Survival Wytch

Karate Grading

2008-03-24T12:54:00.007+10:00

The Girls attended their second karate Grading, and Passed.

Now they are Red Seniors.

They love Karate.

Mum and Paula off to the United States

2008-02-25T19:00:00.003+10:00

The lead up to this trip has been very exiting because Mum and Paula are off to Hawaii then the affiliate summit in Las Vegas and to the Stargate convention and in between to Europe . So they are very exited. We will watch their reviews and read their tales as they post their latest stories on their Traveltripz site.

Everything they do has a brush with someone famous or a unique experience that is an ooh moment.

Mum and Paula took Demelza and Cenedra to the University of Canberra so that Demelza could watch the Matildas play and train. On the way there, they stopped and asked directions of wait for it ... The crusty Demons!

And the girls didn't just get to watch the Matildas they played and trained with them even little Cedie had a kick around and scored a goal.

So when the little things at home are so thrilling just imagine what life is like for two intrepid travelers who find fun and wonderful things around every corner.

Indiana Jones still kewel

2008-02-25T18:59:00.002+10:00

this weekend the girls and I watched Indiana Jones. They had never seen an Indy movie.It's been 19 years since the last one was released. So I wanted to introduce Indiana jones king of cool to my girls because a new Indy movie will be released in may and it will be good back ground forthem to know his story.

LAME LAME LAME,

I don't know, how could I have thought it was cool? Cedie loved it all action and spookiness and hunting for treasure,

This movie followed hot on the heels of American history? Nicholas Cage starred in it, and I said 'oh I have a movie you girls would like then, adventure, history, suspense, far fetched stupidity and ridiculous notions, gun slinging, smart dialogue and exhilaration.....

oh well, we'll go and see the new indy flick hopefuly it is modern and special effects are coolnand the dialogue is slick , but Im not holding my breath.

Ayla's silly car calls it a day

2008-02-25T18:58:00.003+10:00

Aylas' car has given up.

Her silly car (Celica) sports,has stopped running. The silly car began making a noise then smoke billowed forth and Ayla decided not to risk driving as her work place is out of town and in the country there are no phone booths tow trucks or kindly passersby who are on the roads to help. Traffic is in the morning 7am and in the afternoon 5pm so if an accident occurs or you break down there is a long wait before help arrives.

Having explained that, Ayla then called the family mechanic and he advised her not to drive the car.

So the next step, the bank.

Ayla is now the proud owner of a new ford fiesta. The bank approved a loan and she paid the boys for their part ownership of the car they won.

The silly car was fun and noisy and suited her and this new car is terrific, new car smell great fuel economy she can travel to uni in Toowoomba and back to Stanthorpe and backa gain for $30.

Ayla is very happy.

Glass Works and Manuka Markets

2008-02-25T18:35:00.004+10:00

Canberra Glassworks is a fun and interesting way to spend an afternoon, We went along to watch the glass blowers and to admire the craftsmanship and artistry of Canberra Glass blowers.

A very entertaining couple of hours spent watching the process and we all want to create a piece of glass art.

For $46 dollars a member of the public can participate and create a mastrerpeice, so as soon as we can book in to the class, we will.

At the moment Cenedra wants to join the potters club so we are both trying to find time to explore our creative potty side.

And Shaun a Dee are the glass enthusiasts. I am a bit reticent about Glass , but the girls have helped shaun with the foundry at home when Shaun conducts bronze casting workshops so a glass kiln is just an extension of that hot environment.

It is all a fabulous creative experience.

Canberra Show

2008-02-25T18:33:00.003+10:00

We went off to the Canberra show, Friday night, taking one of Demelzas friends from school with us.

Cenedra and Demelza each had $50. Upon arrival three very exited girls chatted and squealed baout what they would buy which rides would be the awesomest scariest radical shit- my- pants-ist to go on.

We let the big girls go and do their thing, and proceeded to the show bag area and checked out sideshow alley.

Cednera wanted to win anything at sideshow alley and no amount of convincing from me stopped her from donating her hard earned money to the crooked carnies.

She won two small toys, and one of them , was taken from her by a great toothless ball tossing carny who said she would swap it for a larger toy. no questions, he took her prize and directed her to another bin of unattractive chinese produced soft landfill (probably toxic and highly unethically produced rubbish) . Cedie was a little confused about now having one toy to show for the ($$$ fortune) money she had donated ( kids don't necessarily need quality but quantity is a good measure of success and when back in the real world the weigh- in of fun to expense is heavily off the beam. one toy -$$$

The pavillions were terrific such a lot of crafts and displays , Canberra has a tremendous array of diverse and interesting activities to be involved in.

The Honey people had an enourmous wild hive from a local backyard and lovely honey to taste.

the flowers delightfull. The fruit and vege displays were a good try but nothing beats the arrangements of the Stanthorpe show, all those farmers in the district displaying their best produce and the designs are always new and exiting.

Wevenjoyed the displays and demonstrations and the farm animals which are always wonderful.

Our ferris wheel ride was a highlight. A great time had by all.

Capital Football

2008-02-25T18:31:00.003+10:00

Demelza has spent the last 4 months training with Capital football

They have been trying to get a team for a development squad to play under 15 for 2009.

Demelza learn't such a lot form the fantastic coaches they actually taught skills and reading the play and team work.

Ive never seen a training session like it. the usual is runn around the field a few times to warm up and then play a game.

So having drills and skill development was really refreshing.

Demelza has signed with the Brindabella blues for this season taking all the knowhow that her incredible coaches have taught her, she will be an amazing formidable force on the field, look out opposition her she comes!!!

Aussie Weekend

2008-02-04T18:31:00.000+10:00

Every year we listen and mark off our songs as they make it to the top.
Having the addition of watching the top ten was an added bonus. Even Cedie is interested in which songs make it to the list.

Demelza spent her weekend at the coast with her friend’s family.

Ayla had to work but enjoyed an evening with her friends, Jessie’s Dad partied with the Kids and went home with them.
The next day his Dad came to collect him. Ayla opened the door Sunday morning to the town Mayor who was ”here to collect my son” being Jessie’s Dad . It isn’t every day the mayor turns up on the door step.

Seb spent an awesome weekend on Moreton Island Camping swimming fishing and listening to JJJ.
Ishta went to the Coast with Evans family for the Annual pilgrimage to Teasdale country.

We went to Parliament house and saw the Choir of hard knocks members, had the guided tour, went up the hill and looked out over the magic City of Canberra, and cedie cut loose with the camera. We also toured the national portrait Gallery and loved playing in the warren that is old Parliament house. Cedie received her super sleuth badge having answered all the questions correctly.

A very enjoyable weekend.

National Australia Day Concert and our Celebration weekend In Canberra

2008-02-04T18:30:00.000+10:00

We enjoyed an interesting evening spent watching wave after wave of aussie bodies tattooed and painted passing before our eyes.
An evening that involves dressing up and parading around the grounds of Parliament house ‘catwalking the Aussieness’ the arrangements of flannel shirts with flags sewn on, aussie flag shorts and singlets, long socks?? Silly hats and wigs. Then there was the degree of inebriation of the revelers as families took along the compulsory esky resulting in little kids beamed up on sugar drinks and the adults began the slide from convivial to socially unacceptable.

Aussie Aussie Aussie io io io the crowd chanted in unison.

The aerial display was wonderful , the performances of the guests,.. fantastic, the crowd well behaved, the weather always perfect, commercial television running the show was the only let down. Leaving performers on stage while we go to a ‘commercial break’ then attempting to orchestrate an overawed crowd cheering for the cameras, just isn’t that Aussie, we are a spontaneous people, and respond as we see it.
Just Compare the televised ‘radio show’ from the domain on Saturday. JJJ and the Hottest one hundred was an amazing spontaneous presentation, no countdowns of cheering for that crowd, they were just Aussie all the way showing their appreciation all day, on our Aussie Day.

Winning the Ford Festiva

2008-02-04T18:29:00.002+10:00

Ayla and her two house mates have won the promotional car at the local shopping centre.

They had hoped to sell the new ford festiva 5 door hatchback and share the money.

But they can’t sell it.

The first ticket drawn out of the Barrel had Jessies name on it and Ayla’s staff discount* she worked at the local supermarket and they did their shopping together.

The ticket was disallowed

The second ticket had Jessies’ name on it and no staff discount , as Ayla no longer worked at the supermarket.

The boys upgraded the car from a three door to a 5 door, as there seemed to be some interest in buying the car,’ if only it was a 5 door’.

Now they have a car they can’t sell.

They have been offered $12000, but want more of course.

Maybe a little gratefulness wouldn’t go astray.

Without winning the car, the opportunity to sell it and have a little financial’ leg up’, wouldn’t have presented itself.
Take the money you’re offered guys and be grateful for the gift.

Big Day out interviews with the artists

2008-01-23T17:40:00.000+10:00

Can someone explain to me,

How Artists from the estates in England,.. who like can't talk right or nufink,

....kum out here n at,... and like..... make it big, ....like ,......an.. ey aint got no talent or

nufink,...... an ey just talk va words like,... no melody or nufin, ......and ....

it is makin em a bomb !!!!

what the f**K ?? !!

or like I dunno really funny vat ey?

memo to me ..no more after work drive time listening to JJJ Big day out interviews cos i jus wanna b sick. The intellectual void and talent ??that is presented as entertainment in this timeslot ,..I prefer to listen to Dads Army

Gibraltar Falls

2008-01-23T17:33:00.000+10:00

Nice drive to Gibraltar Falls.

Up high, over looking Canberra, amoungst the Granite...

Cedie became a woodland nymph and bounded around exploring

and marvelling at what she discovered.

Very much like Home;

Stanthorpe and the vineyard, rocks and bush and birds and lizards,

peace and tranquility. really revitalizing.

It's close to home, we'll visit again.

Canberra's Unearthered Winner

2008-01-23T17:21:00.000+10:00

Trawling through my JJJ voting list and highlighting my choices, I came to the realisation that I work with Cathy's mum.

I love how Canberra is so alive, everyone has a wonderful story, and talent just

oozes from roundabouts and desk spaces and office lunch rooms.

We listened to Cathys songs on the website, she has so much talent!...

Must get it from her Mum.

Here is hoping she does well on the big day ,Triple J Hottest one hundred.

Back at Work

2008-01-19T17:02:00.001+10:00

I started a new Job ! Back in the private sector.

Last year was so full on work wise! First at AGL then Claims policy at Medicare Australia.

Then working in HR at DCITA or the Department of Communications IT and the Arts (which has become Bacardi ) or the Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy, and in between the roles I did a stint at the Bureau of Statistics.

All providing amazing experiences and the opportunity to meet fabulous people. I have loved living here in Canberra.
Now I am administering the Quality Care Pharmacy Program which is proving to be a really amazing program to be involved in.

Cedie is exited about starting a new school as her previous school becomes a k to 3 this year.

She has been 'blue tacking ' pictures of Europe, on our dining room wall ,as we are saving for a european excursion next year. The places that are going up on the wall have been chosen by all of us, they are 'must see' destinations so perhaps a long sojourn is what wil be required.

It began as a pact with the Family Christmas day , to be in Saltzberg next christmas and from there, to a tour, of Europe and the Mediteranean and turkey and Croatia and Greece and Egypt and Africa and this morning South America was discussed ! Seb and Dee want to go to Guyana as their Grandfather came from there. So whew! so many people to consider and so little time to plan.
Zoe ( shauns daughter) and Greg talked to us at length about their lives in Switzerland and what to see and when to see it and when to go etc ...we just have to get there.......

Catch up Christmas

2008-01-04T07:55:00.000+10:00

We traveled to Queensland for Christmas. I know, I thought everyone was coming here, but we drove up instead.

This is the lodge we stayed at Girraween Environmental Lodge .It is actually 10 separtate lodges and absolutely beautiful, set amongst 400acres of National Park relaxing after the long drive, Cedie played in the pool and spa and Dee took pictures of birds and Kangaroos and lizards.

The vineyard looks amazing thanks to Jill ,Kev, Zoe and the Boys. We really appreciate you and understand the tirelesss toil of living on a vineyard .

We stayed with Shauns mum and her cat called Fido.

And at Scarborough boat harbour close to Mum and Dads at Woody Point.

The most relaxed christmas I have ever enjoyed. No pressure, no tree, no worries.

We visited the rellies, barbequed on the front lawn at Mum and Dads and played a game of christmas Day soccer.

Zoe and Greg ( Zoe is shauns daughter and her Boyfriend They have just returned from Europe) Seb and Sarah, Mum ,Dad, Shaun, Cedie,Ayla and Dee.

I made bon bons with silly teeth inside pretty funny.

silly faces !! Sarah is a bit concerned by sebs toothy grin

All in all a lovely little break with the fam.

Life goes on

2007-11-21T11:36:00.000+10:00

I have been stuck for a while, The impact of Mark now resting took it's toll on my motivation to blog . Life goes on, things continue and although I have been stuck with not knowing what to write or how to write how I feel, I am now able to move on.

The last 6 weeks have been busy as usual.
My parents came back to Canberra and have returned to Queensland today.
We have shared meals and laughs , watched Demelza at Soccer practice, witnessed the Girls gaining their Red belts and achieved their weapons licence in karate and took turns on the Flying Fox at kambah adventure playground ,Ok I didn't go on the flying fox , but Dad did . The girls were pretty impressed with how strong grandad is.His ability to keep his legs tucked up close to his chest really made an impression on Demelza who hasn't yet managed to travel the entire way from one plartform to the other like Grandad can.

Ishta and I have made a luau costume for her workplace's christmas party. we celebrated halloween and the melbourne cup.

Ayla went to an 18 birthday party, the Stanthorpe race day, the Deb ball and cooked for the Small wine Makers Dinner with John Rogers.
She lost her friend, got a tatoo in his honor , A small UFO inside a pyramid (as they would climb the Ballandean Pyramid and look for UFO's in the clear country skies) on her ankle,the one she broke one evening at Dachsy's house and he and Tim duck taped her to a chair so she would'nt hurt herself, then they all climbed the pyramid.
The funeral was huge and Ayla and Tim and all the kids who knew mark returned to say goodbye.They made a cross for the roadside , climbed the pyramid as a group and sent off their friend with love and laughter remembering the joy he brought to their lives.
Ayla gave her notice at IGA . Her job as a supervisor is made difficult by the nasty older ladies .
They mistreat the younger staff members and are rude and vicious. Being a small town with no Industry mainly farming and 20 retail outlets and part time work offered in the wineries the choices are limited for the young people who stay.
Ayla has plenty of support in Stanthorpe and has been offered a job in a new cafe in ballandean.

