Ugghh!! Lice - our first experience....

Administering a treatment on Silka's hair

Well, it was inevitable that we would eventually be invaded by those pesky little critters - LICE! Well, you can imagine my horror. This is our first experience with them. It is a much more common occurrence in Australia than in Canada. AND to make it even better, not only did Silka get them but Mommy has them as well. I guess my huge head of hair proved to be irresistible. We spent the morning slathering on the conditioner, combing them out and applying a ten minute treatment. The beds have been stripped and added to the pile of towels, pillows and clothing recently worn and yet to be washed. Oh, what fun!

March 22nd - 24th: Tom's Skin Diving Trip on Rottnest Island

getting ready for a dive

Tom was given the opportunity to accompany the outdoor ed class at Mount Lawley on their skin diving trip on Rottnest Island. Greg Baker, the outdoor ed teacher who arranges this trip every year, is retiring so this was the last skin diving trip. 

Tom really enjoyed himself - went on a night dive and three dives during the day while he was over there. The teachers stayed in rustic cabins while the kids camped in their tents. The island is inhabited by Quokkas and Peacocks and Tom found himself shooing them away from their picnic area often and even had to gently coax a quokka out of the shower with

a quokka and peacock hangin' around

his foot. You are almost wading through them and they refer to it as 'Quokka Soccer'. They thrive on the island but are endangered everywhere else.
I think he has found a new sport to enjoy while here - loves diving down and swimming through little caves and underwater stone arches...and maybe he will even catch a crayfish.

quokka - so cute!

Greg Baker and a student who caught crayfish

March 17th, 2011: Rein participated in his first School Swim Carnival

Swim Carnivals are a big thing at the schools here in Australia. They go for a half or full day and compete in various races. The year 2's and 3's (Rein is in year 3) participated in less official, fun races with flutter boards and boogie boards. Rein, with all his hours spent riding waves at the beach, left his group behind in the boogie board race. He had a great time and I had fun watching and cheering him and his classmates on.

Teacher Tom rides to school

Here's Ollie suited up in his Mount Lawley get up and just about to get on his bike to ride to work. Boy, he looks sharp!

March 19th: Kyilla Primary School Fete!

Baking for the school fete

The day of the fete

Phew! I am glad that is over.....
It was super fun but lots of work and I wasn't even one of the main organizers. I just painted signs, baked and made a fake cake.

I am talking about the kids' school's fete that took place this



past Saturday. Apparently, the school and parents have been planning this for almost a year. For school carnivals here in Perth, Australia, they really go all out. There was face painting, birds of prey, rides, entertainment, food stalls, a cake stall, bric-a-brac stall, artisans, massage, cupcake decorating, lucky dips (you pay to pick out a surprise package), silent auctions, a book auction, a children's emporium, fire engine rides......it goes on and on.

Stared down by an owl....

Rein singing 'Sing, Sing a Song' with his class

Silka riding her scooter home

I arrived at 10 a.m. on Saturday and helped out with setting up. The fete officially started at 3 p.m. and ended at 8 p.m. Tom and the kids showed up at 3:30 p.m. and I had Tom signed up to work the Sushi stall while I watched the kids. By 6 p.m. I was done. After the kids ate some pizza, we headed home.

Leslie turns 42!

I still shake my head when I think of me being in
my forties but here I am celebrating my 42nd.....
I enjoyed a low-key celebration with Tom and
the kids. We went out to a great Vietnamese
restaurant that the "wine professor" (Stephen
Satchell) introduced us to and then enjoyed some
whopper cake while we watched one of my all
time favourite movies, Rob Reiner's 'The
Princess Bride'.
Thank you to all those who sent me birthday
messages!

Leslie's first Art Exhibit in Perth....

Putting on the last strokes in my art class
at the Freemantle Art Centre

Well, I have started to do what I hoped to do
when I arrived in Perth - paint again. The last
time I had enough time to create like this was
pre-kids. I am not complaining. I love helping
the kids with school art projects, making ice
mosaics in the winter and fitting in creative ideas
wherever else I can. This is different. This feeds
my soul. I am half-way through my course at the
Freemantle Art Centre and it has been fantastic
so far. I look forward to starting a new canvas
this Friday. 'Infinite Broome' is up at the
Atwell House Art Gallery until Sunday, March
20th. It would be wonderful if it sells, however,
it does look nice on Stephen and Angela's wall.
I have become a member of the Freo Art Centre
and plan on taking courses throughout the year.
When I get back to Canada I vow to continue
and not let life get in the way of what I love to
do best. Thank you to Tom and my kids for
supporting me and for my family and friends
who have encouraged me to continue.

Opening Night at the Atwell House Gallery,
March 15, 2011

"Infinite Broome",
Leslie Kirby-Olvet, 2011

March 4th - 7th: Labour Day Weekend (long weekend!), Western Australia

Silka sitting on a Whale's Skull on Wedge Island

Parked on the beach at Wedge Island
with the 4x4's

Saturday we got up, got packed as quickly as a family of four can and got on the road to go up north. We hadn't ventured north yet and we thought this long weekend would be a good time to go. We bought a cheap 4-person tent this week and felt it needed a test run. Our original destination was Wedge Island just north of Lancelin on the coast. We managed to get away at around 10 a.m. and we hit Lancelin at around 11:30 a.m. We shopped for some provisions and asked for directions to Wedge Island (only 10 minutes up the road).

