Hi Folks. I'm back. Not much going in the world of Clan Jones.
Let me see ....
About 9 days ago I took the kiddies up the mountains to visit Nanna. When we got there Clan Cuc were already in place and shortly after Aunt LJ, UA and great Nanna all arrived. It was a good afternoon. Plenty of rain, plenty of noise and heaps of food. Best of all it let Mrs G do some study and the kids wore themselves out playing.
Not much happened during the week - I made some enquiries about the car and got nowhere. Still no date on when it's arriving.
On the 23rd Mrs G and I celebrated 6 years in our house - by going out for dinner. Seems slighly ironic but it was a nice evening and we used it formulate our plans for our next family holiday. We also got to eat some nice food and drink some very nice wine.
Saturday was quite laid back. We did not much in the morning - most of us lay around the house being lazy but others did more study. In the afternoon Mrs G and LGR went to the Chef's house - one for an undies party and the other to play in the pool. Hayzey stayed with me and also had a sleep so I had a few hours of doing not much time.
Aunt LJ and UA arrived at our place late in the afternoon and next thing I know I'm best man at their wedding. Quite an honour.
Dinner turned into a BBQ with the McK family. It was fun. The goods all played and many tantrums were had. It was all quite sweet and considering the lateness of the evening they were very well behaved.
Sunday was just another day. The morning was spent grocery shopping and in the afternoon Mrs G went out with Aunt LJ to look for wedding dresses. I used the time to figure out which settings were required for me to burn my video's to DVD via the PC - it only took about 2 hours and 4-5 discs to get it right ....
But I did get it right and I can see my next project taking shape nicely. Maybe I can put video editting on my CV?
Monday, March 26, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Today is the day ....
We were supposed to get our new car today. But we're not. Why? The only explanation I have received from either the lease providers or the manufacturer is 'factory delays'. I can't help but wonder how it is related to the same manufacturer making 600 people redundant last week.
The other possibility is some sort of fault/recall situation but there's been nothing in the media. The truth is I don't know. I'm a touch upset about it - we've already been waiting 3.5 months and the best guesstimate I can get now is 4-6 weeks ....
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The kids have been very, very sweet this week. Hayzey has learnt to say 'I love you' and repeats it every night when we put her to bed. She continues to take a particular delight in reading her books to her dolls when she goes to bed - last night I saw her sitting up with her dolls all around her gleefully pointing out the Mummy, Daddy, LGR and Hayzey characters in her book. It's a bit of a mystery how she decided who was who - the book was full of cartoon pictures of zoo animals.
LGR surprised me last night - we put on a Pete Murray CD (again) and he started singing along to the choruses while strumming his guitar. Very unexpected and very sweet. He was also pre-empting the words I was reading to him out of a book earlier this week. Apparently this book is read to the kids at kindy ...
I went for my first semi-run in 2 months earlier this week. It wasn't much - run a couple of hundred then walk a couple of hundred. I have to start somewhere and at some time. This time around I need to respect my limits and/or respect the inevitable interruptions to the training routine. My ankles only blew out this time because I missed a bunch of sessions but trained as though I wasn't missing them. Stupidity/impatience on my behalf really; and an oft repeated mistake.
The other possibility is some sort of fault/recall situation but there's been nothing in the media. The truth is I don't know. I'm a touch upset about it - we've already been waiting 3.5 months and the best guesstimate I can get now is 4-6 weeks ....
---
The kids have been very, very sweet this week. Hayzey has learnt to say 'I love you' and repeats it every night when we put her to bed. She continues to take a particular delight in reading her books to her dolls when she goes to bed - last night I saw her sitting up with her dolls all around her gleefully pointing out the Mummy, Daddy, LGR and Hayzey characters in her book. It's a bit of a mystery how she decided who was who - the book was full of cartoon pictures of zoo animals.
LGR surprised me last night - we put on a Pete Murray CD (again) and he started singing along to the choruses while strumming his guitar. Very unexpected and very sweet. He was also pre-empting the words I was reading to him out of a book earlier this week. Apparently this book is read to the kids at kindy ...
