"With the possible exception of the equator, everything begins somewhere." - C.S. Lewis

Thanksgiving Day Australian style dawned with a downpour. Here a rainy day consists of rain for about a half hour and then the sun decides to make an appearance. Not really complaining though. We chose today to have a turkey dinner so all could be present. Thanksgiving isn't celebrated in Australia--it's an American tradition--and turkeys are not generally available, but a (long-) frozen one was found.  Eden started back to school today after a 2 week spring break. She was pretty adorable with her school uniform on (another tradition that works very well here). Their use of outdoor space at the school is quite efficient. Their backpacks are all lined up on shelves outside the classroom and the water fountains are also outside. The schools here are fenced in so they are very secure.

Here is Eden in her school uniform, ready to walk to school. Her hair was really wet so I just pulled 

it into a pony. She wanted to do a ballet pose for Grampie (that's why her foot is twisted)!! We will probably get a better shot tomorrow.

Katie was in grand spirits today - not sure whether it was because her sister was back in school and she had Dad and Mum to herself or whether she just had a great sleep. She is quite the little thinker though. Andrew and I were heading out to the local hardware store (think Home Depot) and she decided she wanted to come with us because they have fun trolleys (shopping carts) for the younger set. Andrew and her had quite the conversation, with Katie trying to convince Grampie that it was too far to walk and that we could put her car seat in our car so she could go. Quite the little debater for a 3 year old. 

We all enjoyed a turkey dinner and had opportunity to say what we were thankful for. Eden picked school and Katie, she's thankful for bread. Just a few more pics of our meal together.

 This is the selection of Australian pumpkins - note they are all labelled pumpkins, not squash. I kind of thought the grey one was rather unappealing.

 And the table is set, ready to start, the only thing missing was the sweet potato - I underestimated the cooking time. Notice the girls are starting with the lingonberry sauce. 

 The excitement on Eden's face for a piece of apple pie is so cute.

And I will leave you with the flower of the day - spring is a beautiful time to visit this country.

A bougainvillea in full bloom.