HAPPY 4Oth BIRTHDAY ANDREE RICE

A very big Happy Birthday to the wonderful Andree Rice of Brisbane Town. Wish we could be there with you. We look forward to landing on the doorstep of your new Cafe/Home for a fitting celebration.

Show and Tell

On May Tuesday 29, 2007 Ros and Claude came in for Show & Tell and they talked about where they've been so far.


Guess what the first question was?... HOW OLD ARE YOU!

Rosi gave each child a koala key-ring.

Cute cats

A couple of days ago there was a cat in our garden, as there usually is. It's our favourite one too. We were giving it a backscratch in this picture. It's really soft, I kind of wish we had a cat but mum said if we bought one she would run away from home! which I wouldn't want to happen. The grey kind of cat is our favourite. I'm not sure why though (but when mum sees a cat she tries to run it over) but if she's not in a car she just goes like this (pssssssssssss) and chases it.

soccer

me george throwing the ball in

ros,claude,jack and george

jack's team

last night we had a soccer and ros and claude came to watch we had a good match,I even scored three goals! and in jack's match, he scored the first goal . Mum took ros and claude down to Beaver Brook Estate (where jack and i found the cap guns)they walked around the walking track claude was very interested in how the houses are built here.My first goal well it went like this i slid in on my leg and kicked the ball and SCORED. Today is tuesday it's been a lovely warm day except it felt boiling for some strange reason.Soccer again tomorrow after school bye for now

Written by George, script by Ros and George

A day in the life of George Johnston

Today I woke up with sore tonsils so I had the day off school with mum.

This is the view I saw out the window - tractor ploughing the field.

I went to the doctor, then to the hospital where I had a blood test to see if I still have glandular fever...and peed into a specimen cup!

She was pretty gentle.

Our usual car park

Next stop was the Co-op where we picked up a few of our favourite items. A short drive away and we were in the dutch bakery selecting a pie for lunch.

Across the road we visited the travel agent to book our eurail passes for the summer break, and now all jobs completed we drove home.

We spent the afternoon at home playing Yahtzee - I beat mum twice!

I've had my bath, antibiotic and now I am going to bed with my hot water bottle.

Good-night!

Dinosaurus

Drumheller - world's biggest fake dinosaur

Jack attacked

Badlands at Dinosaur Provincial Park

Amanda, Will, Jack & George.

Prairie Oyster recipe - for Matthew 'Offal' Aston

Step 1. Wrestle unsuspecting young steer to the ground



Step 2. Arrange for a nice young man with a sharp knife to locate and shuck fresh oysters from neat package.

Step 3. Collect fresh Oysters in suitably large receptacle as Steps 1 & 2 are repeated ad nauseum.


Step 4. Remove outer skin from Oysters with dangerously sharp knife.


Step 5. Hand over to Roy and listen carefully to the intricacies of the recipe. (Use egg to help crumbs stick, fry gently in oil until cooked.)


Step 6. Clear the head. Get a bit of fresh air by taking the kids for a walk. Watch kids hunt gophers.

Step 8. Return just as cooking is completed.

Step 9. Ponder. Chew (and chew). Swallow. Smile bravely.

Thanks to the Hewitt family for a fantastic time. Thanks to John & Tracy Buckley for their amazing generosity and hospitality.

May Long Weekend

Shots going into calves

Prairie Oysters (Bulls nuts)

Jack, Elyse and I (George) on trampoline

The old Homestead

Rocky Mountains (in background)

Kool-Aid Jammers

Well, what Kool-Aid Jammers are - they're kind of like juice and they're not in Australia.
I'll tell you all the different flavours there's cherry, orange, tropical, kiwi, strawberry, raspberry and grape raisin.
By George.

EUROPEAN VACATION - ITINERARY

We are working on our itinerary for our summer break.

