Katie's Best Bits

Katie Day : Australia Trip 2014

Katie's Blog : 

This afternoon (Mum says : about 6.30am BST) we get on the plane. I have tried to write down my favourite things from being on holiday. Most of all I liked being here with Ashleigh and Jackson and everyone, but I have made a top 10 list (number 1 being the best thing) ... Here it is ...

10  :  Learning that I like sushi ! 

9 : Playing computer games (Minecraft, of course !), Game of Life, Uno, Word Searches with Ashleigh and Jackson

8 :  Doing the audio tour on Cockatoo Island 

7 : Making Squirty Cream Caterpillars on my arm (Katharine taught me this) 

6 : Learning how to surf on Manly Beach 

5 : Going to the Chocolate Shop in the Blue Mountains

4 : Going to the Easter Show with the show bags and all the rides

3 : Visiting Madam Tussauds and having my photo taken with the models

2 : Going to the Wildlife Centre in Darling Harbour

1. Going to the Maritime Museum - especially going on the Endeavour and the submarine

The things I have missed are my family and friends, my cat, Mum's chicken pie, hockey and netball, Poppy & Max, my bedroom and Dad being with Mum to help with my legs.

I will write a final blog when I get home...  Lots of Love, Katie xx

Gill's Blog : Gutted my quilts don't make it on the list ! (lol) ... I have loved the holiday and learnt soo much. The different way of life as well as all the activities we have done here have been an education for Katie like no other.I was lucky enough to have parents who did their utmost to encourage my travel .. and look Mum .. it was all worth it !!!

Katie and Ashleigh are still two very happy peas in a pod and I forecast a very very long friendship.  I can't thank Katharine and Martin enough for hosting us. We have had experiences we would never have had without the opportunities they have given us.

I have missed Brian and Annie all the time - thank goodness for facetime ! It is great to see Annie's face looking soo keen to know what we are up to most days. I think the next adventure will have to be a team one. We are thinking West Canada, California, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong... somewhere between where Ashleigh and Katie live in 2016.

As Katie say, there will be one more blog post when we get home. Bye ...

Watch Out Captain Cook .. Look who's at the helm !

Gills Blog: I walked the legs off the girls and Jackson today, but we had an awesome time at the Australian National Maritime Museum. I am sure that sounds really boring and the kids probably dragged their heels around the place.. but that couldn't be further from the case.

As you approach the Museum (on the ferry), which is in Darling Harbour, moored outside is a replica of the Endeavour , a destroyer HMAS Vampire, a submarine HMAS Onslow, and sooo much more, including an anti whaling patrol boat and a full scale light house ! .. and this is before you go in the front door. Oh my goodness it was brilliant ..

Inside their was a photographic exhibition of whales (spectacular) and then there was heaps to do.. all of which was engaging for both me and the kids. The exhibitions I enjoyed most were the ones the kids really liked... the Australian Naval involvement in the World Wars, the displays and interactive exhibitions about Captain Cook and the Endeavour, the fleet interactions in the 1700/1800s with the indigenous Aborigines and Islanders. It was soo good.

Outside the kids went into the HMAS Onslow (a spying submarine) and crawled about in the bunks, sat in the control room (it is nothing like the Red October) and launched a few torpedoes. At each natural stopping point in the submarine there was someone there to tell you a story and really bring the experience to life for the kids (and me).

 Going onto the Endeavour was a highlight for me... it is an exact replica - we had to crawl around on certain parts of the lower deck, because the real ship was originally built to transport coal so when extra quarters were added for the journey to Australia, there was not enough headroom and the crew had to crawl !!   This vessel has an engine and all the modern engineering equipment and is able to sail back and forth to the UK and other places which it does quite frequently - all that gubbins is hidden though.

Ashleigh and Jackson are heading off to school tomorrow, so we headed home in the early evening. It was sad to say goodbye to the special view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. I wonder how long it will be until I see them again...

