Pirate Girl!

Dear Great Gran,
Recently seen at the Gong:

'Hoist the main sail, ship's monkey!'

Naval gazing with binoculars: 'Giant barnacles on deck, Captain!'

Keeping a lookout with improvised binoculars...

...and with no binoculars.

When Buttons was playing with some older children at beach, the 8 year old saw a cargo ship pulling out from the steelworks and he called 'Look out there! A container tanker!' and his 3 year old brother corrected him, saying 'It's a sailing ship!' but Buttons contradicted them all with 'No, it's a pirate ship!'

love from
Brendan

Encore!

Dear Great Gran,

Our house continues to reverberate to the sounds of non-stop live hit-music from the jukebox with no off button or volume control!

Here Buttons grabs the goanna with Momo...

and pounds the ivories with Pippa...

Just as well we've got the piano tuned - I'm sure you can also appreciate the difference it has made!

No performance would be complete without a costume change into a ladybug costume and a solo number...
Here the ladybug dances in front of the 2nd birthday cake picture in the Women's Weekly cake book! (Plans are already being made for the next birthday cake!)

Finally, according to the Graeme Base children's book The Waterhole, what do ladybugs say? (please turn your head sideways for this one)

much love,
Brendan

Singing and Dancing

Dear Great Gran,
Ruthie has recently taken to busking in the lounge room, she is happy to take requests but insists that we place buttons in her hat at the end of each and every song. Here Ruth and Auntie Cherie are singing a duet complete with hand actions, although Cousin Sam doesn't look too impressed.
Nor does Sam look too impressed with the her solo efforts - in fact the polar bear seems more interested - and, in case you're wondering, the song is the Dingle Dangle Scarecrow with some improvised Farmer in the Dell musical book accompaniment.

Here's another duet, this time pounding the ivories with Pete.
Finally, here's a performance of Buttons and her dancing troupe in the park.

much love,
Brendan