Wet weekend.

It’s Father’s Day here on Sunday. I know you’ve had yours already in the UK, but for some strange reason, the dates are different here in Australia. Last year we went away for the weekend, but now we have the hound, we thought we would restrain ourselves. Not to be outshined and always on the look out for something fun, I surprised Paul with the hire of a hot tub for a week (or a ‘spa’ as they are known here). It arrived on the back of a trailer this morning and is now ‘installed’ in the garden, full with water and slowly warming to the temperature of a tepid bath. It will eventually reach the giddy heights of 40 degrees (if we let it and the electricity wheel doesn’t spin out of the meter like a Frisbee!), but it takes HOURS to heat up. It was delivered at 11am this morning; took about an hour to fill. It’s now 10.20pm and it’s just about approaching the temperature where I would dip a toe in. Sam and Darcie of course have already been in and tested it, although we insisted they hop out once their lips started taking on a blue tinge. The good news is the weather is breaking this weekend. It was thunderbolts and lightening, very, very frightening on Wednesday night and I was lying in bed asking myself what the hell was I thinking hiring a spa when the wind was blowing a gale and hammering rain into the patio window horizontally! Still, Sunday is supposed to reach 25 and be a very nice, clear day, so I don’t feel quite so stupid. Even Pentley’s breath was steaming when I chucked him back into the garden yesterday for his breakfast.

The kids were SO excited when they saw it. I told Darcie that I’d ordered it for Paul, but she instantly forgot (quite lucky Darcie having the memory of a goldfish sometimes!), but Sam didn’t know anything about it and was more surprised and excited than Paul (I know – no surprise there! Paul doesn’t ‘do’ excitement anymore – in the same way that I no longer ‘do’ star jumps for similar reasons; both are age related :o) Sam is already asking if he can have his mates round for a ‘go’. I would let him, but boys and water don’t seem to mix well in my opinion and I’m not keeping the same water for a week that’s been shared with a tribe of pre-pubescent boys. I know – I could empty and refill the spa, but at this rate, it will only just be warm enough for me to get into my Wednesday night and it’s leaving the premises on Thursday morning. Also, I can’t afford the 8 hours electricity it takes to thaw out the water!

So, Paul – Happy Father’s Day. I know we don’t say it very often, but we do appreciate you (when you’re not here ;o) ha ha ha) Adam made Paul his first ever Father’s Day card with his own hands at daycare and Darcie and Sam are both working hard on their creations. He’s very lucky!

Pentley has a new training method. It’s a sock-thingy that fits over his hooter and stops him picking up the kids toys and chewing them. He’s not too bad on other things and he doesn’t nibble the kids, but he keeps grabbing their toys. Within 30 seconds of him being let into the house, he’s got something belonging to the kids in his jaws and it’s a mini version of the Benny Hill show chasing the dog around the house trying to retrieve things. So we took him to the pet shop and he’s had this sock thing specially fitted. He can still pant and drink and can still lick his nose, although his tongue is retracted in slow motion – very funny to watch.

Paul has named it the ‘Snouzer Trouzer’. His personality changes completely with it on. He goes from Norman Wisdom (all naïve, bumbling, full of fun) in to Jack Dee (very unhappy, eyes rolling with despair and the look of a small child that’s just been smacked). It’s fantastic!!! We can’t let him wear it out as people would think that he was vicious and muzzled – it does make him look a little like Hannibal Lector, I must admit. We had to do something, as last week; his toll reached a peak at two cushions, Darcie’s elephant, Adam’s kangaroo (sounds like a menu), three coasters and an iPod shuffle. Pentley sneaked into Sam’s room and snaffled the shuffle. Within seconds it was transformed into an ‘iCan’t’ and now won’t work. However, I don’t believe Pentley was solely responsible for this. Sam has long made his wish be known for an iPod Nano and I think he sabotaged the shuffle by coating it in the doggie equivalent of catnip in the hope that Pentley would maul it and he’d get an upgrade. I tell you, between them, they are cunning.

Yes..... they are under the bed.

We’ve taken Pentley on the beach loads over the last couple of weeks. He’s really good fun to walk there. It’s one of the only places you are able to take him off the lead. We have to have a dog licence here and he gets a tag that needs to be displayed on his collar. With the tag, the council also send a list of dog beaches (they are very specific about where the dogs can be walked off the lead) and other places dogs can be exercised. He chases tennis balls like Lynford Christie and impressively skids in the sand when he catches them. He’s still a little nervous of the water, but will slowly place his paws in the receding water now to retrieve his beloved ball. He always comes back when called and although enjoys saying hello to the other dogs on the beach, he is scared by them and stays close to us with his heckles up.

