Norfolk Exposure: March 2012

Relay For Life: Hello Sunshine

Day Two - photos taken with Ben's iphone

Relay For Life: Grey Skies and Drizzle

Relay For Life is an overnight relay-style fundraising event held in countries all over the world. Relay For Life began in Australia in 1999, when a Victorian community raised over $75,000 for the Cancer Council. Relay For Life is now run in every state and territory (including Norfolk Island) and raises over $14 million each year for the cancer fight. Amazingly, the Cancer Council is almost completely funded by everyday people and their generous donations, with Government funding accounting for roughly only 2% of their funds.

This important event is an opportunity to celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost and of course raise much needed funds for cancer research. Folks get themselves organised into teams and participants take turns to walk around the track for the entire duration of the event. This year we were part of a team consisting of mostly school kids, ranging in age from 6 to 16! Many people camped overnight, although we didn't this time around (we might give it a try at next years Relay For Life). It's a family friendly event and strongly supported by the Norfolk Island community!

The Perfect Picnic Spot

Here in our third year on Norfolk Island, we are still discovering hidden treasures. It seems incredible doesn't it, when you consider how small this place is. Oh people had told me about Simon's Water and how lovely it was....but somehow I'd never managed to seek it out. That is, until last Sunday when a impromptu picnic arrangement was made with friends. We needed to celebrate....together we'd been impatiently awaiting the news of the arrival of a very special baby! And what a place to propose a toast, wouldn't you agree? I think Simon's Water may just be my new favourite place on the island. And what a bonus that I'll always associate this picture-perfect spot with the birth of a friends sweet baby boy!

Breathtakingly beautiful scenery!

Anyone for a spot of juggling?


Will you read me a story Nalani?

NB. You may have noticed our lovely Harry missing from this picturesque scene...he was busy at Pony Club....this boy of ours (who is just a few months off turning 10!!!!!!) spends a considerable amount of time perched on the back of a horse these days! Yes, he LOVES it!!!!

{This Moment} :: Sleepy heads

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama

Foundation Day

Last Tuesday March 6, Norfolk Island celebrated Foundation Day. This public holiday commemorates the day in which Lieutenant Gidley King and accompanying settlers arrived on Norfolk Island to establish the settlement at Kingston. This took place just weeks after the arrival of the First Fleet at Port Jackson in 1788.

Every year locals perform a re-enactment of this landing, complete with authentic props and costumes. Watching the re-enactment take place is fascinating and surely serves the imagination well to better appreciate the circumstances under which the brave pioneers established settlement in such remoteness!

A little kitchen action

Our kitchen has been a hive of activity lately...starting with a major pantry overhaul. I know I know, it's a bit sad how happy having a tidy pantry makes me feel (and sadder still that I feel compelled to blog about it). Ben gave me one of those raised eyebrow expressions when I announced one Saturday evening that I was going to attack the pantry. Who decides to clean out a pantry on a Saturday at 6pm? Me of course!

Here's how the kitchen bench looked when I unloaded everything. Yep, I felt like I'd dug myself a BIG hole at this stage in the project.

Of course there was no turning back from that point. Have you ever started something to only feel regret about 10 minutes later...at which point you have no choice but to keep going?

Ah, but check out the end result...nothing makes me happier than an organised space!

My storage jars don't match, which is a bit of a bug-bare, but jars are hard to come by on Norfolk. I had to work with what I had, which meant raiding Ben's Vacola jar collection, and scouring the local op shop and second-hand store. It's such a pleasure having a pantry where everything has it's place. Cooking becomes less of a chore (well a little bit less of a chore).

Also keeping me busy lately is our kefir production. This family can't seem to get enough of the stuff. Even Ben, who was a little wary when I first started making it, is totally addicted to this tasty miraculous healthy golden beverage. I've been researching and trying out different methods for flavouring our kefir. At the moment we all agree kefir fermented with dried cranberries, apricots and figs is delicious!!!