Seb went to Collinsville to a mine and worked in 40 degree heat .
He drove up from Brisbane ,stopping at Mackay Which he fell in love with and then on to Collinsville. On weekends Seb went to Airlie and partied with all the other beautiful people and Brooksey who works on Hamilton Island.
Brooksey has an enviable job if you are 21 and single and love to party.
He is responsible for Tanning, snorkling and scuba diving and water sports and beach games. The money is average but everyday he is at the beach, driving speed boats water skiiing, sand tobagganing and looking at reef fish, he makes the tourists remember their holiday on Hamilton. When he goes to town he likes to dance and stay with the Back packers and Seb and Brooksey went to town and had a blast.
Sebs girl flew up from Brisbane to be with him one weekend, and they stayed at Airlie Beach in the Pinnacle resort.

One of the local women celebrated her birthday on Saturday and Sebastian was the stripper -gram he thoroughly enjoyed himself, so did the party goers. He was a bit coy the next day however when he purchased the paper and and bread at the local store and the woman who served him was the party girl.

His job at Collinsville has finished and he returns to Brisbane Today.

We went to Tuross Head and I fell in love with It . absolutely glorious little cove surf beach , spit and lake all in close proximity and rural living and beach houses , so beautiful reminded me of NZ.
loved the art shop at mogo and the country markets, a beautiful part of the country.

So much more has happend but this is just a quick down load to get my head around blogging again and keeping my 2007 diary.

Good bye Mark Dachs

2007-11-07T12:24:00.000+10:00

November 06, 2007 09:05pm courier mail

A MAN has died when his car and a truck crashed on the New England Hwy in Queensland near the NSW border tonight.

A police spokeswoman said the man died at the scene, at Glen Aplin, south of Stanthorpe, while the truck driver was uninjured.

The accident occurred around 6pm.

“Details are still emerging at this stage as it has been difficult to get to the scene of the collision,” she said.

“At this stage the preliminary details are a man has died following a collision with a truck on the New England Hwy.”

The highway has been closed and is expected to reopen in three to four hours, she said.

Not far from home and on his way to soccer, Dachsy left us.
He was a wonderful friend to Ayla, Tim, Jessy and Feather. And to everyone he met.

His black top hat and penchant for a bevvy, he believed in fun friendship and Aliens.
Stanthorpe greives his passing, barely eighteen and so full of promise.
We'll all miss Mark Dachs.

Christmas

2007-10-13T09:35:00.000+10:00

The last time the kids were together for christmas was 2001 and we had a Millenium New years eve party.

Shaun returned last weekend to the farm to bring back our Christmas decorations as we are spending Christmas here.

He couldn't bring them all, as they are in storage in the winery and he had to unpack so many boxes to find what he did get. And room on the ute was limited.

So 12 hours to Queensland search pack and return to Canberra it was a draining whirlwind trip.

He returned with treasures, gifts from home, some books for everyone, some saucepans ,stuffed toys and Lego for Cenedra, softball stuff for Demelza, a dinner service to serve Christmas dinner on and the antique table and chairs from the cottage because it seats 8, 12 at a stretch and is massive, so at least we'll be comfortable to enjoy Christmas lunch, the whole crew will be here, so early preparations are important.

(I love parties and this christmas will hopefully see us all together for the first time in 7 years.)

kepping busy

2007-10-13T09:34:00.000+10:00

The girls have been home for the holidays, and typically I have undertaken a contract so Can't be with them.
They have amused themselves with reptile shows at the hyperdome, riding their bikes around lake Tuggeranong, watching the artists complete street art (graffiti) around the town and practicing their Kata for karate, creating garden signs from clayfor the garden they have planted , and investigating small things with the microscope.
They have been pretty busy really.

Ayla has been deep sea fishing with her friends.

And she and her house mates bought a childrens pool for their deck and had a pool party as it is very hot in stanthorpe.

Ishta began a new job and is off to the company Christmas party which is a luau so she should have a hip shaking good time.

Sebastian is busy with the emergency power demands of Brisbane City after the massive first storms of the season damaged electricity supply ( he is working in the city again after his time on the farm) And will soon be traveling around the country and maybe to China for the games installing light poles.

So everyone is busy.

Sebastian turns 22

2007-10-03T13:52:00.000+10:00

My eldest baby turned twenty two yesterday.

Shaun and I rang him before heading off to work .

We sang happy birthday into his answering machine.

The girls called him after Karate lessons, so they could catch up with him on his way home and share how he spent his day.

I thought about his twenty first last year and how we painted a huge banner for him and arranged his party from our home in the country.

I prepared a cake for him and decorations.

Shaun and the girls and I decorated the function room with balloons and streamers and laid the tables with napkins and flowers.

My dad and Ishta prepared the power point presentation of a pictorial history or memory book of awards and milestones that have made Sebastian who he is today.It was a very moving presentation that played most of the evening.

We spent the afternoon preparing and then the chefs arrived to complete the occasion with creating delicious master pieces.Sebastian and his close friends had a nice time mingling with family and then they all went off and enjoyed celebrations at the night clubs.We stayed on the Beach front in a little self contained unit and then trekked home the 4 hours back to Stanthorpe exhausted and completely partied out.

Child Support Agency

2007-09-20T11:24:00.000+10:00

I recieved another letter form the CSA. I periodically recieve about 5 pieces of paper printed on one side with information about how little my first husband will pay into my childrens account for child support.
For the past 5 years he has paid $21 per month for 2 of the four children we bought into this world.
I received no support from my first husband when the kids were little and the older two were 16 and 17 by the time the CSA got any teeth.

Now that I have one person at home who is thirteen from first marriage, the amount I can expect has increased to $42 per month. which is $8.00 shy of her Karate classes.

I wonder how many trees are knocked over to inform other customers of the CSA that the payments they can expect are inadequate.

Can't they use email and keep the trees in the ground?

Drugs on the pollies

2007-09-19T10:45:00.000+10:00

In the Mail we received our booklet on Drugs and the dangers of them.
How to make them, let me clarfy that, what the ingredients are and what the effects of them are.
The only thing missing in the magazine, is where to buy them.
Didn't think of that did they?

A page on places to avoid, like night clubs and Seven elevens and car parks not far from ATM machines, where people hand over little bags of tablets to each other.

Also not included is page on people to avoid , the guys who look out of place in a night club, the ones that have no Friends but their other weird looking try hard mates, the narcs I mean, the men in the 70s leather jacket and jeans and black shoes who muscle in on a circle but don't really connect with anyone.
They ask "if you know where they can buy some 'ex' ???"and are way to sleezy about their attempts to 'score' (their word not mine)
Definitely people to avoid. Too funny and provides entertainment.

I don't have a problem with party Drugs, whateva blows a persons hair back is their own thing. I'm pretty cool about the kids and what they do, I accept that this stuff is easily obtainable cheap and on the whole harmless apart from the aging thing and the danger of drowning from the amount of water they drink whilst "chopped".

I've never seen a fight amoung the kids out clubbing or perpetrating harm upon other people, it is a bit like the 'soma' of brave new world fiction.Unlike the alcohol fuelled fights that I had to put up with whenever we went out, there was always someone to spoil an evening.

Education is the important thing.
Telling them that ice will age them 10 years is the biggest deterrent.
Alcohol is a killer too but they happily drink with their mates at the weekend.

We do alcohol really well in this country, consume more booze than water and I read somewhere that the surplus of wine in this country could fill Sydney harbour.
And our civic leaders are concerned about what ?.. that if the kids take a pill and they aren't buying alcohol while they are happy dancing and hugging each other, who is buying the alcohol?

Who will drink all this grog?
The Aborigines aren't allowed it, the parents are over it and too old to get smashed all the time. Their failing memories and alcohol induced Alzheimer's, means they keep going home instead of to the clubs.

This is the dilemma, I think the question is not about having the kids on pills but continuing to perpetuate the notion of a nation of drunks to drink the surplus and of course fund the education system .

We could use all the excess booze in the toilet cisterns when we run out of water and forget drinking the evil drink and just ping away happy and aged ,considerate, polite and helpful and loving. say no to war and yes to partying.

Discipline and the kids of today

2007-09-19T09:42:00.000+10:00

I watched a child creating a spectacle yesterday. His mother was becoming more and more exasperated as he ran and kicked and shouted around the shops.

At first his mother appeared to be amused and smiled and giggled at his behaviour saying 'Com'on Jordy ,don't do that'.

Then she became embarrassed as his behaviour grew more out of control until she lost the plot entirely throwing her hands in the air and attempting to use bribery and threats of " I'll tell Uncle Peter" .

Just in the next isle, a woman grabbed her child's arm, wrenching her off the ground and carrying her out of the shop, all the while the child squealed, firstly to continue her obnoxious whining then continued as the shock of being wrenched off the ground and carried,then the wail of pain as she was being carried away. The child was about 3 years old and her mum kept complaining that the child was placing items in the trolley that 'are not on the list' and was annoying mummy and the child should stop it "you know mummy doesn't like that".

The display of inappropriate discipline and the spectacle was so distressing, It just makes me want to buy all my groceries online ,to avoid the displays of socially unacceptable behaviour from both children and parents alike.

Aren't there Parenting classes anymore?

What is this ridiculous notion of reasoning with a child over a game; The lets buy stuff and put things in the shopping trolley game and putting adult concepts into conversations with tiny little people? Three year olds don't know what mummy likes or dislikes, and when they have that awareness they don't always care . It is all about fun and learning not mummy's hangups.
Shopping is a game, if kids are accompanying an adult, they are probably more than willing to help to shop.
Including them in what goes into the trolley is part of the fun , if you don't want an item you just put it back without them seeing you.

Can we please bring some kind of parenting skills to hospitals, in fact before a child is born.

Learning to have fun and survival skills, like paying bills and nutrition training and discipline should all be delivered before the baby arrives.

Teaching new Mums and Dads that saying 'no' is not going to induce psychological damage to their precious child and in fact not saying no is what leads to behaviour problems, and a lack of self discipline and self control.
' No' and 'don't' are words that have saved lives and it is better to have a toddler understand the concept of no from an early age, because once that pathway is established other training tools can be implemented.
'No' and 'Don't', are words that teach about boundary's, guidlines and respect for self and others.

The behaviours between kids who understand that they can't have something who have self respect, and those that have no self respect and demand everything, as nothing has been denied them are so profound.

There is no tantrum, no screeching and running away, knocking people over and destroying property because they can't have their own way.They are gracious, polite smile readily, have a sunny disposition, don't scowl and accept that one day they may have whatever it is that they are unable to have right now, but understand that 'no not this time' doesn't mean never.

For the parent who cannot bring themselves to say 'no' and practices moving the item out of view, has to one day accept that their control is limited and they can't move the world out of view. We have to work within the boundary's provided by our communities and be firm with kids and exercise patience and love.

The law of requisite variety is a terrific rule for really exasperated parents.
When a child screams, scream back. The child soon stops.
The person with the most power wins the tussle. So a parent with a screaming child will do anything to stop the child from hurting himself or indeed risk being handed over to the authorities for suspected abuse, (kids only scream when something is wrong? Or is it because they can't have their own way? like I said, abuse)

If a parent screams back louder the child loses power and doesn't know what will happen next.
the child will give in. Parents can regain the role of guide and friend.

Parenting is not about being a Nazi or a headcase, It is about providing boundary's for offspring to be safe, loved and be equipped to venture out into the world to survive and develop and be the best they can be.

I despair of the next gen with their lack of self control and their selfish 'all about me' behaviours.
I think when they are 40, they will be angry about not having everything they want and angry that their ears will ring with tinnitus from the loud music they and all around them get to listen to through those earphones. (ever sat nxt to a gen y on a bus with that hip hop blaring?)

Angry with my gen for using all the water and buying up all the real estate in high places and building houses on it instead of leaving some natural bushland.

And they will be eventually asked to reduce the angry population by half by eating a relative. (which will be a good thing in 20 years and cannabalism will just be responsible eating)

Please can we discipline the delinquent parents!

Australia post

2007-09-17T14:19:00.000+10:00

I recently filled out my Tax return sent it off, and waited for a hopefully positive response.
My tax return came back with the request for Shaun’s income.
Shauns Tax return has been sent to his accountant in Qld.

So I wait for the return of his tax things and the verdict on what he in fact earned last financial year.

So that I can complete my tax return.

Shaun thought he had better inquire as to how the processing was coming along.

His accountant finished with his claim and had returned the package of receipts and expenditure to our old address.

A phone call to Australia post revealed that again incompetent people get placed in positions of authority. Too quick to blame systems or personnel.

“Too confusing” came the reply .
Not received any mail for your name at the post box!

Which has got to be bollocks! We have been paying the redirection fee for our mail since we moved. And have received mail from our neighbours, who receive our mail in their boxes and forward it on to us!
We thought something was a bit odd, when mail had no redirection stickers on .

Calling Australia post for an explanation is a fruitless waste of time, no one returns our calls and no one takes responsibility for what ever has happened.

I don’t want a refund of the $120 per 6 months that the service has not been provided, I would just appreciate an explanation and for someone to take charge of the situation.
Gosh.(tirade over)

Static electricity

2007-09-14T11:16:00.000+10:00

I am so glad the weather has warmed up.
Over the winter i have been so cold being our first winter in Canberra I didn't manage well. Most of the time i wore a pair of hugg boots that seb gave me for mothers day, and a jumper of Shauns this attire was as well as being daggy created static electricity.
Anyone I touched received a belt from me. My hair stood on end and some materials in the house gave an electrical charge back to me.

I picked up my keys and zapped them ,the gizmo inside was fried , $220 for new keys.

Cenedra and I were at home cleaning out the lizard's aquarium, and I picked up the lizard and he received a bolt of elelctricity, which was too much for his tiny little body sadly he is now resting.

I have put the hugg boots away and the jumper,and surprise surprise no longer zapp things, it became silly, the children were tentative about touching me for fear of recieving a jolt.

thank goodness for the warmer weather.

Rocky returns to the wild

2007-09-13T12:58:00.000+10:00

Sebastian called the other night concerned for his pet Kangaroo.Little Rocky needs his own kind.

Sebastian had visited a wild life officer who informed him that joey's need to see other Kangaroos before they are 6 months old or they never return to the wild successfully.

