Bettanin Family

Cherry blossoms

2010-08-16T21:10:00.002+10:00

Tor's kindergarten music teacher has asked the children to bring in pictures of cherry blossoms as they're currently exploring Japanese musical culture.

Silly me thought we could make do with a piece of white paper! Now if I can just get the canvas into the kindy bag...

Vanuatu Snapshots

2010-07-18T22:05:00.006+10:00

Some highlights from our amazing and challenging family break in Vanuatu. We spent three weeks exploring the islands of Tanna (volcano mecca), Espiritu Santo (diving mecca) and Efate (resort mecca), plus some time relaxing on and sailing around a few minor (read unspoilt and untouristed) islands.

The archipeligo is culturally diverse and almost entirely undeveloped, saving a road that has mercifully been built around the west coast of Efate. Tor grew enormously through opportunities to play with local Ni-Vanuatu children. Anthony dived, and dived...Alison wove a handbag from pandanus! We all snorkelled (looking for Nimo!), jungle trekked, kyaked and organically dined our way around the islands. And we will definately be going back...albeit to different islands of course :-)

These resort shots are taken at the Palms Resort in Port Villa. It was a convenient and thanks to the GFC almost entirely deserted stop between domestic flights...oh, and of course the laid-back staff will let you take those kyaks without life-jackets - welcome to Vanuatu!

The volcano on Tanna - or rather one of the three caldera that you can drive up, then gingerly make your way to the rim. Yes, it's the real thing, and when you ask the staff if it's safe they will smile politely and say "it is a volcano" :-)

On the drive up, local kids run beside the land-cruiser. We stop to buy banana snacks from a road-side stall, Tor checks out the produce.

Sharing Tor's violin with string enthusiast Kenneth, who has only seen one "in a picture".

Shopping at the tourist market in Villa..."Mummy, can I buy these?"

Snorkelling and sailing Hat Island, survivor beach and Paul's Rock to the north-east of Efate. Anthony is smiling because he's just dived an extinct volcanic crator. Tor explores survivor beach and I say "hi" to the fish.

There are more photos to come and stories to tell, but our time with the Aubury family is special and so deserves a seperate entry.

Jamie Oliver eat your heart out!

2010-05-09T15:46:00.001+10:00

When the work day is over in Indianapolis...

2010-04-19T16:50:00.000+10:00

Danish friends

2010-04-07T21:06:00.009+10:00

The Easter break was made super-special this year by visitors from Denmark. Five-year old twins Johanne and Frederick spent five days playing all over Melbourne, with Tor a very willing companion. Careful preparations for the visit included painting and attaching the Danish flag to the front gate.

Tor devised a pictorial welcome message on his white-board to impart key messages to the children who couldn't yet speak English. Yes, it was most important that they understood there was going to be lots of fun, and chocolate!!!

Sight-seeing started close to home, burning around the Botanical Gardens on scooters and other wheely devices. The twins were keen for a photo shoot while mum, dad and Anthony...

We headed into town and it was hard for little hands to resist the lure of the legendary water-wall!

As luck had it, the Mighty Tigers were playing at the G that weekend. There was no question as to which team the Danes would support!

On Easter Sunday, Johanne and Frederick joined Tor in their first ever Easter egg hunt! Yes...that's right...the Bunny doesn't make it to Denmark! The children were at first puzzled to be woken at crack-of-dawn and dragged down-stairs by their four-year old host, who then proceeded to upturn furnishings in a mad frenzy looking for goodness knows what. Of course, they soon joined in and an embarrasingly large amount of the sugary stuff was then shared out for all to enjoy.

On Monday we piled into cars for the journey out to the Dandenong Ranges and Puffing Billy. I'd heard tales of this wonderous attraction for three years and admit being slightly sceptical of the hype. The day itself was gloriously sunny, and Billy did not dissapoint, allowing us all to stick our arms, legs and coffee cups out the railings and pretend we were five years old.

The fun ended all too soon when we had to say "Goodbye for now" to the twins and their parents Mette and Kenneth. We miss you and hope to see you again soon. Thanks for all the fun!

Hail weekend!

2010-03-07T14:49:00.002+11:00

Here's a few snaps we took on the first day of "Hail weekend" during March.

Tor and I spent a sunny morning at a community fair and were suprised to encounter a "once in 100 year" hail-storm on the way back home.

When road visibility decreased to 0 we pulled over and watched the storm unfold through the car's roof-window - until the increasing risk of glass breakage caused me to pull the inside cover. 20 minutes later we were moving again...as fast as we could because the roads started flooding. We made it home thanks to the Suburu. Anthony took these snaps...

Molly's shift at Baker's Delight finished at 3pm - just when the storm started. She stopped by for lunch.

"Helping Daddy make the new shelves"

2010-02-28T15:43:00.000+11:00

Photos from Shepparton

2010-02-26T15:18:00.003+11:00

Anthony and Tor spent a week in Shepparton during February. Both were thoroughly spoit by Nonna and Nonno. Nonno continues to amaze us with the toys he constructs from "bits and bobs" around his shed...

Grandad's visit

2010-02-20T15:32:00.002+11:00

Some photos from Grandad's visit in February. "School teachers" now tops the list of favourite games. It has become necessary to enforce a time-limit when it's Tor's turn to play teacher :-)

Gone farm'n...

2010-01-15T13:54:00.000+11:00

Carol, Nathan and baby Emma have turned in their city desk-jobs for greener pastures in Tasmania. They're now farming hazelnuts! Here's what they looked like without broad-brims before they left Melbourne. Good luck guys, we'll miss you!

Como with Grandad

2009-08-23T11:39:00.001+10:00

Como House celebrated its 50th Jubilee by opening its doors to the public and throwing a nineteenth century style garden bash. Grandad was visiting for the weekend and cheered Tor on as he 'came to grips' with his first game of tug-of-war. Tor quickly out-paced his grandfather 'round the vege-patches, gaining (for the first time) the upper hand in the all-time classic Grandad game 'I'm a cumm'n to get-cha!!!'

Violin mania

2009-08-22T11:12:00.002+10:00

Tor asked to learn violin after visiting the See family in Brisbane last winter. Their daughter Velvet plays, inspiring Tor to turn various house-hold objects into stringed instruments until his parents finally relented. This is his third group practice session. Neighbour and wonderful friend Alexandra wears a purple top.

Not Molly's day...

2009-08-21T10:50:00.002+10:00

When you have a job interview....when your hot water fails...when you ask to borrow your aunty's shower...when her water gets turned off for maintenance...when she has a pool...even though its winter there's no option but to...

"Who ya gonna call?"

2009-08-19T13:01:00.000+10:00

When there's some-th'n strange, in this neighbourhood...you can bet its Melbourne City Council. Why, I hear you ask would men clad in white and fluro suits stalk the streets at 10pm weilding fire-guns and driving a buggy rigged up with bubbling cauldrons? Apparently to re-paint parking lines! Full marks for the best council costume Blog Bettanin's seen yet.

'Kangaroo jumping'

2009-08-10T11:23:00.002+10:00

"Everybody jump around!"

Visit from Grandma

2009-08-09T16:22:00.000+10:00

Grandma visited recently during a Melburnian cold-snap. Undetered, we ventured to the Collingwood children's farm where Grandma proved bravest feeding the horses, and Tor speediest in chasing the lambs!

Grandma further proved a dab hand at 'Mastermind', surviving more than five challenges during the afternoon.

A talented 9 year old

2009-08-03T10:48:00.001+10:00

This fabulous picture of an Australian kangaroo was created by Dash Biesemeyer. What makes it particularly impressive, is that Dash lives in San Fransisco USA and has never travelled to Australia. Anthony visited Dash and his family during a trip earlier this year. We understand that Dash and his energetic brother wore out Tor's daddy, who we all know to be a calm and peaceful fellow who is not at all enthusiastic about playing :-) !!!

Tor painted the picture below after our recent trip to the Kimberley region in remote Western Australia. It is a picture of a boab tree with large boab nuts.

Te-levision, can we fix it? Te-levision, no we can't!