At this stage it looks like this:

BARRHEAD & JASPER

Friday June 29 - School's Out For Summer
Saturday June 30 - Janet (Will's sister), Pete, Bernie & Lachie Chomley arrive in Barrhead
Sunday July 1 - Canada Day BBQ for Janet & family
Monday July 2 to Friday July 6 - Jasper with Janet & family
Friday July 6 to Monday July 10th - Barrhead

Patricia Lake, Jasper

FRANCE

Wednesday July 11th - fly from Edmonton to Paris
Thursday July 12th & Friday 13th - Paris - Mont Martre - stay in apartment around corner from Tim & Chloe's
Saturday 14th (Bastille Day) - train to Biarritz
Saturday 14th to Saturday 21st - Cabin in Bidart
Saturday 21 to Thursday 26th - stay with Simon (Amanda's brother) Nadia, Mila & Tara

Bidart town square

SPAIN

Thursday 26th - overnight train to Alicante (via Irun and Madrid)
Friday 27th - Sunday August 5th - El Campello - Mediterranean Spain

ENGLAND & SCOTLAND
Tuesday August 7th - fly Alicante to Leeds (early, early flight) then car or train to Darlington
Tuesday August 7th to Sunday 12th - Darlington and the North East - incl: Amanda & Will's 12th wedding anniversary tour with Jack & George (Aug 8), Seaham, Durham, boys train for (or play) cricket, Richmond, Staithes, possibly Edinburgh by train for a day, Pennines, NY Moors, Seahouses - Farne Islands, Lister's Fruit & Veg, Jim and Joyce, Saturday 11th: Darlington RACC versus Darlington CC (2nd X1) at Feethams.
Sunday August 12th - drive to Eyemouth (Scotland) - stay two nights
Tuesday August 14th - drive to Dundee to the Kottek's - two nights
Thursday August 16th - drive to Brown's - Masham (home of Black Sheep Brewery) Yorkshire Dales - stay night
Friday August 17th to Sunday 19th - back to Darlington
August 20th - train to London, stay overnight in airport hotel

Eyemouth Harbour (that's the Ship Hotel in the background, if my memory serves me correct)

Durham Cathedral

BARRHEAD

Tuesday August 21st - fly London to Edmonton
Wednesday August 22nd - work starts for Amanda
Thursday August 23rd - work starts for Will
Monday August 27th - new school year begins

Barrhead's Mighty Blue Heron

We're trying to contain ourselves.

Happy Mothers' Day

Happy Mothers' Day, Mothers!

George and Jack fulfilled their duties as sons very nicely. We had a very simple happy day.

Jack produced a fabulous soup mix - just add 8 cups of water,

1 tbsp. tomato paste and simmer for an hour or two.

Jack preparing Mrs Brinsky's famous soup. An excellent late lunch.

The perspective is a bit challenging, but here is George's Fridge Magnet Butterfly and Note Holder. On it he has strategically attached Jack's Mothers' Day Coupons (Good for One Massage, Room Clean, Bathroom Clean, etc.). The Rubbish Out coupon has already been recouped.

Jack and George caught putting a bug down the back of Will's shirt.

Not usually a feature of the Mothers' Day activities, but there you go.

They know not what they do.

Front step. Mothers' Day, 2007. George's photo.

Hutterite Colony - near Stony Plain

On Saturday we left for Stony Plain where the Exchange Teachers group had arranged to meet before heading to Warburg Hutterite Colony. The Hutterites are one of those groups who shunned mainstream society and are living out their own Utopian existence in colonies that have continued to spread throughout the plains in Canada. They originated in Germany, headed for Russia, landed in South Dakota and landed in Canada after World War 1.

If a community is successful and its numbers grow beyond 120, then the group splits and new land is found. The Warburg Community split 3 years ago with a new colony starting at Peace River several hours north of here.

If you are a Hutterite, the world is a sunnier place if you happen to be the oldest male sibling. The women seem to get the rough end of the deal.

The colony itself operates as a very successful and diverse farm: They kill 1200 muscular chickens a week; produce room-fulls of eggs; make soap; grow 40 acres of spuds; truckloads of milk; raise cattle and geese etc.

Life is very controlled and organised. There is a strong social pecking order. They work long hours and then go 'home' to clean shiny household surfaces - especially tiles - with unfettered enthusiasm.

No TV, computers or radio. They make their own clothes, have little contact with the outside world and own some very big pieces of farming machinery.

The school stops educating students at age 15, beyond which they have no need for further education.

Hutterite Dairy (for John & Judy)

Hutterite Spuds

Hutterite Calf (Number 232)

Free-spirited Hutterite Geese (wings chopped at birth)

Happy Hutterite Chooks

Spot the Hutterites.
(Two only)

We really enjoyed the visit. The community members that we met were extremely friendly and obliging. Poking our heads into such a different space was interesting for all of us. We shuddered at the level of orderliness and the societal structure and rules. Nevertheless, the absence of an obsession with owning stuff was refreshing. And also, it would be nice to know what each day held well in advance, wouldn't it? A bit like owning a crystal ball...