It’s one of our favourite topics this week as our team choose their own adventure. It sounds easy right? Maybe not as easy as you think! Sometimes thinking of something to write about can be really tricky. We can literally write about anything at all and that opens the entire world for us. Let’s see what our talented bloggers will share with us today.
 
I’m writing this blog as I am inspired by a photo I saw and shared on Facebook a while ago. Have you ever sat in a traffic jam and just looked around and think about the other drivers?  Well the photo is actually of a traffic jam with little writing on each car, stating what the person driving is going through. 
 
For example, one person has lost their mum, while another one is a single mum working two jobs, another one, he’s on his way to get chemo. I felt that photo and it made me realise everyone, and I mean everyone, is going through something. Even if they’re silent on the inside they’re hurting or have something heavy on their mind. 
 
Getting away from the photo but in the same situation.
A few years ago I had my right eye removed due to blisters bursting, but I don’t mention it to people, because it’s none of their business, but I know there’s someone out there worse off then me. 
 
My friend, who is like a warrior had to face both of her parents passing away only a short time apart. But she doesn’t let it show when she’s around us, she smiles and laughs, but deep down I know she must be hurting. Not being able to pick up the phone and call for advice or even just a daily chat. But I know her parents would be cheering her on from heaven. Saying “we raised a great lady, caring and helpful” 
 
There was a video of a President going around, and it showed the lady slapping the husband, and that was it, no content, nothing. They did a statement saying it was a jokingly slap, but no one will ever know, even in the public eye, no one will ever know what goes on behind closed doors. 
 
Even the saying “we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors” I think that represents the photo. No one knows what happens while you’re at home. You might be single living alone with one hundreds cats, while your neighbours are a married couple with ten kids and a handful of grandkids, your other neighbour might be an elderly man who lost his wife due to illness last year, and he’s still grieving, his kids and grandkids don’t see him. But his grandkids were his life, his reason to smile, so he’s smiles at the other sides neighbours grandkids, but the parents of the kids tells them to keep away for the man at the fence. 
 
So in saying all of this and I say this with kindness in my heart, just please be kind, as you never know what other people are going through and they don’t know what you’re going through. 
Again while in a traffic jam or in a waiting room.
 Just know someone might  have cancer or someone might’ve been kicked out of home. 
Thank you for reading, Haley.
 
 
My blog today is all about me.
I went on a holiday on a cruise, on a train, on a bus and on a plane.
I'm scared of flying now because of the fireworks even though it was a good show.
I have new Disney jumpers now, a black one, a blue one and a new Disney Mickey Mouse bag and matching purse.
The best thing about being on the cruise is the food and the drinks. The cocktail vodka sunrise is orange and I had lots. Very yummy.
Diet sprite and Coke is ok too. My favourite food is the burgers and the lamb and mashed potato's.
I went to an Elvis show on the ship and he touched my hand. I am so lucky because I sat at the front.
I got to do crafting on the ship with mum, it is so much fun as she is my best friend.
I can’t wait for my next holiday, it should be at Christmas time but I have to wait and see. 
Thank you my friends I am so glad to be back with everyone.
Claire.
 
 
Choosing my adventure
I have a wonderful story coming up. Please enjoy!
In my adventure I win VIP tickets for a show of all Australian music including INXS, AC/DC, Dragon and it's of other Australian acts and both Krystle and her husband Cindy, Daz, my mum and I got a chance to meet John Farnham, Southern Sons and Jon Stevens. Both Cindy and I got the chance to sing “Heart in danger” and “Burn for you” and the highlight was seeing lots of great artists. I can’t believe that we had drinks and food with them, Jack Jones stopped the show and said “Ash is in the crowd” and so I got a poster signed by everyone including Cold Chisel. 
 
Paul Kelly asked Daz if he could come on the stage to sing “How to make gravy” and “Before too long”, not that long after that we got a chance to see Crowded House and Spilt Enz and they are from New Zealand but they claim Australia home. We also got the chance to see the Angles who performed “Am I gonna see your face again” and the Divinyls “Boys in town”, Skyhooks invited Delia got pulled out of the crowd on stage to sing “Living in the 70s” and my mum got a chance to sing “You’re the Voice and “That’s freedom”, “age of reason” and we had David Hirschfelder playing this well known piano in the background, then we had to Angry Anderson sing “Suddenly”
 
The night was an amazing show and thank you for reading my story – Ash
 
 
Today we are choosing our own adventure and I am going to be talking about my job at the tip. I work two day at the tip on Tuesday's and Wednesday’s. I love working at the tip because I find lots of interesting things. Whilst working I have found an old plane ticket, headphone, crazy cart, remote control cars and heaps more amazing things.
This is Nick signing off, see you next week. 
 
Dear readers this week’s topic is a choose your own adventure. 
Let me start by telling you about the pros and cons of winter. I don't mind winter but it's not my favourite season. The pros of winter are that you can rug up and wear clothes such as sweatpants, jumpers, jackets, long pants, pjs, scarfs, and gloves and eat hot and warm comfort food and hot drinks and put on a blanket on your lap. We like to turn up the heater and go to the snow to make snowmen and sledding.

Now the cons of winter. It's freezing cold for three months. You don't want to get out of bed because it’s so cold and of course there is very little sun and you get very sick from being so cold. I have a question: do you like winter or not? - Written by Charlotte
 
 
Hello and welcome to our monthly choose your own adventure. Today we get to choose what write about so I’ve decided to write about the massive time difference it took to get tickets on Ticketek compared to Ticketmaster. I have had experience with both in recent weeks and the time difference was staggering.  On Tickettek I waited for over an hour meanwhile on Ticketmaster I waited for 15 minutes. I often wonder why the delay is so long and if they have enough staff on the accessible line knowing that the websites are not accessible for people with a disability.  Tickettek are getting better as they now allow people with a disability to book online.
 
Another gripe I have with ticket companies is what happens when they receive an online request how long they take to reply. In one example I waited months for a response and they only replied after the event (saying the event had past obviously). I’m unsure but maybe it has something to do with companion cards? If it is, how can this be fixed? How long should someone with a disability wait for a basic human right? What would you do if you worked at a major ticketing company? How come there is a major delay between ticketing companies in answering these requests and what could be done about this?
 
Unfortunately, I need to go and spend 3 hours on hold now but keep being awesome – Ben.
 
 
I love video games on my phone and I have a new one called Harry Potter.  It so much fun it’s a cool game to play with other people. Most days I hang out with friends and we like going out to movies and to golf and all other fun stuff together.  One day I hope to go on a cruise, l am not sure. I can go on the boat with friends and family. - From your friend TJ
 
Hey bubbly friends, I am feeling joyful today because I am back to blogging after taking a break and spending time off with my parents. 
I chose to write about my holidays in May. I went to various daytrip places. What's your favourite daytrip place? Here's all the fun activities I did in May. 

My parents and I went to Harris Scarfe and bought electric blankets, it's very convenient especially in winter time. It keeps me warm in bed, I also bought two new t shirts from Zing. I bought a powerpuff girls t-shirt and inside out t-shirt. 

I gave my mum a mother's day card and a handmade gift that I did before taking a break. It's like a coaster but bigger, she uses it for hot food like a bowl of noodles. 
We also went on a day trip to Rosebud and Rye pier. Has anyone been there before? Then we had late lunch at Bayside Souvlaki at Rye. This often happens during holidays I am out of my routine, but I cope with late lunch or dinner so far. We ate souvlaki outside. We ordered one box shared for the three of us. It's my first time trying souvlaki it was lamb and chicken with yummy chips. We were full. 

We went to Lorne in the afternoon. We ate gelato for afternoon tea. I think I chose salted monkey and biscoff. What's your favourite gelato flavour? Then we ate early dinner at Pizza Pizza Lorne. We ate outside again, it was so quiet no people except us three. We ordered meat lovers and cheese. It was bit uncomfortable because there's cockatoos on our table, I think they wanted our pizza . I don't whinge to mum and dad, I just keep eating my pizza. Then there was a dog, I don't know who owned it but mum loved to played with the dog.

Another day we went on a city trip, we went by car. We had McDonalds for a snack incase we might have late lunch again. I chose a medium fries. What do you like to eat at McDonalds? Then went to Swatch to fix my watch battery, after that lunch at Padang restaurant (Padang is a city in Indonesia ). It's our second time, we ate there when my brother visited Melbourne last year. It was yummy I ordered rice with ayam pop ( chicken dish ). Then mum accompanied me to Mint my desk ( cute gift shop ) I purchased  a new spare journal not for handmade but personal one and I bought a new tote bag. 

We went on another city trip but we did different activities. We went by train this time, the train was peopley in the morning. Dad wanted to buy new shoes at Doc Martens. Then we ate lunch at Guljak Topokki Chicken. It's a Korean restaurant. Have you tried Korean food ? I chose fried chicken on rice, if you’re not a fan of rice you can ordered fried chicken with chips. Mum also accompanied me to Miniso (cute gift shop). I like that shop because they have so many cute merchandise, it’s a good shop to buy a gift for someone. I bought some bits and pieces for myself. I bought snoopy stickers, snoopy thongs, stitch socks and a BT21 cup. 
I have question for the readers: What's your favourite things to do in the city?
From happy friend: Jacinda
 
Beth’s cruising blog 
Hi friends how are you? Today’s topic is a choose your own adventure and I have an event coming up in October. It’s a mystery cruise, which we will be on the sea’s for 10 exciting days.
I am going with my family and I am so excited,
the cruise ship is called the Royal Caribbean.
I have seen lots of pictures and videos on television showing the ship sailing around the world and all the activities you can do on the cruise ship like karaoke and dancing and discos. I love karaoke.
On the cruise ship there are water parks, youth clubs, and family oriented events.
I have been told the food on the ship is so amazing you go back three or four times for more food.

I am so excited to be going on this holiday that I am marking off the days on my calendar every night.

Hoping the weather is good and the ship sales smoothly across the waters.

Thank you for reading my blog this is Bethany (female sailor) signing off until next week. - Beth

We have tickets! They’re to anywhere in the world and we can either go as ourselves OR as a fictional character. Where would you go, who would you go as and what would you do there, I’d like to write about my experience but right now my meal has arrived in my first class seat on my way to the Greek Islands so I cant type any more… Bye! Cindy.
 
 
Hello readers it’s TJ here and today’s blog I am writing about who I would like to be and places I’d like to travel. 
I love to be bowling on Wednesdays and Umbrella other days too. My people I care about them, they’re good mates to me and I love them so much as a good friend and hangout together like a friend. We have fun. Lots of fun. 
I would like to travel to America again to Phoenix and it is hot out there, but fun.  My nephew and niece play with me when I am there sometimes. 
If I could choose to be a character from a movie, I would like to be Deadpool and other characters from some scary movies like Michael Myer, Jason or Freddie Kruger. They are my favourite character because funny, scary and rude. – TJ
 
If I could go anywhere in the world I would go to America. I would like to visit Arizona to go see an airplane graveyard. I would also go to the freedom factory, which is in Texas, I would try the hovercraft they have. If I could be anyone, I would choose to be a navy seal who is based in California. Whilst I am in California I would go sightseeing and have a day at the beach. This is Nick signing off, see you next time.
 
