Melbourne Star

We had the good fortune to join a party of 20 (max.) and ride (fly?) in one of Melbourne Star's pods. The giant wheel took us (slowly) to the top of Melbourne - about 40 storeys up - and we were treated to a spectacular night-scape of the city. The whole trip - one circuit - took a little over half an hour and in that time Peter took a great load of snaps from every possible angle in the pod. It was an OK experience even for people who are afraid of heights. Some of the snaps below:

Tallarook Cars

Peter thinks this project was pitched well for time and creativity of the kids. The only problem was the number of times the "skewer" axles snapped. Sometimes they snapped when the rubber wheels were pushed on too quickly or on an angle. Other time an axle snapped from some rough "road testing" after completion. Peter was glad he had extra skewer lengths. There was just enough as it turned out. Parents were told if they snapped at home they only need to go to the department store for a packet of skewers... if there wasn't any already in their kitchen.

Free-building at Whittlesea

When there are no particular kits, Woodcraft Club kids make whatever comes into their heads. The wooden pieces available to them were many and varied so the outcomes were interesting and attractive. By the end of the 30 minutes there really is not much left to make anything of significance. The pressure for Peter is to have enough in the trays each week... and enough glue.

Funk Re-departure

Through a series of glitches we had the Funks over for yet another night. That was a bonus for us and we saw just how resilient everyone was in the face of making yet another booking. Barb took them to the airport at 5:00 am for a very early flight out. Safe travel and blessed reunion.

Funk Departure

The day came and we had to say good-bye for a time, a fairly long time. We will miss them. We enjoyed having them over beforehand. We wish them every protection and enjoyment on their epic trip. We love them dearly.

Jaz at Soccer

Part of this weekend was spent watching Jaz playing soccer for his local club (Monbulk). This was the first year that he (and his team) had played full-field. He has a good coach experienced in instilling a winning self-belief. His team won 4:0 on the day, hence all the smiles.

Funk Overnighters

It is nice when our grandkids can stay over. That means we play board games (7 Wonders), watch movies ("Castle in the Sky" & "April and the Extraordinary World"), play imagination games and stories, play on the swing at the nearby park, go to Savers Greensborough, and stop by at Greensborough Centre-view Cafe for a drink (pictured). Nice memories.

Tallarook Fidgets

In the same way, because of the fidget craze, Peter also led wooden fidget making at Tallarook Woodcraft Club. Every 'elf' fidget was different because each was coloured in by the students. At the same time there was a bit of 'free-build' happening using the flat boards, even to make little enclosures for some of their fidgets.

Whittlesea Fidgets

Since fidgets has become a craze, Peter thought he might weigh in and produce a wooden version of them. He actually took an old idea that he had used before before fidgets were ever thought of and simply called it a fidget instead of a spinning elf. Most kids who came got one on the day. They glued in the stick and coloured in the elf. The fidget is made to spin fast with fingers pushing over the axle stick and then letting momentum have its way with this stick resting on the same fingers. The kids had to practice that to get it right.