2011 - Remembered

January

• Summer holidays.
• Day on harbour in friends boat, swimming at Nielsen park, lunch at Watsons bay.
• Lots of afternoons spent at Blackheath pool.
• Stay in Fairlight, Sydney at a friends house while she is overseas.  Swim at beach every day (Freshwater, North Steyne and Dee Why).  Catch ferry accross to Sydney and visit Botanical Gardens and Art Gallery of NSW.  Also, Mirazozo - part of Sydney Festival.
• Keira went on holiday with a friend to beach house near Taree, NSW.
• Keith's Birthday.
• Keira started high school.

February

• Keith went to Brisbane to practically re-build our house there that was severely affected by the floods. (12 days)
• Kids played lots of basketball
• Caley went to Maths camp - and enjoyed it!
• Had a great day doing Dargans Creek canyon.

March

• Caley turned 11.
• More basketball.
• Keira learnt new skills doing her school assignments.
• Keith did lots of planting and landscaping work.

April

• Keira played the piano at the opera house in a graduation concert.
• Soccer season started for Cal.
• School holidays (2 weeks plus Easter)
• On the 6th we fly to the UK!
• Spend time with Keith's family in the UK.
• Visit London & Lake District.
• Fly to Paris.
• Catch train to Nice and visit Keith's Mum.
• Have a truly wonderful holiday!

May

• Arrive back in Australia on the 1st. (Kids go to school on the 2nd . . .)
• Sharyn stops working 2 days a week in Leura.
• Hockey season starts for Keira.
• Have 2 weeks to prepare our cottage in Leura to be let out for holiday accommodation.

June

• Sharyn's Birthday.
• Blackheath has an afternoon of snow.
• Spend a few days with friends in Port Stephens, NSW (where the children swim!).

July

• School holidays (3 weeks).
• Keira baby-sits a friends pet rat . . . Keith and Sharyn are not convinced that she should get one!
• Blackheath experiences a huge wind storm that knocks down trees all over the suburb including one that falls on a train carriage at Medlow Bath.  The damage is so extensive that we are without power for 3 days.  After the second night, with no heating, we all decamp to friends houses for much needed warmth, tlc and showers!

August

• Heat pump is installed - and at almost the end of our third winter here - we have warm floors!!
• Keira completes the 40hr famine - no food (just water and rationed barley sugars) or technology.
• Cal goes to G&T camp in Sydney.
• Hockey & Soccer seasons finish.
• First anniversary of Sharyn's Mum's death.

September

• Keira turns 13.
• We host The Craziest Race party for Keira and 20 of her school friends . . .
• Cal goes on school trip to Canberra for 3 days.
• School holidays start (2 weeks).
• Keith starts working at Sydney University.  First "job" in 9 years . . . and means commuting on the train for 4 1/2 hours each day.
• Cal leaves on school 'Outback Tour'.  A 10 day trip out west visiting Dubbo, Lightning Ridge, Toowoomba, the Gold Coast and Coffs Harbour.
• We say goodbye to Honey as she goes to live with friends in Bullaburra, who adore her!

October

• Keira and Sharyn complete 45km Charity walk for the school.  They walk from Wentworth Falls to "Bungawarra" (the School's Outdoor education centre), Little Hartley, raising money for a school in Uganda.
• Basketball starts again for Cal.
• Keira goes to school camp at Bungawarra - rains steadily for all 4 days!
• Cal goes on school camp to Shoalhaven - enjoys the abseiling, camping out in tents and canoeing.

November

• Cal spends a day in the high school in preparation for next year.
• Keira receives 1st prize at the school Art Awards for her money box made in Tech class.
• Keira performs in the school pantomime Cinderella (6 shows) (and sprains her wrist during a costume change . . .)
• Cal attends his Year 6 Farewell - looking very smart in his suit - and has a fantastic night.
• Sharyn organises a dinner for the parents of year 6 children at The Grandview Hotel, Wentworth Falls.

December

• Cal's Year 6 classmates put on a Fun Day for the rest of the school.  Cal and his friends run a Nerf Gun Tournament - which was very popular!
• We all head out to Newnes State Forrest for our annual catch up/Christmas party with canyoning friends and Bush Santa arrives for a visit.
• Keira and Cal have a piano exam (Keira's first one ever) and they both do a great job and get A's!! (Keira - Grade 4 and Cal - Grade 3)
• School finishes for the year.  (Both children receive Academic awards, with Cal also getting the Chess prize and Keira a prize for coming first in PDHPE.)
• Summer Holidays start (2 months).
• We go and stay at the Swisshotel in Sydney for 2 days and enjoy looking at all the Christmas decorations and eating at nice restaurants/cafes. (Keith enjoys a much shorter travel time to and from work!)
• Sharyn's sister and her 2 children move out of the studio at Hat Hill Farm and relocate to the much warmer Central Coast (Terrigal), after living here with us for nearly 3 years (6 months with us in the main house and the rest in the studio by themselves)
• Keith finishes his contract at the Uni.
• We all enjoy a beautiful, sunny Christmas day with family here for lunch.
• For New Years Eve, we head to the Wentworth Falls Country Club and watch great fireworks with friends (and almost everyone else in the Upper mountains!)

And, all year long . . . 

• Keith has worked tirelessly on the garden and house, creating a beautiful place for us all to enjoy.  We thank you!