Monday, June 30, 2008
Rugby Rules
We had a pretty good weekend - fairly quiet but good just the same. The highlight was definitely yesterday and a trip up the mountains to celebrate a birthday. The highlight of the highlight was when Hayzey 'won' a game of musical chairs at the party (she won it with a bit of assistance). Miss Hayzey didn't care that much but LGR was thrilled to bits - so much so that he raced over to give her a huge hug and then literally dragged her off to get her prize. He was so proud - and she had no idea what had happened!
---
I was listening to some commentary on the rugby union (and specifically the Australia vs France game over the weekend) this morning. The first funny bit I heard was a commentator suggesting the referee was making up rules on the run just so he could blow his whistle.
The second bit was more of a story - along the lines of having 3 retired former international rugby players commentating. 1 will think a penalty was legitimate, 1 will think it was wrong and the third will say they didn't even know the rule they are discussing existed.
I like rugby. It has very complex rules.
---
I was listening to some commentary on the rugby union (and specifically the Australia vs France game over the weekend) this morning. The first funny bit I heard was a commentator suggesting the referee was making up rules on the run just so he could blow his whistle.
The second bit was more of a story - along the lines of having 3 retired former international rugby players commentating. 1 will think a penalty was legitimate, 1 will think it was wrong and the third will say they didn't even know the rule they are discussing existed.
I like rugby. It has very complex rules.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Report Card
LGR got his first report card yesterday. It was pretty good. Turns out he is quite handy with maths, above average for spelling and reading, enthusiastic across all subject areas and not so good at accepting the ideas of others ....
Not a bad start really. We have our first parent teacher interview next Tuesday evening.
---
The same young chap came racing through to our bedroom at about 06:00 this morning. In a very excited and rushed voice he announced "Good morning Mummy and Daddy. Today I'm going on an excursion!!"
That's right - his first school excursion. They're off to Featherdale to do whatever it is they're doing. LGR is very, very excited - but I'm not sure if it's because he's going on a big bus, going to the park or wearing sports uniform on a non-sport day. Probably all three.
---
Hayzey's facial rash has come back. Again. It's starting to get a little bit old and more than a touch frustrating. I'm beginning to seriously think about changing doctors - the one we have been using for several years and is proving to be less able to correctly diagnose and cure problems than he has been in the past.
Not a bad start really. We have our first parent teacher interview next Tuesday evening.
---
The same young chap came racing through to our bedroom at about 06:00 this morning. In a very excited and rushed voice he announced "Good morning Mummy and Daddy. Today I'm going on an excursion!!"
That's right - his first school excursion. They're off to Featherdale to do whatever it is they're doing. LGR is very, very excited - but I'm not sure if it's because he's going on a big bus, going to the park or wearing sports uniform on a non-sport day. Probably all three.
---
Hayzey's facial rash has come back. Again. It's starting to get a little bit old and more than a touch frustrating. I'm beginning to seriously think about changing doctors - the one we have been using for several years and is proving to be less able to correctly diagnose and cure problems than he has been in the past.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Quick
A quick entry just to let everyone know I haven't forgotten about putting updates up - I've just been busy with a lot of different things being juggled.
What's been happening? It's hard to define. There's the obvious Big C issue which we all know about and that took up a bit of time on Monday and then yesterday there were some vigorous career discussions.
Last night Mrs G and I sat the kidlets down and explained to them that Nanna was quite sick and would need lots of help and special medicine that will probably make her look different. I expected LGR to ask lots of questions but he didn't - the only response was to say that he would pray for Nanna.
What's been happening? It's hard to define. There's the obvious Big C issue which we all know about and that took up a bit of time on Monday and then yesterday there were some vigorous career discussions.
Last night Mrs G and I sat the kidlets down and explained to them that Nanna was quite sick and would need lots of help and special medicine that will probably make her look different. I expected LGR to ask lots of questions but he didn't - the only response was to say that he would pray for Nanna.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Swimming Lessons
We were back at swimming lessons last night - just like we are every single Thursday. I was watching LGR quite carefully last night and he is beginning to turn into quite the swimming technician. There is a certain fluidity of movement beginning to emerge - his stroke is lengthening quite nicely and his kick has gone from being ridiculously ineffectual to quite good. His breathing and rotation on the breath is also becoming smoother.
