The Baynhams

Dear Woolworths

2012-01-31T12:06:00.000+11:00

Dear Woolworths,

My New Years resolution this year was to be organised and efficient. I planned a weekly on-line shop that would leave me free to blitz the house on a Monday morning top to bottom and then have you turn up at my door with the perfect amount of groceries for the coming week. Menu planning here we come. No more running out of nut-free-dairy-free-egg-free-taste-free school sandwich fillers. No more realising we are out of milk as the kettle is boiling for a much needed cuppa.

Today you helped make that dream a little bit more of a reality and I feel the need to say a very genuine Thank-you.

Today I sent all three kids to school for the first time since school broke up 6 long weeks ago. I fully intended on getting out the rubber gloves but got sidetracked by a funny video on Facebook. Then I replied to some emails, had a cuppa and read a few blogs. You were scheduled to deliver anytime from 10-1pm. It surprised me when you knocked on the door at 10.30 and brought my shopping all the way into my kitchen for me! A fine strapping employee if I might say so. Being a happily married woman I appreciated the attempt to brighten my day but truly, I am happy for you to let him deliver to the young single ladies out there, I quite like the lady who sometimes comes and chats about kids, weather and housework (I'm getting old and boring I think...)

I checked the items off the list as I unpacked and it gave me an excited endorphine rush to see that you were generous in your portions. You gave me $20 of beef instead of the $15 I paid for and all the veggies and deli products were what I had requested and a little bit more. When you didn't have the 550gm box of Special K you sent two 300gm boxes instead at no extra cost. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy. I really should get out more.

One thing I did learn is that I should probably pay a bit more attention to the weight of items I request. I never did realise that putting 1 next to the picture of green string beans meant 1 kilo. I never realized how big a 1 kilo bag of beans was. I think it might very well feed my family for a week. I really wish they liked beans...

And the special offer on that yummy nut cluster, almond and coconut cereal... 99cents a box! Too good to be true I thought but put two in my basket. Yes, they were tiny trial sized boxes. I ate one for lunch. It was pretty good.

And the free sandwich shape cutter you sent with my Bega cheese slices. You excelled yourselves! I had to make a sandwich to try it out. I ate my mummy cow and baby cow with a glass of milk and had memories of pre-school floating around my head. Then I snapped out of it and ate the discarded crusts like my mummy always told me because I want curly hair .

I'm stuffed now and it's only 11am. I truly am a very happy customer. My fridge is overflowing, my belly full and because I ordered a large shop you didn't even charge me a delivery fee.

If I could make just one last suggestion. Perhaps on your web-site you could introduce some recipe ideas for how-to-make-your-family-love-string-beans.

Yours Most Sincerely,

Gina Baynham

First day at High School!

2012-01-30T22:36:00.001+11:00

Today was Rhiannons first day at High School. It went really well. Thanks to everyone for all your lovely messages of support and excitement. More photos and stories to come.

For now bed is calling!

Baby Kingfisher: The happy ending!

2012-01-28T20:54:00.002+11:00

We got a call this morning from the vet. The baby kingfisher was in perfect health and had "found his wings!" Could we come in to collect him and let him free from our garden so that he would be back where he started?

We had a very exciting drive home from the vet and held tight to the closed box. When we got out of the car the kids pulled back the tea towel and he flew from the box straight to the trees by the lake and sat on a telephone wire getting his bearings.

The kids were so happy to have seen a happy ending to this adventure. As Rhiannon said

"It makes you feel good inside"

Baby Kingfisher

2012-01-27T22:08:00.002+11:00

Today when I got home from work there was a cry from the kids. A bird had hit the kitchen door and was lying stunned on the patio. It was a baby Kingfisher. We went outside and kept the chickens away from it while it sat huddled under the patio table. When it seemed unable to fly away we worried that its wing was damaged and put it in a box and drove to a local Vet.

The girl there was so lovely and promised to keep the bird overnight and check it for injuries. She said that she would ring us in the morning to let us know how it was doing and thanked the kids for bringing it in. We had never actually been to this local vet. It was tucked away in an industrial estate but looked more like a cottage hidden in the bush. It's nice to know that there are great services like this so nearby. We will be eagerly waiting to hear from them again tomorrow....

Australia Day 2012

2012-01-26T15:55:00.003+11:00

I worked.

They played.

I messaged questions?

They responded with photos.

I was jealous.

They knew I was teasing.

I got home tired.

They made me a cup of tea.

Perfect!

Happy Australia Day everyone.

How did you spend it...?!

Busy little production line.

2012-01-24T15:14:00.003+11:00

Rhiannon had some friends here this week and they spent a couple of hours making cards. The kitchen table disappeared under a mountain of paper, glue and scissors.

I'm sure it would be cheaper and easier to buy cards in the local shops but they had fun and hopefully their family and friends will be delighted when they open one of these wonderful creations!

Fairy Godmothers

2012-01-22T08:37:00.001+11:00

I had the honour of being asked to be Godmother to a very special little girl this weekend. A very special little girl that I almost had the fun of delivering at home but who decided she would rather be born in the ambulance 2 minutes later!

Instead of having the traditional Godmother and Godfather her parents decided to have two Godmothers. And so I found myself sharing the honour with another beautiful woman called Brigid.

We have a lot in common. Both with Irish heritage, both a bit quirky and individual in the nicest possible way, and both sharing the privilege of overseeing the future of this perfect little girl.

Buckle your seatbelt baby, It's going to be a fun ride!

Instagram Ice-Cream!

2012-01-20T10:21:00.001+11:00

I love the iphone with its camera always at the ready to capture the ordinary and transform it into the extraordinary!

I used the Instagram app to edit this photo while the kids enjoyed their treat from the local Gelato shop.

Cake Pops

2012-01-18T21:24:00.000+11:00

We had fun today at Sophie and Gemma's house.

When we got there we found that they had made "Cake Pops" and had everything ready for us to dip them in melted chocolate and then crushed cashews and lollies!

Yum!

Thanks girls for a fun day!

Me time!

2012-01-16T20:21:00.003+11:00

I had an opportunity to pop into our local town recently child-free! (A rare occurrence during school holidays)

I found myself with half an hour before I was due to pick the kids up so I made the most of it!

The Wedding!

2012-01-15T18:23:00.021+11:00

We left home at 4pm leaving behind the kids with popcorn, movies, dinner cooked and babysitter to oversee everything. It was hot and sticky and I was glad of the hour in the car with air-con on full blast to stop my make-up running off my face. I painted my nails as Byron drove. Not the best idea when you consider the amount of roundabouts we stopped and started at! We pulled into the car park and circled for a space as families brushed the sand off kids and headed home for tea and other wedding guests jostled for their car spaces. Byron changed into his crisp ironed shirt in the car park and cringed as a couple strolled past us, the man wearing a full formal suit and tie (we had been told no tie needed!) The next couple to get out of their car were dressed similarly to us and Byron breathed out again.

We weren't sure how many people we would know but as we walked into the surf club lots of the faces were familiar. The location was spectacular. The club was in an elevated position overlooking the sand and sea. We were handed welcome drinks, I could have downed the glass of cold champagne in seconds. The main conversation was excited whispers about the wedding itself. Everyone had a guess at what surprises lay in store. And then in walked the bride and groom.

Tenelle had opted for a glamorous black and diamonte dress and Kane was wearing a cool linen shirt open at the neck. They both looked so relaxed and happy. After mingling with their friends and family they made their way down to the sand and exchanged vows and rings.

Kane's Dad Mike took lots of photos and when Kane's Mum Lin posted them on Facebook I cheekily asked her if I could download them to use them here!

When we all returned upstairs to the club the party really started. Cocktails were flowing. I liked the look of these pink ones with rose petals floating in them but boy were they strong!

I moved on to these Mohitos with their refreshing mint sprigs.

I tasted a friends Margarita and nearly died. It had trouble written all over it for someone who was planning on being up at 6am to go work in a hospital!

Byron and myself kicked off our shoes as the sun began to set and went for a walk on the beach. It was so lovely to be strolling along a beach with the day sinking away at the horizon. Hearing the sound of laughter and music drifting in the evening breeze. It's not often we get the chance to have romantic time together. I think the romantic glowing feeling inside was probably helped along by the cocktails!

When we got back from the walk we noticed that there was a fun addition to the party tucked away in a back corner...

...a photo booth!

Anyone could go in and have a series of 4 images taken which printed out onto 2 strips.

One to put in a book for the couple and one to take home!

I had so much fun going in with Byron and later with a bunch of girls.

The more the cocktails flowed the more giggles came out of the booth.

I'd love to have been a fly on the wall as the night wore on!

The wedding cake was an ice-cream cake and a mountain of delicious Adriano Zumbo macaroons!

The kids had watched Adriano on a recent tv series Junior Masterchef and I knew they would be so jealous that we managed to eat one of his famous concoctions. The brides Mum Anne read my mind and wrapped up one of each flavour to hide in my handbag and sneak home to the kids.

We said our goodbyes at a respectable 10am as we had an hour drive home and I had an early start the following morning. I struggled to get out of bed when the alarm woke me at 6am. I left the "Zumbaroons" out on the table for the kids to find at breakfast before I slipped out the door to work...miraculously clear headed but still stifling a yawn or two!

Thank you Tenelle and Kane for inviting us to share such a special day with you. You sure made your wedding memorable and very unique to you. I hope that you live the rest of your life with the same love and laughter and you always remember the special qualities that drew you together.

xo

Beach wedding.

2012-01-11T08:22:00.000+11:00

We are off to our first Australian wedding.

The Bride-to-be is not wanting too traditional a day so we are very excited to see what lies in store. We know the ceremony will be on the beach (something I have always wanted to see!) That there will be cocktails afterwards and that it is a child free event.