2009-08-02T15:31:00.010+10:00

Anthony accepted the Sunday afternoon challenge of trying to fix our tele, which had most inconveniently stopped working ahead of the final episode of "The Chaser's War on Everything".

But as the Chinese say, "one man's misfortune is another's opportunity". For, once an autopsy confirmed the machine was headed for the dumpster, Tor was allowed unfettered access. Being a dab hand with the old tool-box, Tor had a go himself and when his efforts proved fruitless, conveniently converted it into... a spaceship of course!

Tour d'Coventry Gardens

2009-07-26T16:10:00.001+10:00

And the yellow jersey goes to....

Broome according to Tor

2009-06-28T21:20:00.000+10:00

At 3 and a half, Mum and Dad reckoned me old enough to take on the Gipp River Road in remote North western Australia. They suggested we do something called 'camping' - first in a place called Broome and then in a different spot each night for 10 or so days.

I helped them pack. We agreed my 'motorbike' could come and I suggested that bigger bags were needed to fit in the furniture - particularly my bed. Mum said 'no', I said 'yes', Dad said 'wait and see'...

It turns out there are things called 'sleeping bags'. This is my Mum's, where I usually ended up from 5am each morning. Also, there are 'hammocks'.

Dad said we were in Broome to 'see stuff'. In Broome, this means pearling museums, historical buildings, pearl shops and indigenous art gallerys. (Yes, Mum was in heaven).

My motorbike carried me happily around town, and when it wasn't allowed inside the Nintendo DS usually was! (Here's Dad and I at the Sun Pictures open air cinema).

Gantheaume Point has lots of rocks and this is where I started learning to 'scramble'...you know, that funny cross between walking and climbing! Scrambling is great exercise and I was determined to prove myself "big and strong!"

Its 5km from the point to the surf club along Cable Beach and you guessed it, my parents wanted to walk it. They said 'motorbike?', I said 'no', they said 'icecream?', I said 'try and catch me' and the race was on! That night I was pretty tired.

We had lots of fun in Broome, but the best fun of all was the Courthouse markets. I scored a whistle in the 'lucky dip' and was eager to join the local muso's with some cool feet-tapp'n busking action! We drew a quite a crowd, particularly my indigenous partner who announced our act as 'mid-day and mid-night!'

Cruis'n on a pearl lugger was also fun. Dad's cousin Diana joined us for the day and she likes hammocks too.

The captain stopped the lugger so that we could swim 'round the back, cling onto the ropes and be dragged through the water. I didn't like this as much as they adults who kept calling it 'spa treatment' or something. More fun was when Mum through me off the boat to swim 'round to the ropes with my Dad. She told the panic-stricken crew I could swim, which of course I can :-)

Diana has cool parents called Vic and Pat. They have a huge teddy collection and let me borrow one each day to motor around Broome.

There was plenty of wild action too, but I'll leave that for mum to blog once she's finished sorting the 2,000 odd snaps we clicked on the trip!

Catchya, Tor

T'was the night before flying...

2009-06-27T17:50:00.003+10:00

Twas the night before flying and all through the house,

camp gear cluttered the doorways while mum lept about

maddly stuffing the bags full exclaiming with glee

"Well they won't pack themselves up! Or will they? Lets see...

We've a trangia, some camp beds, a big blue tarpolin,

enough gadgets to weigh down our 737...

There's a point - extra stuff could be to no avail!

Quick hon, can you go grab our faithful o'l scales?"

So we booted a spreadsheet and typed in the weight,

the total risked making our check-in staff faint

Out charger! Out hand-cream! Out 'dressier shirt'!

Out clothing which could not be covered in dirt!

'Til by midnight our bags were lined up in the room

economical, light-weight and destined for Broome!

Hit it!

2009-06-14T18:39:00.003+10:00

Eager to expand on the musical limitations of his mother's pots and pans draw, Tor assembled this drum kit himself...

The gift that keeps on giving...

2009-06-08T17:09:00.000+10:00

Anthony took the brave step this week of opening one of his 'memorabilia boxes'. You know the type, we all have them. They hold those football medals, snippets from the local paper and dubious school artworks that we can somehow never bring ourselves to throw out. You can imagine his suprise in discovering a cake-stand. Blue, and still in its original packaging together with a card 'Merry Christmas, love Julie, Peter, Jordan, Zoe and Gabbi'.

Now I confess we've had the odd dig at each other over the years concerning the respective sizes of our collection of memorabilia boxes. After all, its not very eco-friendly to have piles of 'stuff', but I had not thought it possible that either of our collections could harbour a cake stand, for 8 years!!!

From what we can fathom, the Spriggs' must have given it to us at Christmas 2001, a few weeks shy of our first move to London which would explain why we never unpacked it.

So thanks for the gift guys. We were, need we say, very suprised. For his part, Anthony has spent the past week trying to convince Alison (who wouldn't mind some new salad servers) that his collection doesn't contain anything else of note.

CF Community Cup

2009-06-07T16:53:00.008+10:00

Her Majesty's 'birthday' provided a great opportunity to visit family in Shepparton and attend the CF Community Cup in nearby Barooga. The Cup is an annual competition between representative sides of the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) and the Victorian Country Football League (VCFL). Both organisations have strong links with Cystic Fibrosis Victoria and proceeds from the match assist in the provision of CFV support services.

A full article on the Cup will appear in this Spring's edition of 65 Roses - the quarterly newsletter of CFV. Copies can be obtained by contacting CFV on 03 96861811 or at admin@cfv.org.au. Here's a few photos of the day...

Long weekend gathering

2009-06-06T17:40:00.000+10:00

It turned out that we weren't the only family who reckoned on visiting the nonni this long weekend. Wrestling playmates included Zane, Louise and that formidable dessert chief...Alana! When the heat got too much in the kitchen you can guess where the boys retreated - to the shed of course!

The love of learning

2009-05-31T16:48:00.000+10:00

A visit from Grandad in late May provides inspiration for new favourite game - school teachers!

Yo Gabba Gabba!

2009-05-30T20:01:00.010+10:00

The place to groove this Saturday was the Palais Theatre in St Kilda, where Moono, Foofa, Brodie, Tutti and Plex were mov'n to the tunes of DJ Lance. For the benefit of those without a three to five-year old, these giant, stuffed characters appear in a children's television show currently airing on ABC 1 called 'Yo Gabba Gabba'. The show has a moralistic and educative content that seeps into the psyche of its audience through the very groovy and repetitive music orchestrated by the show's DJ - called Lance. Now don't get me wrong here, I agree that Lance's hair-style does not aid first impressions of him (being closely akin as it is to an orange toilet brush), yet the warm personality and unfailing energy of the DJ does quickly make a lasting impression on his audience. Today, this audience included Tor, Anthony, a happen'n crowd of three to five year olds and a smaller yet possibly more obsessed band of teen cult followers. This last group (born too late to turn to Star Wars) have latched onto Lance as an idol. They enjoyed the show immensely, passing the intermission by quizzing the kindy group on the purchase location of thier character t-shirts. The answer - Myer. The reason they missed them on their shopping trip? They're in the children's clothing section, not 'the basement'!!!!

Moono! He's so unfriendly...

Foofa! She's pink and happy....

Brodie! The little green one...

Tutti! He likes to have fun...

Plex! The magic robot...

Lake Eyre

2009-05-20T20:13:00.000+10:00

The Lake Eyre complex of salt-pan lakes filled with water this year to a depth of 1.5m during May. Quite miraculously, the flight path of Anthony's plane to Kuala Lumpur went right over the top. It was a clear day affording excellent views of the river systems. He took these photos.

Mother's Day Magic

2009-05-10T21:02:00.003+10:00

Mother's Day started a little earlier than usual for me this year with the dawn start of the Mother's Day Classic. With the auspicious entry number of 6000, I jogged my usual Sunday morning round of the Tan Track alongside hords of others. Being a first-time entrant I was unaware of the unspoken dress code of candy pink, blow-dried hair and lashings of mascara, daring to hazard the circuit in my daggy track-suit!