Sebastian really didn't fancy having rocky taking up the passsenger seat in his car for the next 15 years, and taking over the house for much longer, so he decicded the only responsible thing to do was to return him to the wild.

Kangaroos are sociable animals and Rockey will be adopted by a flyer (a girl Kangaroo) very quickly.

goulburn for lunch

2007-09-13T12:26:00.000+10:00

What a lovely town is Goulburn. The great Ram at the city's entrance, the view from on top of the hill overlooking the town ship.
The lovely old homes, A really enjoyable place to visit.
We went on a Sunday, the shops were shut.
I forgot how the rest off the country has Sunday off.
Loving living in Canberra, everyday is a shopping day or tourist attraction day.
Goulburn has the best Chinese restaurant in the whole area. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and continued exploring the Town then headed home.
A brilliant day out.

I signed up for Pay per post!

2007-09-03T15:20:00.000+10:00

I began blogging earlier this year.

I thought it would be a great idea to keep a diary of events as so many things have happened to us and to record our adventures.

When I learn't I could be paid to write about the things I like on this journey I was absolutely ecstatic!

I joined Pay per post get paid to blog and with each new topic, I am introduced to a new aspect of e-commerce.

This is the fastest growing way to generate an income and gives me an opportunity to develop my writing skills.

I tell everyone about it !

Because we all have a story to tell and It is more interesting to read a personal account of a situation or place than on some drole adverisment or magazine.
Real people and real stories, that is what I love about pay per post.
Pay per post have incentive programs where readers are offered opportunities to earn by posting or advertising a site on the web.
there are heaps of resources for researching the opportunity, and before you know it just for writing a promotional story you have a tidy sum in your account. Not bad for 1/2 an hour at your computer.
I reccomend signing up for pay per post and taking the opportunities as they arise, it also gives blogs a variety in readabiity.
Have fun explore the huge range of e commerse sites available and get paid to blog

holiday cheer

2007-08-29T16:55:00.000+10:00

Don't you just love a bargain?
everyone does, and most of us are now finding more and more bargains online. This is becoming the new way to shop.
With no premises to rent or middleman to pay, the prices benefit the shopper and the retailer.
A visit to couponchief.com is just the place to collect huge savings on close to anything you can think of.

I never seem to find time to get to the shops to buy the perfect gift, shopping is a hassel, the crowds and the parking.

When I was invited to look at coupon chief and report my findings, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the whole shop online thing is.

Coupon chief focus on their customers , providing up to date coupons and promotional deals and discounts found no where else on the net.

The instructions are so easy. Click on the items that interest you, and the discounts are applied to all purchases in that online store.

I ordered items from target, some mexican hot sauce and a mortar and pestle.
Then a shirt for my husband a watch for miss 13 and an inflatable boat for miss 9.

couponchief.com makes shoppping so easy all from home and the shipping and handling charges are really reasonable as well.

By using coupon chief I'm saving money and the environment , having the products delivered means I'm not out there clogging up the roads and fighting for parking spaces.

It is quick easy and the retailers who have their online shops with coupon chief, are big name brands, providing all the exiting products you would find in their stores with heavy discounts for shopping online.

When you think of the crowds at christmas shopping time, forget it and shop online with coupon chief.

Thredbo

2007-08-29T16:54:00.001+10:00

Our trip to the Snow, along the monaro highway south to cooma.
The shops that line the main street of Cooma, have snow men on their awnings and the snow supplies and hire shops line the streets.

Cooma is a lovely Town with old homes full of character, and tourists everywhere.
The drive south to Thredbo was filled with expectation.

Jindabyne on the way is quite picturesque but I have been spoiled living in Taupo on the largest lake in the Southern hemisphere, it is so big it is tidal.
The snow covered mountains that provide the just another picturesque backdrop in New Zealand and are reflected in the gorgeous fresh water lake. So Jindabyne was a smaller and not as spectacular little township, but pretty all the same.
We came to a pay booth at the entrance to the Kosciusko National park which absolutely astounded me. I hadn't investigated this journey enough and so wasn't prepared for the $29 fee to enter the park for one day.

We were able to pay for our park entrance fee at the news agency at the Thredbo township.
Thredbo is beautiful. the snow everywhere little people dressed in protective snow clothes. The girls threw snow balls and enjoyed tobogganing. we walked one of the tracks and hid from each other ambushing with snow ball volleys, It was exhausting and exhilarating and fun.

Next year we will stay for a Weekend and explore more.
highly recomended visit to the snow.

Ulla dulla

2007-08-29T16:53:00.001+10:00

Off we went to beautiful Ulla Dulla.

Our weekend jaunts around Canberra are proving a magical way to see a little more of our suroundings.

Shaun and I have always loved travelling in the car enjoying each others company and the scenery.

The country side is absolutely beautiful and scenery on the road to Batemans bay changes as we pass mountain ranges and rainforests and farm land and small settlements.

The sky had a peculiar oil slick effect on it, just in one spot, all greasy looking and beautiful colours, It lasted for almost the entire journey.

Ive never seen anything like that before in the sky.

We do alot of cloud shape games and talking about what we see in the environment on our journeys. It's great for word games and encourages the girls to practice word usage and building a varied and exensive vocabulary.

First stop is the antiques fair at Bungendore, for me to rummage in, I love old things.
Then the compulsory stop, as always, is braidwood for lollies and pastries and a play in the park. Then on to Batemans Bay, counting the toy animals in the trees.

We arived at Batemans bay and kept driving up the coast to the cutest town ship ive been to in a very long time.

The fish and chips for lunch were a let down, there is still no other place to enjoy fish and chips than Redcliffe's Suttons Beach fish and chips.

The variety of fish is amazing and the servings are substantial more than enough to satisfy an 'all day at the beach' kind of appetite.

This is a unique experience, if you ever visit Redcliffe try this little take away you won't be disapointed.

Anyway back to Ulla dulla.

The kids loved the quiet little town, we walked all over the main center and looked at all the shops.

We climbed the cliffs, collected fossils and shells and looked out to sea from the light house.

The harbour has whale watch boats and deep sea fishing boats and a sea breakwater that the local children were playing in.

The water is so crystal and clear you can see the bottom of the harbour!

Did I mention the water is cold?.. of course it isn't like the temperature we are used to. In Queensland I swam all year round, the sea water is warm, but it hasn't the quality of unspoilt beauty that the Sea on the South Coast has.

It is a bit like the sea side in New Zealand cold but clear water.

I couldn't get over how friendly the locals are everyone said hello and smiled, it was a really lovely homely place.

The girls fell in love with the arcade, dodgems, laser war, a giant drop and arcade games all in the main center.

Demelza and I shopped for bikinis, it reminded us of a sleeepy Redcliffe city before the high rise apartments invaded the penninsular.

We decided to return in the summer for a weekend away.

Hotel Reservations

2007-08-29T16:01:00.000+10:00

This has got to be the most comprehensive informative easy to use site for finding a place to stay.

Anywhere in the world hotel reservations search will source a hotel in any country in the world. Simply check your personal reqirements and in seconds a list of places to stay appears for your perusal.

Flights, cars, vacation packages, and rentals, are all on the one site.
There are great savings to be had and specials for booking online at .www.hotelreservations.com

The advanced serarch options give you greater choices when loking for accomodation.
Searching by city, then if you are familiar with the city or know where you want to be , you can search by address.

The amentities provided by the hotel option, allows you to view extras that the hotels provide; resturants, wheel chair accesss, internet connection, conference facilities, fitness centre, and the availability of a swimming pool.

You simply check the number of rooms you'll need and how many guests are traveling and Hotel Reservations allows you to have total control over what you are looking for and where you would like to stay.
The star ratings provide a terrific guide to compare choices.

Checking availabiity by using the travel dates options means you won't be disapointed and will find the perfect place to stay form the comfort of your own home.

Booking your holiday with Hotel reservations will save you 70% off your costs because they guarantee to have the lowest prices on the internet.

If you need a break and don't know what you want to do or where you want to go, Hotel Reservations can help with their destinations and interests page.

A spa holiday a golf holiday what about a gambling holiday? beach, snow bed and breakfast, it is all here something for everyone at prices to suit all budgets.

Once you make a choice of accomodation then you can drill down to room size and tarrifs and investigate the finer things that the hotel offers, like a wake up service, check in and out times, and what attratctions and facilities are available close by.

I loved the spa vacation offerings and will certainly book my next vacation through Hotel Reservations

Hotel Reservations is my favourite choice not just for the great savings but because everything I need to book a break away is in one place.
The family are investigating a journey to New Zealand at the years end and we'll use Hotel reservations to book all of the accomodation flights and the hire car.

Science Week

2007-08-29T12:24:00.000+10:00

Science week celebrations in Canberra are amazing.

There is so much to do and hear and visit and be apart of. My girls love Science so we headed off to the AIS to the Science fair.

We planted a plant and were shown how to care for it. Then we had scabs and sores and an open wound applied to our hands and faces.

The role play with Australian Customs was great fun , rummaging around in a suitcase to find illegally imported items, in the personal luggage of our customs official, who took us through the what, why and how of life as a Customs officer.

The demonstration of the sniffer dog was a real spectacle.
Understanding how the dogs are trained and what the rewards for their work are was very different to the concept I understood, I thought the dogs were junkies and that is how they could smell drugs,.. silly eh?

Darleks visited us throughout the day, Cenedra was absolutely fascinated, she loves Dr Who and can tell you about every episode of the Dr and recite the scripts, she has loved his adventures since she was three and watched the programme on the ABC before dinner.

I was trapped by a Darlek with Shaun next to me, the Darlek said "you will be exterminated!, see how your husband, forces you, into the path ,of the Darlek ,to be exterminated!!!, you are being sacrificed to the Darleks '

I called for the Dr and the Darlek answered "The Dr will not help you, he is not here, but he is pretty dishy!"

Distinctly human emotions displayed in that conversation, and after terrorising the science fair visitors the Darleks left the auditorium.

The Day was filled with exhibits of exiting science experiments to do at home and from the jobs people do to do with science.

I had my money checked for traces of drugs in a machine and we had our finger prints taken the money was clean, but the exhibit representative said lots of notes throughout the week had had traces of cocaine but most of the money had cannabis on it.

Our hand prints were really detailed because we had moisturiser on our hands , and the compound used, sticks to the grease, there is more detail if your hands are greasy.

Cenedra loved the wild animals a crocodile and lizards were on show and scientrific had a whole bunch of things to do and explore.

The girls both joined Mr Double Helix on stage, Ce'Nedra caught the egg being bounced off the ball which direction it will go in ? who knows? but the egg went right into Cedies hands!

Demelza was called brave Mel and had the stage to herself. She sat in a chair and Mr Double Helix held a balloon filled with water above her head and a lighter underneath the balloon. !!

The kids in the audience really admired brave Mel for sitting under that balloon and not flinching or squirming , but I think she knew about that experiment already.

Of course the balloon didn't pop when the lighter was held underneath and a sigh of relief filled the auditorium.

Science fair is a great experience.

Goth scene

2007-08-29T11:39:00.000+10:00

My daughter was telling me about her new friends, and how they are Goth life stylers.

Now she has dyed her hair black and wears heavy eye makeup, and big boots!

The goth scene is here to stay,and many goths like techno punk, rock, electronic and alternative music and at gothic singles the Goth scene Singles meeting site, Goths can take advantage of the forum to chat, discuss elements of the goth lifestyle like their music and clothing styles and make friends.

The site is a real Gothic personals site, where Goths can get together, chat make friends and just discuss stuff they like.

It is a community for single Goths to find someone with the same interests and thanks to gothic singles it has never been easier.

I am confident that my daughter will find lots of friends with the same interests as her at this site and she has told her group about it.

latina romance

2007-08-29T10:26:00.001+10:00

I met a beautiful girl from America the other day.

Working from home I get to enjoy my life more fully, I was in a café and met a girl who was on vacation in Australia from the United States.

She and I got talking about how beautiful Australia is and what she has enjoyed about her visit here and how she would love to stay.

The reason she is returning home is because she has met a man on latina singles
I had to admit I have never used a dating site before and I had plenty of questions for her.

I took out my lap top and we ordered another two cappuccinos, and I began a lesson in Internet singles searching.

The first thing I noticed aboutlatina singles is how easy on the eye the layout is.

The spacing makes the site easy to read and user friendly. There is no joining fee, which really appealed to me.
There are so many the pictures, ..Thousands of sexy Latina singles out there.

It is easy to see who is online, to enjoy a conversation with someone or just send a flirt or message.

Together we looked at lots of eligible bachelors and had a laugh with 4 of them. I couldn’t stop giggling Latina men are soo hot.

I am not surprised my new girlfriend is going home to be with her dream man.
I thoroughly enjoyed the dating site and will definitely go back to say ‘hi’

I found it a refreshing place to chat meet new people and get a different perspective on life.
It is the perfect place to meet other singles.

My new friend and I swapped numbers and wished her well, we promised to catch up ‘on line’.

working in an office is not for me

2007-08-29T09:21:00.000+10:00

I thought I would enjoy working in an office. That is I enjoyed working at AGL and thought I would have a similar experience in the public service.

Sadly I didn't, and I have waited a sufficient amount of time to write about the experience.

I found the environment stale and unwelcoming. clique' and group think infested.
The organisation stifles growth because it still works on the peter principle and unfortunately the area I moved in to, had just promoted a manger so that she had reached the highest level of her incompetence.
Which is fine if she has people willing to clean up mistakes for her, and that is the culture of the public service department I went to.
Minions tidying up for incompetent managers, organising meetings where no decisions are made just discussion.
In the public sector tasks are drawn up and results are expected within allocated time frames, in other words the expectation is if you perform and complete tasks you get paid.

In the public service you just have to turn up, not necessarily competently complete anything and you get paid. I didn't adjust very well to in activity, and I asked for more to do.

My manager said to slow down because I was responding to quickly to requests to have things done.
I managed some minor achievements in the short time I held the temporary assignment, one of them being identifying where we can save $3000 for printing costs per month.

I probably would have enjoyed the role more if I was contributing more to the team , but as the financial reporter for the section I wasn't involved in writing ministerials or decision making and was left out of much of the discussion.

I had never worked in an environment where blatant segregation in discussion is conducted and considered normal. It just went against the grain to be spoken down to and excluded when I have such an outgoing personality.

Being on temp assignment also meant that many aspects of the job weren't explained and finding my feet in organisational structure was a trial because no one helped or offered to help.

