Animal Adventures

So this time I managed to have my own animal adventure with a seal at Taronga Zoo.

As part of their activities they offer an opportunity to get up close and personal with a seal and to have your photo taken.

You can also ask as many questions as you like from the trainer. A great thing to do. Definitely recommended.

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Giraffes

There is something I find so appealing about giraffes.

They look like no other creature with their long necks. It is hard to imagine how they can balance, yet they have an awkward elegance.


It seems as though they are from another time and place.

Joanne Kee
http://www.ceressolutions.com.au/
http://www.placesandspaces.com.au/

A ferry trip to the office

One of the great things about living in Sydney is the beautiful harbour.

I am working at the Zoo at the moment and it is rather a pleasant thing to be able to catch a ferry to work, take in the harbour view. When work becomes a fog, it is great to be able to walk around, look at the animals, have some fresh air.

This must be one of the best situated zoos in the world.

Joanne Kee
http://www.ceressolutions.com.au/

Flu

So, the school flu finally hit at home with Arran feeling wobbly after swimming class on Saturday. Amazing that she made it through the class.

After an early night we managed to nurse her to enough strength to do a new workshop with Australian Theatre for Young People, which she really enjoyed. However, I reckon going to the movies with her Dad later in the day ensured a day off school on the Monday.

The dilema is, is she really sick enough to have a day off, or has she worked out how to pull a fake sicky? Well we gave her the benefit of the doubt.


Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

a change is as good as a holiday

This week's trend spotting, is probably an old concept revamped with blankets provided at a coffee shop. Makes sense in these times of global warming.

Made very aware of this by a visit to Brisbane where dam levels are at 17% and the influx of population is around 1500 per week. Couldn't believe the banks of the river were like Singapore with the mega high rises. So what is the point of living in Brisbane if it is like any other big city? I actually thought its charm was the relaxed pace.

I spent the week at the Australian International Music Market. Great fun, lots of performances, lots of networking, meeting new people, catching up with others.

How very nice to spend time on my own, what bliss to have a large bed to myself and no one to worry about except myself.

How equally nice to come back and spend the day hanging out with my daughter, but what devastation that I bought back a skirt that was too small! Won't be doing that again.

Joanne Kee
http://www.ceressolutions.com.au/

Head Lice

Well the last day of the school holidays and horror, as my daugher off to the hair dressers for a cut was found to have head lice. This was a bit annoying as we had taken her to the chemist and the Doctor as she had been scratching her head, but she had been given the all clear. So obviously the hair dresser knows best.

Strangely no-one else in the family had the eggs, but we have now all had the treatment.

Of course, you can't go to school with head lice, so we had an extended school holiday in our house.

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Animal adventures and Harry Potter

Two totally different activities.

One a day at the Zoo on the Animal Adventures program, a behind the scenes opportunity to look at what a vet does. This was obviously a fantastic day spent at Taronga Zoo by my 7 year old, judging by her enthusiasm and recounting of animal behaviour stories. Sadly I didn't get to see myself, but there were birds involved and lots to see and do.

The other extreme was Harry Potter's new movie. Seeing it at IMAX was a bit of a con, as only the last 20 minutes were in 3D. So we had to put up with the ridiculous queues, smelly venue, super large pixels and sitting too close that made stuff look out of focus.

Not an experience to be recommended. A good quality big screen would have been preferable. The film was light on character development, but a good romp through with lots of action.

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Gondwana

Gondwana puppet show

So there were only 12 performances for the July school holidays and guess what? they sold out. Children's theatre is alive and kicking.

This show was beautifully staged and executed, featuring Australia's amazing prehistoric creatures and land brought to life with full body puppets and large-scale inflatable plants.

The journey was a bit scarey for some of the younger children, you need darkness for puppets, which can be frightening. However it was a lovely journey seeing giant dinosaurs, insects, indigenous plants, life-size rocks and mammals.

The land masses changed shape, there was a bit of death and murder with flesh-eating dinosaurs nesting, feeding and fighting for survival.

Plus for my daughter the best part was the interactive session at the end, where Basil, featured as a performing animal. He was given eye drops, and fed leaves by various audience members. Plus we now know that his wife and kids live in New Zealand.

Performed by Erth Theatre Company, it was educational and great entertainment.

If you were one of the lucky ones to have seen the show, it was also great value.

Joanne Kee
http://www.ceressolutions.com.au/

Arran has also been off to Animal Adventures at Targona Zoo. You can spend a day with the Zoo education people and it was interesting that my daughter's takeaway was that she saw water rats behind the scenes!

The theme of the day was Australian mammals, which I am trying to figure out - are the seal's in the seal show Australian? There were also the pigs, where they went into the pen

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au
Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Bollywood at the Powerhosue

School holidays and the juggle between working and taking time off for activities.

