Crumpled Home

Despite the hot weather, we made it up to Gingin for the grape harvest, but Grammy, Poppa, Kath and Brad had already picked all the grapes and crushed them the day before we got there! We made the most of it anyway, picking a lot of figs and table grapes that were ready to eat. Mum cooked up some fig jam and we had a big sewing ’sesh’ during the heat of the day, before going for an explore out in the paddock.

Our incredibly brave**, heroic** and good-looking** dad rescued us from this marauding beast** that had been ransacking the countryside and was intent on destroying the farm.

We found this guy having a drink from the dog's water bowl. He's a bobtail lizard which are pretty common around here.

**Hyperbole employed as official privilege of the author

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(in the car, on the way to school)

RJ: Can I sing a song for you?

Dad: Sure RJ. Which one?

RJ: Puff the magic whale. It’s like the other song but it has different words.

Dad: Go ahead mate.

RJ: He was stuck by the sea, and he had to dig a hole… a BIG one. It was whale shaped. Then he got back to the ocean.

Dad: Okay. You can sing it now.

RJ: (singing)
Puff the magic whale,
lived in the sea.
And chased some fish
and other things.
And splashed them with his tail! Oh!
Puff, the magic whale….

(He continued on with a bit about pirates and lots more splashing. It got decidedly weird when it transitioned into Puff the Magic Sunscreen… )

RJ: Mum says I can go swimming with the whale sharks.

Dad: Okay then. We might have to wait a while to get there.

RJ: Yes. I am a good swimmer now. I’m very fast.

Dad: That would be lots of fun.

RJ: And there will be a great white shark there too.

Dad: Uh oh. Not good. Wouldn’t he eat you?

RJ: No. I’m bringing my toy one. He wants to meet the whale sharks too. But I need help.

Dad: What kind of help?

RJ: I need to make a rope so he can swim along with me. Let’s try with paper and some tape.