Open wide, come inside...It's Play School

Play School has come back onto my viewing radar after a delay of, ooh, about 35 years. It plays a pivotal role in the bedtime (and disciplining) routine of the 4-year-old in our house. We tape it every morning and it is watched every night between bathtime and books. Naughty behaviour is punished with its withdrawal, with devastatingly effective results. As I've sat watching toilet rolls tubes become a happy family, hummed along to Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star or listened to a story being acted out with the help of the toys, I have considered that this is not work at all, but grown ups having a laugh and getting paid for it. I mean, how hard could it really be? Having mentioned this to the Tv editor, this morning I found myself at the ABC studios taking part in rehearsals for an episode of the show. It was brilliant fun, amazingly tightly scripted and a really good laugh. After the reharsal I was taken downstairs by the set designer to the magical, props-stuffed workroom she calls her office. Though cramped and windowless, it is a craft lovers dream, housing every conceivable kind of cardboard, cotton reel, box, pipe cleaner, paint, glitter, glue, cupcake case, feather, ribbon and loo roll. Heaven. Here I am cuddling the toys, with actor/presenters Georgie Parker and Rhys Muldoon (who were hilarious) and in my costume apron playing Old Mother Hubbard.

I blame a cold for my appallingly tuneless rendition of I'm A Little Teapot. Nonetheless I have been invited to go to the taping of the episode next week to see how the rehearsal compares to the real thing. As a sweetner there is the promise of the chance to sing the song again on the proper Play School set (OH MY GOD!) so I can have a tape to show Scarlett. It's too fabulous to resist. In my research I have discovered that Jemima totally lives up to her reputation for being difficult and that Humpty isn't as big in real-life. Who knew?

Me and my girl

Me and my girl Scarlett both tried something new last weekend, one of us more successful than the other. On Saturday at 9am we all turned up at Leichhardt Public School for Scarlett's first ballet class. Scarlett has been badgering us for ballet classes since she watched her first episode of Angelina Ballerina. She looked quite the young novice dressed in her beautiful pink ballerina dress and matching bolero. Of course, Scarlett was much talented than all the other children who were hopeless jokes whereas she was clearly a young Margot Fonteyn in the making.Oh how the other children looked on enviously. On Sunday, I subjected myself to total humiliation with my first (make that my last) trapeze lesson. Goodness me it really does look easier than it is. Which is not to say I didn't enjoy it, I did. I was particularly proud of my ability to face my awful fear of heights which exists in spite of an ability to toss myself from a plane and climb a 98 foot mast on a moving ship, but I have also frozen solid on top of the high board at the pool and half way up Angkor Wat. Stepping out on the narrow ironing board-sized launch platform was a breeze compared to stepping off it into an abyss of shame and humuliation and within seconds being expected to swing my legs up over the bar I was holding on to. It was hell on the stomach muscles and my hands were blistered by the end. It didn't help that while I was a beginner, while the other 3 in the class were aged 11, 14 and 15 and were on their 10th class. While they were backflipping, attempting catches with a catcher swinging on a second bar, I was flailing in mid air still trying to get my legs over the bar while stopping my leggings from slipping down. Scarlett was very proud however.

We have had a few visitors of late. Rob's mum Barb has been staying with us for 10 days,and while she was here her brother Barrie and niece Susie flew up from Melbourne for a visit. On Saturday night our old mate Sarah-Kate came for dinner. She was in Sydney for a few nights and will be back again soon before heading off to live in Mexico for the best part of a year while Mark works there on the new third Narnia movie. Also, some pictures of the girls wearing glasses. I don't know why it's funny, it just is.

Finally, next week I am auditioning to be a Play School presenter for a story for the paper and the week after will be interviewing The Wiggles.

I don't look a day over 39...

...however I am now 40. We celebrated in style with a week on magnificent Lord Howe Island. A drop in the Pacific, 2 hours' flying time from New South Wales, it is quite the island paradise. There are pristine empty beaches and the most beautiful lagoon where we did the best snorkelling I've done, apart from in The Maldives. We took the girls kayaking in glass bottom kayaks, went on a turtle spotting snorkelling trip and a round island boat trip. We cycled everywhere and took the girls on lovely walks along the beach, we fed kingfish on Ned's beach and watched them whip into a frenzy as we threw them bread. Our hotel was particularly gorgeous with just 12 little bungalows dotted in a rainforest, surrounding a day spa, which was filled with some really interesting people. At happy hour drinks each night we had some great laughs with other guests including Brits Joe and Janet Royle. Joe played football for England and used to manage Man City. We also enjoyed some great evenings with Dick and Juliana O' Bryan from Melbourne, the most well connected couple we have ever met. Scarlett was very well behaved (most nights) when she joined us for dinner, always finding a willing victim among the other guests to read her books or play cards and only passing out in the restaurant twice. The weather was a bit hit and miss, but on my birthday it was a perfect. We took the bottle of champagne sent by the McPhersons (thank you, you lovely people) and cycled to the lagoon with a bbq packed lunch, prepped us by the hotel, of fillet steaks and salad. While Florence slept in the pram, Rob got the fire going and Scarlett and I swam out to the pontoon in the lagoon for a sunbathe, returning for lunch and champagne. It was absolutely perfect. Later in the day I had a massage and facial before drinks and dinner with some of the other guests. Thank you to everyone who called me on the day, even if you didn't get to speak to me, it made me feel very special, and to everyone who sent gifts for Rob to bring over with us. I'm looking forward to enjoying one of my gifts this weekend - my first trapeze lesson. Watch this space...