art, sun and mojitos

Highlights of Aussie

school uniform

Emma is in her best bahaviour only when she is in her uniform. (I don't really think so)

dear nemo

I was a little jealous that you got onto this blog before I did. Life is busy here in Palmy, sleeping and eating. I did have a problem, when some 'guest' wanted to use my bed!! I nipped his finger which put him in his place. Some of those humans have no manners. I hope Nemo you keep your humans under control,
meow Monkey

penny's and gerard's kitchen

all welcome to Mt. Maunganui

next competition

In the below video, what activity were we doing with the Itoy video game. Hint: listen to the audio.

what are we doing?

good-bye to the mountain

I always like to stop at Mokau before I leave Taranaki. The mountain was clear, the wind was blowing and there was plenty of driftwood on the beach. Leo

art deco dangeerous

Hoani and Sam at the Art Deco Ball in Napier. They have found an era when they feel at home. Is Hoani's one of Al Capone's bodyguards? Leo

pictures from Mad, Ash and Tyce

At Ajo's, we went for dinner. I had chicken nuggets and chips. And chocolate ice cream with sprinkles and a eskimo. We might win a prize with our pictures. Ashley

good night tyce

Tyce going to bed with his hot water bottle inside the teddy bear. And he would need it over the past few days. Wish I were back in Midhirst. Leo

for Auntie Susan from Tyce, Maddi, Ashley

wishing they were on our mountain

The Mule Adventures

Grandad taking the kids on the farm in the mule. The kids loved turning the mule on and off even when grandad was driving. We loved the mule!

The house of Eve??

Meow!!

Nemo just wanted to say hi to you all and be the star of Leo's blog!

winter in fitzroy

GUESS THE BEADS!!

Ok, this is a job for all you mathematicians out there
or all you really good guessers! What you have to do is guess how many beads there are! simple!
Clue: I am 158cm tall and the beads are twice as tall as me! All the beads are roughly 1 cm long ans wide.
So go on take a guess, write it in the comment box and i will tell you if you are too high or too low.
YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY GUESSES!!

EVE'S ARTISTIC FLARE!!

Just a few examples of the sort of things I waste my time doing! :D

Eve's Room!

This is a short movie of my room.

She Bangs The Drums!!

This is my beautiful new Pearl Drum Kit. Me and Dad have jams quite often and ...

WE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

taranaki

Mt. Taranaki approximately 10:30am 11 July 2009 - possibly the most traumatic morning of my life...

those poor unsuspecting people...
they don't know what's about to hit them.
possibly a lot of rocks, ice and small shrubs....
Lauren

ultra economy class

On the flight back to Brisbane, Lawrence and Connie had seats.
Ryan, Emma and I had to make doo with any spare apace we could find.

Midhirst Madness

Welcome 2 Palmy

Well Palmy, unfortunately, did not turn on the sunshine for Leo's visit. We however made the best of a chilly situation and enjoyed a lovely stroll along the Manawatu River and a meander through the city gardens. This of couse envigourated our appetites so we found ourselves a lovely cafe where we enjoyed a BLATO (Baacon, Lettuce, Avacado, Tomato, and Camalised Onion) sandwich, Yummy! Don't judge the garden shots harshly, it is winter and our weed-eater is out of nylon ;-p

11 parklands st.

Some tips for interior deocrating:
original artwork by Eve, Emma and Ryan
classic reproductions by Klimt
numbered print of Taranaki
and of course a large screen tv with plenty of DVD's

aussie birds

The first morning at Calam vale, I could hear the kookaburras from my bed. There is so much birdlife around aussie cities. Mrs Miyake enjoyed the variety of birds and was thrilled with the crimson rosellas and king parrots at O'Reilly's. After Tokyo, seeing old friends like magpies and more exotic galahs, it is good to see the native birds coping well with urban living. Leo

grey nomads

Among the many species we saw in our journey we came across many grey nomads. Characterised by their gregarious nesting habits in trailer parks, the rumble of big 4WD engines and ability to pack a great deal into very small compartments, the grey nomads are a common feature of the Outback. I wonder if we will have any in our family. This entry has been sponsored by www.greynomadaustralia.com.au Leo

where we went

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dinosaur stampede

Lark Quarry, 110 km from Winton which is almost 200 km from Longreach, is the only site in the world with dinosaur tracks showing a stampede. Two groups of smaller dinosaurs are at a waterhole, when a large carnivore comes down for prey - shown in photo. The smaller dinosaurs scatter, running into each other as they try to escape, and one unlucky seems to have been caught. The tracks must have been covered in the same day by mud, which then fossilized. We were able to handle some of the fossils as we tried to imagine when the desert was a swamp. Yes Emma it did take three hours to get there, but the dinosaur tracks took a few million years to get there. Leo

