LGR drew me a picture at Kindy yesterday. He does this all the time but, for whatever reason, I found this one to be particularly sweet. Maybe it was because when I arrived he gave me a huge hug and the combination of the picture and the hug made me realise that he does miss us - even though he's having fun at Kindy.
I don't know what it's a picture of. I don't suppose it matters. I love it and it will be either hung up or archived like every other picture he's ever drawn for us.
-----
I'm finding it hard to believe that people are pointing at the price of bananas and saying this is a significant contributor to the latest inflation figures. Why? I don't know anyone who buys bananas any more (although our mate at the local yoghurt shop told us he uses about 2.5 kg of bananas per day).
I blame petrol. Not only is it more expensive than I've ever known it to be (I currently consider $1.30/L to be exceptionally good value) but it is required to move just about every product and service that people use - so by being an input into consumption (discretionary or not) it has an implicit inflationary impact of it's own.
Oh well .... Since there's no viable alternative to using it (public transport is not an option in our house - our jobs and child care and even access to public transport at most destinations is nowhere near compatible) I guess we'll just keep paying more and more.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Monday, July 24, 2006
A Haircut for a Tree
I'm not sure what I wrote about last time - nor when I wrote it. I could check but I'm just too lazy at this moment in time. My life seems to have descended into a permanent state of fatigue. I'm pretty sure this is largely attributable to a combination of stupidly early starts at work and my desire to finish the book I am reading - the last couple of nights have seen me up until midnight reading.
The weekend was fun. We didn't do a lot. In fact most of the weekend was spent at home getting ready for our grand (secret) adventures this coming Friday and Saturday. We did some cleaning and packing and played some games and did cutesy little family things. It was quite nice. There were no obvious highlights; just a weekend of pleasant moments interspersed with two active, curious little kids who drove us a bit nuts from time to time.
What I will reveal is that Hayzey is looking like being the jock of the family and LGR the artistic type. It becomes more and more apparent every time we go outside. It's all very sweet and they enjoy what they do.
Why is this called 'A Haircut for a Tree'? LGR helped me prune back a tree. And it was a considerable pruning. We provided our own sound effects and had a great time going the chop on this poor old thing. Time will tell whether it sinks or swims.
The weekend was fun. We didn't do a lot. In fact most of the weekend was spent at home getting ready for our grand (secret) adventures this coming Friday and Saturday. We did some cleaning and packing and played some games and did cutesy little family things. It was quite nice. There were no obvious highlights; just a weekend of pleasant moments interspersed with two active, curious little kids who drove us a bit nuts from time to time.
What I will reveal is that Hayzey is looking like being the jock of the family and LGR the artistic type. It becomes more and more apparent every time we go outside. It's all very sweet and they enjoy what they do.
Why is this called 'A Haircut for a Tree'? LGR helped me prune back a tree. And it was a considerable pruning. We provided our own sound effects and had a great time going the chop on this poor old thing. Time will tell whether it sinks or swims.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Afternoon Snooze
I got the chance to have an afternoon snooze today. So I took it. With pleasure. When I woke up I was very cold and didn't feel any less tired but the knowledge I had a sleep was good enough. This only came about because I started work at 03:00 this morning and almost fell asleep during our lunch break ...
Hayzey has been very talkative this evening. When Mrs G got home from work Hayzey rushed out to the kitchen (to find me) and proceeded to ramble endlessly about something. Then she finished it up with a small "Yeah?"
Very cute.
LGR's cuteness comes from his obsession with preparing us food using some toy cooking and food things he has. There's always a request to place an order and when the food is delivered a demand for some cash. Tonight I got a random assortment of veges and it cost me $12.
Hayzey has been very talkative this evening. When Mrs G got home from work Hayzey rushed out to the kitchen (to find me) and proceeded to ramble endlessly about something. Then she finished it up with a small "Yeah?"
Very cute.
LGR's cuteness comes from his obsession with preparing us food using some toy cooking and food things he has. There's always a request to place an order and when the food is delivered a demand for some cash. Tonight I got a random assortment of veges and it cost me $12.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Rudimentary Effort
I don't really have a lot to say about today. My work day was frustrating. I may have had my current job for 8 or 9 months but sometimes I feel like I still don't have a clue about what's going on. Other days I feel as though I'm on top of it all. I guess that's they (whoever they are) mean about having a challenging day.
I left for work before LGR woke up this morning. Rumour has it he was quite upset that I got Hayzey out of bed but not him. I would have loved to been home with him but ....
-----
On a political note - I quite like the kerfuffle that's been generated about George W Bush saying the word 'shit' during what he thought was a private conversation. Regardless of whatever anyone thinks of him I sure we will all admit the guy is still human and quite capable of uttering the occasional profanity. String him up for a lot of things but not this one ... There are bigger issues.
And while I'm at it - how is it that 45% of Australians surveyed believe John Howard had a deal with Pete Costello about the Liberal party leadership, and then subsequently broke it, but about 70% of these same people believe JH is the best person to lead the Libs, and Australia. Very bizarre.
