Happy Hallowe'en

It has been an age since I last posted and so many things have happened. While there is no time to log it all now here is a slideshow of our recent Hallowe'en get together...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Last Night of Freedom

AH where do the holidays go??? Tomorrow is the last day so I think of tonight as my last night of freedom as I'll be hitting the hay early. I'm not exactly partying hard tonight though, Sarah is home and Aaron is sick. So while he's watching the tv shows he's got stored on the recorder she and I are tapping away on the laptops.
We had a special visitor today - well several really. Tina came over to bath Max and Jester. But what had us really excited was a visit from Willow, her people and Tam & Kathy from Beagle Rescue Victoria. Willow will be needing a new home soon and I think Max could do with a new Gal Pal.
They clashed initially but once they had time to calm down and play in the back garden they really hit it off. She'll be visiting next weekend for another play date and sleep over.
She really is sweet and Sarah and I were instantly in love. Aaron, of course, will take some more convincing but I think between us we can win him over.

Another rainy day

I really shouldn't complain...I mustn't...it's wrong, selfish, lacking in global awareness...but I want to....Why must it rain so much during the holidays? Aaron and I promised each other long rides on the bikes but the weather has been against us. Maybe we'll get a chance on the weekend as Sarah isn't with us so she won't mind if we get a little carried away.

I'm eagerly awaiting a phone call too so I don't really mind being at home - still they have my mobile so I could be out and about. I can't tell you what the phone call is about...not yet anyway.

Other news? We've been out bed hunting for Sarah. She's turning into quite the young adult so we thought it was time to update. We also thought the bed in the spare room needed replacing before our exchange student arrives.

We went to see Mama Mia last night...ok I'll say it once and move on..."It wasn't a patch on the stage play" there, it's said..However, we still LOVED it. Fabulous songs, beautiful views, lovely characters and eventually the projector person woke up and switched it to the correct format so everyone wasn't stretched out!

I really should hop off the lap top and get on with the day. It is officially the last day of the hols and I want to make the most of my day with my family. Whatever we do together I'm sure we will enjoy...we don't have much but we have each other...trust, loyalty and love is all we need :) Although a trip to the Bahamas wouldn't hurt...

Ciao

Lenny Henry

Lisa, Glen, Aaron and I headed out last night to see the great comedian, Lenny Henry. It's nice living next to other Poms as they like the same people we do (not that I'm a pom!!!!)
Lenny was so funny, even Aaron was laughing out loud. We saw him a few years ago when we first got together so it was kind of special seeing him again...like a sense of continuity - we've survived all this time together.
We all had dinner at PJ O'Briens before hand and had another pint (of Bulmers!) after the show.
Today Sarah went out with Amy so we went to the movies - we saw the Happening which really spooked me, silly Wendy!! Aaron wasn't impressed of course.
Tomorrow it's back to work for me - then maybe we'll go into town on Friday. I went last week with Sophie so I don't mind either way. Then the hols are over and it's back to the grind stone!!!!

Still Here

I realise it has been several months since I have posted anything on this blog. Oops. Not that there is too much to report on the house front anyway.
The back garden is a war zone - the weeds are winning. I seem to have a lot of silver beet and rhubarb but not much else growing productively. That's ok, I should be off to get fruit trees soon.
In the front garden everything is growing well - thank goodness for native plants!
We also have a nicely rendered letterbox thanks to a lovely young man whom I met whilst walking with Max. I'm just waiting for a few dry days in a row so I can paint it.
There's certainly not much going on inside except for domestic engineering - yes we have a spare room again and I have been tackling the junk in there. I have also made significant progress in the study and I'm currently working my way through the piles of paper that seem to accumulate for the fun of it.
On the work front things have been really busy - during the hols I'm working on finalising stuff for City School (two weeks next term). I'm also working on units for City Week follow up and Global Cities. I also need to come up with a middle years project for 7s and 8s.
We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our Japanese exchange student. She comes in about four weeks so I'm thinking I should start planning some outings and decide what on earth I should cook for the 13 days she's with us. We don't even know her name yet!!!
We have been to a few shows lately, we saw Dr Seuss the Musical and we went to the MSO Space Classics - both marvellous. Although following Dr Seuss we have decided never to attend a matinée again...ever!!! It's off to Lenny Henry next week - he's great value and of course we're looking forward to Andre Rieu in November. Bell Shakepeare is putting on a production of Hamlet (score composed by Sarah Blasko) so I think we should head along to that - maybe our exchange student would enjoy it.
Best be off...

Happy Beltane...

Happy Beltane to all.