The kids are wishing they could come too. We have a babysitter organised and they will be left lots of treats to enjoy while we are gone but they are threatening to hide in the boot and sneak out and watch the ceremony from behind a sand dune! We will have to take lots of photos and tell them all about it the next morning.

Today my dress is drying on the line and Byron's best shirt is ironed and ready. All that was left was the card. I know that the bride loves purple and because she is going a bit non-traditional I decided to start with some purple beads and wire and see what I ended up with...

I've got butterflies in my tummy! I can't wait to come back and tell you all about it!

One a Week Project.

2012-01-10T10:01:00.000+11:00

With Christmas packed up and back in a box in the garage until next December we are left with the bits of tinsel in the carpet and the odd forgotten ornament surprising us from where it rolled under the sofa. We are also left with the financial drain on the bank account that was hit pretty heavy last month. Added to the back to school costs of new uniforms and school shoes in the next couple of weeks and financially things feel a bit challenged. Not really the time to be reaching into our pockets for a charity donation even though for many families on lower incomes than ours this must be the time they need it most. And so I have decided every week in 2012 to try to follow the inspiration of this great idea I read about here.

One a Week Project

It's a simple idea. Put one extra item in your trolley each week (something with a long expiry date) and by December 2012 there should be a sizable hamper to donate to a local charity. In my case it will be our St Vincent De Paul who I know will put it to good use in my immediate area. The items can be food, tins of tomatoes, dried pasta, long life milk etc or they can be household, toothpaste, cleaning products, cloths etc. The website suggests buying things that are already on special or are on a buy one get one free deal so it really does have a minimal impact on our shopping bill.

I have put a box under our spare bed so that the items are "out of sight, out of mind" and don't get in my way or get in danger of being used up. I hope that this idea is something that I follow through on. By blogging about it I am trying to make myself accountable and hope to be able to proudly show you what I have achieved 11 months from now...

Dear Granny.

2012-01-08T10:01:00.001+11:00

Dear Granny and Grandad Joe,
Thank you very much for my meccano car for Christmas. Dad was very
excited when he saw it. He used to have meccano when he was my age. He
thought he was an expert. That was until we sat down this weekend to
make it. He thought it was exciting at first. Then the instructions
got a bit tricky. Another problem was the size of his fingers. Meccano
is not made for big fat fingers to get into. Well it is almost
possible but it leaves you with cuts and bruises. I thought it was
funny when I learnt new words from Dad. Mum didn't think the new words
were so funny. She told me never to use them in school. Or in front of
Granny. Or auntie Rhonda. We got to the end and there were a couple of
bits left over. Mum wanted to know if we had followed the instructions
perfectly. Dad used another new word and went out to the garden to
water the plants. It was a bit strange because it was raining?
Mum said that I should send you a photo of the finished car and say
thank you very much. Dad said that next year you should send Lego.
I love you lots.
Gareth xoxoxo

Tornado warning!

2012-01-06T17:48:00.002+11:00

Rhiannon has survived her first tornado!

She went to play at a friends house and just before I was due to collect her the mother of all storms hit from out of the blue! They went from applying their sunscreen to holding on to the nearest heavy object. It passed over in a short time and afterwards we got some photos and a first hand description of it from my friend Monica. With her permission I have given you her version of events (because if I wrote it I would be accused of exaggerating!!!)

"Yesterday, about 3.40pm, with minimal warning there were raging winds, rain and hail (the grass turned white), no visibility across the lake, boats rocking wildly and branches flying, in one instance breaking a tile on our roof before crashing into our backyard. Our catamaran on the shore turned 90 degrees and was sitting on another catamaran.

After the storm which some described as being like in a tornado, neighbours gathered to compare stories and wait for the LMCC crews to come and clear the blocked road.

Two of the girls friends had been picked up from being at our house for the day and two were still with us. Their parents couldn't get down the street as branches were across the road.

Then the task raking leaves, washing windows and picking up loads of branches began.

Amazingly, the impact was mostly between Prospect Avenue and the fence outside our house at the end of the road. On the other side of the fence there were virtually no branches fallen!"

The girls were very glad to see blue skies again and by the time I got there they were over their fear and posing on the fallen trees. I hope this experience doesn't add to Rhiannons already nervous disposition around wild weather!

So far she is enjoying the re-telling of the "Adventure"

The button, the artist, the friend, the two girls, the other friend and the sister.

2012-01-03T19:17:00.000+11:00

Once upon a time in the beautiful country of Ireland lived a very talented artist called Jane.

Jane loved buttons and made jewellery with them in her button studio in her hometown of Athlone. She loved her little creations and as time went by so did the people around her. The newspapers started to write about her and she was interviewed on the television and radio.

Jane had a friend Nicola who lived nearby. Nicola was a generous spirited girl who loved nothing more than to spend time helping others. It just so happened that she spent time with the artist helping her prepare her wares for sale in a big craft fair in the city of Dublin.

Nicola loved Jane's creations so much that she bought two of her necklaces and sent them across the seas to two girls who lived in Australia. The two girls were the daughters of Nicola's other friend, Gina. Nicola made sure that the two girls knew the story of the artist and how talented she was and how she hoped she would do well with her craft. The two girls loved their button necklaces because they knew they were unique and no one in Australia had anything similar.

The friend Nicola travelled to Australia and visited the two girls and her other friend Gina. She talked about the time she had spent with the artist and Gina felt as though she knew her.

Gina had a sister that lived in the city of Dublin back in country of Ireland. She had an important job planning a big craft fair. As she walked around the fair on the day it opened she felt proud of all that she could see. Talented people with all their creations selling to the people of Dublin. As the sister walked she stopped at one stall. It was filled with the most beautiful necklaces she had ever seen. Made from buttons no less. The sister stopped and wondered if perhaps her sister Gina who lived in Australia would like one for Christmas and so she chose one and wrapped it carefully and posted it to her.

And so it was that on Christmas Day Gina unwrapped a beautiful necklace with the cutest buttons and laughed as she realised that her sister had unwittingly chosen a gift for her made by the artist that was helped by her friend.

And they all lived happily ever after

The End

Kristian Anderson R.I.P.

2012-01-02T14:41:00.000+11:00

For anyone following the story of Kristian Anderson today has brought the very sad news of his death.

He died in a Sydney hospital this morning and his final blog was published by his wife Rachel this afternoon.

Click here to read his final words on his blog howthelightgetsin

Kristian, I hope you are finally at peace after your fight against bowel cancer. Thank you for sharing the emotional journey with us. And to Rachel, as a mother and a wife my heart is torn for you today. I wish you strength and time to grieve and someday in the future a peaceful heart filled with memories of a man that loved you more than life itself.

A New Year

2012-01-01T15:30:00.000+11:00

Looking back on 2011 I feel grateful that as a family it has overall been a good year.

The kids were happy and healthy which is all we can really hope for. They all did well in school with glowing reports at the end of the year but more importantly they enjoyed the academic year and the fun of good friendships, new and old.

Byron worked hard and learned many new skills that lead him in the direction of writing apps for the iphone and ipad, an exciting direction and one that someday may fund my love of shoes and handbags!

I reduced my work hours from three days a week to two. The difference to our family life was immense and everyone was grateful for the more consistent flow of clean laundry and hot meals on the table! I read more books this year than I have read in the previous 5, due no small part to the gift of an ipad from Byron with a great selection of books on it.

Our extended family faced challenges with health that had a big impact on all involved. We don't refer to much of that here to protect privacy but we hope and pray for a happier and healthier 2012 in that area.

Do I have any resolutions?

The obvious jump to mind

Get Fit
Relax more
Eat healthier
Enjoy quality family time

The actual " How To" requires a bit more thought...
Menu planning so that the right food is in the fridge.
Planning some exercise into my week so that I work other things around it and don't leave it till the last priority where it is bound to be forgotten.
Perhaps being less "attached" to my phone when I am in the home. The ping of a new email often stops me from completing a task as I stop everything to read what often is just a junk email anyway. I have started by unsubscribing myself from many special offer websites and newsletters.
Continuing our " technology free hour" where we all leave our phones, ipods, DS consoles etc in another room and come together for a snuggle on the sofa to watch a comedy or documentary. This was perhaps the most rewarding habit we started in 2011. We joke that even the house phone can wait and the call be returned later in the evening, even if it the Pope ringing from the Vatican!

Hopefully we have set ourselves some positive goals that are achievable. We are only human and family dynamics change as children grow and test boundaries. We will be flexible in our attitude and hope that the end of 2012 finds us as happy and healthy as it does now.

Oíche chiúin

2011-12-27T17:00:00.003+11:00

I was born in Ireland and it was compulsory to study the Irish language in school all the way through to leaving at the age of 18. I was never very good at it and now would struggle to have a conversation in Gaelic but can read the written word quite easily. At Christmas we sang all the traditional carols but also learned the Irish version of them. Same tune, different words.

Funny how living on the far side of the world makes me feel nostalgic for all the traditions of my childhood. This week I found myself Googling the words to Silent night and this is what I found...

Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé,
Cách 'na suan, dís araon,
Dís is dílse ag faire le spéis,
Naí beag gnaoi-gheal ceanán tais caomh
Críost ina chodladh go séimh,
Críost ina chodladh go séimh.

Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé,
Aoirí ar dtús chuala an scéal,
"Aililiuia" aingil ag glaoch
Cantain Shuairc i ngar is i gcéin
Críost ár Slánaitheoir féin,
Críost ár Slánaitheoir féin.

Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé,
Mac Dé bhí, gáire a bhéil,
Tuar dá rá 's dá lán-chur i gcéill,
Ann gur tháinig tráth chinn a tséin,
Críost a theacht ar an saol,
Críost a theacht ar an saol.