If you could be anyone and go anywhere, who would you be and where would you go? This is an interesting question or pair of questions really, I have spent many days during childhood thinking about who I would be if I was a Disney character and now, I'm being transported back to that time of my life. I believe that back then I wanted to be one of the Characters from The Lion King, either Nala or Kiara. It’s probably surprising to people who knew me as a child that I didn’t want to be a Disney Princess or in all honesty a horse. I really loved horses and possibly at one point I wanted to be best Friends with Stevie, Carol and Lisa from The Saddle Club and learn to ride horses all day.
 I think if I was to choose now, I would choose to be Rapunzel from Tangled. I would really enjoy being in the tower surrounded by nature and far, far away from all the humans. I could have my friends and family visit me at the tower though so it wouldn’t be totally human free, but it would be very peaceful for me. I would love doing all the craft and creative things she does in the tower, I like to think of it as an art oasis and creative space of my dreams. It would be a bonus that I’d get to hang out with Pascal her adorable and sassy side kick. Pascal is a chameleon who lives with Rapunzel in her tower I love him so much. Maybe I should be Pascal.
I wouldn’t mind also going to one of the Disney Parks/Resorts. Not the ship though. I'm not a fan at all of ships even if it is a Disney ship. Disney is my favourite and I would really love to see at least one of the parks/resorts and maybe try Dole Whip and just live my best Disney life. I’d need to get some ears and a couple of plushies obviously and get a photo near the Disney castle!
Have you been to a Disney Park/resort? Tell us about it in the comments! – Your friend always, Shan
 
If I could choose who I would like to be, it would be Jack Jones from Southern Sons. 
He has an amazing voice and sounds so similar to John Farnham.
Last Friday night Krystle and I were in Geelong and I got the chance to meet Pete Drummond at a kebab place and he gave me his time to talk about his career and I also I asked how’s Jack doing.  I also got a chance to talk to April, Jacks girlfriend, and I asked her if I could get my stuff signed by Jack.  She said yes so I gave her my phone backstage and Jack took heaps of photos, signed my picture and my poster as well. The other people there were disappointed as Jack didn’t come out for anyone else. True story. 
 
There are a few places I would like to go and that is Ireland, Scotland and England. I would like to see where the Titanic was built and I also would like to see where the Lock Ness monster supposedly lives and I would like to see where Robin Hood Prince of Thieves was filmed, because I would like to know the history behind the story of Robin Hood and why they picked the location for where Robin Hood was filmed. Thank you for reading my blog kind regards Ash
 
I’m waiting at the airport for my Uncle Bob to pick me up, he’s probably busy with his burger restaurant, so Aunty Linda might come pick me up with the cousins Tina, Gene and Louise.
 
Tina is a bit of a weird teenager, but she’s cool in her own way, Gene the only boy and middle child, is pretty awesome. Louise is the youngest but the most naughtiest child is also pretty awesome. 
 
Uncle Bob’s restaurant is in Seymour’s Bay, New Jersey, the restaurant is next to a crematorium, the owner is an odd guy named Mort.
 
Bob’s best friend is Teddy, he’s always at the restaurant, and he’s probably the best customer they have.
 
Yep, I see Linda and damn she’s with her sister Gayle, is that a cat she’s holding? how did she manage to bring in the cat?
“Hi Linda and Gayle”. I say 
“Hi Haley” says Linda.
 
We hop into the car, and Gayle is driving, have mercy, she just merged into oncoming traffic with the cat walking on the dashboard.  
I wish Linda was driving, but to be honest, she’s no better.
 
We finally get to the restaurant/their house, they live above the restaurant.  I walk in. 
Tina staring out the window, drooling, assuming her crush is out there, last time her crush was Jimmy.
 
Gene is outside in a hamburger costume giving out freebies with his megaphone. Louise, nowhere to be seen. 
 
I go and put my stuff into Tina’s room. Unicorn posters are everywhere, bookshelves, some books titled “Saucy Side Story” by Tina Belcher.
 
I heard screaming coming from the crematorium next door.
I looked out the window, I saw Louise in there with her mouth wide open. I had to see what she’s looking at.
 
I quickly run down the stairs, rushed pass Linda and Bob who were both in the restaurant serving customers, mainly Teddy. I walked into the crematorium, I turned and saw what Louise was looking at, it was the start of someone’s cremation. The smell wasn’t pleasant, as you can imagine.  Louise scared me by pushing my back and screaming, the little devil she is, but she meant no harm. 
 
We both quickly scattered out from the crematorium and into the restaurant. Linda and Bob both said “you guys look like you’ve seen a ghost” 
 
Louise and I both stated “no, we saw nothing”. The restaurant closed up for the night, we had dinner,  Gene had his farting piano machine at the table, pulling a prank every time I sat or bend, he would press the button to make it go. We all laughed. But it did get old pretty quick. 
 
Bedtime approached and Tina and I went to bed, Tina upside down off the side of her bed so her head was hanging off the bed, talking to me, about her crush, it’s still the same guy, as last time Jimmy. She said I’m going to be a writer and have a lot of Jimmy’s babies. 
 
Then the conversation went onto the human body and Tina said “if boys had uteruses, they’d be called duderuses” 
 
She’s a strange one, I tell you. Anyways we both said good night and went to sleep. 
In the distance I can hear Gene, still using the fart machine. The next morning arrived, I woke up and went into the restaurant, where all of the family were working,  the burgers sizzling on the stove. Teddy and Mort were drinking coffee, waiting for their burgers.
 
My trip went fast, the whole family dropped me off at the airport and I just sat down, laughing at the fun adventures I had with my Uncle Bob and his family. 
They may be crazy but they my kind of crazy, I love them. 
 
Yours truly Haley Belcher. 
 
 
Hello and welcome to another Thursday blog, today I’ve decided to blog about who we would like to be and where we would love to go. I’d love to go to America to Pittsburgh or Boston to watch all of the sporting teams in those regions play. Unfortunately, this will never be a reality as insurance companies will not insure me.  I’d also love to go back to Singapore and eat my favourite chips as I arrive at “light and Changi” (Lite n Tangy) airport. I’d love to follow the Formula1 around the world and see the hot dog eating contest live. On the way home I want to go to France to go to Disneyland to get the VIP treatment cos I’m in a wheelchair. All filled up with cocktails so I may not come home (Cindy you’re clearly coming so no need to answer my invite).
 
How many hot dogs could you eat and what sauce do you like? What is your favourite flavoured chip?
 
Keep being awesome and don’t forget your passport. Ben
 
Dear readers, this week’s topic is about my life as a vampire. Let me start by telling you about my made up story about if I was a vampire. 
 
If I was a vampire I would only wear purple and black outfits, and I would live in a rustic country house in a scary dark forest.  My bathroom would be shaped like a coffin and my bed would be a black framed queen bed covered in roses with purple bedding. This is because I would be a vampire queen. 
 
As the queen of the vampires I would be in charge and I am very nice to all the vampires and I would suck and drain all the blood from all the very bad humans. I would turn into a bat and fly around at night and I would wear a daylight ring which would allow me to walk around in the daylight without being burned by the sun. I hope you enjoyed reading blog, as I had fun writing it - Written by Charlotte
 
 
Hey friends how are you today? Today’s topic is if you were a character from a book or a movie or a TV show who would you be and why? If I was a character from a movie I would be Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz because I  wear my red shoes. 
The characters in my movie will be 
Beth- Dorothy 
TJ- the lion 
Nick- scarecrow 
Mavis (Cindy’s dog) Toto 
Ben- Tin man 
Bernie- Wicked Witch of the West (ok with Bernie)
Cindy- Good Witch of the North
Delia- Aunty Em 
Once upon a time when Dorothy was walking along the yellow brick road path she met on her way Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion. 
Dorothy went on this journey to the Emerald city to seek help from The Wizard of oz who could help her return home. 
Please stayed tuned for the next exciting episode. 
Thank you for reading my blog and don’t forget to leave your comments below readers.  This is Bubbly Bethany as Dorothy signing off until next episode. 

​Hello and welcome to another fun Umbrella Blog!
Today our talented writers will “improvise” if they can’t find the words to use! We’ll that’s almost a little hint on what’s happening here today. We are blogging about something we are looking forward to and today, the challenge word to use is “IMPROVISE” as suggested by Charlotte. WOAH! It’s a tricky one but we’re ready….
 
 
I’m looking forward to looking after my friends cat, the cat name is Diego and to look after him I have to improvise my living arrangements and stay at my friends house so the cat is comfortable and calm.  Also, I will have to improvise on the food situation because I’m a bit picky and I would have to buy my own food from a grocery store next door. But it can’t be food that can go in the fridge, because again, I’m picky.

Then, I would be cooking for one not three. But I can cook meals to eat for later by meal prepping. 

I’m going to improvise with a different choice of drink and try to change my habit of drinking two cans of V’s into just one a day. I’ll try my hardest, but not sure how I will go. 
Also, I’ll need to adjust the time I’ll be waking up as Diego wakes up at the crack of dawn to be let out. My cats at home will be let out and I can go back to sleep until about 7am. 

Also with me being away from my cats, they will have to improvise with me not being there. My cat Banshee, usually has a little sook and after dinner he goes and  gets on my bed and sleeps, so my mum or dad will have to go get him up and bring him into the lounge. Diego will have to improvise without his parents (aka my friends).
 
People are not the only ones who need to improvise, animals also need to be flexible and be able to adjust. Improvising is also a daily occurrence, for everyone.  
I love improvising because it does get me out of my comfort zone but I can control it too, to suit my needs.  
Haley
 
 
What are we looking forward to?
We were given the challenge to use the word improvise in our blogs and I honestly have no idea how I’d be able to sneak it into my blog, so I’m just going to start with it straight up and have it in the very start. Have you ever been given a challenge and you really have no idea how you are going to be able to pull it off? Yeah that’s me.

What does improvise mean; According to Oxford languages it means to produce or make (something) from whatever is available. For example; "I improvised a costume for myself out of an old blue dress"

I’m looking forward to getting to go to The Lion King musical in 2026, as a massive Lion King fan this will be the highlight of the year and possibly my life. I have wanted to see this musical since I heard of its existence and haven’t yet been able to see it so I’m super excited for this.

I’m looking forward to the birth of my best friends baby he is already so very loved, I’m looking forward to seeing The Stitch movie which I hope to see with my plush stitch build a bear, I’m looking forward to going to see my unofficial niece and unofficial nephew at some point in the future and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for us all for the rest of this year.

It’s really exciting to have something to look forward to, it can also be scary if it’s something that you haven’t experienced before but I really love having something to look forward to. The future can be a bit of a scary thing to think about but also we are very lucky to have a future to think about.