And he can almost dive. He still goes from a kneeling position but goes into the water hands/head first more often than not.
Somehow he has developed a natural breaststroke arm action and can even do a bit of backstroke and some very rough butterfly. Most of all he loves it.
---
Hayzey is a little different. She can do a 'rocket' quite well - which is just arms outstretched in front and kicking. She can do 'big arms' with a flotation aid but when she has no aid she just seems to forget about her arms. Occasionally she gives it a crack but even when she does she moves very, very slowly.
It wasn't so long ago that LGR and Hayzey were at more or less the same level. Since then LGR has improved heaps and Hayzey has consolidated what she can do but not really moved onto anything else. I remember this happening with LGR and, while it's frustrating, it's also a necessary process before going onto bigger and better things.
And he can almost dive. He still goes from a kneeling position but goes into the water hands/head first more often than not.
Somehow he has developed a natural breaststroke arm action and can even do a bit of backstroke and some very rough butterfly. Most of all he loves it.
---
Hayzey is a little different. She can do a 'rocket' quite well - which is just arms outstretched in front and kicking. She can do 'big arms' with a flotation aid but when she has no aid she just seems to forget about her arms. Occasionally she gives it a crack but even when she does she moves very, very slowly.
It wasn't so long ago that LGR and Hayzey were at more or less the same level. Since then LGR has improved heaps and Hayzey has consolidated what she can do but not really moved onto anything else. I remember this happening with LGR and, while it's frustrating, it's also a necessary process before going onto bigger and better things.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Mortality
Sometimes events occur which cause you situp and seriously consider what is going on in your life. Such an event has happened very recently in my life and it will presumably put me and my family (and by family I mean larger family - not just Clan Jones) on a bit of a 'thrill ride' for a while.
This event doesn't directly concern me yet but in my quiet moments it sets off a line of thought which always leads to question myself. What have I achieved? What will I be remembered for? Will I even be remembered? How would I like to be remembered?
And then it's always what should I be doing to ensure that I am remembered the way in which I see myself?
I fear there are tough times ahead. As a group we've been here before so the road is not totally unfamiliar but I suspect the landscape is somewhat different this time around.
Onward we march. To what we do not know.
This event doesn't directly concern me yet but in my quiet moments it sets off a line of thought which always leads to question myself. What have I achieved? What will I be remembered for? Will I even be remembered? How would I like to be remembered?
And then it's always what should I be doing to ensure that I am remembered the way in which I see myself?
I fear there are tough times ahead. As a group we've been here before so the road is not totally unfamiliar but I suspect the landscape is somewhat different this time around.
Onward we march. To what we do not know.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Puppies Returned
Our puppies came home last night and they are like different creatures. The good folks we left them with have somehow taught them some manners. They no longer jump all over us and the door and they do listen and obey simple instructions much more frequently.
I suddenly like the puppies again. Hayzey thought they were great - they were letting her pat them without getting excited and jumping all over her. LGR was neither here nor there - he just sat on the couch and watched the dogs continually sneak their way into the house.
---
I was driving into work fairly early this morning and listening to some talkback about the cricket just finished in the West Indies and, in particular, the Australian cricket team.
A listener called in to express the opinion that the Australian cricket team is no longer the best in the world because "they've lost so many good players." She then went on to suggest that the reason the Australians are dropping more catches is because they are lazy and arrogant.
One of the things in life that baits me far too easily is criticism of sports teams/peoples as being lazy and arrogant. It can be said without a doubt that are some highly confident sports people out there and that there are even some who behave in a very arrogant (Def: making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud).
Confidence is a massive prerequisite for sporting success (and dare I say it life in general) - it really does help to believe that you are capable of producing a result before you attempt to do it. Arrogance is not - but I see a world of difference in a group of confident Australian cricketers running onto a field and engaging in a sporting contest and the previous definition of arrogance.
What about the Indian series? Wasn't that arrogance? I don't think so - the Australians played to the umpires decisions. This is what I was taught to do as a kid and it doesn't matter if the umpire is right or wrong - they are always right. Sometimes that sux but the Aussies adhered to this.