Ah, the nostalgia. It made my eyes well up as I tunelessly sang it in the kitchen while preparing dinner. I thought I would share this tender moment with my English born, Welsh and Irish parented and Australian citizened children.

We were enjoying our Christmas dinner as I said proudly

"I can sing Silent Night in Irish... Well, if I have the words"

This was the kids response...

Byron responded with
"I can sing Silent night in Latvian... Well, if I have the words"

Out came the iphone to Google the choice of languages that Silent Night has been translated into and thus started the singing competition. The children's tears of laughter flowed as Byron bellowed the hymn out in languages he had never before spoken, including my beloved Irish. It didn't sound quite the same as I remembered from my childhood.

I think I'll keep my nostalgic moments to myself from now on!

First food!

2011-12-27T16:24:00.000+11:00

Our Veggie patch has produced it's first edible delight! A cucumber. It weighs in at a mighty 49grams and is 10cm long. Just enough for a few tiny slices on each of our sandwiches at lunch today. Although I am very excited I think I am a long way from feeding our family of five from the backyard. Thanks God for supermarkets!

Feeling a trifle tense dear?

2011-12-26T16:28:00.006+11:00

Every year we make a Christmas trifle. We use a beautiful Waterford crystal bowl that my brother Joe bought us for our wedding present. This year I managed to find a packet of an instant butterscotch pudding powder in a food shop that specialises in European imports. I was so excited as this was one of the layers that went into my childhood Christmas trifle. Byron was a little less thrilled as it had never been a layer in his childhood trifle and both us us wanted to have one that most closely matched our memories.

I made it so I won! Italian sponge finger biscuits on the base, raspberry jelly to soak into the sponge and then set, fruit pieces, BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE, custard and finally whipped cream and sprinkles! Yum!

How do you make your trifle?

And how do you settle disputes if you have different traditions?!

Happy Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T20:37:00.008+11:00

To all our friends and family and to all who read our blog.

We wish you a very Happy Christmas, filled with peace and laughter and time spent in the company of family and friends, good food, a glass to raise and happiness in your heart.

Gina, Byron, Sian, Rhiannon and Gareth

Volcano!

2011-12-20T20:59:00.001+11:00

Gareth got a fantastic "Make your own Volcano" kit from his cousins for his birthday last month.

It was with great excitement that he successfully caused it to erupt!

Goodbye friends.

2011-12-17T15:26:00.000+11:00

We said goodbye to Simi and her friends last night as they packed to return to Melbourne.

We wished them safe onward journey and good luck with getting their Australian qualifications and work.

As we hugged goodbye Simi gave Sian a beautiful set of Rosary beads to keep and remember her by.

I am sure they will be treasured for many years to come...

Goodbye, Farewell...

2011-12-16T15:52:00.004+11:00

What a day we have just had. The word emotional roller-coaster jumps to mind. Rhiannon finished Primary School today and there were lots of tears and laughter combined. Many of my photos had images of kids just too upset to share. Looking at them when I came home I filled up myself as I saw the vulnerability on their little faces.

The day started in church with a lovely Mass where they were given candles as mementoes. They then had a lovely lunch in the school hall and were given an amazing "Clap Out" by the rest of the school.

At the end of the day Rhiannon wanted to catch the school bus home for one last time. As the driver let her out he waved and beeped his horn all the way down our road till he was out of sight...

...and that's when the tears really started to fall...

Christmas Lights Drive By.

2011-12-15T10:22:00.002+11:00

At this time of year it is fun driving home in the dark and seeing the light displays on some of the local houses. Because it gets dark so late here in Australia we are not often out driving at that time and so tonight as it got dark Sian decided we should all get into our pj's and go driving around the local streets listening to Christmas music. It sounded like a plan to avoid going to bed on a mid week school night to me but we decided to be fun parents for a change and go with the silliness. It was also the night before Rhiannons final day in Primary School and I thought it would be a good way to distract her from thinking too much about it. We had a lovely time laughing and oohing and aaaghing over the elaborate displays. Its not easy trying to show you here what they looked like. Here's a photo, now multiply the magic by 100!

Touch Rugby 2011

2011-12-14T10:16:00.000+11:00

As we head towards the end of the school year we also reached the Grand Final of the Touch Footy season. Gareth's team were unbeaten all through the entire season but lost in their final game getting second place. Rhiannons team were defeated every single game including the semi final and came fourth!

Although the mighty oranges were a bit crestfallen it was nothing a medal and a sausage sizzle couldn't fix!

Adventures from abroad.

2011-12-11T16:34:00.002+11:00

Our hospital has had some International Nurses working with us over recent weeks. They are doing a course to assess them for Registration in this country. It is almost time for them to get on a plane to Melbourne for the next part of their assessment.

I have had the pleasure of getting to know one of these Nurses in particular. On her first week in this area I was asked to give her a lift to our local church for Mass as she has no car. Through meeting up outside of the hospital I have enjoyed hearing all about her family back in India. I always love the opportunity to hear stories of other cultures. It is fascinating to hear the similarities and the differences. I hope she has enjoyed seeing us and how we live and that she will bring away with her many stories to share with her family on her return.

To wish our friends goodbye we met in Blackbutt Reserve this morning for a breakfast BBQ. It was a glorious day, blue skies and sunscreen. We ate, talked and walked around the park and saw the animals before going our separate ways. It is a wonderful thing to meet people from outside of this country. It makes me stop and look at where I live with new eyes. I get butterflies in my tummy to think that this is our home and makes me appreciate the opportunities we are living every day.

Safe travel everyone and good luck in your next step of your adventure!

A change is as good a rest...?!

2011-12-08T15:40:00.001+11:00

In the midst of all the craziness of Christmas a position came up at work. A temporary post that would involve leaving my ward based work and driving around five Newcastle hospitals, assessing patients for suitability to be admitted to our Rehabilitation unit. It sounded like a change and I was lucky enough to be offered it. And so I find myself working twice my normal hours, learning on the go, enjoying the new challenges and meeting many people I would never otherwise cross paths with.

On the down side it means I have missed many school events that I would normally attend, the Year 8 Award Ceremony, the Primary school Advent Liturgy, the school band concert at the local old folks home. My house is slowly becoming more chaotic as normal chores are left undone through lack of time. Christmas cards destined for the UK and Ireland are written and ready to post. If only I could remember to put them in the car to bring to the Post Office. I have hardly looked at my regular blogs that I normally enjoy reading and my blog writing here has been sporadic.

There is a saying that the grass is always greener. That you look at someone else's job and see the glamorous side of it but it is not till you actually do it that you have an appreciation for how hard that person might actually work. I'm enjoying the change in scenery but I also know that next week when my colleague returns relaxed and refreshed I will be very happy to swap the car keys for the drug trolley ones once more!

...and yes, I promise I'll get those cards in the post first thing tomorrow morning!

An angel in disguise.

2011-12-05T12:42:00.001+11:00

Gareth received a beautiful present in the post this week from his Godmother in England. It was to mark his Communion that he made this year. He was delighted when he saw that it was a boy Willow Angel because we have a few that are girls.

The ones that we have are lined up on a table next to a window on our stairs. He moved them all a little closer to one another to make space for his boy. I stopped to take a photo of it to send back to Cathy.

As I pressed the button on my camera the sun came out from behind a cloud and the shadow behind our boy changed!

It was the shadow of one of the girl angels (complete with wings) that just lined up perfectly with our new arrival.

A bit like our Gareth... An angel in disguise!

I'm an Auntie again!

2011-12-03T09:41:00.000+11:00

Welcome to our family baby Cara.

You are already so very loved.

Your cousins are going to have so much fun spoiling you as you grow!

Getting Christmassy Down Under!

2011-12-01T09:30:00.000+11:00

It's December, the first day of summer and we are getting out the Christmas decorations.

I know I've said this before and I'll probably be saying it when I'm sitting in a Nursing Home, but preparing for Christmas in the heat is just plain odd!

We got a bit silly when we opened the boxes of decorations and all squeezed into the little kiddy dress-up outfits, except for Gareth who stuffed himself and some pillows into the only adult sized Santa suit!

I can only blame the heat!

Waiting at the traffic lights...

2011-11-29T13:35:00.000+11:00

...staring into space.

Then I noticed the registration plates of this truck!

Luckily the lights stayed red for ages so I could get a photo on my phone!

Mr Wilson.

2011-11-27T10:18:00.002+11:00

Have you seen the old Dennis the Menace comic strips? The ones where Dennis bugs his neighbour Mr Wilson? Hold this thought...

It is coming to the end of November now, otherwise know as Movember as many men are growing their moustaches and raising money for Prostate Cancer and mens Mental health charities. The principal of our kids school is one of these men prepared to let us have a laugh at his upper lip all in the name of charity.

As the weeks progressed I just knew that he was reminding me of someone and I just couldn't put my finger on it. Then it hit me. Mr Wilson! Not content to giggle inside my own head I felt the urge to share this with him. Being a good sport he had a laugh about it too.

On the recent school Christmas disco I found myself looking after Gareth's fake moustache and then being yelled at by the good principal himself "Impostor, impostor" as he pointed in my direction. I don't know what he was on about... Do you?!

Let the Moustaches rule!

2011-11-26T09:42:00.000+11:00

If you read the comments on the last post about Gareth's Birthday you may wonder what Monica was on about?

Yes there are photos of the moustaches but I felt they deserved their very own post!

