8 Hours Day social round

We had a day off today, to celebrate the passing of national 8-hour work day legislation in 1948. I just looked it up, and the 8-hour work day was actually in effect in Victoria from 1860, with an annual public holiday to celebrate it from 1879. Some facts.

We had Nick and Anna and the girls up for morning tea, followed by a very pleasant stroll with Winston down the rivulet. I made anzacs but somehow got the recipe wrong again - they were flat and very, very buttery. We walked as far as the old Boags warehouse (now an evangelical church) - the fence around it has been taken down, so now you can follow the rivulet all the way to town. The existing walking track swerves around the warehouse  and goes up and down a very steep hill, so the change is very welcome.

After the lovely McShanes of West Hobart had departed, we were infested with small neighbours until dinner time. It's lovely to have small neighbours drop in and enjoy themselves, but so nice when they and their large remote control dragonfly have all been repatriated.

Last night Sal and Arthur came to dinner. He is coming up to 2, and talks constantly. He is trotting around the place very confidently, and I think he enjoys having the big space to gad about. Plus we still have a lot of 2-yo attracting toys. Fortunately I had just got around to mowing the back lawn after a very busy month or so, so he was able to floop around up there too. Only once did things get a bit hairy, when Elf heard a yell and went out to find Arthur upside down in a large boofy poa grass, having toppled off the elevated lawn. After dinner we had a very pleasant evening stroll to the park, where Arthur did some truly world-class slide and swing work.

Cousins waltzing

Cousin Marcus and Cousin Arthur, at Mum and Dad's new house. Photo by Sally.

Labrador Baby Lunch

We just had a very social weekend. Karri and Miah stayed with us while Imp and Ed attended another one of the endless Fullagar cousin weddings (best wishes to Isabelle and James). Mum and Dad stayed with us as well, as they have been every Thursday to Monday for a couple of months, while they search for the elusive house.* Sal, Matt and the young Arthur David Warren (approaching 1) came for lunch on Sunday - making 11 at the table.

Arthur has been enjoying his occasional experiences with dogs, lately. Sally was keen to bring him over to see how he would react to a dog ten times his size (although about the same age). They just loved each other. Grown ups had to keep leaping in to stop them loving each other too much - there was face licking. Arthur is pelting around on all fours now - at on stage he crawled between Winston's legs and out the other side.

It was the opening day of soccer season on Saturday. Miah, Karri and Marcus all played, and all three teams won. Miah scored two goals, and Marcus scored one, an exceptional glancing header. You don't often see headers, let alone headed goals, in the under 9s. David, who had already scored three, clouted the ball towards the goals, high but wide. Marcus was in the perfect position to slightly turn his head and deflect it into the corner of the net. I went a little bit beserk.

*Mum and Dad have put in an offer on a house over the river - I've got everything including my tonsils crossed for them.

I've met the new neph Arthur

I went to see him on Sunday and had a little cuddle. What a lovely fella. Very calm and alert.

Hello Arthur

I have just heard that Sally and Matt's first child, Arthur David Warren, arrived early this morning. It sounds like everyone is well, and I'm looking forward to meeting the little fella soon. We are delighted to have another boy cousin for Marcus and Michael - we are on comfortable ground with boy babies.