He protected Darcie and me today. There were two dogs being walked that were ‘that breed’. I don’t know what it is, but they look evil and nasty. Like a bigger staffy. Anyway, the owner was quite a way behind the dog and it came over to sniff us out. I didn’t like the look of it and pulled Darcie close. Whether Pentley picked up on this, I don’t know, but within seconds he was in front of us; between us and this other dog. Pentley’s belly was against our knees as if to say to this other dog ‘don’t you even think about it, or I’ll have you!’ It was amazing to see. He was standing like a barrier between us and the other animal; really protective. He knows what side his breads buttered. We *gulp* love him, feed him, walk him and keep him in iPod’s and coasters. What more could a dog ask for?

The kids have got their school photos on Monday. I’m off to the uniform shop tomorrow to see if I can get them a new polo shirt that won’t be covered in ketchup, dog slobber, texta, or general school-related grime, so they look presentable for the photo. No doubt Darcie will be up at 6 for hair and make up and Sam will be fighting for a place in front of the mirror.

Whilst I’m writing this, I’m also shopping at M&S. They’ve got a huge sale on and I’ve just bought loads of t-shirts for a pound! It’ll cost Mum about £30 to post them over to me, but we’ll not mention that and I don’t have to pay ‘that kind’ of postage :o) (love ya Mum!). I do miss M&S and a few others. I would dearly love an afternoon over the Howard Centre, or a few hours in Primark; but I’m getting to grips with things over here. Let’s face it; I was hardly rivalling Posh in the shopping stakes anyhow, so it’s not too bad. Australians as a rule don’t wear shoes unless they positively, absolutely have to. Great, says I – saves me a fortune in Hush Puppies, until you see Aussie men with their calloused feet naked in the supermarkets (their feet – not their bodies, that is! Ooh er! Adds a whole new meaning to popping to the shop for a pound of plums!).

We’re in the process of enrolling Adam for kindy at the moment. He is a rising 4 and as such in the UK would be in full time school next week, but in Oz, he’s only entitled to two full days schooling per week ARGH!!! We’ve looked at all available options and might be sending him to the local Baptist College. He had an ‘interview’ this week to meet the Principal. It went well and Adam was offered the position of relief teacher at the end – ha ha ha! It will mean a little hardship for the next year as ideally we would like Sam and Darcie to go there too, but there aren’t any places available in their year groups. It’s a new primary school and they are only having one class per year next year which will then increase to two in the 2009 school year. Hopefully S&D will then have a place offered to them (if not before). It’s a small, independent school about a 10 minute drive from Secret Harbour Anyhow, we shall see what happens. It had a nice feel to it and the Principal was very nice. We’re not unhappy with Secret Harbour Primary; we would just like a little more discipline – especially for Sam. The irony was it was Sam we wanted the place for and he’s likely to be the last one to get into the school!

Work is going well. We don’t know where the weeks are disappearing to at the moment and before we can blink, it seems to be a Friday again and we haven’t got anything done that we wanted to. My ironing pile has been left untouched for nearly a month. Sam keeps asking me if he will ever see any of his clothes again! On Wednesday, a small, Himalayan looking man knocked at my door and asked if he could climb my ironing pile. If it gets any bigger it will be visible on Google Earth – I really will have to get onto it. Erm….. spa / ironing? Spa / ironing? Maybe next week then! I just hope the pile doesn’t fall over. It could give a small child a serious injury; such is the weight of unironed slacks!

Actually, speaking of injuries, Adam came another cropper last week. He was hanging onto Pentley’s collar and being dragged round the house (like you do!), when he let go at an in-opportune moment and cracked his head on the metal strip between the tiles in the laundry. Much crying ensued and a large split in his head! It bled quite a lot and he also bit his lip which swelled up too. I’m changing all the kids’ middle names to ‘clumsy’ I think. It suits them. I dared not show Paul. One look at the blood and the lip and it would have been another A&E trip, I think. I monitored him closely and it didn’t bother him for the rest of the day, so I made the decision to leave it. The cut seems to be healing nicely, although it’s kind of ‘eaten’ his hair in the surrounding area. Never mind, summers coming. I shall hide his bald patch under a Bob the Builder bucket hat.

The house is still coming on in leaps and bounds. They are white set plastering the downstairs this week. We’re getting quotes on the AV equipment now and soon we’ll be looking at landscaping and tillers I expect.

The ceiling in the hallway

The cabinet makers are producing the bathroom cabinets and the kitchen stuff, so it’s all happening. Our client liaison seems to have a sense of humour this time (which helps), so we’re trundling along quite nicely on the house front. Hoorah!

The cornice and plasterboarded ceiling in the theatre.

