Double Birthday

Madonna and her daughter Kelli have birthdays reasonable close so mother and daughter shared this year's celebration together in Melbourne. This was good for us. Barb was glad to spend time with her Tasmania based sister and our Melbourne medical student niece. It was a good excuse to get together... a meal at a pub... going to the movies ("Oranges and Sunset")... and coffee at a Carlton cafe. It was good to have Kelli's cousin Alyson with us as well. 

Wooden Brickwork

Peter is amazed at the energy and fascination the schoolkids have for houses! Most of these are without windows too. They are making miniature bunkers! The house theme has proved a very popular application for the small pine blocks which Peter precuts from longer pieces. You effectively use the cut blocks as if they were bricks, and the mortar is a good white glue. Peter hopes the kids will move from these to other themes such as castles or towers. 

Gembrook Tramp

This trampoline is worth its weight in gold for the amount of fun the Funks have had on it... and that includes winter time. How is it that the kids are able to make this area additional living space when most people can't calculate the 'outside' till the days are warm? But you can. A trampoline is different. There is a warmth generated through its use... or you forget you are cold... the bouncing doing that.

Smoke Reading

We noticed the unusual smoke shapes after each shared reading time. We light a candle to help our spiritual focus for when we read our book together. Afterward we blow the candle out. Sometimes Peter takes a photo of the resulting smoke curious to see what shape will be this time. Always different... and mysterious. Spot the animals... strange dreams.

Gembrook Workday

We recently returned to this beautiful place to do some work there. Peter helped with hanging a door. Barb enjoyed spending time with the Jethro mostly since the other children went to see (or be in) a play for a time. It was a very relaxing day for both of us. Unhurried.

On every workday there is community morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. Very civilized. This is part of the reward for coming... fellowship with the retreat community.

Fruit trees pruned. A door hung. A trench dug and cable laid. Soup cooked up. Fresh bread. Fun for all ages. 

School Signage

School holidays are upon us and Peter did different work when he went into the school. Many young trees were planted about the new building and many weeds were pulled. On another day he helped two other guys, Steve and Gary, put up a new school sign. This was a "giant" of a sign and very difficult for two to put up. A third person was needed to help hold the large sheet metal panels against the frame for screwing. One panel was first fixed to the frame on the ground to keep it square before that part was attached to the school fence. Bringing the fully assembled sign to the fence would have been problematic even for three, so it had to be done in stages. It was good work. A different week all round.

Whittlesea

This is such a nice place for Peter to go to work. The advantages a many. Peter travels against the flow of peak-hour traffic both ways. He sometimes takes the bus and this trip is mostly direct. The township still has that country feel because the town community is still resisting the entry of the big consumer franchises. It is nestled among the foothills of the Great Divide.  The Chaplaincy Committee that provides for two chaplains (Ian and Peter) is supported by all five churches in the town. The monthly market at the Showgrounds is very much a relaxed community event, a place to meet people while raising funds for the Chaplaincy Committee. There is a Catholic Primary and a State Primary School and a well established Secondary College. Peter has enjoyed becoming a part of the State Primary School community and is finding his place there. Yet there is a very real sense that Peter is growing roots into the life of the town itself. 

The picture of the township was taken looking east and this picture above shows what was seen in the opposite direction. A place to be still. A safe place.

Schooling Craft

 There are many things that Peter loves to do with the kids at school. One of them is involving them in a recess time craft club. So far it is going well with most of those involved finishing the session having got something out of it.  Sometimes they work on a model that Peter has started on in order to get over the difficult bits. Peter prefers that a group take away a model to their class for class use. Little by little the number of models in the school is growing. 

Peter is influenced by children's requests. When a child wanted to see a model boat Peter thought that was a super idea and has made a number of them already. Now a new design boat is being "schemed up" that will make it easier for kids to make.

Funk Saturday

On a Saturday last month we drove to Gembrook. The last time we did the drive was for Jasper’s birthday which was quite a time ago and reflects on just how busy we have both been. It was good to be there even though we did not see Bec at all. She was at a women’s circle and Gord had the task of keeping house. He relished the chance to have us over to relieve some of his workload and while we were there he had an opportunity to sort out the firewood stocks at the back fence. 

So we had fun with the three grandkids and good chats with Gord in the layers between. We had a really nice soup for lunch (provided by Bec) and a very tasty pizza and salad evening meal (creatively by Gord).