I spent the first two weeks in the compactor learning what I could about the section and the work that is done in the organisation. It prepared me for answers to the many enquiries I received as I knew the history on many of the decisions made.
Once I gained confidence, the job became more interesting , but there wasn't enough to do to keep me interested.

I had a handover of one day, and in my exit interview the Manager said how she understood how hard it must have been for me to take over in one day when she had a hand over of 5 months and still knows nothing about the organisation.!

I would never work there again and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
I put it in the same category as the mushroom farm.

The culture was very similar to the bullying and bad behaviour generated and perpetuated by the management down.

So now I am at home, setting up a web site for cooking called cooking with nia .com and writing articles through elance and of course taking opportunities with pay per post.

So this is much nicer, no one looking over my shoulder, complaining about the level of my writing ability, I'm published she ( my previous manager) isn't!

I am investigating affiliate marketing as I have seen some amazing success with that business and read widely about the incredible success people have had with it.

I know it is my turn to be one of those success stories.

No more working for incompetent managers who don't walk the talk, who have no people skills and no team work ability.

In this team there is only I and if it is gonna be it is up to me.

The Stanthorpe Wine Makers Dinner

2007-07-18T12:53:00.000+10:00

I have been invited to assist with the catering for the Small Wine Makers Dinner!.

This is an Annual event held in Stanthorpe and is quite a big deal.
It is the culmination of a week long expo of wine grown in the district and showcases the wineries and the best vintage.

I loved participating last year. And this year is shaping up to be just as big!

Previously the dinner had been held in the town hall and now it is held in the Queensland Wine College. Which is an innovative creation of the Stanthorpe high school principle.

His idea for a college to support the industry in the area came to fruition last year with the first function to open the venue being the small wine makers dinner.

The Dinner is the perfect opportunity to introduce a dining experience for Stanthorpe wine makers that has been unknown in Stanthorpe untilnow. A chance to really spoil the vinters and victualers. It is also the only occasion when the entire wine making district is in one place celebrating , It is their night of nights.

My Sister turned 40

2007-07-02T17:13:00.000+10:00

This week, My mum went to Qld to spend some time with my sister.
Anjasa celebrated her 4oth birthday with the 'lations and all the cussies and cussy bros'
they had a barbie and a top time. catchin' up and sharing stories.

Then mum returned -missed her flight and was late for lunch , phoning me from Sydney complaining that she will never Fly Qantas again, cos the staff are rude and unhelpful, and obstructionist and that is being kind about them.
She is abit of an international jet setter and other smaller airlines are far superior to the service she received on Sunday.
So she missed our lunch date, and we enjoyed a late lunch instead together with Evan Ishta and the fam' in Canberra watching Dr Who together and talking about gaming and movies and music cos she just saw the Gunners(guns 'n' roses ) in concert last weekend in Sydney and loved it! (Back in the eighties, Nanny would hang the washing on the line with her infrared ear phones on and sing along to Gun's n'Roses, at top note! )she doesn't hold back my mum. Loves her fun and life and travelling.

Mum (Nanny) and Paula both flew out of Sydney today for America.
A very busy jet setting life they lead.
Have fun i'm sure we'll read about it . They bought 'dragon naturally speaking' so they can talk about what they are witnessing and blog the whole experience. great for their taravel blog.

2007-07-02T16:58:00.001+10:00

Parties Parties Parties

2007-06-28T17:57:00.000+10:00

What is it about Parties that make Aussie men so incredibly irresponsible?

My Boys, ( Sebastian and Sebs' best mate since school, Daniel ) went to celebrate the birthday of a local girl , she came of age on Wednesday last week and her friend put on a party for her in the "big Smoke" Toowoomba on Saturday night.

The Lads drove from the outskirts of Tara which is a couple of hours out of Toowoomba to buy some nice "stepin 'out" gear, for the party they had been invited to,Being metro types from Bris- vegas and shopaholics at that ,they took advantage of the 1/2 yearly sales and spent up large, on nice fitting kengi, country road , kelvin klein, boss blah blah you get the idea, yeah?

These boys might live in the bush, but they know how to dress.
They wear such beautiful clothes and take really good care of themselves. And they sleep on 6oo thread count sheets, not many men , who aren't alternative lifestylers, know how to buy luxury, but these boy do.

They arrived at the venue, and because they have been 'workin' out' running and weight training, (Daniel is a footballer with the Redcliffe Dolphins) and is small and quick and Seb is a big lad.
because of his size he was introduced to the Mums and Dads and chatted in the Kitchen and hung out with the uncles and other family members telling stories of adventures past, while Daniel ran around under the radar (like the other kids).

Some one made a big mistake , called well dressed football playing Daniel 'GAY' .
And 6 men had to pull him away from the poor unfortunate fool, ..however... those six morons (sorry but when the bevvy's flow , some men can't just break up a lovers tiff they have to sink the boot in themselves) and after providing a face massage each, they then proceeded to re-arrange Daniels body and probably feel really proud of themselves.
Having cast aspersions on his sexuality, ribbing him, teasing the boy, because he dresses well and had all of the women dancing with him, because he has rhythm and can really move (if he can dance upright what can he do horizontally?) The big question.

His 'metro' behaviour sure upset the, flanny, no teeth , monosyllabic, limited imagination set

and Daniel was dragged across a table full of glasses : all of his back is sliced open. and his arm is cut from the wrist bone to his elbow. His head requires stitches and he was concussed .

Alcohol is a dangerous and vile beverage when a simple comment makes men behave so violently, spoil a birthday party and land a young man in hospital for defending his right to be , live, have fun , dance, enjoy the attention of women as much as they enjoy him, (he is a ladies man and in Brisbane night clubs moves among the girls and they love it!)

At Ayla's Birthday, he overheard some boy with a stick getting a little outa hand and stopped any nonsense, but this time, he was moving with the girls on the dance floor and parading his magnetism showing off to the bush pigs. they didn't like it and removed him.

Shame because then the boys went to hospital, Daniel vomited everywhere because of the concussion, had stitches in his arm and head, and his back is bandaged , no running for Daniel or weight lifting for a while, and as for dancing, Mc hammer crab is resting and recovering.
get better Daniel, at least you have a peaceful place in the bush to recover in, no smog, no pollution no worries.

Demelza has an interesting and traumatic day at school

2007-06-22T17:04:00.000+10:00

Once again the evening meal is enjoyed together and we discuss the events of the day.

Demelza produced a letter from the school, from her lap, ( no one leaves the table during meal times. not to collect art work or newsletters or anything, newsletters are not included in the family time we share over our evening meal, but Demelza convinced both Shaun and I to listen to the explanation).
The surprise on my face prompted her to say it's "ok mum ,just hang on, it's about something really important that happened at school today".

Bullying ,.blah, blah, blah. A child has been bullied for some years at the school, and having modern technology, called his dad when a particularly unsettling bout of bullying was in session.

In he olden days (before the wheel and mobile phones were invented , we would tell our folks after school, and they would say, Ill come and fix them up! you just go to the office and call me if it happens again, and I'll be there, in fact tomorrow I'm commin to the school and I'll sort out the principle!

Well, we live in the now!, and this boy called Dad and older Brother who came immediately and sorted out the bullying student with a few love taps, and a few teachers while they where at it and then the Police arrived and got a good sorting out to!

When the screaming stopped and the school was in a whole school assembly, one particularly silly boy, who thought he might jump on the "terrorism" bandwagon, and gesture to the police officers on stage, an act of violence with a weapon, a long arm or as it had a recoil .

The police officers didn't take the gesturing in fun in any way shape or form, and stepped outside with the lad (potential lawbreaking nuisance) for a little counselling.

It was unsettling for both students and teachers.

We have a right to expect to go to work in a safe secure environment, and not have to endure bullying, and the ugly consequences of some of the behaviours that once where common place and accepted as par for the course "a little bullying makes you grow".

So our evening meal became a bit of a challenge as we sorted through the effect on Demelza of this insecurity issue.

Thankfully the police will patrol the grounds and attempt to maintain some discipline and order.

The world is turning to shit.

And there is no point informing Demelza of "When I was a student", she retorts with "Back in the 80s", when no one had any rhythm and everything was covered in sugar and life was heaps slower and not much was gonna hurt you."
Now everything is harmful, there are no freedoms, and life is fast.

her observations of life now were kind of confirmed when we viewed catalyst.
The program was about The Heart. How pressure, stress, drinking to excess and smoking ciggies is no longer any good for you ( where is the fun of living now?) and I kinda felt my heart was breaking.

No fun any more, and the kids live in a shitty world of fear, at school , at the bus stop, any public space, forget the nuclear energy /war debate, and the doomsday clock, that we as kids concerned ourselves with , that is remote stuff, the kids are just dealing with the everyday trawl of bullies and police in the school, and ineffective policies in the education arena that can allow this travesty to occur in the first place!

I know the girls will be stronger for this experience and better equiped to manage themselves, and I now understand why Ayla and Seb won't return to Canberra.

Planning Day

2007-06-16T07:41:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was spent at a local Club with the members of my team for "Planning Day".
Being new in this organisation, I wondered if I might be overzealous or trying to hard?, I have always believed enthusiasm is important and so I made plenty of contributions.

I learnt a great deal about my role in the organisation.

It was strictly business, and we had a tremendous amount of work to get through, and surprisingly we achieved it by 4.00pm. through loads of discussion, drafting up plans and re-evaluating our present process, and analysing the information.

By close of the meeting we all decided we had achieved above expectations .

A very fruit full and productive day.

Ishta and Ayla are both in Hospital!

2007-06-16T06:46:00.000+10:00

I have two girls in hospital,

Ishta is in Canberra, with abdominal pain
She is on a morphine drip and pretty incoherent right now, the Health profffessionals are doing
some tests.

Evan phoned to inform me of developments and stayed at Ishta's bedside until he was invited to go and get some rest. He has kept me updated each day, of her progress, and at this point her recovery is slow, but we'll encourage her and talk at length about what could be upsetting her system so much, some times fresh eyes can uncover clues to a mystery, and this is certainly a mystery

And

Ayla has been taken to Toowoomba Hospital 2 hours from
Stanthorpe by Ambulance to have the bumps on her head read, she was hit by
a bottle on friday night, a tall beer bottle was thrown at her by some
youths in a passing car, she collapsed and was taken to Royal Brisbane
Hospital, and then discharged, saturday afternoon.

On Monday she fainted and an ambulance took her to the closest regional hospital and back again, she will be watched closely by
medical practitioners, for the next few days. The concern is a blood clot above her left eye is creating some nuisance for her, with dizzy spells recurring and headache.

The Girls are both so lucky to have partners who have the presence of mind to have called us the moment there was something wrong.

They are both lovely caring boys, and we are very proud to have them in our family.

I want to thank the medical staff who work so diligently putting people back together, we are so lucky and so very grateful.

Queensland Wins the State of Origin series

2007-06-16T06:43:00.000+10:00

Mr Cole and Demelza have a friendly wager over which state will win the

State Of Origin Challenge .

Demelza supports the New South Wales team and Mr Cole Queensland .

The wager is a Mars Bar.

Mr Cole will get two Mars Bars in the Mail by next week, as Queensland won both matches.

so a Mars Bar per win and one for taking the series.

There is always Next year and she says "we will win then".

She anticipates her Mars bar windfall.

Look out next year Mr Cole.!

National schools week

2007-06-16T06:41:00.000+10:00

Some weeks ago, Demelza was invited to participate in the

National Safe Schools Week Television Campaign.

As well as appearing on T.V, she received a wrist band, a drink bottle, writing pad and school Bag.

The campaign is about Safe schools and outlawing bullying.

Finally a National Campaign to stop Bullying at school !
We are becoming a Peace builders .

She was exited and of course we have recorded the advertisement

There is unfortunately too much bullying at school.. even in this enlightened age.
Ce'nedra is being bullied at Isabella.
Inside the classroom, a child painted Cenedra's uniform with yellow paint or permanent marker
on her back, great strips of yellow on her back, the teacher isn't aware of what is happening in the class.
A boy is throwing rocks at her, after school at the bus stop.

The other day, she was playing with a little friend while waiting for the bus home , and some children accused her of swearing at them , they told their accompanying adult , who then used disgusting language at both she and her friend, and this is outside the school grounds!! to a NINE year old!! What the??

In Glen Aplin, The teachers maintained their responsibility for the students of their School community until every child left the school grounds. A teacher was on duty at lunch time, interval periods, and at the bus stop after school ensuring the safety of students, Caring for their kids, no adults swearing outside the school grounds at the children there.

Demelza's school has it's own unique issues around bullying,

Teacher's who encourage bullying.

A girl in Dee's class was smacked on the rump by a boy, the teacher requested and apology for the girl, the boy refused, so the teacher invited the girl to smack him with a metal ruler!

Any day of the week, Demelza's school has visitors from neighbouring schools , to "bash" someone, sometimes the visitors drive into the school grounds, on to the tennis courts and playing fields, other times they walk into the school buildings searching for whom ever it is they want to cause harm to.

Yesterday, Demelza encountered two such visitors,from a school on the otherside of Canberra, and informed the nearest teacher, who shouted at the visitors, and then asked Demelza if the intruders had been smart to her?
To which Demelza said 'yes', and the teacher continued a tirade about being cheeky!?..
and told them to leave.
What did those kids learn from that I wonder?

What happened to being marched off to the office?...,parents called?, as the visitors were only 15 years old, and should have been at school,. ..The police involved, truancy, trespassing, criminal intent etc etc??
There is this huge incongruency and divide in guidlines. An inconsistent approach to guiding the kids of today.

Our civic leaders make war on others who are different for any number of tenuous reasons, so I suppose the children are only following their example, and it doesn't make for a safe secure place to live, when there doesn't seem to be any rules or consequences for misguided choices.

The Burglary!!

2007-06-07T18:56:00.000+10:00

We were burgled on Sunday evening !

The Police came over last night to take our statements and information about what was stolen.

It is is sort of timely because leading up to this event, Demelza has been immersing herself in Oceans 11 and 12 and saying she wants to be a criminal mastermind!

At Dinner the other night, she asked if we would still like her if she stole from people?!!
Of course we said we would still like her, but would be uncomfortable with her behaviour.
I am guilty of closing the door and not locking anything up.

And neither Shaun nor I are not completely across what the insurance policies we have, actually cover.
So, Sunday evening, Demelza went to late lunch with Nanny and Paula.
Shaun, Cedie and I went to civic to Borders Books and to the pastry shop and came home.