It’s Mum’s birthday on Sunday. Darcie and Sam worked really hard on her cards and Adam made her something special at playgroup ;o) Hope you have a lovely day Mum and we’ll be thinking of you whilst we’re all warm and wrinkly in the spa; a bit like you, only the difference is after we’ve been out for a while, our wrinkles disappear; yours won’t! :o) Ha ha

Darcie with the birthday 'book' she's made for Nan.

I’ve got lots to tell you, but when I sit here at my little PC in the corner like a young Barbara Cartland, I can’t think what I want to write. Please let that be a warning that this may be a rambling, waffling, off at a tangent kind of post!

The tradesman have been super busy at the house again. We’ve got more cables running through the walls and ceilings than I can count. Paul reckons there’s at least 3 miles worth and I wouldn’t be surprised. Everywhere you look there’s a cable or a pipe. I’ll upload some more photos on flickr (to the right) as they are interesting (to us) by will take up too much of the blog. We’ve paid another progress payment (gulp). I think we’ve only got two more to go. We’re still on schedule for a January completion I think. There’s not really that much left to do, but, hey – this is Australia. Let’s go to the tavern! OK – a few photos (rather than me babbling on)…

The car adds an element of scale.

Adam's room. Looks go to go, eh?

Adam in the activity room.

Sam came a cropper on his scooter last week. He was ‘scooting’ Pentley (walking's too slow, apparently!), when the furry fleabag cut straight in front of him and knocked him flying. Don’t worry – his fall was broken by the tarmac on the road.

Nasty!

He was upset as it was his school assembly item this week and he had to speak in front of everyone. The irony is, a boy in his class was disguised as Ned Kelly with a bucket over his head. Sam asked if he’d swap, but he declined. He’s spent the last month ‘growing’ into his role. It worked as well as when he removed it, his head was still bucket shaped!

Sam did a fab job and was up first, asking everyone to be quiet and welcoming them to Room 21’s assembly. They sang the famous song ‘We are Australian’ which has the lyrics ‘we are, you are, we are Australian.’ However we altered them to be: ‘We’re not, Pentley is, he is Australian (and stupid).’ Strange how the dog’s got more rights to live in Oz than we have. If the business goes wrong, perhaps we can get him to sponsor us. We’ll get the old headscarf out again that we used at the Pinnacles and try the ‘grandma with facial hair’ approach again :o)

It was ‘Safety House Day’ on Wednesday and the assembly was about the Safety House scheme. I’ve mentioned it before, but basically there are houses in Secret Harbour called – wait for it - safety houses. They all have a sign on them and children know they can knock and seek refuge if they are hurt, scared or worried. A fantastic idea! Sam fell off his bike once and got patched up in a safety house. I’d love to do it, but could you imagine….’for GOD’S sake child, I know you’ve broken your leg, but please don’t scream so loud, Paul’s on the phone to a customer’. Can’t see it working really, can you? They gave out prizes for the best colouring of gift vouchers for the canteen. Paul and I were laughing that Darcie wouldn’t win; the canteen would be bankrupt in fifteen minutes! She has an addiction to pikelets and will be entering the Australian version of the Priory shortly.

I may have some news to tell you about Sam shortly….. watch this space :o)

We took the boat out last week for the first time in ages (the weather’s been absolute pants!). We still heave a sigh of relief when we look into the marina and see the boat still afloat – honestly, it’s rained A LOT! We pootled to the estuary and stopped for a BBQ – the weather was lovely. When we moored back in the marina, we met our new ‘neighbours’. They are old boating hands and went out to sea and about 2km off the shore, they met a whale and calf!!! How exciting! I’d love to do that one day – when we have a little more confidence.

Adam at the park - the boat's behind.

Darcie has been to Amy’s for another sleepover, which she thoroughly enjoyed (not as much as us though!) At the moment her front top tooth is threatening to fall out at any moment. I’m not surprised as it was wobbly before we went on holiday, but I threatened her with corporal punishment should she pull it out and look geeky in the holiday snaps. Well, guess what, it’s school photos in a few weeks and we’ve got NO CHANCE of hanging onto this little beauty. I may replace it with a tic-tac, or have her ‘photoshopped’. You can pay extra for this and they’ll remove spots or blemishes. May need it with Sam as his whole face is a blemish at the moment!

STOP PRESS: It’s out! Miss P will now look geeky in her school photo, although she is trying to master the ‘smile without showing teeth’, currently.

Gappy.

We had a get together on Saturday night with some ex-pats we’ve met through the internet. Keys were placed in the fruit bowl and swaps were made! I didn’t get to exchange Paul for a V8 Holden as I had hoped though. It was part of the ‘new friends for the Delaneys’ drive. I think we may get some coverage on the evening news soon. It went well and hopefully we’ve met a few new families to socialise with.

