Do you realise, this is the 60th blog entry I've made? Yes, the 60th lot of drivel, ranting and photos since we moved 'overseas'. Wow! That's alot, isn't it?

So, last week, Darcie performed her assembly item. It was a star spangled version of 'There's a hole in my bucket'.

She'd only practised it about 4,000 times, so she was wordperfect (just! That must be one of the most annoying songs ever - second only to Joe Pasquale's 'I know a song that'll get on your nerves'). She was very excited and made sure she was at school extra early - she would have left home at 7am if she could. It was good though and everyone enjoyed it.


Even Sam enjoyed the chinese water tortune..... I'm sorry, I meant the lovely singing (o:

Pentley has left the building....



He is now allowed out to terrorise the public. We took him to the beach on Sunday and he did really well.

He sniffed a few other dogs, but always came back when called (o: He got to grips with the sand between his paws, but gave the water a bit of a wide berth!

I took him with Adam to meet the kids from school today too. He's doing very well and was a hit with the other kids. Darcie's face was a picture when she came running out of school shouting 'Pentley...........'

He's already lost his bottom two puppy teeth. The tooth fairy won't be visiting him though as I fear they were washed down with his gravy for dinner. Just as well though really as if she has to visit our house any more, she'll be getting her post redirected. Darcie has four wobbly teeth. Two of them being her top two front teeth. Although I have warned her that she is not to lose them under pain of death until after our holiday. I'll be buggered if we're spending all that money for me to be left with photos of a daughter looking like Goofy! Sam will always look like Mickey Mouse, that's a given with his ears, absolutely nothing I can do about it, but if Darcie loses either of those teeth, I am super gluing them back in until after our holiday!


Sam has also had a visit from the TF this week. He lost his second double tooth this week. He said it came out naturally, although later I was led to believe that it may have been given a 'helping hand' due to the pressure of increasing his holiday money fund. You can imagine his disappointment the first night though when the tooth fairy failed to visit. I reasoned with him that even fairies have the odd night off (PMT, hangover, duvet day....) or perhaps she was frightened by Pentley, snoring at the bottom of his bed. Either way, a quick irate phone call and the wanded one did the business the night after (and gave double bubble for the disappointment - I'll teach her for letting my child down = gulp).

Paul set up the projector for the kids on Saturday night. He runs the DVD through the projector and the whole wall is filled with the characters of Madagascar. Fabby. Hot dog and a film = happy children. Looks cool, eh?


We had our boat serviced this week. We started the week very happy with our boat and ended the week having bought another!!! How does this happen to us? We've had our offer accepted on a larger vessel (makes it sound like the Queen Mary, doesn't it?). It's only about 4 foot longer than ours, but it has a 'downstairs' and we would be able to sleep on it if push came to shove. We're also investing in a 'pen' to keep in in the water at all times. It can be quite stressfull hooking the boat up to the trailer; if it doesn't go right first time, there can be tension for the whole trip and then getting it in and out of the water is an ordeal too.



We're hoping that if it's there in the water waiting for us, we can just pop down after work and go for a little pootle out to sea or to the estuary for a blam.


It's got a little kitchen, too with a gas ring, fridge, microwave and little fridge (essential for keeping the wine cool!). So we MUST do our skippers ticket now. If we can't get it booked in before our hols, we'll definately do it ASAP when we get back. At least it means that we don't have to do 'launch and retreival' when the boat's got a pen! One less thing to worry about (o:

- Just been told off by Paul for posting about the boat. Apparently, it's not a 'done deal' yet. Which is true. We have to have a 'sea trial' which will be a laugh with us; we're frightened of going out to sea. We might just have a 'river ride'. We also have to have the engine checked over to make sure it's not a lemon. But apart from that....... it's almost a done deal (o: Anyhow the picture above shows what the kids might look like on it.... if we do take possession. Kind if like an artists impression :o)

Here are some pictures of Mandurah - around and about the marina where the boat will be moored (maybe..... ). There is a lovely little assortment of cafes, restaurants and shops. Lovely, isn't it?

There's even a little playpark over the bridge that the kids can use when they get a little stir crazy!


I, on the other hand, can visit the pub when I get stir crazy, which I enviasge will happen regularly!





Speaking of hols, we've only go three weeks to go. Very excited!

The house is rendered now at the top in it's proper colour. On the first day, it looked really light, but it's dried a darker, coffee colour. I quite like it...... I think. This week we've got the painter coming in to paint the ceiling and the coving. Then I think it's glazing to the upstairs before they move the scaffolding and concentrate on the bottom level. We're still at loggerheads with the builder at the moment though after something that they're sayings not included when we were told that it was )o: Wouldn't be us without someone to battle with, would it?




Paul's Mum and bro have finally booked their tickets and will be heading over in January next year. Better get planning - lots to fit in before Michael has to return to work. Margaret gets to stay a little longer, so her itinerary won't be quite so harsh and I might even treat her to the odd 'rest day' (o:

The new Wembley stadium looked very posh on the TV. Unfortunately, we only stayed awake for the first half. Mum kindly gave away the score on her email by asking - 'did you watch the football? I'm really glad Chelsea won, aren't you?' Thanks, Mum. Actually we'd recorded the second half for later enjoyment; when we were able to keep our eyes open. Never mind, there's always next year!

