Escape from Woop Woop.

Big news in Camp Delaney this week on lots of levels.

We all had an interview at a local school this week and they have places available for all three cherubs next year. We had a tour, spoke to three Principals; Head, Head of Lower School and Head of Middle School and were given more forms to fill in than you could shake a stick at. The Middle School Head looked very stern and asked Sam questions about his behaviour and how much homework he did every week (!). I sat there not breathing for thirty seconds, waiting for Sam’s response! Actually he was honest and mature. Stating that his main failing at school was chatting and being easily led astray and that sometimes he needed a little push to get him to complete homework (a little push????? I’d rather push a car up an incline than get Sam do complete his homework! Reckon I’d have more chance of success too!).

Sam and Darcie both seemed to like the school and would like to try it there. Adam was a conscientious objector! The school goes from Kindy right up to Year 12, so that would (hopefully), be them there until College / Uni / Work. Pricing up the uniforms was pretty scary though at the best part of $1000 for all of them *gulp* and that was just the ‘summer’ uniform! Oh for the days of £3 trousers in Asda for school and five polos for a tenner! They even dictate what socks they are required to wear at $6 a pair. Think I’ll be spending $50 just on socks. I don’t know what happens to them in the laundry, I think they elope with Adam’s pants, but I put a pair in the wash and come out with an odd one. At $3 each, I suppose I’m going to have to take more care of them! I can see that come week 10 they’ll all be wearing each others; Adam’s will be flapping about like clown feet, wearing Sam’s, Darcie’s toes will be scrunched up in Adam’s and Sam…. Well, there’s no way he’d fit anyone else’s socks, so if I lose his, he’s stuffed!

They offer some pretty cool activities such as fishing, golf, woodwork, metalwork and circus skills. As we walked round the school, there were boys whizzing about on unicycles. Darcie asked what they were and Paul just explained that they could only afford one wheel and were saving up for the other one (probably had to fork out on the uniform. Sam won’t even get a wheel at this stage….. he can start with a bell and work his way up :o) As a down side though, at their current school, both Sam and Darcie learn Indonesian as their LOTE (language other than English) subject. At the new school, they don’t teach Indonesian only…… wait for it….. Japanese!!!! Good grief! Just don’t even ASK for help on the homework there!

The swimming pool cover was finally installed last week. It must have been a monumental day for the contractor as he has been trying to book it in for installation since December last year :o) It just looks like a giant layer of blue bubble wrap that sits on the pool’s surface.

We get a roller with it and will have to practice and get a ‘personal best time’. I would liken it to Dad putting the covers on Wimbledon (Mum will get it :o) We’re having the pool fencing installed this week – see, only a week late!

I’ll be pleased as the dog fell in the pool this week. Joking aside it was funny afterwards, but he couldn’t get out and as he tried to claw his way out of the pool, as he fell back, he went under the water. A few minutes of that and he’d be sunk at the bottom, swimming with the fishes. So, hopefully, by this weekend, he’ll be safely encased in his own quarters. We also had a meeting with the landscaper who is going to re-draft his design slightly and will come back to us with his revised ideas this week. Unfortunately, it’s not the ideal time of year to lay turf (ha ha – did a typo there and put turd initially: o) so it could still be a few months until we get any of the green stuff :o( Sand city it is (still). On a lighter note, Gail mentioned that you can buy Glitter Balls for your pool which float on the water and send different coloured lights into the water. A must for the summer ‘party season’.

In other ‘Domestic news’ we now have a washing line erected! After making many sexist comments about measuring me for the dimensions as I will be the ‘main user’, Paul and I fixed it to the house and tested it to almost full capacity.

We were both quite shocked when it was still in-situ this morning when we checked it. Knowing our luck, the garage side wall would fall down with the weight of washing, rather than the line simply falls off the wall.

Darcie received her Merit Certificate in Assembly this week. It turns out it was for her Aboriginal work that she tried so hard with.

She was chuffed that whilst Mrs Fletcher was shaking her hand and giving her her certificate, she asked Darcie to take it up to her office so she could see her work. Darcie came away with a very large grin and a special sticker from the Principal. Go Darcie!

On Tuesday night, my friend Gail and I went to watch Sex and the City at the cinema. The film was OK, but the company was fab and we had a good laugh and gossip. I’d booked one of the ’posh’ cinemas where you had the big ‘joey’ chairs and the separate lounge to wait it, but Gail said it was no different to watching it in the home theatre at our place! All we needed was Darcie coming round with drinks and popcorn. It was great just to get out for the night and relax.

