Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Loving Darwin

Joining Like Mother, Like Daughter for this Thursday tradition.

{Pretty}

This is our one and only 'souvenir' from our trip to Singapore this December/January.  Singapore was hosting the Elephant Parade - a fundraiser for an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.  Basically, they get artists to paint large elephant sculptures for auction, and make a certain number of replicas in smaller sizes for sale.  Our little elephant is called Blossom.

The large elephants could be seen all over Singapore, but we bought our small one from Tang's department store. Tang's is a Singapore institution.  It was set up in the 1920's by Mr Tang, the son of Presbyterian missionaries.  The store still retains its Christian origins today.  In shopping mad Singapore it was just about the only major shop closed for Christmas, and they actually had bible verses emblazoned across the shop Christmas display and on the Christmas shopping bags.  Can you imagine that in other parts of the world?  I can't imagine a major department store doing that here in Australia.

{Happy}

In case you can't tell it is a candle holder - as in shine as a light in the world!

Oh boy, am I loving Darwin.

It might be stinking rotten hot.  But, are the people we are meeting ever making up for that.

We have more social commitments coming up in the next couple of weeks than we have ever had in any other posting.  I have too many activities I want to attend with Ginger for days in the week - choices will have to be made, as will they with two invites to fortnightly coffee catch-ups which clash. 

I met my lovely neighbour on Sunday (a gorgeous girl from Indiana).  Less than an hour later she popped round to ask me to come over for supper.  Oh, and she and her daughter are making us brownies when DHA fixes their oven:) - her 5 year old informed me of that, not her Mum.

We tried out our new church on Sunday.  And, we are blessed they have a creche.  An Anglican church with a creche!  Unheard of in Australia in this era of ageing church congregations. And, after some persuasion Ginger agreed to stay in - I heard my first sermon in over a year.  She came out proudly bearing her craft project and then went off to play with the other pre-schoolers.  All ten of them, and half the congregation is down south for the holidays; at our previous church she was the only pre-schooler.  She had a fantastic time.

Mr Provincial found a friend in the congregation who he went through military college with.  His wife is also expecting a baby this year.  We have a dinner arrangement for Saturday.

I am feeling truly blessed.  This is by far the most positive start to a posting we have had.  And, we have done four postings in four different states in five years!

{Funny}

Ginger has taken a serious liking to her Father's favourite book The World Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft.  At first I thought it was just because her Dad was looking at it, but in the days subsequent to me taking these photographs she has asked me to take it off the shelf for her to look at several times.  I wonder what the appeal is?

{Real}

I am struggling to come up with homemade healthy snacks for all our morning teas.  I can bake - but I have my doubts about how healthy the regular addition of a piece of cake to our days is.  I thought I had hit the nail on the head with a recipe from the CSIRO Wellbeing Book for Kids for Cheesy Vegie Muffins.  No nasties in these and plenty of carrot and zucchini.  Only thing, Ginger took one bite, spat it into her bib and flatly refused to eat any more.  Oh well, at least Mr Provincial and I like them.