We all converged on the front door together.
I opened the screen door and said to Demelza "why are you outside?... the door is open."
She says,"eh?" "Ive just got home" .
I do a double take.,
Shaun says "Did you close the door when you left this afternoon?"
I insist I did,..then I see the window is smashed and our belongings are strewn everywhere!

Our thieves must only be kids, because they took the portable DVD, without adapters for the car as they were thrown into the garden, the battery is flat and runs in the socket in front of car, and the ear phones were on the ground.

Demelzas phone also had a flat battery, it was laying on her bed, they stole it but didn't take the charger,and they stole some DVD's lord of the rings Harry Potter, and other movies:, Apocalypse now, usual suspects etc.

It is kind of disturbing. Demelza was very distressed to think someone had been through her "smalls" and rumaged through her belongings.

The paper delivery girl, is Demelzas little friend and saw the light on and heard shouting so she didn't come in to see Demelza so we have given that information to the police.

Pretty eventful and sad too, but Demelza doesn't want to be a thief anymore, I will shut and lock everything in future and Shaun and I are investigating what our insurance policy covers.
lessons in everything yeah?!

The two enormous police officers...
( they take up a lot of room, Policemen, like they have inflatable vests on or maybe it is just the jackets are full of paraphernalia walkie talkie, GPS, donuts (don't be rude!),
..said we are lucky they didn't take the computer and T.V etc.

My jewelery was on the bed, but may be they were spooked or didn't think they should take it, a twinge of conscience or something? I'm grateful they didn't take it the phone and portable DVD are replaceable but sentimental items aren't.

So we are lucky.
Anyway, never a dull moment!

Ayla Returns To Stanthorpe

2007-06-07T18:45:00.000+10:00

Ayla has been living it up in Brisbane.
Commuting between Stanthorpe and My Brothers house and Granddads place.
She and Tim have been alternating between town and country and partying, and working.
Ayla has had two jobs and working late into the evening arriving home after 8.30 pm.

Now Ayla has decided to return to Stanthorpe, and has been offered her old jobs back at Rockmans and IGA.
This weekend Tim and Ayla will collect her belongings from Jurgons house and take them back to Netties house.
It is, as I understand it, for 6 months, then she will go to Toowoomba to University, but what do I know? Ayla changes her mind so often, I just watch with interest now and agree with her, and encourage her, no point fighting her, she will find her feet.

New Job

2007-06-07T18:30:00.000+10:00

I am just lovin this New Positon!

My new workplace is closer to home, and on the shores of Lake Tuggeranong, nice view,once again.

At AGL, I had a desk that overlooked the main street of Civic , Northbourne Avenue, across to Rydges past the Legislative assembly and down to Parliament house.

It was a pretty spectacular view!

And being in the centre of Canberra a very busy environment.

Now I have a more relaxed view, the lake on one side and the mountains on the other.
The pace is just as busy and I have a whole suite of new elements to absorb about the business.
The people are engaging and friendly and as I work in policy and finance I get to liaise with teams from lots of different departments.

It is exiting and challenging and I love it!

My last day at work

2007-05-29T11:06:00.000+10:00

Today I look back on 6 months with this company. Not a long time I'll admit, opportunity has Knocked and I am Moving on.

I have worked in lots of different environments and I have really enjoyed my time at this workplace. My colleagues are all really dedicated and customer satisfaction driven , And they care for each other like Ive never seen in a workplace before.

It has been a great pleasure for me working alongside these amazing individuals, I Will miss the camaraderie, but will always have fond memories of this fine bunch of people.

Calwell High Eistedford

2007-05-27T08:19:00.000+10:00

Tuesday evening came and after work our car pool bunch grew, we took a colleague home who lives almost next door to the war memorial.

So I arrived home at 6.45 to be informed that we are all going to see Demelza dance.

Callwell High's Fundraising concert, for the Eisteddfod, and Demelza was a participant.

As Demelza had been ill, we were just going to send along a twenty dollar donation and stay home out of the cold weather.

I'm so glad we joined the other parents and friends of Callwell high to enjoy this wonderful evening’s entertainment.

Sebastian and the piglets

2007-05-19T18:30:00.000+10:00

Out on the farm, it's never laid back ! Always something to do.
Sebastians leg has healed very well and just in time, he needs to be chasing after both Rocky and 8 piglets!

The sow was farrrowing last weeekend and procuced 8 piglets, Seb says they are so cute and curious, and rocky doesn't know what to make of them! They grunt at him and he grunts back.
Seb thinks he'll keep one as a friend for Rocky and he'll call him Norman.

How they will both fit on the front of the motor bike is a mystery though.

At the moment Rocky sits up with Seb, pouch style or bounds alongside keeping pace as Seb doesn't travel to quickly. But I'm not sure about having both the pig and the roo on the bike!
As they grow there won't be any room for seb!

He may have to resurect the push bike trailer he welded together when he was fifteen.

Seb wanted a part time Job mowing lawns. So he and a mate welded up a couple of trailers for the push bikes, so they could transport the lawn mowers and rakes to each job.
It was a huge success!

The Girls and their little friends loved visiting us in the afternoons after school , to get rides in the trailers.

And it might just be worth digging out of the shed to cart Norman and Rocky behind the trail bike and the ride on mower !

Can't wait for the pictures!

May Day or Union Day in Queensland

2007-05-19T18:07:00.000+10:00

Union Day or labour Day is the 1st of May in Queensland.
The great march through the city to the parkland's at Musgrave park in South Brisbane.

A day to celebrate the rights won for workers, and a day to air grievances and demands from the bosses, to better improve conditions in the workplace.

The camaraderie of workers early in the morning readying themselves for the march holding banners donning shirts and hats and calling out in one voice, shouting with all their hearts the demands of the workers for each union.

I LOVE IT!!

We join our comrades on the march, get a new wardrobe of free T shirts, shout the message, shake a banner at the Premier as he greets the workers at the entrance to the park, hand over the banner, and the fun begins...

Free rides for the kids, jumpy castle, roller coaster and various other carnival rides,...
Free food, burgers kebabs etcetera, and free drinks; lemonade, coke and beer and wine, all because we paid our union dues.

A truly magic day, relax to live music entertainment, and the enjoy the speeches from the various Unions.

A tremendous way to spend the public holiday, I want my holiday!!

No holiday in Canberra, no march no nothing,

One Country, different celebrations, different holidays , It is pretty strange.

Mothers Day

2007-05-15T18:55:00.000+10:00

This year for my day, we drove to Batemans bay for a couple of hours.

Stopping at the small village of Braidwood, on the way, to enjoy a lunch of potato topped pies and visit the lollie shop.

An olde worlde shop with lollies in jars .
It took ages to make a selection, and finally we were on our way.

The stretch of highway, between Canberra and Batemans bay, has stuffed toy animals tied to trees, bears of all shapes and sizes, snakes, and koala' s and even an enormos gorilla.

The Beach was beautiful, and unspoilt. the stretch we chose to visit was a cove with Neptune's necklace to squirt at each other, and millions of shells to collect.

Cedie went searching for fossils, and demelza wrote her name with ochre.
We found crabs and worms and snails.

We enjoyed fish and chips from a popular shop, and the remainder of the chips we fed the seagulls and pelicans.

At home demelza made a bracelet for me from shells she had collected.
A wonderful day with perfect weather.

Now I'm An Aussie!

2007-05-10T20:01:00.000+10:00

What a truly wonderful evening.
The lions of woden really know how to put on a do.

A very intimate welcoming evening,spent in the company of some of Canberra's most distinguised of community members.
Lions club members were seated at each table to guide each of us through the ceremony.

I had the pleasure of the company of lion Ron who is District President for youth
and has an Order of Australia !.. very distinguished company indeed.

He chatted about lions club and the work he has been involved in, we discussed the meetings and general business just to convey to us an idea of the role Lions plays in providng community assistance.

As well as this distinguished company my beautiful family joined me, Mum and Shaun Demelza and Cenedra.I received congratulatory messages from the kids who couldn't attend through the evening, and Dad had flown back to Queensland early in the morning.

We were able to take lots of photos with the lions members and the speaker of the legislative Asssembly and had a thoroughly enjoyable meal and ceremony.

I affirmed my alliegence to Australia with 4 other new Aussies and the remaining 20 people swore on the bible.

If you havent attended a ceremony like this but you know someone who is becoming a citizen,join them for the evening, it is a fabulous opportunity to really feel a sense of Aussie community.

Thank you Lions club Woden for this introduction to Aussie welcoming hospitality.

Australian Citizen ship

2007-05-10T19:51:00.000+10:00

Today I become an Australian Citizen.

I remember when my parents became citizens, it was during the Bejelke years and my mum, worked for the public service,

It had been rumoured that the government would soon change the law and deport all the kiwis.

Scare tactics and conspiricy theories can make you do some interesting things.

The evening I attended with my parents and younger brother was one of expectation and celebration.

New Australians from many places in the world gathered in the town hall in Brisbane to take the oath of aliegiance alongside each other .

We celebrated our new Australians in the family, and I wished I had been apart of thier decision to join the australian comunity with them. At the time however I was a new bride and had other things to occupy me and cloud my judgement.

Over the last 20 years I have attended a number of naturalisation ceremonies, on Australia Day,

In Redcliffe, Ishta would join talented individuals celebrating the naturalisation process in song, dance and instrumental recital.

singing in the choir for our new Australians, at the performing Arts center, and we as the audience, participated in the welcoming ceremony.

Over the Years the children have asked why I am not an aussie and When will I become an aussie and now I finally get to be and Aussie.

I now have my turn to be recognised as an Australian citizen.

This evening I join others who have reached this point in their lives and accept the responsibilities and obligations required of us as Australian citizens.

I'm extited and honored and looking forward to celebrating with a meal of Australias national dish TOAST!!! ha ha ha.

Demelza Blitzes her Subjects and gets Great Marks!

2007-05-06T15:30:00.000+10:00

It is not like she could produce anything but great results.
Thanks to the tremendous skills given to her by Mr Cole and the teachers at Glen Aplin.

Demelza persevered with the shenanagins at school, she said the kids aren't dumb they just think it is kewel to behave in a socially unacceptable manner and bullying is the norm!

Country Queensland may be considered a bit challenged by some metro types with more choices available to them, but as far as teaching consideration for others and getting on with the job of learning and absorbing information they certainly don't ease off the job.

Glen Aplin is a Peace builders school, and the students are given tools to engage in encouraging accepting behavious that go further than just teaching tolerance.

Armed with these tools the kids don't have to behave in negative play or against authority, because they learn that they have the authority, the world is what they make it, they are given choices and time to reflect on the outcomes of different choices, The result is everyone supports and encourages and gets on with it.

The challenge for the staff at Demelzas school, is to find a pathway to get the kids interested in learning and help them understand what choices are available if they listen and spend time completeing the school work.So few of demelzas peers complete anything required and copy each others work rather than research or think for themselves.

It is as though they just turn up to while away the day, it is a real shame.
Demelza just wishes there were more Mr Coles and Mrs Tullochs.

Demelza is, I guess, naturally curious and she wants to excell and learn as much as she can.She shares her skills too, McCormac ball is a favourite, taught to her by the sports teacher in Stanthorpe: any ball game, Mr Macs rules. ( The adaptation now is Demelzas rules)

She has had no basic scientific knowledge taught to her, as biology and chemistry are taught in high school in Qld which is grade 8.

But in Canberra high school begins with grade 7, so she has missed a year of high school, but topped the class in every subject!

Congratulations DEE the hard work is paying off!

home resting

2007-05-03T11:43:00.000+10:00

I have spent all morning surfing the net! this is a first!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I love this I got it from craponwhatever.blogspot.

Fainting at work

2007-05-03T08:44:00.000+10:00

What is your most embarrassing moment?
Mine was fainting outside my workplace yesterday.
I had a very caring and compassionate group of people assisting me but it was incredibly embarrassing.

I am taking today off to REST.

Shaun says It is perhaps because I have been so busy lately and haven't given myself time out.
this isn't the first time I have fainted at work.

I remember the first time I fainted, I was 18 and on a diet of egg whites and a glass of wine with every meal. ....Hey don't knock it until you've done it!...I had been on the diet for about 9 days and I caught the Tangalooma ferry to Moreton Island to work in the kitchen .
I was about to enjoy my lunch having requested an egg white omelett and a glass of wine when everything went black, and I regained consciousness with half of the restaurant staff peering anxiously at me . I finished that diet there and then.

I'm not on a silly diet at the moment, I just need a rest.

i love this .

The girls Return

2007-04-26T19:17:00.001+10:00

Shaun and I in our car and Nanny in hers, and we drove to Canberra airport to collect the girls and grandad.
Nanny talked about a new grill she has purchased and her PS3 games that she is fast becoming addicted to.

All smiles as the girls came down the escalator, exited and of course, that lovely Queensland coffee colour on their skin, and the exited chatter from cedie with so many stories to tell.

Grandad was looking for a woman to return some belongings to her. At the Brisbane airport they wouldn't let her on board with a spanner (for her child's car seat , to put it back into her car in Canberra, and a spoon , obvious, to feed a small person her evening meal with, as it was an evening flight.) So he had placed the items in his luggage.

Grandad had his own set back with luggage. He had decided to bring a few rifles to take to the range But hadn' t checked that the case had a working lock. Of course he encountered difficulty.

Cenedra tried to help out by saying , the bolts aren't in them, their in my bag and the bullets are separate, no one can fire them! But rules are rules, and the rifles stayed behind.

Sebastian had to drive to the airport and collect them, take them home and put them back into the safe.

We heard about games at the beach, games with rocky (the joey) games with their cousins, games out on the property in Tara, shooting, farming , planting, cooking, Ticks! driving stories,
Pig stories, huge Bird stories and motor bike riding stories.

These have been the busiest holidays ever!

Anzac Day

2007-04-26T19:16:00.002+10:00

Anzac Day is a Very solemn occcasion for all of us in Australia and New Zealand.
The opportunity to bear witness to sacrifice, the injustice of war, and courage of the soldiers and those who stayed behind is one my family have always every year taken the opportunity to acknowledge.
When Sebastian and Ishta were very little the anzac day parade was one of wonder.
Ishta rode on Simpsons donkey for part of the parade as a three year old, Sebastian wide eyed at the old vehicles and the uniforms and marching.
Big base drums booming and the bag pipes always well represented.
As the children grew we became engaged in the marches through representing schools, girl guides, I took my gumnut guide troop along to a particularly enormous gathering in Sangate, Ayla was gumnut guide, Ishta was a Brownie guide and Sebastian a cub scout.

