Celebrating Australia Day & A Fabulous Movie Recommendation

The Australian Ambassador hosted a wonderful evening at his house.  We were lucky to get invited by our friend Edward.  It turns out the Ambassador's son also goes to Charlie's school and is one of the big boys in Grade 7.  They had a giant movie screen set up in their beautiful backyard and although it is the rainy season here it was a perfect night for an outdoor movie.

The Ambassador gave a very funny speech and talked about how South Africa can learn things from Australia, like how to handle a great white shark.

In case you missed it a famous Australian surfer punched a Great White shark during a surfing competition off the coast of South Africa;  here is a link if you want to see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4w9-K3GVbs

The staff of the High Commission then sang Waltzing Matilda (I was proud to sing along because we learned that in music class in 4th grade-good the girls weren't there or I would have embarrassed them by singing)

Then they played a funny commercial about Australia Day and how Australians have to eat lamb.
Here is the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i15OPuFvmA

We all ate really good lamb, then the Ambassador again spoke and introduced the film, called The Castle.  We hadn't really planned to stay for the movie, but he told us how it was a low budget film in Australia that has this big following and Australians quote lines from it all the time.  One line for example is, "This is going straight to the pool room".

I couldn't stop laughing the entire movie and I would put it in a league with Napoleon Dynamite & My Cousin Vinnie.  I checked and you can get it on Amazon..not sure where else.  Here is what the DVD cover looks like.  If you love a good laugh, this movie is for you!

The next morning we were at Charlie's school early for his bell ringing ceremony, where the Grade 1 boys get to ring the bell with a big Grade 7 boy.  Here is Charlie and his big buddy that walked him through when he rang the bell-another of the very wonderful traditions that they have at his amazing school.

Charlie went to a birthday party of one of his classmates on Saturday, Greg and I tagged along too.  It was at the boys farm near Pretoria.  The coolest part was it was a game farm (not a dairy farm like we had growing up in Illinois), So there were zebra, eland, waterbuck and a few other animals wandering around outside the fenced part with the beautiful house.  A zebra came to the gate to walk us out. Where else do you get to go to a birthday party with a real zebra?

Girls are well, loving being in the Senior School together, they are now on the tennis team and got to play doubles together the other day...we were asking them if they play like Venus and Serena!  Kelly of course said she is Serena, "because she is better"...we will see!

My big dilemma has been solved...I am going to a Mom's Valentine's Tea at Charlie's school next week and the invitation says...Dress:  Colorful with a morning hat.   

What the heck is a morning hat?  I had to ask my South African friend and after digging in my closet I and a little bedazzling, I think we found a hat that will work!