In Jail

With The Kids

I Like This Car

Haircuts

The kiddies got their school haircuts tonight. It was an experience.

Hayz sat in the chair like the regal princess she knows she is. She was pleased as punch with the attention she was getting and sucked up every minute of it. In all she had maybe 1.5 inches of length removed but the ends were a bit frazzled from the accumulated sun, sand and suncream of the last 6 weeks. She looks much better.

LGR was a funny one. Initially he was going to shave his head but in the end decided to go for a short back and sides with a bit of length on top. Halfway through the cut the dresser brushed the hair on top of his head to the side. I have never seen a radiant, glowing and thoroughly golden head of hair in my life. The dresser told LGR that women paid a lot of money for hair that thick and with that colour. "So?" was his unimpressed reply.

It's shorter now - and he looks 2-3 years older.

Amazed

It's been almost 3 years since we got our 'big black beast' - which means the lease is nearly up. We've done a bit of research on the replacement vehicle and have come up with a shortlist of 3.5 vehicles - Toyota Kluger, Mazda CX-9 and Ford Territory. The half is a Holden Sportswagon - just in case none of the others measure up. After yesterday it's more like a 3/4 option ....

We drove the Kluger first. When I booked my test I requested an AWD Grande. It's about as close as you can get to a 4WD without being one. Turned up and they didn't have one - despite assuring me during the week they did. Great start ....

Not a bad drive. Quite nice in fact. Responsive motor, good handling dynamics, quiet and quite light feeling. A few bad things about - namely I can't get the options I want in the combination I want. As an example I like the Grande but hate the faux wood finishings and don't want SatNav. If I drop down a level I can't get the sunroof, keyless entry and power tailgate (which is very heavy). Not sure what to do here but quite a nice ride.

Next driven was a Territory Ghia. Soft and comfortable ride - slighly more corner roll than the Kluger and much harder to get moving. Not great but not horrible. We checked a bit closer. The 3rd row of seats are a joke - the floor is literally 2 inches lower than the seat meaning LGR had his knees around his ears. To layout the floor flat is a lot of work. I can't see us getting one of these.

While in the dealership the kids spotted a beautiful black FPV Falcon. I saw it too - but Mrs J has made any notions of getting that one disappear. So much for our democratic voting system (which, if you are interested gives one car vote to each kid and two votes to the adults. Clearly someone was outvoted but it turns out there's some unwritten veto right built into the system).

But the surprise of the day was the Mazda CX-9. You all know where I live so I won't say which dealer it was but during the week I spoke to them and made a booking. Turned up yesterday and was told there was no booking, and they wouldn't have made a booking because they were having a sale. I asked if I could test one anyway and they said no test drive unless I was going to buy on the spot. They were too busy to take people for tests. I looked around and there were at least 3 staff lounging around doing nothing .... I told them that was cool and I'd find another dealer. So we left. They chased us out the door with a bit of 'Come back. We'll see what we can do." - while still denying we'd made previous arrangements.

So, a salesman came over, said he'd be with us in a few minutes and then went to speak to someone else. After 10 minutes we got sick of the whole thing and left. An hour later this dude called and asked if I'd like to arrange a drive.

Not with you guys. Not a chance.

I'm stunned that a car dealership wouldn't find time for me to drive one of their cars - particularly when they are making a push to bring people into the dealership to sell cars.

That's enough about that.

We wandered up the road and had a speccy look at the Sportswagon. Mrs J was impressed - to the extent where we are prolly going back on Tuesday for a drive of an SV6 and an SS .... Always wanted an SS :-)

Still no luck on the HSV though :-(

I Win!!!

Yesterday I moaned about my occasionally negative and self defeating behaviours.

Today I can report I have overcome them - if only for 24 hours :-) Gotta start somewhere.

I'm not sure what the difference is - I'm probably more tired than yesterday thanks to another early start (which caused me to make a mistake at work which could have been quite bad but, luckily, was not). I was in the same mental and physical situation as yesterday but today it seemed easy to make the better decision. Maybe I was prepared better for the decision making process?

Either way I'm celebrating with a lovely pot of Mexican Spiced Chai Tea from my new best mates - The Kenyan Tea Company. My Dad alerted me to them just after Christmas with some of the best tea I have ever had - and now I have my own little stash and am enjoying them. Last night it was some straight Chai and it was delicious.

It may have caused me to have some weird dreams though. I dreamt that I had a pet penguin and he was wearing pyjamas.

Why?

There are certain behaviours I repeat which are not good for me, and I wish I could control myself. Maybe the shame I am currently feeling at my atrocious lunch (which is sitting very heavily in my belly) is a sign that I am becoming more aware and am moving towards a point where my self policing and self talk becomes more effective.

Enough of that though. Early start this morning - but I forgot to set my alarm. I woke up 25 minutes later than I planned and said "Oh gosh darn it." I jumped out of bed, dressed and was only 10 minutes late to work (not that it matters much at 04:00).