I went for my first semi-run in 2 months earlier this week. It wasn't much - run a couple of hundred then walk a couple of hundred. I have to start somewhere and at some time. This time around I need to respect my limits and/or respect the inevitable interruptions to the training routine. My ankles only blew out this time because I missed a bunch of sessions but trained as though I wasn't missing them. Stupidity/impatience on my behalf really; and an oft repeated mistake.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Races
Over the weekend Clan Jones headed off to Queanbeyan with a couple of other families for a bit of a weekend away and to attend some speedway races.
We all arrived at our motel at about midday - which is quite amusing because we all travelled down independently but arrived within 5 minutes of each other. We checked in, and got moved to another room after unpacking (grrr ....) and then went for a swim. The pool at the motel was quite a good size and everyone had a go. It was fun. The kids loved it.
After a short while, amidst much protesting from the kids, it was off for some lunch and some grocery shopping - mainly for brekky things and some stuff to take to the races. We also picked up a few beverages for a lazy afternoon by the pool.
A mid afternoon swim was had with a few less participants. Some parents were responsible enough to try to get their kids to go sleep but we didn't even try. We've been there before with Hayzey - as tired as she is she just won't sleep in an unfamiliar environment during the day.
At about 17:30 Grandpa, Aunt J, Aunt LJ and UA all rocked on up to join us for a walk over to dinner - at the Leagues Club. It was only 3 blocks but for some reason took us almost 30 minutes. Probably due to many kids with little legs :-) When we got there we met up with a good portion of the Hobson clan and we all proceeded inside.
Dinner ended up being quite a lot of fun - we ended up in a semi-private room which had 3 TV's, a bunch of very plush and comfortable arm-chairs and plenty of tables. Food and drinks were ordered and all parties settled in for a night of 'hair letting down'.
Quite possible the sweetest part of the evening came when LGR sat down with his 'girlfriend' at their own little table and they had a meal together. Nobody else was allowed to sit near them. LGR said it was fun but he wanted some candles!!!
We ended up getting back to the motel at about 23:00 and some adult members of the group very, very generously volunteered to look after kids while others in the group kicked on a bit. I managed to kick, as did Mrs G. The kick on was fun - and at times very, very amusing.
We all ended up going to bed at about 02:00 - and I was awake again at about 05:30. I don't know why - the kids weren't stirring and there was no noise outside. LGR joined us in bed at about 06:30 and sweet little Hayzey woke at about 07:45. She was filthy - she had dirty and food all over her and was in dire need of a wash. She looked very, very tiny in the shower by herself :-)
Breakfast was a BBQ - pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages etc. Tasted great. Mostly everyone was quiet - from fatigue more than anything else.
Next stop was the races - theoretically the whole reason for being there. We rocked on up expecting something like Goulburn but it wasn't quite the same - the faster, more impressive vehicles (not withstanding the HQ's) hadn't turned up and the facilities were bare - even by country standards. The track was a really weird shape - or perhaps dimension? I've never seen a speedway track with a hill in it before .....
We watched some races. Hayzey in particular loved it - she clapped and cheered and strutted around the place as though she owned it. LGR paid some close attention for a while but drafted off eventually.
The races were a bit of an anti-climax but at least we got there. The highlight of the meet was when Uncle P gave LGR a racing helmet. LGR loves it. He hugged it all the way home (except for when he was asleep) and every now and then put it on in the car to tell us how cool he looked. When we got home he wore it while riding his trike around the house. The only other item he had on was his boxer shorts and it was a very surreal sight.
The kicker was when he went to bed - he took the helmet with him. The last time I saw him awake on Sunday evening he was quietly laying in bed with his helmet and blanket. The blanket was wrapped around LGR and his helmet and he was patting/stroking the helmet.
We all arrived at our motel at about midday - which is quite amusing because we all travelled down independently but arrived within 5 minutes of each other. We checked in, and got moved to another room after unpacking (grrr ....) and then went for a swim. The pool at the motel was quite a good size and everyone had a go. It was fun. The kids loved it.
After a short while, amidst much protesting from the kids, it was off for some lunch and some grocery shopping - mainly for brekky things and some stuff to take to the races. We also picked up a few beverages for a lazy afternoon by the pool.
A mid afternoon swim was had with a few less participants. Some parents were responsible enough to try to get their kids to go sleep but we didn't even try. We've been there before with Hayzey - as tired as she is she just won't sleep in an unfamiliar environment during the day.
