The summer of Morgan Freeman

From his stint on the 70s kids show The Electric Company. Priceless.

Whether by coincidence or an unseen entity, this summer has been shaping out to be one of toddlers, sleep schedules, and Morgan Freeman. He's always been a steady presence in my movie repertoire, but suddenly he's just there. (Or maybe that's just because of my sister's influence.)  I've seen three of his movies this summer, and I have a feeling that won't be the end. With that voice, how can it be? So far I've watched:

1. The Magic of Belle Isle

2. RED

And most recently,

3. 5 Flights Up

A bit of a low budget film with a smallish plot, but still really nice to watch. And ok, I've seen more movies with MF than these three, but I just find it interesting that it's just been an ongoing run with his films as of late. After all, he is a superb actor!

So, where's that pot of gold located?

I took this after a rain shower the other day. Perth seems to be becoming synonymous with torrential downpours, followed by sun showers and rainbows. Pretty!

Baby leads a modern dance class

Since I'm living with a toddler on a day to day basis, anything related to age 3 and lower makes for good blog content. Especially where the art of modern dance is involved.

Soaking up the sun

A recent visit to the beach where I--dare I say it??--actually spent time in the sun.

The weather as of late has taken a turn for the better. It went above 20 on the thermometer last week, and hit 25 this Saturday (thus the beach pic). Gorgeous! 

The days just seem to roll into one another here, and before I know it, it's the weekend. Maybe it's because I have such a basic schedule to work around during the day: activities in the morning, come home for lunch, put H down for his nap for two hours (at least), play around with him in the afternoon... Then I'm relieved of my position at 5:30.

I've gotten used to things around here, although something will throw me for a loop on occasion. Now it's no longer the roads and round-abouts, but sometimes it's my new phone number (still trying to remember), the expense of a medium sized coffee(!), looking up measurements for ingredients through the metric system, leaving the apartment sans toddler... Little things like that. Plus the fact that cafes aren't open in our area on Sundays. (Hrrrmm.) 

Speaking of ingredients, a few weeks ago I proposed a weekly cooking challenge, where we each had to cook a meal during week as part of a challenge. I was first up, and my challenge was... Lasagna!
I was slightly apprehensive at first, because, let's face it--who cooks a better lasagna than your mother?

But in the end, I'm pleased to say that it was a hit. I would have taken a picture to show off my crowning achievement, but it was too delicious to live. If you're curious as to recipe I tried, go here.

Below are some shots I've taken over the past week and a bit...

Probably the closest I'll ever get to one of these guys/girls.

The other big thing I've noticed since staying here is that I've never seen any road kill. Not in the city streets, nor the outer areas like along highways. The closest I've seen to anything was a dead parrot on one of those islands in the middle of the street, and that one probably just crapped out from old age. Having said that, it's nice not to see any poor dead things along the sides of the road, but it's still a bit weird. (But maybe that's only because I come from a place where raccoons are forever prowling the streets in search of food.)

Dear Harrison

A Sunday morning at the beach

Hi! Your Aunty Maddy here. I'm writing this post while you are in the midst of your afternoon nap, and hopefully you will wake up nice and refreshed. This is our second week of hanging out together; hope you're enjoying it as much as I am! I've only been here in Perth a few weeks, but it's been great getting to know you and your ever-growing personality. It's hard to believe you are already a year old! 

We've quickly settled into a routine now that your Mum's back at work. I was worried at first that you would be bored, or that you would miss her... You did, I'm sure, for the first day or two, because you clung to her like a monkey (your favourite animal) when she came home, and cried whenever she went into another room. However! I've made sure to keep you well-occupied during the day with some activities:

Mondays and Wednesdays we take a trip down to Subiaco for Rhyme Time at the library. There are lots of other kids your age there with their mums (dads too, sometimes), and we sit and listen to some fun rhymes and songs, such as 'Galumph went the frog', and the crowd pleaser Hoky Poky. There's also a stuffed dog named Billy who participates, and you adore him! (You'd probably take him home if you could.) And if it's not the dog that excites you, it's usually the fish swimming in the tank. Of course, we do some reading as well, but you tend to get distracted mid-story...

On Tuesdays and Thursdays we visit the gym for toddler time, where you can crawl (or pretty soon, toddle) around as you please: there are bouncy balls galore, things to climb on, musical instruments to shake... 

Of course, we may not always stick to this schedule over the next few months; we might have other things to do, like meet up with friends in the park, or perhaps try out another toddler-friendly activity. But if there's one thing we've learned early on with you, you're happiest when you're out and about. (But naps are a necessity.) Perth's a great city to grow up in; there's a ton of things for kids to do! When you're older, you'll see just how amazing the playgrounds here are.

This playground in Kings Park looks like a pirate ship. What kid wouldn't want to play here?

Now that you're a year old(!), you're going to go through some interesting stages: discovering new things, understanding words, eating new foods, and the big one... Walking! This past weekend you took your first few independent wobbly steps (which I managed to catch on camera), and celebrations were had. Of course you're mostly still crawling around, and need help standing up on your feet, but you're getting closer everyday. 

All this can make a kid (and adult!) exhausted. You get grumpy sometimes when you're tired, but when you're happy, your laugh is probably one of the greatest things in the world. It's crossed between a hiccup and something else, and it's basically music to our ears. (Your excited arm-flailing comes in a close second.)

Well, I better sign off here, because it won't be long before you're up again. 

Will check in again soon!

Out and about

Early morning latte with a side of toddler.

 If you want to get to know a new city, walking helps considerably... Said everyone ever, of course. So that's what I've been doing this past week, and will be doing for the next few months: walking all over the place. And bit by bit, I'm getting more used to way things are done here in Perth. I couldn't get over all of the round-abouts, but I'm better adjusted now. (Even when the pedestrians don't have the right of way *scoffs*)

Perth on a Sunday morning.

Ah, the silence.

 The good thing is that everything is within reasonable walking distance. I can go to the park, get coffee, the library, shop, get coffee... I have yet to find one bad cappuccino/flat white in the coffee shops I've visited.

Clearly I'm already a fan.

Getting to know the locals...

The other thing I'm getting used to is living around a one-year-old. There are pets, and then there are toddlers. Toddlers are funny, because it's that stage when they are discovering everything (and the stage where you have to start watching their every move like a hawk). You point something out, and they will notice it. Sometimes they will laugh, and other times they will cry. If you can manage to go a day without making them cry in some way, mission accomplished. But they will, inevitably, cry.

A vineyard we visited for quality wine tasting

This week I've began the task of nephew watching. I'll be taking him out the library and park, and to a toddler-centric gym where he can crawl around and climb on mats. 

In other news, there was a shooting in our neighbourhood on Monday morning. I'm here one week and the crime rate is already soaring in Perth. (Normally it's zilch.)  I feel like I brought a piece of dirty Toronto with me. 

Also, I finally got Instagram! When I don't have my SLR on me, my phone is what I'll be using instead, and it's more than likely one of those photos will end up on the gram'.