And you my dear reader have next weeks blog to look forward to! What would you write about if you were writing a blog? Tell us in the comments!
Love and kindness to you all,
From your friend always,  Shan.
 
 
I’m looking forward to watching the new movie coming out soon that is called Stitch, hangout with my good friend Tayla have fun, and maybe I can go back to Queensland with my bro and have fun up there. When I come back to home and I need to relax and play some games, just a little tired because from my grandpa pass away I couldn’t sleep much, but today I get my lunch real quick and come here little late from TJ
 
 

Dear Readers, this week’s topic is what you're looking forward to. 
Let me start by telling you about what I’m looking forward to. 
I’m looking forward to seeing the Harry Potter Exhibition in the city
with my Support Worker from Faith Disability Services and her name is Martina. 

I have a Gryffindor Harry Potter robe and a Harry Potter’s wand I will be wearing.
I’m feeling very excited to go see this exhibition because as a young teenager I read two Harry Potter books and watched all the movies more than once and I've been to watch the Cursed Child Musical.

In today's blog we had the challenge to use the word improvise.
I have a question for readers: have you ever had to improvise when something has happened or when cooking and you run out of an ingredient?
Written by Charlotte
 
 
I’m really looking forward to seeing Southern Sons soon because I’m a huge fan of Jack Jones and I need to manage my time with him. I can’t wait to see them again because I’m going to make sure that Krystle and I have a great time in Geelong, and I can’t wait to have some time with Krystle. 

I’ll enjoy my time in Geelong with Krystle who has taken up the time away from her family but she loves her job. I need to improvise what I’m wearing tomorrow night for the show.  Thank you for reading my blog and maybe you learnt about the word improvise. Ash.
 
 
Hello and welcome to a blog which I’m really looking forward to, but I may have to improvise as I’m not sure what to write. Recently I wanted to buy tickets to a concert but being a person in a wheelchair I have to improvise and try different methods to get the tickets I need. However, I managed to get through in 20 minutes which is a record!!!!!!!! (See my ticket blog for tips and tricks). I’m really looking forward to seeing Usher in November as he is one of my favourite singers.

Another thing I’m looking forward to is going to the Ashes at the end of the year. It will be my 3rd Ashes trip. I have to improvise and plan a little further in advance as I need to negotiate with the airline and get lots of letters for all my medical needs.

Improvisation is key when you have a disability as you never know what will happen daily. What do you need to improvise in your daily life? Do you find your improvisations work and if not, how do you adapt?
Thank you for reading my blog and keep being awesome, Ben
 
Hi friends how are you? Today’s topic is something you’re looking forward to, and I am looking forward to seeing the new Lilo & Stitch movie in Gold Class. Who are you going with you ask? I’m going with Cindy, Martina and Charlotte. We are planning to go next Friday and I’m so looking forward to it it’s going to be so amazing I can’t wait, bring it on!

I want to see this movie because I haven’t seen the first movie and the previews look good and also it would be good to go out with the girls and get out of the house and away from my annoying siblings.

I don’t have anything to wear to this special occasion so I will have to improvise and put two outfits together and make something special with what I have at home.
 
Thank you for reading my blog my lovely readers, this is the bubbly Bethany signing off until next week. Beth

I am really looking forward to buying a go-kart.
I am looking for a go-kart with just tyres and brakes as I can put an engine in it myself.

I am look forward to working on the go-kart and racing it, I may need to improvise while fixing the go-kart .

Another thing I am to looking forward is the bon fire in Kilcunda in late June and hopefully seeing my friend Amara. It’s going to be lots of fun. The bonfire happens every year and the community comes together.

This is Nick signing off

A bump in the road…
 
Have you ever had a little change to your regular plans? How did it make you feel? Did you have to make changes to your usual schedule or the way your did things that day or at that time? Today our bloggers were experiencing change as the team from Channel 7 Travel Globe were due to arrive at 11.30am for filming at our program.
 
Hi and welcome to a blog all about change. As I’m typing today we are experiencing change, an exciting change for today as we are going to be on tv (tune into Hellow Media for more details). Change happens constantly and people have to adapt to change daily.  When I adapt to change I evaluate the situation and figure out how I can adapt to the change as I find I handle the change better that way. How do you handle change? What strategies and tactics do you have to cope with change? Thanks for reading my blog and keep being awesome. Ben VR
 
 
How do you deal with change?
 
Ah change... I’m not a huge fan of change, most people know this because I’m super vocal about it and I’ve written about it before too. Change and new things are going to be a constant in our lives though. So I do my best to just get through it, not usually in a quiet way because I’m really keen to get my feelings out. Like a brain dump but more vocal and less paper.
Every-time I’m faced with change or anything new I have moments where I go into the what ifs, because change and new means unknown and doing things that involve the unknown make me feel uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable, is as the word suggests not comfortable and I don’t enjoy being uncomfortable. No one enjoys being uncomfortable and I know that we all feel differently about change, I hope that when you are faced with change that you do really well with it, unlike my anxious self who makes all the changes feel extremely scary. All our feelings are valid!
Now how do I deal with this you ask? I have a of a tribe of people (family, friends, animals & supports) who help me through anything that I may be worried or anxious about with change and anything that might make me feel uncomfortable. I listen to the advice of my people, I can walk chop, I can dance with Katut, I can write things down, get lost in a comfort show, do self-care and just look after myself. I know that in the end it will work out because it always works out ok.  I just need to talk to my neurodivergent and anxious brain and convince it that the world will not end and all will be Tickety boo.
How do you go with change?
Your friend, Shan
 
I have been getting out of my comfort zone lately and going to the gym and trying new things at the gym and going for a walk after. I’ve been to the gym with my friends. When I started going to the gym I was so scared to go by myself but now I’m getting there slowly. I am getting out of my comfort and feeling good about it as well. I can’t wait for the transition of me losing the weight.  Thank you for reading Ash. 
 

Holidays can be fun, but they can change your whole routine, with different time zones, and different activities. In June I’m going to China for about two weeks. My normal routine is Handmade by us, Work, Blogging group. But while in China, we have a full on internary of activities that I wouldn’t normally do. But it’ll be worth it because I’ll see one of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China and other pretty places. I’ll be tired for a few days while adjusting to the new routine.  
 
Then when we come home, my routine will change again back into my normal routine of my groups, and work. Again it’ll probably take me awhile to read adjust myself.  But that’s only a little percentage of my year. If it were more than two weeks maybe I would think about changing my routine to suit my needs. 
It’s all about readjusting, so really my routine is always changing. But I’m flexible to do that, I know some people find it harder to adjust to change, and that’s okay. – Haley
 
 
Dear readers this week’s topic is how we deal with change. 
Readers I have a question: How do you deal with change?
Let me start by telling you about how I deal with change. 
Dealing with change for me is hard and it makes me feel very anxious. Something I've learnt is that sometimes change can be scary but sometimes it can be a good change.
Last week we had a change from our usual routine at blogging.  
 
We had a film crew from the TV show Travel OZ come and see us. It was a day of so much fun from getting our hair done by Jacquie to being filmed. It was an unexpected but great day.
Sometimes change is really good. Written by Charlotte
 
 
I don't like change at all. When I have change happen I don't cope very well. Especially when I have things canceled on me. If it happens I ask my mum for help and she usually helps me. Sometimes I ask the staff to help me as well.
At the shops I have needed help so I will look online to shop sometimes.
Do you like change? How do you deal with it? From Ben C
 
 

Dealing with change. 
Sometimes when my routine has changed I can get a bit stressed. 
I deal with the stress by seeking help from others and I try to keep myself busy.

I try to not change my routine often as I am very used to the way things are in my life and it makes my life less complicated. Nick
 
I have to change routines every day because sometimes I sleep too much. 
I try to get up early in the morning to get ready for Umbrella and cooking and bowling but today is late. Friday I go work but sometime hangout with my friends on weekends every week I get up early and always get ready because that’s more fun. TJ
 
Hi friends how are you? Today’s topic is how to deal or cope with change or something new.

Today I would like to talk about going to a new hairdresser and how I was feeling.

Last week I got my hair done by Jacquie who kindly offered to style our hair at Umbrella as we were being filmed for a tv show called Travel Oz. We were all so excited but a little nervous.

The room was specially decorated by our volunteers Bernie and Delia and it looked great.

Jacquie was so good and we all loved her.
She did the best styles for us, I got my hair done with beautiful curls and I loved it.
Cindy took photos of us getting our hair done.

What a fun day it turned out to be so different to any other day. It was the best day ever.
I realised that even though I was seeing a new hairdresser for the first time, she did my hair amazing and I had nothing to be nervous about.
Have you had to deal with changes my lovely readers and if so let us know in the comments.

Thank you for reading my blog, this is Bethany signing off until next week. Beth

I’m in charge of Australia…Now what?
 
This week our bloggers get busy changing the world because at this election time, they’re now in charge! Would you have a strategy in place if you were to make changes to our country?
 
Speaking of strategies, our support worker Krystle threw in a word challenge to be used in everyone’s blogs…. Look out for the word STRATEGY!
 
I would run the country like this, this is what I would change. My first strategy would be to make having fun all free. I would make all the arts and crafts things free. I would make all the shopping free too. Like food, shoes and clothes.

I would make food free too. Food that you cook at home and food in the restaurants and the food courts. I would make holidays compulsory. I would have to go on holidays too, every couple of months, but I would make that free as well.
Thank you for reading - From Ben C
 
If I was in charge of Australia, there would be a few things I would change. 
At first, I would dismiss all the people in charge and bring in my own people, who I know would do a better job than the old crew.  The people who I would pick would be people who are kind, understanding and who know what they’re doing. 

Here are my strategies for being in charge. In animal welfare, I would allow people to have two or three animals for free. But after the third animal, they will have to pay.

I would also have people who abuse breeding and who are violent towards animals to be charged and prosecuted with jail time.

Anyways, now for the less gritty strategies. Once a season everyone would get a basket to their front door filled with the essential staples, for example, flour, toilet paper, milk, toothpaste.  Also everyone would receive a native pot plant to plant. 

I would allow people to use coupons at the shops, (have you seen extreme cheapsakes?) but with expiry dates and conditions.

School starter, that is, Preps and year seven students would get a starter pack of the essentials of school supplies including a voucher for school shoes. TAFE and Uni would be very discounted, as I think people who are studying something they love and being in debt to do something they love, just sounds horrible.  That’s not fair. 

So if they finish the course they only have to pay a percentage of the cost, where as if they change their mind, then they would have to pay the full upfront cost.

Everyone gets a paid week off to spend time with the kids during the holidays and so there is always someone there watching them. You can split up the week through out the year, and can be separate from your partner. 

Also new mothers can get a year and a half of maternity leave as I know the first year of a new babies life is important. The new father can get a year of paid leave too. 