As a small version of a birthday party in a crazy busy week during a crazy busy time of the year I came up with a cunning plan. Let Gareth invite a small group of boys to catch the school bus home with him at 3.15pm. Endure the chaos and noise for 2 1/2 hours. Then parcel the sugar rush-hyper-noisy-excited boys into the car and drive to the schools Christmas disco and deliver them safely into the care of their families once more.

Please note I was planning that most of this time would be spent outside in the garden and swimming pool. Quick and simple, not a single parent actually stepping foot in my messy-floors-need-cleaning-don't-mention-the-bathrooms house!

What could possible go wrong? The weather! Who would have guessed that it would POUR rain all week and be cold. It's nearly Australian summer Mr Weather man. So the 2 1/2 hours were spent tearing the house apart and racing around trying not to knock over the two visiting cousins (who had a ball being surrounded by so many other rough and tumble boys!)

The fun began with the school bus pulling up and the driver letting the boys off. Our poor neighbour chose a bad time to walk over and drop off some Christmas lolly bags to the kids. He nearly got flattened by the stampede!

The finale before getting in the car to the disco was the party bags. Brown paper lunch sacks filled with jelly snakes, glo-bands and chocolate and a set of fake moustaches at Gareth's request.

The fun and laughter as they stuck their fake muzzies was hilarious.

We went to the disco and it was with great relief that we saw each mum and handed back her hairy bundle of joy!

Another year over.

Another successful party.

Another happy child!

Another exhausted mum!!!

Happy Birthday Gareth!

2011-11-25T16:05:00.016+11:00

Today my baby turns 9!

What an amazing 9 years he has had. Born in England to an Irish Mum and a Welsh Dad, he celebrated his 1st Birthday in Sydney as his Uncle Joe married his Auntie Rhonda, back in England for Birthday number 2 and emigrated and living in Australia by Birthday number 3!

Gareth we love you. You know the story of how you were so lucky to be here with us. That I became pregnant with you around our other baby's due date. That if that baby had been born you never would. You know that we were so scared as we went in for your scan, knowing a previous one had ended with such sad news. That your Dad whooped with joy when he learnt that he was having a son. You were so very much wanted and loved.

The delivery didn't go as planned. The nurse told your Dad afterwards that you were so lucky to be alive, that I was too. You scared the living daylights out of us this day 9 years ago. We had to wait for blood cord samples to return to tell us if you might be brain damaged. We felt enormous relief when everything came back clear and you grew and grew into a perfectly happy and healthy baby. I still get a lump in my throat if I see a mentally disabled child being pushed around in a wheelchair as I know that "There but for the grace of God go I" My eyes fill up as I offer a prayer of thanks that you were given the chance of a healthy life.

And what a BIG baby you were! Almost twice the size of your sisters. Always eating and drinking everything around you. You have grown into such a fine young man. You have a wonderful balance between boyish rough and tumble and sweet caring nature. Sometimes too soft for your own good but we wouldn't change a thing about you. As you grow older I think you will become a wonderful strong teenager and adult. Your friends are lucky to have you stand beside them. Whether is is on a rugby pitch or playing Nerf wars with those blasted foam bullets that I find everywhere!

Happy Birthday 9 year old. May there be many many more years of fun and laughter to come.

You make our family complete...

Why do I love Mr B?

2011-11-24T08:54:00.000+11:00

Because at 11pm the night before Gareth's Birthday as I ran around stressing and flapping he took the icing pen from me and finished off 36 Ninjabread men for Gareth to bring in to his classmates the next day!

Teachers Day

2011-11-23T10:25:00.000+11:00

Rhiannon loves to make cards for anything and everything. She particularly loves to make 3D cards which are made of layers of coloured paper to build up a scene. It was Teachers Day this term and she spent ages making this great card for her teacher Mrs Parkes. I particularly liked the scissors that could be taken out of the pencil pot and actually opened and closed because of the brad she used to make it, and also the bite out of the apple!

We made some raspberry friands and sent them in with the kids as a treat for their teachers morning tea. We really seem to have hit the jackpot every year with each kid getting the teacher that was just right for their nature and personality. It's so hard to think that next January Rhiannon will move to High School with up to ten different teachers in any one week. I don't think they could ever be as nurturing as her lovely Primary School teachers :-(

Canberra here we come...!

2011-11-22T22:05:00.000+11:00

It is a nerve wracking week for me. Yesterday our alarms went off at 5.30am and by 6 we were driving Rhiannon to school all packed and ready for her 6 hour coach journey to Canberra, the Capital city of Australia.

Over the next three days she will travel with her classmates around a multitude of places, the Museum of Australian Democracy, the National Museum of Australia and the Australian War Memorial to name but a few. They will also get to have lots of fun at an amazing place called Questacon and even ten pin bowling.

There is absolutely no contact with the kids while they are away. No mobile phones allowed and just one mobile number to directly contact the teachers in an emergency. I watched the news this morning and Princess Mary of Denmark will be visiting Parliament House at the same time as the kids are scheduled to be there. I know it didn't truly count as an emergency as such but I did text the teachers to let them know to keep their cameras at the ready...

...I'm still awaiting a response!

The kiss!

2011-11-21T22:28:00.000+11:00

Cousins

2011-11-20T22:22:00.002+11:00

The kids can't get enough of their little cousins and were so excited to spend time with them again this weekend. You really can't beat the fun that they have together. Why is it that a strangers 2 year old can be take-it-or-leave-it but your own cousin is just super adorable?!

Jakaranda.

2011-11-18T10:35:00.000+11:00

At this time of year in Australia there is an explosion of purple. Everywhere you look there are Jacaranda trees in full glorious bloom. As we drove around during my friend Nicola's week here we kept saying that we would stop and take some photos when we found the "perfect" tree. On one of her last days we were running ahead of time to collect the kids from school so we did a detour and found a street lined with these amazing trees. I think of all the memories Nicola will have of her time here in Australia this will be one of her best ones!

Walking with Nicola.

2011-11-17T10:35:00.000+11:00

Can you spot the annoying brother...?!

Cookie in a jar

2011-11-16T10:49:00.001+11:00

I thought you might like to see one of the gifts I brought to my sister-in-laws Kitchen Tea. It was an idea I found on-line called cookie-in-a-jar. I can't find the original link now but click here for another with a similar idea.

I bought a new glass storage jar and after giving it a good rinse I measured out the ingredients for choc-chip pecan cookies and layered them into the jar and added the recipe ingredients and instructions on a tag tied to the catch.

I thought it was a fun idea and could potentially be something we do for the teachers as we get to the end of the Australian school year in a few weeks time.

Friends reunited!

2011-11-15T17:44:00.000+11:00

My friend Nicola has arrived over from Ireland.

Let the gossip-fest begin!

Kitchen Tea.

2011-11-12T17:28:00.002+11:00

I had never heard of a Bride-To-Be having a kitchen tea before. It is an Australian tradition that seems to be making a comeback. All the women in the bride and grooms families and close friends gather together for an afternoon of tea, sandwiches and cupcakes. The visitors bring with them a gift that is kitchen related and the theory is that it helps to set up the girl with the contents of her kitchen cupboards for when she gets married.

Nowadays many women have lived away from their family home for many years before tying the knot and so the tradition dwindled. Recently it has become trendy again and that is how I came to have an invitation hanging on my fridge. No boring soggy sandwiches for Tenelle! She was having her get together in Sydney's posh tea house

"The Victoria Room"

My friend Nicola is visiting from Ireland and we managed to score an invite for her too. It was wonderful! As we walked in off the bright street and high sunshine of a hot summers day we took a while for our eyes to adjust to the dark, cool interior. All the lights had a soft orange glow and it was like stepping into a different world.

We spent the next 5 hours sipping Earl Grey tea from china cups and saucers and nibbling on tiny sandwiches and cakes. Topped off by a glass of rose champagne, delightful darling!

Here are some photos from our iPhones...

And finally a photo showing you how comfortable I felt in my opulent surroundings!

"More Champagne please waiter..."

Gareth the scientist

2011-11-10T10:35:00.000+11:00

I think Gareth has added Scientist to list of things he wants to be when he grows up.

He recently received a crystal growing kit from his Auntie in Ireland and had so much fun mixing and weighing and making sure he followed the instructions to the letter. I even had to bring him home a pair of gloves from the hospital before he started. The funniest thing was seeing him very earnestly putting on the fancy safety goggles. He looked more like he was off for a swim than heading to the ~~kitchen~~ laboratory!

A week later the crystals are grown and he has gone off to school with them in his school bag for show and tell.

A story for Nicola.

2011-11-09T08:19:00.000+11:00

Nicola is a good friend in Ireland. She has a positive attitude about her that she rubs off on everyone around her. Because I blog she keeps telling me I should write a story. A real story, not just a rambling account of something that we did in our day to day life. She is coming to visit this week and keeps saying she is looking forward to reading it.

The pressure was on so I sat down and wrote this...

Enjoy it Nicola!

She stood in front of the sink. Her hands immersed in the warm
bubbles. The freshly washed plates were stacked neatly, the water
running off them and dripping onto the silver draining board. She
closed her eyes and inhaled deeply then breathed slowly out as she
tried to shrug the tension from her shoulders. "everything will be
fine, everything will be fine" She chanted the affirmation silently

in her head willing it to be true with every fibre in her body. Her

eyes opened and she smiled as she saw the small crystal bud vase on

the window sill. It had been a wedding present from her Aunt. The

years had passed so quickly. Life had been simple then and full of
hope. The newness of everything, the ring on her finger and the
promise of love and happiness, of a house full of children's laughter

and toys underfoot. Dreams that had not come true. She reached out and

touched the small purple flowers. They were shaped like a bell. She
had called them snapdragons as a child and had picked hundreds and
pinched the end of the bell closed then clapped them between her hands
to hear them pop. They still grew along the hedgerows, a constant in a
world that had changed so much.