The major grief from the Indian series concerned a single opposition player who has plenty of form when it comes to a series of 'crimes' - not walking when bowled vs England and then openly swearing at the English players when it was suggested he was out, racial abuse vs England, Australia and South Africa, judicial penalties from the ICC and now a physical assault on a team mate (admittedly minor but still bizarre ....).
There was some other stuff about not walking and claiming catches but I really think that was just counter claim from the opposition. There was also the stuff about going home because they didn't like the ICC (ie umpires) decision about the racial abuse thing - but that was all in jest. Wasn't it? Really?
I don't believe the Australian team to be arrogant - merely a group of blokes full of confidence who let others know they are confident in their skills and their capacity to win a game of cricket.
Why are they dropping catches? Most of the dropped catches are in the slips. When you think about some of the blokes lost to Australian cricket in the last few years there are some outstanding slips fielders - Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Damian Martyn, Matt Hayden missing from this series. There are some very good fielders in there now - Andrew Symonds and Mike Hussey spring to mind and Ricky Ponting is the 1st slippper. But you can't have 2/3 of your cordon ripped out and replace them easily.
Are the Australian team still the best in the world? I don't think there are any that can claim to be consistently better but it is impossible to ignore the performance of the Indians in Australia last summer. Australia is rebuilding and currently has the trophy from every tournament they have played in over the last couple of years with the exception of the Twenty20 WorldCup. Since losing McGrath, Warne & Langer they have won series vs India and West Indies. The WI series was also missing Adam Gilchrist and Matt Hayden.
Not many teams can continue to win while rebuilding.
The Indian team are very good. So are the South Africans. Australia appears to be a strike bowler short. I think the Aussies are as vulnerable as they have been at any point since about 1990.
They are still very good.
I suddenly like the puppies again. Hayzey thought they were great - they were letting her pat them without getting excited and jumping all over her. LGR was neither here nor there - he just sat on the couch and watched the dogs continually sneak their way into the house.
---
I was driving into work fairly early this morning and listening to some talkback about the cricket just finished in the West Indies and, in particular, the Australian cricket team.
A listener called in to express the opinion that the Australian cricket team is no longer the best in the world because "they've lost so many good players." She then went on to suggest that the reason the Australians are dropping more catches is because they are lazy and arrogant.
One of the things in life that baits me far too easily is criticism of sports teams/peoples as being lazy and arrogant. It can be said without a doubt that are some highly confident sports people out there and that there are even some who behave in a very arrogant (Def: making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud).
Confidence is a massive prerequisite for sporting success (and dare I say it life in general) - it really does help to believe that you are capable of producing a result before you attempt to do it. Arrogance is not - but I see a world of difference in a group of confident Australian cricketers running onto a field and engaging in a sporting contest and the previous definition of arrogance.
What about the Indian series? Wasn't that arrogance? I don't think so - the Australians played to the umpires decisions. This is what I was taught to do as a kid and it doesn't matter if the umpire is right or wrong - they are always right. Sometimes that sux but the Aussies adhered to this.
The major grief from the Indian series concerned a single opposition player who has plenty of form when it comes to a series of 'crimes' - not walking when bowled vs England and then openly swearing at the English players when it was suggested he was out, racial abuse vs England, Australia and South Africa, judicial penalties from the ICC and now a physical assault on a team mate (admittedly minor but still bizarre ....).
There was some other stuff about not walking and claiming catches but I really think that was just counter claim from the opposition. There was also the stuff about going home because they didn't like the ICC (ie umpires) decision about the racial abuse thing - but that was all in jest. Wasn't it? Really?
I don't believe the Australian team to be arrogant - merely a group of blokes full of confidence who let others know they are confident in their skills and their capacity to win a game of cricket.
Why are they dropping catches? Most of the dropped catches are in the slips. When you think about some of the blokes lost to Australian cricket in the last few years there are some outstanding slips fielders - Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Damian Martyn, Matt Hayden missing from this series. There are some very good fielders in there now - Andrew Symonds and Mike Hussey spring to mind and Ricky Ponting is the 1st slippper. But you can't have 2/3 of your cordon ripped out and replace them easily.