I suppose it doesn't matter however - both of these gentlemen would run rings around the current Labor leadership.
I left for work before LGR woke up this morning. Rumour has it he was quite upset that I got Hayzey out of bed but not him. I would have loved to been home with him but ....
-----
On a political note - I quite like the kerfuffle that's been generated about George W Bush saying the word 'shit' during what he thought was a private conversation. Regardless of whatever anyone thinks of him I sure we will all admit the guy is still human and quite capable of uttering the occasional profanity. String him up for a lot of things but not this one ... There are bigger issues.
And while I'm at it - how is it that 45% of Australians surveyed believe John Howard had a deal with Pete Costello about the Liberal party leadership, and then subsequently broke it, but about 70% of these same people believe JH is the best person to lead the Libs, and Australia. Very bizarre.
I suppose it doesn't matter however - both of these gentlemen would run rings around the current Labor leadership.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Last Day
This evening I was astounded to find out LGR doesn't eat Rice Bubbles. He only has Weet Bix for breakfast.
I did manage to get an explanation from him:
"Yesterday Tommy (his teddy bear) told me this is my last day of eating Rice Bubbles. Now I just eat Weet Bix. Until after Christmas."
I'm glad we got this sorted out. It should make breakfast time (if I'm ever around for breakfast again - I left for work at 03:00 this morning ...) much easier.
I did manage to get an explanation from him:
"Yesterday Tommy (his teddy bear) told me this is my last day of eating Rice Bubbles. Now I just eat Weet Bix. Until after Christmas."
I'm glad we got this sorted out. It should make breakfast time (if I'm ever around for breakfast again - I left for work at 03:00 this morning ...) much easier.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Dancing
We've had a busy couple of days.
Saturday was a trip up the Mountains to visit Grandma, and then Nanna.
We left home in some pretty good rain and on the way up found more rain, and fog, and even some dry patches. It was a reasonable drive and very nice to see that the catchment was a good, all over covering of water.
Not a lot happened at Grandma's. We had some lunch and played some games and had some arguments. I got a bit restless - it was a wet, misty day in the mountains after all.
But suddenly, at about 15:00, it got very noisy. The Clan McK and the Zoo Cows all arrived, simultaneously, for a vist. 6 kids in a small, weatherboard cottage on a wet day ... Very loud.
The kids had a bunch of fun and the adults had some adult type conversations. It was nice but, as usual, I ate too much .
We ended up whipping over to Nanna's place at about 17:00 and had some dinner. We had to leave about 19:30 because of tired kids and had a very interesting trip home. There was rain, fog, dry road, accidents, detours .... everything. We also had the immense of listening to the Wobbly Wallabies belt the crap out of the South Africans. And the Eagles managing to beat South Sydney.
Sunday was pretty low key. We did very little apart from some groceries. Aunt BJ came over for dinner and we had some very fancy, but not very tasty, canneloni. I keep telling myself it was the effort that counted. As always it was nice to be with friends; but this time it was somewhat sombre because Aunt BJ is moving interstate in about two weeks.
Then it was Monday. The highlight of my day was coming home from work and having a little disco with the kids. We played some Lynryd Skynyrd (sp?), The Knack, MC Hammer, U2, Jet, Jamiroquai and Outkast. All sorts of things. They danced to all of it and thought it was fantastic. So did I - the kidlets were beautifully cute and they had a ball.
Saturday was a trip up the Mountains to visit Grandma, and then Nanna.
We left home in some pretty good rain and on the way up found more rain, and fog, and even some dry patches. It was a reasonable drive and very nice to see that the catchment was a good, all over covering of water.
Not a lot happened at Grandma's. We had some lunch and played some games and had some arguments. I got a bit restless - it was a wet, misty day in the mountains after all.
But suddenly, at about 15:00, it got very noisy. The Clan McK and the Zoo Cows all arrived, simultaneously, for a vist. 6 kids in a small, weatherboard cottage on a wet day ... Very loud.
The kids had a bunch of fun and the adults had some adult type conversations. It was nice but, as usual, I ate too much .
We ended up whipping over to Nanna's place at about 17:00 and had some dinner. We had to leave about 19:30 because of tired kids and had a very interesting trip home. There was rain, fog, dry road, accidents, detours .... everything. We also had the immense of listening to the Wobbly Wallabies belt the crap out of the South Africans. And the Eagles managing to beat South Sydney.
Sunday was pretty low key. We did very little apart from some groceries. Aunt BJ came over for dinner and we had some very fancy, but not very tasty, canneloni. I keep telling myself it was the effort that counted. As always it was nice to be with friends; but this time it was somewhat sombre because Aunt BJ is moving interstate in about two weeks.
Then it was Monday. The highlight of my day was coming home from work and having a little disco with the kids. We played some Lynryd Skynyrd (sp?), The Knack, MC Hammer, U2, Jet, Jamiroquai and Outkast. All sorts of things. They danced to all of it and thought it was fantastic. So did I - the kidlets were beautifully cute and they had a ball.