His car pulled in to the driveway, the angry crunch of the gravel
shaking her from her thoughts. The driver door slammed and her hands
clenched around the washcloth and she felt a wave of nausea sweep

through her "everything will be fine, everything will be fine"

As the front door opened and he walked into the kitchen she turned to
greet him with a smile. Her voice light and easy hiding the fear below
it as she asked how his day had been while deftly making a coffee and
handing it to him. The same motions that she went through each day.
Every step measured and calm. Doing nothing to rock the boat, nothing
to channel his anger at her. As she passed him the cup her hand shook
and a splash of the hot coffee ran down the side and onto his fingers.
His face turned ugly and before she could raise her hand to protect

herself she felt it. The hard thud against her cheekbone. The stars in
her vision and the world spinning as she fell to her knees. The

whimper that came from her as she saw the hand come back again. To
teach her a lesson. To remind her never again to repeat that mistake.

The next morning she looked in the mirror. Her cheekbone was an angry
florid purple. She felt the swelling tenderly with her fingers. The
tears stung her eyes as she blinked them back. She should have been

more careful. If she could just learn not to make him mad then maybe

she could avoid the cycle of hiding the bruises. She was a stupid
woman. Stupid and worthless. Other women didn't have to hide their
eyes behind sunglasses on a dull day. Wear long sleeves to cover their
arms in the height of summer. Cancel coffee dates because they needed
to stay closer to home until the rainbow of colours faded enough not
to draw questions. She would learn to be better. This would not happen
again. Not if she tried hard enough.

It was a few months later when she once again found herself at the
sink, slowly washing the breakfast dishes when she heard the gravel
crunch under the weight of a car. She glanced at the clock. The
routine was wrong. It was too early for him to be home again.
"everything will be fine, everything will be fine" her heart thumped
loudly in her chest as the doorbell rang. She walked to the door and
could make out two dark shapes behind the frosted glass panels. With
the safety chain in place she opened the door a few inches and saw the
two policemen on the step. She felt the blood drain from her face and
her hand shook as she released the chain.

The younger policeman looked anxious. He held his hat tight in his

hand twisting it nervously as the senior Constable showed his ID and
requested to come in. She led them into the good room and they sat
awkwardly on the edge of the sofa. She offered tea, coffee but they
refused and asked her to sit. She heard words but not sentences. Car
crash. Dry conditions. Veered into field. Passers by. Ambulance. So
sorry. Her hands smoothed the arm protectors. He didn't like them to
be creased. That had been the first time she had learned how important
it was not to make mistakes. It took a while for her to register that
there were not going to be any more mistakes. No more lessons to be

taught. No more bruises to hide.

It had been 15 days since the police had knocked on her door. The
burial had been arranged shortly after the body was released. It was a
quick affair. The small group of family and friends had murmured
sympathy and offers of help and then hurried back to their cars with
relief. All that was left was the formality of the autopsy results.
She held the letter in her hand. The words were long and unfamiliar.

In the summary she saw "unexplained cardiac event" Possibly an unknown

condition carried for years without sign or symptom. A ticking time
bomb that turned a normal car journey to work into his final moments.

She sighed and walked to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea.
The cup was too full and it left a wet circle on the counter. Her hand
shot out to wipe it clean then stopped frozen midway. She felt a smile
form on her mouth as she left it there. Instead her hand reached out
and gently touched the fresh purple flowers in the vase. She felt the
tension slip away as she thought back to those childhood walks.

Popping the snapdragons but never, ever eating until she had washed

her hands. Because even as a child she knew that snapdragons were
dangerous, the plant that the medicine digoxin was made from. A drug
that even in tiny doses slowed the heart rate down significantly, even
fatally. She cupped the mug of warm tea in her hands and brought it to
her mouth and took a sip.

"everything will be fine, everything will be fine"

Live, Love, Laugh.

2011-11-05T17:51:00.000+11:00

There's been a lot happening in my life that I am not free to share here on the blog. In the interests of being "real" I felt I should say that the happy times are wonderful and I try to blog as much as I can about them but some weeks are harder than others. For the people in my life going through upset right now I don't want to appear heartless by blogging all happy times and yet I know they would not appreciate me sharing their stories here on such a public place. Even my apparently wonderful recent weekend away with friends was tinged with sadness as "stuff" was going on in the background.

And so today I went to the park with the kids my heart heavy with thoughts. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. The sound of laughter was in the air and I could feel the warmth of the sand in between my toes. I tried to deep breath and not let the tension build in my shoulders. Tried not to let another headache take hold. I held my hand up to the sky and watched the green leaves of the trees glow as the sun shone on them. Saw the contrast of the bright green against the vivid blue. I smiled as I saw the words inscribed on my bracelet. A birthday gift from my friend Josie. A simple message, not always easy, but something to aim for and something to put things in balance in my head.

The kids wandered over and laughed at me as I tried to capture a photo on my mobile. They think I'm mad. I probably am. But I'll take mad and happy over sad and sensible any day!

Give an 8 year old boy your phone...

2011-11-04T17:39:00.000+11:00

...and this is what you might find when you get back in your car!

Musical Genius (we hope!)

2011-11-03T17:11:00.001+11:00

Sian has chosen Music as an elective subject as she moves into Year 9. Part of the course requirements are that you play an instrument. 99% of the kids will have been playing one for many years. Even though Sian is musical she has never joined the school band or the choir and so she has a lot of catching up to do. We enquired with friends and found a local piano teacher who we hear is very good. No pop songs here, just real old fashioned music lessons.

Surprisingly Sian is loving it. She can play lots of songs off the radio through experimenting on our home piano but is happy to be brought back to basics at her once a week lessons. We are hoping that she continues to enjoy it because she has committed to studying it over the next two years. Maybe we will have the next big star on our hands. I hope she remembers to pay back her Mum and dad who spent a small mortgage raising her!

The Race that stops a Nation.

2011-11-02T17:01:00.001+11:00

The Melbourne cup is known as the "Race that stops a nation" All around Australia life comes to a standstill for 3 minutes as the most exciting horse race of the year runs. Some years I have attended and hosted Melbourne Cup lunches with friends, some years I have worked. This year I wasn't working and no lunch plans happened so I raced to school and brought the kids home just in time to turn on the tv at 2.59. We poured cordial and threw together the last of the Halloween sweets, chopped some fruit and had a party!

The kids drew names from a hat in school and although none of their horses won they had fun. They were very excited when Byron rang from work to say that he had won a works sweep and was going to share his winnings when he got home.

Would it be enough for a new car?

A holiday?

Or a fancy pair of shoes?

He came in the door waving his winnings. An envelope with $8!

I'll keep dreaming for next year!

Visitors

2011-11-01T11:12:00.001+11:00

On a day where I was feeling decidedly down in the dumps I got an unexpected phone call.

Visitors were passing through our area.

Could they stop in and let off steam before they continued on their long car journey?

Hell Yes!!!

Two little boys running up the driveway with grins on their faces and arms open wide for a hug. Only Mad Aunty Gina at home to enjoy cuddles, giggles, tickles and fun.

One clever boy making paper aeroplanes...

One cheeky brother stealing them and running away...

and then getting side tracked by a pair of fancy shoes!

There really is nothing like the distraction of little kids to make your heart feel light. Their soft squidgy hands, big squeezy hugs and the way they say your name as they call goodbye and wave at you from the car.

You can't buy that kind of happiness.

And more photos...

2011-10-31T14:26:00.000+11:00

I had fun with the camera this weekend. Particularly the 10 second delay that allowed me to set up a shot then run over to pose so I could be in it too!

Here are a few favourites...

We are the laugh-a-lot-gang and we all have different hair!

2011-10-30T13:07:00.000+11:00

This weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to a friends family holiday home. It was a small one bedroom house her Grandfather had built many years ago. Compact and perfect for him to stay over on his fishing weekends. There was a garage that has recently been renovated into a long room with bunk beds so it sleeps 6! This is where we stayed. Sleeping bags and pillows and a backpack each. It felt like being back in school and going away on camp! Before we left on Friday Monica's daughter gave us a nickname "The laugh-a-lot gang" How true that was going to be!

We drove up in two cars on Friday evening and threw together a tea of all the bits and pieces we had brought, cheese crackers, fruit, chocolate. It was heaven. We queued for the bathroom to do teeth and then giggled and acted like a bunch of ten year olds as we settled to sleep. Seeing your friends at 7am in sleeping bags, make up free and "just woke up hair" is a great leveller. No pretence. What you see is what you get and this bunch of girls is as real as they come. Over the weekend we laughed, we shared stories, some that made us wet ourselves with laughter, some that made us hug our arms tight around our knees and brought a lump to our throats. We have all lived very different lives and hearing each others stories made us look at each other with new respect.

I love my family and I love my house but 48 hours away from them didn't kill them and it renewed me. It was a simple weekend. It cost less than $100 including petrol money and thank you flowers for Granny. The only alcohol was a glass of Baileys on the Saturday night as we munched on M+M's and maltesers. No hangovers, long walks and laugh after laugh after laugh.

Here's an example: We were sitting at the table discussing something when Monica piped up "I know this is a bit off the topic but...." "Have you noticed that we all have different hair?" It took us about ten minutes to stop laughing and we were wiping tears from our eyes as she tried to expand. Her point was that we don't all look the same. We haven't all tried to follow the latest trend sporting the latest hair colour or cut. We are all just individuals and happy to be that way.

...and I guess that just about sums us up!

Entrance Exams.

