G'day mate! Happy 'Stralia Day!

So typical Aussie of us to mark a date on our calendars when we get to celebrate purely and simply the fact we are young and free Australians. Who ever came up with January 26 somehow new that late in January the weather would be ideal for barbequing, swimming at the local pool or down at the beach/river... Cricket is best enjoyed in the hot summer sun, unlike our other national sport of footy (aka stacks on the guy with the ball) which is best played in the middle of a thunder storm... Finally today is a great excuse to celebrate Aussie musical talent by tuning in to Triple J and counting down their Hottest 100.

As I compose this blog post I reflect on the fact that over the years I have done many of these but am doing none of those things now. Instead I am enjoying the company of my family plus two neices... We are celebrating the fact that by living close to friends and family we can have cousin sleep overs (not that much sleep gets had) which on the flip side of the coin also means couples get a chance to reconnect and have precious couples time.

Finally to all you 26ers out there HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! The 26ers is a unique club of Australian who all share Australia Day as their bithdate.

So whoever you are and however you choose to celebrate this special day... Happy 'Stralia Day! Make it a day worth remembering...

What a wonderful escape

Victor Harbor we love you! We have had a few family weekends away or short trips down to Victor. My wife's parents are based down that way so for one thing it is a terrific excuse to catch up with two beautiful, kind and generous people. Also the town is on the ocean... I like so many others have such fond memories of trips to the seaside (my grandparents had a house in Goolwa, ten minutes wander through the sand dunes to Goolwa beach) so anytime we head to anywhere with the smell of salt in the air brings back the best memories for me of childhood.

This afternoon we returned, tired but happy from another escape to beautiful Victor Harbor. This time the kids and I managed to fit in a camel ride and a ride on the grand 621 steam engine, The Duke of Edinburgh... Such great family memories... Love sharing these special moments with my kids.

The BIGGEST irony though was on this trip while staying at our fav caravan park I was jumping on the Jumping Pillow when there was a girl I went to Primary and High school... Melanie it was great to see you and your two little ones, meet your husband and say hi again to your mum and dad.

It just goes to prove even when you disappear for a weekend you still stumble across people you know... And I love the fact that so many years down the track Melanie and I are (and hopefully will always) be the same...

Goosebumps come to life well worth the time

The other day I took my son to see the new Goosebumps movie at our local cinema. I remember reading this great series of scary books when I was a kid and it is great to be sharing the pleasure of reading them with mister almost ten now. We have both been watching the adverts on TV for this movie with great interest.

I can say with honesty that this really was a great movie. Both my son and I loved how to the formula of the books the movie stuck. Then there is the headline actor and here I believe this movie really excels. Jack Black is brilliant.

I fondly remember this actor in School of Rock, The Holiday... He has just the right kind of quirky awkwardness and comic timing that makes me chuckle.

So if you are looking for a movie great for the older kids full of scares and laughs and a great job by Jack Black... Goosebumps is definitely the film for you...

Farewell Major Tom

A master musician has sadly left us, Bowie you were a true entertainer. Only you could ever be Jareth, a Goblin King so frightening and yet so equally awesome that you wanted to flee from him and be him all at the same time.

So many characters and so much amazing music.

David Bowie you will be remembered as much for your alter egos as you will be for decades of genius.

Rest in peace a true master of music...

Merry Christmas catch up

We have just returned from a wonderful weekend away catching up with my wife's family. It took us a while to motor from Murray Bridge to wine country but as soon as we reached our destination it was great to catch up again with nieces and nephews and take a dip in the cool, cool pool...

I love catching up with the Gallasch clan. A foot in both camps lets me pretend to be young and hip when I catch up with the nieces and nephews in their late teens and early twenties, and yet I can chat with Ma and Pa Gallasch and/or my wife's older sister and her husband and I can chat all night about the important issues that come with being an adult.

The best part of the whole weekend though was just having a splash in the caravan park pool, watching the confidence my kids now have in the water and just splashing around. Blissful fun.

We all need more family fun moments like that...

I remember the best holidays were when dad was off work for a week and we would (as a family with or without relatives/family friends in tow) jump in the car and go explore some place in Australia... Such great memories...

Road Chip surprisingly enjoyable

Who remembers the Chipmunks? Alvin the cheeky rebel, Simon the smart and rational one and Theodore (he seems to me to be there just to be led astray). Then there came the Chipettes but by then I was way too old for that kind of movie. I remember my brother getting the record for the first movie (and the smurfs album and something by the Trolls too I think). Well this week I was reintroduced to the squeaky little guys.

I was in fact surprised and impressed by just how much fun the film Alvin and the Chipmunks the Roadchip actually was. The storyline was not new but was quite well done and the great use of current tracks and music from earlier decades blended nicely. I caught my youngest often bopping away in her seat between handfuls of popcorn.

All in all it was a great family afternoon at our local Cameo cinema.

We ALL enjoyed so much in fact that my wife found a Chipmunks cassette tape when we got home... Go Alvin screeching 'Eye of the Tiger' at the very top of his little lungs... Lol!! Awesome!!!

Saint Kilda playground you have changed but we still love you

Had a great day today thanks to a great local organisation who took a whole bunch of us from Tailem Bend and Murray Bridge up to Saint Kilda playground...

I remember the awesome place we used to regularly visit, me and my two brothers and various numbers of cousins and friends. I remember the big steel cage bowl that span around stupidly fast (a ride that I was too scared to ride for many years... Mostly due to at least one cousin losing some teeth when they slipped and fell while it was spinning its fastest), strange see-saws and so many crazy slides. There was also this a-mazing (pun intended) enigma full of twists and turns that went under the place we nicknamed 'slippery slide mountain' and came out the other side.

I can report that Saint Kilda playground is still a kids' wonderland. The teeth stealing rides are no more though, replaced with rides that seem deceptively safer (at least one of my kids drew blood on the trampoline crossed with a climbing frame). The slides are the greatest thing still here are it was amazing to see my littlest ones graduate from simple slides (no way were they tackling the top level slippery dip) to the huge dipper by the end of the afternoon. The a-laming excuse for a maze that is at Saint Kilda now was probably the only bad thing of the changes made... It has gone from a facinating and sometimes scarey place to a combination of four spirals. In the center of the maze you can see at least two exits. It takes about a minute or two to walk through the entire maze now.

The best part of today though was all the magical moments I got to make with my kids in a place designed purely for FUN FUN FUN... Such a great day! I feel so lucky I could tag along and be there to share the excitement.

Saint Kilda playground you are not the place I recall from my past but still a great place to run off all my energy. Very tired now... Tim the Wizard signing off!!

Seeing in 2016

A beautiful night, fine friends and a backyard... All anyone could ever need to see in a new year.

After worrying all day about just how hot it would be New Year's Eve night we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the night was in fact perfect. Tropical, a little bit balmy but overall delightful.

Power FM our local radio station played some nice tunes and made sure we did not miss the count down.

It was great to catch up with friends and family (old and new) and to start a new year surrounded by such wonderful people.

I hope that your New Year's Eve was just as enjoyable as mine. There is nothing like a happy gathering in the Aussie backyard...