Wombats, parachutes Aliens and beer

There are four words you don’t usually find in one sentence.

We spent this last weekend at my folk’s house. My folks live in Canberra, which with a 7 year old is about a 31/2-hour drive. There was much excitement on the way down in the car – which there always is on the way to Canberra because we are going to see Thomas’s cousins Ann and Denis who Thomas loves beyond compare.

This time on the trip down we saw a plane filled with jumpers doing their thing out of a plane. It looked completely amazing as about a dozen parachutes flew in the air at sunset. Thomas madly trying to capture them on his new mobile phone (it is my old one and it isn’t connected to a service!).

Once we got there my very excited parents who had found that morning a wombat in their yard greeted us. This is not a common occurrence in Australia regardless of what Steve Irwin would have you believe, and in fact none of the adults could ever recall seeing a live wombat outside an animal farm or zoo before (dead ones beside the road are common).

When Mum rang and said they had found a wombat I thought it would be small but it was huge probably half a metre long and about 40 cms wide. Thomas was put on Wombat duty and kept going outside to check on him (we were all convinced the wombat had come to die as it was very old and mangy looking) every 15 minutes. He wandered off during the night (yes Mum and Dad had rung the wildlife people they said to leave him be) sometime – no doubt in the direction of the nearby reserve, which would be quieter, and without a very excited 7-year-old boy checking on him every 15 mins.

On Saturday night Gaye and I were about to head out to dinner while Thomas was put to bed by his grandparents when a neighbour rang to say “there seems to be an alien ship above the city” which needless to say brought us all out to the front garden to have a look. After looking around aimlessly at stars for sometime we gave up – only to have Thomas point out a large object with flashing lights on the horizon. The flashing lights were on the top and bottom, blue and red in colour and binoculars did not help establish what the thing could be. We sat out there looking at it for sometime – with Gaye singing songs from War of the Worlds.

It turned out to be a blimp (or limp as Thomas told his Dad last night).

We spent Sunday morning with my Dad cooking him a Father’s Day breakfast and giving him gifts (a tea towel with all of the kids from Thomas’ school on it and a Dixie Chicks CD) before driving home to Sydney and preparing cheesecake for Thomas’ Dad and his partner to come around after work and have desert for Father’s Day. Thomas present to his Dad this year was a fabulous card that said ‘ My Dad is as tall as an elephant, faster than the speed of light, as wonderful as a fairy, faster than Ms B (his teacher), cooler than a rock star by Thomas” and some beer which we had specially labelled with "Thomas’ Dad is the soccer coach" and a picture of Thomas at soccer.

“News” on Wednesday is going to consistent of Thomas showing photos from the weekend on a powerpoint display (News is way different in 2005 than in was in 1975!) but he has asked me if I can stay cause he just doesn’t think anyone will believe his weekend!