Rocklea Marketplace

When we are feeling ambitious and lazy we go to the Rocklea markets on Saturday morning. Ambitious because we have to get ourselves up on a weekend morning and walk among hundreds of other people who don't care about their personal space. Lazy because it means I don't have to make breakfast; I get to order a bacon and egg roll and suck down a mocha. Mary buys the kids a carrot juice and they race to see who can get more than their share.

We also catch up on our fruit and veg shopping for the week. There are about ten different stands selling the same selection of fruit, so we scope out who has be best produce for the price. It is my version of hunting and gathering. I feel very primal when I am doing it.

I think Mary likes the whole "buying from farmers" aspect of it, even though we know many of the people running the fruit stands are not farmers themselves. Still, they let us live the fantasy that the food we are buying is somehow fresher and better for us than buying it in a supermarket.

The more observant of you may have noticed that Cora has a massive bruise on her forehead. It appears that a puddle of water, gravity and the bathroom floor were all conspiring against her. I wasn't there so I can't elaborate, but it is a beauty to behold.

And on a completely unrelated topic, Cole has started giving me advice. Today's nugget (and words to live by, in my opinion) was: "Dad, if you see a spider web, just back away." I believe I will.

paper airplanes

Cole has discovered paper airplanes. A few of the big kids at church have been making them and he was drawn to the craft.

In his search for the ideal shape he has gone through quite a few designs. He is also refining his folding skills and has a pile of discarded planes to show for it. I can see him making progress with each one and it is fun for me to watch. With his drawing skills, it takes months to see progression of his fine motor control and visual composition. Folding planes has been so interesting to me because I can see him learning with each attempt. He is also brilliant at copying my designs by watching me fold.

The other thing I like about it is that he gets instant feedback from his efforts. He is also nice enough to make an extra plane for his sister to toss around the living room.

His thirst for folding is causing our paper supplies to dwindle. I don't have the heart to tell him to stop making new planes, so I bring home waste paper from work, and we keep buying him more. While other parents are teaching their kids about recycling, I am encouraging mine to be a major contributor to deforestation. I keep telling myself it will balance out when he discovers a fuel saving scramjet design by the time he is nine.