Another thing Jack did today on his very busy day was make his first batch of cupcakes. I think he has decided that he is in charge of quality control and stuck his finger in each cupcake before and after they were cooked. Some of the cooked ones had big craters in them. I got him a step to stand on so he could supervise the whole process, which he took to mean eat as many cupcakes as he could. Most enjoyable!
Today was a very busy day. We went to the botanical gardens in Wagga. The miniature railway was running (only every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month) and I thought Jack would appreciate it due to his Thomas obsession. We arrived just in time for the last ride before lunch, paid our $2 and hopped aboard. Thankfully we were all wearing the right footwear. We later heard some women in gladiator sandals grumbling that they hadn't been allowed aboard (enclosed footwear only). We scored a nice little steam train that tooted and hissed as it whizzed along the tracks around the gardens. 
The railway, which is run by volunteers, was fun and I think Jack liked it, not that you can tell from the photos as he looks very serious. Probably wandering what I was doing with the camera.
S and I enjoyed it.
After the train we went to the playground (which was chock full of bogan kiddies) and the zoo. The zoo is not particularly exotic and is seriously smelly but the kids like it. Jack pointed a lot and said, "This!"
He was quite happy to admire the animals from afar but not so keen on getting up close. Much to our horror he was quite taken with the peacocks but refused to make his pig noises when we saw the pigs. 
We were expecting an empty pen but the pig has been replaced. 
We'd heard that the last one had been stolen allegedly by someone of 'pacific islander' appearance who was having a hangi. After the zoo we fed some ducks and picked up some hints on parenting bogan style (make lots of loud, empty threats). 
It's been spring here for a month and there have been lots of blossoms blossoming and all that sort of stuff we associate with warmer weather (including dust storms). But really the best indication is when you notice how much frolicking is going on around here. No, not us it's the lambs which are popping up or should I say out everywhere and leaping around in the sunshine with their cute little helicoptering tails. Too cute for words, so here's a pic or two.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a toddler in possession of a television, must be in want of a Thomas wardrobe.
It all started with the two
boxes of Thomas clothes,
or maybe it was before
then when Jack received
two Thomas books (Jack
and Gordon of course)
when he was born. I had
been told that a mother I
knew had been scolded
by her son for not intro-
ducing him to Thomas
early enough. At the time
I was sceptical, but after
a week of Jack insisting
on wearing at least one
item of Thomas clothing
a day, though the more
he had on the happier he
was, I am beginning to
think it is true.
Jack is obsessed
with Thomas the tank
engine. My parents
bought two boxes of
Thomas clothes at a charity auction. At first he just played with the boxes and spent
a lot of time unpacking and packing them all day long. Then something
clicked in his brain and he started taking notice of what was on the clothes. He'd point
at Thomas and say, "This!"
Now when he finds a Thomas t shirt or pair of underpants (yes, they do make them and don't
put them on your head for a laugh as Jack does not find this amusing) and demands to be
dressed in them. This is resulting in some very strange outfits but a very happy boy.
We're a cynical lot here. We're known for putting people in their place; enthusiastically decapitating those proverbial tall poppies. So you can imagine when I found out that there is a new deli in Junee and it's called the Sleepy Ferret I was delighted and perplexed in equal measures and could not wait to mention it in the blog. I even found out that the owner has a blurb in the local paper and after reading the latest one and not knowing quite what to make of his recipe for duck eggs cooked with whole garlic cloves, blood orange and prosciutto I couldn't wait to, well, give them a savaging all for the sake of a few laughs. I mean why would you call a deli the sleepy ferret?
