Work At Last

I have just begun my third week of work. I work 3 days a week (5hrs per day) and am really enjoying the challenge of working in a new place. The people whom I work with are great and very helpful. Life is getting back to normal and routine has returned which makes us all feel more settled.

Nick received an award at parade in his second week of school for settling in well and working hard which he was thrilled with as we are proud. He has also begun tennis coaching before school on a Wednesday which he is enjoying.

Penny is loving her ballet. She is enjoying school although very tired by the end of the week.

We finished our Valentine's Day project with a few more bits and pieces added at the front door and a heart garland inside which the children glued together.

On the weekends we have enjoyed exploring our new city. We visited Mt Cootha which has beautiful gardens and a great look out over the city. There were many little brass statues throughout the gardens - here a frog and Miss Penny.

I love this photo and the background lights I achieved. It inspires me to get back into my photography again.

On Saturday we had a day out at the races whilst the children had a sleep over at their cousins - thank you Auntie Trudie, Alex and Lachie. We had a great day with great company and came home winners. I have included a photo of my outfit - thank you Mum and Dad for my gorgeous cream and black shoes (an early birthday present).

On Sunday we visited Manly which is on the coast. We found some markets and the kids had a good bike ride along the waters edge.

Have a good week.

Rach :)

Melting

This week has been incredibly hot and humid but we shouldn't complain as our north Qld folk have fared much worse with Cyclone Yasi hitting the coast. Yesterday Craig pulled out the kid's water slide which we thought would work a little better in our new yard as we have a slope but as all our outside taps are run off water tanks, the pressure was very poor. Craig stood with the hose directly on the slide and sprayed the kids as they went down. They had a lovely time. Today we visited the local pool which was very busy but very refreshing. It is a really big complex and caters to all ages of children well with 3 water slides and many pools. We've had heavy showers of rain early this afternoon but the sunshine is returning and I fear a return of the hot humid weather.

I am beginning work this week after 8wks holidays. I am really looking forward to getting gel on my hands again and working through a list of patients to gain a feeling of achievement and usefulness and also helping people.

Nick and Penny are managing their new school well although Penny doesn't really enjoy the walk home at the end of the day. She started ballet this week and really enjoyed it. About 8 girls from Sherwood Prep were in her class which was good for familiar faces. We had an impromptu BBQ with some friends we made on  the first day at school. They live around the corner from us, have 2 little girls (5yo, 2yo), have just moved to the area and are renting the other house we looked at. We all have a lot in common and look forward to many more meals together. Penny(mother), Charlotte (2yo) and I have enjoyed a couple of morning teas this week after we've dropped the kids to school.

I have done a bit more scrapping this week (LO's above) and we've have decided to start on a Valentine's Day project at home evidenced by the heart on our door.

Have a happy week.

Rach xx

First Day

Today was the first day at a new school for Nick (Yr3) and the first day ever for Penny. Don't they look cute? All went well.
Nick settled in and had a little boy take him under his wing. He has a lovely teacher whom he raved about when he came home

Penny did not have any tears although came close.  She was not going to let me go for anything when I suggested it might time for me to go but when her teacher invited her to sit up the front she went and I quickly exited! She had a great day and best of all was able to do some painting.

They didn't need much coaxing to go to bed tonight as the weather is also very warm this week contributing to their weariness. I won't be far behind them!
Have a good week.
Rach xx

A Brighter Week

Well after last week, we have had a much happier and less worrisome week. The clean up effort after the floods has been amazing. So many willing volunteers as well as tradies giving up their time for free. It is amazing how they have cleaned out and dismantled the inside of houses so that only the shell remains and now they are on to rebuilding. Whilst the city has miles to go to recover the signs are promising and very positive.
Craig has been working, working, working. It will be good to have him home this weekend. We did have a lovely BBQ at one of his work friend's home last Saturday evening. Very impromptu and relaxed considering it was very difficult to access food due to the lack of it caused by the floods.
We spent a wonderful Sunday at Petrina's parents' place on the north side of Brisbane. They have a beautiful home with land around them for the children to play and it was so good of them to include Penny, Nick and myself in their family lunch. My good friend, Petrina and her family from Bundaberg were on their way home from a NSW holiday and it was great to catch up. The children even had a ride on a motorbike. Penny was the first to put up her hand for a turn, She is turning into such a thrill seeker.
The children attended intensive swimming lessons this week at the local pool which they enjoyed, especially the play before and after in the various fun pools and slides. I even made a new friend who I hope to catch up with for a coffee when the children return to school.
We picked up the kid's uniforms on Wednesday and they are very bright and will look lovely. Penny tells me she is excited about starting Prep and Nick is looking forward to making some new friends. We found their classrooms which weren't flooded but plenty of work is going on to ready the flooded classrooms for the end of the first week. Unfortunately the ovals and swimming pool were inundated with muddy water so play is restricted and the pool will be out of action for the first term.
Alex and Lachlan (cousins) came over for lunch and a play yesterday afternoon which the kids loved. They all have such fun together.
Today we are awaiting the arrival of good friends from Bundaberg (Jason, Shane, Zarlee and Locklin) to spend the weekend with us. After storms and heavy rain all week, we have a beautiful sunny afternoon - perfect conditions for a champers and nibblies on the deck. Nick and Penny are beside themselves with excitement in anticipation of their arrival.