But in all honestly, having a Prime Minster, a one man person who is in charge of a big country is a big ask and a big responsibility. I don’t think one person can fix a big problem without a great team behind them including the normal citizens. 

But saying all of this, I think I would make a great Prime Minister, but I know there’s a lot more to keep everyone happy.  So I’ll just leave it to the bigger people and if they need help, I hope they reach out and ask us. - Haley. 
 
Hello and welcome to another strategic blog about politics and strategy. I love politics not because of the polices and procedures that are in place but the bickering and question time antics that comes along with it.

If I was the Prime Minister I would ensure that all people with disability have equal opportunity and rights without any changes needed to buildings etc. All buildings would be wheelchair accessible and all rails would be at an appropriate height. I would make all staff at shopping centres etc get training on disability etiquette. I would (attempt) to align my policies with the opposition. I would also make attending sport compulsory even when it’s raining (sorry Cindy)! I would make sure that the NDIS is up to standard and safeguard people with disability against people who rort the system. 
 
Onto American politics. I’m not sure on this President and I think I prefer the sixteenth President as he was very progressive and always thinking for those who need another to be their voice. Yes, I’m talking about Abraham Lincoln. 

I have a joke. - What does the Swedish president say when someone asks what car they drive? I-Kia. 

What would you do as Prime Minister? How would you run the country? 
Thanks for reading my blog and keep being awesome. Ben V
 
What would I do if I was in charge of Australia?
Since I’m in charge of Australia I need to get in touch with what the majority of people need while also not dismissing the needs of others who may need something different. Also keeping in mind that everyone deserves a fair go and make everyone feel welcomed as Australians. 

I would need to discuss and research the Prime Ministers of the past to see how things can be improved and also to take note of what works well for our country. While also keeping in mind that what might have been good for Australia in the past, may not be so great for us now. 

Meetings with State Premier’s would need to happen to see what is needed and to also get to know them so I know their leadership styles and what their strategies are for their State and/or Territories. After all, I need to know who I am working with so I can better help the people of Australia. 

I feel that everyone that is in a position of leadership in Australia (including myself) should be required to meet with people who are doing it tough, not only that, but for two weeks they need to live as they do and get that first hand experience so they can lead with empathy and kindness. 

While I’m no expert in running a country I would do everything in my power to make sure that everyone feels proud to be Australian and that everyone feels seen and heard. 

I acknowledge that being a leader of a country is an extremely stressful job and also a privilege that should not be taken lightly. 
Enjoy your day my friends and remember to lead with empathy and kindness, 
 Your friend, Shan.

If I was the leader of Australia, my strategy would be for everyone to be gaming around the whole world. Only some of work at home, and sometimes going out with friends and hangout with them on weekends. 

I like to work with police officer and help people around them if they make trouble and I really want to work like a police officer. 

I would give more money for people to buy a car and a little house with a small kitchen, and small stuff.  - I love all horror movies, from TJ your friend
 
Dear readers, this week's blog is if you were the Prime Minister of Australia for twenty four hours, what would you change.

Let me start by telling you I've been strategising my strategy of being Prime Minister of Australia for twenty four hours. I would lower taxes and I would give everyone four days off and I would make it a law that work is only five days a week and everyone working on a public holiday would receive an even bigger bonus.

I would keep the current road rules and I would spend a little bit of money on the Australian military and to fix the roads Australia wide.

A priority would be to build little country shops and build two nail salons in Garfield and I would have personal bodyguards and private chefs for myself. At no cost. - Written by Charlotte. 
 
If I was going to be Prime Minister my strategy would be over the time whilst in Parliament, is to allocate more funding to Defence. Including the Army, Navy and Airforce departments.

My strategy would be to make more bases for the defence force and add an active air craft carrier. I would use better nuclear power options.

I would make a day where there is no laws and people can do whatever they want. Some call that anarchy. 

If I could make it happen I would make travelling on public transport free for all customer's and free entry to all football matches. - Thanks, Nick

Hey friends how are you today?
Today’s topic is if you were the Prime Minister of Australia for twenty four hours what would you do and why. 


I googled what a Prime Minister actually is and it told me :- “as a party leader, elected to Parliament and appointment by the Governor General, must be a member of a house, with no term limits and must have reached the age of eighteen, be an Australian citizen and be a elector or qualified to become a elector who is entitled to vote in house of representatives elections”. That’s a lot isn’t it. 


I would have a strategy to lower taxes and make energy bills free. I would make TAFE free, medicare available to everyone and cheaper medicines. I would look after uni students better, give pay rises for all workers and free childcare to support working parents. I would also investigate animal cruelty offences and environmental protection for all animals.
​

This is your bubbly friend Bethany signing off until next week. 

​Choose your own adventure.
 
It’s one of our favourite topics this week as our team choose their own adventure. It sounds easy right? Maybe not as easy as you think! Sometimes thinking of something to write about can be really tricky. We can literally write about anything at all and that opens the entire world for us. Let’s see what our talented bloggers will share with us today.
 
A few weeks ago I got a pram, not a human baby pram a cat pram. Call me crazy but my cat Banshee loves going for walks in the pram with me. I took Banshee for a walk around the block on my own at dusk, he loved it. We got home, he jumped out of the pram and started meowing, like he was telling Maggie, my other cat, all about his little adventure.
 
The next day my mum and I took Banshee for a walk again around the same block but this time, he saw his very first kangraoo family and ducks, he did get a little bit of a scare, but he was fine.
 
The next day during the day he sat next to the pram, wanting to go for another walk. So we waited for my mum and we went on another adventure. This time we went around a different block, a bit longer and he was fine, just having a nosey look out of the pram. 
 
Yesterday I took Banshee in the pram on my own down to the local shops. I was a bit sceptical about him going into the shops but, we made it through, and he got his sister Maggie a bag of treats because he’s a kind soul.
 
We got home and Banshee got out of the pram, laid on the ground like he did all the walking and meowing to Maggie about his adventure down to the local shops and back. 
 
We even stopped by my neighbour’s house and let him see Banshee, because my neighbour didn’t believe that we have two cats.  But now he believes me. 
 
Well, I hope everyone had a great week. - Haley 
 
 
I am choosing my own adventure today for blogging and today I am writing about Port Arthur. It was twenty-nine years ago this year when the massacre at Port Arthur changed Australian history and thirty-five innocent people lost their lives. The Alannah and Madeline foundation was developed from this horrible tragedy as a poor man lost his two daughters and his wife in the massacre. 
It was also twenty-nine years ago that Ivan Milat was convicted of killing seven backpackers in Belangalo State Forest and John Howard became the first ever world leader who stopped the guns in Australia. 
 
I really like Australian history and even have a “Such is Life” tattoo on my arm. Do you know the quote “Such is life?”   Thank you for reading, Ash
 
I like to play video games with friends and talk with them online. I love all horror movies and bowling. I like to go to the gym with my friends, and I also like going out to dinner with friends. On the weekend it's my relax time. I had fun in Queensland with my good friends and I went to Sea World, Movie World, Wet 'n' Wild. I enjoyed my days there and I had fun. 
From your friend TJ
 
Hi friends, it's Thursday again which means back to blogging. Today's topic is a choose your own adventure and I have chosen two wishful adventures to write about. My adventures would be someday to swim with the dolphins at Sea World in Queensland and watch the dolphins do their tricks. They are beautiful looking, mystical creatures. I would like to wear a dolphin look alike wetsuit. There is lots to see at Sea World.

I would also one day like to go on a Princess cruise, and a Disney cruise with my family and friends (being Bernie and Cindy as my friends) where we can all get together and enjoy everyone's company. How fun!

Some days on the cruise ship we can do karaoke which I love to do, dance classes and play bingo. At night time on the cruise-ship they have fireworks, which is very exciting.
This would be the most amazing adventure ever.


How would you like to spend your amazing adventures?
Thank you for reading my blog, this is Bethany signing off until next week.
 
One day there was a man called Sam and he had a shop that sold clothes and shoes. A girl walked in called Taylor and she got some shoes and they were red. Then Taylor also decided to buy some clothes while she was there. After that, she decided it was time to go home with her shoes and her new clothes.
I hope you enjoyed my story. 
Part two coming soon. – Ben C
 
Hello and welcome to another blog which is going to be unBeelivable. Yes, I’m talking about insects. Recently I went to a VFL game in Frankston where there were little bugs in the ground which came up and would fly around. I’m unsure exactly what the bugs were but one thing is for sure, they were annoying!
 
This is not the only example of bugs in sport though. In 2008. Day 3 of the Australian vs India game in New Delhi was abandoned as a swarm of bees invaded the pitch which made It unsafe for play.
 
I love catching flies as I know they can be annoying and let’s be honest, they don’t taste good. I hate bees but love honey. I’ve never been stung but have seen them up close. How can bees sting so bad but honey taste so good?
 
I used to have a fly net hat to protect myself from bugs while we up on the Murray river. I’ll leave that to you to ponder but please don’t overthink it and let it bug you while I fly off to media now but thanks for reading my unBeelivable blog and keep being awesome. – Ben V
 
 
Today's topic is a choose your own adventure and I have chosen Navy seals because I like what they do, I admire them. There are six Navy Seal teams and they all focus on something a little different.

They were formed in 1962.

The roles of the six teams is to focus on advanced counter terrorism and Maritime operations. Two of the teams are based in California.

The US Navy is very protective of information regarding the Seal Teams but you can watch plenty of videos showing some of the skills they need to have. They need to be able to hold their breath for a long time, and still be able to work. They must be quick in their movements and in their thinking.
I would love to join them  - Nick
 
 
I'm in my Granny Era..
I have reached a point where I get excited to have a cup of tea, rug up in my crocheted blanket, oodie, pyjamas, fluffy socks and watch Golden Girls or read a good book in bed. I'm currently reading The Doctor of Hiroshima by Dr. Michihiko Hachiya. I'm really enjoying my Granny Era, it’s just comfortable and I highly recommend it.
 
I am a bit of a home body though I do enjoy going out occasionally, it’s just so much more exciting when I know that I can come home and be comfy. 
 
I have started having a strong black tea when I can at night and watching golden girls because it's just a wonderful way to wind down and I love old shows so much. I think because the show is so far removed from our current reality, being a show that I believe is set in the 1980’s and this is one of the reasons I love it so much.
 
Sometimes I also cut up a green apple to have with my tea as a nice little snack. 
 
If I’m reading, I’ll just have a tea or some form of hot beverage because eating and reading isn't something I'm great at. I’ll still get ridiculously rugged up and be as comfortable as possible so I can dive right into my book. Most times I get so lost in my book I forget my tea and it goes cold which is sad but that what the kettle is for, just add more hot water and I'm good to go. 
The Granny Era is honestly the best Era for me, just full of happiness, warmth and tea. I might even get back into my knitting and make some more warmth for myself or someone else. I hope that everyone can join me in the Granny Era, because it's the in thing I promise! 
Wishing everyone warmth and cosines,
Your friend, - Shan
 
 
 
Dear readers, this week’s topic is a choose your own adventure.
 