Friday, July 14, 2006
What Happened?
I'm not sure what happened with the kids today - I barely saw them.
I got up at about 05:15 and showered and took off to play some golf. This lasted until about 09:00 and then I rocked on up to work. Busy day. Much achieved. Whatever .....
Ended up getting home at about 18:45 feeling very tired and a bit overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the kids. They were loud; but I don't know what they did today.
What I do know is we've got a pretty big weekend planned and I'm looking forward to it. You guys out there will have to wait to find out what happens :-)
I got up at about 05:15 and showered and took off to play some golf. This lasted until about 09:00 and then I rocked on up to work. Busy day. Much achieved. Whatever .....
Ended up getting home at about 18:45 feeling very tired and a bit overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the kids. They were loud; but I don't know what they did today.
What I do know is we've got a pretty big weekend planned and I'm looking forward to it. You guys out there will have to wait to find out what happens :-)
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Steel Trap
LGR asked about his Wiggles cup yesterday. The one with the flip lid and the string to put around your neck.
This is interesting because he hasn't asked about it for five months. When quizzed about when he last used it he told Mrs G he used it at Wiggles World. This is correct. We also lost the cup at Wiggles World .... It amazes that he can tell us, correctly, when he last used it.
A mind like a steel trap :-)
Hayzey has an ear infection; and has been given a crapload of medicine to see if we can get it to go away. This is the 3rd or 4th infection this year and the doctor mentioned a surgical remediation. I felt kind of queasy hearing this. It's the same operation I had as a kid. Difference is that I was a bit older. We've agreed to regular visits to get the ear checked over winter and spring and some diligent monitoring. There is a chance that she will get through this. I hope.
The doctor also mentioned, that statistically speaking, Hayz will have cold symptoms until approximately September ...
This is interesting because he hasn't asked about it for five months. When quizzed about when he last used it he told Mrs G he used it at Wiggles World. This is correct. We also lost the cup at Wiggles World .... It amazes that he can tell us, correctly, when he last used it.
A mind like a steel trap :-)
Hayzey has an ear infection; and has been given a crapload of medicine to see if we can get it to go away. This is the 3rd or 4th infection this year and the doctor mentioned a surgical remediation. I felt kind of queasy hearing this. It's the same operation I had as a kid. Difference is that I was a bit older. We've agreed to regular visits to get the ear checked over winter and spring and some diligent monitoring. There is a chance that she will get through this. I hope.
The doctor also mentioned, that statistically speaking, Hayz will have cold symptoms until approximately September ...
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
To Sleep
Please - let us get some. Sleep that is.
Poor Hayzey is not a happy camper. We're visiting the doctor this afternoon but I'm pretty sure she has some sort of ear/nose/throat issue that is causing her large amounts of distress - particularly at night time.
As a consequence she is waking quite regularly and sometimes not going back to sleep as fast as we would like. Sometimes she stays in a crying/sleeping/distressed state for 2-3 hours. Which keeps Mummy and Daddy awake.
Hayzey still has her daytime sleep but that luxury is not extended to Mummy or Daddy.
---
It's not all bad though. LGR is much better. Mrs G is sort of better. I'm getting worse but am not as crook as Mrs G yet.
It will be nice when we are all healthy again :-)
Poor Hayzey is not a happy camper. We're visiting the doctor this afternoon but I'm pretty sure she has some sort of ear/nose/throat issue that is causing her large amounts of distress - particularly at night time.
As a consequence she is waking quite regularly and sometimes not going back to sleep as fast as we would like. Sometimes she stays in a crying/sleeping/distressed state for 2-3 hours. Which keeps Mummy and Daddy awake.
Hayzey still has her daytime sleep but that luxury is not extended to Mummy or Daddy.
---
It's not all bad though. LGR is much better. Mrs G is sort of better. I'm getting worse but am not as crook as Mrs G yet.
It will be nice when we are all healthy again :-)
Monday, July 10, 2006
Shunned; With a Story
This morning Hayzey decided she didn't like me. Mrs G and I combined to put her eyedrops in, but for some reason I bore the brunt of her anger. When I left for work I asked her for a cuddle.
"No."
Maybe a kiss?
"No."
Will you blow me a kiss?
"No."
Wave goodbye?
"No."
Hmmm ....
When I got home it looked like it was a continuation. Luckily, for me, this was shortlived and I received a huge hug after changing Hayzey into her night time nappy.
-----
A story from LGR (as spoken to me):
Once, there were 2 kiddies sleeping on their bed and then they started jumping up and down on the bed because it was a very exciting day. Their Mum said "Why are you jumping up and down on the bed?" and they said "Because, because we're going to Dreamworld to visit Wiggles World."
And then they had their breakfast and then they changed into their clothes and then they hopped in the car and buckled up and then drove, drove, drove for a long time to Dreamworld.