I returned home to an array of inspiring home-made gifts which included a beautifully beaded necklace and a painted plaster-cast of Tor's hand. Sincere and dedicated efforts had indeed been made!!! After a pancake breakfast (thank you Anthony) we ventured back to the Yarra to party the day away with the excellent children's activities run by the Classic.

Scones on!

2009-05-02T20:53:00.002+10:00

Molly and Tor in...the battle for the scone!

What's hip when you're 3

2009-04-18T15:42:00.004+10:00

Hey fans,

Thought I'd update you on what's hip and happ'nen when your 3 (and a half!!!)

My favourite computer game is: Virtual Chuggington.

My favourite wheels are: my bike. Its fun tearing off down the street to kindy while mum runs behind with my Thomas back-pack!

The best food is: anything with tomato sauce.

The coolest chick around is: Kylie Minogue! No joke - now that she's pulled on a pink skivy she's become my favourite Wiggle. When pressed by mum I say I like her voice.

In the car I like listening to: U2

When I grow up I want to be: a truck driver, a crane driver, a train driver, a fork-lift operator...and a driver of most other vehicles.

I am now 97.9cm tall and weigh 16.1 kg which is supposedly too much for mum's back - although I remain sceptical. I am tip-top healthy and twice as cheeky.

Catchya, Tor

The Gathering

2009-03-23T13:45:00.000+11:00

Zia Richetta's visit to Australia was celebrated on a grand scale at a family gathering in mid March. Her sister Zia Angela kindly hosted the event, which is difficult to describe to the uninitiated. Suffice it to say that a very very large number of family members warmly and enthusiastically enjoyed each other's company. We munched, nattered and wrestled our way through the afternoon departing with full stomachs and glad hearts.

Gormet delacies were spread across the billard table - come buffet - each carefully hand-made. Gabriel and workers put in the hard yards on the spit roaster delivering us a wonderful roast. Special mention must also go to Molly and her yo-yo biscuits that barely made it to the table before being munched out of thier container. Need she say that Aunty Alison is expecting great things when we welcome you back to our home this October!!!

Tor and a very large number of other children had a great time skidding off old tricycles, climbing around a wooden castle and wrestling in the lounge.

And Zia Richetta? Well she never looks a day older! Thanks for a great day Zia Angela and everyone.

Little fire-bird

2009-03-18T15:23:00.000+11:00

We visited the Zoo one day and were eager participants at story-time...in fact we were the only participants. No to be put off, we begged the reluctant story-tellers to proceed in telling their Indonesian tale of the fire-bird and water-bird. Our little actor proved to be a very enthusiastic fire-bird, producing both a person and an orangutan from his 'cooking pot'. The story made such an impression that he later painted it in a stencil sequence now hung in his bedroom. Many thanks to the patient staff at Melbourne Zoo!

Minnamurra moments

2009-03-10T13:24:00.000+11:00

We visited Grandma in Wollongong for a refreshing long weekend in March. The surf was up and the toy-box poised for action - so both boys had a wonderful time. Alison enjoyed catching up with her mum Liane and was delighted to discover that the dynamic duo were open to bushwalking at Minnamurra falls.

Tor's bushwalking legs are coming along - under protest. And so we've discovered the value of a pocket of reward lollies stuffed into the backpack! The only downside to this parental management strategy is that he now solemnly believes he is due a lolly should he spot a waterfall, creek or other free flowing acquatic feature.

For Tor, the weekend's highlights included checking Grandma's mailbox which features a winning 2-way viewing design. And of course there were the cup-cakes. Grandma is a dab hand with the hundreds and thousands and is suprising skilled at facilitating the exercise alongside a three year old bent on 'sprinking' the floor.

Thanks for a fab weekend mum!

Big kinder boy...

2009-02-03T21:28:00.000+11:00

We released Tor into the world (yes 'world', not 'wild') this week when he started kindergarten. 'Huh?' I hear you exclaim, the lad's only three! And there-in lies the first lesson of today's educative journey - it starts young. For whereas I nostalgically recall spending my tender years running on the grassed expanse of my parent's suburban backyard chasing butterflys and the like, Tor will join fellow Melbournian 3 year olds in kindergarten...well for three half-days a week anyway.

In truth, the lad has consistently asked to go since he first spotted troops of happy paint-clad kiddies spilling out of our local kindergarten 18 months ago. To sooth over any first day nerves we engaged in a little role play (video-ed in the above clip) before leaping out the door the next morning onto 'silver flash'. For those who've not yet met flashy, he's an old children's pedal bike that Anthony attacked with a can of silver paint to mask the very pink indications that it belonged to Tor's female neighbour, the very generous Alexandra who gave it up. He now rides it without training wheels to kinder and back...while Alison runs alongside with his back-pack!

Changing rooms

2009-01-27T17:30:00.000+11:00

When we found ourselves with a free long weekend and no travel plans there was only one place to head - IKEA! Tor's room was long due a make-over; and with Alison starting to click haphazardly on domain.com in search of a residence with more storage space Anthony was quick to usher the family off to that great all-time provider of affordable solutions. In fact we were there in time for breakfast.

We invested heavily in 'Expedit' for that modern cube-like bookcase look, then returned home to repaint a storage cupboard hastily vacated by Anthony's possessions as a toy-cupboard. Tor is delighted with the result and is pictured learning that invaluable IKEA life-skill - how to use an allen key. He enjoyed his first adventure into the IKEA creche (Smalland) and has been asking for a return trip each Saturday morning.

Alison takes this opportunity to congratulate IKEA on the speed and agility of thier cafe crew who are lightening with a dust-pan and brush should your child invert a tray of glasses onto the floor at the buffet.

Bettanin Christmas 2008

2009-01-20T17:08:00.000+11:00

Our family gathering was delayed into January this year so that more could join us. Susie, Geoff and Zane hosted a wonderful lunch in Jan Juc - thanks guys!

Alison forgot to pack the camera but did send it along with Anthony to the beach the following day. Pictured are Molly, Zoe, Gabi, Rylie (in sand) and his father Brendan. Nonna and Nonno in their sun-hats, Jordan in the sand; Gabi in the surf; Zoe in the air; and finally Anthony and Tor in the shallows.

Out and about with Gabi!

2009-01-19T16:07:00.000+11:00

The Bettanin family Christmas gathering was in Torquay this year...and while the adults fussed over festive preparations Gabi and I hit the park. Gabi is great. She's always up for a park. Here's some pictures of our play...

Inverloch 2008-2009

2009-01-15T22:17:00.001+11:00

We enjoyed a family holiday at Inverloch over the New Year period...the change of scenery, the sand between our toes and that fabulous wind that kept both New Year revellers and mosquitos at bay! Anthony thought to pack Tor's balance bike - a masterstroke that enabled us to fulfill Alison's almost insatiable holiday appetite for bush-walking with minimal tears and tantrums from the party's youngest member.

Of course there were the obligatory hours playing 'brum cars' and 'speed boats' on the beach...how would we fill our days otherwise? And then there was the skate park. Tor 'discovered' this phenomenon enroute to the town library one blustery day when Alison sought to inject some literary variety into the wet-weather entertainment options of our holiday cabin. And so she commenced her first afternoon 'hang'n' with the other mothers whos boys are old enough to want to belong to the skeg-set but not actually old enough to do it without their mummy.

Age aside, our chap drew attention from the puppy-dog face he'd had painted that morning.

Tor enjoyed the holiday immensely, crafting with children at the park activity program, playing on the beach and exploring the inevitable bushwalking tracks. And when there were no more flowers to pick, trees to hide in or slopes to glide down...there was always Anthony's shoulders!

Making Pizza

2009-01-11T16:14:00.002+11:00

Pizza is Tor's favourite lunch to prepare. He typically makes a face on top of the pizza base with half the ingredients, eats the other half directly off the chopping board and when the pizza finally emerges from the oven is too full to eat.