Look at those happy thriving kefir grains - they multiply before our eyes!

Something else I'm now making on a weekly basis is almond milk. It's easy to make and super nutritious. Fresh cows milk is expensive here as it's flown in weekly from New Zealand. Making almond milk is proving to be quite economical, plus doesn't have quite the same carbon footprint. Once strained, I use the left over almond meal in baking, milkshakes and pretty much anything. It can even be blended again several times to make more almond milk!

Soaked blanched almonds in the blender - waiting for the water to be added

Stored in the fridge, almond milk will keep for up to a week!

And once bottled, it looks just like cows milk. Only I think it tastes better (but then I've never liked cows milk anyway). Give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

The cake decorators

Daddy hasn't had time to go fishing lately...so we'll make him a fish cake!

Birthday Ben

Oh how I totally, completely, utterly, wholeheartedly love and adore this man!

Happy Birthday my dearest Ben!

You are fabulous xxx

Backyard geyser

Hello, my name is Harry and I am nine years old. Today Mum, Till (my sister) and I went to the shops. I asked if I could buy the equipment needed for an experiment that I got given for Christmas. The experiment was making a soda geyser, in which you put Mentos in with Coca-Cola or any soda and it becomes a soda geyser!

First, you need a "Steve Spangler's Geyser Tube", soda (we used Coke) and Mentos. You screw the Geyser Tube onto the part where the lid screws on. Then, you stick the "pin" into the tube. You unscrew the rim of the Geyser Tube and place the mentos in the tube. Next you screw the rim back on and tell everyone to STAND BACK! The next step takes two people. The first person holds the bottle steady. The second person pulls the "pin" out (like a grenade). This part happens very quickly. You and your partner run away from the bottle and at the same time the soda erupts (like a volcano!). That is how it worked with us!

FACT: Don't waste the mentos. They are still edible, although a bit tougher than usual. Also, if there is any soda left you can drink it. (It isn't toxic :) even though Mum would say it is!)

By Harry :)

NB. Harry's mother here....Yes soda is VERY toxic. I did however let Harry and Till drink a small glass of coke when the experiment was over - in the big scheme of things they'd be lucky to have a drink of coke once a year!!!!!!

Blue has always been my favourite colour!

The school swimming carnival here is something to behold! Even though this was our third one, I'm still in awe of this remarkable event. We don't have many swimming pools on Norfolk Island, but why would we need one when we have spectacular Emily Bay!

Today started out a little grey and sometime around mid morning it even rained lightly. But after lunch the sun came out in all it's glory, the hot rays beaming down on us and shining magically through the crystal clear water. Truly picturesque.

Harry made us very proud today. He entered every event possible and was not seen once without the hugest smile on his face. Everything about this carnival made him happy! No matter what place he came in each race, he ran out of the water and towards the finish line with pride and enthusiasm!

Till had a great time too, taking part in the flag races, the paddle board loop and the rope swim. And like her brother she was thrilled to be a member of the winning house... Philip!

Go Philip!!

In our library bag this week...

Ben and I used to read a lot, many yonks ago. But the matters of "reading" and "books" have been all child focused in this household for a few years now; beginning firstly with reading aloud to them A LOT and then helping them to become readers themselves. They can both read now of course, but we still read aloud to them. One is never too old to be read to (my younger sister happily read to me when we were both still in our highschool years...we scared ourselves silly with Edgar Allan Poe tales). Now don't get me wrong, Ben and I LOVE children's literature. You'd be hard pressed to find a family who adore Roald Dahl as much as we do. And we try to read all the classics to Harry and Till. But I'm pleased to say, the grown-ups in this abode are rediscovering the joy of books. It helps that we don't have TV in our house I suppose (oh we watch the occasional DVD - so we aren't completely devoid of screen time).

It has been a loooong time since I let you look in our library bag. And so with no further ado...

Ben (always a Dick Francis fan) just finished...