Tomorrow Kate and I will be packing .. and doing a little shopping for presents for ... who other than Annie .. xx .. I have a special photo to post tomorrow.. and I am hoping to encourage Katie to write down her Top 10 Best Things about this holiday .. so don't miss it !!  Gilly xx

"Number Off "

Katie & Jackson's Blog : I need to tell you something Dad makes us do in the car. "Number off" means when my Dad is in a boat and say this the crew have to shout their position (number) when they are ready to go and today we did just that in the car when we all had our seat-belts on, Just like I do with Dad at home.  I am number 1, Ashleigh is number 2, Jackson is number 3, Mum is 4 and Katharine is 5. Today we went to see Ashleigh's and Jackson's school so that I could remember them when I get back. Their school is called Pittwater House. After that we went to the Collaroy Beach to the Deck Cafe but it was closed and so we walked around the corner and found a "tradie" cafe (for tradesmen it said). We walked inside and I ordered a ham and cheese toastie ( my favourite) and Jackson had a delicious mango smoothie ( yummy).

Then we went to the Brookvale Hospital and I had super nice Chinese doctor who spoke to me about my legs. Whilst Ashleigh and Jackson were waiting they had to do 1 hour of  maths and English and when I was waiting I only had to do reading. After the doctors we went down the stairs to the chemist and bought some tablets ,eye drops and a lot of tasty sweets and drove off.

Afterwards we went to North Head and Ashleigh and Jackson saw a bandicoot sign that told you how many had died on the road there in 2013 (it was 12), but none had died there in 2014. Then Mum and Katharine got out of the car and looked at the view. This was where the Quarantine Station had been a long time ago. It was pouring down with rain and wind and Katharine's umbrella turned inside out and we laughed so hard. After that Mum and Katharine got back in the car and we drove away.

When we were in the car I was wondering where we were going so I asked.  "Mum were are we going" and
Mum said, "we are going to one of Katharine's favourite beach, which is called Little Manly Beach". There was a cafe on the beach so we went over there and had a drink. I just had water, Jackson had a Vanilla Milkshake and Ashleigh had a hot chocolate. I was really tired so to wake me up Ashleigh and me went on the swings. There was 1 normal swing and 1 baby swing. I got to the normal swing first so Ashleigh had to go on the baby swing. Then we played on the money swing.

We rested this afternoon and watched Harry Potter. Katharine spent the afternoon getting all the uniform ready for Ashleigh and Jackson to go to school on Tuesday. Martin is in San Francisco now.

Tomorrow we are going to the Sydney Maritime Museum.

Gill's Blog : We had horrid weather today, but we had a good day all the same. Even in the pouring rain, Manly and its surrounding have the most magical views. It is hard to believe that we just have tomorrow and Tuesday here before we head home on Wednesday... Tomorrow I am taking the children to the Sydney Aquarium and the Maritime Museum, where i am hoping to take them on a submarine and a tall ship. The Aquarium and the Maritime Museum are in Darling Harbour so we will take two ferries to get there. What fun !!

Finally, here is a picture of Jackson in his new school uniform. Doesn't he look fab !

    

The Southern Sky, a Weird Train, Junior Master Chef and much more ...

 Katie & Ashleigh's Blog :

Over the weekend we went glamping. It took us 30 mins to get to Woolwich, where we got the ferry to Cockatoo Island

 

 As soon as we got there we were checked for alcohol, the man thought he had found some but it was actually water.We then went to the office to  check in, the woman told us where our tent was and gave us two lanterns for when it was dark. Mum and Katharine went to the nearby cafe while Jackson stayed on guard. Me and Ashleigh went exploring because it was only a small Island. Then we spotted eight fluffy ducklings and their mother and father. We went near them but then they started chasing we ran as fast as lightning until we lost them. That was close!