The funny part is forgetting my alarm was set for my normal wake up time and not turning it off. Poor Mrs Jones :-(

12 Years

Today was the 12 anniversary of my marriage to Mrs Jones. Seems like a long time, but while looking through the wedding pics (didn't have enough $$ for a video) it seemed so recent. The kids loved it - Hayley picked out the most bizarre and inappropriate things to comment (people's shoes, bulges and ties flying sideways in the wind) and Loch thought it was pretty good of the Opera House to be blue for us!!

It wasn't a bad day. We got a bit of a sleep-in (about 07:15) and got up to go for a run. I decided to check movie times before I left to get a plan for the day - only to discover the only session of 'Fantastic Fox' was on at 09:30. A bit of a hurry but we made into the cinema just as the movie started. Not a bad flick but Lochie has some issues with the representation of the rat and the liberties taken with the plot by the movie guys ....

After the movie we meandered for a bit and had lunch at Panarotti's. Again. It never gets old and I'll keep going back. After lunch it was home for some chores (the grass finally got mown) and a minor Chinese feast - all cooked from scratch - including the sauces. The Mongolian Beef was very impressive.

And then there was dessert. We ate the last bits of our wedding cake with the kids, and flicked through the pics.

Not a bad day at all. Apart from the chores :-)

This is happiness ...

Out of Office

Clan Jones are all on holidays.

Lochie had his last day of school on Thursday. He's grown a lot, but underneath the learned cynicism and world-weariness is the same gorgeous natured little kid. He was quite upset on Thursday night - not about school but because his teacher was going to a new school next year and he would never see her again.

In the end we sent her an email and Lochie called the school on Friday to speak to her :-)

Hayz finished up yesterday - with barely a whimper. When Loch was upset on Thursday night Hayz had a cry of her own - about the little kids at kindy that she wouldn't get to see any more. By Friday morning she no longer cared.

We have a graduation ceremony for her this afternoon and she plays Mrs Claus in a show and gets to make a little speech on behalf of the kids. I can't wait to see it.

Mrs J and myself are also on leave. It was not overly hard for either of us to leave work ...

There won't be any updates for a few days!!!

Almost There

Well - it seems as though the year is slowly ebbing away. I know there's still almost a month to go, but between some planned holidays and Christmas there really doesn't seem to be all that much left. Good riddance to this year ...

To be truthful it hasn't all been bad. I've managed to reconnect with some people who I thought were either gone from my life or drifting away. My kids have grown beautifully and, as with every year, I've learnt some life lessons that are best remembered.

But I've also spent way too much time in hospitals and a shitload of time in my car. I've had some very dark and sad moments - but these moments have also helped show me those who care.

There is a silver lining - but I'm looking forward to 2010 as well :-)

Tired

So, so tired. Very tired. Need to sleep. Early start tomorrow ...

Sleep. Please??

A Different Sort Of Day

I woke up this morning at my usual time of 04:45. I looked out the window and was satisified the cars were still there and also noted a pretty thick mist. No matter, I've run in worse. I got myself dressed in my running gear and was very shortly out the door.

The first thing that struck me as strange was the mist - it was very dry and not cold at all. In fact the weather was still somewhat balmy. I'd worn a long sleeve shirt and realised very quickly I would get quite warm.

Within a minute or two I also noticed by throat was very dry and my eyes were itchy. My hands felt a bit dirty. Bugger me!!! It's not mist - but some sort of sand/dirt thing in the air.

Suffice to say I kept moving and ended up staying outside for about an hour. By the time I got back home my clothes had changed colour to brown and I had little rivulets of mud running down my legs from the sweat and dirt combining. I smelt like dirt!!!

I spend the next 3-4 hours coughing. As I type I am still occasionally coughing but will probably clear out all the dirt in my lungs just in time to go outside again :-)

There was some interesting commentary about all this on the radio. A young girl (about 8 years old) suggested the colourings made Sydney look like an old fashioned photo - everything becoming sepia toned. A cheeky lad suggested today was National Ranga Day.

My favourite was a bloke who called in claiming to be God. Apparently the folks in heaven had decided to test if they could make the sky run red with the blood of sinners and they were quite impressed with the results :-)

Misty Morning

I took this picture while spending some time up in the mountains in early July. We woke up one morning and the scene was 'just there'. All I've done to the picture is added a sepia effect.

Summer is coming ...

I know it's really an Aussie thing to say but I don't like summer very much.

There are certainly plenty of good things about it - watermelon and rockmelon, ice-creams and gelato, swimming, cricket and lovely young ladies in mini-skirts, opening a very cold beer and hearing the fizz of the carbon, BBQ's (these can be had at any time really) and being able to drive to and from work in the sun.

But there's so much about it that isn't good. The heat for a start. I start to feel some distress at about 25 degrees. Which means I'll more or less spend the next 6-8 months feeling vaguely uncomfortable just because of the temperature.

Now that I think about it that's the only issue I have. The heat - and the fact that I never seem to cool down. Any maybe that I have to get up very, very early to see the sun come up.

Which brings back a memory for me.

I went out at 04:45 yesterday for a bike ride - which carried me nicely through sunrise. There was a point where I looked to my right and in the foreground was a field sparsely populated with trees and a slowly rising mist. In the midground was a pond and in the background the sun was just starting to peek through the mountains.