From this beginning Sebastian as School councillor represented Humpybong state school at the Anzac day parade and made a speech and laid a wreath, Ishta in school Blazer representing Clontarf High, then when a cadet at RCU 16 Sebastian was one of the Catafalque party, those guys who stand to attention around the shrine on Anzac day, all day without movement or emotion.

Each of the children have supported and acknowledged the remembrance day tradition.

When Ishta was 11 she would ride her bike to meals on wheels during her holidays to help in the kitchen and also deliver meals to our infirm and aged members of the community, she would come home with stories of war time shared with her by those who witnessed it. After a performance as a member of the treble clef choir performing for the clients in aged care facilities she would listen intently to tales of the Anzac sacrifice, and share with us the emotionally charged tales.

The Dawn ceremony on the shores of Moreton Bay as the sun rises over Moreton Island breaking another perfect day. The waves gently lapping the shore, and the shuffling of feet, a throat clearing, as we stand in silence, a biplane buzzes overhead, and a digger in hushed tones says, "it's alright men ,stand fast, it's one of ours"
Ill never forget that moment, the eyes of the children looking up at me when they realised the emotion in that one sentence and all it held, a gentle turning at the corners of their mouths stifling a giggle but understanding this was a serious moment, enjoying the joke quietly.
Demelza and Cenedra have both joined the march through the streets as members of the parade representing their schools.
Just recently we took the girls to the war memorial and witnessed the plane and submarine exhibits,.. very dramatic, the whole place is amazing and often tears well up at the recounting of the loss,and absurdity of war and mans inhumanity to man.

Anzac day this year is quiet, no children to share it with, I'm in the National Capital, on Anzac Day in bed with the flu! Shaun and I listened to the dawn service, and watched the televised version. Our hearts were with those we remember, and as a mark of respect I kept my germs away from the crowds.

Back to work and sharing Joey joy

2007-04-26T19:16:00.001+10:00

It's so weird returning to work, after a weekend of festivities, settling in to a routine. I have so much stuff to share with my collegues, not everyone gets to share their bed with a joey.

It was a particularly cool morning when Rockey the newly named joey was shuffling around and calling so I helped him out of his pillow case and he flipped into my bed and remained there untill 7am.

The questioning looks of mm yep sure I believe you ?..it is good thing we have photos to share.

Shaun and the girls and I are fortunate having lived on the land and shared our home with the kangaroos. They come so close to the house and if you listen to their conversation and watch their behaviour you can also attest to how they are the most disarmingly beautiful animals. They are so graceful and gentle with each other and their environment.

They never knocked down the irrigation on the vineyard, but they didn't like where I planted apples and kicked them over.

Which is fair enough I guess, if the roos didn't think they would do well where I put them , I just tried somewhere else, until they left them alone.

But not everyone establishes opportunities to gain varied experiences to share, i'll keep my joey joy close to my heart. Thank you Sebastian for Rocky

Relax and Recover

2007-04-24T22:20:00.001+10:00

Shaun is not a drinker, and I am. I would joke about having to have all the fun and having to do the drinking for two people, and in saying that I set about doing it.

I would visit friends after work, for a quick glass of wine, a quick beer, a little port, just 1.
Try this we’ve just bottled it, come and help bottle the creme liquors or port.

If you are a drinker could you say no?

Assisting with bottling the vintage in boutique wineries is the, the cork in the bottle, the legs on the inside of the glass, the best.

After pruning, Picking, crushing, fermentation, waiting whilst the wine sits in the barrels then bottling the vintage, the celebration of the finished product is well worth the effort.

And then I Broke my leg.

I was visiting friends who were having a campfire. I had a few too many white wines, and asked one of Demelza’s friends to let me ride his bike.
I rode at speed up the side of the Dam wall. It was very steep, and to steady myself I turned the bike suddenly and cracked the thin supporting bone in my leg,
A spiral fracture !
And three months to recover in plaster !
It was an experience that slowed me up considerably, and I contained my dependence on alcohol thereafter.I had to detox relax and recover from a fast life and an out of control addiction to good wine and good company.
Ill never give up good company but I have learnt that I don't need to drink to have fun.
Sometimes it takes a disaster to happen for us to realise that we can enjoy ourselves without behaving in an out of control manner.
And sometimes a place to go and recover and repair our selves is what we need , time out like, the time out provided at drug detox with people who are caring and compassionate offering choices for life improvement.Their comprehensive drug and alcohol rehabilitation program for drug addiction and alcoholism is renowned and incredibly successful .

A typical afternoon with friends in the Wine Country

2007-04-24T22:20:00.000+10:00

When we bought the vineyard, I set about learning about wine and the region, by meeting the neighbors and sampling the products they make.
Very quickly I developed a taste for different wine styles and sampled enough of the local product to know who makes the best "fruitcake in a bottle" and when to buy the best vintages.

Each day I would pass 25 cellar doors and an Hotel and a bottle shop to get to and from work.

So sometimes it would be a quiet beer in the pub after work. Other days it would be a visit to a couple of wineries for a sample and a bottle to drink on the verandah overlooking the vineyard at the cellar door.

Masons was a particularly pleasant Tuscan style establishment , the coffee and delicious cakes, cheese platters to be enjoyed sitting outside overlooking the view of the vineyard and the rolling hills beyond, then there is the fire place and the cozy atmosphere and I haven't even started to talk about the wine!

Some days were a bottle or two of white wine shared with my girlfriend under the Apricot trees in the orchard were we would laugh and cry and generally get untidy, and the children would cook the evening meal and look after us all the while shaking their heads at our behavior.

They were fun filled silly afternoons, where we were safe and carefree. I highly recommend visiting a wine growing region to let your hair down, I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived this carefree existence, fortunate because I learnt the lesson of moderation but it was a costly exercise.
Costly because boutique wines are expensive, and I became carried away with the experience.

Take a Chance on the River Belle Casino

2007-04-24T19:30:00.000+10:00

I have a girlfriend who's partner is poker mad!

He is addicted to gambling because it is so much fun! He visits the casino every night and claims if he wins he could go to Melbourne, and play in the big league!

My friend complains that she never sees her lover, so I asked her “Have you ever taken a chance with online gambling? Let’s have a look at it and maybe you and your partner can enjoy gambling from home.

So we signed and gave it spin.

Well with River Belle Casino you can play for fun or with real money just by downloading the Online Casino, or joining any one of the active tables in the Online Poker Room.

We are both so impressed with the River Belle Casino and playing Blackjack, roulette and poker games together. We spent the best part of an afternoon and it was the most fun if you love a flutter.

Neither of us have had much experience with gambling but the River Belle Online Poker Room has an easy to use Poker School so you can hone your knowledge and skills to a professional standard. A little tuition and her partner could be competing online with hundreds of accomplished poker players from all over the world.

Privacy concerns? Well at River Belle, you aren't just a Player, you're considered to be a passenger and once you step aboard, you can expect complete privacy and security. The security devices used to protect the players make use of the latest 128-bit encryption and firewall technology.

River Belle has something for everyone to enjoy, including exciting monthly promotions, an exclusive loyalty program, safe and secure deposit options and 24/7 customer support.

With over 200 realistic, interactive games, and various poker games, online gaming has never been better.

Recovery day

2007-04-17T14:51:00.000+10:00

Hey mum love the bags, u going shopping? gucci and prada?! (The Bags were under my eyes of course)
I looked like death warmed up, What a night!!
We had an endless stream of visitors, as mum returns to her city of choice and family come to wish her safe flight.We ate more prawns and consumed yet more beer and recapped on the days leading up to Jurgon and Stacy's big Day.
A quiet one. The kids and I played with the Joey on the Beach, Anjasa's ( my sister) boys went home to their Dad and step Mum. And Ishta made preparations for her flight to Canberra the following evening.
I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time.

cyclone Daniel

2007-04-17T12:04:00.000+10:00

Remember Aylas 18th? and Daniel stopped any fights by starting and finishing the first one? Well leaving Daniel as a babysitter was not a good idea.
The assistance Daniel had provided to Danni's' younger brother and his friends after the wine bladder broke was as ill concieved an idea as leaving him to look after your average mansion.
They filled all the glasses available with white wine from the broken wine bladder, when Daniel had the idea to skull the glasses as they were being filled,.... then the party started !!!
Beginning with Daniel shouting I FIGHT FOR FREE!!!

Seb returned and opened the front door of Danni's house, and was greeted by Daniel, who was at that point at the end of a very long tiled hallway.

He shouted celebrity crash dive!!! and began running, then jumped into the air Alar diving onto a mattress, only there was no mattress, only tiles and landed on his belly, sliding across the room and stopping under the pool table!
Running through the house dancing on everything, then he snorted enough megadeath sauce to kill a person, and as Sebastian retells it "he burnt half of his cone on re-entry and vomited hot chili sauce all over himself, the floor the white $10.000 couch"

Danni was not impressed at his break dancing, moon walking, or the MC Hammer crab.
Seb and Danni made an executive decision to give Daniel a shot glass of sleeping mixture,and that finished him off.
Then he crashed out, on the couch and could not be moved not until midday

Sebastian designated driver 3

2007-04-17T11:51:00.000+10:00

Two police one shining a torch in the window,whilst the other asked Seb if he had been drinking. Seb admitted he had and his last drink was about four hours earlier.
Then the constable, having seen the aftermath of an afternoons drinking and revelry on the two other passengers in the car who had been at the wedding, decided to begin the spiel that leads up to breathalisation and is worth a good 4 1/2 minutes. You have been stopped for a random breath test. On my command you will breath into the testing apparatus until i say stop.
Seb blew, the bell sounded, and two expectant officers were very disappointed when the reading was zero.
Then the torch bearer looked over the car for defects, and it was at this point that Seb explained that he had spent an afternoon at his uncles' wedding, and was the designated driver ( the boys were also at this point getting restless in the back of the car)
The two officers then congratulated him on being responsible and sent them on their way.
Sebastian had been 2 hours away from Daniel by the time he dropped the last wedding guest home and went back to baby sitting.

Sebastian the designated driver pt 2

2007-04-17T10:17:00.000+10:00

Sebastian had to borrow a vehicle, as his car was at the reception, Danni is the hostess of the soiree Sebastian and Daniel had attended and she let him drive her car,and she sat in the passenger seat back to collect me.
once they had arrived, and I was dragged to the car, the car wouldn't start! so all in attendance gathered batteries from the various vehicles that lined the street to start the car.To no avail.We moved into Sebastian's car and he drove the remaining revelers home dropping me first.
after turning the corner the police picked him up.

Sebastian the designated driver

2007-04-17T10:07:00.000+10:00

Sebastian left the wedding reception with Daniel as they were invited to assist a girl friend supervise her teenage brothers party, whilst their parents were away.
The house is your ordinary run of the mill mansion, tiles for miles, pool room a pergola in the centre of the pool , and other outrageously expensive appointments and accessories.
The boys settled in for an enjoyable watch over the youths and everything was going fine, video clips playing via projection on one wall, and xbox games on another. a game of pool in progress..and my brother called him on his cellphone, "come and take your mother home from the reception OK?, it's time she went home!"
Sebastian left the babysitting job and returned to the reception to collect .me

My Birthday

2007-04-16T23:36:00.000+10:00

The girls and Nanny and I went to spinnakers for a few drinks,and to get really cold.We sat outside with a million dollar view, but we needed a million dollar coat to keep out the cold!!
It was karaoke night! my favourite!
So we sat overlooking the bay and the lights of two cities divided by the Hornibrook bridge sparkling with lights from the traffic crossing it and with the purple mountains in the background and enjoyed each others company in a perfect setting.

The boys bucks night

2007-04-16T23:13:00.000+10:00

Friday on the eve of the wedding, Jurgon and Stacy were blessed with a house full of people 31 of them in fact!!
Stacy's family are spread far and wide and were coming to wish the happy couple the best when word got around that two of Stacy's brothers intended to enjoy a few drinks with the groom and celebrate his last night as a single man. So almost her entire family converged on them so the boys could have a night of fun!!
We are very lucky in Redcliffe we have a terrific range of venues to choose from and everyone of them is world class.
The boys chose the Scarborough hotel.
An enormous establishment with internal staircases and a landing that looks out through huge full length windows enabling patrons to take advantage of Redcliffes beautiful views of Moreton bay.
The publican is old mate Pedro civonicevea , he's the Dad of the Broncos player and a very big guy. So the boys had a great time with their own security guard ,and he made the pool tables free all night for them.
So they spent the night swapping manly stories,..playing pool and drinking .
My cousin kept putting condoms on Jurgons jeans, saying the marriage would last as long as the first wash!!
Sebastian was little late to join the celebrations, and when he arrived at the venue, Jurgon introduced him to everyone including his grandfather! he was well under the weather by ten o'clock!
The boys came home late, my dad stumbled around shouting about how he was going to bed with the most beautiful woman in the world! Then he hugged Seb and sluured you're the most lovely girl Ayla we laughed and made to much noise. Then the fun police arrived(my mum) and we were sent to bed.
Sore heads for the wedding!

Throw another prawn on the Barbie

2007-04-16T23:08:00.000+10:00

Thankfully our combined families love prawns!!
Jurgons best man is from a fishing family and own trawlers so and endless supply of Prawns were available one of the guests even enjoyed prawns and pavlova!!!

Stevens accident

2007-04-16T23:06:00.000+10:00

Steven is my nephew,and a really delightful lad. He hasn't been driving for long and had his first accident two days before the wedding.
Whilst driving home a cat ran out in front of him, he over corrected and hit the curb and lost the front bumper .He arrived home very shaken, Jurgon took him to the Police station to report the accident, as he had left the scene, and there they gave all of the details of the incident to the police.
Weddings can be so stressful!!!