Although for us in the Southern Hemisphere perhaps we should say Happy Samhain. Anyway, I've got my carved pumpkin out the front burning a bright candle throughout the night.


So whether you're celebrating Beltane or Samhain...blessed be...

Wendy


image courtesy of: melanotelia

Mystery Pumpkin

In amongst the last of the globe zucchini harvest was this little beauty. At first it looked just like the others, but after a few days it started to turn orange, not unlike a pumpkin. There I was thinking I should be off to the CSIRO with my cross pollinated zucchinipumpkin only to discover it had grown from the seeds of the special pumpkins I bought last Hallowe'en. I had chucked the seed on the ground by the shed but this one had got itself mixed up with the zucchinis and had grown...and grown...and grown. Of course there's no way of keeping it until October so we may have to try eating it.

Back in the swing

Hi folks,

well I'm officially back at work - although not today as I'm on strike - and I'm loving it. I'm still getting used to the new bunch of kids and last year's year 9s keep coming back to visit and we all miss them heaps!!! I love what we've been doing. The science unit has been great and I had so much fun with the chemistry immersion. I've been doing digital portfolios with all the kids which has been a great opportunity to meet them all (there's only about 240 of them after all).

We had a weekend away at Inverloch recently. Nice scenery and all that but not a lot of fun. We took the child and she complained and misbehaved the whole time. Nice touch when at my dad's graveside she starts carrying on about creepy dead people and whinges after 5 minutes because it's boring..when I think of the hours of mind numbing boredom at her concerts, helping her with homework, taking her here there and everywhere or listening to her crap...and she complains because she has to spend a few precious minutes of her life thinking of someone else...well it doesn't leave me feeling particularly enamoured of her!


Yesterday was an amazing day. Australia finally said sorry to the Stolen Generation. Kevin Rudd's speech was great and if you watched and have a heart, you couldn't help but be moved. I think it was an awesome day to be an Aussie and I felt really proud! Our kids watched it and were great, so many of them asked really meaningful and sensible questions and I really think some of them are beginning to break free of old beliefs!
Of course lots of people are now whining about compensation claims, but if you can sue MacDonald's because their burgers made you fat - even though it was your choice to eat them - then surely people can sue for being taken from their parents as a part of state endorsed genocide.

I'm going to the rally so I'm pretty excited about that too.

See ya.

That's about it...for now

Greetings from DownTown Albury

Yes we are on holidays...for the last weekend of the school hols. For two people who never go anywhere this is actually our second stay in a hotel/motel this month as we spent a weekend in CityClub two weeks ago.

We're actually visiting a friend up here but thought we'd make a weekend of it.

It's very hot and I miss my proper aircon but the little unit here will do. There is a pool but I think I'd burn to a crisp in the sunlight right now. There's a cute Beagle here called Bolly who loves to eat so Max would have been happy. Aaron's not overly impressed with my choice of hotel but hey at least I managed to find something when booking the day before a long weekend.

We found a great pub last night (The Bended Elbow) and they serve Bulmers so we're going back again tonight for dinner and a few pints. Think we'll get a movie in as well and hopefully see some fireworks for Australia Day.

Speaking of which: Happy Australia Day everyone!Amazing display of Xanthorrhoea on road side stop...

Great view of the Murrindi Valley below...

Dromana

I finally got around to joining Diggers Club so I can have a better idea of what I'm doing in the garden and so I know I'm contributing to bio-diversity and the preservation of heritage plants. It was lovely wandering around the gardens at Heronswood and enjoying a picnic on the lawn.
Seeing as we were going all the way to Dromana we decided to go to the beach as well. Little did I know that Sarah had never swum in the sea before so it was quite an exciting day for her. (Since then we have spent many days at the beach in various conditions and I have seen an amazing improvement in her swimming ability. I of course love swimming in the sea so it's been a great time for me.) While at Dromana mum just kept an eye on things for us as she's not so keen on swimming anymore. Took some silly pics with the phone so thought I'd share them with you.

Happy 21st Deanne

This little girl just turned 21....

Happy Birthday Deanne and have a great day

Elving Great Times

We Got Elved


Yes, I know I have too much time on my hands during the holidays...

Broccoli

OK - so it's not the world's most popular vegetable but hey it's rich in anti-oxidants and its ok on the iron front too.

So I served some up last night...fresh from MY garden - and even my boyfriend's daughter ate it! On a slightly more exciting note I went to Luna Park yesterday. Tonnes of fun. We took about 120 kids although they were mainly 7s and 8s so I didn't know them. Plus my old school was there so I got even more confused about which kids I was actually responsible for. So to avoid all confusion I just went on as many rides as I could manage and had a great time.
Will hopefully get pix off Bec's camera and my phone in the next few days.