We’ve had the estate agents round the value our house. We wanted to know if we’ve covered the investment of having air con and the patio fitted really. Plus come next year when Arfur’s finished, we need to know what we are doing with this; i.e. keeping and renting or selling. It was laughable. The EA basically asked up for the plans of the block (didn’t have them, we bought second hand), the plans for the house (haven’t got them, we bought second hand) and which builder we used…….you get the picture! It’s all done on the scientific equation of block + house rebuild costs + any extras. Great! We could have worked that one out. So the upshot is, we haven’t made any money; but we haven’t lost any either. Things change so rapidly in real estate here though, by the time we come to sell in 3 months, it could have tripled in price; fickle Australian real estate.

I nearly cancelled our party on Saturday after the horrendous day we had on Friday. It happened like this: On Thursday night, Sam and his mate noticed that the rear wheel on the Prado looked flat. Paul didn’t get home from surveys until 8pm, so I thought we’d deal with it in the morning. All was going well, the kids were ready for school and I mentioned to Paul about the flat tyre. No worries, we’ll take them in the Ford. Got loaded up; flat battery; Paul had left the parking lights on! Bugger. The kids had to walk to school and ended up being late!

We spent the next hour frantically cleaning the house in preparation for the Estate Agent. Paul phoned all the tyre garages to see if they had a call out service as the car was on our sloping drive and we only get little jacks with them. No-one would come out to do it, so we joined the RAC and got a call out. The Estate Agent then turned up at 10am, so we didn’t have tome to jump start the car. She took AGES and was waffling on about this and that. The RAC man turned up in this time too, so Paul was outside dealing with him and the EA wouldn’t discuss price until Paul came in! The RAC man then said ‘where is the key to unlock the wheel cover on the back door of the car?’ We had no idea and it transpires that we should have got a key for this when we bought the car – ggrrrr! So it turns out that they’ll have to tow the car to the garage just to get the blooming tyre changed! So the RAC man buggered off and the estate agent woman eventually told us how much she would market the house for – ggrrrr!

Shortly after this, the lawnmower man turned up. He was a new one and took ages with his wife doing a lovely job, when ‘ping’ three stones flicked up and put huge chips in two panes of glass in the back windows! Ggrrrr! Paul went out to deal with this, when the door bell went; it was the tow truck for the car. They loaded it on and asked where it was to be towed to. I told them the name of the garage that I’d heard Paul mention and they just buggered off with the car. Paul come in from sorting out the window and went APE! How the bloody hell was he supposed to get to the garage when the Ford had a flat battery (and the jump leads were in the Prado) and PLUS, I’d told them the wrong garage – DOH! The lawnmower man ended up jump starting Paul’s car and – get this – he waived his $35 fee for cutting the grass and told us to ‘put it towards the cost of getting the window repaired’ – like $300!!!! How does that work? Do you not have insurance then???? Ggrrr! In between all this madness, imagine the phone ringing 20 times, Paul’s mobile binging constantly with messages and you will have a small indication of how crap our Friday was!

We did manage to get Adam’s hair cut after this, so he no longer looks like a surfer dude and can store breakfast in his hair until lunch!

Sam had his final footie match on Saturday. It was a ‘Derby’ (pronounced DER-by) between two Secret Harbour teams. The weather was lovely and they had a great match. Afterwards, there was a presentation and all the players received a medal for their commitment and team effort during the season. The season seems to have gone really quickly and Sam’s thoroughly enjoyed it and is definitely hoping to sign up again next year. It does mean that the summer’s on its way now, which is good to know :o)

Sam’s thinking about signing up for surf lifesaving now for the summer which is a more sociable thing for the parents too, so I’m all in favour of that!

We took Pentley for a walk on the beach today. He’s really good on the beach and runs for ages after his ball. We’re OK as long as we don’t throw it in the water. He just refuses point blank to get his paws wet and the anchors go on and he grinds to an abrupt halt. It’s good for a few days afterwards as his poo has a high sand content and it’s very easy to tidy up (forms little sandcastles round the yard!). We went to the deli afterwards for a warming coffee and bumped into a family who moved over on Wednesday, so we chewed the fat with them whilst we were at it.

Paul’s trying a roast chicken on the BBQ today. He bought a rotisserie thingy from Bunnings Warehouse and we’re giving it a bash. Will post more soon (if we haven’t got listeria!) ha ha.

Finally, there was a programme on the TV this morning about animals that help people. They had dolphin therapy and hearing dogs for the deaf. In this vein, we have decided that Pentley is a ‘dumb dog for the intelligent’. Suits him I think.

