Category Archives: Family

Carnivore

Family, Food

Tonight a bunch of my extended family and I visited the Hogs Breath Cafe at the Q Super Centre in Mermaid Waters on the Gold Coast for dinner.

After working at a Hogs Breath for a number of years, I hold them in pretty high regard and also have pretty solid expectations of them too. We had a great waiter, who was more than happy to play and make jokes with Oliver (the toddler dining with us) and prompt service to boot.

I ordered a medium-rare Blackened Prime Rib with pepper sauce and I think it was one of the best steaks I’ve eaten in the last 6 months. Asking around the table, everyone was very happy with their steak – even the folk that normally order higher cooked steak where happy ordering one degree of rareness down.

We weren’t initially going to order any dessert, however as soon as one person went in for something sweet; everyone else indulged too. Mmm, sticky date pudding!

Great night out, good company, positively devine steak – just excellent.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Family, Life

Since 2002, Claire and I have been decorating a five foot Christmas tree with much delight when the festive season comes around. For the last couple of years, we’ve been wanting to replace our Christmas tree with something a little newer as the old one was showing its age.

Last week while kicking around in Myer, we happened to go into the Christmas section and they conveniently had 25% off sale on. While we were there, we picked out a new seven foot Christmas tree and placed our order. We were a little nervous at first, as the sales man had just informed us that the last tree of that type was sold to the person on the opposite counter. Fortunately, he was able to track one down from a Myer in Brisbane and had it shipped down to the Gold Coast.

Someone from Myer called on Wednesday to let me know that it had arrived and on Thursday afternoon I decided I’d go down and pick it up. I was expecting it to be an enormous hassle to collect the fancy pants Christmas tree, however I was pleasently surprised that it took all of about 3 minutes and no I’m not kidding!

Decorating the Christmas tree this year is going to be a bunch of fun, we’ll no doubt pick up a swag of new decorations for it too – can’t wait!

Benjamin James Lattimore

Family, Life, Photos

Benjamin James Lattimore, born 16 April 2007 and weighing 7 pound 8 ounces.April 16th this year marked the arrival of Benjamin James Lattimore, the first child and son of Andrew and Belinda. Benjamin was born at 8.04AM and weighed in at a healthy 7 pound and 8 ounces. A little while after his birth, Andrew and Belinda asked if Claire and I would like to Benjamin’s God Parents; which we were very excited to accept.

Today Andrew and Belinda held a naming day for Benjamin at their house in Ipswich, which was performed by the same wedding celebrant that married them nine years earlier. The ceremony didn’t take too long and had some nice personal touches, which was really great. Everyone was pleased that so many family members and close friends were able to make the trip for the naming day and it was really good to meet some new faces.

It is pretty exciting that our collective families are starting to expand. In a couple years time we’ll have a tribe of little Lattimore kiddies kicking around the place. Claire and I are pretty chuffed that Andrew and Belinda offered the role of God Parent’s to us. I didn’t realise it initially but it comes with quite a bit of responsibility; as I understand it, we would be considered as a legal guardian if required to be in the future.

Enough with the words, enjoy some superbly cute photos of Benjamin:

Chinchilla Melon Festival

Family, Travel

The bi-inaugural Chinchilla Melon Festival was held this year between February 10th and February 18th. Chinchilla is a small and vibrant township located approximately 300Km West of Brisbane. Once upon a time it was a typically sleepy country town, however in the last few years Chinchilla has become a hive of activity with power stations and coal & gas exploration common place.

The Chinchilla Melon Festival celebrates all things melon including water melon, rock melon and honey dew. The week of the festival culminates on the Saturday with back to back events taking place from very early in the morning. Patrons are encouraged to take part and experience the whole event starting with a poets breakfast and finishing late in the evening with a free concert.

The Melon Festival is a family oriented event with lots of fun things for the kids to do, some of which include:

  • Pip spitting
  • Melon bungy
  • Melon skiing
  • Melon smashing

It is recommended that you bring an older set of clothes for your children if you intend to let them loose for the Chinchilla Melon Festival. Due to the nature of the event, a lot of the activities involve broken and smashing melons; which get quite sticky and makes a bit of a mess. You’re kids will love it, its a whole bunch of fun!

This year everyone was privileged to witness Australia reclaim a Guiness World Record for the most water melons smashed in sixty seconds. You’re probably thinking that you could smash a whole lot of water melons in sixty seconds; well you probably could with your hands but the record is for using your head! The record has been floating back and forward between a bunch of Italians and Australians for the last few years. Fortunately, this time our Australian competitor stamped his authority on the title – beating out the existing record by seven water melons. Amazingly, he was so far in front of the existing record that he actually ran out of water melons to bust on the competition table – so maybe he could have got a handful more in!

If you’re looking for something fun to do with the family in February 2009 (I know it seems like a long way off), you should consider the Chinchilla Melon Festival but remember to book your accommodation early; its a very popular event!

Ho Ho Ho Holidays

Family, Life

Christmas is upon us once more and its time to kick back and enjoy the festivities. Friday 22nd December was the last work day for me and I have off until Monday 8th of January! It has been quite some time since I’ve had any substantial back to back time off, so I’m really going to enjoy not doing any work related work.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all; enjoy the time off with your families and friends.