Let me start by telling you about living in country Garfield. I love living in Garfield, everything is pretty close for me. In the main street there is an old looking post office where after they get to know you, you only need to show your licence to pick up a parcel or package.
 
There is a crystal shop, a butcher and a pharmacy, there is a horse shop which sells all things horse including horse equestrian equipment. There are two cafes and there is a clothing shop, a railway station called Garfield station and there’s a pub called the Garfield pub. Garfield public pool, an op shop, local footy club, and a community garden on the next street over. 
 
One of my neighbours has three horses, two big horses and a little brown Shetland pony called Tiny which I'm allowed to feed apples and carrots. The other two horses are called Jet and Bob and I am not allowed to feed the two big horses as Jet is a very naughty horse and no one can ride him except one of his owners. Gumbuya world is not that far away from me either.
 
Written by Charlotte 
 
 
Hello readers!
Today's topic is a " Choose your own adventure". We can write about anything we like today and I have decided to write facts about myself such as: What I like and don't like, what I do, about my family and my personality. 
My name is Jacinda although my friends and family from Indonesia call me by my nickname “Cinda" but I prefer my Umbrella Support people called me Jacinda. Every Monday I attend a day program called "Handmade", it's a program where we do crafts, gratitude journal, meditation, group talk, a big group walk and share with friends some news about our week. I also work at Woolworths and this year will be my 8th year. I am proud that I am working in open employment. I also do blogging from home every Thursday and it's going wonderfully, I am really enjoying it. I have a friend that I keep in contact with from high school, she is caring and respectful. 
I live in a quiet home with my parents. I have one brother who is working overseas at the moment. I really love my family very much because they accept me the way I am even though I am a special needs person. I love spending time with my family. 
I really like children’s animated shows/movies and my favourite is Disney but I like non-Disney animation too like Snoopy and Super Mario, I like cheep cheep fish (an underwater villain from mario game), taking pictures, travelling and outings with my family. I like going overseas and interstate holidays, food such as: Indonesian food, cinema popcorn, spaghetti bolognese, chicken nuggets, chicken kiev, hot chips/ fries, McDonalds, KFC, Schnitz,  Nandos, Japanese food like chicken katsu curry and Gyudon, kind friends that understand my likes and dislikes, cute stickers, colour pencils, colouring book, winter clothes ( as I like winter more than a hot day), hugs, staying home by myself when mum and dad are working, listening to music, I like current music but I also don't mind listening to old music too. It's always nice to listen to music from different decades, Wendy's cookies and cream megashake. I love Sanrio, soft toys.
I like routine, writing special occasions cards, I like a lowkey and quiet birthday, I hope people respect and understand that because that's very important to me, I love Christmas decorations, rainbows, cute hanging earrings. Do you like some of those things same as me? 
I really don’t like people being too hard on me, people yelling and when people don’t respect my boundaries on birthdays, traditional birthday celebrations like cake, singing happy birthday and blowing candles, too hot weather, pushy/ bossy people, bullying, being left out/ not including me, homework, tests, dance parties, when exciting things get cancelled (like during Covid  for example), people stealing my stuff/ when my stuff goes missing, people commenting on my appearance such as: Weight/ acne, people asking me I’m having children, when people says I am too old to do kid things, big gatherings, messes like spilled drinks, pranks, flies, mosquito and spiders, being sick because if I am sick I miss on fun stuff, high rides, spoiled brat/ tantrum kids and people asking private questions like how much money I have. 
More facts: I went to Indonesian school from kindergarten to grade 4, then moved to Australia. I had the best school ever because most people are friendly and then before I joined Umbrella Support I attended a disability employment service class five days a week in order to get employment. I usually go grocery shopping with mum on the weekend, all my relatives from mum side live in Indonesia but I have my Aunt and Uncle I keep in touch with on Whatsapp or instagram, my grandmother from mum side comes every summer holidays. 
I have a question for the readers: If you were given a task to write about yourself what would you write? 
My message for today is: Just do what makes you happy, you don't need to enjoy/ like the same things as people around you, like me: I preferred quiet/ lowkey birthday and that's who I am. 
I will be off from blogging next month, but I will join blogging again in June. Don't worry! 
From your happy friend, Jacinda

​This week our bloggers revisit a favourite time they have shared or experienced. These types of holidays either public holidays or family holidays are always fun and create memories we can recreate in future years.
 
It was also Jessy’s last day with us. Jessy our support worker has left a huge mark on our hearts and we always remember her for her kindness…
 
My favourite holiday would probably be Halloween, though it’s not an Australian holiday it’s a day that I’ve been able to bond with friends over and that’s really important. There’s nothing better than dressing up and being a little bit extra about characters or monsters that you connect with! It’s also a day that many people are able to express themselves creatively and artistically. Added bonus there’s lollies, chocolate and the coolest decorations ever.
 
Its also the day that I watch Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas, I absolutely love this movie because I think that the characters are super cute and I love how different Tim Burton movies are to the traditional Disney movies. I know that many children dress up and go trick or treating and that’s very exciting for them, I really enjoy handing out lollies to the trick or treaters as well. I myself don’t go trick or treating because knocking on strangers doors on a normal day is scary enough.
 
I don’t do any of the really scary movies because I’m not very good with horror. But I love that Disney + have a Halloween collection during the month of October and I can watch something different to what I’d normally watch. Honestly it’s something to look forward too and as I said share with others. Seeing all of the decorations and the Halloween themed products makes me so happy because all of the Halloween enthusiasts can share in the excitement and joy of the spooky season.
 
There’s just so much that I enjoy about Halloween, even talking about it is exciting and I am very lucky to have people that also share my excitement and love of all things spooky and Halloween.
I am in my spooky era.
Your friend,
Shan
 
 
Hey friends and welcome back it’s Thursday again which means back to blogging. Today’s topic is public holidays or any special occasions.

 I have chosen to write about my favourite holidays which are Christmas time and Easter time because my family gets together to have lunch with each other and sometimes my cousins and aunts and uncle come along also.

One of the best things about Christmas is getting presents and my birthday is three weeks later. We have lots of fun and lots of laughs together which makes the day a whole lot better.

My second choice is Easter because we get lots of chocolates and just spending quality time as a family. I love getting easter bunnies and easter eggs and we sometimes do an easter egg hunt. They are usually hiding in the garden and hanging off branches high in the trees.

What are your favourite public holidays or special occasions readers? Tell us about your fun and adventures in the comments. 

Thank you for reading my blog, this is bubbly Bethany signing off until next week.
 
 
Hello readers. What a nice and sunny day today! I hope you all are doing well and had a great Easter break. 

Today’s blogging topic is about our favourite holiday. Do you have a favourite holiday like Christmas break, Easter break or is anyone still at school and enjoying school holidays? 

Hmm, if someone asks me what my favourite holiday is I like Christmas holidays and New Year because it's a long break and I celebrate Christmas with my family. We usually enjoy around three weeks break from Umbrella Support, we finish in mid-December and come back in mid-January. I still remember that I really enjoyed the term four breaks when I was at school because its more than two weeks. 

I also enjoy Christmas break because I get Christmas presents, I get to rest as well and take it easy, even though the weather is hot. It’s summer season during Christmas holidays and I don't like the too hot weather but I still enjoy it. I still remember during Christmas and New Year break long time ago I went to the beach with my parents, my brother and my aunty, uncle and cousin it was fun and memorable. We made sand mountains and I think we had a barbeque lunch at the beach and also other time we ate KFC for lunch. 

Do you all like going to the beach during Christmas holidays with your family because it's summer? 

Christmas and New Year breaks are also great for me, because since 2015 New Year my grandmother from Indonesia has visited Australia. She decided to come in the summer because she can't stand the cold as she lives in a tropical country, she usually stays for a long time and has celebrated Lunar New Year here with us. When she is here we get to do lots of family things together like the Christmas Myer Windows. 

Do you like seeing Christmas Myer windows or other Christmas decorations? 
This year is a little different around Easter, the usual four days off and also the following Friday for Anzac Day which gives us two short weeks to enjoy. That’s something to look forward too. 

I have a fact to share with everyone. Even though I celebrate Lunar New Year with my family, in Indonesia it's a public holiday.  But here, it isn’t. So my fun fact is that I had to work on Lunar New Year as I work every Wednesday.

Joke of the day is related to Christmas. What is a Christmas tree's favourite candy? Ornamints.  From: Cool Jacinda
 
Dear readers, this week’s topic is what is your favourite public holiday or special occasion. Let me start by telling you about my favourite special occasion
which is my birthday.
 
I love my birthday every year because I get to celebrate it with my family and friends. I even like a good sleep-in but to be honest the thing I don’t like is getting older. However, I do love to eat delicious black forest cake and to receive presents as well.  I look forward to getting to choose what we eat for my birthday dinner and especially this year because it is a big one.
 
My favourite holiday is Christmas because there’s no reason. I just love Christmas. I get to spend time with my direct family however I feel sad because it was my dad’s favourite holiday as well. I love waking up and getting to open presents with my family because I get to see my family's warm smiles after giving them their presents. Of course I love to receive my Christmas presents too.

What is your favourite public holiday or special occasion?
 
Written by Charlotte
 
 
My special occasion to blog about is New Year’s Eve because it’s my birthday and I absolutely love celebrating my birthday with friends and family.  My highlight is that my late grandfather would say I am the limited edition in the family. 

My mum would tell me to go to bed early so she could wake me up to watch the fireworks and bring in the New Year with my family and friends. When I was young I would go camping along the Murray River with my family. I remember one year I got drunk until I got a hungover, and to this day I don’t get a hangover anymore as I’ve learned my lesson from drinking.
Thank you, I’m back. Ash. 
 
I love to go to holidays, they are so much fun.  I can’t stop thinking about Jessy today, she is moving away. 

I saw Joker and Harley Quinn at Movie World and Wet n Wild.  It was so much fun in the water and then I got a sunburn on my back. 

Sea World was wonderful and I saw polar bear, really cute. There were also two girls with me, oh lord they were crazy and funny.  I love fun with my friends and crazy stuff together too. – TJ
 
Good morning and welcome to a relaxing holiday blog. My favourite holiday is Anzac Day as I have a tradition of going to the rugby with my dad to watch the Melbourne Storm play. It gives me a chance to not only enjoy the sport I love but also pay my respects to the soldiers who have fallen to make this country what it is today. I also love this as they turn off the lights for the ceremony which is cool to witness.
 
I also love watching the Anzac eve AFL match between Melbourne and Richmond as it provides the perfect lead in to the big day. No matter how many times you listen to the last post it still gives me tingles. Do you like Anzac Day? What do you do to celebrate and commemorate?
 
Keep being awesome and Lest we Forget – Ben VR
 
 
I’m not like a regular girl, I’m the spooky girl. I love Halloween, my dream would be to go to America to see how they do it.  I’ve read on the internet that turnips were the first vegetables to get the carving rather than pumpkins.