What farming used to be like

longreach house

waltzin' maltilda

Waltzin' Maltilda, waltzin' maltilda, you com'a waltzing maltilda with me....... the highlight of this visit is I bought a CD with 16 different versions!! including one that was recorded in 1926 (Emma said it was like somebody singing in the shower! - a little bit of static). There were lots of things to see, good 'ol Banjo was sitting under the coolibah tree, singin' his famous tune, telling his life story. The old steam train was exciting to climb on, it has a flash toilet too. A cast iron merry-go-round painted purple and yellow was quite interesting, but alas, it was too heavy to push with the kids on it! worthing visiting, Connie ;-

the australian stockmans hall of fame

One of the main attractions in Longreach was The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame which featured the stockmen, unsung heroes and explorers of Australia. There were many exhibits showing the tools and techniques people used in the olden days. As we moved through the galleries, we saw the history of the post office, planes and rodeos. We then caught the two o'clock outback show displaying the techniques of how to herd sheep with a dog. Rusty (the instructor) also explained what animals and equipment he used to travel in the outback. We then went back to the Lili Rose Cottage to rest and later went for a walk in the outback. The sun was setting so the birds, kangaroos and wallabies were out. We saw many kangaroos although they were far away. The sun was setting in the distance as we drove back to the cottage at the end of another day. Emma :-)

Train Ride

Here is a photo of us on the 24 hour sleeper berth train. Uncle Leo got the First Class room while me, Emma and Dad shared the economy room. The first night was spent watching "Alien" on the computer and convinbcing Emma there were no Aliens outside the train. It was a very enjoyable trip and i would definitely do it again. Ryan

koala park visit

Mrs Miyaki loved the wildlife here, especially when you can touch it or see it in the wild. She fed many kangaroos, which was quite difficult as these roos were very well fed. We saw cockatoos in a cage, and then we pointed them out to Mrs Miyaki in the trees.
The Bird of Prey show was great with owls and eagles flying through the audience. The sheepdog show was more prosaic, and reminded me of smiddy and trevor.
In the end Mrs Miyaki had a photo taken with a koala, to complete the survey of Australian animals.
Lawrence

golden coast

I had my first taste of Moreton Bay bugs at George's, a Greek seafood restaurant in Sanctuary Cove; kind of like crayfish. We visited three hotels that day, each more grand and more tasteless than the one before. Thankfully the ocean was simply grand. The Warriors were not as they fumbled, tumbled and slumbered to a loss against the Titans of Gold Coast. Mrs. Miyake was so impressed by the Coast, she said she would like to spend a year there with her husband. Connie's cousin Susan accompanied us for the day and came back and took part in the Karaoke spectacular at Calam Vale. Fortunately no video was taken of that interesting singing. Leo

gold coast cartwheels

We started down the highway to the Gold Coast with my fit Aunty Susan to spend the day. We ate lunch while looking at the merina where we decided which boat we would buy. Shops lined the boardwalk as we walked down to the chocolate shop, where we had authentic hot chocolate, lattes and mocchas. Aunty Susan then leaded us to the Plazzo Versace for a toilet break using the 24 carrat gold taps. We walked through another hotel to reach the beach for shells and fun. Ryan, Dad, Aunty Susan and I competed in Urgh! (a game where you have to hold a handstand for the longest time), cartwheel and wheelbarrow races. Mum and I headed home to prepare a four course meal while Uncle Leo, Dad, Aunty Susan, Mrs Miyake and Ryan went to see the football. Enough from me! Emma :-)

outback spectacular

The drive to the show was as smooth as silk, although there was an annoying yapping noise coming from the navigator's seat (Leo). Leo headed straight to the bar, very focused, on a Cascade beer; I was forced to drink a gin & tonic and Mrs Miyake had a tassie beer. I enjoyed the helicopter performance, Leo liked the free hat and wine, and Mrs Miyake had a memorable aussie experience. We met the lead actor (I think he might have had botox), took lots of photos and went home happy! Connie