Fitzroy Falls

Here's a bunch of photos from our family trip to Fitzroy Falls in the Southern NSW highlands, April 2009.
Abbie and Ella with Abbie's best friend, Elissa Thayer - Loving life.

The Coulsons with our dear friends - the Thayers. Overlooking the falls and the magical valley below.

Fitzroy Falls - don't drop the camera!!

Energetic Ella expending some energy with Elissa.

Ella, Chanel, Abbie, and Annie overlooking the valley.

Happiness.

Hiking Mt Kosciuszko

Below are some photos from our recent hike. We took Nan and Pop Coulson, and the girl's cousins: Jaxson, Phoenix, and Logan.

Abbie and Phoenix love spending time together. This was in Thredbo village just before we caught the chair up the mountain. Temperature was only around 2 degrees celsius.

Catching a ride up the mountain with Ella, Abbie, and Phoenix.

Cool kids! Abbie, Phoenix, Jaxson, Logan, Chanel, and Ella. About to start a 13km hike.

Oh what a feeling! Starting the hike to the top of the tallest mountain in Australia.

Abbie and Ella putting in the miles.

Chanel, Abbie, and Jaxson along the track. It was only about 5 degrees, but walking made it hot.

A couple of cool customers! They made the trip so much easier for the children. Thanks mum and dad.

On top of the world!!! All the kids except Ella, munching on top of the highest point in Australia.

Ella, looking down the mountain... have we only done 7kms? Come on folks, we can go further!

Annie and her dad. I carried her the 14 kms in the backpack. I carried Logan about 3kms on the way back down. Sore legs!

Abbie May on top of the mountain before we walked back to the chair.

Annie loves lunch!

Phoenix, Abbie, Ella, and Logan on the top of the mountain.

Our family - feeling great that we accomplished something BIG.

Pop Coulson and the BOYZ!!!

Extended family on the peak.

You can't get any higher than this and still be touching the ground anywhere in Australia!

Jamberoo

Our week began fairly quietly. It was the first week of NSW school holidays and the children were excited to play with the neighbours for the last time before they moved away. The neighbours left for their new home on Wednesday. This meant that the kids did nothing but play and play and play all day Monday and Tuesday. I was still a little unwell both days as a result of overdoing it on the bike the previous week. Unfortunately that meant that we missed Rachel and Leah’s birthday party in Gosford on the 13th. Rachel had flown back from Melbourne for it, and the family had a wonderful night. (Rachel is having a sensational time living and studying dance in Melbourne).

Tuesday while the children played I continued my recovery. I spent the first three days of the week working steadily on my PhD. It’s wonderful when uni breaks are on! No students or classes means I get so much extra work done. For youth activities on Tuesday night we cleaned the chapel. I was really proud of the boys. They did an excellent job and worked hard despite their reluctance. I took the young man who whined about not doing the toilets to that very area and we worked together to make them sparkle. He saw it wasn’t THAT bad, and did a terrific job. Their attitude was excellent.

Wednesday we received news that the extension on our home loan has gone through. This means that we no longer owe any money to anyone except the bank! We’re pleased about this, although the increase in repayment is a little intimidating.

Thursday was the highlight of the week. We took the children to Jamberoo, an “action/theme” park about 40 minutes south of our home. The day was covered with an ocean of sunshine that drenched us all day. It was perfect. Jamberoo is set in picturesque surrounds and it could not have been a more perfect day. Mum and Dad came down with Mat and his four children: Jaxson, Paris, Phoenix, and Logan. The park was relatively uncrowded, and while the water was cold, the children had an amazing day.

We marveled at the independence of Chanel as she explored the park with one or two of her similarly aged cousins. We were thrilled at the courage of Ella as she attacked every waterslide with enthusiasm, regardless of the degree of fear it instilled in other children. We appreciated the tenderness of Abbie as she hesitated at every new ride she approached, only to recall one of our family mottos, “We try new things once”, and then tentatively gave it a go. At the end of every ride that had concerned her, Abbie would respond with a “That was fun!” followed by “Can we do it again?” We were only too happy to encourage her to ride as many attractions as often as possible.

Mum and Dad were an enormous help, maintaining their place at “home base” so the children could return, snack, tell stories, dry off and warm up before racing off to ride slides again. We appreciated their attendance so much. And Kylie had the forethought to pack an impressive spread for lunch. Eskies were allowed to be used, and we ate very well! Had we purchased meals there we would likely have spent three to four times what Kylie outlaid. So it was well prepared. I am grateful for a prudent and prepared wife.

One of the most amazing things was the ski-lift and toboggan sled ride. We caught a ski-lift to the top of the mountain. It was a LONG way up there, and the views were stunning – green fields everywhere, mountains surrounding the western side and the ocean encompassing the east. Then there was a LONG bobsled run all the way back down the mountain. Impressively, Jaxson and Chanel had a go at this well before any adults were there to supervise. We were amazed!

Our day ended as the sun descended, making the cool air a little too much for the children playing in the water. Chicko’s for dinner was superb!