2011-10-28T12:41:00.001+11:00

Rhiannon starts High School next year and this week has been a flurry of preparation. She has had visits from the High School co-ordinator to their class and then a long intro evening at the High School itself so we could be measured for uniforms, buy books and sit in on a talk preparing us all for the changes to come. It is scary times. Although Sian has been in the High School for two years and has settles really well each child is an individual and somehow Rhiannon just seems younger and less street wise and we are probably more nervous of her transition than we were with her big sister. Because she is a Millennium baby she was born in a boom year the school are taking in their highest number of students ever for the 2012 intake. Its going to be a learning curve for everyone, school and home alike!

The biggest day of the week was when she had to sit her actual entrance exams. These will help to place her in a class appropriate to her level. She was very nervous going in to sit these exams and the new school hall looked very formal as it was used for the first time for such a purpose. Rows and rows of tables and chairs and a nervous looking group of kids walking in in single file.

I was lucky to be helping out in Gareth's class that day and I got to see her come out for a break between papers. She was treated to a muffin from the canteen and was much chirpier returning in to the hall for round two.

The best thing about this move to High School is the great group of girls that she will be moving with. Although the friendships are bound to change as they mix in a huge group of 190 students I hope that they will still stay friends.

These days are going by way to fast. Slow down, slow down...

Grandparents Day 2011.

2011-10-27T11:11:00.002+11:00

Our kids school has had their first ever Grandparents Day this week. They started with a lovely Liturgy in the church in the school grounds...

...and then we moved to the new big hall to watch a concert by each class year.

They were wonderful. It all finished with a sausage sizzle where the parents and Grandparents could stay and join in the playground fun!

Our kids have both sets of Grandparents alive but living overseas. On days like this we do miss them badly. The school know that many kids don't have their Grandparents in their day to day lives so they included "grandparents and special family friends" in all the prayers and celebrating. My brothers in-laws live near us and have always stepped in to give a cuddle when needed. Anne was able to join us for the morning and the kids were really happy to see her.

It was a lovely day and hopefully one that will be repeated next year.

A sneak peek at what the boys play at lunch-time...

2011-10-26T13:53:00.002+11:00

The baby I (nearly) delivered!

2011-10-25T12:23:00.001+11:00

Ok, so I know that you don't want to know the boring bits of what we have been up to recently. You just want to know the story about the baby don't you?!

There are three stories. The Birth Mothers. The Birth Fathers. Mine.

The Birth Mothers is probably the most calm and accurate. The birth Fathers and mine are probably the most exaggerated and similar in that we both tell the story as though we were the hero delivering the baby single handedly!

It all began one weekend outside church. My friend was heavily pregnant and booked in for induction on the Monday. She was already feeling lots of cramps and contractions and I told her that because I only live down the road I was happy to help out if she needed someone to watch her other two daughters if anything happened late at night etc...

Nothing happened that night or the next and I text her good luck on the morning of the induction. It turned out that she got sent home from the hospital because the baby wasn't ready and was told to return 24-48 hours later. It was all a bit flat and disappointing. That night I turned the water on in the shower and while waiting for it to run hot I sent her a text "Thinking of you, hope you are having a relaxing night, not long now..."

She didn't see that text because she was at home having quite advanced contractions waiting for her parents to come and mind her girls so she could head to hospital. I was under the hot water when Byron came into the bathroom and handed the phone into the shower. It was birth Father saying things were advancing quickly, her parents were only half an hour away but they needed me to watch the girls so they could leave for the hospital right away.

I hopped around the bathroom naked, trying to dry and put on the nearest clothes quickly, they were my pj's and dressing gown but I didn't think anyone would care so late in the evening. Byron tried slowing me and telling me not to fuss, there was no rush, no point in crashing on the way etc... I ignored him and jumped in the car with hair still dripping and drove the couple of minutes to her house.

Getting out of the car I felt a bit nervous. I'd only once seen this friends house, in daylight, while collecting her husband for a rugby match. I wasn't completely sure which house it was in the dark so I nervously knocked at a door of a vaguely familiar house with only one faint upstairs light on. When I heard the cries of a woman in labour float down to me I knew I was at the right house. I heard a shout telling me to come in but the door was locked. Between contractions the husband raced down the stairs, threw open the door and raced back up.

I followed and found my friend on her bed in full on labour. An ambulance had been called and the paramedics were talking them through until it arrived. I found myself going from "polite early stages of friendship" to "friendship signed, sealed and delivered" over the course of the next half hour. I'm not a midwife although I have seen babies delivered during my nurse training. I found myself mentally going through the theory of delivering the head, then shoulder, baby and then tying off the cord. I held her hand and counted her through deep breathing, telling her she was doing great, and then turning and reassuring her husband between contractions. I was so relieved when the flashing lights of the ambulance glowed outside.

The paramedics came in and talked and seemed in no hurry but did suggest trying to get my friend to the local hospital (at least a 25 minute drive even with lights and sirens) My gut feeling was screaming out at me that this baby was never going to stay put that long but I was very cautious about influencing whether to do a home birth or not just in case anything went wrong. My friend was wanting to try to go to hospital so between contractions we managed to get her down the stairs and onto the ambulance trolley. As the paramedics strapped her on she was saying she needed to push. Again my gut feelings were saying "Stay and deliver" but I just helped to get the trolley into the back of the ambulance and then ran back passing the husband his shoes, wallet, phone, keys etc.

I stood there in the dark in my dressing gown and bare feet and watched the ambulance pull silently out of the driveway, flashing lights reflecting off the trees and houses around, my heart was pounding and I had a lump in my throat as I watched the lights fade into the distance and found myself involuntarily blessing myself over and over. I returned inside the quiet house where two little girls stayed sleeping oblivious upstairs and waited for the arrival of parents I had never met.

Minutes later a car pulled up and a frantic and anxious grandmother thanked me over and over for helping. I told her all I could and then went home. I had only just finished telling Byron the story when he received a message saying the baby was born two minutes after leaving the house. The waters had broken as they turned onto the main road and the paramedics had pulled over and next push the baby was born. Immediately I felt great disappointment for my friend that she had not made it to the expertise and safety of the hospital or equally stayed in the comfort and reassurance of her familiar bedroom. She told me afterwards that she was not upset about leaving the house so close to the birth as she had needed the freedom to be more noisy and vocal when pushing the baby out than she could ever have been with her daughters asleep in the room next to her at home.

If I'm honest I was also a bit gutted about getting so close to witnessing the birth of my friends baby and then missing out by 2 minutes. I have had stern words with her that I expect her to have baby number 4 as a planned home birth with me there helping. Never mind that she isn't planning to have 4 kids. There is plenty of time for her to get used to the idea. Meanwhile I'm busy preparing by watching re-runs of "A Birth Story" and "Maternity Ward" on Discovery Health...

Sorry for the break in service...

2011-10-24T14:36:00.001+11:00

It's been a busy month. Grandparents arrived from overseas and time on the computer was reduced so I could be a good and dutiful daughter-in-law!

Lots has happened that I do want to blog about, a 50th Wedding Anniversary, Practically delivering my friends baby single-handedly in my pyjamas one evening (please note my tendency to exaggerate...) Grandparents day at school and more.

I will share all these stories as soon as I can but collecting my children from school and putting dinner on the table is an unfortunate necessity!

Watch this space...!

Wales V's Ireland...

2011-10-08T19:14:00.000+11:00

...No words required!

Sunset cruise.

2011-10-07T19:08:00.006+11:00

We finished off our holiday with a sunset cruise. It was very relaxing and a lovely last evening together.

I wish holidays could last forever...

Endangered species!

2011-10-07T19:06:00.003+11:00

We went on a beautiful Rainforest walk today. The rain had just eased off, everything was lush and green and we practically had the place to ourselves!

Walk at sunset...

2011-10-06T14:58:00.003+11:00

Gareth is getting a bit "over" having his photo taken. I asked him to look towards me and as soon as he saw the phone pointed at him he did a runner!

I just captured this before he ran...

Best view in town...

2011-10-05T23:57:00.002+11:00

Some nights this holiday we have eaten out, some nights had beans on toast in the house. Tonight we got take-away pizzas and sat by the waters edge to eat them! You couldn't have had a better view at the poshest restaurant in town!!!

Postcard home to Granny...

2011-10-05T14:56:00.001+11:00

Just before leaving on their holidays our kids were the lucky recipients of some spending money from each set of grandparents. The joke was that the money came with a condition. The kids had to buy and send a postcard from their money and then could keep the change for ice-cream.

Having chosen the postcards the kids were let loose to write their messages while I tidied up after dinner. The girls wrote nice messages about the weather and what we were doing. Gareth got straight to the point...

"Dear Granny and Grandad, I bought the cheapest card so I could get the biggest ice-cream. Wish you were here, Gareth"

Posers!

2011-10-04T20:05:00.002+11:00

There are only so many photos the kids will let me take of them. They have struck a deal with me. They will only pose for a "proper" photo if I will then take a daft version of it straight after!

In this photo I have to say that I prefer the daft one by a million miles!

Windy Weather!

2011-10-03T14:56:00.002+11:00

It's so windy today! We have been driving around to get out of the tiny holiday accommodation. In between rain showers Byron wanted us to get out and admire the view from a lookout at a wind-blasted lighthouse! We nearly lost a couple of kids off the edge during some of the bigger gusts.

Sian was delighted to take the opportunity to act like she was on a fashion shoot with her hair flying behind her!

Naturally I, as always, was delighted with the chance to take yet another photo!

Strawberry Fields Forever!

2011-10-02T14:55:00.001+11:00

With the rain making it's appearance early this morning and forecast to hang around all day we came strawberry picking in these wonderful rain proof tunnels. When I was a kid in Ireland strawberry picking involved eating one berry for every one that went in your basket. Here there were signs asking us to be honest and wait till they were paid for. The pots of chocolate dipping sauce being sold at the till made it worth the wait!

