Crumpled Home

(while playing in the backyard)

RJ: I hear someone, Dad! It’s the neighbour behind the fence! They’re in the backyard.

RJ: (climbs up fence) I can see him and… whoah.

Dad: What?

RJ: (shouting back across yard) He’s the grumpiest man in the whole world! I’ve never seen anyone look so grumpy!

Dad: Well maybe he’s just had a really long day.

RJ: (still shouting) I… I don’t think so… He’s… HE’S LOOKING RIGHT AT ME!

RJ: Dad! I think he’s been like that his whole life! One day, when he was a a kid, he was really grumpy, and then… the wind changed

(while playing in the backyard)

Dad: Hey guys! What are you up to?

RJ: We’re cooking!

LR: Yeah! We’re playing Masterchef!

Dad: Sounds great… What are you making?

RJ: I made you some onion coffee.

LR: I made some caramel tea.

Dad: (taking a pretend sip of each) Delicious!

RJ: Now you can have some chicken soup.

Dad: Very nice!

LR: And to finish… Lemon meringue pie!

Dad: Fantastic ending. What a great meal, very creative. What prizes are you going to win?

LR: Oh, just a new stove and a fridge or something.

RJ: (excited) And, and, and!!! And some gummy fish!!! and red capsicums!!!

LR & RJ: YEAH!!!!

A small restaurant has been running in our back yard for a couple of years now. Everyone is welcome to stop by. They often have great specials of some really unique dishes. The pasta is particularly good, but a bit expensive. The turtle cake is divine. They are always willing to prepare dishes to your requirements, just make sure you let them know if you have any food allergies or other dietary needs.

"Why can't I get any decent help around here?!!"... Life can be difficult being the sole proprietor of a small restaurant.

The garden has been doing fantastically. Lots of veggies and fresh greens have been rocketing up out of the ground. Mum and the kids spend a bit of time out there each week to hunt caterpillars, snails and the other evil creatures that want to share our meals with us.

Mum has been finding really interesting plants to grow in there too. Last year’s big hit was the purple carrots — apparently quite popular amongst preschoolers. This year, we have beetroot (aka. beets), but something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

They're beets, Jim, but not as we know it.

Great colours, but will the kids eat them?

Pictures taken during the last half of August: Lego adventures, frog hunting, Dad goes to Canberra, trampoline time and some stories.

Rescue 1 and Rescue 2 are on a mission to save the world!

LR shows us some of the features of Rescue 1.

RJ takes Mum through some of the critical features of Rescue 2.

Some emergency repairs are needed for Rescue 2.

RJ and LR went looking for one of our back-yard frogs.

We can hear it, but we can't see it anywhere!

Dad went to Canberra for two days. This is Parliament House.

Dad's cousin Jo took him to this place for dinner. They had the best hamburgers there!

LR explains the workings of the world to RJ.

Many days end with lots of bouncing on the trampoline. Get rid of some of that energy, kids!

Time for some stories before bed. Apparently, there's a hippopotamus on the roof.

RJ: There’s a snake in the backyard.

Mum: I don’t think so.

RJ: Yes. It’s in the grass. I can see it.

Mum: It would be very bad if we had a snake in a backyard.

RJ: It’s a caecilian.

Mum: No, it’s not. It’s just a ribbon.

RJ: Just be careful, okay?