Fed Up, Pi**ed off and a long way from home :o( and the nearest Jaffa cake for that matter!

Another post in the long line of ‘doom and gloom’ tradition. It’s winter. We keep stumbling from one illness to another (mainly brought home from playgroup by Adam in a last ditch attempt to make us stop sending him!). We seem to have to battle with everyone to get anything achieved; from telecoms companies to BBQ companies, to patio companies; i.e. everyone!! And it’s cold; very cold. Imagine sleeping in the depths of winter in a rabbit hutch in the garden = this will give you some idea of how cold it is in our house. They don’t insulate AT ALL with anything. Literally, the tiles are laid on roof trusses with NOTHING in between the sky and the ceiling other than a layer of ceramic tile or corrugated metal sheet. Bbbrrrr.

So, don’t read on if you’re expecting a cheery, chirpy update from Oz, move on…… there ain’t nothing to see here this week.

The kids should have gone back to school on Tuesday, but seeing as we were all so ill, they only managed to stumble back in on Friday. Darcie’s chest was rattling like an Elvis convention and Sam had a cough like a barking seal. Paul was particularly rough (he’s a man, after all). Adam does appear to be warming ever so slightly to playgroup. All the staff know his name and he’s met with a welcoming ‘Hello Adam’ every time he goes (probably masking a ‘oh sh*t, here comes the miserable one with the snotty nose who does nothing but whinge every day.’ He makes me laugh with little things he comes out with like, ‘I didn’t get a sticker today’. Me: ‘why not darling?’. ‘Cos I wouldn’t help pack away!’ he said very stubbornly. He got the hump the other week when his favourite helper was too busy cuddling a baby to give Adam a hug. He was quite indignant and blanked her the next time he went. First rule of Adam: everyone needs to be at his beck and call, any hour of the day or night. Geddit?

Sam had his sleepover last weekend at the surf club. He had a fantastic time and really enjoyed it. I thought it was funny though as their trainer is in the Navy (as a PE instructor, so you can imagine how loud and gruff he is?). As you would expect, the kids were still up chatting at 1am; but he got them all up the next morning at 5am and took them for a run on the beach and got them doing circuits at that unearthly hour! Paul picked Sam up at 9am and by 1pm he was asleep in his bedroom (where he stayed for 4 hours!). Lovely! I’m petitioning for them to run the sleepover every week.

Arthur’s got his hat on now; the tiles have all been fitted to the ground floor and the wirings all being run in preparation for the plastering. It’s a very slow process what with the weather being pants. We could hire pedallos on the small lake that’s in our en suite!

House with the roof on :o)

A view of the stairs from the lounge; looking towards the front door.

The wiring for the theatre room - that's just one wall!

Pentley now has a new kennel and resides in the garden. He’s driven us mad. He ate all the retic pipes in the back garden – dug them up and munched them to oblivion! He’s starting a one dog crusade to tunnel to the promised land via our lawn. Even Adam and Darcie are coming to refer to him as the ‘Furry F8ckwit’ Well, this Friday was the funniest thing…… I took Sam and Darcie to school and when I came home, Paul’s car was missing from the drive. I knew he didn’t have a meeting and he wouldn’t willingly dress Adam and take him anywhere without a protest, so I was a little concerned. I just walked in the door when the phone rang; it was Paul in a state of panic. Adam had opened the front door and let the dog out whilst Paul was checking his email! Paul hurriedly dressed, bundled Addy in the car and was driving round Secret Harbour like a Moomin asking everyone if they’d seen our furry f*ckwit. I was just about to walk out the house and have a wander around when I happened to glance out of the kitchen window. This was the sight I was met with….

No, he's NOT a springer spaniel; he's a furry fleabag!

Best of all, when Paul walked back in the house with Adam, he was SO mad. I asked Adam what happened and he just sang to me ‘who let the dogs out? Woof, woof, woof.’ I had to try VERY hard not to laugh! The kids and I took Pentley for a walk on the beach later that afternoon. All was well until Sam went to kick Pentley’s ball for him to fetch and the stupid mutt got between the ball and Sam’s foot. Pentley’s teeth sank into Sam’s leg and the furry fleabag ran round in circles for 30 seconds, barking like a looney. I don’t know who was in more pain, Pentley or Sam. Neither of them looked happy after the incident though. Sam demanded to go home and Pentley no longer wanted to chase his ball.

I tell you, there’s never a dull moment in our house. I’ve got the vet on speed dial now, along with the local A&E departments. Ask me for the GP’s number – go on – I know it off by heart.

