Finally it is starting to feel like summer!

Little Miss Raj is at that wonderful age where the beach is a god send! Hours of entertainment with a simple bucket and spade.

My white skin hasn’t always made friends with the sun or beach, but Little Miss Raj is lucky to have her father’s skin and doesn’t burn like her mother within 5 minutes out in the Australian sunshine. I knew there was a reason to marry that man. Perhaps my feramones sought out a partner with nice olive skin to counter my freckly white skin? Is that how it works?

This week is Cup week in Melbourne and as you can see from the cruise ships in the photo above 6,000 people descended onto Melbourne for Melbourne Cup day. If you are asking what is Cup week – it is basically the biggest horse racing event in Australia where everyone in Victoria has a public holiday and either gets all dressed up to hit the track or otherwise you lounge around BBQing with friends. Pappa Raj and I were lucky enough to attend Melbourne Cup this year and even came out a little ahead moneywise (unheard of!). None of my horses won but Pappa Raj seemed to have more of a finger on the pulse and picked a few winners.

Now I have to mention the gorgeous swim wear Little Miss is wearing – Rashoodz (check out their website: http://www.rashoodz.com.au/) Spending more time on the beach means ensuring that you have the right gear (even if she doesn’t burn like me) and what I LOVE LOVE LOVE is the attachable hat. The hat buttons at the nape of the neck so they can wear it in the water or on the beach and if it falls off you’re not that crazy mother running down the beach trying to save the hat before it blows away or is snaffled by the water (oh yes I have been that crazy woman).

Rashoodz also have cute swim pants that you can wear without the nappy to catch the number 2s. Yes, you would normally want your child to wear a t-shirt / rash on top but Little Miss was not having a bar of it and of course she had to wear her pink shoes – who would want to be barefoot on the beach! Who would want to take off pink shoes! Ahhh gotta love those determined toddlers (I say through gritted teeth!