8 Gibson Crescent

Well, here we are in our own house. We've been here just over a month now and things have gone better then we'd even expected. The house has a lovely Mediterranean feel about it, with white tiled floors in some rooms and all the fixtures and fittings quality made. Bellbowrie is much breezier then Brookfield, which is fantastic as the house lends itself to being open and outdoorsy. You can see straight through to the back garden when the front door is open and the landscaping is really pretty. It takes me about 3 mins to drive to the primary school and Joey and Daisy moved from one school to another almost seamlessly. No more busy roads, no more crazy drivers, just peace and tranquillity. The birds in Brookfield were quite impressive, but the wildlife here is amazing. You wake to kookaburras, lorakeets, crickets, frogs, you name it, we probably hear it. Some mornings the noise is quite intense - it does actually 'wake' you and it literally is like living in a tropical rain forest - I don't think I'll ever get used to how loud the wildlife is, or take it for granted, it's mindblowing at times and probably for me, the biggest surprise about living in Australia.

We've had a few milestones too. Joey turned 7 and lost his first baby tooth. Barnaby turned 17 and bought a car, (Suzuki Swift), to share with David. Lucy is finally (for the last 3 days) going down to sleep in her cot at night. And although she migrates back into my bed during the night, it's a good start. She is crawling in her caterpillar way, eating one meal of pureed fruit and veg a day and saying 'dada'.

David finishes his line flying with Qantas tonight, and after 6mths flying with them, he's back on the Squadron on Thursday - so no break for him!

I'm beginning to feel human again. I no longer always have a small child attached to my arm, and I am starting to get out and about, exploring the local area and taking Poppy to music classes, playgroups and get togethers with other small children. There is no pre-schooling out here for her age, and i'm now considering putting her into 'Kindy' a few days a week. It's very expensive but I can't see how I can keep her occupied the way that she needs to be unless she goes. She's not due to start school until 2011, which is amazing since she was at preschool in the UK over a year ago...very different here.

I will post more pictures of the house, as and when I find time to take them and when I get a spare 2 mins....that's not often enough! :)