Happy Mother's Day to me (o:

It's Mother's Day in Oz on Sunday and I have been treated (early) to a V.V.V nice new camera. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm never without my camera and I snap away at anything and everything. I was allowed it early and have to be proficient in it's use before (a) Darcie's class assembly on Wednesday - if I hear 'There's a hole in my bucket one more time, I'm liable to throttle her! or (b) our hols (which are whizzing closer by the day - horray!). I will be tested and asked spot-test questions on what all the buttons are for. Failure will result in the confiscation of my camera until I have memorised the manual, so there's a lot at stake.

It's got a super-de-duper lense and you can take really cool close ups. This was a flower in our garden.

How cool is that? I'm almost professional, aren't I?

The only down side for the kids is that for the last two days, they haven't been able to sit on the toilet without me poking the camera in their face. I won't put those pictures on here, although I can provide the link for a small fee.......

So.... other news from the Delaney's this week. Business has been good again this week. I guage it now on the 'kitchen' scale. A quiet day means all the breakfast dishes are washed, re-packed in the cupboard and the hoovering done by mid-day. Medium means the dishes are in the dishwasher and the hoover is propped up against the kitchen counter. Busy equals six coffee cups in the sink as we're too busy to re-wash one. Very busy means Paul's taking phonecalls from multi-national HUGE Companies at 11am, still sitting in his office in his pants; not quite having made it to the bathroom for his shower. This week's been a very busy week (in parts). Good job we don't have web cams as standard for the business....

Sam went to his footie match again this morning and I include here as a one-off special competition........

SPOT THE BALL:

Please print off the picture, mark the position of the ball and post it to us. The winner will be notified by mail of their fantastic prize weel commencing 1st July 2007. Prizes are:

• 3rd - chocolate digestive (nibbled)
• 2nd - tub of chicken salt
• 1st - packet of Tim Tams

Can you stand the excitement? I'll warn the post office to brace themselves for the extra workload. They may even need to beef up the Australia Post moped to a larger cc!

Here's an action shot of Sam in his match today. Sam's right in the middle, standing over the boy in yellow squatting over the ball - yes, that IS a technical term!

Gormless!

Now, Pentley Bark news...

Mr Bark continues to make good progress. He's got his last jab next week, then a fortnight and he can be let loose on the unsuspecting Australian public. I'm looking forward to taking him to the beach to see what he makes of the sea and the sand.

Gormless 2! Perfect for our family!

Darcie snuggles up with Mr Bark, who momentarily lowers his standard to sleep with Darcie and her room full of knickers.

House news.

They've been really cracking on with the house this week! We have fully plastered rooms upstairs (some now even have coving!). Downstairs is starting to be plastered, as is the outside. We have the top coat to go on yet - hopefully this should be done over the next few weeks.

Here's the house from the corner of the back garden. The alfresco is the structure to the left. Eventually, this will be under roof cover as the roofline is extended over the ground floor. The little square window on the ground floor will be our kitchen window.

This view is taken from the kid's activity room, facing out towards the balcony. There is coving in this room and it has lovely white plastered walls and plasterboarded ceilings.

Another view from the Activity room, facing forward this time to the golf course.

A view from the front of the house (upstairs) facing toward the stairs (to the left at the back of the picture). The doors to the left lead to the two bathrooms and the seperate toilet.

Darcie does her Spiderman impression.

So, quite a big update again this week! We're due our second UK visitor at the end of the month courtesy of Paul; Paul's curry-club companion and fellow talker of drivel, lover of all things Xena and football - when football WAS football and not soccer! It'll be lovely to see him. I just hope he packs extra traqulisers - never mind the flight, it's a few nights with our family that'll be the killer. He'll be skipping onto that plane to go home like a little spring lamb!

Also, I would like to say Happy Birthday to Paul's Mum, Margaret. I won't say how old she is today, but it has a '0' on the end, so it's quite a big one.

(o: Happy Birthday Nanny D, now get those flights booked!

A mixed bag this week.

The weather’s been pants! Not that I’m a slut or anything, but I’ve had washing on the line for the entire week – YES – the same items. I know – trollop. No sooner has it dried off, than the rain starts again. In that micro second between the clothes drying and the drizzle starting, I’m obviously caught on the phone, or sweeping up Pentley pooh, or cleaning the toilet – all jobs befitting of a Managing Director of my supreme importance! The boat’s reverting to its winter use of water butt, sitting on the drive collecting rain. At least we’ve taken the ‘plug’ out this time. Last winter, we left the bung in and you could almost visibly see the dam rise when we removed it and drained the boat. It pi**ed water for half a day once we took the plug out and everything had a tinge of mould about it – lush!