Also, I read that they got trick or treat from Aprils 1st is April fools day is 6 months away from October 31st Halloween.  
 
April fools would be trick and October 31st is treat. Anyways, I love Halloween not just for the treats. I love horror movies and I would do a thirty one days of Halloween horror movies, kinda like Christmas but better. 
 
Last year for the thirty one days of Halloween I tried to watch all movies, I haven’t watched before, 
 
I’ll just name a few 
P2 (2007)
Slaughter high (1986)
Tourist trap (1979)
 
When I was little, we would go trick or treating and get heaps of lollies, even money. 
I think everyone is entitled to a good scare once in their lifetime. Last year, my friend and myself went to Luna park for Halloween. Let me tell you, it was a hell of a ride. There was a walk through haunted house maze, and the people would walk up to you and scare you and there were fake feet and hands hanging from the ceiling. We even dressed up. I dressed up as a broken doll and my friend dressed up as the bent neck lady from the Haunting of Bly Manor. It was the greatest time ever. I hope we can do it every year.
 
Well that’s me all wrapped up, I’m a bit scary, a bit spooky and all kinds of sweet.  – Haley
 
 
My favourite holiday is Christmas because I get to celebrate with friends and family. I love receiving and giving presents. I love having Christmas lunch with my friends and family. My favourite food for Christmas is ham, and for dessert is Chinese custard tarts.

My other favourite is the weekend just gone because we celebrated Easter. I go out with friends on the weekend sometime or shopping.
What is your favourite holiday? - Thank you From Ben C
 
Hi readers, we are going to talk about our favourite holiday or public holiday.
My favourite holiday is Christmas because I get presents. The best gift I have ever received was a smaller version of a flight simulator that my dad gave me. It is so much fun the way it works and it connects with my computer and you learn how to manoeuvre it like your are in a real  aircraft. Have you ever received a gift that made you happy?

Anzac Day (25th April) is special to me because we acknowledge all who have fought in any of the wars. Another place I have been to is Pearl Harbour and have walked through the ship. It was interesting and moving.
There is oil still leaking from the ship which is a burial site. I also sat on the submarine. Have you been to Pearl Harbour and if so, what did you think of it.

Do you have a favourite holiday and if so where is it

Cheers Nick 

Happy Easter friends!
Do you love Easter? Do you celebrate this occasion the same way you do Christmas with your family and friends? What is different about it? Do you go away or stay home? There are so many questions we have and today we will answer them telling you all the way we love to celebrate this time of the year.
 
 What does Easter mean to you?
Hello and good morning welcome to our blog. We are writing about the Easter holiday and the first thing that came into my mind was spending it with my family. This Easter our family is going on a long holiday and I am so excited. We are cruising to Vancouver and will travel by train to an amazing place called Niagara Falls and much more. We will take the train through the Canadian Rockies. It is going to be so fun but I know everyone is going to miss me and I will miss my friends too. I can't wait for dancing, food, drinks and lots of fun with my family. I will take a lot of photos and I will get my haircut on the ship.
I love Easter, my favourite is eating hot cross buns toasted, with butter. I also love decorating my house with the beautiful crafts that I make at Handmade on Monday and Tuesday crafts as well.

I will eat Easter chocolates too but I like hot cross buns better. My mum buys them from Coles. - I am happy From your friend, Claire. Bye for now I will be back in 6 weeks.
 
Hey friends how are you today? 
Today’s topic is what do you do for Easter?

Easter Sunday is a special day for my family and friends. 
We get together for lunch and have lots of food and then when we finish our dinner we get excited and open up our easter eggs. This is the best day ever when we can eat as much chocolate as we want and not get in trouble (does an evil laugh hahaha)!

My favourite easter eggs are Kit Kat easter eggs, Humpty Dumpty easter eggs with marshmallows and Smarties in them. Bunny rabbits and mini eggs. I also forgot to mention hot cross buns.

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter and a wonderful safe holiday.

How do you enjoy your easter holiday my readers? 

This is Bethany signing off until next week.
 
 
 What does Easter mean to you? 

“Easter means that you can have chocolate for breakfast.” A quote from Haley. 

It seemed appropriate to start this blog with a quote, even better that it was a quote from a fellow blogger and friend. I feel like Easter for me is a time for giving and spreading kindness. The Good Friday appeal is always important for the Royal children’s hospital and I believe it’s a charity that is close to many of our hearts. For those that can donate even the smallest amount it’s something that I’m sure is greatly appreciated. “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” – Dalai Lama 

Easter is also a time for appreciating. Appreciating the people, animals and everything that we have in our lives. It’s important to take a moment to practice gratitude and appreciate those we love. We have an opportunity to celebrate an event with others and share joy and kindness. Even if the celebration is with your animal family that’s still really special and worth the celebration. We should also be appreciative for what we have and the time we have with our loved ones. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Quote from Google. 

Easter is also a great time for some self care and self love because why not? Make it a tradition to give yourself some kindness at some point during the Easter break, get yourself some nice P.J.s, some fluffy socks and have your favourite snacks. Because you are worth it! “It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself and make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary.” -Mandy Hale 

Taking the time during Easter to think about what Easter means to you would be a great thing to do if you have some down time. Or make it a journal prompt. 
Enjoy the week ahead my friends, 
Happy Easter,
Your friend Shan.
 
 
What does Easter means to me? If I’m honest, it kind of confuses me. How is it that we have an Easter Bunny, but somehow we get Easter eggs?  I’m 100% sure Bunnies don’t lay eggs. 
 
Well anyways, when I was younger at Easter time we would go away camping with my cousins, Aunty and Uncle. On Easter morning we would do an Easter egg hunt and each kid had a pile of Easter eggs waiting for us back at the campsite, after the egg hunt. 
 
When we got a little bit older, I did Scouts and we would go away on a camp over Easter. I remember because when we got home on the Easter Sunday my parents would place my siblings and eggs on our bed. 
 
I wasn’t much of a chocolate eater in my younger days, so I would get a movie and an Easter chocolate. My oldest brother was a chocolate fanatic. He would have eaten his chocolate by the end of the day. 
 
As I got older Easter just become another normal day for us. Until my first niece was born, we had egg hunts and Easter eggs again. Then my nephew came along so we started going away camping again. We do egg hunts at the campsite site just like I did when I was a kid. There are so many people camping we are restricted to only our camp site.  But we still had fun.
  
Now they are older we don’t really do much for Easter anymore. 
So it’s just my parents and myself. My mum always gets me kinder surprises, their chocolate is the best, well to me it is. 
 
We still like having hot cross buns on the day, and you’re allowed to eat chocolate for breakfast on Easter without being pestered by anyone. 
 
Happy Easter, enjoy the chocolate eggs, and family time.
Haley. 
 
 
Hi everyone, today's topic is Easter, how do you celebrate Easter?
I celebrated Easter when I was a kid and to be frank I cannot remember much about that time but these days I like to celebrate by staying home playing video games.

If I get to see my dad our plan is to go to Kilcunda and we usually go to the pub for dinner and we meet with some of his friends there.

My dad and I have been there so many times that we know most of the locals at the pub. I feel that I am too old to celebrate and for me Easter is like any other day.
I know a lot of my friends love to celebrate Easter and I want to wish all of you Happy Easter and hope you will have a great time with your family and friends.
 
Thank you for reading my blog Nick
 
 
Hello and welcome to another Egg-citing blog. With Easter fast approaching we are blogging about Easter. For me Easter is about chocolate chocolate…………......and did I mention chocolate? Did you know that in England they have something called the cheeseter egg. It’s an easter egg made entirely out of cheese. I love this concept as I can’t have too much chocolate.
 
As a kid I loved going on easter egg hunts and eating lots of chocolate. I am a massive white chocolate fan. We always used to play the chocolate dice game every easter which is one of my favourite games to play. I love the easter Monday tradition of watching my Hawks play Geelong. I love eating chocolate hot cross buns. Do u have any favourite chocolates or easter traditions? I have some more coming up in a later blog.
 
Nice to chat again readers and have an eggscellent holiday.
 
Keep being awesome. - Ben
 
 
Hello readers! 
Today I want to start my blog with a quote:-
“The great gift of Easter is hope". Why did I choose that quote?  It's because this week, our blogging topic is about Easter. 

Do you like to celebrate Easter? If you celebrate, do you celebrate with your nuclear family only or do you like to have a big gathering with your Aunty, Uncle, cousins, niece and nephews? I do celebrate Easter with my family, but we are not sure what we will be doing for Easter this year. I don't have many extended family members  here so it’s quiet which is okay for me because I don't like big gatherings.

My brother is still working overseas so I guess my dad might cook something.  We usually go to church for Holy Week Mass. We might visit my grandparents on Easter Sunday and wish them a Happy Easter, if they are well and healthy that Sunday. My grandparents live in aged care now. 

Usually on Easter Sunday or any special occasions that I celebrate, I like to choose an image on Google. There's a huge variety of images to choose. There are cute ones like Bunny rabbits, cartoon characters like Snoopy or Disney, and there's a simple one that just says "Happy Easter".  You might be asking me "What do I do with that picture"?
I screenshot it and keep it saved on my gallery on my phone. I like to choose two different pictures for special occasions that I celebrate. One is to put on my Instagram to wish everyone out there a Happy Easter. The other one is to send to my close family that live overseas and message to my brother. If he was at my house I wouldn’t need to, I would just wish him in person. Do you like to find an Easter image on Google too like me? Which one do you like?

I’ve already chosen my Easter image this year. One is a picture of Snoopy and one is a picture of a children’s cartoon called "Sunny Bunnies". I find its busy for me sending these images to all my close family but not all my extended family celebrate Easter. Mostly they are Buddhist so they celebrate something else. My cousin is very thoughtful as she sends me an Easter greeting and a Christmas greeting even though she doesn’t celebrate them. 

Some people get gifts for Easter like those cartoon character mugs with the giant Easter egg in a box or a Bunny plush toy. I don't really get any Easter egg chocolate from my parents or a Bunny soft toy anymore, only when I was still living in my old house my parents got my brother and I an Easter Bunny plush. My brother got the sky blue one and I got the pink one. I remembered I named my Easter Bunny "Pinky" because she is pink and my brother named his Bunny "Bugsy". My brother and I  don't keep those Bunny toys anymore, we gave them away before we moved to this house. 

I remember some Easter gifts that I’d received over the years. In Easter of 2009 my brother and I were still children, then in 2010 for Easter my brother and I got another present, it was a Peter Rabbit plush toy it came in a box and there was Easter chocolates inside too. Do you like Peter Rabbit? I also remembered my Aunty, who lived in Melbourne, she gave my brother and I a mug with a big Easter egg. I got a My Little Pony mug and my brother got a Ben-10 mug. I remember my cousin made an Easter card for my brother and I with fun activities on the card like word-search and colouring in. 

I also remember another mug with Easter eggs from my mums friend in 2021 I think it was. It was a Mickey Mouse mug.