Rhiannon found a weighing scales so we could see how much of a bill we were building up. The strawberries were being sold for $16 per kg and she thought she would scare the living daylights out if me by leaning on the scales... 7 KILO'S = $112 , NOT!

We sat in the cafe and let the morning tick slowly by as we waited for coffees and let the kids scoff the berries we had just picked. None made it home but we thoroughly enjoyed every one! (and every last smear of the chocolate dipping sauce too!)

Happy Holidays!

2011-10-01T15:00:00.002+10:00

We are enjoying the school holidays and are taking advantage of our live-in pet caretakers (in-laws!) to have a few days away as a family. It's fun now the kids are getting older and offering to take some of the photos. I'm not too used to being on this side of the lens!

Weather is forcast to rain almost every day with dry spells here and there. We went for a walk on the beach when we arrived with rain jackets on but managed to catch the last few rays of the sunset. I can feel the relaxation soaking into my bones already!

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary

2011-09-30T09:40:00.001+10:00

We are celebrating Byron's parents 50th Wedding Anniversary this morning.

The card in the foreground shows a picture of Byron's mum Myan and her father as she prepared to enter the church and marry Den. You can see the modern version of Myan and Den fuzzy in the background as the talked on the phone to their daughter Julie and grandson Kerry.

Who would have thought that 50 years later they would be visiting their son and three Grandkids on the other side of the world!

What are Grandparents good for?

2011-09-27T09:25:00.001+10:00

...buying ice-creams of course!

A child's faith.

2011-09-25T09:28:00.000+10:00

A week ago Gareth made his first Communion. He was told during his preparations that he could use the special occasion as a chance to say a prayer for anything he wanted. Someone in our family was waiting for test results that had the chance of being quite devastating. We were all on edge waiting for news of the results and Gareth told me that was what his special prayer was for.

Tonight he lit another candle and this time he whispered a little prayer of thanks. The results were back and the news was good. He is totally convinced that his prayer last week helped.

How lovely to have such faith and trust. I hope he never loses it.

Welcome Nanny and Grandad!

2011-09-23T09:23:00.000+10:00

Our visitors have arrived from Wales!

Byron's parents are here to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

There have been a few changes around here since their last visit 4 years ago. The most hilarious being Betty and Wilma!

How to give your husband indigestion...

2011-09-21T16:33:00.000+10:00

Gareth's First Communion.

2011-09-18T21:50:00.004+10:00

Yesterday Gareth was fully initiated into our Church. He made his First Holy Communion along with a group of his classmates. He wanted to dress up so badly so he could look "Like a man"

Even though the dress code was flexible and not necessarily formal he was adamant that he wanted a tie. It was the day before the event and I had run out of time to travel to one of the larger department stores to look. I finished work and tried a local formal wear shop which had none available to sell but had a perfect silver one to hire. He was so excited when he came home to find it on the hall table!

Here is a photo of him just before we headed out to church.

There are more taken later as we stood in the church grounds but the one with me in it is when I lost my balance and fell backwards into the crunchy gum leaves on the ground. Thanks Byron for managing to catch the photo but not your wife! It was a great day with great memories and one we will remember very proudly!

School Fair!

2011-09-17T21:45:00.000+10:00

Roll Up, Roll Up!

Everything's a bargain. Just name your price!

Rugby World Cup 2011...

2011-09-14T21:45:00.001+10:00

Say No More...

Happiness is...

2011-09-11T21:49:00.001+10:00

...a day spent with cousins!

Cinnamon Swirls.

2011-09-10T21:41:00.000+10:00

I got a craving for something sweet today and started to Google recipes for cinnamon swirls. I can't find the link now for the recipe I used but they tasted very good and went down a storm.

The dough was a little dense and didn't rise as much as the recipe suggested so I am happy to try another random recipe next weekend. If anyone has any to share I'd be happy to hear from you. I don't think the kids or Byron would object either!!!

Laundry maid.

2011-09-08T21:31:00.001+10:00

I never turn down an offer of help with my laundry. What I didn't expect as I hung my washing out this week was help from Betty. She had a good look through the basket of wet clothes and then tuned her attention to my bare feet.

I learned two things today, chickens are no good at hanging shirts on the line and my toes are not worms....

Never leave your kids home alone...

2011-09-05T21:42:00.001+10:00

I dropped Gareth at swimming lessons down the road this afternoon while Sian and Rhiannon stayed behind doing homework.

When I came home this poster was stuck inside the front door...

Fathers Day Hug.

2011-09-04T11:09:00.003+10:00

One step at a time...

2011-09-01T19:10:00.000+10:00

Life here in the Baynham family is getting back to normal one step at a time.

I booked in to the counsellor that work provided and I must say that I felt like a fraud walking in to the building. Thoughts like "I'm not crazy" or "I must be really weak to need professional help" swam through my head. Along with "Please God don't let me see anyone I know here" I had a lot of preconceived ideas about needing therapy. The session was really good. It felt safe opening up to someone who had no connection to my family or circle of friends. Once I had got past trying to persuade her/myself I wasn't nuts and I actually opened up about the last week and how it had affected me I found it very helpful. The bottom line was that all my reactions/thoughts/feelings were fairly normal and I was already doing the suggested coping strategies they would advise.

Do you hear that my friends I'M NORMAL! I wish I'd asked her to put it in writing!

I am fitting easily back into the role of normal Gina, mum, wife, nurse, friend, sister, daughter and mad Auntie to my two gorgeous nephews.

Thank you to all who have sent me messages of reassurance over the last week. You never really know how lucky you are to have great friends until you need them. I hope I will get to repay you in due course.

So for now, one step at a time as demonstrated by our feathered friends Wilma and Betty!

"See you at Tronno High today"

2011-08-26T10:37:00.000+10:00

It's been a week that I will never forget. Six words in an email that have left me winded. Made me a part of something bigger than my normal day to day life.

Normally the beginning of the week is home based, laundry, cleaning and helping out in the kids school. By getting everything running smoothly at the beginning of the week the days that I do work don't seem to impact the family. This week the kids had a pupil free day on Monday so instead of getting them to help in the house we just went out and met Dad for lunch and did some nice errands. Tuesday was Book-week celebrations which was great fun but I spent all day at school while the ironing mountain was getting dangerously high. Wednesday we were running out of clean socks and it was reading with the kookaburras. Wednesday afternoon Gareth and Rhiannon were due to travel to a local school to take part in a cultural festival with lots of other primary schools. I love going to things that are on when I am lucky enough to not be working.

Wednesday I was unsure. There were no clean uniforms for Thursday and the house truly was a mess. I asked the kids would they mind if I didn't go to watch them. They were ok about it but the guilt was niggling in my head. I told them that unless another Mum nagged me to come along that I would stay home and get the house back on it's feet. Literally less than one minute later there was a ping from the computer. An email had come in from Monica, "See you at Tronno High today" I called out to the kids in playful exasperation "Aaarggh! That was Monica nagging! I'll be there, the ironing can wait!"

I have not got my head around what happened that afternoon. I don't want to go into too many details that might upset anyone. The brief summary is that we stood for the national anthem. My kids played in their school band as another school choir sang the words. I had goose-bumps as I heard the words. They were making me emotional.

As we sat down they interrupted the concert and a woman spoke into the microphone. "Is there a nurse or a doctor in the audience? Can you please come to the fire exit"

I stood, I walked through the door and for the next hour I was part of trying to resuscitate a woman who had collapsed. Being a nurse in a hospital is one distinct part of who I am. Being a mother is another. Mixing the two was hard. Hearing the sounds of the children singing on one side of the fire-door while hearing the paramedics count us over the phone as we performed mouth to mouth and cardiac compression on the other side is something I cannot shake. When the paramedics got there her heart had a weak output. We had maintained her. Unfortunately she didn't survive. She was 56 and the grandmother of one of Gareth's classmates.

I know that I did my best, along with all the other wonderful people who also were a part of the CPR. I just feel a bit overwhelmed. Confused. Grateful to have been there. Sad she didn't make it. Proud I tried. Scared when the images flash back into my head. Embarrassed by the messages of thanks and the flowers that I have received from friends, from school. Emotional when I was given a Thank-You card written by the family.

I had contact on Thursday from the school where the concert took place. Their staff were all sent for counselling. I was offered it but had turned it down without truly thinking about it. I was offered it again today and I have accepted.

I know in time I will be fine. Life goes on. Sian went to school on Thursday and Friday in slightly crumpled sports shirts. I went to work. I talked to a lot of people about how I felt. I now know that I was meant to be at Toronto High at 12.35pm on Wednesday the 24th of August 2011. I knew in my heart before the day unfolded that I wouldn't put the ironing ahead of being a Mum. I just needed those six little words from Monica to realise it...

Reading to the birds!

2011-08-24T21:31:00.000+10:00

On Wednesday mornings I spend time in the kids school reading with groups of 8 and 9 year olds.

The school is set in some beautiful bushland and has its fair share of nature around. Today we had a Kookaburra sitting on a post listening intently to the story and Gareth decided to show him some of the illustrations!

Bookweek 2011

2011-08-23T14:33:00.002+10:00

Each year the kids school celebrates "Bookweek"

The students get to dress up as a favourite character from a book and lots of fun activities take place. Parents and friends are invited into the class rooms to read to the kids and there is a character parade in the new school hall.

I love getting the opportunity to be involved in the school and am so grateful when events happen on a day I am not working in the hospital. I missed out last year and had to be content with photos sent on to me by friends. This year I hit jackpot and enjoyed every minute of it.