We owe this week's antics to Angelo our cheesemonger at the Phraran markets. He often treats Tor to special produce and provided a pizza base for our creation. For his part, Tor helps out with a little job in the cheese shop which is the highlight of his market visit each week.

The marks on Tor's arms in the video are his texta artwork from earlier that day.

Summer sculpture

2009-01-10T16:11:00.000+11:00

The masterpiece

The artist reflects on his creation...

Rock'n santa

2008-12-24T21:36:00.002+11:00

Blog Bettanin hopes your Christmas rocks!

Santa photos 2008

2008-12-10T08:08:00.001+11:00

There was no need to prep Tor for his meeting with the jolly man this year. Alison could bearly control his dash from Tram to Santa!

We remain indebted to the City of Melbourne for arranging a free visit from Santa, thereby liberating us from the David Jones photo shoot trap.

Early Christmas cheer

2008-12-05T17:59:00.002+11:00

Christmas came a little early for Tor this year with a visit to Grandma's house in mid December. He scored an electric guitar and we've been rock'n ever since. Tor knows all the classic moves, suprising us with air-jumps and body swings during his debut performance.

When the music got too hot we headed to the beach to chill out.

Mr & Mrs Pope

2008-12-05T15:31:00.001+11:00

We were priveleged to attend the wedding of Alison's cousin Sarah Roadnight to Ashley Pope on the lawns of the Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Sarah and Ashley are English, southern to be precise and in an effort to become even more southern they had travelled extensively together throughout Australia a few years ago. Sydney was a natural choice for their wedding.

In a word the day was magical, and Blog Bettanin is convinced this magic resulted from the hard work of the happy couple and the admirable tendency of the bride to leave absolutely nothing to chance. This parent of a 3 year old was particularly impressed by their choice of transport to ferry guests to the reception venue. There is little better incentive for a young lad to behave through a wedding service than the promise that 'good boys and girls will get to ride in a little red train afterwards'!!!

The ceremony itself was beautiful and I'm pleased to say that sunlight delivered Sydney Harbour at its best. Tor and the other children played happily on the lawns afterwards and we relaxed as Grandad agreed to assume 'chasing duty'. Mr and Mrs Pope held their reception at the Waterfront, a superb venue where Alison enjoyed the evening catching up with her relatives.

Pictured are the bride, groom, train and train-fanatic; Sarah mid-vows; the bridal party; well-heeled onlookers; the three siblings Aunty Sheila (mother-of-the-bride), Tor's Grandad Ray and much-loved Aunty Jill; Tor and bridge; and the inseperable duo. Anthony also attended, yet as he was neither clad in satin nor holding Tor does not get a photograph entered here.

r2-d2 meets ewok

2008-12-04T21:57:00.000+11:00

Its amazing who you bump into at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. We ewoks were just passing by for a play at Zoe's House (the museum's play area for construction crazed three-year-olds) when we were intercepted by an advanced robot looking for a chat. Tor also happily bounded up to the "space men" (storm-troopers) which are apparently not scary to those unaware of their link to the dark side of the force. Tor showed no interest in the 6 foot darkly cloaked asthmatic who can be heard in the background of this clip.

Santaland 08!

2008-11-28T17:09:00.000+11:00

Tor appreciates that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. He understands the art form of crafting a letter to Santa and looks forward to the jolly fellow leaving a sack of goodies. But then there is the Santa Express. Constructed each November by the Melbourne Myer store, its bright lights, enticing tunnel and mock steam train are enough to make our 3 year old hyperventalate with excitement.

Alison's nerves managed three visits to Santaland this year. For as every Melbournian mother knows, along with the train comes the general public in increasing quantities and with increasingly less patience as the festive season progresses. And so when it occured to her on 23 December that she must explain the immenent departure of the train for another year, she gritted her teeth, feigned an enthusiastic smile and agreed to one last visit.

We survived, visiting Santa and emerging together with our plastic keyring well satisfied.

Mini Maestros?

2008-11-27T16:40:00.000+11:00

Here are some shots of Tor and his classmate Tabitha at their end of year music concert. Always an enthusiastic class participant, Tor had proved an excellent solo performer at last year's concert. Parental expections were high. And so we were suprised when Tor chose to stand still for the first concert item and to lie down for the second before jumping to his feet and participating actively in the finale! You just never can tell with kids!!!

For us the concert was the culmination of two years of musical fun. Together with his classmates and teacher Tim we've shaken a lot of maraccas, tapped many claves and danced up a storm. But with 3 year old kindergarten starting next year its time to hang up our ribbon sticks. There just isn't enough hours in this kid's day!

Tor pictured during the second and third items together with Alison, classmate Tabitha and her mum Angela.

Taking the cake...

2008-11-26T22:31:00.000+11:00

When it comes to 'helping' at birthday parties my aunty Julie takes the cake. Yes, she discusses, designs and brings along a theme coordinated/made-to-exact-specification birthday cake. And so come October when my three year old 'Wiggles' party loomed on the horizon and mummy received my request for an 'electric-guitar-cake-just-like-Murray-pleeeeaassssee!!!!' she reached straight for the handset and dialled S P R I G G S H E L P.

And what a phone number it is. Not only did aunty Julie bake up a beauty but her personal connection with Dorothy the Dinosaur brought a very special visitor to my party. Dorothy was kissed and cuddled, teased and tormented as only we three year olds can. Julie's girls (my cousins) Zoe and Gabi also deserve heaps of kudos for arriving in their own purpose-built big red car. Now quite the feature of our living area its here to stay a wee while yet.

With so much fun about the house it was easy to forget the sleet and gale-force winds which caused mummy to relocate our party from park to house. Much as she had dreamed of a sunny day with children frolicing about the park with helium-filled balloons, the state-wide SES warning was brutally blunt in facilitating a re-think to an indoor venue.

And so you can see we had a lot of fun. That funny person in some of the shots is daddy. Cupcake the clown also dropped by to work some magic tricks, paint faces and tie balloons in more ways than mummy thought possible. We all had a great time. Thanks to those who were part of it and especially my very very very helpful aunty.

Toot toot!

2008-11-11T16:33:00.002+11:00

Visiting Grandad is always fun. Wagga's wildlife park has kangaroos and there's no strict limit on icecream after dinner. But just when you thought it couldn't get better the Wagga minature railway fanatics (or 'society' as they possibly call themselves) held a family fun day. With more trains circling the tracks than the Sodor Railway Company, our toot-train junkie was in heaven.

Rides were long, packed with thrills and at $2 a ticket represented fair-dinkum country value. Very very very unfortnatelyAlison's shoes did not meet safety requirement standards, requiring Grandad to accompany Tor on some half hour of train rides.

Pictured on board a train together and riding 'Strawberry' the pony afterwards.

Great Strides 2008

2008-10-20T14:41:00.001+11:00

Great Strides is an annual walk/run-athon organised by Cystic Fibrosis Victoria (CFV). Like their other gigs it raises both funds and awareness of CF. This one also brings the CF community together in a big open area, ideal for minimising cross-infection and holding a phenominally big bbq.

There is something in the atmosphere of such occasions that causes one to hazardly sign up for the most challenging endurance event rather than the 'participant friendly' half event. And so I found my unwieldy pen ticking the 6km box on the registration form. 'Bah!' I hear you say. 'I could jog 6km no sweat!' And I agree you could. Try doing it with a jogger pram and 16kg agitator who calls out a lottery of personal challenges en route. My personal favourites were 'I want to lie down'; 'No, the yellow jellybean, not the red one'; 'Where are my jarmies (comforter)?'

Tor agreed to stay in the pram, insentivised by the inevitable promise of an ice-cream at the finish line. We pitched camp at the 'Nightingales' tent. Alison is a member of this auxilliary and helped with the sale of raffle tickets when she wasn't chasing Tor on his bike. When he chose to keep still Tor was wildly spoilt by the other Nightingales - some of whom are pictured below with raffle tickets. Also pictured is Alison calling the rafflewinners over the din of the crowd.

