Botanics (continued)

The view from where we were sitting

The boy was initially quite happy just to wander around the grass looking for rare plants to uproot

Then he realised the fascination all asians seem to have with blond hair and blue eyes and spent the rest of his time being coo-ed over by a family of Japanese kids.

 

Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha

We spent today wandering around the botanics at Mount Coot-tha (there is another in the City Centre) with the boy in tow as usual.

These are pretty nice gardens - there are a few themed areas, like the bonsai garden (oldest bonsai was from 1941, which is about as old as anything in Brisbane).


These ranged from fairly colourful ones...


To more leafy and fairly uninspired ones (this is about 5 inches tall).


Though we all preferred the Japanese Garden which is very tranquil. Jen and I relaxed on the grass in the sun, while the boy wandered around on the grass for a bit.

 

Boy at the Beach (continued)

So it turns out that little Tommo did have some damage. He has severed a nerve, a ligament and a tendon. I would presume from the sound of it (I haven't seen it) that he will have done his radial collateral ligament of his thumb, his radial digital nerve that runs adjacent, and flexor pollicis longus (all the non-drs can ignore that bit). He was three hours in theatre but following the repair they seem optimistic of a good outcome. How Tom and his parents will cope with a 14 month old in plaster for six weeks is another matter entirely.

Callum predictably spent the whole afternoon eating. First about 4 strawberries, then a portion of chopped pear, then about 6 mini biscuits, then a normal sized biscuit, and a few of Jen's chips from the chippy next to the water. Bit of a blow out for him as he usually eats fairly healthily - I was expecting him just to have the pear and maybe a strawberry or two which would be his usual luchtime portion, so we ran out of good food while out and he wasn't taking no for an answer.

We stayed until the sun started going down over the river - this is a little inlet from the sea where there are a pile of boats moored at some quay.

And a few pelicans (Redcliffe is swarming with them) wandering along behind a little tin boat hoping for some cast-offs.

 

Boy at the Beach

We took the boy down to Sutton's Beach in Redcliffe today. Granny and Grandpa Jeffrey were babysitting Jack as cousin Tom has had an accident and is in hospital. Tom had grabbed a bottle of beer which was being put into the fridge and run off with it after being given into trouble for it. In a don't-run-with-scissors moment he fell onto it and cut his hand, so is under the knife to assess (and maybe repair) whatever damage he has done (nerve, tendon) to his hand. Hopefully there isn't any nerve or tendon damage but we won't know until the surgery (should be done by now).
Callum predictably though the sand was great, although I don't think it was as tasty as he hoped. He and Jack ran around for a while getting sand in their bumcracks to complain about later.

Later we headed off to the playpark beside the beach where he was at most bemused by this thing, which was a sort of spring-loaded see-saw. There was some sort of ADHD kid who kept jumping on and off the other side, but Callum took it all in his stride.

He liked the chute much more though, to the point of getting in a strop when we tried to take him away from it.
So mummy had to go up and down about ten times to keep him entertained. 

Callum's New Roof

 

The boy got his first haircut today. Granny Jeffrey scalped him with a pair of clippers. He was mostly tolerant, which was something of a surprise. At least he looks like a boy again.