And then they were there. They walked a long way and Mummy saw the Wiggles World sign and they jumped up and down again. They went inside and then Mummy said "What should we do first?".
"Go on the Big Red Car Ride" said the little boy.
And then .... and then ....
and then they went on the pirate boat and next was Wags who said "Woof woof" and they shaked hands with Wags and walked off. Then they saw Dorothy and then Henry and they shaked his hand too.
Captain Feathersword was sick.
Then they just walked home. In their car.
That's the end of the first story.
"No."
Maybe a kiss?
"No."
Will you blow me a kiss?
"No."
Wave goodbye?
"No."
Hmmm ....
When I got home it looked like it was a continuation. Luckily, for me, this was shortlived and I received a huge hug after changing Hayzey into her night time nappy.
-----
A story from LGR (as spoken to me):
Once, there were 2 kiddies sleeping on their bed and then they started jumping up and down on the bed because it was a very exciting day. Their Mum said "Why are you jumping up and down on the bed?" and they said "Because, because we're going to Dreamworld to visit Wiggles World."
And then they had their breakfast and then they changed into their clothes and then they hopped in the car and buckled up and then drove, drove, drove for a long time to Dreamworld.
And then they were there. They walked a long way and Mummy saw the Wiggles World sign and they jumped up and down again. They went inside and then Mummy said "What should we do first?".
"Go on the Big Red Car Ride" said the little boy.
And then .... and then ....
and then they went on the pirate boat and next was Wags who said "Woof woof" and they shaked hands with Wags and walked off. Then they saw Dorothy and then Henry and they shaked his hand too.
Captain Feathersword was sick.
Then they just walked home. In their car.
That's the end of the first story.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
A Tantrum
Hayzey threw the biggest tantrum I have seen either of my kids throw earlier today. In Bunnings.
She and LGR had been playing on the instore play equipment and Mrs G decided it was time to go (I was off doing man things). Hayzey just about screamed the place down. I heard them about 30s before they arrived where I was. To top it all off LGR was walking next to Mrs G (who was holding a screaming Hayzey) yelling, at the top of his lungs, "Daddy! We're ready Daddy!".
Poor Hayz is quite crook. She woke up with both eyes more or less closed over because of conjunctivitis and her was plastered to her face because of dried snot. One bath later and she was clean.
On a lighter note LGR has begun counting down the days until the next Wiggles show. It's probably about 150 days but he doesn't care. We've got pretty good seats this time around - 2nd row of the floor section of the Entertainment Centre. Last time I was on the Ent Cent floor I was about 16 or 17 and I definitely wasn't watching the Wiggles ...
I went for another run today - this time staying out for 15 minutes but doing the same walk/run thing. My running intervals varied from 30 to 60 seconds, and in all I probably ran for a grand total of 5-6 minutes?? More importantly my knee felt ok today and there was some fluency to my stride. There was also a marked increase in the perception of strength levels.
Before I finish I must mention tonight's dinner. We made pizza. This is done completely from scratch - we make our own bases, prepare all the ingredients and then build them to our personal tastes. For LGR this always means ham, pineapple and nothing else. No exceptions.
I usually try to make the biggest, chunkiest pizza I can but tonight did the less is more thing. And it was fantastic. I used a capsicum salsa as the sauce and made three small pizzas - one with tomato and basil, one with ham and mushroom and one with tuna, chilli and onion. All were topped with a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan cheese. All were gorgeous. And to top it off we opened a very nice Hungerford Hill Shiraz Viognier which went very well with the pizza.
If I'd paid for the meal I would have been quite satisfied. Knowing I made it myself made it that much better :-)
She and LGR had been playing on the instore play equipment and Mrs G decided it was time to go (I was off doing man things). Hayzey just about screamed the place down. I heard them about 30s before they arrived where I was. To top it all off LGR was walking next to Mrs G (who was holding a screaming Hayzey) yelling, at the top of his lungs, "Daddy! We're ready Daddy!".
Poor Hayz is quite crook. She woke up with both eyes more or less closed over because of conjunctivitis and her was plastered to her face because of dried snot. One bath later and she was clean.
On a lighter note LGR has begun counting down the days until the next Wiggles show. It's probably about 150 days but he doesn't care. We've got pretty good seats this time around - 2nd row of the floor section of the Entertainment Centre. Last time I was on the Ent Cent floor I was about 16 or 17 and I definitely wasn't watching the Wiggles ...
I went for another run today - this time staying out for 15 minutes but doing the same walk/run thing. My running intervals varied from 30 to 60 seconds, and in all I probably ran for a grand total of 5-6 minutes?? More importantly my knee felt ok today and there was some fluency to my stride. There was also a marked increase in the perception of strength levels.
Before I finish I must mention tonight's dinner. We made pizza. This is done completely from scratch - we make our own bases, prepare all the ingredients and then build them to our personal tastes. For LGR this always means ham, pineapple and nothing else. No exceptions.