At about 17:30 Grandpa, Aunt J, Aunt LJ and UA all rocked on up to join us for a walk over to dinner - at the Leagues Club. It was only 3 blocks but for some reason took us almost 30 minutes. Probably due to many kids with little legs :-) When we got there we met up with a good portion of the Hobson clan and we all proceeded inside.
Dinner ended up being quite a lot of fun - we ended up in a semi-private room which had 3 TV's, a bunch of very plush and comfortable arm-chairs and plenty of tables. Food and drinks were ordered and all parties settled in for a night of 'hair letting down'.
Quite possible the sweetest part of the evening came when LGR sat down with his 'girlfriend' at their own little table and they had a meal together. Nobody else was allowed to sit near them. LGR said it was fun but he wanted some candles!!!
We ended up getting back to the motel at about 23:00 and some adult members of the group very, very generously volunteered to look after kids while others in the group kicked on a bit. I managed to kick, as did Mrs G. The kick on was fun - and at times very, very amusing.
We all ended up going to bed at about 02:00 - and I was awake again at about 05:30. I don't know why - the kids weren't stirring and there was no noise outside. LGR joined us in bed at about 06:30 and sweet little Hayzey woke at about 07:45. She was filthy - she had dirty and food all over her and was in dire need of a wash. She looked very, very tiny in the shower by herself :-)
Breakfast was a BBQ - pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages etc. Tasted great. Mostly everyone was quiet - from fatigue more than anything else.
Next stop was the races - theoretically the whole reason for being there. We rocked on up expecting something like Goulburn but it wasn't quite the same - the faster, more impressive vehicles (not withstanding the HQ's) hadn't turned up and the facilities were bare - even by country standards. The track was a really weird shape - or perhaps dimension? I've never seen a speedway track with a hill in it before .....
We watched some races. Hayzey in particular loved it - she clapped and cheered and strutted around the place as though she owned it. LGR paid some close attention for a while but drafted off eventually.
The races were a bit of an anti-climax but at least we got there. The highlight of the meet was when Uncle P gave LGR a racing helmet. LGR loves it. He hugged it all the way home (except for when he was asleep) and every now and then put it on in the car to tell us how cool he looked. When we got home he wore it while riding his trike around the house. The only other item he had on was his boxer shorts and it was a very surreal sight.
The kicker was when he went to bed - he took the helmet with him. The last time I saw him awake on Sunday evening he was quietly laying in bed with his helmet and blanket. The blanket was wrapped around LGR and his helmet and he was patting/stroking the helmet.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
More Than I Thought
I mowed the grass on Tuesday afternoon. The section underneath the trampoline was long enough to reach the mat of the trampoline itself.
It took a while to get the job done :-)
It needs doing again :-(
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We've had a mellow sort of week - nothing much happening (nothing that's out of the ordinary that is). I feel as though I've eaten a ton of paella, Mrs G probably feels like she's done 1000 hours of study and the kids feel like they get put into bed too early. We all have our little gripes ...
I've becoming increasingly, over the past couple of months, that I'm becoming increasingly more fascinated by the art of politics. Not necessarily the getting things done/processes of politics but the game playing and general silliness that is becoming increasingly more prevalent. Nothing seems to happen or get mentioned unless there is the chance of sticking it to someone else in the opposition. The language used is incredibly deliberate and, wherever possible, vague. It's very seldom that a question gets answered - and even when a question is answered the smalles, most trivial piece of it will be taken by the opposition/media/whoever and twisted around to suit a very specifc and pre-determined agenda.
I can't help but watch it - and admire the way in which 'they' seem to get away with it. I don't aspire to politics in any way, shape or form but the game itself is fascinating.
Maybe I should have studied sociology at Uni?
It took a while to get the job done :-)
It needs doing again :-(
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We've had a mellow sort of week - nothing much happening (nothing that's out of the ordinary that is). I feel as though I've eaten a ton of paella, Mrs G probably feels like she's done 1000 hours of study and the kids feel like they get put into bed too early. We all have our little gripes ...
