Hello There

Another long absence but for good reason. Shortly after my last post we were robbed. Due to the invasion of privacy I shut myself down to all social media but have slowly returned. I find it's important to blog as it is my diary. So here is what we've been up to.

In March, Craig and I went away to Bonville (just out of Coffs Harbour) and stayed at the international golf course. We went down for a 2 day work function for Craig's company but it was the most superb location and food and was very relaxing. Our night at the Gold Coast at the Marriott on the way home paled in comparison. I also turned 40 in March - how horrid. Unfortunately, I can't change that but would if I could.We also went to Caloundra for a night to meet up with some old friends from Bundaberg which we all enjoyed.
We spent Easter at home relaxing. My brother, Richard and his family came to stay for a night just after Easter on their way through. It was a great to catch up. Nic wasn't very well over Easter and the first week of school holidays but after some antibiotics he was ready for tennis clinic the following week. Nic was runner up in his tennis group and received a medal. Penny received a certificate for her tennis prowess.

Nic is now sporting a new look with a set of glasses. We all agree he looks very brainy! Nic has begun soccer again and is also filling in at tennis fixtures during the week from time to time. He is loving his sport and is trying harder with his school work. Nic has celebrated his 10th birthday this week and is having friends over for a sleep over this weekend. Hopefully we'll get some sleep tomorrow night! On the cubs front, he has been on a camp to Kenilworth which he loved and he proudly marched in two marches on ANZAC day with his cub scout group. They marched at Graceville (local) early in the morning and then went on to march in the main city march late morning. He was one tired boy after soccer practice that evening!

Penny is busy with dancing. She has ballet and tap exams in a few weeks and will perform in the junior performance team at the Sherwood School fete. She is still swimming and playing tennis but her main love is dance.
Craig is madly training with a back pack filled with sand as he is walking the Kokoda trail later in the year. He is also playing golf again and having some success with his old form beginning to return. He has had 2 x hole in ones in the last 4mths too.
Our darling little Westie pup, Pip is fast approaching one. She loves to eat shoes and steal all manner of things and head out to the front garden with them. Nic and Penny are quite used to going to look for their missing school sneakers out in the yard. One day they may actually put them in a cupboard so she can't get to them. Pip goes to the groomer occasionally and came home sporting this little bow which she didn't really like. She's a bit of a scruffy tom boy so I don't think it really suited her.

Well, I think that is enough for one post. Hope you're still with me. Oh and I have started scrapbooking again and have had 2 layouts accepted for photographing for a magazine. Will post some photos of my LO's soon.
Have a great weekend.
Rach xx

Hello

February already and mid way through at that. I have been busy with work in the last few weeks working 5 days a week (school hrs) as one of the other sonographers is away. It has been very busy at work with the back to school rush of Mums who wait until school goes back before they think about themselves and their ailments. I am looking forward to returning to 4 days next week and having my Friday to get all of those odd jobs done that I need to do since my children have returned to school.
The kids and Craig had a great week in Bundaberg and returned just before the big storm and flood hit up there. Our hearts go out to all of our friends in Bundaberg who have been affected. Parts of Bundaberg look like a war zone but they are a very motivated, tough, tight knit community who are getting on with it and trying to return their beautiful town to some sort of normality. The storm hit Brisbane later in the long weekend and was quite severe although I think it's intensity has weakened compared north of us. There were many huge trees down around the city but thankfully the flooding was minimal.
This week we went down to the school on two evenings to meet the children's teachers. Nic has a great teacher whom I'm sure will give him the big nudge he needs but in a gentle way. She has some great ideas and seems very switched onto the national curriculum in Qld, having written the science component for grade 5 last year. Penny's teacher is also very enthusiastic and Penny is always keen to please.
Penny is back to her jazz, tap and ballet on a Thursday and also performs a performance class on a Saturday in which she will learn a dance to perform at school fetes and eisteddfods. She has moved into the last swimming group (prior to squad) which we are thankful for. Having a pool at home has certainly improved her confidence and skills. On Wednesday morning Penny is having tennis coaching at school which she is enjoying.
Nic is really enjoying his tennis with two lessons of coaching a week and hoping to play fixtures soon. He is playing soccer again this year and practice will begin soon with matches commencing after Easter.
Well I best get the troops organised to leave for school.
Have a happy Friday and a great weekend.
Rach xx

The Last Two Weeks ...

have been busy. My brother, Richard and SIL Trudie came to stay with their children Alex (photo with Penny) and Lachlan for just over a week. They came to finalise the sale of their house in Brisbane. The cousins all had a great time together. They swam most of the time and enjoyed each other's company. One day they set up a great vet hospital with its own radiology department filled with an ultrasound, xray and MRI machine. Pip also loved having so many people around and more shoes to steal.
Last week, we went to Byron Bay for a relax and recharge and stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment with a lovely heated pool. We visited the historic light house which sits above a short walkway to the most eastern point of Australia. We went to the beach on a couple of days although it was closed for the other couple of days due to sharks. The Macadamia Castle (just nth of Ballina) was a favourite. We went there about 4yrs ago. Penny was so excited about cuddling a rabbit as last time she wasn't quite 4 and was too frightened to do so. Nic and Penny fed milk to the calves and lambs, held baby chickens, fed the kangaroos and joeys (that were big enough to eat food) and enjoyed playing on the flying fox and huge tree house. I managed to read two books and have a good rest.
I am back at work this week whilst Craig and the kids have gone to Bundaberg. It's very quiet, just the dog and I but I am enjoying the solitude and getting lots done around the house. I took the opportunity to go out on Friday night whilst everyone was away. My friend Petrina came down from Bundaberg to attend the opening night of "Bundaberg Bohemians not Bogans" exhibition at the Bleeding Hearts gallery in Brisbane city. Petrina's sister, Renita also attended the exhibition with us. One of Petrina's Yr 12 students from 2012 was exhibiting her works. We went onto the city afterwards for a yummy Singaporean meal. It was a lovely night and we enjoyed catching up.
All the books are covered and pencils sharpened in anticipation for the start of a new school year next Tuesday - Yr 5 for Nic and Yr 2 for Penny. Wow hasn't that come around fast! Fingers crossed it will be a good year for both kids.
Have a happy Wednesday.
Rach xx