Are the Australian team still the best in the world? I don't think there are any that can claim to be consistently better but it is impossible to ignore the performance of the Indians in Australia last summer. Australia is rebuilding and currently has the trophy from every tournament they have played in over the last couple of years with the exception of the Twenty20 WorldCup. Since losing McGrath, Warne & Langer they have won series vs India and West Indies. The WI series was also missing Adam Gilchrist and Matt Hayden.
Not many teams can continue to win while rebuilding.
The Indian team are very good. So are the South Africans. Australia appears to be a strike bowler short. I think the Aussies are as vulnerable as they have been at any point since about 1990.
They are still very good.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Road Trip
We've been out and about over the past couple of days courtesy of a road trip out to Narrandera, Leeton and Wagga Wagga.
It kind of began on Thursday evening. A couple of folks Mrs G knows from work came over from dinner and took the pups away for a couple of days of training and general looking after. Nice guys and I had a good time. The kids were quite sweet - both saying goodbye to the pups and shedding a tear or two. LGR even spontaneously patted both of them.
Friday was departure day. We got out of town a touch before 08:00 and made our first stop in Goulburn. Via some pretty impressive storms and equally as impressive rainbows. We came across a bakery with a massive stone fireplace. LGR and I managed to snaffle a seat right in front of it only to be told by Mrs G we weren't staying - apparently we only needed a pit stop.
Next up was a short drive to Yass and morning tea. We expected the McDonalds there to still have kids toys - but they didn't. They are right in the middle of a refurbishment and it was crowded, loud and not very pleasant. We didn't stay long - but LGR did manage to fit in some homework.
About 5 minutes out of Yass Hayzey announced she needed to go to the toilet. So we pulled over and after 10 minutes nothing happened. Within 60s of jumping back in the car it poured - so the timing was quite good.
We decided to have some lunch at Gundagai after having a peep at the dog on the box. Very small. The kids were more impressed by the talking cockatoo. Lunch wasn't great but it was cheap and we were all rested.
Mrs G took over the driving at this point and I snoozed the portion into Wagga Wagga. We had a bit of time to spare so we ended up walking around a nice little area with a crafted lagoon, walkways, art galleries and a park. It was all vaguely Melbourne-esque and the kids had quite a good time. LGR was concerned about the flame in the War Memorial and Hayzey had decided it was her mission to say hello to every person she came across :-)
The final bit of the days drive was to Narrandera. Mrs G took the while for this one also and we made some pretty good time.
It was interesting to not the landsape throughout the drive. From Campbelltown thru to Mittagong/Bowral it was quite green and lush - rolling hills with greenery everywhere and some dramatic views topped off with magnificent storm clouds. It begins to dry out a little coming into Goulburn but even there it's not too bad. As soon as we were past the turnoff to Canberra the land became noticeably flatter. There still appeared to be a little bit of moisture around and it was quite open and scenic in a very Aussie sort of way.
Gundagai was surprisingly green and Wagga looked to be in pretty good shape too. Once we got past Wagga it got dry pretty quickly. There were empty irrigation ditches and very few crops planted anywhere. Lots of pale yellow grasses with the occasional field of green. Beyond Narrandera it was even worse with the only signs of a viable agricultural setup being orange trees.
Anyways - dinner was at Narrandera with my Aunt/Uncle and cousin. I big old roast dinner which was quite nice. We also slept there and it was fantastically quiet - especially once the kids decided to go to sleep :-)
We woke on Saturday and made our way out towards Leeton. I lived there for what I guess is about 2 years when I was a kid but I seem to have way to many memories for such a short time span.
Driving without a map I managed to unerringly find my way straight to my old house - despite there being a whole heap of new development. It was quite bizarre to see street names and remember them without being sure why I remembered them. The kids weren't too fascinated by the house but when we went to the old athletics track they were much more excited.
LGR ran around the track for a bit then we played some soccer and then had a game in the sandpit. I visited the old stormwater drains that I remember walking through as a kid and also examined the roadside where I was attacked by a magpie while riding my bike. There used to be trees there but for some reason they are gone now. We also had a look at my old school, the pool and that was about it. We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and the waitress was quite impressed with the kids - who were behaving in a very grownup and cute way.
