and the work begins!

Max and Harry have started doing their school work this morning. They are writing a recount of what we’ve done over the past few days. I’m working with Max and Trevor is with Harry. Max has a really good handle on the idea of planning and telling his thoughts orally – getting him to actually put pen to paper is a bit harder!! Though he is doing well he is trying to find every opportunity to be distracted. Luckily he learns quickly and has already realised that in this one to one setting it is a lot harder to get away with procrastinating.

It’s funny how we assume kids know how to do things. For example, we’ve had a few heated words with Max and Harry over washing and drying up in the past few days. On reflection, part of the problem was a result of us assuming that they’d know what to do. Trevor has now patiently gone through the washing up and drying process step by step and suddenly it got done really well. I think in our ‘at home life’, the impatience to get things done and get out the door has sometimes got the better of us and we haven’t actually spent the time with our kids showing them some simple things and just rush and do things ourselves. I guess this is what this trip is all about in some ways. As well as getting the chance to see some of our beautiful country, it also gives the four of us the opportunity to work together and strengthen what our family can do.

Yesterday we went through the town of Ongerup. We stopped at the General Store and found it was run by Wes and Rachel Mead, formerly of Bridgetown. Rachel had gone to school with Trevor’s sister Louise and was really pleased to see us. I still can’t believe, even after being together over 15 years, how often Trevor finds he knows people we run into. Whether they grew up in Bridgetown, went to Muresk, played sport with his Mum or Dad, know him from Local Government or cricket… While WA is a vast landmass it certainly is a small network of people!

We stayed at Ravensthorpe Caravan Park last night. When we stopped to get directions from the lady at the Visitors’ Centre she said “Now it’s a bit different!”. We asked her why and she said “Oh, you’ll see!”. We were intrigued but soon realised what she meant when we stopped at the office to book in…

Harry and Max loved the sandy rock piles...