Baby Possum

Back in October we found this baby possum making a strange noise outside the laundry one afternoon. I had heard the noise for at least half an hour but was not obviously concerned to go and investigate. Luckily I discovered the little one before our puppy, Pip. It was tiny, with only a light covering of fur but very cute. We left it alone for a while so that it could call out to it's mother in the hope that she'd return but at dusk it was getting quite cold so we wrapped it in a towel and heated up a wheat pack. We tried to contact a local wildlife station to no avail so possum was staying for the night. I kept heating the wheat pack up which quietened it down as did wrapping it up. We tried to feed it some puppy milk with a dropper but it wasn't very interested in this. We were unsure that it would make it to morning alive but Nick was up at 5am and ran in to tell us that baby possum had survived. We tried more milk but again to no avail so we contacted the RSPCA who told us to take it to a vet or the Uni vet hospital. As it was a Sunday we thought most vets would be closed so we packed our little possum into a box with the heat pack and delivered it to the uni in St Lucia. The kids wanted to keep it and rear it but our lives are too busy for a tiny baby possum and particularly as we have little Pip to care for we decided it was best. We decided against finding out what happened to baby possum but like to think that it had a favourable outcome.
Hope you've had a happy Monday.
Rach xx

Book Review - "All That I Am"

Well I'm back, 2 days in a row! I have recently finished reading a book called All That I Am by Anna Funder. It won the 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award amongst other awards. The book is set in modern day Sydney through the eyes of an elderly lady looking back to her life in Germany in the early 1930's when Hitler came to power. It is about the difficulties faced by the Jews and their brave resistance to Nazism causing them to flee the country and live in exile. They tried to continue their resistance movement with great difficulty and trepidation. This is a true story and very thought provoking.
I thought it must be a good book to win all of these awards and to be in the top 5 on the weekly reading lists. Well I must say that it was not an easy read but I am glad that I did persevere. The book swaps alternate chapters between two characters, Ruth and Toller. This makes it difficult for a slow reader like me who may only picks the book up once a week but for the fast reader who reads daily this wouldn't be a problem. I was surprised at the liberation of young women in this era in Europe with talk of speaking out, free sex, abortions and drinking. They were very brave souls who stood up for what they believed even though others were being executed around them. The book gives a good insight into the struggle of the Jews and I feel richer for having read this book.
SCORE: 7/10
Have a beautiful day.
Rach xx

2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm not sure that many people would read my blog now as I have been very slack at adding posts in 2012. Hopefully I will get around to blogging again this year as it is such a great diary to look back on. I think the reason I haven't blogged much as I felt I always needed to add a photo which I didn't always have ready to add to the blog. Well this year there may not be photos but words are just as important.

Do you like my new blog header? I am still adjusting the blog appearance, so you'll see some changes over the the coming days.

Usually I put up a single word to aspire to for the year. Last year was motivation. I only managed this in fits and starts but better than not at all. This year I don't have a single word, but a motto:

*the GLASS HALF FULL motto*

I plan to put a sign by my bed to remind me of this every day and night :)

What I would like to achieve in 2013:

1. TONE - my body

2. READ - especially since my family bought me a Kobo Touch EReader for Christmas

3. SCRAPBOOK - I haven't scrapbooked since we moved in August but have had 3 LO's published in the last 6mths

4. PHOTOS - take more photos as I rarely get my camera out now

5. HELPFUL - do good things for other people

6. TENNIS - join a social tennis group on my day off

7. ACCEPT - that I will turn 40 this year and not have ill feelings about it

8. LOVE - my family more than I already do

9. EXPLORE - get out and about more on the weekends and see this beautiful city

What is your word or motto or resolutions for 2013?

We are loving our new house although we are finding it laborious at times. I am painting bits and pieces at present as I am on holidays. Craig has been digging trenches for the plumber to replace our main water pipe into the house which ruptured on Sunday. Luckily we found a lovely plumber who lives nearby who was able to come and do a temporary fix for us yesterday. We are loving the pool and the kids are in it twice a day. Our puppy Pip is now 6mths old and gorgeous She was spayed just before Christmas and coped very well. We spent Christmas in our new home, just the four of us. Santa was good to the children and bought them a trampoline. We went to a local, favoured restaurant for lunch which was scrumptious and enjoyed an afternoon swim at home. 

Over January I will add some photos of the last 4mths of 2012.

Feel free to leave a comment as I really enjoy reading what you have written. Have a lovely day whatever you are doing. Rach xxx