War Memorials, Picnics and Doll-house Sized Cabins



On Monday we loaded all of our bags into the car and set off. We were going on an adventure! We were going to stay in a cabin in Canberra, our capital city. We had done this once before a few years ago. While we were in Canberra, we were going to visit the National Museum of Australia, the Australian War Memorial and Questacon. Questecon is a science centre.

The trip was a long one but luckily I didn't get bored because I was reading an awesome book. We were going to the National Museum of Australia first before going to the cabin.

"We are here!" Dad shouted, from the front of the car.


I looked up and quickly put away my book and MP3 player. We all piled out of the car (except the boys who were at home looking after Nora and the cats). 

The museum had an exhibit on horses that we were going to look at first.

"Let's have lunch before do anything," Mum suggested.

We all agreed that eating would be a good idea.


We found a nice place to sit and Imogen began to put together the rolls we had brought. We had ham, cheese and the traditional potato salad. 

After lunch we entered the museum. We were soon lost amongst trophies, carriages and saddles. The people who had worn the dresses that were on display must have been tiny (about Charlotte's height).

By the time we had walked around the entire horse exhibit my feet were sore and I was quite ready to go home.


We climbed wearily back into the car and we drove the short distance to the cabins. Mum got the key and we found our cabin. We all trundled into the cabin and looked around. The cabins were just as we remembered them. I was sure the entire cabin would fit into our living room at home.


Imogen and Dad went to the shops to get dinner while we watched one of our favourite movies, "Beauty and the Beast". 

The next morning I awoke long before anybody else. I was in a top-bunk. There was two sets of bunk beds in our room and only one ladder to get onto them. Luckily the ends of the bunk-beds were close together so I could climb onto Imogen's  bed and then onto my own. I had to wait for ages for everybody to wake up lest I make a noise and wake them. Sophie woke and began coughing. Her hand whacked the wall and the whole cabin shook. I looked at the roof, certain that it would come down on our heads.

For the second day we went to the War Memorial. It was a very depressing place. We were soon all feeling a bit down.


We went to see a video on a massive screen about the Australians trying to take down Berlin. As soon as the gun shots started I put my fingers in my ears. It was so loud. We saw lots and lots of medals and guns and more war videos. We saw one from the Vietnam war about people getting off helicopters. It was very dark when we were watching it and they had flashing lights and wind to make you really feel like you were in a helicopter. I clung to Charlotte trying to block my ears at the same time. When we came out of the room Charlotte said I looked like a startled hamster.


On the last day of our holiday we went to Questacon and got to play with science and learn about it. Our brains got meddled with a lot. We saw a show on Perceptions and we felt so stupid afterwards. Even when the man explained what was happening our brains could not keep up.



Finally we went home, feeling happy but tired. There is no place like home. Nora and the cats were very glad to see us!        

Dog Toys




Our puppy Nora is a very strange dog. She drags all my brother Callum's car parts he has stacked up at the bottom of the garden and sorts them into piles. She has chewed up her bed with stuffing, and her stretcher bed, and pulls all the washing off the line. (She likes pyjamas and tights best.) It is clear she is bored.

"What if I sew her some toys?" I suggested to Mum.

"She will chew them up too," Mum warned.

"Hopefully it will stop her chewing everything else up," I replied.

I found an old tea-towel and cut it into a dog bone shape. I sewed it up together and stuffed it before taking outside for Nora. Two minutes later stuffing was all over the garden and the tea-towel nowhere to be seen. Next I twisted some socks up and sewed them in place. Nora didn't manage to eat this one so quickly. I decided that I probably should not make toys with stuffing because when Nora rips them apart, it goes everywhere,

I hope the toys stop Nora from chewing everything up (not that there is much left in the garden that she hasn't already eaten!)