When we were still living in Indonesia my parents, my brother and I would attend all the masses from Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter vigil and Easter Sunday. You all might think that's a lot but the reason why we go on the Easter Sunday mass is because they have children's mass and when the mass is over we got goodie bags. It had various snacks like Hello Panda, pocky sticks, tiny teddies and other things like that. One of the items from the goodie bag that I remember the most was a Winnie the Pooh dinner plate.  It was aqua-green my favourite colour, and my brother got a Mickey Mouse one. So yes, childhood Easter was fun because we got treats. 

I hope everyone has a lovely Easter for those that celebrate whether you have big gatherings or just spending time with your close family like me. Or, if you don't celebrate Easter I hope you enjoy the long weekend. 

Let's end my blog with an Easter joke: What kind of dancing do bunnies like ? Hip hop. Hahaha.  From your cool friend: Jacinda
 
Today we are writing about Easter.
I'm going away for Easter with my mum and dad. I am going to see my friend Bri up at Echuca and we will be staying in a house and Bri my friend will be staying in a caravan nearby.

Sometimes my mum gives me hot cross buns for breakfast, and we will probably go shopping to a craft shop. This will be my first time going to Echuca and I am looking forward to it.

My mum and dad and I might donate to the Royal Children's Hospital this year to help raise funds for equipment for the hospital.
From Ben C
 
Dear readers, this week's topic is Easter.
 
Let me tell you about  what  Easter means to me.

I like to celebrate Easter with my family and every year on Good Friday my family and myself donate to the Royal Children's hospital.  One of the reasons we donate is because I used to be patient there and I remember how well I was looking after while being there.

My mum makes fish soup for us to eat on good Friday and then on Easter Sunday we are with our family doing an Easter egg hunt. Eating Easter eggs is a tradition in my family.

Easter lunch which is coloured eggs with ham, horseradish and apple sauce.
I am excited for my family from Brisbane who are coming down for Easter to spend time with us and I'm very excited  to see my younger cousin.
 
Happy Easter to my readers.
 
Readers, I have a question: What do you do for easter?
 
 Written by Charlotte

It’s cold! Brrrrrr. What does that mean to us and how does that make us feel? Some of our bloggers LOVE the change to the cooler weather and others do not. THIS, is what makes us so different and unique. Today, we blog, about soup, scarves and heated blankets!
 
 
Hello readers, 
 
How are you today? As winter approaches, we thought it would be great to share some thoughts on how we prepare for the colder months. 
 
Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with winter. On one hand, I loved getting cozy under a warm blanket after a hot shower, and there's nothing like a hot cup of coffee in the morning or tea in the afternoon to warm me up. Pumpkin soup is also a favourite of mine during this time. 
 
On the other hand, when the cold weather becomes too much to handle in Melbourne, I love escaping to Queensland for some sunshine. And, of course, Summers is the place to go for me and it is a whole different story – I enjoy outdoor activities, festivals, markets, and trying all sorts of delicious food and drinks with my close friends. 
 
Now, I'd love to hear from you: what do you do to prepare for winter? Do you have any favourite activities, foods, or traditions that help you cozy up during the colder months?
 
Thank you for reading my blog, Thomas
 
 
Isn’t it funny how we prepare ourselves for the different seasons?
That’s the topic this week. Winter is coming and what do we do to prepare or do during winter?
 
Well I know in the mornings during winter the heater is on, so I wake up toasty and warm.  Even our food changes.  In the summer time it’s usually salads and a BBQ, but, in winter it’s soup and stews and something warm to warm your insides.   
Sometimes people also have a summer closet and a winter closet and they swap each season.   
 
Winter closets consist of scarves, mittens, beanies and anything knitted.  Whilst in the summer it’s dresses, shorts, skirts and sun hats.  I add extra blankets on my bed in the winter. Even with two cats on the bed, I know when it’s getting cold at night as they both try to snuggle into my neck and legs. I also put on different Pyjamas, and sometimes even a jumper.  
 
Some people even dye their hair for winter, usually a darker tone to keep the warmth, but in summer they put some highlights in.  I’m guilty of this. 
 
In the winter time my family will have stews/ soups, but in the summer time we barely have them, isn’t that funny?  Why do we eat food for different seasons more than others? In winter we barely eat salads, let’s be honest , who would want a cold salad during winter? 
 
Winter is also a great time to cuddle around a campfire and roast marshmallows, in a safe environment of course. This would be one of my favourite things to do. 
 
One thing I would love to do is go somewhere where Christmas is in the Winter and have a white Christmas.  Because in Australia, Christmas is in the summer time, and I think Christmas lunch in winter time would hit differently. 
Thank you for reading Haley.
 
 
 Hi friends how are you today?
Today’s topic is preparing for winter.

I am looking forward to wearing warm clothes in the winter as they make me warm and cozy like my long sleeve pj’s. I also love wearing long warm dresses with thick socks or tights. Having a long warm showers to keep warm. But the most important thing I love about winter is the change in food and drinks. 

The foods that I like to eat during winter are:
Chicken noodle and tomato soup. 
Pasta bake with tomato and sausage and zucchini.
 
I love beef and potato shepherd’s pie and cheesy crust casserole. Bangers and mash, creamy chicken pasta. Pumpkin, spinach and ricotta lasagne.

Some of the best hot drinks to have during winter are ;
Peppermint hot chocolate with marshmallows
Mexican hot chocolate which has some spice in. 
Pumpkin spice latte, Gingerbread hot chocolate. White chocolate with marshmallows and Peppermint chai with vanilla and marshmallows.

This is why I love winter. 

This is Bethany signing off until next week
 
 
Dear readers this week’s topic is preparing for winter.
Let me start telling you about what I do to prepare for winter
I like to prepare for winter by putting my warm doona on my bed and buying warm pjs, and socks. On my feet I usually wear them all the time at home. I even wear a Oodie. My bed is so warm and comfy.
 
I love the house to be warm and my mum makes delicious warm soups, and stews but my favourite is chicken schnitzel with lots of different sauces especially my favourite which is  cherry sauce and this recipe has been handed down by my mum's grandma which she had for a long time.
 
I love to wear my track suit pants, jumpers and put on my puffy warm jacket and sometimes I wear a scarf and  fingerless gloves to keep me warm.
 
Readers I have a question: What do you do to prepare for winter?
 
Written by Charlotte
 

Today is how we prepare for winter. How do you like to get ready for the cold months? There are lots of things you can do.
You can have warm drinks in warm pyjamas. I like to wear hoodies. You can have pies and hot chocolate too. You can have sausage rolls as well.
There are so many things you can do to prepare for and enjoy winter. I wonder if our blog will give you some ideas. Ben C
 
 
Hi everyone today we are writing about how to stay cozy and warm during winter.
In my room I have a heater to keep me warm, I have warm clothes and good warm food like pies, and I like to make a hot chocolate or coffee while watching horror movies or YouTube. Yeah, so make sure you all are always warm and stay warm where it is safe. I always try to keep warm, and it makes me feel good.

I like to go to the snow and it's so much fun. Last year we went on a holiday to the snow, I think it was Mount Buller. We threw snowballs and threw it at my friend's face lol. We all walked around, and we had hot food. I tried snowboarding but it was too hard for me. The important thing is I gave it a go.
Thanks for reading my blog, From your friend TJ.
 
 
Good morning everyone. How is your day so far?
Today I am back again to blogging from home. This weeks topic is "How to keep winter happy, cozy and comfortable?"

Do you like Winter?   

I love Winter then Summer because I love wearing trackpants, jumpers and my Oodie.  They keep me warm. I also have a few adorable winter slippers but I haven't worn them yet this year, maybe I will wait when it's closer to Winter.  I usually wear socks if I wear Winter slippers. 
 
It is easier to sleep in winter than on a hot scorching summers day. I don't like too hot weather in the summer. I usually like to have an extra blanket, so I have my doona cover and a cozy blanket. They keep me warm when I sleep in winter and I have winter pyjamas too they have various pattern such as: Bunny, cupcake and teddy bear. Have you got any cute winter pyjamas? I also wear winter socks to bed, I bought them at Daiso as they have nice ones. 
 
Since the cold weather is around the corner, yesterday my parents cooked simple soup. The ingredients are potatoes, spam, carrot, sausage, celery and cabbage. My parents put vegetables in the soup to make it healthy. There are also other foods that are suitable for winter such as: spaghetti bolognese, chicken kiev, chips (well you can actually eat chips during any season), fish and chips are good for winter too because one time we went to San Remo fish and chips in winter time and it was so yummy. 

What's your favourite winter food? My favourite winter foods are spaghetti bolognese, chicken kiev and chips. 
 
You can stay warm by turning on the heater, I don't usually have my heater all day at home. I actually haven't used the heater yet this year, but if we used the heater we usually turn it on in the morning. Usually I was the first person to wake up in the morning or sometimes if Dad has to work super early he turns it on. Then we turn the heater on again at night time and my parents will turn the heater off when they go to bed. Some people think that winter is not their cup of tea because its freezing but I love it because I like to wear winter clothes. 

There are a lot of activities that you can do in winter. You can still go for a walk as long as you wear a winter coat, beanies, socks and  trackpants. You can still go on a family outing or travelling together. Last year we went to Geelong in the winter that was fun. Doing some crafts in your room, colouring-in, read your favourite books, watch a family friendly movie with your parents and your siblings. I used to do that with my parents and my brother in my old house and eat some potato chips while watching a movie.  You can still catch up with your family and friends and go to the cinema that's perfect winter activities because it's nice and warm there.
​
I hope you enjoy reading my blog. I hope you all have a good week. I know winter is not everyones favourite season but think of the great things about winter like wearing an Oodie and trackpants, and maybe your favourite winter food and activities. 
From Jacinda, you winter “fan girl”. 

 
Winter is coming, and I love winter. I love the fire pit outside it keeps me warm.
I love my family and warm hugs so in the winter I always make sure I give more warm hugs to the people I love.

A warm shower is the best and getting into my warm pyjamas straight away. I love to have a hot chocolate in the lounge watching my favourite YouTube channels.
Mum cooks lots of warm soup and bread, and pasta too in the colder months. Pasta is my favourite and I have it for lunch today. I like creamy and tomato pasta and spicy foods keep me warm in the winter too.

It's the best to have warm clothes, many layers, a scarf and a skivvy. I need slippers on my feet to stay warm at home. My support worker helps me at home with keeping my room tidy and clean and she will help me with putting my winter sheets on my bed on Friday.

My family and I like to watch movies when it's cold on the big screen at home.
Dad's garden looks different in the winter. His trees become orange and yellow and red, and the leaves will drop off. But in the spring they come back.
Winter makes me happy because I love to be cozy and cuddled into my warm clothes and the lounge.
 
Thank you once again for reading, Claire. 