Rhiannon was Esmeralda from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"

Gareth was Dan Kelly, an Australian Bushranger and brother to the infamous Ned Kelly who is seen here next to him. When asked what book they are from Gareth replied "Any book on Australian History"

Both are being protected by a friendly Storm Trooper. You never can be too careful!

Egg-cellent!

2011-08-22T03:30:00.000+10:00

...when a picture speaks a thousand words!

Meet Wilma and Betty!

2011-08-21T19:59:00.002+10:00

Do you want to see where I transplanted the little Bottle Brush tree?

I put it right next to my birthday present!

My new Chook house!

Today we went in search of some chickens to live in it. It seems as though every suggestion from friends led back to the same man, Simon. Unfortunately Simon has a badly fractured leg and said he has been out of action for the last 6 weeks and does not know when he will return to selling in our area. He recommended an egg farm about an hours drive away. This morning we jumped into the car and drove to Anna Bay and came home with Wilma and Betty.

The kids had fun bonding and we all squished into the hen house for some cuddles.

Here are some photos...

We can't wait to check on them in the morning to see if the girls have settled into their new house and whether they may have laid us an egg or two!

Veggie patch

2011-08-19T05:00:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I looked out my kitchen window at this...

Not very inspiring, the bins, a broken swing seat waiting for Council pick up, a small Bottle Brush tree...

Many of the blogs I read were talking about gardening and preparing this years veggie and herb gardens. I wondered if I could find a use for this narrow strip of soil down the forgotten side of the house. I imagined looking out my kitchen window and seeing veggies growing, maybe a passion-fruit vine winding itself over a trellis, fresh basil and coriander waiting to be plucked and added to the evening meal...

Fast forward to last week. With Gareth sick and home from school I had a lot of time on my hands. I got to thinking, and sketching, and planning, and nagging!

I am very excited to say that within a very short amount of time I ordered some four and a half meter long railway sleepers, had them delivered and got out my trusty drill and made this...

Yesterday while out shopping I came across a bargain. A local Go-Lo had reduced bags of compost from $7 each to $1.74! I asked could I buy all that they had and now 22 bags later my new veggie garden is looking even better with lots of soft compost ready for me to get planting.

Oh, and the little Bottle Brush tree has not been torn out and forgotten. It was given a new home next to my birthday present. What present you ask? Well that is going to be my next blog post, you will just have to wait and see!

Separated at birth!

2011-08-18T03:20:00.000+10:00

Today I shared celebrating my birthday in work with Lesley.

She tells everyone we are twins, separated at birth, raised on
opposite sides of the world and finally reunited at the Blue Hospital.
It's enough to bring tears to your eyes...
Tears of laughter that is!

Sssshhhhh!

2011-08-17T22:19:00.001+10:00

Life is short enough and the days can run into one another with work, cleaning, cooking, sleeping...

What makes our lives wonderful?

The special days.

Holidays, Christmas, days in the park, weekends.

We have to make each and every one count.

Make a kalidescope of memories for our families of all the happy days so they are the ones we remember.

So what is my favourite day to celebrate?

BIRTHDAYS!

Someone in our house is going to wake up tomorrow to kids sneaking into her bed, cards and gifts!

Guess who...?

I'm so excited!!!!

Have I given it away?

Tonight Rhiannon got busy making me a card.

I think she took every single item out of our craft cupboard.

This is what I found after she had gone to bed...

I can't wait to see what she has created!

I'm off to bed now to sleep away the hours till I am Top Banana for a day.

Ssssshhhhhhhhhhhh!

Zzzzzzzz...

Mission Fun Day!

2011-08-16T22:11:00.000+10:00

Our school runs an Annual Mission Fun Day.

The kids get to invent stall ideas.

Create posters.

Run the stalls.

Make money for the Missions.

...and get to eat ice-cream too!

Morning Tea.

2011-08-15T14:48:00.004+10:00

I was invited to a friends house last week for morning tea. Lucy is the only female in her house. Her husband and boys love nothing more on the weekend than riding dirt bikes up the mountains in the middle of nowhere and returning home caked in mud. Not much call in her house for delicate florals!

Now Lucy decided that she wanted to indulge in some proper formal girl time and arranged for a bunch of us to have morning tea with her. We were to bring nothing, she was going to bake and prepare it all herself. When we arrived she was piling high plates of delicate smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches, strawberry custard tarts, meringues, lemon tart.... Lots of teeny tiny morsels of delight.

We sat and talked and poured endless cups of tea after tea into lovely fine china and talked and talked and talked! It was so lovely to just sit and enjoy some female company. An old fashioned style of morning but one I would be very happy to repeat in the future. Not sure my waistline could cope though!

Learning to fly.

2011-08-13T15:09:00.000+10:00

With Gareth sick this week I asked Rhiannon if she could get the school bus so he could stay in bed. As the bus came close to pulling in outside our house she told me to quickly go back inside as I was embarrassing her in my dressing gown! I stood watching her from inside the almost closed front door and I felt a stab of nostalgia. This is her last year in Primary school. The last year that the school bus will pull up outside our door and she will jump on dressed in her Primary uniform. These years have gone much too fast and somehow I know that the coming months will pass quickly too. Another bird perching on the edge of the nest ready to learn to fly a little further away from home. I'm not sure momma bird is ready...

Poorly bad.

2011-08-12T14:32:00.000+10:00

It's been a bit quiet this week. Germs have struck hard and fast. Most of us have had some combination of aches and pains, sore throats and headaches. Gareth fared the worse over this week and had a few days off school. I found myself housebound, achy and not in the mood for anything too energetic myself so we had some nice quiet time and a few cups of tea to warm ourselves up!

Happy 6th Birthday!

2011-08-08T22:07:00.000+10:00

Yippee!

This month represents the 6th year of this blog!

Back in August 2005 we were preparing to emigrate to Australia. I was completely computer illiterate and Byron created this blog. He then handed it to me and told me it would be an on-line diary where I could put photos of our family as a way to keep in touch with grandparents and close friends as we started our new life Down Under. Never in a million years would I have guessed that 6 years later It would be still going strong.

In 6 years it has gone from a simple diary for a small group of people to a way of communicating with a much larger group of friends, old and new.

I have written 1492 posts and there have been 68,570 visits from 103 countries!

Many of my "normal" real life friends laugh at me when I try to bring up the topic of blogging in a conversation. Some read my blog and think I am mad. Some humour me and actually leave comments. So many more of you have become "virtual friends" where we have slowly grown to know each other through our writing and photos. Whoever you are Thank You for stopping by. For taking the time to read my ramblings. For leaving such great comments. For making me smile!

And if you really want to make my day then celebrate my Birthday with me by leaving a comment. Whether you are a real life friend, a virtual one or haven't yet said Hi...

Here's to the next 6 years!

Twice Twenty One

2011-08-06T17:11:00.001+10:00

Today is Mr B's Birthday. We won't reveal his age, lets just say he told the kids he is twice twenty one!

The morning was a lazy one. I was woken by Gareth who had heard the phone ringing downstairs and could hear Granny and Grandad Joe singing Happy Birthday into the answer machine! With the time difference it was getting to their bedtime at 10.30pm but was still an early 7.30am with us!

Breakfast in bed, freshly brewed coffee and croissants from the oven. Cards and presents and excited kids. Guessing and squishing of parcels before tearing of paper. Always "I bet this is going to be a pair of pants" before squeals from the kids as yet another gift was discovered. In the end a very happy and spoiled Mr B sat in a mountain of torn paper, wasabi covered peanuts, new jammies, swimmers, a big bar of Toblerone and a book on whisky. It was declared the best birthday ever before it had hardly begun!

In the afternoon Byron fired up the BBQ to cook sausages for lunch. As it warmed up he sat on the steps in the sunshine and drank a cold beer. Yep, he said, this is definitely the best Birthday EVER!

Old Ducks Book Club.

2011-08-04T21:26:00.005+10:00

I read a great book recently called "The Help"and loved it so much I wrote a blog post on it. I passed the book from friend to friend and it triggered a conversation. We should set up a book club!

As I played with the kids at the park my friends chatted at the picnic table. Behind me there was a lake and on it some ducks. The name of this yet-to-begin club was decided. "The Old Ducks"

My friends sniggered as they told me. They suggested the name was inspired not so much by the feather friends but in relation to me... Hmmm. I shall let that one go for now!

We met this week at the Jo's house. It had been her birthday a few days before so I brought a cake and Monica brought flowers. Jo supplied the old duck!

Jo hadn't finished the book so we didn't really get into the real nitty gritty of discussing it as we would have spoiled it for her. Instead we drank tea and talked and laughed and put the world to rights. We decided on the date of next months "Old Ducks" gathering. By then Jo should have finished "The Help"and maybe we can actually pretend to be a real Book Club!

New Year Promise.

2011-08-02T16:30:00.000+10:00

Back in January I saw an interesting status on Facebook. A friend was promising the first 5 people who "liked" her status that she would send them something home-made at some point in 2011. In turn though they too would have to make the same promise to 5 of their friends. I joined the fun and then like all January resolutions it sat at the back of my mind and nagged and nagged me. Another thing on the never ending "To-Do" list.

Finally one sneezy winters day an idea came to me. Small little tissue holders. I read through lots of blogs and on-line tutorials and then got out a bag of fabric scraps and the sewing machine and got stuck in. As always when I do anything crafty I get carried away. Housework is abandoned, dinner runs late and our spare room becomes a No-Go zone! The results were worth it. As was the weight off my shoulders as one by one my parcels were posted off. Then as the parcels reached their destinations from just down the road to Ireland, Japan and America in came the emails and Facebook messages from the friends who had found one of these in the post!

Have you ever participated in anything similar? If you did what would you make?!