I usually try to make the biggest, chunkiest pizza I can but tonight did the less is more thing. And it was fantastic. I used a capsicum salsa as the sauce and made three small pizzas - one with tomato and basil, one with ham and mushroom and one with tuna, chilli and onion. All were topped with a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan cheese. All were gorgeous. And to top it off we opened a very nice Hungerford Hill Shiraz Viognier which went very well with the pizza.
If I'd paid for the meal I would have been quite satisfied. Knowing I made it myself made it that much better :-)
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Eyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose
The kidlets seem to have gotten over conjunctivitis pretty quickly; but have replaced it (in Hayzey's case) with a ripper of a snotty nose. LGR's pretty good. Swimming lessons in the morning are a good thing - half an hour in the pool makes the dried on boogers much easier to remove :-(
Mrs G is also quite crook - almost complete loss of voice, sore throat and chest. Not good.
We had an interesting day today. Went to a 1st birthday for the Junior Zoo Cow. Many, many kids at this gathering and some very nice food too. Probably ate a little too much.
We also finalised a decision about some changes we want to make to the house. We saw something in a brochure while getting a measure and quote during the week and questioned it today. We were offered some alternatives, came home with some samples and were very glad we questioned our original decision. All very cryptic I know; but I want to keep this one sort of hidden until it happens. Which might be soon.
I was reading to Hayzey tonight and she started pointing to a picture of a monkey and saying "Mummy" over and over. A bit weird. I would have thought she might have associated monkey with Daddy but who knows what's going on in there ...
Final note - the Eagles have broken a 3 match losing streak tonight, and the Wallabies have broken a 3 match winning streak. I love Rugby Union but have more involvement in the Rugby League - primarly because I am currently 3 points in front in the work tipping comp and stand to win a tidy sum if I maintain some form. 2 from 2 so far this weekend :-)
Mrs G is also quite crook - almost complete loss of voice, sore throat and chest. Not good.
We had an interesting day today. Went to a 1st birthday for the Junior Zoo Cow. Many, many kids at this gathering and some very nice food too. Probably ate a little too much.
We also finalised a decision about some changes we want to make to the house. We saw something in a brochure while getting a measure and quote during the week and questioned it today. We were offered some alternatives, came home with some samples and were very glad we questioned our original decision. All very cryptic I know; but I want to keep this one sort of hidden until it happens. Which might be soon.
I was reading to Hayzey tonight and she started pointing to a picture of a monkey and saying "Mummy" over and over. A bit weird. I would have thought she might have associated monkey with Daddy but who knows what's going on in there ...
Final note - the Eagles have broken a 3 match losing streak tonight, and the Wallabies have broken a 3 match winning streak. I love Rugby Union but have more involvement in the Rugby League - primarly because I am currently 3 points in front in the work tipping comp and stand to win a tidy sum if I maintain some form. 2 from 2 so far this weekend :-)
Friday, July 07, 2006
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Back Again
What's the single best way of ensuring no-one returns to your page? Don't update it ....
Shame on me.
No need to worry though - back online with plenty to say. Right? We've done heaps but as is usual it can't be recalled in hindsight.
Not all of it anyway.
Clan Jones travelled down the highway a few weeks back to visit Pampar. Aunt LJ and UAl also made the trip and a pretty good time was had by all. We went to a park and fed some ducks, visited some markets, looked at some display homes, had some food and generally had a nice time. We don't get down there enough.
What else? We've spent some time up in the mountains but not for any particular reason. There was the Winter Magic Festival which was as exciting as always. A few other trips (maybe just one??) but I feel like been there heaps of late.
The kidlets are becoming quite the handful. Hayzey is into everything and is far more bold than LJ was at the same age (and is now, and probably ever will be). If she can grab something she will, if it's climbable she'll figure it out and if it can be lifted it can be thrown. It's all fun though.
LGR is becoming, if possible, even more diligent and well mannered. He tries to be so mature and responsible and pulls it off a very large portion of the time. He's truly gorgeous and we're both so proud of the efforts he makes.
For those that care I was given permission to jog (not run) so I went out yesterday and for a period of 10 minutes I walked 90 seconds and then jogged 30 seconds. My knee felt very weak, but not sore. The end is now truly in sight.
I'll keep it short tonight - and will do my best to put in some more frequent updates. Once every 3 weeks is not really good enough!!
Shame on me.
No need to worry though - back online with plenty to say. Right? We've done heaps but as is usual it can't be recalled in hindsight.
Not all of it anyway.
Clan Jones travelled down the highway a few weeks back to visit Pampar. Aunt LJ and UAl also made the trip and a pretty good time was had by all. We went to a park and fed some ducks, visited some markets, looked at some display homes, had some food and generally had a nice time. We don't get down there enough.
What else? We've spent some time up in the mountains but not for any particular reason. There was the Winter Magic Festival which was as exciting as always. A few other trips (maybe just one??) but I feel like been there heaps of late.