Winter has recently become a season I look forward to, it does get very cold and rainy days can be miserable but I get to be warm in bed with a ridiculous amount of blankets, cuddled up with my dog and have a hot beverage in a cute mug. I can wear scarves, beanies, cute gloves, my favourite hoodies and jackets everyday. I can look like the Michelin man and no one will question it because we are all in the same seasonal boat, the cold one. This makes me all kinds of happy because winter to me equals being comfortable and cosy. What’s better then that? (That’s a rhetorical question, I don’t wanna start the summer versus winter debate).


My preparation for winter is mostly just having everything ready so that I can be warm, my family gets the heater ducts cleaned, blankets and winter clothes come out and get washed if they need it. It’s nice to have fresh bedding too, I recently got new bedding and pillows which is exciting and I like to get heat packs out if they’ve been in hiding. I also check if I need anything for winter like bed socks or heat packs or a rain poncho.


Chopper has his oodies, jumpers and jackets ready to go for winter, he gets anything that needs washing washed too and for anyone asking Chopper is our dog and like any other family member he is also part of the preparation for winter. He needs to be warm too and look adorable on walks. Katut just needs the house to be warm for her, she wouldn’t appreciate it if we tried to dress her in clothes, as she is a bird who is fine with just her feathers and her warm hut at night. She also doesn’t go outside the house often so she gets the luxury of heating and cooling inside.


I do more preparation for winter than I thought, funny how you do things routinely without much thought because it’s just something you do. I love that when we blog it brings things to light in our mind and we all learn something new about our routines or just us in general. Have you thought about how you prepare for winter? Do you enjoy winter or do you just wait for it to end so you can get your Spring, Summer or Autumn on? Maybe this can be a journal prompt for you? Or just something to think about.

​Enjoy some time with you my friends,
Shan

Today we are going to become smile makers. That means we are going to do our best to make you smile reading about things that make us smile. Is that a deal?
 
We welcomed Jacinda to our blogging team and were so happy to read her very first blog. See! We’re already happy and smiling…
 
 
Dear readers  this  week’s topic is  something that brings you joy or happiness
 
Let me start by telling you about what brings me joy or happiness and that is  seeing  my Umbrella friends and listening to music. My family and my family dog Gucci and getting my nails done once in while. I also love reading and watching  my favourite  movie  Twilight. Just to clarify, I also read the Twilight books and I also like to watch the tv show the Vampire diaries. I like going shopping and going glamping with my  family  for some of you that don’t know what is glamping is, it's fancy camping in a caravan and I really like when it’s a warm sunny in the afternoon because I like to go outside and sit outside under the carport in sun.
 
I've written this week’s blog at home because I was feeling a little bit unwell but by time you read this I hope be back at Umbrella.
 
I have a question for the readers: what is something that brings you joy or happiness?
 
Written by Charlotte
 
 
I see acts of kindness at my work all the time. I make sure I say "Hi friends have a nice meal...enjoy"
And I see that it makes people smile.
The people I serve at work also give me tips and that is kind.
My special mate at work is coming with me to Somers Camp in May. I am looking forward to it and my other friend is coming too. Everyone is kind at Somers Camp and they are close friends.
Close friends are kind to each other and always say "Hi".
A smile is kind and being nice with your eyes. My friend Brooke is very kind. If someone smiles at you, always smile back.
Not everyone is kind but it is important for me to be kind to everyone.
Thank you, your kind friend, Thomas
 
 
I am kind and I have smiles for everyone.
I have lots of kind people that I love and they are kind to me.
I love Mondays at the park with my Umbrella “Handmade” friends. We dance and laugh and sing, we are kind to each other.

Hugs are being kind and I like to hug my closest people. I hug my friends and they smile.
When I go on holidays I see many kind people, and I am excited for my birthday that is coming. I have a huge cruise coming up to Canada for 6 weeks.

I love my boyfriend and he is kind. He has kind eyes. And he is kind to me for my birthday too.

I have Krystle who is kind, smart and special. She is a good woman. We go to the movies and lunch together. We also play a word game which we like called Splat. Every time we listen to Disney, we sing together on the way to the movies. And on the way home too.
Thank you for reading, your kind friend Claire.
 


Hello everyone, my name is Jacinda how are you all ? This is my first time doing blogging from home. It can be nervous starting something new, but Cindy and Krystle said there’s nothing to be worried about. This weeks blogging topic is "What brings you joy?"

Firstly, things that makes me happy and bring me joy are when I go on holidays with my family. I have been to Japan twice, New Zealand, Indonesia (which is my nationality). I haven’t been to many countries but I would love to go to more. 
Everyone deserves to go on holidays. I can be envious sometimes when people go on special holidays but they deserve to be happy just like me. 

Last year I went to Japan in March and April. I really love going to cute places like Tokyo Disneysea, Super Mario World in Universal Studios, Sanrio shop (Sanrio is where Hello Kitty is from like Mickey Mouse is from Disney). Do you like cute things like me? 

The most memorable part of that holiday is when I went to Super Nintendo World with Mum. Dad didn't go he just hung around. My ticket says I can enter the Mario World by 6:40pm so I could not enter before 6:40pm. I was very impatient because I really love Super Mario characters so much, especially the Cheep cheep fish. Have you heard of that character before? 

Then when it was my time to go in I was super happy. I went on a ride called “Mario kart bowser challenge". It was fun and I really loved the toilet in Mario world because it’s underwater theme. Can you guess what the wallpaper was in the toilet? Cheep cheep and his friends Blooper and the colour is light blue as its underwater theme. I would love to thank mum for accompanying me there, I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to Mario World in Universal Studios Osaka Japan

Thank you for reading my very first blog
Bye from 
Jacinda



I love watching my friend Mark work on his plane which he pulls apart into a million pieces. I love to work on lawn movers which make me happy and hopefully I can fix them.
 
On the weekend I went to Maryborough to help my friend Mark to take the wings off his plane. It took hours and it was great fun.I had to unscrew the nuts and bolts there was so many of them. It was so hard but I found it so interesting and fun to do.

When I am at home I have fun playing my games on my computer and my favourite game is flight stimulator with Ethan my best friend, this makes me smile.
Another thing that makes be smile is when I am working and I find some interesting things.

I love to hang out with my friends, this makes me smile
Nick
 
Welcome to another happy and smiley blog. Today we are talking about what makes us smile. As people know I love my sport but I also love media. I love how I can be myself and express myself and add emotion into anything I do.  It doesn’t matter if it’s here at blogging, podcasting, editing or working. I feel like my disability disappears when I get behind a computer or microphone.
 
I’ve always had a passion for media so to be able to do what I love without my disability interfering is amazing. I’ve made some lifelong friends who I’m very grateful for and who support me in everything I do.  I hope to get a job sports media one day to combine my love for sport and media.
 
Keep being awesome. – Ben VR
 

An act of kindness that has made me smile.
Acts of kindness are truly magical acts for all that need it and even those who don’t need it at that moment but will remember the kindness for life and may even pass it on to others. From paying it forward with a coffee or meal or leaving a small uplifting note I’m a big believer in spreading kindness and making the world a little brighter, it’s just such a beautiful moment knowing someone will benefit positively from a small act that may be seen as huge to someone else. Our world needs all the kindness it can get to be honest.

I have seen many people benefit from acts of kindness and it honestly makes my whole heart happy, doesn’t have to be an act of kindness that I have participated in it just needs to be something that has made someone smile. I remember other people’s joy far more than my own however there have been some acts of kindness that I have been the recipient of that have hit me all in the feels.

As a young child I had always wanted a sibling so when my sister was born I saw that as a gift to me from my parents, so I believed this to be the ultimate act of kindness and it really made me the happiest big sister in all of Victoria.
 
I feel like all the things that make me smile that I could write about start and end with my sister. She is my absolute favourite and I can say that because I only have one sibling so there is no chance of jealousy.
 
My second act of kindness I want to talk about is when a lovely, beautiful and kind person gifted me my sewing machine when my old one was no longer working and needed to cross over to sewing machine heaven. I was not expecting that level of kindness and I am EXTREMELY thankful and grateful that I was so lucky. My sewing machine helps me to make scrunchies and then I am able to build on my confidence and attend markets and sell the scrunchies I make.
 
I also pass on the kindness by gifting sewn goods to others and I have also been able to help out with a primary schools performance costumes.

I am extremely grateful for all acts of kindness that come my way and also grateful to the people that help to spread kindness around our world because this is how humanity should be.

Go out and spread kindness to others but also don’t forget to be kind to yourself. You are truly wonderful and deserve some kindness too.
Your friend always,
Shan
 
 
Have you showed an act of kindness or has anyone given you an act of kindness? 
Some people also say “pay it forward” for example a pay it forward situation is where one person can do something nice for someone, they would say pay it forward, so that person who received help, will help another person.  The simple acts of kindness usually makes someones day, like opening the door for them, smiling at them or even saying hello. 
 
Acts of kindness and happiness, belong together I think. Acts of kindness usually brighten up peoples days, and can bring them happiness for the day.
 
What brings me happiness, is being around people, where I can be my true self. My very own quote “Some people make me feel like I’ve got a trench coat on, but other people, make me feel like I can open the trench coat and be myself.” 
 
My cats are Maggie and Banshee.  Last night I had a delivery and it was a cat tie and a laptop, I dressed Banshee up as a business man, he was adorable. My family and I had a great chuckle at him. This made me happy. 
 
Spending time outside in the sun with the cats also makes me happy.  
For some reason Maggie will only go out with me, no one else.  I think she trusts me a lot, which makes me happy too.  Haley.
 

Good morning readers,
What makes me smile is when I see my mum and dad smile. I live with two of my friends who make me smile when they come into my room and sit down on my couch and have a chat. Kindness to me is love when think of mum and dad.

Kindness to me is friendship when I think of my housemates and closer friends.
The other thing that makes me smile is when I speak to my friend on the phone. That is what makes me smile a lot. If I am being kind I am being helpful, with a smile and happy face.
Over and out, for another week. Ben C
 
 
An act of kindness that made me smile 

I’m happy for when people are kind to me and others. Everything makes me smile and helps me feel calm.  At Handmade on Mondays when they listen to me and I listen back to them. I always be kind and respectful, love each other and be friendly.

If you want to be happy to hangout with your friend or family, always be kind and love.  Sometimes I listen to music which makes me calm and have a lovely day.
 
Your friend, TJ
 
Hi friends how are you today? I am writing my blog from the city. Today’s topic is something that brings you joy or happiness.  Something that brings me happiness is starting my own business for people with disabilities or special needs, and their Mum and Dad. Support workers are more than welcome to come, my friend Amelia has inspired me to start my own business. My business would be called BB karaoke and it would be big for parties or just for fun and I would make a facebook post about it and I would also sell T shirts. I would also make invitations and sell them to all of my friends. I want it to be like a party theme and disco lights and smoke machine and balloons. I want everyone to dance and sing their worries away.
 
What brings you joy or happiness readers
Thank you for reading my blog?
 
This is Bethany signing off until next week.