Thursday 16 January 2014

Exxopolis, moving statues, blue skies, the harbour bridge and the Sydney ferry - all in a days work for mum!

I was going to post all these cool colourful photos for Wordless Wednesday but my iphoto has gone crazy and is starting to test my patience!!  I should add that I am not very technical and when things don't do what they're supposed to do and Dr Google is no help, I start to get very cranky (stamps left foot!!).  Anyway Mr D sort of, somehow, managed to get it half working so todays post is just going to have to be a bit more of a wordy not so Wednesday post.

I decided the kids (plus one extra) into the city the other day to wear them out for a bit of school holiday fun and it turned out to be the most specular day, and I even had fun.  I sound like a bit of a pessimist here, but after nearly 5 weeks of school holidays the kids are just bored, bored, bored at home and I'm finding it sooo much harder (quite exasperating actually) to keep them entertained.
Sydney Harbour twinkling in all it's summer glory.  It always 'wows' me no matter how many times I see it.
Going into the city in the school holidays with four kids has it's challenges - like making sure they don't get run over (which nearly happened), making sure they don't fall in the water (almost nearly happened) and not losing any (actually that did happen - but only for a second!!).

We got the bus straight in and then took a slow walk around Circular Quay.  I would have been happy to have sat down and watched the view for hours but they kids were far too excited. "Come on mum, look at this guy - he has no head!!!" shouts Miss H.  "Yeah he has, it's hiding under his shirt" replied Master J sarcastically, as only a big brother could.  Aaaah, wouldn't things be so much easier if sibling rivalry didn't exist!!

Master J soon changed his tune though, when one of the 'statues' we were staring at suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him in.  He jumped so high that even I had to giggle.  After regaining his 'cool', he and his little buddy did their absolute best to get the 'statue' to talk, but he never uttered a word.  It reminded me a bit of the Beefeaters outside Buckingham Palace in London.  I don't know how they do it!!

Miss H is her element - if only she could have worn those sparklies ALL day!
We finally made it round to the Opera House where the Exxoplis Exhibition is set up (just in front of the main stairs).  It's HUGE balloon like structure is quite impressive and the kids couldn't wait to get inside.  We'd pre-booked our time slot though (which I highly recommend as it means a LOT less queueing in the sweltering heat), so we had an hour to kill before we could let them loose inside.  Only one way to deal with that .......... FOOD!!
Once inside it was like being transported to different world.  There are all sorts of different tunnels and rooms all glowing with different colours.  It was like being tapped inside a gigantic balloon.  The kids absolutely LOVED how each room made their skin and clothes change a different colour.  The shapes on the ceilings and the walls were pretty cool too and it was like being inside a really pretty rabbit warren (the kind I'd like to live in if I was a rabbit).  The kids ran, crawled, rolled, laid upside down just soaked it all up like little sponges.




Lots and lots of coloured tunnels.  I'd love to know what it must look like through her eyes!
Me joining in on the fun!!  It's pretty cool watching your feet change colour as you walk (or maybe thats just me, lol)
It's called the Festival of Air and I must say is was strangely relaxing walking around.  They didn't let too many people in at once, so it wasn't over crowded and there was a really subtle, gentle music wafting around.  If I didn't have four kids with me I could have laid down and had a nap.

Anyway, if you are in or around Sydney for the next week I can highly recommend you check it out!  Anyone of any age will love it and you can either book tickets online or just buy them when you get there (but I would get them online if I were you).

After we rolled out the balloon and back into the real world, there was only one thing left to do and that was head straight back home to the beach for a cooling dip in the Ocean.  The ferry ride home was just spectacular too (apart from almost loosing two boys overboard)!!!  I do love Sydney in the summer.

How are you school holidays going??














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8 comments:

  1. Looks like a fun day! My two adore Exxopolis too, such a beautiful installation :-)

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    1. It was like being a big kid again - I would have been happy to roll around in there too if I didn't have to be responsible! x

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  2. What a wonderful festival Robyn, no wonder the kids loved it! We're 6.5 weeks into the holidays, with 1.5 still to go! Thank goodness for the pool and beach :)

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    1. We have 1.5 weeks to go too. I have had a fabulous holiday but I must admit I am more than ready for school to start now xx

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  3. I've heard the Exxopplis Exhibition is amazing! Hope to get there before it finishes! Your photos are beautiful, Robyn! x

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    1. Thanks Grace. Your boys would LOVE it - you should go if you have a chance xx

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  4. Wow looks like so much fun. Glad you had fun too not easy keeping track of kids in places like that. Great photos !!

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    1. Crowds and busy beaches are my worst nightmare when I'm solo parenting, so I think I did pretty well, lol xxx

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