We headed off to the Powerhouse for the Bollywood activities and found that our girls were less interested than us Mum's. Hey, that's life, Nicola and I had great fun, the kids were more intersted in the dress ups and the playground outside.

First off, the Mango dance choreographer's did a great job for a "dance along" scenario. Simple moves, fun, with lots of encouragement. Were they taken aback by the popularity of the dancing by the adults!

Yes the adults crowded out the kids, my daughter tells me she was kind of embarrassed, but what the hell I had fun, and it is certainly a great work out.

There are also dress ups, a winner for all ages. Two Bollywood poster images form a backdrop which makes for some fun images showing on the wall. Definitely take your camera.

The sand/coloured powder artwork was beautiful.

Unfortunately we missed the dance performance, which is on at 12.15

However, the playground near the cafe was a winner with the kids. Cafe was good, the Powerhouse seem to have lifted its game, as it was looking very weary last time I visited.

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Bollywood activities - winter program at the Powerhouse Museum from2-13 July, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo. www.powerhousemuseum.com

Total tip

It has been a long, slow process having our back balcony enclosed.

I cannot believe the amount of paperwork involved with Council approval needing to be obtained, it has taken the better part of 18 months and the cost with Council approvals, architect's plans, building inspections and the list goes on, is huge.

We are getting closer to completion as we had a new floor laid yesterday and the house is in absolute turmoil with boxes everywhere. As we decided to do three rooms at once.

Amazing how much junk one can accumulate in 10 years!

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

How on the ball does a parent have to be?

Is it just a Sydney thing or does it happen everywhere around the world? It seems to me that the most competitive area in my life is taking care of my daughter's schedule.

It started from before she was born, with booking a midwife (in my day it was a genuine option), the birthing centre, the hospital and Doctor (backup - just in case) the pre and post natal appointments.

The hint of a child and I was onto daycare lists - searching for that elusive space. It sounds as though it is even worse now even though the Government is constantly talking about child care spaces.

Then it was schools, checking them out, going on more lists - forget the private school lists, we can't even begin to go there unless:

a)we win the lottery - highly unlikley as I don't buy tickets

b)I change professions and become an investment banker or similiar - again unlikely, it has taken me many years to reach a point of understanding that enjoying work is more important than the pay packet

c)my daugher gets a scholarship and then would that be a good or a bad thing as she would fall into the - can't afford a pair of designer jeans or a trip to Europe at the drop of a hat.

d) my husband has a dramatic work/lifestyle change that brings in big bucks.

We might hope to get into a selective public school, but what horror stories there, with one statistic quoted of over 900 applications for about 90 places.

Now that we are happily enrolled in our local public school (which also had a waiting list! for out of area students,) we then go onto the after school care list. It seems as though there has been a mini population explosion with even more kids enrolling in the years after we started. Spaces for after care are also highly sought after.

Next is holiday programs and other extra curricular activities It seems like all the popular ones are also in demand and you need to plan with military precision to get your child booked into these.

Taronga Zoo's Adventure program even congratulates you for getting into the program!

Pine Street, a city of Sydney run arts centre has a phone call or in person policy with the bookings opening on a specified day. Frequently the courses are all booked out by the end of the day, sometimes even in the morning. I am surprised there aren't scalpers, though I did hear that tickets for the children's show Velveteen Rabbit were being sold on e-bay.

Even swim school enrolment is a competitive process with spaces and timeslots being highly valued commodoties.

With being a working parent, organising holiday activities is really important.

Does anyone out there have a better way?

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Image from the Yacoubian

Image from the Yacoubian from the Sydney Film Festival site


Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au
www.womenandwealth.com.au

Rain and protocol

Saw a Sydney Film Festival this week, I think the first one I have seen in about 7 years. Though that isn't to say that the program hadn't tempted me, I did try to book but gave up.

It was an Egyptian film and it was interesting as the film was attended by the Egyptian Consul and some other VIPS, including the writer and the translater to see the rolling hills of protocol etiquette.

Also curious how the translater had decided that she didn't want to do the Q&A session after the movie and would have run out of the cinema if left to her own devices.

The move was The Yacoubian Building by OMARET YACOUBIAN, a great film even at 172 minutes.

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

So many worlds ...

From a child’s point of view Dreamworld, Seaworld and Warner Movie world are definitely destinations in themselves. Worlds within worlds where you can visit the Wild West, A Wiggles World, or Polar Bear shores. We haven’t even mentioned what could be considered as the more peripheral world’s orbiting in the trail of the big three such as Currumbin Sanctuary or Whitewater World, one of the newer additions to the Gold Coast. The list goes on, it’s fierce competition for that tourist holiday dollar.

The attraction for many is the family holiday destination, with lots of thrills and activities. Surfers Paradise definitely caters for as many different styles of people as possible from the serious “luxe” market in the refined world of the Palazzo Versace, where the swimming pool has been recreated as a small beach through to the cheap and cheerful with fast food and fast fun being on the menu – McDonalds, KFC etc abound

How to choose?

