Monday, January 5, 2009

Albany

So after spending 2 relaxing days at the dam we headed down to Albany for Christmas Day and the weekend. Christmas Day we didn't do anything overly exciting, just headed down to Middleton Beach with Kaffa and Mike so Rod and Mike could have a swim. As you can see the weather was just magic!
Spot the boys in the wave

Kaffa, Olivia and I relaxing on the beach
Olivia giving Mike a hi-5
Rubbing sand on Rod's feet

At night we went to Glenn and Leonie's for a BBQ dinner together with Dad and Mum vdSchaaf, Fritz, Viv and Samuel, Kaffa and Mike, Roseanne and some of the Kleyn's - Mr and Mrs, Eric, Sonja and Isaac, Tish and Matt. T'was lots of yummy food there too!
Glenn, Rod, Dad vds and Mum vdS with Zachary
Roseanne, Mike with Samuel and Kaffa
Zachary
SamuelTish and Matt
Lauren, Isaac and Hannah enjoying their food

Then on Boxing Day pretty much everyone who was at the Christmas dinner headed down to Two People's Bay for another day of gorgeous sunny weather and good company :-)
Hannah, Olivia and Lauren helping Kaffa put on suncream
Lauren and Olivia
Olivia with her cousins Lauren and Hannah
Two People's Bay
Drying off after a nice swim

Then on Saturday morning we headed down to Mutton Bird Beach with Fritz and Viv and Kaffa and Mike for a bit of 4WDing and fishing - the boys had no luck with the fish though
Mike's rig.
Like the bull bar? (not that you can really see it)...Rod built it. He's so clever :-)

Olivia on the 2-way to Kaffa (in the background). She's also got the map
book on her lap finding our next holiday destination


Rod playing 4WD games on Sunday afternoon
And Olivia reading a book to the dog - for once she's
not terrorising the poor thing! She chased him everywhere the whole
time we were there, trying to catch his tail or put pegs on it...in general,
just annoying him!
Aaww, I love DJ - he makes a good pillow
Tickling him - he likes that
Christmas lights in town

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Camping at Logue Brook Dam

I think I've just had the longest and best week of holidays ever! It was so relaxing and everything a holiday should be.
We left for Logue Brook Dam on Monday the 22nd Dec. at around 6:30am; even though it's only just over an hours drive we had to leave early - something you're guaranteed will happen if you're married to a van der Schaaf no matter where you need to go ;-) But that's ok because by the time we found a spot to set up camp it was already 10:30 or so.
Anyway, at first it was just going to be Ali and Rita Kleyn and their four kids: Casey, Levi, Brooklyn and Toby, Ed and Evette and their two kids Tegan and Corey, Ed's apprentice Brent and us going, but Ali spread the word to his siblings Tish, Quint, Matt and Chantelle and invited them along too! So they all took their friends and in the end we had about 25 or so people there! The more the merrier hey!
So here are some pics of what we got up to...
Breakfast at the bakery in Pinjarra - that's our rig in the middle :).
Ali's ute and the boat are to the left and Ed and Evette are to the rightOlivia enjoying her apricot danish

Ali's dog Charlie came along too

A view of our campsite from the water - that's our camper to the right
Evette feeding Corey, Tegan, Rod and Marcel
Cornelia(Bertha's sister visiting from South Africa) , Marcel and Chantelle
Tish, Fred, Willem, Brent and Matt
Olivia's bath time
This was so cute...Olivia just couldn't resist helping Toby wash himself :-)
And when it was Olivia's bath time, he returned the favour!
I'm sure they don't want to see the video footage we got when they're older ;-)Olivia, Tegan and Brooklyn keeping themselves occupied
Rod and Olivia having fun on the giant shoe
Rod
Going for a ride on the boat
Tish getting some air!
Taking the boats out for a sunset ski
What's camping without a fire?! Here's Matt, Brooklyn, Quint, Kyle,
Ed, Rod, Brent, Chris and Casey enjoying the fire
Quint and Bertha
Quint, Cornelia and PeteQuint and the hubbly bubbly
Rita and Glenn
Willem (guy visiting from South Africa), Matt and Tish with Mr Hubbly Bubbly
Ed explaining something to Brent (Ed's apprentice) and Ali
We left the dam on Wednesday so Rod made the most of it and went for an early morning ski with Marcel and Pete. Olivia and I came along for the ride and to take some pics of course
Rod going for one last run
Marcel
Pete

At the Park...

Here's some photos I took of Olivia playing at the park down the road the other day.







It's Monday
It's raining - YAY!!!
Olivia is sleeping - YAY to that too
I chopped all my hair off on Saturday...eeek!
Daylight saving is finished! It was dark at 7pm last night; weird!
It's wintry...I love it, I might head for my bed too. Olivia was awake at 5 this morning, snoozed for a bit till 6, didn't take her Dad's advice on going back to sleep, so got to go in bed with Mum till it was a sane time to get up (only b/c her Mum was sick of listening to her whinge and whine). So I'm feeling a bit sleepy...
Anyway, here's some pics from Saturday night. The van der Veen tribe had a BBQ at Paul and Heidi's place for Renee's b'day. (They might be put on one per day b/c the connection is soooo slow.)

The boys looking at Dad and Mum's Melbourne photos

the Girly Whirlys -- Heidi, Charlene, me, Annette, Renee and Ingrid

checking out some funny video clips

Akaroa

Akaroa
This is the awesome view you get as you drive down into Akaroa, a little town about 1.5 hous from Christchurch

On the beach at Long Bay, Akaroa

A shop with character

Morning tea in Timaru

Christchurch

Christchurch
Our 'Kozy Kiwi' - accomodation while in Christchurch

Rod, Kathryn and Rose on the cool blow up trampoline thing

Sunday night BBQ at the caravan park where we all stayed: Darryl, Rose, Rod and Glenn

Travelling...

Travelling...
more beautiful scenery

Mt Cook - NZ's highest mountain


river near Lake Wanaka

Cadbury's Chocolate Factory!!!

Aren't I strong!

Christchurch Botanical Gardens

all a bit bleary eyed at 5am @ the airport

sunrise above the clouds - beautiful!

Zachary

mmm, Olivia gets to lick the beater!

Tastes good Mum!


my little gardener

A busy bee