Town Trip: Home Tutor Seminar 2016

After Barkly Women’s Day,  Miss Bobbie, the kids and I all headed straight into Mt Isa for Home Tutor Week.   A School of the Air week – 2 days of Home Tutor Seminar for the Mum’s and Govies, 2  Activity Days – days at school – for the kids while Home Tutor Seminar is on and then Sports Day.

The week doesn’t really start until Wednesday however we decided to just go straight in from the Barkly Homestead instead of trekking back up our dirt road only to turn around again on Tuesday and head back in.  And I tell you what – it is lucky we did make this executive decision because it rained!  Crazy.  It isn’t supposed to rain at this time of year and when it does it really mucks things up.  But anyway, lucky we were safely on the bitumen and in town.

I even had a clean car for 1 whole week.  Went straight to the car wash when we got to town and couldn’t stop looking at my sparkling car all week, it looked very strange.

Everyone had a great week in town.  It is one of our favourite weeks.  The kids love the chance to catch up with their friends.  A whole bunch of us stay at the same caravan park in cabins and I reckon there would be at least 20 kids running wild through the  park.  They are up at the crack of dawn wanting to get out to go and find their friends and not wanting to go to bed until all of the excitement had died down for the night.  It is so great to be able to stay together in the one place, such a great chance for the kids to be kids and have a really good catch up.  I also love being able to catch up with my friends, enjoy a wine and a good chat of an evening.  Gee it is good.

Oh and then there was Harry’s fractured wrist.  Mother of the year again here my friends… he was climbing where he shouldn’t have been at Barkly Women’s Day and had a little fall.  His wrist was a bit sore so I bandaged it.  With that he went home with a friend – Amanda – to her station for a couple of nights.  We did a bit of a swap and I kept one of Amanda’s boys with me.  We would meet up in Mt Isa when they got in on Monday.  So off he went with his sore little wrist, but happy to be off for a sleep over.  Once in town it was still sore so I had to take him to the hospital.  Great I thought – 6 hours sitting around emergency only for the to tell us it is ok.  But off we went: Harry, Clancy and I.  Lucky I had an emergency container of lego with me to keep Clancy happy and a bag of food.

Turns out it was a small fracture and we weren’t there for 6 hours, only 2.  The wonderful lady doctor who saw us fast tracked us, she couldn’t have been more helpful.  In and out, x-ray done and half cast of plaster on and we were out all within 2 hours.  Just have to take him back next Tuesday to the fracture clinic and hopefully get the plaster off.  He survived the week with a smile on his face.

Clancy went to school for one day.  He was so excited to be able to go off with the big kids to school, all dressed in his little school uniform.  Well school polo top.  He had a great day.

On the Friday it was time for Sports Day.  The last one for Tom before he heads off to Boarding School next year.  Him and his mates had a wonderful time being the big kids of the school.  Look at this little gang – Tom with his besties… don’t you just love it….

These boys all live so far from each other but you would never guess it.  Toby (on the left) probably lives a good 6 hours (possibly more) from us as does Jack (on the Right).  They are all off to different boarding schools next year but I am sure they will be friends forever.  Can you tell they are in Blue House?

Clancy didn’t want to miss out on a bit of wig action…

Even Harry got in and had a go with his sore paw…

And Clancy didn’t miss out, he had fun with his little e-Kindy mates doing all sorts of fun activities…

Harry and the rest of year 4 trotted off to Magnetic Island last week for school camp.  We hung around and put him on the bus at 4am on the Sunday.  They needed a backpack for the trip and for bushwalking.  He insisted we go to BCF and get him a proper hiking bag but there was no way I was paying all that money for a backpack I could get for $15 at K-Mart.  Anyway we went in to have a look (and to avoid a major melt down on his behalf) and look what I found…

A hiking backpack for myself.  Because you know I am hooked on all things hiking at the moment after reading listening to Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  Oh and I just watched the movie for the second time – got Mr Chardy on board this time.  Anyway, I couldn’t help myself when I saw this hiking backpack, just had to pop it on.  My friend Katie was also there doing the same for her year 4 boy so I got her to snap a photo of me.  Check me out in my hiking gear – my hiking boots even match the back pack.  What do you think?  Do you think I could tackle the Larapinta Trail in this get up?  I reckon I am set.  Might need some band-aids in case of blisters but I am basically good to go.  They even have food…

Mrs Savvy B was a darling and collected Harry off the bus on Friday so I didn’t have to go to town, just had to head over to her house on Sunday and collect him.  She didn’t get home until late so, what a shame, I had to stay the night.  Turns out I haven’t been over there since about October last year.  We had a cheeky wine together and I have managed to convince her that she needs to come hiking with me.  She it totally on board too…  we are really going to do this people.  We are starting small, we are going to do a 3 day hike over on her place, from the top back down to the station.  Bring it on… stay tuned.  Best go and buy that pink back pack, what do you think?  Mr Chardy has no faith…. coming out with lines such as “this won’t last, we’ll see, you won’t even last one day”…. to which I reply “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!!”

Well I think I have nearly caught you up on our happenings over the past 2 weeks.  Have a great day.