After lunch we went out to Leeton Ski Beach. On the way we had to get through a herd of cows - something we all found quite exciting and novel.
It was quite an eye opener getting to the beach, and the beach itself. There were plenty of dead and fallen trees and very little undergrowth. Most of the trees were redgum and even along the river edge there were dying off in vast numbers. The river looked to 3-4m below where it should be and was barely flowing. It was very obvious how beautiful the area once would have been and quite disheartening to see how it is now.
By this stage we were running quite late and had to get back to Wagga Wagga fairly quickly if we were any chance of getting to the party on time.
In the end we were late .... but not by much. It was a pretty sedate evening but we got to meet our newest cousin, watch a fire, meet some people and get a feed. And we were in bed by a reasonable hour.
Sunday was back to home day. We got a bit of sleep in and had breakfast at McDonalds (by request of the kids). We returned to the scene of the previous evening's festivities to catch up in a more leisurely fashion and have many hugs with the new bub. Then it was out of there. The trip home was very easy - a stop at Gundagai for some toilet time, lunch at Yass and then straight up the Hume to home.
Geez it was nice to get back ;-)
It kind of began on Thursday evening. A couple of folks Mrs G knows from work came over from dinner and took the pups away for a couple of days of training and general looking after. Nice guys and I had a good time. The kids were quite sweet - both saying goodbye to the pups and shedding a tear or two. LGR even spontaneously patted both of them.
Friday was departure day. We got out of town a touch before 08:00 and made our first stop in Goulburn. Via some pretty impressive storms and equally as impressive rainbows. We came across a bakery with a massive stone fireplace. LGR and I managed to snaffle a seat right in front of it only to be told by Mrs G we weren't staying - apparently we only needed a pit stop.
Next up was a short drive to Yass and morning tea. We expected the McDonalds there to still have kids toys - but they didn't. They are right in the middle of a refurbishment and it was crowded, loud and not very pleasant. We didn't stay long - but LGR did manage to fit in some homework.
About 5 minutes out of Yass Hayzey announced she needed to go to the toilet. So we pulled over and after 10 minutes nothing happened. Within 60s of jumping back in the car it poured - so the timing was quite good.
We decided to have some lunch at Gundagai after having a peep at the dog on the box. Very small. The kids were more impressed by the talking cockatoo. Lunch wasn't great but it was cheap and we were all rested.
Mrs G took over the driving at this point and I snoozed the portion into Wagga Wagga. We had a bit of time to spare so we ended up walking around a nice little area with a crafted lagoon, walkways, art galleries and a park. It was all vaguely Melbourne-esque and the kids had quite a good time. LGR was concerned about the flame in the War Memorial and Hayzey had decided it was her mission to say hello to every person she came across :-)
The final bit of the days drive was to Narrandera. Mrs G took the while for this one also and we made some pretty good time.
It was interesting to not the landsape throughout the drive. From Campbelltown thru to Mittagong/Bowral it was quite green and lush - rolling hills with greenery everywhere and some dramatic views topped off with magnificent storm clouds. It begins to dry out a little coming into Goulburn but even there it's not too bad. As soon as we were past the turnoff to Canberra the land became noticeably flatter. There still appeared to be a little bit of moisture around and it was quite open and scenic in a very Aussie sort of way.
Gundagai was surprisingly green and Wagga looked to be in pretty good shape too. Once we got past Wagga it got dry pretty quickly. There were empty irrigation ditches and very few crops planted anywhere. Lots of pale yellow grasses with the occasional field of green. Beyond Narrandera it was even worse with the only signs of a viable agricultural setup being orange trees.
Anyways - dinner was at Narrandera with my Aunt/Uncle and cousin. I big old roast dinner which was quite nice. We also slept there and it was fantastically quiet - especially once the kids decided to go to sleep :-)
We woke on Saturday and made our way out towards Leeton. I lived there for what I guess is about 2 years when I was a kid but I seem to have way to many memories for such a short time span.
Driving without a map I managed to unerringly find my way straight to my old house - despite there being a whole heap of new development. It was quite bizarre to see street names and remember them without being sure why I remembered them. The kids weren't too fascinated by the house but when we went to the old athletics track they were much more excited.