The first qualifying statement is that being transported to another world from the hours of 10-5 ain’t cheap. For a family for four you are looking at a cost of $64 for an adult and $42 for a child, adding up to $212 for a family of four for a day pass to one theme park whether it be the Warner Group or the Dreamland experience. Of course there are a range of special options ie three park pass from Warner which includes Seaworld and Wet n’ wild for $135 for an adult and $86 for a child or for Dreamworld and Whitewater World a two park pass is $99 for an adult and $66 for a child.

Whilst all the main activities are included, food and the all prevalent merchandise can put a serious dent in your hip pocked. If you can take some snacks this is recommended not just for the savings but also because the food on offer is fairly standard fair of fish and chips, burgers etc. A water bottle is a must if you are traveling in summer.

Budget tip

* If the thought of visiting so many parks is a bit daunting you can also save money by visiting the same park twice. This is something offered by all the parks once you are there. On your way out of the park you can extend your pass by an additional day for a discounted second day rate.
* Organisations such as NRMA, the Entertainment book offer discounted tickets if pre-paid and booked for all the Worlds.
* Deals also can be had through Seaworld Nara Resort which frequently offers special packages that include resort entry, usually offered outside peak season.
* There is also lots of competition in all hotel ranges so it pays to shop around for what can be included with your accommodation ie breakfasts, children’s meals..
* Some deals are also good for lone parents or carers traveling with children – it’s worth shopping around.

Which world for me?

Of course it all comes down to personal taste and age ranges. All the parks offer a few “heart stopping” signature rides from the Big 5 thrill rides at Dreamworld, The Claw, Tower of Terror, Giant Drop, Cyclone, and the Wipeout; at Warners you can find the Batwing Spaceshot and a range of roller coasters from the child friendly Road Runner Rollercoaster then getting faster and more furious with Wild West Falls, Scooby Doo or the Lethal Weapon Ride; at Seaworld you can find the Corkscrew Rollercoaster and the Pirate Ship.

Watch the video

Warner and Dreamworld would probably win the thrill ride vote particularly for teenagers plus. For myself, who is not really a fan of these kind of thrills but as an accompanying parent had to go along for the rides, Seaworld was about my speed. Of course Seaworld is better known for the sea animals from Penguins, dolphins and seals to sharks. A fantastic experience here is the Animal Adventures. A series of more up close and personal encounters with the animals.

My daughter went to the Dolphin adventures and whilst not actually swimming with the dolphins, you definitely get up close and personal. Expect to feed a dolphin, rub their tummy, give them a kiss, souvenir photo included - and you will get wet even though you wear a wetsuit.

Tip.

* These packages are really popular so it pays to do your homework and book in advance.
* The trainer led experiences as well as being a load of fun are educational.

If you want animal experiences, Dreamworld could also be the place for you. Of course there is Tiger Island – (I think this is where they send Big Brother contestants after they get voted out!). Plus there is the Australian Wildlife experience, the Sunset Safari (guided behind the scenes tours) and the Farmyard friends.

For those of you who either like to touch the animals or are traveling with children, the good thing about these experiences are that you can pat the kangaroos and if you so desire have your photo taken cuddling a koala (obviously this is also an attractive option for a lot of adults as well). For those of us who live down South where koala touching is usually a no, no this is a great experience. Same applies to the farmyard creatures that you can pet and help with their feeding.

As for what is best for the toddler plus age group, once again, all the parks cater for this group and have special dedicated activities and rides.

Continuing with Dreamworld there is the Wiggles World. One would have to say that Wiggledom is practically a rite of passage now for Australian children. So this gives you an opportunity to do the Big Red Car ride, dance with Dorothy and visit Captain Feathersword’s ship.

If you want more than all that wiggling, there is also the Nickleodeon Central rides area and the Dreamworld people have conveniently listed family rides as a category to help with your theme park visit planning. That’s a big plus for me.

Warner World has the Looney Tunes village for the younger age group. Seaworld has Cartoon Beach. There are also rides such as the Bermuda Triangle and The Flume Ride which are moderate.

Tip

* Generally there children’s rides are fairly mild, for those with children a little older who want more adventure, there are height restrictions on some of the rides, but no age restrictions. Check the websites for more details.

Time

There is such a multitude of activities within just these three flagship parks, it would be easy to do nothing except theme parks. However, its worth remembering that there is much much more on offer in the surrounding areas from mini golf to the Water theme parks to Currumbin for wildlife, themed meals such as Dracula’s or an outback adventure. Plus for those who do want to chill out, day spas also seem to have a strong presence. Suffice to say you can cram a hell of a lot of activity into one holiday.