The kids have settled down at school, second week in. Darcie now has spellings as well as home reading. Sam has projects for homework now, rather than the boring times tables and spellings that he always forgot to do. Sam got another award today at football for most improved player and the coach gave a little speech about how much he is improving every week, considering he’s a soccer boy! I am so proud of him! He won a voucher for a meal at Hungry Jacks (Burger King). They’ve only got a few more matches, then it’s their derby and the prize giving. A lot of parents then sign the kids up for surf lifesaving in the summer, so we’ll see if Sam fancies that. I’m really proud of the way he’s stuck with it and thoroughly enjoyed the footie thing.

I took Sam clothes shopping at the weekend, so fed up was I in seeing him in supposedly long sleeved t-shirts that stopped at the elbow, or long trousers that flapped round his ankles in the wind. I can’t really shop for him anymore. He’s getting slightly more interested in clothes (in as much as he won’t wear what I pick out for him – says Noddy and Thomas aren’t his ‘style’ anymore :o( Target had a 20% off kids clothes weekend, so we trundled off with an empty trolley and wads of cash. Half an hour later (yes, half an hour – he went round twice), and we’d shopped. He got a pair of jeans, two pairs of shorts, a zip through hoodie and 9 t-shirts for the princely sum of $170 (about £70). The thing that blew me away was all his t-shirts were age 12 (the jumper with the sleeves was a 14!). He then chose himself a pair of trainers in the sports shop; picked them out, asked the assistant if they had them in a bigger size, tried them and said ‘I really like these Mum. Can I have them please?’ I didn’t really have the heart to say no (Paul says he played me like a fiddle!), so I paid for them. It wasn’t until we were talking later that I asked Sam what size they were. They are only a 9! Good grief. At least he’ll never fall over in a strong wind. Sam’s particularly looking forward to Nanny D’s visit next year when he is able to tower over her.

I don’t think I’ve posted a photo of our patio have I? These are colorbond (coloured metal) structures that bolt onto your house to stop you incinerating in the heat of summer. Ugly things really and look like the inside of a farm building to us, but you can’t have wooden fencing/buildings over here as they just fade and wharp in the sun. We’ve also got the patio heater fixed, so we can have leisurely nights in the garden as it gets a little warmer; swinging on our swingy chair like Dot and Doris.

Our outdoor enterainment area. Nice innit?

On that note; I'm off for a cup of tea and a Tim Tam. Catch you all later 8-)

What a sh*t week!

School holidays are crap! I think they should be abolished. All they are good for is catching up on illness, lurgies and lie ins (OK, there is ONE good thing then!).
It’s been a really cr*p week here; we’ve just stumbled from one disaster to another! We always row in the school holidays as it’s hard enough trying to run a business when the kids are at school from 9 – 3, let alone when they’re running round the house, screaming and arguing all blooming day!

...........before.........

A week ago last Sunday, Darcie slammed her finger in the door. It was nasty, but we bandaged it and she seemed OK. It did bleed an awful lot and she cried a little (although not a lot for Darcie who has ‘officially’ THE lowest pain threshold in the Southern Hemisphere).

I went to change the dressing on Monday morning before she was going out to play again and it just looked yuk. It was still bleeding a lot and the cut looked really deep. ‘Right’, says Paul, ‘a trip to A&E, I think’. ARGH! Four hours later, the Dr had assessed Darcie. She’d had an X-ray and she’s broken the very tip off the top of the bone of her middle finger on her left hand. The nail bed is pretty damaged too. The Dr was toying with the idea of giving her a few stitches, however, once I explained that she needed ketamine (it’s a horse sedative!) to knock her out completely when she had to have the backs of her ear-rings removed, he changed his mind and said ‘let’s bandage, give her some antibiotics and we’ll re-assess in a few days’. Coward! The x-ray was really cool – Darcie’s got wicked fingers underneath that skin!

..........after........... Felicity in action.

The Dr bandaged her finger and it’s HUGE! It’s not the neatest of dressings and we have giggled about it (she is now ‘Felicity Fat Finger’) She certainly calmed down when she realized she wouldn’t need stitches; she had a mini-breakdown prior to hearing this in the X-ray room! Sam, of course, had the major grumps as he had to spend a lot of time in the hospital hanging around. I’m just grateful that Adam was at daycare, otherwise it would have been a major family outing!

Obviously, the dog was a little put out with Darcie getting all the attention, so on Tuesday, he decided to eat an entire tub of mouse killer that Paul had ‘hidden’ in the garage. Bugger! Another trip to the vets and Pentley was kept in all day and made to vomit (probably given alcopops and made to mix his drinks!). That cost us over $200!

Wednesday, Paul took the kids to watch the new Harry Potter film and Sam got a migraine and spent the rest of the evening in bed (after moaning like he was dying for at least two hours).