LGR ran around the track for a bit then we played some soccer and then had a game in the sandpit. I visited the old stormwater drains that I remember walking through as a kid and also examined the roadside where I was attacked by a magpie while riding my bike. There used to be trees there but for some reason they are gone now. We also had a look at my old school, the pool and that was about it. We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and the waitress was quite impressed with the kids - who were behaving in a very grownup and cute way.
After lunch we went out to Leeton Ski Beach. On the way we had to get through a herd of cows - something we all found quite exciting and novel.
It was quite an eye opener getting to the beach, and the beach itself. There were plenty of dead and fallen trees and very little undergrowth. Most of the trees were redgum and even along the river edge there were dying off in vast numbers. The river looked to 3-4m below where it should be and was barely flowing. It was very obvious how beautiful the area once would have been and quite disheartening to see how it is now.
By this stage we were running quite late and had to get back to Wagga Wagga fairly quickly if we were any chance of getting to the party on time.
In the end we were late .... but not by much. It was a pretty sedate evening but we got to meet our newest cousin, watch a fire, meet some people and get a feed. And we were in bed by a reasonable hour.
Sunday was back to home day. We got a bit of sleep in and had breakfast at McDonalds (by request of the kids). We returned to the scene of the previous evening's festivities to catch up in a more leisurely fashion and have many hugs with the new bub. Then it was out of there. The trip home was very easy - a stop at Gundagai for some toilet time, lunch at Yass and then straight up the Hume to home.
Geez it was nice to get back ;-)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Long Weekend
We've just had the Queens Birthday Long Weekend and it was a pretty good one.
There was no soccer so we had a pretty lazy morning - did some groceries and some general shopping (picked up a heap of cheap kids movies) and then lay around the house doing a bit of work here and there but mostly just being mellow.
The afternoon was a 'Pirates and Princesses' party. Both kids got dressed up and LGR looked pretty good. He had a pirates hat with a skulll with flashing eyes, a cool little sword and even some stubble on his face :-) Hayzey was a princess and she was quite cute.
After the party (which the kids loved but I found moderately boring) we were off to the Little Athletics presentation night. We travelled over with clans Chef and McK and met Aunt LU and Uncle AU and Lillee and Nanna at the venue for some dinner. It was a rowdy old meal - most of the kids seemed to be very wound up and several points were also feeling a little 'emotional'.
The presentation itself was over relatively quickly. LGR got a medal and a trophy. He was pleased as punch. All day long he had been talking about getting a medal so the additional trophy (his first) was a very nice touch.
On Sunday morning we finally packed up all the camping gear that we borrowed almost a year ago and returned it to the rightful owners - who may or may not have been happy to get it back :-) We also finally got a chance to sit down and have a chat, and even got some birthday cake for Nanna's pending birthday. Little Lillee bounced up and down in her Tigger harness and we all smiled and enjoyed the show. She's the type of baby that makes you think babies aren't hard work after all ....
Clan Chef came around late in the afternoon for some dinner. The them was Indian and the meal was very mellow - no chilli to be found anywhere. It surprised a few folks and the kids seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. After dinner the adults settled in for a night of card games and the kids did what the kids always do - played, fought, cried and then played some more ....
Monday was very cruisy. After taking the pups out for a run (they are big enough now to runk with me when I go running) Hayzey and I ducked out to get some stuff for lunch. When we got back home Grandma was there, and so were the Chef's. Mr Chef helped take his tools and stuff home from the fence building exercise several months back and suddenly we have a garage that we can fit cars in again.
Grandma hung around for some card games (snap, fish and something LGR created with extremely fluid rules), some lunch and a bit of post lunch nothingness. After Grandma left we all settled down for a bit of movie watching which was interrupted by a dodgy DVD player and some baths.
There was no soccer so we had a pretty lazy morning - did some groceries and some general shopping (picked up a heap of cheap kids movies) and then lay around the house doing a bit of work here and there but mostly just being mellow.
The afternoon was a 'Pirates and Princesses' party. Both kids got dressed up and LGR looked pretty good. He had a pirates hat with a skulll with flashing eyes, a cool little sword and even some stubble on his face :-) Hayzey was a princess and she was quite cute.
