Saturday 18 November 2017

Surprises at the Beach

Today was the last day of a refreshing three week break for me. After a few stormy days it has turned out to be a sunny pearler of a day. The best kind of day for a trip to the beach.

We love visiting family at Victor Harbour but today was extra special. While bobbing about in the waves we (Miss 10, Master 11 and I) thought we saw a duck pop out of a wave. It was a small black duck which on second examination turned out to be a penguin. Imagine our surprise when it was joined by another one. "Quick!" I cried out, "Someone get my phone so I can take a picture!"
Of course one of the kids went to tell mum what we saw and the other ran to get my phone. The moment they both left I lost sight of our visitors and they were gone. Such a thrill but over way too soon...

Thursday 9 November 2017

Laws and Crooks Conquer Victoria 2017 - Day Eleven

I am up today at 8:15, earlier than everyone... I can't believe I have even beaten my son up who has been up earliest of all ever since the holiday began. I think since we arrived in Beaconsfield Master 11 has been up extra early so often to enable him to watch shows on Netflix that we say are inappropriate for his sisters. I am up later than I have been all this week but not surprised I have beaten everyone else to rise. We didn't get back from Day Ten until 11pm and everyone was utterly exhausted. We have packed so many amazing, wonderful, family fun experiences into each and every day that I now find myself five epic days behind in my blog posting. The only way I think I'll catch up is to blog for today and work back through... As I post I am sure you will see just why I've had no time to type and have been having way too much double family fun (Laws X Crooks = awesome holiday memories). So here goes... Still no bowling yet (poor Miss 5) and it is unlikely this will change today. Instead we (Dads X 2 and the five cherubs) have planned to head back to Casey Arc swimming center to have more fun in the wave pool. I wonder if Ben will have three little ones interested in the toddler play area today?

After a swim and a bit of time bobbing in the BIG waves we will head 'home' to the marvellous castle at Lakeview Terrace for a bit of lunch before the boys (Ben and I and Master 11 who wanted to tag along) will be headed back to Fountain Gate to check out boardgames. My mate Ben has a great collection of odd and unusual games to play and I just love finding out what he is going to add next... Maybe an expansion on the card game GLOOM (family fun for everyone lol) or maybe a medieval themed game based on domination of the known world... You just never know...

The Gallasch girls are staying home today to catch up on everything as tomorrow is our last morning in Beaconsfield and the Williamson family need their house back. Tomorrow it is back on the road again, this time we are headed to the home of the Tommy and Dangerfield and those Cats we barrack for week in and week out. Geelong and the Cattery for tea...

It is now 8pm(ish) and looking back on the day it has been very relaxing. Everything basically went to plan (as above). Wave pool was awesome, Ben got some cool games that he is already reading over the rules so we can try one tonight (over a few scotches) and we had yummy take-away Mexican for tea... Taco Bill's makes some very yummy and very filling food...

Bring on Geelong!!

Friday 3 November 2017

Laws and Crooks Conquer Victoria 2017 - Day Five

We have been promising Miss Five to go Ten Pin Bowling but today we had to switch plans and head to a different swimming center instead, Casey Race. Last time the Laws were here the Williamson kids took us here and the kids had a ball. There is a huge bucket which dumps water all over the kids, a waterslide and some linked pools that enable the younger swimmers to explore. This time though the not school holidays curse struck again. The bucket did not fill and all the explorer pools were taken up by school classes doing YCMA swimming lessons. In the two hours for swimming we had paid for there was probably half an hour where there were no school kids. Master 11 was most disappointed that the bucket would not work until after 3pm. Our swimming fun ended an hour before that. McDonalds for lunch (a bit disappointed with my wrap, but happy the team of cooks fixed it to my satisfaction with five minutes).

Once home I got to playtest a game that my mate Ben has been developing. I admire his creativity, such a complex mix of Medieval fantasy and Science Fiction. It is certainly not a quick game to play but I found myself immediately getting involved in the story of how the game pans out. Some tweaks still required perhaps but I strongly believe Ben has a game to rival the Cthulu based ones we have been loving to play or Dead of Winter, House on the Hill... In fact any of those epic games that take all night to play or even a whole day or two... Keep working that imagination hard Ben... I cannot wait to play test again and maybe complete a quest or two...