One week till school hols YYYIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPEEEEEE

URGENT Petition RE: Climate Talks in Bali

Hi,

I just signed an emergency petition trying to save the crucial climate change talks in Bali, Indonesia right now by telling the US, Canada and Japan to stop blocking an agreement. You can sign it here:
www.avaaz.org/en/bali_emergency/


Talks are deadlocked, and running into the weekend. Almost all countries have agreed to cut rich country carbon emissions by 2020--which scientists say is crucial to stop catastrophic global warming, and will also help bring China and the developing world onboard. But with just 24 hours left, the US and its close allies Canada and Japan have rejected any mention of such cuts.

We can't let three governments hold the world hostage and block agreement on this desperate issue.

There's still 24 hours left to turn this around - click below to sign the petition - it will be delivered direct to summit delegates, through stunts and in media advertisements, so our voices will actually be heard. But we need a lot of us, fast, to join in if we're going to make a difference. Just click on the link to add your name:

www.avaaz.org/en/bali_emergency/

Thanks!

enjoying the fruits of my labour

This may seem trivial to most but we are already picking veggies from the garden. The basil is a prolific grower and I've taken to giving it away. A few bag fulls have already earned dinner invitations - for basil on freshly caught snapper at one location (mmm this may tempt my vegetarian ethics) and a veggie pasta dish at another. I'm also promised a jar of basil and rocquet pesto - if only my rocquet would grow at the same rate!!!
We have enjoyed our first zuccinni (grilled on the bbq with - you guessed it - basil). I've recently picked squash, tomatoes and carrots although I haven't tasted them yet.
I've also used my own parsely, coriander and oregano in various dishes. It's really a shame I can't cook!

Hope you like your greens...

A few more garden shots

Lemon tree from Ally surrounded by herb garden.
Some pots and some seeds in punnets.
The random rebel pumpkin who escaped from the compost and decided to grow all by him/herself.

Garden update

These pictures were taken by Aaron the other day. Don't worry I have mulched since then but haven't taken anymore photos. The frog bog has also progressed but I haven't got pictures to add to that blog either. Stand by as will get on to that asap.

Every silver lining has a cloud...

The back garden is going crazy. Tonight I took great pleasure in picking basil, spinach and lettuce for dinner. The tomatoes are going great guns - a fact which seems to just fascinate Sarah, and overall it is becoming very productive. We are very lucky to have soil which is incredibly easy to dig. The soft soil just seems to go on and on and on and on with no trace of the clay which allegedly lies beneath. I have of course been digging in lots of compost and manure and relying on our trusty seasol to get everything going. The only problem is the weeds. They are so opportunistic and with the great top soil they have no trouble poking through and taking hold. I seem to be constantly chasing them down - I need time off from all other duties so I can tackle them head on - but I'll just have to persevere and of course Mulch Mulch Mulch.
With the drought there is still a shocking lack of water and I finished off the last of my stored water yesterday. Luckily it has finally started raining and hopefully it will continue throughout the night.
The wind is my other enemy, it snapped off two squash plants the other day- but I've reinforced the others.
Over the weekend I planted the lemon tree Ally gave me for my birthday. Last night I planted some coriander in the herb garden and some lavender between the squash, zucchini and pumpkin to encourage bees to pollinate them for me.
Hopefully we'll get round to taking some pictures this weekend.
Indoors I have two new pots with Japonicas in. It really gives a whole new feeling to the place.

Cheers

I had a birthday

Yet another birthday has gone by. Not a bad one at that.
I got to go nursery shopping on the Saturday- the frogbog just got a lot closer.
We also went to the Ivy for dinner with a few friends. I had drink and cake on the Friday night at work - even the kids got in on it with a cute message on the white board and heaps of wishes on MySpace.
On Sunday - the actual day - I was thrilled to find flowers on the zuccinnis, tomatoes on the tomatoes and carrots looking close to picking. I've even got a capsicum happening.
I had breakfast with mum, she gave me a Balance Hanging with positive Chinese messages. I collected Dee as well so she could come up to see her mum. We stopped at a few places along the way, saw Ally, did the mandatory exchange of plants. Went home via everywhere imaginable - ending with chips in Camberwell.
I also received champagne and flowers from my gorgeous neighbours and on Monday morning there were roses on my desk from a secret admirer (who revealed his identity by lunch time - Aaron didn't feel at all threatened!!!!)
I really should take some garden photos so I can post them but oh well- another day.