After the party (which the kids loved but I found moderately boring) we were off to the Little Athletics presentation night. We travelled over with clans Chef and McK and met Aunt LU and Uncle AU and Lillee and Nanna at the venue for some dinner. It was a rowdy old meal - most of the kids seemed to be very wound up and several points were also feeling a little 'emotional'.
The presentation itself was over relatively quickly. LGR got a medal and a trophy. He was pleased as punch. All day long he had been talking about getting a medal so the additional trophy (his first) was a very nice touch.
On Sunday morning we finally packed up all the camping gear that we borrowed almost a year ago and returned it to the rightful owners - who may or may not have been happy to get it back :-) We also finally got a chance to sit down and have a chat, and even got some birthday cake for Nanna's pending birthday. Little Lillee bounced up and down in her Tigger harness and we all smiled and enjoyed the show. She's the type of baby that makes you think babies aren't hard work after all ....
Clan Chef came around late in the afternoon for some dinner. The them was Indian and the meal was very mellow - no chilli to be found anywhere. It surprised a few folks and the kids seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. After dinner the adults settled in for a night of card games and the kids did what the kids always do - played, fought, cried and then played some more ....
Monday was very cruisy. After taking the pups out for a run (they are big enough now to runk with me when I go running) Hayzey and I ducked out to get some stuff for lunch. When we got back home Grandma was there, and so were the Chef's. Mr Chef helped take his tools and stuff home from the fence building exercise several months back and suddenly we have a garage that we can fit cars in again.
Grandma hung around for some card games (snap, fish and something LGR created with extremely fluid rules), some lunch and a bit of post lunch nothingness. After Grandma left we all settled down for a bit of movie watching which was interrupted by a dodgy DVD player and some baths.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Trouble ....
I had an enormous amount of trouble getting out of the house and off to work this morning. Both kids were awake (which is kind of rare in itself) and both kept asking for cuddles. What can I do but I respond? After the 7th or 8th round of this it started to get a little monotonous (but still very cute).
We're getting our Foxtel upgraded today - do the HD product. I explained to LGR that the old Foxtel box needed to disappear and we would get a new one. There were tears ... as expected. He loves the old box and the movies we have on it and now he'll never get to see them again!!! Sob, sob. I showed him some pictures of the HD box and he seemed well pleased and the tears disappeared.
---
We've just come off the quietest weekend we have had in a very long time. On Friday night Mrs Gazzarus went out for dinner with some friends and then to some sort of spending money party at someone's house. I took the kids out to pick up some dinner (KFC) and then we settled in for an evening of watching "Hook". Both kids asked to go to bed at about 19:30 and I was in bed myself by 20:00.
Saturday was soccer and then a visit from Aunt BJ. She and Mrs Gazzarus spent the afternoon making jewellery while I pottered around the place with the kids. Dinner was just the 4 of us and we were all in bed moderately early again.
Sunday was a spot of grocery and present shopping in the morning followed up by an afternoon of meandering around the house with the kids and a bunch of cooking.
All very quiet.
We're getting our Foxtel upgraded today - do the HD product. I explained to LGR that the old Foxtel box needed to disappear and we would get a new one. There were tears ... as expected. He loves the old box and the movies we have on it and now he'll never get to see them again!!! Sob, sob. I showed him some pictures of the HD box and he seemed well pleased and the tears disappeared.
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We've just come off the quietest weekend we have had in a very long time. On Friday night Mrs Gazzarus went out for dinner with some friends and then to some sort of spending money party at someone's house. I took the kids out to pick up some dinner (KFC) and then we settled in for an evening of watching "Hook". Both kids asked to go to bed at about 19:30 and I was in bed myself by 20:00.
Saturday was soccer and then a visit from Aunt BJ. She and Mrs Gazzarus spent the afternoon making jewellery while I pottered around the place with the kids. Dinner was just the 4 of us and we were all in bed moderately early again.
Sunday was a spot of grocery and present shopping in the morning followed up by an afternoon of meandering around the house with the kids and a bunch of cooking.
All very quiet.
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