Winter in Sydney

A good couple of weeks despite Scarlett face planting on concrete at the beginning of last week, while we were enjoying a lively race down the hill from the shops. Normally an activity she only enjoys with her father (Mummy is much too responsible) it was actually Mummy who caused the accident by tripping Scarlett up on the front wheel of the pram I was pushing as I raced past her. Competitive Mum. A large sore scab has spent 10 days enlarging and now receding. We had a brilliant, chaotic family dinner with our friends Julia and Richard and their daughter Ella who were visiting from Japan. Scarlett, who is very affectionate - she kisses furniture, doors and windows before getting into bed - was particularly pleased to see Julia and Ella and threw herself into Julia's arms. Scarlett has got quite into the whole picture taking thing now and constantly wants to hold the camera and try to take photos. This pic of Rob, Pooh and I at breakfast is one of her first portrait masterpieces. On Saturday mornings we have started going to the Orange Grove organic markets held in a local primary school grounds. As well as a fantastic range of produce, bread, meat, coffee and a very nice man who turns out a mean salmon omelet in a roll, there is a bouncy castle. Needless to say it is a big hit with our girl. Mummy however is close to being blacklisted after threatening a seven year old who kneed Scarlett in the head only moments after I had warned the older kids to look out for the younger ones. She grassed me up to her mother who came and told me off for the way I spoke to her daughter. I didn't say it but wish I'd said 'I might have threatened your daughter, but she is a g rass. She won't last five minutes in the nick.' The weather at the moment is typical of Sydney winters - cold nights and early mornings, but then glorious sunny days with blue blue skies an d temps in the 70s. Not bad at all. Yesterday we me t up w ith our ol d neighbour George and her daughter Sophie, Scarlett's 'official' best friend. It was warm enough for them to strip off and run about in the all together.