Sunday, November 04, 2012
Friday, November 02, 2012
Day 7: Bosca Teileafóin
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Day 5: Oíche Shamhna!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Day 4: San Fhómhar
Monday, October 29, 2012
Day 3: Faoin Bhfearthainn
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Day 2: Seomra a bhfuil radharc uaidh.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Day 1: San eitleán
Friday, October 26, 2012
Ireland. This is a solo visit and is the first time I will have been
separated from Byron and the kids for so many days and nights.
Just over a week seems such a short amount of time to travel to try to
offer help and support to my parents at a time that they need it
greatly. And yet it is such a long amount of time to be away from my
kids and Byron.
I have left lists everywhere, a full fridge and freezer and
instructions on what to eat, what to wear, where to be and what to do!
Poor Byron has been very tolerant.
And so I wave goodbye to my Australian identity and put on the hat of
daughter and sister and prepare myself for what will probably be a
very emotional reunion. I have plans to do as much as I can in my week
in Ireland to help them.
I seem to always volunteer to clean out and sort the fridge every trip
home. I think it probably started once when I was rummaging around
looking for chocolate and got caught and pretended to be cleaning it
out!
My sister has also suggested I might want to help her scrub out the
oven in her house (?) This has led to googling 101 ways to clean your
oven and many funny emails and suggestions between us.
As I sit here in the airport waiting to board my plane I am thinking
about which box to tick on my green departure form? I can't see "Clean
Carries Oven" anywhere on it? Can you?!
The flight has been called. Everyone is standing and joining the
queue. It's time for me to say goodbye. Hot tears are filling my eyes
and I'm furiously blinking them back.
9 days and I will be home again. Home to hugs and kisses and with a
head full of wonderful memories that are still waiting to be made...
Bon voyage
Ireland. This is a solo visit and is the first time I will have been
separated from Byron and the kids for so many days and nights.
Just over a week seems such a short amount of time to travel to try to
offer help and support to my parents at a time that they need it
greatly. And yet it is such a long amount of time to be away from my
kids and Byron.
I have left lists everywhere, a full fridge and freezer and
instructions on what to eat, what to wear, where to be and what to do!
Poor Byron has been very tolerant.
And so I wave goodbye to my Australian identity and put on the hat of
daughter and sister and prepare myself for what will probably be a
very emotional reunion. I have plans to do as much as I can in my week
in Ireland to help them.
I seem to always volunteer to clean out and sort the fridge every trip
home. I think it probably started once when I was rummaging around
looking for chocolate and got caught and pretended to be cleaning it
out!
My sister has also suggested I might want to help her scrub out the
oven in her house (?) This has led to googling 101 ways to clean your
oven and many funny emails and suggestions between us.
As I sit here in the airport waiting to board my plane I am thinking
about which box to tick on my green departure form? I can't see "Clean
Carries Oven" anywhere on it? Can you?!
The flight has been called. Everyone is standing and joining the
queue. It's time for me to say goodbye. Hot tears are filling my eyes
and I'm furiously blinking them back.
9 days and I will be home again. Home to hugs and kisses and with a
head full of wonderful memories that are still waiting to be made...
Monday, October 22, 2012
Parking Down Under
I know everything here in Australia is different to where I was born in Ireland. The seasons are back to front and day is night and night is day. I know it is technically "Down Under" but even I can't work out where I'm supposed to put the car at this local cross roads?!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Morning tea is served!
Even on the weekends Mr B is often found with his laptop tapping away on the keyboard, juggling extra work and trying to generate extra income for our family. I know he is a genius and I often tell him how underpaid and amazingly talented he is! If I look over his shoulder it's all just lines of numbers and letters that mean nothing to me. Even though I know he needs to put in these hours I still sometimes want to steal him away from his laptop and have his undivided attention. The best way to do this in my experience is to head into the kitchen and emerge an hour later with something warm and sweet smelling. After all...
"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach!"
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Home Sweet Home
Sian made this bird-house in woodwork class in school.
I am ashamed to say that it has taken me two whole years to find a home for it outside and not sitting on top of the garage fridge!
I wonder if we may have missed the boat on finding tenants for this spring but hopefully someone will move in soon...
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Chicken Soup for the Soul (Not)
What do you get when you mix a beautiful (fenced off) veggie garden...
with an escaping chicken...
A very cross Gina who has one less thing on her To-Do list
"Thin out the veggie seedlings"
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Weekend Escapism
If you are living in the Newcastle area and looking for something to do on the weekend there are some lovely places to explore around the Hunter Valley. We have a few favourite vineyards and gift shops that we love to visit if we have a quiet weekend day. Byron is always more than happy to find somewhere to sit back and chill out especially if he has a coffee in his hand!
This photo that I snapped in "The Hunter Barn" over the recent school holidays sums up everything I love about my life right here and now at this point in time. Happy kids, old enough to be past the baby stage etc but young enough to still be content to spend weekend time with us (as long as we are paying for the bags of lollies!). A relaxed Byron, taking a break from the multiple computing jobs he seems to be juggling at the moment. Me with camera in one hand and chocolate in the other momentarily allowing myself to enjoy the moment instead of worrying about health issues of loved ones overseas. I think it is so important for us all to re-charge our batteries with some time-out and laughter no matter what burdens we carry quietly in the background.
If I could freeze a moment in time I think this would be it. I'm feeling pretty blessed at the moment.
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