Goodbye build up, Hello Dad!

The boys at the Teritory Wildlife Park

It is the end of January already, it seems to have come so quickly, yet January has been a bit of a slow month for us as well.  We have done a few fun things, we went to the trivia night and met a hysterical guy who we have become friends with and Nick has been on a few bike rides with.  We went to the territory park again, this time with our friends Marieka and Steve and their kids.  It was sweltering hot, but the kids had a great time and loved riding the train around.  We have been doing a bit of work around the museum including writing a business plan for a cafe onsite.  We have discovered just how difficult it is to start a small business, no matter how low key you would like to have it.  Then there is the added constraints of being in a rural NT area- an electrician quoted us $1000 to come out to Batchelor and provide a quote for the work!!!!  We were asked to write the business plan and then chastised for making enquiries about things such as health department requirements and zoning.  Apparently its best to go ahead and not draw attention to yourself!  oops!  

Mum has finished her FERG training and is officially oncall!  Lets hope I dont see too much action!

 The highlight of January has been the definite arrival of the wet- phew, its not so hot!  And, of course, a visit from my Dad (Grandpa Steve).  It was so nice to see a friendly face from home and we had a wonderful time showing Dad Litchfield National Park and Batchelor.  The boys thought it was Christmas again and were spoilt with lots of gifts from Grandpa.  We had a really lovely day at Litchfield with a picnic at Wangi Falls and a swim at the Buley rock holes.  It is quiet out there at this time of the year and we had one of the top rock holes to ourselves.  (we didn't tell our visitor this, but our friends at playgroup tell us that the top ones are preferred because people sit for hours in the lower ones and drink lots of beer, without the need to exit!).  Dad kindly offered Nick and I his room at the B&B for a night while he looked after the boys at our place.  Once I got used to the idea of being away from the boys for a night (first night in almost nine months), we jumped at the chance.  It was absolute luxury compared to where we are living and we had a fantastic night until 3am when our little rascal Aidan assumed his normal position, across the bed, in-between mum and dad!  Grandpa had been walking around for almost 3 hours with him in the pram and every time the pram stopped, Aidan cracked it.  Top marks for effort, Grandpa!  

Grandpa arrived with presents!

Riding the dolphin at the pool

Aidan hanging with Dad at Litchfield

Flynn and Grandpa on a walk around tolkin Falls

Mandatory Wangi Falls photo

Dad removes croc from rock pool

(thank goodness plastic teeth arent too sharp!)

Aidan and Mum enjoy a swim in the pool

So the big news for next week is that I will be starting back at Batchelor Area School as a teachers assistant, which I am really looking forward to.  We have also moved into a house sit for three months.  So it is good bye to us all living in one room, running in the rain across the grass to the toilet at all hours, and cold showers!  We are 8kms out of Batchelor on a bush block with a tropical fruit garden, chooks, cows and a cubby house and trampoline for the boys.  The place has plenty of undercover space outside for the boys to race around over the wet.  I have been enjoying having a proper kitchen with an oven, and have been cooking up a storm!  We seem to know all of our neighbours already.  We were very pleased to learn that the town snake catcher lives close by, so if one of us should leave a door open and have a visitor, help is not far away!!  Lets hope we don't need him.

So our second monsoon trough has come our way and it has cooled down to a chilly 28 degrees (yes, I have been cold today!).  We have had a fair bit of heavy rain and lots of wind.  It has been a welcome relief.

Stay tuned for some photos of our lovely new home (for three months!).