 We went for dinner at Cockatoo Island Pizzeria. We had to sit in a kids zone with lots of kids. We all had Margarita pizza. It was delicious

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When we got got back it was completely dark but luckily we had a lantern with us. Me and Ashleigh slept in the same tent, Jackson had to sleep on the floor (Mum says : Poor Jackson)

The next day (Mum says : ANZAC Day)  Ashleigh and Jackson's Dad (Martin) came over on the ferry. We did a tour of the island with headphones on. All of us had our own headphones and we had to start the audio together at each point on the tour. We learnt all about how the Island had been used. At the end of the tour we went on this train ride which was confusing and weird. (Mum says : It was part of a Contemporary Art Exhibition on the Island).  When we got off the train we were on the other side of the island. Then we had hot dogs and a cookie for lunch at this place called Captain Sausage. In the afternoon Jackson wasn't feeling very well so he went home with Ashleigh's Dad.

At dinner time me and Ashleigh had to cook dinner. We did Master Chef for Mum and Katharine. For the starter (very posh) we had pasta from the shop and for the main me and Ashleigh had to cook sausages on the BBQ which said STAY AWAY FROM CHILDREN but I think Mum and Katharine didn't see so I kept it secret. The sausages were scrumptious so after that we went to the pizzeria place again for a little drink.When it was time to go to bed we were allowed to watch a movie. The only DVDs that we had was Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2 or Ice Age 3. We chose Harry Potter but Ashleigh said that she would prefer to watch it in the day so we watch Ice Age 3.

In the morning we had breakfast and packed our bags and caught the ferry back to the car and drove home. 

Mum and Katharine made us all have a bath when we got home !! Tonight we are going out with Paula (who took us to the Easter Show) for a curry. 

Gill's Blog : Glamping was great fun. Cockatoo Island is the largest Island in Sydney Harbour and from the Island we had a magnificent view of Syndey's Central Business District and the Harbour Bridge. We had two tents set up for us right on the waterside. It was a perfect place to camp. One very different thing about here is that once the sun sets it goes dark almost immediately, so when Katie say's it got dark, it really does get almost instantaneously dark and lanterns are a must ! We did take advantage of the dark each night, to learn to identify the Southern Cross in the sky. How cool is that !! 

The Island has been used for many purposes, first, obviously it was Aboriginal Land, however, because there is no natural fresh water on the island it is doubtful it was used for a settlement by the Aborigines. Once colonisation of New South Wales began the Island was used as a jail.  The convicts were made to cut the sandstone into blocks and build their own prison in the blistering heat and under horrendous living conditions. Prisoners rarely tried to escape, because at that time the water around the island was shark infested. After being a jail, the island was used as a very harsh correctional school for young girls in NSW. As time moved on, and because of the extremely deep water surrounding the Island, it became a centre for ship building and during the second world war it was the main repair port for American and Allied vessels in the Southern Pacific Ocean. More recently, it was a submarine building a refitting station and then in the early 1990s the yards on Cockatoo Island were closed and in 2000 the Island was opened as Australian Heritage Site (a bit like our National Trust), and since then the Island has been restored to demonstrate its many uses. 

For my quilting pals ... the quilts were with us glamping and each place we go now we are collecting fabric badges for them..... Really great fun.  Another great few days in the Southern Hemisphere .. xx 

Five Go Glamping ..

Gill's Blog : As a team we are off glamping for a couple of day... to an Australian Heritage Site called Cockatoo Island. The Island is in the middle of Sydney Harbour. It isn't a beachy pretty place it is a place where I think we will learn about the use of the Island for convicts, for shipbuilding and its purpose in WW2.

Whilst we are there it is Anzac Day which is like our Remembrance Day. However here there is a national holiday and it would seem to me, alot more passion about it.Somehow after meeting Bo yesterday the suffering in WW2 in this part of the world is alot more real now. It will be quite an experience being on Cockatoo Island for Anzac Day - great for Katie - what an education she is having on this trip !

We will blog on Saturday .. hopefully with lots of tales of our Island adventure.

Gill xx

Surfing Dudes !!!

Katie & Ashleigh's Blog : Surfs up dudes!!!

Today me and Ashleigh went to Manly Surf School. When we got there, we had to put on our wet-suites and rash vests. When we got called in we had to do some stretches for our warm-up. Ashleigh's friend Zoe was there too. After the warm-up we went on a trek across the long beach to find a big space for surfing.