It was a funny night without Ben and Maria there. Master 11, Miss 7, Miss 5 and I spent a half hour or so riding, scooting and running up and down the big hill that leads to BB and Roh's place. Master 11 found a speedo on the bike he was riding so he could measure my pace as I took off after the girls. My top speed down hill, 25Km and uphill 21km. Following this it was chicken for tea. Sitting down to tea with five kids we were responsible for was certainly an eye opener. I think Miss H and I handled it well though. Bath quickly followed and then movie night with packets of chips (a break from popcorn). Garfield (voiced by Bill Murray) was the choice. Not the type of movie that kept our attention but the kids seemed to enjoy it. I wish Ben and Maria luck for tomorrow. The kids have chosen Garfield 2 for movie night with them. Netflix is both a blessing and a curse in the fact we can no longer tell the kids "So sorry, we don't have that DVD..." So many movies and shows are now available at any time.

Miss 5 and Miss 3 did not make it to the end of the film (and Miss H missed at least ten minutes in the middle). Once the film was done all five kids dropped silently into the land of nod. Swimming was a great idea I think for tiring the kids out. With a quiet house all to ourselves my darling angel and I decided to try one of a handful of DVDs we brought on the trip. To the Wonder was supposed to be a beautiful romance but instead ended up being some disappointing art film we found impossible to follow. About half an hour to forty-five minutes in and Ben and Maria returned from a very fun night. I tried switching DVDs to Money Monsters which seemed to catch Ben and my attention but I think it was far too late to settle in for a full length feature. Good night Money Monsters... Maybe you'll get a proper watch soon...

Laws and Crooks Conquer Victoria 2017 - Day Four

Roadtrip! Well at least a little one... Before we start exploring the swimming centers and bowling alley and other fun filled things to do nearby the girls thought it would be a great idea to hit the Westfield Founatin Gate. We found the food court for lunch and K-Mart where the kids bought hand puppets. This trip gave Ben and Maria a bit of an idea of what they could do for date night. One of the girls' great ideas (I think it may have been Maria's) was for each couple to have a night out. Tomorrow night it will be the Crook couple.

The rest of the day was lazy, time where we settled into our new 'home'. Being five kids cooped up even in a wonderful house like we have been lucky enough to stay in here in Beaconsfield means that not everyone is going to get along. Boardgames with Daddy, Uncle Ben and Miss 10 saw us while away a little of the day. Mouse Trap, Uno and a few rounds of Mysterium (think Cludo mixed with that TV show Medium) kept at least a trio entertained and proved that Uncle Ben's years of board game obsession certainly makes him a tough competitor.

As the early afternoon kicked in and the party of five all under twelve were proving to be a handful Ben and I decided to head down to the oval and then a local playground. I had grand images of running the kids ragged and creating memorable moments of family fun. All I think we might have achieved though were a few bumps and scratches and some muddy shoes. A reminder that we are not officially in school holiday time for SA or VIC, as we walked back from the playground we couldn't have a second kick as the oval was being used for cricket practice. It is fairly wet and there are very dark skies, I am constantly wondering when Spring will come. We have some very busy days planned coming up... I am hoping for some great weather...

Thursday 2 November 2017

Better late than never - The Room - A story for Halloween

As we wandered through Westfield Fountain Gate yesterday I spotted an interesting looking game for PS4 in EB Games. Being so close to Halloween I found these odd and eerie images floating through my mind. This is my attempt at bringing all the weirdness together to assemble some sort of tale. Hopefully you get the idea...

The Room - A story for Halloween

Tony knocked confidently on the Smithson's front door as he had done so often over the past year.
When the door swung open he greeted the bear of a man who filled the door frame.
"Good evening, sir,"
"Tony! Come in!" Mister Smithson replied.
"Sorry, I can't sir," apologised Tony. "I'm here to pick up Josephine and we're already late."
"So I heard," said Josephine's father. "Something about dinner at the pizza bar and then some killing sunshine disco dance happening at the Steeds home ground."
Tony knew better than to correct the father of the girl of his dreams. He'd got the details about dinner right but disco hadn't been popular for at least a century. Tony had managed to score two tickets to see The Sunshine Killers, a hot four piece from Canada who were touring their recently released second album, Love, Death and Rainbows.
"Absolutely sir!" Tony stated enthusiastically, grasping the offered hand without wincing. Tony went with the handshake and allowed Jo's father to pump his hand vigorously.
"Your a good lad, Tony."
"Thank you, sir," said Tony as his hand was released.
"I'll go find Jo and tell her your here."

Ten minutes later Tony was opening the passenger side door of his '69 Mustang, helping the gorgeous Josephine Smithson step inside. She wore a new dress, one Tony had never seen before in the twelve months they had been dating. Short, but not so short daddy wouldn't let her out the door. Low cut too which Tony liked... It enabled him to compliment the opal charm at the end of the necklace Jo wore without hinting at what actually drew his full attention.
"Your wearing the butterfly and heart charm I bought you three months ago," Tony stated. "It looks amazing with that new dress."
"You noticed!" squealed Josephine, delighted.
"And what is that amazing scent?" asked the boy, noticing that his car suddenly smelled like a bee's heaven.
"Intreaged," stated Jo.
"Why, yes I am," affirmed Tony, his reply immediate.
"No," laughed Jo, a sound Tony loved even more every time he heard it. "It's a new perfume from France called Intreaged.
Tony joined Jo then and they chatted and laughed all the way to dinner.