Lunch with Slyvie, Greg and Molly's chocolates

2008-10-13T09:40:00.002+11:00

We visited Syliva and Greg recently at their home in Melton. Anthony had spent the morning nearby recklessly lapping a dirt track in what is commonly called a 'Rally Drive experience'. Tor and Alison meanwhile spent a very enjoyable morning chatting with Sylvia, playing in the park and patting the puppy dogs. We met back at 'gourmet central' for a yummy lunch and the chance to relax over a glass of wine.

And it is at this point that our alarm bells should have started ringing. As any parent of a 'spirited child' will tell you, 'parent relaxation = child opportunity' and Tor found it in the very large box of fundraising chocolates Molly had left in the centre of the dining room table.

One significant contribution to the scout fundraiser later we made our goodbyes, wrestled our sugar-crazed opportunist into his child restraint and headed back to the city.

Pictured are Sylvia and Greg, Tor playing 'the toolman' and a crunchie bar - the final spoils :-)

Thanks for a wonderful day guys.

Chatting with baby Emma

2008-10-12T22:05:00.001+11:00

We caught up with baby Emma recently to find out what's happn'n in Williamstown. There's now lots of smiling and 'chatting' as only 10 week old female babies can. Tor thought she'd appreciate a few songs and as there were no screams or tears we can only assume she did.

Baptism!

2008-10-06T21:31:00.002+11:00

Tor was (finally!!!) baptised on 5 October 2008 at Christ Church South Yarra, Melbourne. Lots of deliberating over country and denomination had post-phoned the event, and so we finally settled on Australia, Anglican and a date most family could make. Eric and Hayley were much easier to decide on as god-parents, fulfilling the criteria of attending church regularly, responding to all questions asked by the clergy with military-like precision and being strong enough to hold and restrain the child during the baptismal proceedings. How Eric's arm did not go numb during the morning we will never know.

Tor's behaviour was angelic. He understood the basics and cooperated superbly, announcing to the congregation that he would walk from the alter to the font 'all by myself'. There is nothing quite like being the centre of attention.

Thanks to all those who travelled for the service and helped with catering for the afterparty. Alison's mum Liane helped out with some splendid cooking - thanks mum! Lina contributed a superb seafood salad and antipasti that covered our outdoor table and the ever-reliable Molly brought bread.

Pictured are Eric and Hayley with Tor during the service, Eric with Elisa, the two grandmothers, Eric has fun with a pen (fun recipient is Greg and amused is Sylvia), Tor hugs Molly, Alana and Louise think twice before again asking Anthony for a sun-hat - seated with the shy Zane.

Grandma's beach

2008-10-03T20:41:00.001+10:00

Before heading south we enjoyed a short break with Grandma. Tor loves playing with her cat 'Itchy' and we're pleased to report that for the first time Itchy's interaction went beyond striking immediately for the door. Tor too has graduated from his much loved game of 'I'm going to get you Itchy' to 'I'm going to feed you Itchy' which the feline considers more palatable.

Grandma also lives next to an awesome beach complete with iconic Aussie life-saver flags. Tor pictured in his weddy surfing the sand....well...the water was brisk!

Luna lunacy

2008-10-02T14:00:00.000+10:00

Fellow Victorians. If you're feeling guilty free-loading off your reciprocal memberships to Sydney attractions then Luna park will help you out. Pricey yet classy, this attraction will help you contribute to the good cause of stimulating the New South Wales economy...and it will do it with a smile.

We had promised Tor a visit to his first fun-fair all week. First the weather was lousy, then mummy mis-read the opening hours and so when we finally did walk between the pearly whites on Friday there was little patience for a commemorative photo. Instead it was 'ride ride ride'...for 5 hours. I had thought that perhaps there'd be little for a toddler to do. Boy was I wrong. There were plenty of rides to enjoy...not that that mattered mind...the 'car ride' was promptly declared the superior experience and it took some convincing and 30 rides on it to try the others.

Next favourite - the spaceship. It got 3 goes. Then Tor agreed to tolerate a turn or two on the tea-cup ride to satisfy mummy's disney nostalgia.

Rides aside the park is remarkably well kept and successfully delivers on the 'yester-year' theme park look without appearing tatty. If mum ever recovers her patience...and perhaps when someone is too tall for the car ride :-) we may return.

Out and about in Sydney

2008-10-01T22:50:00.000+10:00

While daddy worked hard in the city we played about town. Reciprocal state memberships at the zoo and museums made for affordable sight-seeing and we literally played until we could play no more. Here's some of the highlights...

The ferry, the icecream, the bridge...we must be in Sydney!!!

"What's that you say dad...two hours until Taronga Zoo closes for the weekend...well just let me put down my suitcase...sure we can make it!''

Cute animals on display - notorious for cheeky behaviour.

A rainy afternoon at the Australia Museum. Who'd have thought such a fabulous play space existed in such a dully named building?

Cruiz'n the harbour enroute to Luna Park...but that's a whole 'nother entry....

Sydney with the Aubury's

2008-09-30T21:50:00.000+10:00

We took advantage of the term break to visit Simon, Marine, Nicholas and baby Elise in Sydney. And what a visit it was! Simon was mid-way through constructing 'the deck to end all decks' and Tor simply couldn't believe the enticing array of powertools available for 'use'. He selected a Bob-the-builder drill and busied himself with deck construction for the afternoon. When a change of scene was needed there was a lawn to mow! And so began our city slicker's education on nature-strips ("Where's the footpath mummy?") and Hills Hoists ("Oh...can I swing on THAT!?!!").

We rendevoued in the city with Marine, Nicho and Elise to give the boys their fix of Zoe's House. When you're 3 the House is a construction wonderland where you can cut loose in every form of play you wish you were allowed to do at real building sites. For parents its 2 hours to ponder why you forgot to pack your book.

The boys take the house extremely seriously. Observe the photos below taken during snack time. In the first, Nicho and Tor watch the other children at play.

But wait!...that kid's just made off with OUR load cart!!!!

Marine welcomed us warmly for three days, little knowing that Tor had brought with him a violent vomiting bug that was about to lay-waste her family!!! We think you deserve a special hospitality award for your unwavering ability to be a wonderful hostess despite the devastation that ensued. We promise not to bring anything exotic from Melbourne next time we visit...no really...we really really promise this time :-)

Thanks again for a wonderful stay. Nicho "Buzz Lightyear" Aubury dazzled us with his button activated stunts and Elise still has a killer smile. See you again soon!

Gallery of visitors

2008-09-20T21:45:00.001+10:00

September was visitor month at Blog Bettanin house...and what a line-up:

Five wonderful days of Grandad - biking, playing in playgrounds and playing up in music class ...funny how it only happens when Grandad comes to watch??!?

One single yet quality day with Grandma - afternoon tea, cupcakes and jam sessions.

Three cuddly days with Nonno and Nonna - stories about rabbits, being spoon-fed from their laps and generally being spoilt while Alison and Anthony attended the CFV conference. Thanks for caring for him so well!

Capped off by three play-filled days with Susie and Zane - bike swapping, train tooting, car brumming and popcorn making merriment.

It was quite the fortnight. Tor enjoyed each visitor immensely, although we suspect he doesn't quite understand why they had to return to their own homes. He suggests that everyone he knows and loves simply move in permanently. And why not? The more the merrier!!!

This is how I cruze

2008-09-06T20:54:00.004+10:00

This is my 'hood and this is how I cruze...up St Kilda road and 'round the pathways and sculptures of the Queen Victoria Gardens. There are always funny looking things to sit on and interesting people to meet.

Today I met a group of emo-s. About 20 of them were emo-ing under a tree. I rode over, introduced myself and showed them my bike. Of course they were impressed.

I thought maybe we could hang-out together. Dad thought maybe we could run mummy over instead...the lure proved to great...

Mum prefers me riding on the (nice and predictable?) footpaths. Here's a clip of me showing off. Very unusual I know, but its hard to be modest when you've got such a cool set of wheels...thanks Aunty Julie! xo

Stay chill - Tor

The blockade...

2008-09-04T20:26:00.003+10:00

How to stop mummy from going out for the evening.

Hello Emma!

