Bicycles

Almost everyone remembers their first bicycle.

Graham's first bicycle looks a lot like Craig's old one with new training wheels. :)

After just a few hundred metres, Graham was actually pretty happy about getting off and doing some climbing.

But, he got back on and went for quite a long ride. The total distance covered was about 3 kilometres. Pretty good for a little guy who doesn't know how to use the brakes, yet. Dad had to run alongside to provide stopping power.

As the ride went on, he improved vastly at pedaling and steering. The return half of the ride was very smooth. The path has a few ups and downs but then there's a long straight flat bit at Dee Why Oval.



Graham even became casual enough to look at the camera while riding!

There's no photos of Craig because he was too fast! He kept speeding ahead where Dad's camera couldn't see him. Back at home, the lorikeets were hungry!

Back to Some Old Haunts

After the boys arrived back in Sydney the weather was very warm, over 30 degrees for a few days in a row. On the first day of school for Sean and Craig, Graham went to the beach.

He had a new hat. It keeps his ears out of the sun much better than his old cap.

The local cockatoos seemed to be happy about being able to eat on the balcony again.

Dee Why Oval was still spacious.

And plenty of climbing was done.

It's the type of place that attracts kids.

The playground near the Dee Why beach carpark was also unchanged.

Craig climbed his favourite tree as usual.

The boys even walked all the way up to the top of the beach to another playground.

Craig now 'smiles' like this whenever a camera is pointed at him.

Graham was too hungry to smile. He just ate his snack and then went back to playing.

It was a long walk back for someone with such short legs.

On the next day the two smaller boys were at yet another playground next to Narrabeen Lagoon.

Life has ups and downs when you're small.

Last Days on Holiday and the Long Drive Home

The mornings of the last few days in Yeppoon were glorious. The boys were taken to Lammermoor beach just for a change. Graham liked sitting in the warm water of a tidal creek.

Meanwhile, the older boys kicked a beach soccer ball.

This photo was taken at 5am from the top verandah at Grandad and Grandma's house. Sleeping in was not an option for people whose bedroom windows faced east.

In the evenings, Sean had an excellent solution to an unusual problem. Graham had a habit of singing at the top of his voice while listening to music. Giving him earphones to wear stopped the singing, to the relief of music lovers throughout the house.

Mornings at Lammermoor continued to be beautiful.

Craig and Graham dug in the sand while their father swam up and down the beach.

Amusingly, Graham wouldn't go near the ocean. He was afraid of the waves! No, really, those tiny waves scared him.

He still surpervised Craig carrying water from the sea up to the castles they were building.

The afternoons were spent at playgrounds where the boys could practice their climbing skills.

They can stay busy for quite some time.

They even climb on things that aren't really built for that purpose.

There's plenty to climb on in Yeppoon.

On the last night, Grandad had given Dad a voucher to spend at The Strand Hotel. So, the boys had a really nice dinner there.

Craig and Graham both liked their chicken nuggets and chips.

Living in Yeppoon must be very healthy because Dad lost almost 5 kilos in less than two weeks. All that swimming probably played a part, too.

Sadly, the time came to start driving home. They set out just after 5am. After some rolling hills west of Rockhampton they turned onto the Leichhardt Highway. It's quite a straight road.

They stopped for breakfast beside the road at around 7:30am after travelling about 200km. They still had another 625km to go for the day.

Fifty kilometres later the road didn't look much different.

Fifty kilometres after that it hadn't changed much again.

The playground in Taroom was a very welcome break. Craig and Graham ran around playing as much as they could for 20 minutes. After travelling 350km so far they had plenty of energy.

Back in the car and the road was ...... straight.

A snack was had in Miles beside a memorial and playground because it was too early for lunch and the driver needed a break.

The road between Miles and Goondiwindi is unbending.

But, the scenery was slightly different due to the appearance of farm fields.

Still, the road stretched out ahead.

After lunch in Goondiwindi there was more farmland as they continued south.

Finally, they arrived in Moree, 835kms from Grandad and Grandma's place in Yeppoon. The little boys were ever so pleased that there was a playground beside the Mehi River, walking distance from our motel.

Fortunately for all concerned no photos were taken of Day 2 of the long drive. The scenery was different. The road had bends and there were many more farms especially in the Liverpool Plains but the driver was too tired to do anything other than concentrate on the road that led them all the way home.