Friday I was supposed to be back into the schoolwork. Instead I went for only my third surf since November. Finally some quality waves. It was only short, but it felt terrific. Kylie convinced me to mow the lawn rather than go to school as I only had a couple of hours before I needed to leave for Sydney. Kylie prevailed. I took care of things at home before racing off to Sydney to visit my Nanna Bunt in hospital. She hasn’t been doing so well lately. I was disappointed to only have about 15 minutes with her but was running late to get to the temple. It has been many months since I’ve attended the temple and it felt good to be there.

Dad and I left the temple and went to a lovely little Italian restaurant up the street for garlic prawns, pizza, and Mexicana veal. It was satisfying in every way and a terrific way to conclude the evening. Then I drove to the airport to pick up two wonderful friends for Kylie and Chanel: Luwana Holzworth and her daughter, Brittany. We arrived home at midnight, completely spent.

The remainder of the weekend Chanel and Brittany played, and Kylie and Luwana talked. They had a wonderful time reacquainting. Kylie took everyone (except me) on a hike around Mt. Keira. Plenty of leeches once again, and unfortunately another VERY big red-bellied black snake. We’ve decided not to do any more hikes on that track!

I arose earlier than I wanted to and rode my bike a very difficult 60km south to Berry. A church Young Men’s camp was on. We enjoyed a beautiful day, ran around and played a lot of sport (which my team won convincingly – I’m not competitive, I just like to win), and ate a terrible cold dinner around the blazing campfire. It sounds so good, and it was until the storm! A howling south-east wind coupled with lots of rain meant that I was awake most of the night. The weather was no better on Sunday as we huddled under a tarp together. Despite this we had some highlights.

Sacrament meeting was held at 11am with some reprieve from the rain. It was a good meeting, and it felt good to take bread and water and focus on Goodness in such unique and otherwise distracting circumstances. Later in the afternoon we had another meeting where all of the returned missionaries spoke briefly about their mission experiences. That was wonderfully uplifting. By that time I was turning into an icicle. I had not packed sufficient warm clothing and the weather was relentless. I managed to catch a ride home around 7pm. Kylie had saved me some of her roast chicken dinner. Amazing! My wife is thoughtful beyond words. The steaming roast potatoes made me feel like I was in heaven. And that amazing gravy… wow. A LONG shower warmed my bones, and I fell comfortably asleep before 8pm. A wonderful week.

Two Weeks in the Blink of an Eye

Two weeks will vanish in the blink of an eye! The week ending Sunday the 29th March was relatively uneventful. I put in a rigorous week at uni, Kylie was flat out with the children, the house, her volunteer work with the pre-school and blind bike riders, and who knows what else. But little occurred that is noteworthy in any way. The only highlight is that the bank approved an extension to our home loan so we can repay our debt to mum and dad. We are looking forward to the funds being ready to draw down and for mum and dad being able to receive their money.

Saturday the 28th was a tremendous day, perhaps even the highlight of the week. Kylie and I had planned on enjoying as much of a sleep-in and cuddle as possible. However Ella had me awake right on 6am. I put her back to bed and she settled into sleep quickly, but I was awake. I decided that I may as well go for my usual 70km Saturday ride. As I left the house little Annie awoke. That meant Kylie was awake too. My ride was great! I arrived home to find an annoyed wife, but she had created a beautifully clean home. Plus the family was ready to go hiking. I gobbled a banana sandwich down (not nearly enough) and we piled into the car. Kylie eventually forgave me for leaving her in the morning and our hike began.

Our Mt. Keira hike was a genuine adventure. My legs were already weary from the ride, so carrying Annie on my back for 5km up and down a mountain only added to the fatigue. Despite this, things went really well on the hike. We made dozens of stops along the way though. Leeches were everywhere. Fortunately I had brought the salt and it came in very handy. I think I probably removed somewhere between 100 and 150 leeches from Kylie and the girls. It was astounding. But the children were mostly very brave about it, and have learnt a lot about how leeches work.

I told them all about old Nanna Bunt (1903-2001 I think), Pop Bunt’s mum. When she was a young girl she used to go down to the local creek and allow the leeches to fasten themselves to her legs. Then she and her friends or siblings would remove the leeches and put them into jars to sell at the hospital. The children were comforted to know that nothing fatal would occur. It felt good to talk about a much-loved ancestor and pass on a small part of her life to the children.

Perhaps the scariest experience of our hike was the red-bellied black snake. Abbie was several metres ahead of everyone else, leading our family up the track. Kylie was next in line with Chanel. I was some distance back with Ella and Annie. Kylie stopped suddenly, frozen in her tracks. As I approached her, Kylie motioned towards the side of the track. Curled up in a neat bundle was a very long snake, watching the track – and Kylie. Abbie had already walked several metres past the snake. Should we call Abbie back to us or follow her past the snake? After some nervous moments we each walked past the snake, hugging the side of the path opposite the snake, hearts pounding through our chests. It watched us, tongue flicking in and out, but it never moved. We were relieved to finally reach the car again. Leeches were nothing compared to a red-bellied black snake!