2008-09-02T22:23:00.000+10:00

Blog Bettanin congratulates Carol and Nathan on the birth of thier first child Emma. She is beautiful and healthy and arrived just in time for Father's Day. Carol should be given some kind of societal reward for bearing a child that insisted on keeping its hand next to its head and made things 'extra tricky' by wrapping its cord around its neck.

A common cause

2008-08-24T21:40:00.001+10:00

We visited with Zachary, his mum Denise and dad Jeremy for a dedicated afternoon of toot-trains and adult conversion - the perfect mix for families of 3 year old boys. Zacy and Tor found themselves united in more than one common cause when Denise began carving up a wonderfully exotic cake made by Jeremy and for which we will remain grateful....yum!

Thanks for a lovely afternoon guys.

Fruit salad, yummy yummy!

2008-08-20T21:22:00.002+10:00

Tor's own abridged version of the all-time Wiggles classic. In anticipation for your Wiggly third birthday party, Cheyenne this one's for you!

Just call me Tigger!

2008-08-17T21:29:00.000+10:00

Everyone has at least one photo from their childhood, taken after their mother forced them into an embarassing outfit...unfortunately mine writes a blog.

Olympic fever

2008-08-10T20:08:00.001+10:00

Gold fever is sweeping the Blog Bettanin household. Inspired by the Olympics, Tor and his stuffed Elmo doll

compete daily for the prestige of wearing mummy and daddy's old running medals.

Tor usually takes out the 'gallumping race' (where competitors hop like a frog across his bedroom) and the 'summersault gymnastics', but Elmo is hard to beat in the bean-bag jump.

Tor pictured on winner's podium a little over-awed by his morning's performance.

Playdate with Zachary

2008-08-09T22:35:00.000+10:00

Zachary and his mum Denise Van Dijk came 'round to play on Saturday. It was a fun day and quite the catch-up as we hadn't really had a good chat since uni. Zachary enrolled by chance into the same music class as Tor and has made himself instantly popular with his cheery smile and by not stealing other children's musical instruments.

Necessity is the mother of invention...

2008-08-06T17:44:00.002+10:00

During our holiday in Queensland, Tor watched in awe as Velvet and Jethro See played thier violin and double bass. He's now added the them to his list of desired musical instruments together with a blue electric guitar. This year's letter to Santa will be interesting...

Zoe's confirmation

2008-08-05T18:37:00.001+10:00

Zoe Spriggs celebrated her confirmation mass at the St Teresa Catholic church and we were there to say CONGRATULATIONS!!! Here's a few happy snaps of the day.

Mum Julie and grandmother Pat did a stupendously good job with the after-bash food and rumour has it that sister Gabi had a guiding hand in the very original confirmation cake. Dad Peter put in a marathon effort on the coffee machine/expresso gismo/whatever you call it??? and the stuff that came out of it was great.

Blog Bettanin is particularly useless with non-family names other than the unforgettable and very smiley Kim pictured next to Peter on right. Otherwise pictured are Zoe, fellow confirmee friend and cake; mum slicing it up below with Rudy in the background; Nonno, Anthony and Tor considering his good fortune at such a delectable spread; Anthony squashing nipoti Jordon, Zoe, Molly and Gabi; and four beautiful girls.

in their 20's

2008-08-04T21:12:00.002+10:00

Blog Bettanin congratulates Sylvia and Greg on their 20th wedding anniversary. In recognition of what you've achieved as a couple we'd like to offer you back your daughter :-) Although we're sorry to admit that we've converted her to "steak and three veg" for dinner we think you'll be impressed by her newly acquired ability to hear a young child whisper the word 'toilet' from across the other side of a crowded room and leap to her feet in 0.1 seconds.

All our love and congratulations again!

Winter blues

2008-08-02T09:00:00.000+10:00

Outdoor fun can be harder to come by in winter. First, mum makes me wear a pesky thing called a 'warm top'. Then there's that annoying 'hat' thing. She also takes extra convincing to buy me gelati on Lygon street. The idea that ice-cream is for summer is naff and we should have legistlation to protect the innocent against such prejudice!

When the sun is shining I venture out on my 'motor bike'. We always take the pram pump because every 10m its necessary to stop and pump up both tyres on both sides. Mum says 'they're made of solid rubber'. I say 'don't bother a man while he's fixing his bike'. Very conveniently I've discovered that my snuggle fits into my trouser pocket, which stops it getting dirty while I'm working.

I've also discovered a funner way to swing. Try it some-time! Catchya, Tor

When Donica reads bed-time stories...

2008-07-31T17:04:00.000+10:00

Mick-the-brave

2008-07-30T21:24:00.001+10:00

Michael Bettanin's heroic efforts in the surf of 2005 are old-yet-impressive news to family and friends, so when Blog Bettanin came by this top photo of his award ceremony we couldn't resist doing a feature.

For those who are unaware, Mick assisted with the rescue of three children from a family of eight who were swept off rocks into the Warrnambool surf on 2nd January, 2005. He then spent the next few days searching for the bodies of the five that drowned. Mick was presented with a Certificate of Merit for his effort and involvement in the rescue at the Royal Humane Society Bravery Awards held at Government House on 30 November 2007.

Walking with Sarah

2008-07-27T15:41:00.000+10:00

We caught up with uni friend Sarah McCullough for... you guessed it...some walking! Sarah lives in Mornington, which sports a beautiful coastline. Or should we say, a coastline that would look beautiful if the blustery winds weren't whipping the water from your eyeballs before stealing your hat! And so we cut short our coastal walk and retreated to a nearby reserve known as 'the Briars'. Think rolling hills, track carefully wound through pretty scenery and a slightly unnerving park ranger who insists that you make every effort to spot a koala in some tree or another enroute.

Cupcakes anyone?

2008-07-26T23:29:00.000+10:00

Yes, you might have guessed that the cup-cake fiend returned to visit. So strongly does our sugar-crazed-cuteness associate his grandmother with baking that he responded to 'Guess what grandma has in her suitcase?' with 'cup-cake mix!' An enjoyable week was had by all.

La la la la, la la la la, Elmo's world...

2008-07-25T21:06:00.000+10:00

Sometimes you just get lucky. And to be honest, with mum hanging around the Myer toy department a little more than perhaps she ought, odds are you're going to win yourself a get-together with a furry something-or-another at some point. This 'morning tea with Elmo' exceeded expectations. Not only was it the genuine Elmo complete with American puppeteer, but he sang Elmo's favourite songs, met the children and gave each a goody bag with an American sized cup-cake.

Now we admit that expectations were low. Tor had been convinced that Elmo wouldn't offer much tea-time conversation and confessed over breakfast that he wasn't interested in meeting the guy, just his 'morning tea'. Fortunately for Elmo his real-life presence proved more engaging than his on-screen personality. The two hit it off and we left well amused, leaving a trail of cup-cake crumbs to find our way back again.

Seeing the Sees

2008-07-13T23:07:00.002+10:00

Our last social stop in Qld was definately a trip highlight. The last time we saw Velvet and Jethro See they fit nicely inside a Wridgeways removal box from which to spring and scare their unsuspecting father. Now a-days there's not many tricks that Velvet can't do with a soccer ball nor Jethro with a double bass.

Their parents Peter and Carol relocated the family to Qld, no-doubt seeking sun and a life less-hurried than London. And we should say too that that includes their elder-teen Moses, whose emergence late in the day from his bedroom has this mother-of-an-early-rising-toddler dreaming of time-filled mornings some 14 years hence!

Tor reckons that the See's new place is way cool. It has chooks, enticing 'stuff' collected on family travels, more musical instruments then its house-hold inhabitants have fingers to play them and a dog to take walking. Genuine tears were shed on departure and 'Vel-ve' continued to be talked of for some time to come. Thanks for a wonderful day guys, we can't wait to see you down south!

desert trekking

2008-07-11T22:50:00.002+10:00

Bravely going where he knows darn well his parents will follow to retrieve him...