I've becoming increasingly, over the past couple of months, that I'm becoming increasingly more fascinated by the art of politics. Not necessarily the getting things done/processes of politics but the game playing and general silliness that is becoming increasingly more prevalent. Nothing seems to happen or get mentioned unless there is the chance of sticking it to someone else in the opposition. The language used is incredibly deliberate and, wherever possible, vague. It's very seldom that a question gets answered - and even when a question is answered the smalles, most trivial piece of it will be taken by the opposition/media/whoever and twisted around to suit a very specifc and pre-determined agenda.
I can't help but watch it - and admire the way in which 'they' seem to get away with it. I don't aspire to politics in any way, shape or form but the game itself is fascinating.
Maybe I should have studied sociology at Uni?
Monday, March 05, 2007
3 Foot Pigmy; 3 Foot Grass
We've got some long grass at our place. So long that the bottom of the swings on our swingset ar obscured by grass. So long that are solar powered nightlights no longer get enough sunlight to work at night. So long that Hayzey managed to disappear into the grass along the side of our house :-)
I cut the frontyard grass yesterday. This involved emptying the catcher 4 times - and that was using the highest cut possible. So much grass, and it came so suddenly. I'm hoping to get the backyard done 'soon' but there's storms forecast all week so we'll see what happens. At least the house looks like someone lives in it again.
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We had a pretty big weekend. Swimming lessons first - and the kids are definitely improving all of a sudden. Then it was off to the optometrist. My eyes have barely changed over the past two years. It's nice to know that at least one part of my body is decaying ....
I spent a good chunk of the afternoon on the phone working. It was kind of amusing - the phone was on speaker and the kids kept walking over and talking to me and into the phone. It was even better when they started telling me it was time to go out :-)
Saturday night was a party. LGR has his first proper girlfriend. Sort of. He's smitten by a 7 year old. Apparently he has lots of girlfriends. Just ask him - he's quite candid about it. He doesn't know which one he wants to marry yet ....
At the end of the night LGR wanted to give his girl a kiss, and she wanted to give him a kiss but they were both to shy to do it. It was so innocent and beautifully sweet. Hayzey just wanted to eat lollies. They both passed out in the car on the way home ... which was a relief for us.
Everyone slept in on Sunday. I woke at about 07:00 and Mrs G woke at around 07:45. LGR stumbled downstairs at about 08:15 and Hayzey was woken at 08:45. After a quick bit of brekky and a wash (Hayzey had a complete meal plastered to her hair) we were off to the shops for some groceries and then off to visit Aunt LG and UA. Turned out Nanna was there too.
So we had lunch and some chats and generally sweltered. It was nice. We got home and I mowed - which wasn't nice. Then I showered and that was very, very nice. Both kids helped me cook dinner (paella) in their own special ways and then LGR pronounced he didn't like it. Again. He seems to look at food and then decided it's no good - without actually eating any of it.
And that was about it.
Until 21:30 - when the first flashes started appearing way off to the West. Mrs G and I sat on the deck watching it for a while (and while getting eaten by mozzies). The storm proper arrived at about 22:30, and it was fantastic. There was so much lightning it was like strobe lighting and the thunder sounded very crisp, very 'tearing' and very, very proximal. The house shook several times. It even rained.
LGR woke up and was a bit scared - he wasn't crying or anything but we could hear him calling out for us. I brought him into our bedroom and all three of us watched the storm (Hayzey slept through the whole thing) and then LGR lay down to sleep. I lay next to him and he hugged me as tightly as he could. I loved it. It made me feel very special.
Eventually he nodded off and the storm moved away. I picked up my sleeping boy took him into his bedroom and got told that he loved me. What else do you need in life?
I cut the frontyard grass yesterday. This involved emptying the catcher 4 times - and that was using the highest cut possible. So much grass, and it came so suddenly. I'm hoping to get the backyard done 'soon' but there's storms forecast all week so we'll see what happens. At least the house looks like someone lives in it again.
---
We had a pretty big weekend. Swimming lessons first - and the kids are definitely improving all of a sudden. Then it was off to the optometrist. My eyes have barely changed over the past two years. It's nice to know that at least one part of my body is decaying ....