Thursday, we got a speeding fine in the post from MARCH (haven’t even told Paul about this one yet!). Couple that with a few massive rows and general ‘grumpiness’ within the family and woohoo – there is our week.

Go Dockers!

On a happier note: Paul and Sam went to the Fremantle Dockers on Sunday with the footie club. They were supposed to parade around the Oval with the players, but for some reason, the local council cancelled it! No reasons given. They just did! Still, they seemed to have a good time. The trip on the coach is exciting enough in itself! Paul treated Sam to a baseball cap and all was at peace with the world (for an afternoon at least!).

Action shot

Monday was a quiet day; then Tuesday we took a hookie day from work and went to the Pinnacles. I quote from the tourist blurb: ‘Nambung National Park is home to the Pinnacles Desert, a series of eerie limestone formations sporadically scattered over vast yellow, rippled sand dunes. Just 245km or three hours drive from the center of Perth city, the Pinnacles make for a comfortable day trip where visitors can walk amongst these spooky stones and visit the nearby fishing village of Cervantes.’

Paul had already got his oar in to state that he hoped it wasn’t another ‘tree top walk’ i.e. a 7 hour drive for sod all. This was also his disclaimer as it wasn’t his idea! So we tootled off; with the dog on board. Stopping frequently for Paul to make phone calls without the kids (and dog) whining in the background and also to periodically squeeze Pentley so he didn’t piddle in the car. It was a good four hour drive from our house, so you can imagine how much we laughed when we arrived at the nature reserve to be met with a large sign saying ‘no dogs’. Fan-flipping-fastic! So, it was like mission impossible trying to get Pentley smuggled into the nature reserve. I did think about putting a headscarf on him and a car blanket over his ‘knees’ and keep asking, ‘are you alright in the back there, Mum!’

My Grandma…… what a big nose you have!

Luckily for us, Pentley behaved for once in his flea-bitten life and kept his hooter down in the back and stayed schtum whilst we paid our $10 to enter the park.

The funniest thing was when I got out of the car to take the kids to see an interesting stone, Pentley started barking. In a completely feeble attempt to disguise his bark, Paul coughed. A very feeble, wheezy cough that was supposed to cover up the deep, loud woof of a semi-adult 25kg dog! I did laugh!

Me, laughing hysterically at Paul covering up Pentley's 'WOOF'

We’d ‘done’ the Pinnacles in half an hour! It was like a McDonalds attraction, in that you stayed in the car and drove through the rocks.

See what I mean - it's a drive through!

There was a little trail (like playing ‘in and out the dusty bluebells’) and we swerved and dodged, visited the toilet and we were done! (it was one of the ‘drop’ toilets too; the ones with no water in them, but a very deep hole where you can see everyone else’s ablutions who’s gone before). Anyhow…… here are the majorly exciting photos!

After a while, we were spotting the ones that looked like Willies :o)

Another item ticked off the WA ‘to do’ list that turns out to be a little underwhelming! Yeah, it was pretty. They were rocks sticking out of the sand for Pete’s sake; what sort of excitement where we expecting exactly? Sam thought some had been transported there and concreted in.

Would you drive for 8 hours to see them?

We thought it was strange how there were little ‘baby’ rocks on the outside of the roads that marked the way – how convenient! Darcie believed us when we told her they were new ones just planted. Muppet!

On the way home, we got caught for speeding by a patrol car. They were on the opposite site of the road, traveling towards us. They switched on the blues and twos, turned their car round and proceeded to pull us over. They’d clocked us ‘doing’ 126kph, which I don’t think we were doing anywhere near. But what can you say, other than, ‘yes, Officer. Thank you, Officer’. The more fuss you make and argue it, the more hassle you’ll get. It didn’t help when Pentley started barking and I commented ‘he doesn’t like Police or tax men’. Paul banged his eyes at that point!

Not bad weather for a Winter's day though.

Adam’s completed ‘school’ with Sam and Darcie being at home. He’s complained non-stop all day, every day about it. Most children bring home paintings, or drawings with them from school; not Adam. Every week he seems to bring home with him a new and exciting lurgy. This week, we’ve got a very high temperature and a runny nose. I’m sure he thinks the more he does it, the more we’ll stop him going. Er, no chance mate. I’m starting to rely on those few hours he in ‘school’ to stop me going clinically insane. 37 times tonight he asked for more medicine…. Non-stop. Thank the lord for alcohol.

Arthur - sick of it now. Should have it's tiles fitted on Monday. Bored!