'Galump went the little green frog'

2008-07-11T22:20:00.002+10:00

Undetered by the absence of his ukulele, Tor produced this version of the all-time classic on the play equipment at Tangalooma. Daddy features as backing vocals.

Tangalooma

2008-07-11T21:36:00.000+10:00

We admit that the temptation to hand-feed 'wild dolphins' lured us to this great spot. Tangalooma resort is located on Moreton Island, the third largest sand-island in the world and the easiest to reach from Brisbane. A ferry-ride and one brief rain-shower later we commenced the challenge of fitting 'the sights' into a mere 3 days. Anthony and Eric scooted off to snorkel the wrecks while Alison and Tor remembered what it felt like to have sand between our toes. We built a great Geoff Gates style sea-trap and enjoyed the afternoon. When the dolphins swam in for their evening snack we lined up to feed 'Echo', a 14 year old male with bigger chompers than I'd like to meet if I were a little fish. Eric graciously battled difficult lighting to take this shot before departing on the evening ferry.

And what a good idea that turned out to be! We speculate that Brisbane's drought may have broken the following day. Although we're unsure exactly how much rain fell, it was sufficient to bail us up in the Marine Education Centre for long enough to graduate as Marine Biologists upon exiting 3 hours later.

That evening we hazarded a bush-walk loop to a sand formation known as 'the desert'. Tor thought it a hoot to roll down the sand-hills, run down into the central basin and then plead that 'Mummy carry!' him back up the slope. This 'family shot' is ironically the best we managed all trip.

We returned via the beachfront and took some spectacular sunset shots.

That illusive Qld sun broke through at dawn so we headed out on an island tour. You know the kind...ex army terrain bus driven by overly tanned maniac...yes, the very one. Anthony and Tor are pictured at one of the island's fresh-water lakes. All that bumpy driving lulled the little lad sufficiently to sleep for us to wrap him in our hotel beach towels and plonk him beside the croquet lawn while Alison reminded Anthony that she is the house-hold champion.

Catching up with Andrew

2008-07-07T18:45:00.000+10:00

Andrew used to work with Anthony back in the days when Softlaw was Softlaw. He returned to his home state of Queensland seeking sun (can we blame him?) and a career change to dentistry. We caught up on Southbank to chat over yummy delicacies at Batavia and in true Bettanin style then walked the poor guy around the waterfront until one of the party fell asleep.

Those readers who know Andrew will be pleased to hear that he is well, aspiring to run a half-marathon and discovering the delights of tooth extraction. He looks exactly the same as in yester-year and even drives the same legendary car. Thanks for a great day Andrew!

Eric's new family

2008-07-06T14:45:00.001+10:00

This is Andrew and Thomas, Eric's new brother-in-law and nephew. Together with Rachael (wife and mother of the other two) they hosted a fab play-date complete with bbq lunch. Thomas and Tor are (practically) identical in age and after the inevitable tussle when new two-year-old boys meet the pair happily took turns of cars, trucks and other wheely things. We all of course missed Hayley who's training up down south. And Hayley, if you're reading this blog post we're pleased to report that your mum survived having her finger sliced in the kitchen by her new son who was 'helping' cut onions :-) This picture of Christine and Eric was taken after the cut and as you can see, we managed to stop the blood-flow. Good luck with the rest of your training xo Blog Bettanin

Visiting uncle Eric

2008-07-05T21:47:00.000+10:00

We stayed with Anthony's baby brother Eric for most of our holiday up north. Tor had a great time playing with the toy's lent by Eric's nephew Thomas, doing physiotherapy 'Eric style' and mucking around with Eric's friend Daniel who was in town for a wedding (not his). The etch-a-sketch shown here demonstrates Dan's mastery of 2 year-old mechanical aspirations.

It was great to catch up with Eric, who went to impressive lengths to cater for a toddler in his home. Tor repaid the kindness by not mauling the family kitten, re-programing the television or spilling milk all over the sofa. Our one regret was not being able to see Hayley who we understand was (and still is) undergoing some 'not very fun' officer training down in Sale, Victoria. Thanks for a great stay!

bush walk'n

2008-07-05T20:52:00.000+10:00

We went bush the next day, choosing a couple of walks around the excellent Mt Tambourine National Park. Bushwalking with a 2 3/4 year old is in many ways an exercise in stamina. Our day went something like this...

After the usual night waking we sleep in (heck, we're on holiday aren't we????).

11am we start our first circuit to Curtis falls. Tor is worded up to 'look out for animals along the path' and other such distractions to keep the feet toddling forwards.

11.15am we run out of plausible distractions and delve into the fantasy world. Could Peter Rabbit live in the foot of this tree? We think so!

11.30am Oh good, the falls :-)

11.40am things get stupid, but the feet are still toddling forwards.

11.50am tired bush adventurers deserve a milkshake.

1 nap later...

2pm we hazard a second 'walk'. Our wary toddler is not so easily persuaded onto a track to 'see what might be around the next corner'.

2.05pm Tor declares the notion of him walking to be 'no deal' (aka the TV show) and we accept that this one will be 'on the shoulders'.

2.30pm Oh good, a waterfall.

2.40pm Oh no, a creek crossing!

2.45pm Toddler's head has a close and personal encounter with the infamous queensland flora colloquially termed 'wait-a-while bush'. The extraction of thorns commences.

3.00pm Extraction complete. Tor declares his father's shoulders to be too hazardous and will 'let mummy carry' for remainder of our holiday. Oh what luck.

3.30pm Fortunate mother makes it up incline back to car.

Wiggles world

2008-07-04T07:02:00.001+10:00

Day one of our holiday found us at 'Wiggles world', a wiggly meca for groupees and a convenient change-stop for parents. Tor bagged 6 laps of the Big Red Car ride and we suspect he would have gone for more if left unchecked. We patted all things small and furry at the Wiggles farm, then dizzied ourselves on the tea-cup ride. Henry the Octopus was hanging out that day and has asked us to say a wiggly 'Helloooooo!' to Cheyenne, Tabitha, Rosie, Stanley, Nixon, Arnika, Amelia and Ellie.

We later checked out the rest of Dreamworld and had fun there too...before heading back to the Big Red Car :-)

I'm cold and I'm outa here!

2008-07-03T21:31:00.000+10:00

Two days ago my parents snapped and booked us tickets to Queensland. They say its warm up there and that mum won't have to wrestle me into a jacket to go out...we'll see.

This is me enroute to the airport with my snack box for the aeroplane. We made it after watching the Playschool crew make them. Its full of Wiggles merchandise snacks which won't last long.

Mum's going to post a selection of photos from the trip for you to check out. Catchya xo Tor

Ice, ice baby...

2008-07-03T09:59:00.001+10:00

I'm unsure when the phenomenon started, perhaps when I was aged about 10. All I can remember is staring at the TV ads on RVNAMV and thinking 'Pluto on ice-skates...bah! What a dollar-spinner!' And so I'm unsure why twenty-something years later I found myself clutching my credit card and frantically tapping keys on the Ticketek website to ensure our child had good seats to the first Disney On Ice spectacular that he could credibly be considered old enough to appreciate. Could Mickey and the gang really have been working my subconsciousness all these years?

At least our 2 year old bounced out of the pram-parking on arrival, pointed gleefully to the oversized mouse above the entrance and proclaimed 'Mickey Mouse mummy!!!' Again clutching my credit card we entered the venue. I had anticipated the commercial onslaught inside and was prepared with the good old 'you may choose one thing' line. We lined up for face-painting and with Mickey successfully cheeked toddled off to peruse the array of 'one things' available. 'A snow cone...are you sure???' At $14 a hit I do the math on the amazing profit margin being had, observe the excited glint in my child's eye and then do what every other parent in the joint is also doing...hand over the plastic. With his bizzarly coloured ice-treat in tow Tor stumbled gleefully to his seat and settled happily into 2 hours of being transported across magical kingdoms by Mickey and the crew.

