Varsha learned how to embroider to make these socks for Lara’s birthday present. She made a beautiful box too. But we got Lara’s birthday day wrong. Varsha worked so hard to get it in the post on time and it arrived one month early!

We went to Mareeba and Charley gave Varsha another treatment for her kinked back. We had a picnic in the park and went to the library. Laxmi zoomed through her book before we got home.

We have been doing music practice. John pulled apart the piano accordion trying to fix the sticky keys.

We went to swing dancing. Luka and Zeph were there. It was lots of fun. We had bubble tea at the night market before we drove home.

John made doughnuts.

Varsha went to swing dancing looking very smart again last week. Thiango took a nice Polaroid of her outfit. This week she got a cold and stayed home.

Laxmi has been making funny movies.

Varsha and I went to the Port Douglas carnivale parade on our way to the airport to pick up John. We saw the Sassy Cats in the parade. One of the circus teachers is in Sassy Cats. We really enjoyed watching a busker doing contact juggling and other clever tricks.

Laxmi had her first archery class last week. She really loved it. This week she has a cold and had to miss out. She was very disappointed.

We had circus for the first time in a while. They did lots of silks.

We had a dentist appointment and X-rays to see about Varsha getting braces.

They are building a new house across the road. The frame went up so quickly. It looks like a drawing.

Varsha made a little pathway through the grass to the dam. It was nice to have a sunny day and go outside after some grey and wintry days. It’s started to get cold at night.

We had a stall at the markets. Laxmi made a house in a tree in the park where the markets are and Varsha did the kids craft activity with her friends.

Laxmi has been doing more cooking. We have been researching all kinds of things like blue diamonds and how to say toast in Japanese.

Varsha continues to draw a lot. She’s really enjoying her new desk, lamp and shelves setup. She has been experimenting with pictures that can be seen through the paper.

Music classes are a lot of fun and the teachers are really happy with the band’s progress.

Varsha has been sorting and repairing and repainting her monster high dolls. She made a box to put all the sorted shoes and clothes into. Then she painted it inspired by Del Kathryn Barton’s paintings.

carolinelieber:

We went to visit Jo and Richard at Possum Creek. They have lots of wild roosters at their place. We made leaf art, played Cobra Paw and made pots and did asemic writing. Asemic writing is a contemporary poetry style where the writing has no meaning!

Ulla sent this lovely picture of Laxmi selling muffins at the markets last weekend.

Circus has been cancelled two weeks in a row so we have had unexpected free time at home.

Melissa came over and cut Laxmi and Varsha’s hair.

Varsha went to her first swing dancing class in Cairns. Laxmi and I took the car to the mechanic and had lunch at the kebab shop.

Laxmi has been keen to play board games: backgammon, cobra paw and memory.

We had a lovely Mother’s Day pancake breakfast.

John planted sunflowers and they are blooming!

Varsha embroidered flowers on her shirt.

Saturday was the markets and international labyrinth day and young creatives in Cairns. Tekira came with her family to the markets and with us to Cairns. We had a picnic by the lagoon.

The fenugreek seeds Laxmi planted have sprouted and we picked some to eat. Laxmi helped planting Aibika in the garden later that day.

We still have lots of frogs in the house.

Varsha and Laxmi are both really enjoying learning piano, singing and playing in the band with the homeschoolers. Varsha and Thiango were beautifully colour coordinated at music this week.

Laxmi has been enjoying handwriting and drawing. She also had a big day playing with Cosi including nerf gun battles.

Varsha did another embroidery experiment today.