Fair!

Every November for the past seven years (I was saying six years all weekend, but the Grumpy Old Man corrected me, it has indeed been seven years), we've attended the school fair! 

Generally speaking, I love fairs. I love the colourful rides - though you'd be hard pressed to ever get me on one now -, I love fairy floss (cotton candy to you northerners), I love face painting (on the kids, not me). I love music outdoors and sunshine and seeing lots of people I know and all the smiley, happy faces.

We seem to always have had sunshine, every year for the past seven years!

This last Saturday started like this at 9am when we were heading out to do the fortnightly grocery shop...

But by the time the show started at midday, it looked like this...

Our school fair is very blessed, indeed!

Here are some more photos from the day...

Erik next to his works (the top three paintings and the Minecraft 'egg' at the bottom, the other works belong to the other emerging student artist award recipient). Erik's painting; 'The Waiting Forest' sold on Opening Night on Friday to someone we don't personally know, which was really affirming for him - though there were plenty of people we do know who expressed disappointment over having missed out on this occasion. He says he'll paint something else during the holidays, right now he just wants to enjoy his last few weeks at primary school.

The ride Bryn says he went on TWELVE times!

Ari LOVED the jumping castle with slide!

In fact, he loved it so much he refused to get off when his group's time had lapsed... I ended up apologising profusely to the ride man (he was very understanding), as did the Grumpy Old Man about 30 minutes later!

Hurtling down the BIG slide with Luey - this was Ari's favourite ride of the day - he did it a dozen or more times.

Ari's 'Green Dragon' face, done by the lovely Kate!

Bryn would make an awesome mountain climber (somewhat to the Grumpy Old Man's distress) - he didn't inherit his father's vertigo! He climbed the 'mountain' three times in his allotted five minutes! Go Bryn!

Luey modelling the contents of his show bag!

Fair Day always leaves us absolutely buggered! And this weekend we also had two birthday parties. Luckily, the first was for a friend of Erik's so he took himself off to that sleepover party after the fair on Saturday. Then on Sunday, Bryn had a birthday party at a local bowling centre, and the Grumpy Old Man took him there while the two bigger boys and I tackled the house - and herded Ari...

The Fair is always great!

The resulting chaos at home is not so great...

But while I tidied, vacuumed and dusted the rest of the house - the boys sorted out the kitchen for me... I'm not really a kitchen person, as evidenced by Ari coming up to me while I made a cup of tea yesterday and asking, 'What are your doing in Daddy's kitchen?' Yes, that about sums it up, doesn't it?

Last night we sat down to review what is coming up next for our little family and discovered we'd completely overlooked paying for Erik's netbook hire for high school, which was due on Friday. So today is all about rushing around trying to sort that out and hoping they'll take pity on our disorganised selves and let Erik have the netbook over summer despite our tardiness! Erik pleasantly surprised me by not being distraught over the possible lack of netbook this summer - he's maturing!