Crumpled Home

(reading before school)

RJ: So… Why are they called hedgehogs anyway?

Dad: Well, there used to be lots of different sorts… Hedgehogs, bushhogs, treehogs, sandhogs… You get the idea. But they all went extinct.

RJ: DAD!

…

RJ: (reading) “… Some hedgehogs live in the dessert…”

Dad: Careful. It’s DESERT with one ‘S’. You know, the dry place with lots of sand.

RJ: (deliberately ignores Dad and continues) “…There are people who lick hedgehogs and leave food for them at night…”

Dad: RJ, It’s LIKE, not LICK. You know that one.

RJ: But if they live in the dessert, they must be pretty tasty. I would lick them too.

During July, we packed up the camper trailer, waved goodbye to our cat and dog and jumped in the car for a massive road trip up north. Our goal? Get to the coral, do some swimming and skindiving, maybe wave to a dolphin or two. The first few days involved lots of driving, but the kids took it well and we had the chance to meet up with friends of ours in Geraldton. From there we continued north to Shark Bay… and encountered some three billion year old creatures, one Barking Fence and a few billion white shells…

Seven hours in the car? There's definitely time for a pit stop along the way. Hello, Cervantes!

Continue reading

(RJ runs into the room throwing around a toy plush bacteria)

RJ: Do you like my pet helicobacter? His name is… Germ-any!

Dad: Yeah! Great name!

RJ: (throwing the toy at dad’s head) BLITZKRIEG!

(while getting ready for school)

RJ: … But I need to wear all grey!

Mum: You can wear your grey tracky pants and a grey t-shirt.

RJ: That’s GRAAAAAY-TE! (runs off amidst a gale of giggling)

(LR wanders into Dad’s study, looking very proud of herself…)

LR: I wish mum would talk to me.

Dad: (confused) What? She’s always willing to talk to you, provided she’s not trying to get you guys out the door or something.

LR: (grinning) No, I just wish mum would talk to me.

Dad: I’m sorry your mother wont talk to you…?

LR: But mum wont talk… she just mumbles.