Work has been fantastic this week. Yes, you heard me right – fantastic! I know it’s Friday, but you’ll have to trust me when I tell you that I haven’t (yet) hit the G&T (o: We’ve been lucky enough to get loads of tracking orders in this week and are feeling marginally pleased with ourselves. I did finish work early today though and ‘left’ the office to go ‘home’ and spend the day doing home duties. After an hour’s excavation, I discovered a carpet in Adam’s room. It was a great day to behold and I’ve taken a photo for the album. Paul did call me back a couple of times, but I refused to make the arduous trek back to work. I was just not in the mood for an hour stuck on the M25 that is the walkway between the kitchen and my desk.

The kids had their usual swimming lesson on Thursday and Paul, Adam and I joined them for a dip. It was reminiscent of the olden days when the family trekked to the public baths for their weekly ablutions. Adam loved it and walked round the shallow shouting to anyone who’d listen, ‘I’m vimming’. They also have a rapid run at the pool where you are whizzed along at a rate of knots, before being spat back out into the main pool. Adam particularly liked this bit and insisted we kept going round and round and round – Adam clung to my neck like a baby Monkey sheltering from a flood; prepared to stand on my nose if it meant he didn’t get wet! Darcie made real progress with her breathing on her freestyle. She has a male teacher this term and he’s the spitting image of Tony – her old swimming teacher from Monks Walk. He doesn’t sing though, thank goodness. I still wake up in a cold sweat some nights, reliving the ‘….. and when they were up, they were up…. And when they were down, they were ***bubble bubble bubble**** with my foot on his head’

Sam meets friends from school at the pool now on a Thursday. Girls! There are a group of them that he gets together with every week. I stupidly asked if they were there for lessons, only to be told, ‘no, Mum, they’re there purely to see me. I’m a chick magnet’. He wanted some of Paul’s deodorant on today before he went to school as the ‘girls like a good smelling guy’. Is it any wonder I’m an alcoholic with a tic? Alan is still here in force. He’s even started getting his own post now!

I got the opportunity to mention Alan to a medical professional this week. On Wednesday, I visited the Doctors for the first time since arriving in Oz. I’d had a pain around my ribs for the previous 48 hours and it was turning into a sharp, stabbing pain that was waking me up at night. Then, on Wednesday, I’d developed a rash (there’s no need to sit further away from your PC – I’m not contagious!). So I put two and two together (coupled with a little Google-self diagnosis), and predicted that I’d got shingles. Convinced I’d pass my masters degree in internet Doctorship, I toddled off to the GP, only to be told that I had the ‘wrong sort of rash for shingles’! How disappointed was I? I couldn’t even be ill properly! Everyone else manages it quite well. I can’t even get the symptoms right for a ‘proper’ medical condition. I returned home quite dejected. Not only was I a fraud, who couldn’t manage an illness of her own, I’d been charged $50 to be told I had the wrong kind of rash! I shall do more homework next time and make sure I have studied images of the symptoms, so I KNOW I am suffering from that illness – just hope I don’t get piles ha ha!

Pentley continues his one-puppy crusade to destroy our home and leave everything with the aroma of pubescent doggy wee and a side order of poo. He’s taken to eating the gravel in the garden now. On the plus side, it makes his ‘stools’ easier to collect and Paul’s thinking of hiring him out to kerbing companies – curved edges a speciality. Anything to help our turnover!

Darcie Dog Breath and Mr Dog Breath - a match made in heaven!

He’s taken a liking to eating pencils and is more partial to a Crayola than Sam – and that IS saying something as Sam loves his Crayolas. He’s getting better, although over dinner last night, we agreed that he only gets a 5/10 currently on the ‘was it a good idea or not scale’. Having said that, Sam only gets a 4 (o:

He's part mountain goat, you know. He gets himself on the windowsill outside Paul's office. I'm training him up to do admin work at the moment. He's good, but tends to eat the petty cash receipts!

The waitress at the restaurant last night was joking that she had all this to look forward to as she didn’t have any kids yet. I just warned her to skip the first born – go straight to number 2 (the recipe has then been ‘tweaked’ for optimum performance and agreeability), and above all, keep the receipt in case you’re not entirely happy and should all else fail, there’s always ebay!

We had a nice Saturday. Sam played his second footie match. We all went to watch this week and were rewarded by being soaked through to the skin in a huge downpour!

Go number 18!

It was good fun to watch though and Sam seems to be really enjoying it. There’s a ‘no train – no game’ rule which means all the boys have to turn up to training on a Tuesday night or they don’t get a match. There’s also loads of fun stuff scheduled for them to do other than footie, like sleep overs, going to a proper Dockers match and a trip to the adventure playground. Sam hasn’t volunteered me to wash the kit this week, so I live to breathe again (it’d be washed on a Sunday and then stuck on the line for a week anyhow (o: ) I’m not good at washing – I washed Pentley’s bed this week as he had experienced a little loose bowl syndrome, and his lovely $90 purple and white fleecy bed is now purple and yucky grey. In my defence, the label said 30 degrees, but what germs would that possibly eradicate? No – boil, boil, boil. Perhaps I should show this blog to the footie manager – they’d never let me near the kit – EVER!! I’m bored – can you tell?


And finally..... they've cracked on with the house again this week. We have base plaster in every room upstairs:

And in a few rooms, we even have top coat, white plaster. It's as smooth as a baby's bum - blooming lovely stuff:

Until next week - be good :o)