Winter Magic??

This is turning into a winter that mountains folk won't forget in a while. Around the time of the Winter Solstice, we enjoyed our annual Winter Magic Festival.  This year was one of the best on record, with huge crowds and a sparkling (if slightly windy) cold day. In the afternoon Dave the busker played for a couple of hours and entertained the crowds outside zuri.

 Thanks to the fabulous Armani Nimerawi for the pictures. Dave (in case you were wondering) is dressed as a Space Bunny because he was in the big parade earlier in the day. Why was he still in costume so much later? Only Dave knows...

In the background you can see the lovely artwork, by the Textile Group, which adorned our window for a few weeks. It was called 'The Magic Faraway Tree' and drew a lot of interest.

Then came the winds. Last Tuesday night was a frightening experience, with trees snapping and crashing around us as we sat in the candle light. This picture (from the ABC website) shows what happens when a tree meets a train.

Our household was without power for three days, which was long enough for us to really appreciate all that electricity does for us. Luckily we could come into Katoomba for hot showers and meals with friends (thanks Rachel!) and to work at zuri. I mainly came in for the morale boosting heater and coffees.

How to keep children amused in the school holidays and potentially with the battery flat in their electronic devices? Good old fashioned games and craft, that's how!  And we have some lovely things at zuri.

From East of India we have lovely board games - Draughts, Snakes & Ladders and House, 

from Rosie Flo we have colouring books,

and our perennial favourite, Honeysticks beeswax crayons.

You'll have so much fun you won't want them to go back to school!