Tom and Rein snorkelling at Sandy Cape

Silka swimming at Sandy Cape, north of
Jurien Bay

Silka walking amongst the dunes and limestone
at Sandy Cape

We forgot to fill up with gas and we were somewhere between a quarter of a tank and empty. We thought we would be OK. We started getting nervous when the 10 minute ride up the road turned out to be 20 minutes or more. The car's computer kept beeping "low fuel" at us. We finally reached the cut-off to Wedge Island and were soon amongst many shacks and four wheel tracks that head to the beach. We stopped for directions at a shack that sells maps, ice and has a book exchange. There wasn't anybody there but we were soon joined by some locals that were able to give us directions. They assured us that we will be OK with two wheel drive on the beach's packed surface. We found our way and anxiously drove onto the beach and headed towards a group of other parked vehicles hoping we would have the same success. We were the only ones without a 4x4. We made it, parked and stepped out onto the fine white sand. The kids immediately got changed and jumped into the ocean. Tom and I worked on setting a tarp up with limited success - the wind was strong and our rope supply was insufficient. A local fisherman parked beside us and offered up his truck and trailer to tie off our tarp - much better success. We ate some lunch and then walked to the end to try a bit of surfing. It was fun but none of us got up to standing yet. We decided that camping there wouldn't be ideal because it was unsheltered and so windy.

Walking the boardwalk on Sandy Cape's dunes

We packed up and drove further north past Cervantes and Jurien Bay to Sandy Cape Recreation Park. We arrived there at around 4:30 p.m. and it was packed - FULL! We managed to squeeze into a spot just before the 4x4 beach access. Tom thought it was a campsite but I was pretty sure that it was just a parking spot - a topic of lively debate... Of course, a ranger didn't come along and kick us out, so, I had to humbly apologize to my Grizzly Olvet-Adams (minus the bushy hair). We had a great weekend of just relaxing, swimming, snorkelling, and enjoying afternoon cocktails by the beach.

Rein's Sandy Cape mates, Connor and Hilton

Our campsite 

Dusk shot of dunes 

The Pinnacles, Cervantes, WA

There was a throng of kids there so Rein and Silka made fast friends with them and played from sun-up to sun-down. Rein was sad to leave his new buddy, Connor, and asked if he would see him again. He lives north of Sandy Cape so he may have to settle for corresponding by email. On our way back to Perth we stopped in to see the Pinnacles - they were fabulous. We opted for the 1.2 km walk through them instead of the drive-through version. It felt like we were walking back into ancient history like we did in the Mammoth caves. However, there was also a very strong spiritual presence woven amongst the limestone pillars. We were there during midday when the sun almost at his highest. Seeing them at dawn or dusk would be even more dramatic. We will try to time it right next time we pass through.

Standing amongst the "spirits"

We also stopped at a rest area on the side of the highway around Lancelin area to get a closer look at the huge sand dunes that blew us away on the way up. Struggling to climb up them and getting sandblasted at the top quickly made us realize how fast you would perish if lost and without water or protection from the sun. This all-encompassing version of nature envelops you in its sandy whorls that




























flick off the tops of each dune and beckons you to your knees and all you want to do is reverently bow to it. Well, we got the heck outta there before any of that started happening....
When we arrived back in Perth we headed for Trigg's Beach to give some more surfing a whirl. There weren't any opportunities while at Sandy Cape. Tom went out first and came back with a pulled muscle in his back and a bruised ego. He went further out to try to catch some bigger waves and got seriously thrashed......he must have forgotten about the stage where you are able to stand on the board!?! He scared himself and luckily came out fairly unscathed. I then went out and kept close to shore and just worked on paddling to catch waves and get to a kneeling position. That was good enough for me. The wind was strong and the waves were mushy (coming from all directions). We headed home, unpacked and ordered in some pizza. Tom will be hurting tomorrow...

Desert dancing

Mammoth Dunes at Lancelin

March 4th: "Sculptures by the Sea on Cottlesloe Beach

Before we headed off on our camping trip up north for the long weekend, we decided to check out the outdoor 'Sculptures by the Sea' exhibition  on Cottlesloe beach. There were some wonderful and whimsical sculptures and the beach was packed. Check out their website - it currently only shows last year's exhibition but will probably be updated with this year's show soon, http://sculpturebythesea.com/cottesloe/index.html. Here are some of our favourites.....

March 3: Tom goes out to get pies, comes back with a surf board....

The kids are playing and I am working on setting up Silka's bike for future bike rides when Tom comes out to the garage to let me know he is going to the meat pie store to get a box of them for his school  staff's Friday afternoon tea. He and 5 other teachers have to bring food in. Well, I got Silka's bike set up and started making dinner. Tom had been gone a while by now. I was starting to think he either got really lost or they were baking a fresh batch of meat pies just for him when he finally made it back. I was wrong on both fronts. Apparently, the pie shop was just a few blocks from Scarborough Beach and the local surf shop. Needless to say, he also picked up a Hot Tamale in addition to the pies. I am not talking about a spicy  pie or some spicy, young latin beach babe. No, friends and family, he picked up a...

Surfboard!! 

Rein and Tom are very excited, I am a bit nervous and Silka is excited for us (she said she will be happy to just continue playing in the waves near shore). We are ready to graduate from body-surfing and boogie-boarding and try something a little more challenging. We will join the rest of the novice mob at Trigg's Beach.