And on to the best news of the week (possibly even the year – well, for me, anyhow!!). Mum has booked her flight over for September. She’s coming cattle class this time, is staying for a month and having a 4 night stop over in Singapore….. wait for it…… WITH ME :o) I’m flying out to meet Mum for four days of Mother and Daughter bonding. I SO can’t wait! We’re ‘home’ the day before Sam’s birthday. I’ve already booked afternoon tea in Raffles. It will just be gorgeous. AND I got a really good deal on accommodation at the 5* Mandarin Oriental, so I’m chuffed to little mint balls. I would like the thank Paul for letting me go – just hope the kids behave themselves! It’s worked out well time wise as we arrive home on Wednesday and the kids break up from school on the Friday, so Mum will get two weeks with the little cherubs. She’ll be here for my birthday too!

Unlucky for some…… very unlucky for others :o)

Thirteen has been the number of the week. Not because today is Friday the 13th (if you are actually reading this and haven’t stayed under the duvet hiding today!), but because Paul and I commiserated, (whoops, sorry – CELEBRATED) our 13th Wedding Anniversary on Tuesday. I’m quite proud of the fact that we’ve chalked up 13 years. OK, it’s not a diamond anniversary (I’ve Googled it and 13 is ‘lace’ apparently, so I’ll crochet us something commemorative!), but these days, 13 years ain’t bad going, all things considered! So, yeay us! Gail and Paul came over the babysit, so Paul and I headed into Perth for a meal. It was lovely. We went to the Grand Palace which was very nice ‘posh’ Chinese. Had a good scoff, a giggle and were back home by 9pm! (we live the high life in WA!). Well, there was no point staying out any longer. We’d eaten enough; drank enough and I didn’t want to take the mickey out of Gail and Paul on their first babysitting offer. As it turns out, they were quite disappointed to have us back so early. The kids were on their best behaviour, Sam had cooked a lovely curry and they were going to make rice pudding with the excess rice when we turned up to spoil the fun.

The paver has eventually finished the paving now and we can move on to phase number 100235216 which is the landscaping. The pool fencing should be installed this week sometime (although this is Australia, so it might happen sometime before 2010 if we’re lucky!). It will be nice to get some grass down. I’m fed up of bringing half a beach in on my feet from the garage to the front door. I think we’ve broken the pool pump and will have to get the man back to fix it :o(

Delaney's Angels (playing with the water pistols that Mum sent over in a Jiffy bag. YES! They were stopped by Customs before you ask (can't think why - what do you think they look like in a jiffy bag, Mum???)

Stop press – Paul’s fixed it. Turns out it had half a beach’s worth of sand in the filter that needed flushing out – whoops! The kids actually christened the pool at the weekend.

Mr Cheese - headed for Madagascar on his inflatable croc!

There was an iceberg in the deep end and Mr Cheese nodded off into a cold-induced coma for three hours afterwards, but they’ve been in.

Her arms have frozen to her side like that - she couldn't move them if she wanted to :o)

Pentley missed going in by the skin of his whiskers! He was trying to catch various things that were floating in the pool and more than once he misjudged things and got his paws wet. It’s only a matter of time before the furry f*ckwit ends up in the drink. He was woofing at the inflatable crocodile that the kids were floating around on. Good to know that his watch-dog duties extend to inflatable pool toys that may threaten the kids. He really is a few bones short of a carcass.

She's swimming!

Other news? Well, not a lot really. Work’s been really busy and Paul’s been driving about like a headless chicken up and down the freeway. I’ve been trying to get things sorted at home still, but I’ve lost motivation now we’re actually ‘in’. I start jobs and then get distracted and move onto something else and consequently, the first job never gets finished :o( I still have a mountain of washing and ironing to contend with that is approaching the size where it can register for it’s own postcode.

Darcie had her school excursion to a children’s forest in Baldivis. Only about a 20 minute drive from school, but they got the trip on the bus, which is the major cause of excitement. She had a fab time and got to stroke a koala, a black headed python and plant trees and plants and learn about conservation.

Sam had another two soccer matches for the school and they won their first game on Friday. To say they were pleased was an understatement.

He also received a merit certificate for his ‘future profession’ speech he made to his class last week. His teacher was really impressed with the effort he put in *snort* and the research (that’ll be the five minutes before school, scrabbling around looking for ‘props’ to take in that he said he would blag about if people asked him questions that he didn’t know the answers to). His teacher did say to Paul on the day that he made the speech it was one of the best in the class. He’d put a great deal of effort into it, kept the classes’ attention and attracted the most questions of any of the pupil’s talks. A born salesman if ever there was one……. ‘OK, OK, I’ll buy it! Now will you PLEASE stop talking?????’ lol!

Darcie brought a note home on Friday to say that she’s getting a merit certificate in this week’s assembly too. A real run of achievement – although she’s not sure what she’s getting hers for. Will let you know what’s written on it in the next blog update. She’s only mentioned it several thousand times a day since Friday!

A few more photos to keep you in the loop.

Our V expensive post box! You'd better write to us to make this worthwhile, you lot!

Paul in his office. He's come a long way from the garage (about 4 metres - ha ha ha)

Our solar heating for the pool. Hopefully will melt a few icebergs in the coming weeks :o)