The Wedding

2007-04-16T19:12:00.000+10:00

Perfect weather, close friends and family gathered to acknowledge and witness the marriage of two of the most adorable people on the planet. My brother is so lucky to have found a girl who loves him so dearly.
The cermony took place in the back garden,
The children played, and everyone had the most convivial and joyful time.
Tears of joy and happiness, flowed freely as did the laughter and the clicking of cameras, it was like having their own paparazi. Rowena the youngest of their children, loves the camera and being the center of attention really made her day.
catching up with family and sharing with stacy's family was really lovely. who's next I wonder I just love a wedding

The big Day

2007-04-16T19:10:00.002+10:00

My sister's children arrived for my brothers big day and all the grandchildren were together for the first time in four years.
Photos and woo haven't you grown? all of the usual well who is this then ?when I last saw you you were in nappies! ..you know the kind of stuff?
All preparations and tying of ties and changing of minds over what to wear, shoes jewelry, gloves hat? sand shoes? crikey! at times it became a bit much. Dad and I relaxed with a cold beer. Sebastian and Daniel arrived dancing every where they had been practicing the crab.And quietened down after a Beer.
Ready? Finally? Can anyone fit 13 people in their car?

Cedie and the beach

2007-04-16T19:10:00.001+10:00

The girls spent all day at the beach which is accross the road from Mum and Dads Woody point home.

Cedie spends all of her time at the beach. She is such a busy girl finding crabs building sandcastles,making roads,floating things, she has an obsession with catching fish, and caught herself with a hook on the thumb! A toad fish obliged and jumped on to her hook, but that has been her only success with fishing at the beach. Greater success with fishing can be had at Jurgon's place in the swimming pool. He has converted the pool into an aquaculture farm, he hand feeds his plate sized silver perch.
Anyone can be assured of a catch, and of course we have let them go again, but catch and release is the way to fish now.
Sebastian bought Guitar Hero, and she spends some of her time Playing Woman by wolfmother in the evenings that is, bewteen movies on the big screen, playing with the joey, fishing and playing at the beach and at the flying fox park she is one busy girl.
Cenedra has the best of both worlds these holidays, she is at the beach everyday, as the beach is only across the road. She can fish at Jurgon and Stacy's, (The Bride and Groom's place ) and My Dad is taking Her and Demelza out to Mum and Dads property in Tara western Qld. A very diverse range of activites await the girls,

The Joey

2007-04-16T19:09:00.000+10:00

Sebastian introduced us to his pet joey!
At the end of a busy day Sebastian arrived, and inside a pillow case,... a joey. So gentle soft and beautiful, and the joey was lovely too. Sebastian claimed how he has to settle down now that he has this responsibility,..
A bottle was organised, but this little guy has been weaned and eats grass. He also likes watching telly. The girls cuddled him in front of the t.v whilst they watched DVDs when he spied a pouch on the side of the chair....and flopped into it, that is where he stayed.
The girls took him to the beach, and played Frisbee, Joe ( joey now named)chased Seb up and down the beach and chased the girls around searching for a pouch . they were careful not to tire him too much though.

So much to do and catch up on!!

2007-04-16T19:05:00.000+10:00

We shopped and tidied the house and prepared for the celebration.
The girls spent much of their time at the beach , out of the way.
The drive across the city to take Ayla to work was interesting, travelling across the gateway bridge and taking in the sights of the Brisbane river and city beyond.
Ayla showed us around the shopping center where she spends her days as she has two jobs, typical of Ayla. She works in a hairdressers salon and when finished there, she walks across the hall to the Fruit shop and sells fruit and veges.The owners originate from Stanthorpe!.. Small world!

The trip to Canberra Airport

2007-04-16T18:31:00.000+10:00

Early Early Early, my body is not ready for this!!
Shaun cooked breakfast, and we packed the car. Driving to Ishta's to collect her. Early Early,too Early for Evan!still in bed bless him, but Ishta was ready (Thankfully) and we hit the road.
Arrived on time and a very pleasant Young man assisted us with signing in at the kiosk. Then on to the check in, placed our luggage on the conveyor belt and left for security.
I had to remove my shoes,...then they found a nail file, so i went to the newsagent and posted it to myself, Last call for flight to Brisbane calling Ishtas and Varinia ,....then off came the shoes again, .. Last call for Ishta and Varina,....and they found an aerosol can in Ishtas' bag,.. and eventually gave it back to us . We ran up the stairs to find the door locked and Ishta ran off to find someone to let us on the aircraft. Nearly didn't make it!! An abrupt gentleman was very cross with us, but the flight attendants were very pleasant and forgiving ,very understanding about hold ups at security.
The flight was exiting,and went too quickly.
I loved flying in to brisbane, over the sea, and I could almost see the girls waving from their front room facing the beach.
We disembarked and collected our luggage, and boarded the air train to Northgate and changed for a train to Sandgate. Brisbane is very warm and I kept removing layers of clothes.
Dad collected us fromthe train, I couldn't wait to see the girls.

The girls have gone

2007-04-13T23:43:00.000+10:00

Shaun and I spent a great deal of energy and time preparing the girls for their trip to Brisbane.
Packing and unpacking their bags, and asking relevant questions about just what they have in their bags. Do you have a toothbrush?.. clean draws?..summer clothes (as autumn in Queensland is very warm unlike Canberra or Stanthorpe.
My folks have a beach house, right on the water and that is where they are staying and where I will join them, so do you have swimmers and a beach towel? Clothes for the wedding ? And how many pairs of shoes are you taking?
All valid questions i thought .
Shaun has this idea that I should leave the nagging out and let them make their own mistakes believing they will learn from misjudgement, but I nagg, not only for the hell of it , but because I want everything to be right for them.

This morning we woke to an alarm at 4.30 to make breakfast, wake the girls and pack the car Shaun did all of this, then drove the girls to the nanny's to collect her and then on to the airport.

Whilst he was away I emptied schoolbags of uneaten lunches, stripped beds and tidied rooms in preparation for their return,cleaned the kitchen cos i didn't want a mess for Shaun when he got home in the evening .
I was busying myself with housework,when he arrived back from the airport to collect his car as he had taken mine, frightening me just a little as I wasn't expecting him back! We talked about how quiet the house was and he explained how the trip to the airport was.
All day I have been exited ,about travelling to Brisbane, and then Ishta emails me that she has booked a flight , and is joining me!.So doubly exited!
The day couldn't pass fast enough. All of my kids in one city for my birthday!
At home we ate a delicious meal of curry and rice made by Shaun of course, and I packed my things for a weekend of celebrations my Birthday and my brothers wedding!and to bed a little later than i had anticipated but I'm sure tomorrow will be nice and smooth even if i am a little tired.

Demelza's Evening Meal

2007-04-11T05:58:00.000+10:00

What A fabulous feast!
This is Demelza's first time at meal preparation and serving a meal for five (Nanny joined us for dinner) hot to the table and beautifully presented.
We were all so impressed!
So will the Teacher be, when she reads how Demelza followed recipe instructions, and prepared her items to be cooked first and the ingredients for the sauces all in order, just so commendable.

The only thing she needed help with was the preparation of the chicken for the meal, I helped her bone out the chicken and let her slice the meat into bite sized pieces, but that was because she was a bit lost with what to do with two chickens to make enough meat for a meal without bones.
we all agreed Demelza can cook tommorrow night.

A Nag Free Day from Demelza

2007-04-09T16:59:00.001+10:00

Today Demelza and her girlfriend are off to swim and climb the banks of the Murrumbidgee river which is across the road.

Pine Island it is called and before the new estate began to be established was a pleasant walk through the bush, now the kids have to go the long way around, not through the construction site of course.

Demelza will be too busy to nag about skate shoes today. When she returns it is her turn to cook dinner. Tonight Demelza is completing an assignment for her home economics class and is preparing and serving a meal and we have to assess her abilities in the kitchen. This is going to be fun.

But I know I have three more days of nagging about shoes to endure before they leave for Brisbane, I wonder where my ear plugs are?

Preparations for The Wedding

2007-04-09T10:19:00.000+10:00

My brother will tie the knot this weekend.

Initially we were travelling by car to the Wedding, then Mum asked if the girls would like to fly with her, so we booked the flights for Thursday, and continued with plan A to drive up the coast . Shaun would pick me up from work and we would just drive, quite a different journey with just the two of us travelling. Then he was offered a job that begins on the 11th , so I had to change my travel plans, and now I fly as well , I travel at the same time but on Friday.

The preparations at our end have begun with Demelza nagging for new clothes.
On our trip around the City Centre yesterday , Demelza nagged for new shoes.
I haven't got any nice new skate shoes for the wedding!
Not shoes that are practical and nice, not shoes that can be worn with a pretty dress at my brothers wedding, skate shoes!

I asked her to find something in her wardrobe that would require the addition of new skate shoes to make it look special and have left her with this task.

New T.V

2007-04-09T09:36:00.000+10:00

The television in the house we are renting has a green screen.Periodically the picture becomes full colour but not for long 30seconds was the longest that we had full colour. Last week Shaun volunteered to go to QLD to collect more stuff for us and get a T.V. from the farm. As a family we discussed what other things we would need, Cedie wants long legs bear, Demelza wants
her Softball gear and sports equipment, I wanted photographs and books, Shaun would also collect books and tools .
As Shaun begins a new job in Canberra on the 11th ,we decided we could do without all of those wants. we all decided that the trip to Queensland to collect and pack more stuff for us and get back here in time to start a new job would be too much stress for everyone.
So we began T.V shopping. Standing for an eternity watching screens trying to see a difference in picture quality, examining all that is available in plasma and LCD screens and then determining how much we will spend. One big headache!
We got to a point where we just wanted to watch a colour screen and didn't give a rats about whether the screen was flat or back lit or could be hung on the wall or had HDD lmnop technology!!
I returned from work last week to find Shaun had been shopping, we own a new T.V, it isn't flat, or plasma or LCD, It is a 68cm colour T.V that we can view without guessing what colours might be.It is a standby until we decide which of the Plasmas we will buy.

Easter Reminiscing

2007-04-09T08:33:00.000+10:00

When I was growing up, we had Easter eggs, and they had bunnies on or baby chickens some came in boxes, some were rugby balls complete with the stitching ,there were of course the master chocolatiers who made bunnies and presented these in cellophane. The thing is, the range and choice wasn't as incredibly vast as it is today.
The range of chocolate merchandise that is available at Easter time is a phenomenon in itself.
Chocolate Simpson's egg with toy, or chocolate character with small beanies. Hot wheels was big again this year, egg and car.Groovy chick bag and egg, hair ties and egg, hand decorated egg and small eggs inside.Lindt golden bunnies went all out with advertising this Easter, and pride of place was the stand with tiny golden bunnies in the door way of most chain stores. Last year it was the Cadbury bunny, the television message was the same though "if you don't get one of these this Easter no one loves you".

This year we decided to be minimalist, and Keep Easter as simple as possible.Other years, the kids have made bags, hats,and signs, to Easter bunny. Biscuits, and eggs and egg fillings but because I have no moulds here with me to make our own eggs, and all icing equipment is at home in Stanthorpe, and all craft supplies are in our craft cupboard up at the wood shed, we have just prepared for a quiet and mess free Easter.
When shopping for eggs we found the perfect combination of craft and egg for gifts, four eggs with 3 icing tubes to decorate the eggs. Perfect for the girls to write Easter messages.
Ishta and Evan arrived with bunnies, roses, crystallised ginger for Shaun (he doesn't indulge in chocolate) eggs for all of us and Hot cross buns.We enjoyed sharing together before they had to go to work, agreeing that next year we would all take the minimalist approach and not buy so many eggs.

Easter In Canberra

2007-04-08T18:16:00.000+10:00

We went for a walk in Canberrra country township, exploring. WE found plenty of sculptures to climb on , we jumped on all the waterfalls and civic sculptures and other water features and brick walls and barriers and staircases.
Cedie looked for money as that is her motivation and Dee just wanted to.. race me..beat me up them stairs...beat me to the end of the road, beat me round the bend......somebody beat her up!...

Stopping in book shops to find new and exiting things to learn about, Cedie always finds something to entertain herself and fuel her imagination.Demelza enjoys books about philosophy, science and religion, we stood together reading about the maharaj j and Wicca,cedie read about demons Shaun became immersed in Nlp, Buddhist texts and psychology,I found a picture book En Provence and have decided that I should go and have a look for myself, although it does remind me of Stanthorpe with the lavender fields and vineyards and hills of purple
For our evening meal we are having soup,.. Easter soup, and inviting Nanny and Paula for a nourishing soup dish.
Demelza has a friend staying the night, I knew nothing about it !, this kid just arrives on the doorstep and I say are you staying for dinner? and she says "yes please", and then she says can I stay the night?"
"have you called your mum? does she Know?(cos i didn't)" I ask and Dee just Cheshire cat smiles the whole way through the conversation, and then explains that this kid Tallie is staying over, because they are going to Pine Island tomorrow, and she said (Tahlie)" 'ill stay at your house if i can get there"
I would have liked to have been asked if it would be OK? you know?
sometimes i don't get the kids,so go figure, feel like having a Crucifixion of my own, this festive season, mm mm may bee I'm kidding...

Easter In Stanthorpe

2007-04-07T18:42:00.000+10:00

This time last year, we celebrated both Easter and Halloween at the same time!
Easter because Cadbury says it is Easter, and the calendar dictates this is so, And Halloween because the seasons say it is a time to celebrate the end of the growing season, and prepare for everything to sleep and have a rest.
So we had the vineyard in all of its Autumn colour and the orchard in brilliant yellow and orange, the maples in purple and orange pumpkins we hollowed out and mad jack'o' lanterns for the camp fire we had prepared.
Demelza had invited some of her friends over to help celebrate with us.We made shortbread shapes both witches spiders ghosts and bats and bunnies and Flowers and baskets.The contrast was really bizarre.
But in the southern hemisphere, we don't follow the seasons for our seasonal festivals. And that is to our detriment, because the meanings for these holidays are lost on the kids. Lost to the point were the other day my colleagues stated they didn't know why we had Easter, they just knew that it is a holiday.

So In Stanthorpe lots of effort goes into explaining the Christian position on why Easter is Important. So at least the kids get to have the idea that it is about rebirth, and new beginnings new baby lambs and chickens and daffodils elements of spring and the eggs are for fertility although it is confusing when it is celebrated in Autumn, which is not the time for new beginnings, and so that is why we celebrate Halloween at this time because it is a seasonal Holiday, not because Mr Cadbury or the Church say It is time to.

The children left our house after cooking and decorating bags for their goodies and having a sausage sizzle around the camp fire. They all had an exiting and interesting time. And the Girls; Demelza and Ce'nedra ,enjoyed sharing elements of how we celebrate these holidays in our home.

