 26 October 2011

7pm TV News WA

Surfers call for shark kill following deadly attacks

Following three fatal shark attacks in two months, Western Australian fisheries officers have been given permission to catch and kill any shark they suspect of being responsible for the attacks....




I guess people say never believe what the newspapers say. In this case, we are sticking to the river for a while until things calm down...especially that we are new here and we are not familiar with our environment.