It was one of those moments where I felt lucky to be alive and in that moment. I'm going out again tomorrow morning (I ran today, and in a different suburb. Same time but the sunrise wasn't nearly so good) and maybe I'll be lucky and see something similar.

Intermission

It's been a funny old day for me - at points I have been very sad remembering those who have gone before me, and at others I have been delighted by the antics of those whom I have helped to produce.

Today was, essentially, a day of chores. We woke up and we were straight into it. It would be fair to say I did 'man jobs' and Mrs G did 'womans jobs' for the most part - but it wouldn't be entirely true.

I did have the pleasure of destroying a matic while trying to remove the stump of a long dead tree. And I got a hayfever type response from mowing the lawn/weeds/clover/green stuff in our backyard.

Somewhere in the midst of all of this I got several minutes of video of the kids performing magic tricks, and playing and being generally friendly towards each other. Hugs between them are not uncommon and on the whole they get along quite well.

I feel as though there should be more to say but in all honesty this entry sums up my day quite nicely - a bit of this and a bit of that with some extra thrown in.

Athletics

The kids started back at athletics last night. LGR is an U/7 and Hayz is still in the Tiny Tots (aka U/5) age group.

They love. All winter they've spoken about going back to athletics and, sure enough, when the time came they were keen as mustard.

We didn't take any pictures last night but it looks as though LGR is turning into a handy long jumper. I acted as the age manager for his group last night so didn't get to see Hayz (big sob!!) but by all accounts she had a great time.

Cuddles

Is This the New Normal?

I feel like my life is starting to become 'normal' again. Days are starting to slide by and the events of the day are, largely, fairly predictable. This is a good thing.

What's been going on my life?

The kids are growing up faster than they should. LGR had a rought trot over the past 6-8 weeks but seems to be coming out of it with added maturity and patience. He has regained his sense of empathy and compassion - but can be a fiery little chap. Hayz is ready for school. Very, very ready. Love is her big thing right now - she loves everyone :-)

The social life has picked up a little. There is something on each weekend - but we seem to be able to make plenty of 'family time' also.

My footy team can't play as well as they could last year. Still better than Mrs G's team though.

Work is more interesting than it used to be. I seem to be getting out of bed at 03:00 more and more often. This is good and bad. Good because I get a very nice trip into work (peak hour doesn't begin until 05:00) and I get to come home early. Bad because I end up working 12-14 hour days (I work from home in the afternoons) and sometimes I get a bit tired.

I still have dodgy knees; but ride my bike more often (esp since getting riding tights). It reminds of being 12 years old and riding everywhere because it hurt too much to walk.

I still love loud music. I am mostly listening to a fantastic Danish band called Volbeat. The singer sounds like Elvis. The music sounds like the devil is playing it!!!

The tomatoes are going beautifully in the backyard, as are all my herbs. The poor old Aloe Vera is a bit sunburnt and will need to be relocated.

My grass is 18 inches tall in some places. I should mow it, and probably will one day. Maybe.

My car, after complaining to the warranty holder for over 15 months, is suddenly driving nicely. Why? I replaced the tires. Makes me wonder how hard they actually looked for the problem I complained about. Also makes me wonder how they have been inspecting my brakes during servicing ....

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All in all I feel like my life is in a good place right now.

A Full Weekend

Clan Jones has just completed a very full weekend.

Grandma arrived, with dinner (yay) on Friday night and we ate, drank some wine and then watched 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'. It was a bit eery watching it - having just been through a similar situation with my own Mum.

Saturday began with an early morning bike ride - temperature was just above freezing and the wind was very cold. Especially when the bike gathered a bit of speed.

I popped off for a haircut at about 08:30 and Mrs J, Grandman and the kids walked over to the soccer fields. After I was made look presentable again I ventured over there and had the pleasure of watching both kids wind up the season. Will we play soccer again next year? I'm not sure but at least the kids had fun.

After soccer it was back home for a slap up lunch and then, after Grandma left for home, out to do some groceries and get some stuff to setup a home office. Why? Mrs J has a (very exciting) new job and is a 'mobile worker' so her office is more or less at home with trips off to here, there and everywhere in between.

We also got some groceries ....

Saturday finished with a party - for a 6 year old. Wasn't as bad as it sounds. We're friends with the family and there was very much an 'adults' section and a 'kids' section - although both worlds collided fairly frenetically on the jumping castle :-)

Sunday is a day of rest. Allegedly. We woke up gracefully enough and had a lovely breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms and crumpets before pottering around the house doing a variety of jobs that need to be done eg vacuuming, changing sheets etc.

Mid morning it was off to the Chef's house for a working bee - but the only work any of us did was painting their pergola. Make that two pergolas. When we left neither was complete. So much timber, and so dry ....

We got home very tired, dirty and sore but the kids found enough energy to help me make enough marinade for some spatchcock chickens and we all had a fairly pleasant dinner.

So that was pretty much our weekend. Pretty much a normal weekend and we haven't had one of those for a long, long time!!!