The kidlets are becoming quite the handful. Hayzey is into everything and is far more bold than LJ was at the same age (and is now, and probably ever will be). If she can grab something she will, if it's climbable she'll figure it out and if it can be lifted it can be thrown. It's all fun though.
LGR is becoming, if possible, even more diligent and well mannered. He tries to be so mature and responsible and pulls it off a very large portion of the time. He's truly gorgeous and we're both so proud of the efforts he makes.
For those that care I was given permission to jog (not run) so I went out yesterday and for a period of 10 minutes I walked 90 seconds and then jogged 30 seconds. My knee felt very weak, but not sore. The end is now truly in sight.
I'll keep it short tonight - and will do my best to put in some more frequent updates. Once every 3 weeks is not really good enough!!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Long Weekend
We've had a very, very weird long weekend. There were some fantastic moments and some very unsettling moments.
--
Manly beat the Tigers on Friday night. This was particularly sweet - I got home from work on Friday night to find posters supporting the Tigers all over the lounge room and LGR saying "The Tigers will leave the Eagles behind".
He who laughs last laughs longest ...
Saturday was a fairly normal day - swimming lessons (Hayley is at level Duck 2 - and she let everyone know this by quacking like a duck for the whole lesson) followed by some groceries. We then went out to Nepean Hospital to visit Nanna - she's been in hospital for a while and nobody is really sure what is going on.
The kids were kind enough to stay quiet for about an hour and then we had to shoot through. Clan McK were coming over for dinner - and it was a very nice dinner indeed. The kids played nicely for the most part and I thoroughly enjoyed cooking a BBQ on the deck while listening to rain pound on the roof.
Sunday was a day off - almost. It was Mum's birthday and a small gathering was held at Aunt LJ's place. We also found that Mum's brothers wife had a massive heart attack and was in intensive care (and unconscious) in hospital. Not real good ...
Lunch was nice. We had some sausages and steak and potato bake and a couple of salads. Aunt LJ made a very sweet and lemony meringue which I enjoyed immensely. Gifts were given, some giggles had and I think a good time experienced by all. From here it was back over to the hospital to vist Nanna again and then home.
The day's drama wasn't over. We got a few phone calls telling us Grandma was crook and on the verge of being readmitted to hospital. Mrs G was set to go up to look after her but in the end this didn't happen. It really wasn't a good day for health issues ....
On a postive note the Wallabies finally won a test match - and beat the English while doing it. Not much of a game but the result was there. LGR tried very bravely to watch the game but at about 20:30 conceded defeat and asked me to take him upstairs for some sleep.
Monday rolled around and we all had a nice sleep in - all the way to 07:15. We ventured down to the movies with Clan McK to watch 'Cars' - an animated kids movie. I think the adults liked it more than the kids - or perhaps 2 hours is just too long for kids to pay attention? The cinema was weird - they only opened their doors 10 minutes before the movie was due to start and then the pre-booked 'Express Queue' failed to materialise. I think the movie ended up starting about 30 minutes late ...
After the movie it was outside for some lunch, and a chance for the kids to scamper around maniacally on some toys. Fatigue started to set in and some tears were seen so we called it a day and went home.
---
So that's the weekend :-)
--
Manly beat the Tigers on Friday night. This was particularly sweet - I got home from work on Friday night to find posters supporting the Tigers all over the lounge room and LGR saying "The Tigers will leave the Eagles behind".
He who laughs last laughs longest ...
Saturday was a fairly normal day - swimming lessons (Hayley is at level Duck 2 - and she let everyone know this by quacking like a duck for the whole lesson) followed by some groceries. We then went out to Nepean Hospital to visit Nanna - she's been in hospital for a while and nobody is really sure what is going on.
The kids were kind enough to stay quiet for about an hour and then we had to shoot through. Clan McK were coming over for dinner - and it was a very nice dinner indeed. The kids played nicely for the most part and I thoroughly enjoyed cooking a BBQ on the deck while listening to rain pound on the roof.
Sunday was a day off - almost. It was Mum's birthday and a small gathering was held at Aunt LJ's place. We also found that Mum's brothers wife had a massive heart attack and was in intensive care (and unconscious) in hospital. Not real good ...
Lunch was nice. We had some sausages and steak and potato bake and a couple of salads. Aunt LJ made a very sweet and lemony meringue which I enjoyed immensely. Gifts were given, some giggles had and I think a good time experienced by all. From here it was back over to the hospital to vist Nanna again and then home.
The day's drama wasn't over. We got a few phone calls telling us Grandma was crook and on the verge of being readmitted to hospital. Mrs G was set to go up to look after her but in the end this didn't happen. It really wasn't a good day for health issues ....
On a postive note the Wallabies finally won a test match - and beat the English while doing it. Not much of a game but the result was there. LGR tried very bravely to watch the game but at about 20:30 conceded defeat and asked me to take him upstairs for some sleep.
