Alice Springs - Tess' birthday

DAY 14 – ALICE SPRINGS                                                                                     Saturday, 16th July

Tessie’s birthday!!!  We woke up our little sleeping beauty to a caravan full of balloons and birthday sign (care of the beautiful Amy!) and the smell of bacon and eggs on the barbie!!  My SECOND little baby to turn 10!!! The Parsons came over for bacon and egg muffins and then headed off on a drive.  We were very slack and did not get out of her until about 11am.  Went searching for a heater as the one we were using for the kids decided to pack it in last night.  It is still very cold here in the dessert at night.  COULD NOT FIND A DAMNED FAN HEATER IN THE WHOLE OF ALICE SPRINGS.  My poor babies have gone to sleep tonight with beanies on, wheat bags, and blankets wrapped around them in their sleeping bags!!  Hope they will be warm enough.  Otherwise, I will have three of them in my single bed at 2am (Tess doesn’t wake up for anything!)

It was a lovely day today.  We went up to the Old Alice Springs Overland Telegraph Station and had a picnic in the park.  Just beautiful – the kind of place where, if you lived in Alice, you would have a picnic every Sunday.  Tess opened her presents there and the kids thought it was very funny that David kicked the football into a gum tree and got it stuck.  He then had to spend then next ten minutes throwing a rock at it to remove it!!

Then off to the School of the Air which was just fascinating.  120 children there from as far away as almost 1000 kms from Alice.  We saw a historical documentary and then watched a video of a Grade 5/6 lesson in action.  According to NAPLAN results, most of these kids are in the top 10% of students so clearly they are doing a great job.  What an effort their tutors must be making (in most cases, their Mums).  They held up the work a Grade 2 would be expected to do in a two week period.  Of course, my strange “homework addicted” son wanted to know if he could have one to do!! 

After that we popped in to the Alice Springs Reptile Centre on the advice of the Parsons, which was fantastic.  Wish they would not keep telling us that Australia has 18 of the 20 most venomous snakes in the world, and the Top 10!!  A very informative talk on the Olive Python, the Bearded Dragon lizard and the Blue Tongue lizard ensued.  Tess was very keen to keep answering questions – must be turning 10!  Then all the kids got to hold each of the animals!!  No fear at all.  Tessie was up first, keen as mustard!!  They loved it!  We then had a quick walk up  ANZAC Hill for a beautiful view of Alice before heading home for some chill out time.

Dinner tonight was at the Bojangles Restaurant in Todd Street for Tess’ birthday.  What an experience!  One of those restaurants with so much memorabilia on the walls, you just don’t know where to look first.  Unfortunately, Rob “challenged” David to eat “the Big Bugger” – an 800g steak – with the promise that he would pay for half of it if he could do it.  Have any of you ever known David Hansen to walk away from something like this?  In fact, I was told it would be “downright un-Australian” to walk away!  So it was duly consumed.  I think we forgot to pick up the Certificate that comes with it .

The kids had an absolute ball when they realised that there were cameras all around the restaurant and they could run from room to room dancing in front of the camera.  They had the whole restaurant in hysterics.  Rob and David clearly were letting loose with the kid in them too, pretending to fistfight for the cameras.  Doesn’t sound nearly as funny on paper as it was in real life – truly!!

Need to hit the sack – this place has FREE pancakes on a Sunday morningansen to walk a!  That is worth missing Mass for!  Just joking.  It is OK, Mum, we are going Sunday night!!