Warners has a lot of action rides and seems to specialize in the roller coaster experience starting with the gentler Road Runner ride and working up to Lethal weapon and Scooby Doo, an indoor disco kind of roller coaster – don’t let the cute cartoon name fool you, this is a full on ride.

All of the parks have shows and other entertainment. Plus both the Warners and the Dreamworld Group have water parks. Warners have Wet’n’Wild and Dreamworld have launched the newest themepark, Whitewater world. Seaworld has a smaller Waterpark inside the theme park.

It can get hot in Surfers so these are good ways to keep cool and for when the weather drops to a chilly 20 degree average in winter, Whitewater world has heated water!

For the average person each park offers a full day’s entertainment plus. In my personal opinion I think that Dreamworld has a tiny edge in respect of offering something for everyone, but those Animal adventures at Seaworld also rate very highly with me.

Accommodation options

If you are the kind of person who likes a bit of down time it is possible to book hotels with kids clubs and child minding and spas. If your hotel doesn’t have a spa, don’t fret as there are various spas in town and a couple of legitimate businesses where the masseuse visits the hotel.

Obvious choices with kids clubs are Sea World Nara Resort and the Paradise Resort. I have to admit that the Paradise Resort was looking a tad tired when I visited, though conceptually it is very children focused.

If you do a comparison of these two resorts the difference for me is that Paradise Resort feels more like an activity based resort with Karaoke, Polynesian Dance spectacular and Bingo nights. Seaworld is a touch more upmarket without the range of activities but it does have a small day spa. When I was there I overheard a long and heated complaint about some of the rooms at Nara, so I suspect that some rooms are better than others. Definitely don’t go expecting the same kind of finishing touches as you would find at the Palazzo Versace or the Sheraton.

It is worth checking out websites such as Trip Advisor for independent opinions from fellow holiday makers. To compare the hotel glitz against real life experiences.

If you only have a few days my recommendation is not to cram too much into the time as the world’s can be exhausting. Hanging out at the resort pool can be nearly as much fun as the high voltage excitement of a theme park.


Just as an aside there were no freebies involved in any of this research, but there was definitely a very satisfied 7 year old.

http://www.dreamworld.com.au/

http://www.seaworld.com.au/

http://www.movieworld.com.au/

http://www.currumbin-sanctuary.org.au/

http://www.whitewaterworld.com.au/

http://www.wetnwild.com.au/

Accommodation

http://www.seaworldresort.com.au/

http://www.paradiseresort.com.au/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Joanne Kee
http://www.blogger.com/www.ceressolutions.com.au

Women and Wealth

Finally after a couple of years in the pipeline I have managed to get the Women and Wealth website off the ground with my partner Perrie and Sandy.

It is still a beta release so comments, suggestions are welcome, but basically it is about providing information that hopefully will empower women in the way they approach money, wealth, lifestyle.

Check it out

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au
www.womenandwealth.com.au

Cake Stalls and other fundraising trivia

Is there anyone else out there, who quakes at the mention of cakes stalls, trivia nights and other fundraising activities for my daughter's school?

It seems as though there is something every week, a walkathon, dolphins, red noses, Stewart House, book week and then there are the activities as well.

Plus to put the icing on the cake, you have to bring home made cakes, shop bought are not acceptable. How many of us really have the time to be baking cakes?

I think it is a wonderful thing that my daughter gets a well rounded education, but you know, I think I would prefer a "lazy" parents levy which would be the one where I just handed in some extra money to be let off the hook.

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Jerry's 50th

It was a beautiful night for a party. Crisp autumn night, fairy lights in the garden. Live music in a tiny terrace at the back of Newtown.

Making it special is the fact that Jerry is still with us, he is on the list for a heart transplant, so every day counts, when RPA is a regular rest stop.

Great people - as is always the case at Jerry's parties. His mother from afar, I imagine her as a Grande Dame in New York, apparently told Jerry to take photos as she wanted to make sure that he still had friends and that he hadn't driven them away from being too cantakerous!

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Neat kids

So how do other mothers do it? How do they manage to make their kids look neat and clean at all times?

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Points of view

This week I have been working on my music project, trying to make a reality a dream I have to produce a concert series of music, underpinned by fantastic musicians. The concept is to connect artists with music lovers. There is so much great music happening in Sydney, and I am sure many people who would love to hear it. The trick is marrying the two.

It seems that mainly pop music has been able to do this and be commercially successful, or organisations with lots of clout and marketing budget. I proceed on the old one step at a time philosophy and with a shoe string budget. Hopefully I will end up being able to present music in a environment people want to experience.

I have my venue, my artists, business plan etc mapped out, now I just need to find the money to kick start the project.

It is interesting as I talk to various people what thoughts they have to who would pull an audience, what sort of artistic direction to take etc, plus how easy it is to lose focus and head down many different directions.

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au