The instructor went through how to stand up on the surfboard and then we got our surfboards, I got a turquoise one and Ashleigh got a green one. We got put into groups, me and Ashleigh were in the same group. We went in the water and caught some waves. I stood up and I saw Ashleigh stand up too. It was very hard to stand up but I was happy that I did it. After a two hours of fun surfing i was glad to go home and relax.

I am so excited about going glamping (glamorous camping) tomorrow. We are going to drive to a wharf and get the ferry to the Island. Mum and Katharine have made a list of everything we need to take and everything we are going to eat. We are camping on Cockatoo Island.

This afternoon Mum wrote a long email to Granny, because today when I was surfing Mum met one of Granny's long lost relatives. I didn't meet the lady but she looked nice. We are going to meet them again next week. Mum is really happy she met them. Ashleigh, Jackson and me did some homework this afternoon for an hour and then we played basketball and watched a movie. Mum took Harry for a walk and brought back treats from the shops.

Gill's Blog: Another great day in beautiful Manly. I am totally into the swing of being here now. It is glorious and every day we are lucky enough to be having wonderful experiences. It was nothing short of amazing for Katie to do some surfing today at Manly Surf School. She really enjoyed it .. and it is much warmer than Rossnowlagh where Annie learnt to surf.  Below is Manly Beach (where Katie was this morning).  The pictures don't do it justice !

Today, I was also very lucky today to meet Ernie and Bo Davis, relatives of my Mum. It was such a privilege to talk to them. It was fascinating to listen to such a beautiful gentle woman tell me about her life and how it entwines with Mum's side of the family.

Adventure in Darling Harbour

We went into Manly first thing this morning and me, Mum and Ashleigh got tickets for the ferry to Circular Quay and then on to Darling Harbour. It wasn't as rocky on the ferry as before. It was nice and calm this time. When we arrived at Darling Harbour we went to the Wildlife Adventure Zoo. It was fun because there were lots of talks and we got to have lots of photos with kangaroos, koalas and snakes. We learnt that Australia broke up from Antarctica 50 Million years ago and that 80% of Australian species live only in Australia and nowhere else in the world.  We went to see the koalas and listened to a talk there. A baby koala's first solid meal is his Mum's poo because they have to adapt to a strong digestive system to break the poison and toxins from the eucalyptus tree which they eat. We also learnt from the koala talk that they sleep for 18-22 hours each because their body loses energy from breaking down the toxins they are eating from the Eucalyptus trees.

When we went to the Kangaroo enclosure we were able to have our photo taken with a python (a bit strange). Ashleigh and me had to stand like a tree and the lady put the snake around our shoulder and into our hands. Ashleigh had the head and I had the fiddly tail. The snake kept slipping off my shoulder so it was hard to hold, The snake felt soft, squidgy and scaly.

Then we went to see the Kangaroos and we fed one called Daphne and she was the only one brave enough to come to the humans. We fed her carrots and sweet potato and for them this seemed like chocolate. At crocodile talk we learnt that they have very good navigation skills and if a crocodile is moved from one side of the country to the other it will just walk back to the same spot ! The lady said it is very hard to breed crocodiles because the male sometimes eats the females. The crocodile we saw today was called Rex and he had eaten two females crocodiles and so they gave up trying to breed from him.

Then we went to Madam Tussaud's. This is a wax works place were we saw famous celebrities and the royal family make of wax. You could take photos with them. Me and Ashleigh had our photos taken with ET, Nelson Mandela, the Queen, Mark Webber, the Olympic Torch, Marilyn Monroe, the dude from Neighbours and Home and Away, Justine Bieber, Einstein and Michael Jackson. It was really fun. 

Afterwards we went to have lunch at an Italian Brasserie. Me and Ashleigh had fish and chips. Then we went to look for fabric badges for our quilts. We came home on the ferry and the bus and had an ice cream. When we came home we had Spag Bog for dinner. It was delicious. Tomorrow we are going to Surf School on Manley Surf Beach.