Well this is a very long post and hopefully you are still with me. A post is much more interesting when there are photos which I have been very slack on taking but I did do some scrapping in the week prior to the flood so here are the LO's. They're a little simple but I figure that is the only way I am going to catch up.
Schools back in on Monday so I'll return with some first day photos then.
Also a  big get well soon to my sister, Robyn and her partner, Ian who are battling a nasty virus ATM.
Have a lovely weekend.
Rach xxx

Brisbane Floods

Well I can assure you I have had troubles sticking to "relax", my one little word this week. Whilst we have been so very lucky so many down at the end of our street have been much less fortunate with water up to their roof tops. (photo above) The devastation is enormous and very depressing. Craig helped some people down the street move all of their furniture out yesterday. We had Craig's work colleague and his family of 4 (plus dog) stay with us last night. Luckily the flood levels didn't reach those predicted and the water stopped inches short of their front door. Unfortunately there are sewage problems with their apartment complex though so they are off to a motel for a couple of weeks. I have been chief cook and bottle washer and baby sitter. Feeling pretty exhausted tonight and so lucky that I can have a more restful sleep in my own bed. My brother and his family are all OK too. After an anxious wait, the flood waters stopped 4 houses short of their place. Now for the waters to recede which they are already doing and the clean up to begin. Craig's offices and depot were completely inundated and will be non-operational for up to 6 wks so they have found a new depot to work out of so that fruit and veg can get moving again.

Keep you posted.

Rach xxx

One Little Word

It seems the trend for the New Year is to choose one word to aspire to. I have given this much thought and have come up with many words but one that shines bright. My word for 2011 is:

************* RELAX**************

As many of you may know I have a very control freak personality, almost bordering on OCD. This year I am not going to be stressed if the kids aren't in the bath at 5pm or the dinner isn't on the table at 6pm. As a friend told me recently there are far worse things in life - don't sweat the small stuff.

Smile was also in the top three but I thought if I relaxed more then there would be more smiling.

So there you have it. What is your word for 2011?
Rach xx

ps - 2011 goals to follow or is that too control freakish?

pps - On this day 16yrs ago I flew to Bundaberg to begin my career as a radiographer/sonographer - oh how time has flown.

Back From An Adelaide Christmas

We spent 5 days in Adelaide over Christmas, visiting my family. Most of the boxes were unpacked so I was ready for a relax. The weather was topsy-turvy as usual - 30 degrees one day and 19 the next! We managed to visit the beach where the children bravely entered the water. Too cold for the adults but the children had a lovely time.

Christmas day was spent having a long lazy lunch/dinner at my parents place.

Boxing day was spent at the zoo which we all enjoyed although the pandas were a great disappointment this time as they were sleeping. I think they must've experienced too much Christmas cheer as one had her paw covering her eyes.

On Monday we visited my aunt and uncle's "special place" (as Penny calls it) in the Adelaide hills. Although it was very cool up there we had a wonderful time as usual. All of my cousins and their families were present (26 of us), just my sister, Robyn unfortunately missing. The children had a great time on the rope swing, we had a treasure hunt around the property, we caught some red claw and the kids paddled around the dam in a boat. My uncle, Nigel has recently completed the construction of another vintage motor car which is 82 yrs old. Penny was first to put her hand up for a ride as she had such a good time in the Speedwell (in this post) when we visited in June. We finished up with a family photo as it has taken many years for all of us to be together (perhaps 15yrs). Someone will just have to photoshop Robyn in!

On Tuesday the shops opened again in Adelaide for the big sales (no Boxing Day sales). We had a little look although didn't have much room for purchases.
We returned to Brisbane on Tuesday night and a huge number of emails containing photos of the floods from our friends in Bundaberg. What a tragic event and we feel very deeply for those who have lost so much. It must be a rather smelly and depressing place to be and will be for sometime. The house that we sold is not flooded as it is in a higher part of Bundaberg. Thinking of you all.
Rach xxx