When we finally returned to the car everyone’s shoes and socks were removed in search of more leeches. We compared blood stains in our socks before returning home for lunch to await mum and dad’s visit. They arrived late in the afternoon and we moved furniture around (having arranged for a new washing machine and freezer to be delivered to cater for the ongoing and growing needs of our family). Kylie and I were treated to dinner at a local restaurant for our anniversary while mum and dad looked after the children. We were so tired we were home by 9pm though! A terrific day.

Last Sunday I did something I’ve never done before. I sang with my dad. I love my dad’s singing and to share the experience with him was tremendous. We sang in sacrament meeting, Jesus the Very Thought of Thee.

O hope of every contrite heart, o joy of all the meek
To those who fall, how kind thou art. How good to those who seek.

There was no fanfare, and few comments from those who heard it. But a simple hymn was sung with a powerful and important message. It meant something to me. And it meant even more because I shared it with my dad. I don’t sing too well, but what made me feel great was singing with dad. Dad is one of the most beautiful singers I’ve heard. But despite the discrepancy between our ability’s, dad wasn’t too proud to sing with me. I was grateful for today’s time with him. Our afternoon with mum and dad was short but warm memories were created. Dad was in a great mood and joked with the children. Mum was relaxing a little and letting go of agendas and directives. A treat and blessing to share time with family.

This past week has been excruciating in its intensity. Monday we began the process of rearranging the house after mum and dad delivered many more furniture items than we had expected (or needed). I spent a weary day at university teaching. It was refreshing to take the children to the beach for Family Home Evening. We played in the water and on the sand for a couple of hours as we made use of the final Monday of daylight savings until next Spring.

Tuesday was busy at uni again, and in the evening we almost finished putting the billy-carts together for the young men at church. They’ve really enjoyed the activity and we’ve all learned a lot about handyman stuff.

Wednesday Kylie and I were not feeling great. Annie kept us up almost all night with high temperatures. Early morning (around 1am) Kylie had sent me off to the spare room so I could have a little bit of sleep. She stayed up with the baby. I don’t know how she functions on so little sleep. I arrived at uni bleary eyed and had just started working when the fire alarms went off. A ‘suspicious package’ had been found on the third floor so the building was evacuated for a couple of hours while the bomb squad were called. It was nothing other than an unwanted and irritable frustration in an already difficult morning. We cynically joked that it was likely to have been someone’s lunchbox left in a strange place and spotted by a paranoid security team member. I cancelled my appointment to apply for volunteer work with Lifeline on the phones. I have enough on my plate for now.

Thursday and Friday began the same way as Wednesday, with a screaming baby throughout the night. Again Kylie sent me to the spare room so I could sleep in order to work the following day. I was reasonably productive but Kylie was immensely tired by Friday night. It was a blessing that Annie slept all night without a sound on Friday.

Saturday we awoke, still tired from a huge week but refreshed enough to feel like the day could be a good one. We went to the park next to Wollongong City Beach for the children to practice on their bikes. As we arrived we saw police and SES workers all over the beach and headland. A helicopter was slowly flying along the coast. A drunk party-goer from overseas had gone for a swim in huge seas at 1am the night before and disappeared. We felt sad at the wasted life caused by a silly decision, but grateful for our family being together and safe.

Abbie, I have decided, is not ever going to be a champion athlete. Our little angel has many beautiful and special gifts and talents. But athleticism is not one of them. This poor little girl is not particularly good on a bike. In fact no matter how much time we spend practicing she cannot get it. And that’s WITH training wheels! I’m sure it will happen for her in time. But now is not the time! Ella on the other hand is amazing! She spent the morning zipping and zooming at great speed along the path. Chanel speculated that we may have a champion cyclist in the family, and it is not Chanel or I. Ella loves to run, swim, cycle, throw, jump, and so on. It was nice to see the girls play. And Annie developed a love for the slide and the swing at the park. She has not had many opportunities to use playground equipment, but I sense more visits will be necessary to keep her happy!

Today, Sunday, was the first day of standard time again. I love it when daylight savings is over. It seems natural and right to get up at 6.30am with the sun shining, and have it disappear at 7pm. And tonight was a joy to have the children sleeping before 7! Wow. Time to write, think, talk to Kylie, and relax. Beautiful.

Our morning was difficult. Annie has developed a rash. Rather than risk church we went to the doctor to be told it may be measles, rubella, or some other virus manifesting itself through a rash. The doc couldn’t be precise because it’s still too early. Fortunately Annie is sleeping now after such a tough week. Chanel was particularly troublesome and I didn’t cope well. We tried to resolve things – mediocre success. Then I took the kids to church (late), but my heart wasn’t in it today and I took little away from the meetings. Abbie gave a talk in primary which was cute. She is an amazingly sweet and good little child. This afternoon Chanel learned a lesson. Things go well when you listen to your parents, and they go bad when you don’t. After considerable time in her bedroom experiencing hubris, Chanel returned to our family much changed. A huge roast dinner with a happy family made for a perfect gift to complete our week.