Easter Egg Hunting

2007-04-07T18:33:00.001+10:00

This morning very early Ce'nedra reminded us again that we were taking her to the hyper dome to join in with the Easter egg hunt run by Darryl lea. Ready by 8.am and in the shopping complex by 8.30, and the search began. But not an egg was found!
By 8.45 all of the eggs had been spotted and gathered by older children and some parents. Who had entered the centre through any one of he many doors and began the hunt before the official time, so when the children were ready to search downstairs the eggs were already collected. there were some very disappointed kiddies this morning searching through the plants at the shopping center,and adults with plastic bags of eggs. Sad that they had to spoil it.

Demelzas Easter sleep over

2007-04-06T12:28:00.000+10:00

Demelza just came home limping she stood on a sparkler last night and has burnt a hole in her toe. The evening's events went like this:
She went to Woden on the Bus with her friend to do Easter Egg shopping last night . When they met some other thirteen year old girls in her grade who also rode the bus, but they were buying alcohol and getting drunk for Easter.

They shopped, bought their eggs,and returned home.Her friends' mum has no food in the house and so for dinner Demelza bought herself Macdonalds.
The sparklers were fun and always are until someone hurts them self...
and for brekky she had, surprise surprise MacDonalds!!

And now is bitchin' because her friend has cats and she can't have one of the 9 cats that are for sale, Shaun is allergic and I just hate them.

Every time she eats that rubbish she becomes demanding and whiny about everything! and we don't give in, however,...

This morning she tried to get a bus home, but it is a weekend timetable, the driver eventually allowed her to use the bus with her school ticket even though it is essentially a holiday, she insisted that it is Friday,the bus driver obviously just found it easier, to give in to a whiny teenager with a sore foot .
I've sent her off to have a bath and wash her attitude away then clean her room up, gotta keep teens occupied you know.

Choices

2007-04-06T12:23:00.000+10:00

Ayla Is moving on, job wise...

I left my job cause the owner, f**king sleezy greek man told all of his staff that the frenchman chef and i were having sex... i was asked by all the waitresses... how embarrasing and the both of us ended up resigning. so im looking for work again...

An opportunity for Nick the Greek,... Lost.... and a new door opens for Ayla..

Aylas Cv

2007-04-06T11:15:00.000+10:00

Here is Ayla all grown up at 18.
And already she has done so many different Jobs in her short working career.
When she was 9 her older siblings had paper routes, and Ayla would help them early on Wednesday morning when the papers arrived, to fold and place the 600 or so papers into bags. Then load them into the delivery bags and walk or ride the streets delivering the local paper.Then get ready for school.
Sebastian handed his paper route to Ayla so the two girls Ishta and Ayla would do the job together.
I was a Tuperware consultatant at the time and Ayla would assist me with designing my "shop" and packaging orders.
She Helped my Mother and I with Nutrimetics orders, and assisted in the office of my Dads Factory and on the floor cleaning up.
Ayla moved to Canberra and worked at Hungry Jacks after school. She was awarded Crew member of the Month every month for the 12 months she worked there. When we moved to Stanthorpe, She got a job on a local farm and picked tomatos and capsicum then because of the abundance of produce available, Ayla set up a stall at the local markets selling cakes and jams biscuits and chocolates. She became a real 'carny' as we had to go to the markets every Sunday and take her, Shaun made her a table and trestles. She would make Jam after school and cakes and biscuits all Friday and Saturday, and package the products . It was very professional. www.granitenet.net.au/groups/StanthorpeFarmersMarket
Ayla was offered a job as a waitress in The most notable of local restaurants Cooks Gluttons And Gourmets and she loved it and through the patience and expert tutelage of John and Yvette Gianake,became very much in demand. http://www.granitenet.net.au/users/YvetteGiannake Jobs at the Environmental Lodge waitressing for Master Chef John Rogers was for Ayla a great honor. When he caters for an evening with friends or for a conference the occasion ,the ambiance, the meal ....is an exquisite and memorable experience.
Girraween environmental lodge" www.girraweenlodge.com.au
In between all this cooking and working on farms and studying for her last two years of school, Ayla worked in "Rockmans' womens fashion on Saturday mornings and on Saturday afternoon at IGA supermarket as acheckout girl.
So Ayla has had terrific grounding in how proffesionals go about their business in providing a wonderful experience for diners and customers. Her Understanding of the preparation of the food, and that little extra knowledge of having harvested vegetables and fruit ,and created her own products ,should give her some advantage ,I would think at this,.. I wanna be a Chef idea she has.

Surviving the driving to work

2007-04-05T19:45:00.000+10:00

The week is over!
Together we explored three routes, to work and home,The first day I parked under the trees in the car park and returned to find my car covered in bird dirt.
for the rest of the week I parked in the open away from the trees.
The trip home we listened to the weird AL CD.
The second day we were late because an accident occurred on the high way and made us 45 minutes late.but i played upbeat tunes for the journey to keep our spirits up.
The next day the start times for my co driver got mixed up.I arrived at his house at 20 past the hour and he wasn't there, I pulled into his driveway and tooted and he didn't show, so I had to get out a map and find my own way to the next passengers house, where I collected myself, and we continued to the third passengers pickup point and backtracked to collect the navigator, ...we were late. Drove home to world music
The next day more traffic and more traffic and only five other cars with more than two people in them.
The next day was pretty uneventful we managed to get to work using the car pooling lane and get to work on time.
Friday easy drive into town, listened to techno dance music all the way in and trance all the way home.Driving in this town has become easier.

cedie takes the bus

2007-04-05T19:36:00.000+10:00

Ce'nedra has been taking the bus with her big sister, she sits close to Demelza's friends and listens to their conversations.
They thought Cedie was just a regular kid with limited comprehension until Cedie read the sign on the Bus that related to some of their behaviours and the consequence of them , the sign that says Prohibited and Prosecuted.
One of Demelzas' friends exclaimed "She knows those words!! What does that mean?"
Demelza said "That she is cleverer than you".
Cedie Is enjoying the bus ride,as it has been too cold to ride to school,but she rides in the evening when she comes home.

Driving To Work

2007-04-01T19:35:00.000+10:00

The Bus stop is across the road from home, and in Civic where I work, the bus stops almost directly in front of the building.The ride by bus in the morning is wonderful, relaxed and I travel with Ishta for part of the way, which is tremendous fun.
My team mates, who live nearby, car pool in the mornings to and from work. I joined them a few weeks ago.The journey is quicker and we have made friends with the man who gives out the tickets at the car park . We use the Three for Free car park, which is a great incentive for car pooling, as parking costs $7.00 in some places!

The driver of our little band had a hiccup with his car on Friday morning, and the battery was weak, but managed to get us halfway to work before bells and whistles started warning of something expensive about to happen to his car, we used positive affirmations to aid the car urging gentle encouragement we even said we believed in fairies and clapped our hands!, till we reached the car park, and gently came to a stop.And that was the end for the car. Just for the exercise, our driver turned the key....no response..no beep, no warning light, nothing.

This week I will drive our environmentally friendly and energy conscious band of workmates, whilst our designated driver gets his car better and back on the road.

Now I don't have a great sense of direction in this City as everything just keeps going round in circles.
My first driving experience was when the students returned to school, and myself and fellow bus passengers were left on the road side while three buses full of school kids went passed us.I volunteered to take three other people to town as I had to go anyway and couldn't afford another 1/2 hour waiting for a bus that may not let me on.
We set off in the car getting lost at every turn, it was funny and we got to work a little bit later than usual but we made friends.
The second time I drove to work, I missed the turn off and ended up 1/2 way to Yass and 1/2 an hour late.
The third time, driving to Queanbeyan to pick up my girlfriend to take her to a work related seminar at Sutton. I left with plenty of time but got lost,I pulled over to ask the assistance of some police officers at an Random Breath Test stop, who offered to escort me to her house.
I got her house alright, a little late but would never have got there if it wasn't for the helpful police officers.We set out for Sutton and were late getting there as well. But it was a good day anyway.

So I am driving my colleagues to work, what time would you like to start work ? this is going to be interesting.....

Ayla is finding her feet in an untidy workplace

2007-04-01T18:03:00.000+10:00

Ayla emailed us a bit disgruntled about her workplace ..

I know im an apprentice and stuff so I get the shit jobs, but comments like get in the sink where you belong, and go and boil the prawn guts. and clean rotten fish heads out of the fridge that i have left there for you.... they hid the bread knife from me on the busy night. and said use a normal knife. this squashed the bread and then the waitresses complained. they just laughed at me and said things like "ayla thats unacceptable" Nick(the owner) did shit all!!!!he was going to put me on cold larder the other night when we had 80 people in all by myself.... I still havent been shown wat i was sposed to do. when i asked for help on such a busy night, i just got hurry the f**k up and how long have you been here now????? they arent helpful and its frustrating. and then they laugh at me. it changes your mood in the kitchen environment and Idont like that cause I then become cranky and snappy as no body is willing to share any information, when in fact they should be as im an apprentice and we are all learning together! dont they understand team effort/work? they are so childish. I have to go and get ready for another day at work. I walk in with a smile and out with frown. Nick said he admires the fact that I always go in with a bright smile and happyness about me. I hope he does something about the attitude in the kitchen. It hate being so emotional about it.

Then we recieved this

The two nasty chefs have left! , they were being escorted by security officers. the size of hadgrid!!!!!! ill give it another 2weeks but ill still look for another job. email is awesome, i get to talk 2talk 2you whenever i want. i miss looking nice and smelling clean. at the moment i smell like fish guts, look like potatoe bake, (a slpoopy mess), my nails are filthy and i just feel gross. i have lost 5kilos..... im giving it another shot tho and ill see what happens. the new chef calls me smiley and says that i have potential..

Then this...

hey guys, work yesterday was fantastic!!!!!!!he is professional, ( the new head chef) about 50 years old and french. He is real rad.i love wat Im doing now though.

thankyou guys for understanding.

Hang in there Ayla , the real world has it's ups and downs, and that was rock bottom so it can only get better pity the atmosphere in the kitchen was so destructive, the establishment is award winning, but how is a mystery ?!

My little Red Car

2007-03-31T18:00:00.000+10:00

The girls are off Ice skating today, and Shaun has pulled the car apart to find.... ....
THE SMELL!!

When we bought the car , we went for our first family outing to Glenn Innes.
Demelza had been reading a book about standing stones and so we went to discover them together.
Shaun readied the car, and that included filling the washer reservoir with water.The girls complained half way to Glenn Innes that their feet were getting wet , and their bags and books on the floor were also soaked!
It was then that we discovered the back washer didn't work, and it was at the Celtic Circle of Standing stones at Glenn Innes when Shaun first pulled the car apart to find out what the problem was. We decided to wait untill the cars' first service to have the leaking pipe replaced because In Stanthorpe there is no agent for Proton and Brisbane was three hours away. It seemed better to wait untill the first service rather than take unnessecary trips to have the car serviced. After the accident at Mittagong and the sea change to Canberra, Woden is our closest agent.

So Shaun booked the car in for a service in Canberra to have the leak fixed and although the serviceman was adamant that the job had been done, we are here at home drying out the felt from the back passenger seat floor and the car is in pieces.
He has just ducked out for a new piece of pipe to replace the pipe that is pinched and leaks everywhere.

Stern words he is gonna have with Melrose Proton in Woden!.

Ishta invited us to her place for a working bee today, to remove a fence. there will be free beer and a sausage sizzel. We can't get there, cos my car is drying out and in pieces and Shauns Ute only seats three, but I hope they get all the work completed.

Winter Wonderland

2007-03-27T20:05:00.000+10:00

My workplace is undergoing a transformation.
All of the teams are in competition for the best area decoration.
We are all members of teams that are represented by colours and we all have mascots.
The ceilings are hung with bright and colourful decorations.

My team are Team White and we are creating a Winter Wonderland, so the entire area half of one floor, is covered in snowflakes, our pictures have been taken and photo shopped. Some of our faces will appear inside penguins,polar bears,Eskimos, seals and our leader will be a Yettie or abominable Snowman! All of our decorations are made from recycled materials which is very modern.
It is shaping up to be a very festive and dramatic floor to work on.

Ayla's first Day

2007-03-26T20:17:00.000+10:00

Ayla phoned,.....
loving this learning how to be a chef, ....'It is really great' she said, 'the restaurant is so busy and bright and the food is wonderful! '

She didn't realise how much planning is involved in menus and the preparation is almost never ending!
But Ayla also felt a little silly when she was the brunt of a joke, being sent into the cold room for a leg of Salmon!!
She spent a good measure of time looking for the elusive joint and was unsure about how to tell the head chef she couldn't find it.

Another ayla moment.

Education at Demelza's school

2007-03-26T20:03:00.000+10:00

Every evening around the table, the family discuss their day.

Demelza talks about what she has learnt at school.

So far this year her classmates have had a talking circle, a no blame conference, and a talking stick.
The events that led up to these interventions have been, disruptive behaviours, swearing, inappropriate behaviours, fighting , disrespect for teachers and peers, vandalism of school property and the property of fellow students.
Busy aren't they?
OH if only the Teachers from Qld could come here and show these Teachers how to get the best from kids the environment would be focused on learning and not abuse.
Demelza says every day, if Mr Cole was here they wouldn't stand a chance! they'd be dead in the water! And we could get on and learn!

I hope they don't dishearten her too much, although she is a firm believer in achieving great things for herself, If it's gonna be, It's up to me, is Demelza's mantra.

I sometimes feel that the distraction is too distracting, we'll see how the term ends.

Ayla decides she would like to be a Chef

2007-03-25T13:23:00.000+10:00

Ayla has been looking for part time work for her year off study.
So she applies for a waitress position at the Golden Ox an award winning restaurant in the suburb of Margate in Redcliffe. The owner peruses her resume and states he would like Ayla to consider another of the positions he is offering, the position of apprentice Chef.
She rang me so exited!

"But Ayla," I asked, are you sure?"And I went on to explain,..

"This is a four year training, and it is the kind of job that you do when everyone else is partying, How do you feel about everyone else having fun while you work ? the hours are long?..consider the hours."

"Ill be fine, came her reply, "The staff are great and the owner is friendly and it is close to home."......
But what about dental surgery?
"Ive done that "she said "and this is experience Ill gain in something else."

Her Aunty Stacey puchased the uniforms and books she would need and other related paraphenalia and sent her off to work in a kitchen.

This is a child who very recently asked " I'm making noodles for lunch, where do you keep the hot water?"!!!

Good luck Ayla.