I spent a good chunk of the afternoon on the phone working. It was kind of amusing - the phone was on speaker and the kids kept walking over and talking to me and into the phone. It was even better when they started telling me it was time to go out :-)
Saturday night was a party. LGR has his first proper girlfriend. Sort of. He's smitten by a 7 year old. Apparently he has lots of girlfriends. Just ask him - he's quite candid about it. He doesn't know which one he wants to marry yet ....
At the end of the night LGR wanted to give his girl a kiss, and she wanted to give him a kiss but they were both to shy to do it. It was so innocent and beautifully sweet. Hayzey just wanted to eat lollies. They both passed out in the car on the way home ... which was a relief for us.
Everyone slept in on Sunday. I woke at about 07:00 and Mrs G woke at around 07:45. LGR stumbled downstairs at about 08:15 and Hayzey was woken at 08:45. After a quick bit of brekky and a wash (Hayzey had a complete meal plastered to her hair) we were off to the shops for some groceries and then off to visit Aunt LG and UA. Turned out Nanna was there too.
So we had lunch and some chats and generally sweltered. It was nice. We got home and I mowed - which wasn't nice. Then I showered and that was very, very nice. Both kids helped me cook dinner (paella) in their own special ways and then LGR pronounced he didn't like it. Again. He seems to look at food and then decided it's no good - without actually eating any of it.
And that was about it.
Until 21:30 - when the first flashes started appearing way off to the West. Mrs G and I sat on the deck watching it for a while (and while getting eaten by mozzies). The storm proper arrived at about 22:30, and it was fantastic. There was so much lightning it was like strobe lighting and the thunder sounded very crisp, very 'tearing' and very, very proximal. The house shook several times. It even rained.
LGR woke up and was a bit scared - he wasn't crying or anything but we could hear him calling out for us. I brought him into our bedroom and all three of us watched the storm (Hayzey slept through the whole thing) and then LGR lay down to sleep. I lay next to him and he hugged me as tightly as he could. I loved it. It made me feel very special.
Eventually he nodded off and the storm moved away. I picked up my sleeping boy took him into his bedroom and got told that he loved me. What else do you need in life?
Friday, March 02, 2007
The Epic Continues
Our floor is finally, almost, fixed. Mrs G negotiated with the floor company to have all our skirting boards replaced - mainly because the knob who did the original work, and then started to pretend to fix it, snapped several of them and the rest are starting to consist of more wood putty than any other material ....
At least the floor is level now. And there's no gaps between them. Or air bubbles.
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The other frustration in my life ..... Where's the new car? If all goes well it will be in our driveway in two weeks. Fingers crossed.
---
Something better? LGR went on his first, unassisted, play visit with a mate today. His mate and his mate's Mum rocked on up to our place for reasons that I don't know and LGR ended up leaving with them. By his account it was a terrific day. They watched half of Batman and went for a swim. Best of all - he's knackered and we might get a sleep in out of him.
At least the floor is level now. And there's no gaps between them. Or air bubbles.
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The other frustration in my life ..... Where's the new car? If all goes well it will be in our driveway in two weeks. Fingers crossed.
---
Something better? LGR went on his first, unassisted, play visit with a mate today. His mate and his mate's Mum rocked on up to our place for reasons that I don't know and LGR ended up leaving with them. By his account it was a terrific day. They watched half of Batman and went for a swim. Best of all - he's knackered and we might get a sleep in out of him.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Retro
LGR has been taught some new dances at Kindy - YMCA and Agadoo. He's quite proud of them. Now all we have to is find those songs so he can show us how he does it :-)
It's been pretty mellow so far this week - not much happening at all. We got a bit of rain yesterday and it seemed as though the kids were well impressed by the accompanying lightning and thunder. LGR very seriously informed me that they weren't allowed outside when it was raining.
Hayzey has learnt a new phrase - 'Go away'. She uses when she is upset with people. I remember LGR using the same phrase at about the same age. It's no less distressing the second time around - but still somehow quite cute.
It's been pretty mellow so far this week - not much happening at all. We got a bit of rain yesterday and it seemed as though the kids were well impressed by the accompanying lightning and thunder. LGR very seriously informed me that they weren't allowed outside when it was raining.
Hayzey has learnt a new phrase - 'Go away'. She uses when she is upset with people. I remember LGR using the same phrase at about the same age. It's no less distressing the second time around - but still somehow quite cute.
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