100mls (at least)

Over 100mls of rain fell in our garden over the last two days, much more exciting in our view than celebrating Valentine's Day, or even Chinese New Year this weekend. Rob has spent a lot of time gazing at the deluge from every vantage point of the house, decks and garden (including lots of trips to his new rain guage). I tried to capture the rain pouring down into the Prunus tree garden.

Even this amount of rain was not quite as wonderful as celebrating the second anniversary of Prime Minister Rudd's Apology to the Stolen Generations (13 February 2008). As my own tiny act of reconciliation I took myself out to a local Canberra school on Friday and recorded the celebratory opening of their Indigenous garden, complete with beautifully painted Story Poles depicting dreaming stories of the Canberra region. Bright sunny day, lots of beautiful Aboriginal kids, great art, singing and dancing - all very photogenic.

And then there is the time we are lucky enough to spend with Ella. This week she enjoyed an extended period of play with me in the garden being Cinderella "hanging out the washing". I was the Prince (as usual) and was very relieved that I had to hang out my own washing. There was no way that Cinderella was hanging out any man's washing when he was perfectly capable of doing it himself. Cinderella is very much into affirmative action these days.

But this doesn't stop her getting right into the glass slipper part of the story. I know how much she must regret that the only silver shoes for dress ups at our house have flat heels! I don't ever remember her Daddy enjoying this type of imaginative play when he was two!!