The production itself was everything the old TV ads had promised plus digital sound. The choreography is truely spectacular and the lights certainly impressed our little one, but will we go next year? If Disney marketing sufficiently penetrates my subconsiousness then the answer may be 'yes', but for now we're thinking no. At 2 years of age Tor is old enough to explain that the many princess scenes are 'boring mum' and not balanced by sufficient pirates and seamonsters to keep a man interested. Disney is increasingly becoming a female phenomenon. So by all means take your daughters, they'll love it.

Waz up?

2008-06-26T21:11:00.004+10:00

Its been a while since I've written about what's happening in my world. So here's the latest on what's hip when you're 96cm tall...

My top trick is cracking raw eggs into the refrigerator. It gets a raise every time! Stealing lollies from the pantry lolly-jar runs a close second. If time permits I like to lay them out to facilitate a considered choice.

My favourite past-time is playing games on mum's computer...now our computer. Having mastered mouse-use, I independently boot up (or switch user) before loading my application, clicking through any approvals and maximising the screen to sneak in a game when I should be brushing teeth.

My favourite toy remains my ukelele, although I am currently lobbying for both an electric guitar and violin...so stay tuned :-) (Pictured role-playing 'King Mondo from a Wiggles dvd and singing 'The Eagle Rock').

I have caused sufficient trouble for my swim-school teacher to promote me to the 3 year old swim class starting next term.

I like to jump, sommersault and strut my stuff to friends who'll watch me on my web-cam over the internet.

I've begun my first job as mum's dispatch agent, helping out with her ebay sales. Its tough-going on the trike when she sends those 3kg satchels but I get to pedal through a supermarket on the way back from the post box and skittle customers!

Before bed I like dad to read the story of 'The little engine that could'. Its a puke-worthy description of how a little train carts toys and 'good things to eat' over a mountain to reward 'good boys and girls'. Its long and its driving my father insane.

That's all for now. Will write again when I'm 1m.

xo Tor

Meet Thor

2008-06-24T22:07:00.001+10:00

We'd been hearing about Thor (pronounced Tor) for over a year now. Like another lad we know he's outgoing, has a surname starting with 'B', emigrated from the UK at 9 months of age and has cystic fibrosis. Go figure, there are two of them in Melbourne.

We caught up with Thor at the CFV 'Masked' Galla Ball that we attended recently with Mario and Lina. He was happy to talk about his life experiences and its encouraging as parents to speak with someone who so successfully manages the complicated treatment regime that CF inevitably becomes. Thor is our age and doing fabulously. Even better, he's willing to help answer those tricky questions that kids and teenagers all ask. We will definately be keeping in touch!

The ball itself raised over 60k for CFV. It is their main annual fundraiser, providing revenue for the support services they deliver to the CF community in Victoria.

Driving with Molly

2008-06-19T21:39:00.001+10:00

Its not every day you pick up a chick this good-looking! Molly has been steadily winning Tor's affection by indulging his passion for cars...you know...the sort you make out of egg cartons etc. This clip shows Tor trying out his latest 'Molly-powered' vehicle. After a lengthy construction process and several strenuous circuits of the living area Tor was obligingly quick in replying to her question: 'So who's your favourite cousin Tor?' His answer: 'Gabi.'

Helping make cup-cakes

2008-06-14T22:56:00.000+10:00

I pressed out the stick-on picture things all on my own!

Lunch at Yar

2008-06-13T22:39:00.000+10:00

Hi there! Mum, dad and I enjoyed lunch on Southbank recently, together with Cranky the Crane and other Thomas the tank-engine friends that mum picked up at the Myer sale enroute. Well honestly, did she expect them to stay in the packaging until we got home???

My American friend Cheyenne introduced me to this restaurant and now I'm hooked...particularly on the dessert jelly. Its green and red, see! The staff are superfriendly and even gave me a japanese folklore necklace that my mum guesses is blessed with charms like 'no drop food on floor' and 'wear-er eat and leave quick-er-ly without break precious vase'.

Dad says 'hi'! Catchya - Tor

Racing Rose

2008-06-12T20:09:00.000+10:00

Blog Bettanin is impressed to announce that Rose Curtis has achieved a second paddling feat of honour, winning her division in the Riverland Paddling Marathon. We admit that there have probably been others BB (before blog) but none others that AB is aware of! NB, there is a pun here for clever readers :-)

Rose should be congratulated just for entering something that would put most of us off right from the start as it has the word 'marathon' in it, which we're sure that the Macquarie translates along the lines of 'very hurty...for a very long time'. This particular very hurty is run by the Marathon Canoe Club of South Australia.

Rose won the 'Women's TK1 45-55' in a time of 10:10:10 (10 hours 10 minutes and 10 seconds). The 93kms took her 3 days (and spectators report) a lot of Coca-cola and lollies. She is pictured leading the way (as number 23), just finished after day 2, crossing the finish line on day 3 and with her 'very shiny'.

Congratulations Rose!

Chill'n with m' cuz...

2008-06-11T22:36:00.000+10:00

If left unwatched...

2008-06-08T22:17:00.000+10:00

Tor and Molly are known to abscond to parks without fruit in thier bike satchels and devour blueberry tea-times and cupcakes. AAHHHH!!! The photographic evidence is enough to make any modern health-conscious mother reach in haste for the vitamin suplements!!!!

After working off thier sugar high, they snooze wherever convenience permits. Tony Blair would understand their parents' anguish...

Just like on playschool

2008-06-02T21:16:00.000+10:00

Playschool addicts will recall a recent episode chock full of bunnies and eggs that seemed a little tardy given the white rabbits appearance back in March this year. Not so for this festive fiend. Barely through his stash of chocolate, Tor pounced on the refrigerator when given the chance to replicate Playschool's craft activity one rainy afternoon. For the benefit of those who've never had suckers (I mean artistic types) for mummies, the activity goes like this...

Hard-boil a selection of eggs, dry them and draw patterns or pictures with coloured oil pastels.

Look, see, like this!

Then dye each egg a different colour in a little bowl of water and food colouring.

Show your finished product to anyone who'll give you attention. Then give them to mummy to pop into the fridge for sandwich making the next day.

Should mummy turn her back for 60 seconds (the fool!!!!), retrieve from fridge, shell at will and disect yolk from each egg into carefully chosen bowl. (Egg white can of course be discarded onto floor along with shell). Enjoy pasta for lunch.

'La Familia'

2008-06-01T21:41:00.000+10:00

A new tune for all you fans out there. This one is the product of a music workshop by Tor and his cousin Gabi before she and her fellow 'fair ladies' departed for their afternoon at the opera. Thanks for stopping by to play!

My first song

2008-05-15T15:22:00.000+10:00

We bought Tor a ukulele recently to 'chanel' his recent obsession with his music teacher's guitar. Up to now its been covers, but Molly's weekend departure from her recent two week stay moved Tor to compose his first song. This lament is dedicated to you Molly...

Shin dig

2008-05-14T20:36:00.001+10:00

There were mothers, there were others and thanks to cake-caters Susie and Julie there was still dessert to spare! 'Ummmm lemon ricotta...ummmm pavlova .....' could be heard across the the table once the munching of some 14 mouths quietened to the odd remaining gulp. This year drew quite a crowd, including the princesses (Zoe, Gabi) and their mum Julie, Zane with Susie and Geoff, the Thornbury pair Rose and Rudy and even Eric from some-where up north.

Thanks for organising Nonno and Nonna! We won't quickly forget the wonders of the Chinese restraunt's luminescent special sauces that our little lad downed in copious quantities after mummy's supervisory shift ended, nor the hair-raising billy-cart rides.

Pictured are 'toot toot' on the train at Kidstown; Tor trying to escape his cousins; Zoe, Gabi and Zane; Zoe on a string and 'round the table.

Mandy and the kids

2008-05-14T15:29:00.000+10:00

Since returning to Oz we've joined Anthony's family at their annual 'Mother's Day Meet'. This year took us back to Shepparton where he grew up, creating the opportunity to catch-up with high-school friend Amanda. Mandy and Adam have three children. Peter (the eldest) and smiley Katelyn joined us at the 'ever-popular' Kidstown community playground. With the 'toot train' running and lolly shop open it was smiles all 'round.