Dubbo Parks

Did you know there is a water park in Dubbo?  We didn’t until we were driving past one day!  It is small and best suited to primary and preschool children, but on a hot day who cares about age!

There were fountains that came at random times up out of the ground.

A semi-circle that sprayed water from jets all around.

A row of jets were great for jumping over!

A water gun, perfect for aiming at your sisters!

---

There are also several leash free dog areas.  Some are unfenced and two like this one are fenced with agility equipment.

The later in the evening it got the harder it was to get the fast dogs in focus!

Right next to this dog park in South Dubbo, is a children’s playground much to the delight of the ones who don’t have dogs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

After it got dark … it was time for …

NERF GUN WARS!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missing posts

If you are wondering where certain posts have gone ...

Recently we have been the subject of people who feel the need to attact the choices of others.  While we like to be open and honest on our blog, to save my family from being torn to shreeds via these people I have removed some of our posts.  I hope to be able to put them back up at some stage.

Not only have we been criticized violently we have also had our blog reproduced by someone else.  Google has since removed the copy.

I'm sorry people feel the need to attack someones life choices.  I hold no malice towards them only sadness.  Our life is our life, your life is your life.  We live life to the best of our abliltiy, making the best choices we can using the information we have.  In retrospect some of our choices may not have been the best - we have more/different information now. 

 

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Canton Beach, NSW

Canton beach is a little gem on the shores of Lake Tuggerah. 

There is plenty of parking for big rigs, though not particularly flat.

There is a fenced playground with some very unusual play equipment.  There was a large swinging hammock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was numerous musical instruments.

 

 

 

 

 

Not only were they instruments', they were also climbable!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was also a stone carved chair

The carved fish and intricately decorated mound added to the interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outside the fence was another play area with swings including one for the larger disabled child, and a climbing frame and some tyres that when jumped on sounded like a harmonica!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Across the carpark is a boat ramp with good access for the shallow bottomed boat!

There are also clean toilets, tables and free BBQ facilities with undercover seating.

Another birthday!

Today we celebrated the birthday of Suzanna, our 6th daughter!

She requested we go to the Speers Pt Variety Playground which is the best playground in Newcastle.

So after dark last night we pulled in to the carpark so that when Suzie woke this morning she found we were already at the playground!

The family ritual of opening presents happened on the bed as usual.

After she played with her toys and coloured in a couple of pictures in her new colouring book they went off outside to play.  They started out at the small playground near the Variety Playground, later migrating to the big playground where they alternated between going up and down the 9 metre (about 28 ft) slide and playing tag.

This tyre swing became a boat and their shoes which had be discarded became fish that had to be caught without getting off the swing!

 

 

 

\\

 

 

 

 

 

After running all day, they were more than ready for cake.

 

   Jessica lit the candles

 

 

 

 

Then assisted Suzie with the lighting of the last one which became a tradition earlier this year.

 

 

One more birthday left for this year, then Christmas, then we get to celebrate all these wonderful children again.

Sandgate Cemetery

It’s been a little over a year and a half since we lost our much wanted baby girl.  Today we went to visit the grave.  This is the first time we’ve been back since we left Newcastle at the end of March 2011.  We tried to get there in March this year but were waylaid and detoured by floods.

After laying her to rest on the 17 March 2011 we had a cross on her grave some artificial flowers to adorn it.  Jireh who was 17 months at the time called it “Serenity’s Garden”.

Serenity’s Garden – March 17, 2011

This week each of the children and Mike and I picked a tile and a picture to stick on it, each reflecting our individual taste, to make a more permanent marker for her grave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sprayed the tiles with Water Shed to protect them from the weather.

After flattening off the grave site, removing the weeds and artificial flowers we laid the tiles in place.  The girls also brought some more flowers and an angel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the sun went down, we all left the cemetery with different, yet similar emotions.  Our little angel only leant for such a short time.  Deeply missed and forever loved.

This is Chana’s picture taken as we were leaving the cemetery.