Monday rolled around and we all had a nice sleep in - all the way to 07:15. We ventured down to the movies with Clan McK to watch 'Cars' - an animated kids movie. I think the adults liked it more than the kids - or perhaps 2 hours is just too long for kids to pay attention? The cinema was weird - they only opened their doors 10 minutes before the movie was due to start and then the pre-booked 'Express Queue' failed to materialise. I think the movie ended up starting about 30 minutes late ...
After the movie it was outside for some lunch, and a chance for the kids to scamper around maniacally on some toys. Fatigue started to set in and some tears were seen so we called it a day and went home.
---
So that's the weekend :-)
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Reading
Everyone in Clan Jones loves to read.
Hayzey will grab two or three books and bring them to the nearest adult (while chanting "ook ook ook"). She hands them over, clambers up onto a knee or lap and then turns the pages faster than that person can read. Once they have been looked over she hops down, puts the books back and almost always brings some more. And so on and so forth.
LGR is different. He likes one book at a time, and he likes to take his time. He asks a lot of questions and is very keen to immerse himself in the emotions and actions of the characters.
Mrs G reads all sorts of things. Of late there's been a lot of non-fiction.
And myself? I've just been through a massive Richard North Patterson binge (which follows on from Clive Barker, Dan Simmons, Alan Gold and Nelson DeMille binges) but my latest passion is 'The Dark Tower' series by Stephen King. I am finally reading book 7 - the final book.
At a guess I'd say the series spans 3000-4000 pages, and it ties in elements of almost every book he has ever written. It's fascinating to watch all these seemingly disparate stories bind together and merge into an all encompassing tale. I'll be quite sad when I reach the end of the book; but that won't stop me reading.
---
My knee is getting along. I can swim and ride a bike, but not run. Probably in July for that one. It's a bit frustrating right now. My knee is fine when I walk but I know that if I run I'll injure myself and be right back where I started.
But I want to run dammit!!
Patience is a virtue and I need some right now .....
Hayzey will grab two or three books and bring them to the nearest adult (while chanting "ook ook ook"). She hands them over, clambers up onto a knee or lap and then turns the pages faster than that person can read. Once they have been looked over she hops down, puts the books back and almost always brings some more. And so on and so forth.
LGR is different. He likes one book at a time, and he likes to take his time. He asks a lot of questions and is very keen to immerse himself in the emotions and actions of the characters.
Mrs G reads all sorts of things. Of late there's been a lot of non-fiction.
And myself? I've just been through a massive Richard North Patterson binge (which follows on from Clive Barker, Dan Simmons, Alan Gold and Nelson DeMille binges) but my latest passion is 'The Dark Tower' series by Stephen King. I am finally reading book 7 - the final book.
At a guess I'd say the series spans 3000-4000 pages, and it ties in elements of almost every book he has ever written. It's fascinating to watch all these seemingly disparate stories bind together and merge into an all encompassing tale. I'll be quite sad when I reach the end of the book; but that won't stop me reading.
---
My knee is getting along. I can swim and ride a bike, but not run. Probably in July for that one. It's a bit frustrating right now. My knee is fine when I walk but I know that if I run I'll injure myself and be right back where I started.
But I want to run dammit!!
Patience is a virtue and I need some right now .....
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Friday, June 02, 2006
More
Every day I see the kiddies do something, or say something, and think to myself "I need to put this on the web. I need to record it for all eternity; and to share it with others."
But I don't do it. Time is short, and growing shorter with each day/week/month that goes by. I've people say that time seems to go faster as you get older and I'm discovering, to my dismay, that this is very true.
---
Last Friday (that's a long time back) I went out to dinner with about 40 or so people to celebrate Aunt BJ graduating and being formally given the title of Doctor of Philosophy. It was at a little restaurant in Balmain and it was a fine old evening. Nicely done BJ.
---
Sunday evening was a nice one for us. Uncle G turned up and stayed for dinner. Both kids were very excited and were in a beautiful mood. It was one of those rare nights where someone else got to see the kids as we see them. To top it off Mrs Gazzarus cooked the most magnificent roast chicken I have ever had. It was fantastic and there was a very significant temptation to eat much more than I did.
---
I can't recall specific anecdotes about the kids but can assure you they are beautiful. LGR is growing and learning and questioning every day. Hayzey is doing the same, but in a much more innocent fashion.
But I don't do it. Time is short, and growing shorter with each day/week/month that goes by. I've people say that time seems to go faster as you get older and I'm discovering, to my dismay, that this is very true.
---
Last Friday (that's a long time back) I went out to dinner with about 40 or so people to celebrate Aunt BJ graduating and being formally given the title of Doctor of Philosophy. It was at a little restaurant in Balmain and it was a fine old evening. Nicely done BJ.
---
Sunday evening was a nice one for us. Uncle G turned up and stayed for dinner. Both kids were very excited and were in a beautiful mood. It was one of those rare nights where someone else got to see the kids as we see them. To top it off Mrs Gazzarus cooked the most magnificent roast chicken I have ever had. It was fantastic and there was a very significant temptation to eat much more than I did.
