February Already!

My New Shopping Cart
I can't believe that we've been back in Brisbane for two weeks and it's February already!

Erik seems to have made a good start at school for the most part. He is, however, somewhat disappointed that fourth graders can not longer play in the shady area under the giant gum trees, but instead must play on the big "oval" or field. Apparently, most of the boys play touch rugby, which doesn't appeal that much to him. I've tried to convince him it's just "tag with a ball" but at least for now he seems to prefer the cool shade and quiet of the library or just chatting with his friends and sharing an ice block (Popsicle). To be honest, I can't blame him since it's been in the high 80s - low 90s every afternoon and the field where they play is in a low spot with full sun and no breeze.

I've been trying to figure out a new routine now that Erik is in school. It's nice not working, but I no longer have access to a car as all Mark's carpool mates have moved home. My life is pretty much limited to places I can get to walking or by bike, bus or train. I even bought a shopping cart to help haul the groceries the 1/2 mile walk from the store. It really helps a lot, and I no longer have to "weigh" my purchases. I can buy a three liter jug of milk and a bottle of wine.

Today being Saturday, normally we would have gone sailing in the afternoon, but since Erik had a birthday party to go to at 5:00 pm, we went for an early trip to the beach at the Gold Coast instead. It was another beautiful Queensland day. The water was lovely, noticeably warmer than in Hawaii or Sydney. Because going to the beach has gotten to be a bit of a normal event, I rarely pack the camera anymore, so sorry no pictures.