"Take... Me... HOME!" demanded Josephine. "NOW!!!"
The look on the girl's face told Tony that she was not kidding.
"But babe!? The concert? The Sunshine Killers! Your favourite band..." Tony replied, suggesting that the night was not over yet. "Moonlight, Lover's Peak... Intreaged?" he added in an effort to swiftly change Jo's mind.
It was obvious Tony's attempt had failed as Jo's mascara ran.
"This night was supposed to be special..." seethed the young girl. Tony caught sight of the daggers that flashed across his girlfriend's electric blue eyes. During the car ride back to the Smithson's the silence spoke volumes. Tony attempted to redeem himself as they pulled up at Josephine's front door, leaping out the driver side and sliding along the bonnet of his classic so he could open the door for his girlfriend.
"Hmmmph," was his reward. "Call me in the morning and we'll talk," Jo suggested. "I'm still cross with you though..."
Tony gave Jo a weak smile.
"You're lucky you're cute," was Josephine's reply.

Tony drove off, still confused as to how a great night planned had turned into such a disaster. Not wanting to go home, but no longer eager to head to the concert he drove out to the outskirts of town to watch the stars. There was an old rundown house not far from the town limits that Tony's Grandpa George had always sworn was haunted. Tony decided then and there that he'd check it out and prove the crazy, old geaser wrong. It didn't take long to find the dirt track that lead to the long, twisty, weed choked driveway. A few rabbits leaped out of the brush as the Mustang roared past them, Tony picking the lightning fast critters in his high beams for only a second before they bounded away.

As the old house came into view Tony could easily see why his Pa and the other old timers had ghost stories galore about it. The windows were covered in thick dust, the roof looked ready to collapse at any second and there was an odd fog that swirled about, no obvious source for it, it seemed to just be there. The first sound Tony heard as he killed the rumble of the Mustang was the constant squeal of the front door, a rhythmic squeak slow and harsh on the ears. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkk, eeeeeerrrrrrrrrrkkkkkkkkkkk... Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkk, eeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrkkkkkkkkkk..." went the door until Tony gave it a harsh kick and it fell with a resounding "BOOOOOM!!!" as it fell into the parlour when the rusted hinges finally gave way. As the violin like wail from the door ceased Tony could hear what sounded like weeping.
"Heeee... lllllll...." came the sound, almost a cry seeking a strong young man's assistance before it petered out unfinished.
"Hello?" called Tony. "Do you need help?"
"Heeee... lllllllllllll...." came the faint sound again.
From the parlour Tony followed the faint cry to first the kitchen, then a string of bedrooms and finally to a Sun Room which was in disarray. There in the corner was a hunched over woman dressed in black. Black skirt, black shirt, black shawl, black stockings with black shoes. The style of dress was very outdated, something that even Tony noticed straight away. The lady was facing the wall, searching the blank surface for a secret treasure. Her bonnet was up, over her head making the figure so easy to miss in the light of Tony's phone screen.
"Um... Ma'am..?" asked Tony, cautiously. "Did you call out?"
Soundlessly the figure turned around. Tony gasped. The figure had the wispy hair, the wrinkles of age, but where there should have been watery grey eyes, a misshaped nose, thin, lifeless lips almost bloodless in colour, there was nothing. Tony tried to step back out the room, to turn away from this strange scene that affronted him. The missing facial features appeared out of the blank wall where the faceless lady searched in vain. A well formed pair of eyes, eyebrows, nose with nostrils inflamed, a thin lipped mouth turned up in a sneer, all present in the whitewash of the Sun Room wall.
"You didn't listen, boy..." stated the face on the wall, the voice ancient, cracked like it were the house itself that spoke. As the words came the features of the face moved like an agitated serpent, slithering quickly to stare from below Tony, capturing his eyes somehow with an orbless stare.
"Now you get to stay with us..." the mouth stated.
"I... I don't understand..." Tony stammered.
"You can NEVER leave..." stated the face, just as fifty other features morphed onto the wall to join it.
Tony felt his face and suddenly found his lips were gone. In silent panic he felt for his nose. As he suddenly struggled to take in air the sight from one eye vanished. His world went dark as he felt the old woman grasp him in a comforting embrace. As Tony's lungs began to burn like fire, his body needing the oxygen he would never taste again, the young fool heard  as a chorus of lost souls again those chilling words...
"You can NEVER leave..."