---
I can't recall specific anecdotes about the kids but can assure you they are beautiful. LGR is growing and learning and questioning every day. Hayzey is doing the same, but in a much more innocent fashion.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
A Paternal Side
LGR is being very paternal towards his teddy bear (aka Tommy). He makes sure Tommy has enough food and drink, is kept warm, gets medical care (from Dr LGR), gets tucked into bed at night, has friends to play with during the day etc etc. It is very, very sweet and interesting to see how gentle he is when this is all happening.
---
Sport. Watched State of Origin last night and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. It probably helps that the good guys won but the game itself was quite interesting; if not a wee bit underskilled. I think I enjoyed the physicallity of the game - in many ways it was every bit as physical as the Origin games I remember from my much younger days.
And if Steve Menzies is not playing the best footy he has every played then I'm not typing this stuff out. Fantastic footballer and getting better as he gets older.
I've just finished watching the soccer - Australia vs Greece. By the time this is read everyone knows Australia won the game; which is a good effort considering up to 1/3 of the potential run on side was injured. For all that however it was a deadset boring game and I ended up spending most of the second half doing the ironing. I think the sport has got a way to go in Australia - but it's definitely getting there.
---
I can now walk without a limp. There is still some pain, my vastus medialis oblongatus has atrophied to a degree that I have trouble comprehending and my Iliotibial Band is quite tight; but the limp is gone. When I concentrate on making it be gone.
I saw the surgeon the other day and he was quite happy with my progress. He said he would expect it to be 6 weeks between operation and running; so I have about 4 weeks to go. He also advised me not to do anything stupid - which I guess means don't run before the knee is ready.
---
Sport. Watched State of Origin last night and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. It probably helps that the good guys won but the game itself was quite interesting; if not a wee bit underskilled. I think I enjoyed the physicallity of the game - in many ways it was every bit as physical as the Origin games I remember from my much younger days.
And if Steve Menzies is not playing the best footy he has every played then I'm not typing this stuff out. Fantastic footballer and getting better as he gets older.
I've just finished watching the soccer - Australia vs Greece. By the time this is read everyone knows Australia won the game; which is a good effort considering up to 1/3 of the potential run on side was injured. For all that however it was a deadset boring game and I ended up spending most of the second half doing the ironing. I think the sport has got a way to go in Australia - but it's definitely getting there.
---
I can now walk without a limp. There is still some pain, my vastus medialis oblongatus has atrophied to a degree that I have trouble comprehending and my Iliotibial Band is quite tight; but the limp is gone. When I concentrate on making it be gone.
I saw the surgeon the other day and he was quite happy with my progress. He said he would expect it to be 6 weeks between operation and running; so I have about 4 weeks to go. He also advised me not to do anything stupid - which I guess means don't run before the knee is ready.
Monday, May 22, 2006
The Chicken Dance
Hayzey has discovered that she can do the chicken dance, and she does it at the weirdest times. Last week she did whilst eating a chicken McNugget (a nice touch of irony) and apparently also did one for a statue of Ronald McDonald. I personally have seen her do it in the middle of a restaurant full of people.
I've also seen her make train noises while reading Thomas the Tank Engine stories.
Mimicry is also becoming a skill. It is more and more frequent that Hayzey hears someone say a word or a phrase and tries to copy. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't but it's almost always cute.
LGR has discovered the sublime thrill of running - he's nuts for it right now and is particularly fascinated by the idea of racing. I think he likes the idea of being able to run faster than me. For the time being ......
Mrs G is finished her study for a while - all 10 assignments were handed in last week and a massive sense of release ensued. We have about two months before the next bout of study; but the next lot should be a little more sensibly paced.
My knee is getting better. I've been able to work comfortably for a couple of days now but have developed a limp. This is partly habit and partly muscular. I've been using a 'special' straight legged technique to try to get rid of it and this appears to be working.
I'm also allowed back in the pool and can do gentle cycling on an exercise bike. I might be allowed to ride on the road next week but still no sign of running.
I've also seen her make train noises while reading Thomas the Tank Engine stories.
Mimicry is also becoming a skill. It is more and more frequent that Hayzey hears someone say a word or a phrase and tries to copy. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't but it's almost always cute.
LGR has discovered the sublime thrill of running - he's nuts for it right now and is particularly fascinated by the idea of racing. I think he likes the idea of being able to run faster than me. For the time being ......
Mrs G is finished her study for a while - all 10 assignments were handed in last week and a massive sense of release ensued. We have about two months before the next bout of study; but the next lot should be a little more sensibly paced.
My knee is getting better. I've been able to work comfortably for a couple of days now but have developed a limp. This is partly habit and partly muscular. I've been using a 'special' straight legged technique to try to get rid of it and this appears to be working.
I'm also allowed back in the pool and can do gentle cycling on an exercise bike. I might be allowed to ride on the road next week but still no sign of running.
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