Another busy week as the school term winds down for a two week break (horray!). Last Friday the kids had a mini-olympics at school; each class represented a country. Darcie was ‘Japan’ and dressed in her oriental dress bought in Hong Kong. Sam’s class was ‘New Zealand’ and one of the Kiwi Mums came in and taught them the Haka. They had a good day (in and out of the showers) and Sam was very excited as he got to meet a real Olympian! A local lady who competed in the track and field for Australia came along and signed autographs and spent some time with the kids. They even had their own Olympic torch that did a lap of the oval and everyone got to hold it.

School reports come out this week, so we should have some interesting reading material for the holidays! We’ve nicknamed Sam’s teacher Mrs DB (no, not David Beckham – Dragon Breath) as she can be a little fiery! Sam’s been known to return home on more than one occasion with scorched eyebrows where he’s had the wrath of Mrs DB. (Un)fortunately, she leaves at the end of this week to take a placement on an African safari adventure thingy where she lives in a Reserve and counts animals for a few months. So Sam gets rid of her for the remainder of the year. I just hope the Zebras get their homework in on time, or they’ll end up endangered (not to mention barbequed!). Mind you, it should be OK for the sausage sizzle on Friday; if the BBQ breaks down, she can cook the snags with her breath!

We’re half way through the school year and you lot are breaking up for the summer hols! Still doesn’t seem right; just something else, along with hot Christmases I suppose I’ll never accept. The July HUGE toy sales start this Thursday. Basically everyone does their Christmas shopping and puts everything on lay-by until a few days before Xmas. The stores guarantee to price match everything and it’s a way of being able to pay things off a little at a time and also not have to worry about storing everything with prying eyes. You just have to remember (a) where the receipts are and (b) not to let nosey kids rummage in your handbag! Last year we bought our 10 ft swimming pool (complete with pump) for $80, I think (less than £40). Who knows what goodies will await us this year? Although I’ve no idea what’s left to buy the kids. They have more electrical gadgets than Dixons and I can only hope that Darcie’s ‘My Little Pony’s’ don’t start breeding or they’ll be threatening for world domination. I’m sure they’ll find something they want to pester us for for the remaining 6 months of the year. I think Sam already has his eye on the ‘Night at the Museum’ DVD and this year’s Guinness Book of Records. My god, what an annoying book that is! If I’m made to heave one more time over the picture of the world’s ugliest dog……. It’ll be a heave too far.

We had our patio thingy fixed to the house last week and it’s done nothing but rain, howl and blow a gale ever since. It’ll be lovely in the summer though to sit in the garden for more than fifteen minutes without hearing the ‘bing’ telling everyone you’re cooked. Summer seems a very long way off at the moment though. When winter hits, it certainly hits. There have been floods and severe weather warnings all over Aus this past month. At least though we know it’s only for a few months (at the most) of the year and we are guaranteed a summer - makes the winter bearable.

Pentley’s back and he’s a changed dog. It’s like he’s been to a detention camp; realised the error of his ways (and what side his bread’s buttered) and come back a changed man. He asks when he needs to go out. He’s not pebble dashing the patio at any given opportunity and he’s being a generally nice chap. We were expecting to pick up the Billy Bunter of the dog world after the breeder accused me of starving him (well, not that bad, but she did comment he was too thin!), but he was just thicker around the girth. Paul texted me in a panic when I went to collect him; ‘how big IS he?’ ‘MAAAHHHOOOSSIVE’ was my reply – I had to use a tub of Vaseline and a crow bar, just to get him in the car!

Adam is settling down at the child care centre for his two days a week incarceration (I’m sorry, I mean; love, nurturing and learning). I’m thinking of changing his name by deed poll to Paris Hilton – ha ha. He almost didn’t cry today when I dropped him off, but lost it at the last minute and clung to my leg like a koala. He is getting much better and I can already see the benefits of a few days independence a week; he now talks to anyone and everyone who’ll listen. He has Pauls Dad’s trait of talking to me, but looking at a stranger to get their attention. Actually, all the boys do it. It used to drive Paul mad when his Dad did it, but now he’s equally guilty of doing it too! I think Sam’s possibly the worst (or best) at it and never fails to get a response from a passing member of the public. Perhaps he should put this skill to good use and go canvassing for the local electorate.
Sam’s got a few cool things coming up with the Footie club; a trip to watch the Fremantle Dockers in action and then a planned sleep over at Secret Harbour Surf Lifesaving Club. Must remember to breathe into my little brown paper bag; the thought of a night without Samuel makes me hyperventilate with excitement! Good grief he’s a handful. I think I’ll be bald by the time he hits his teenage years. At least I’m hoping he’ll sleep more, which theoretically means he’ll spend less time arguing and being a generally stroppy little g*t!

Darcie is still Miss Perfect Parcel. She takes everything in her stride and is teacher’s pet - we even got a note in her communication book that the teacher was glad to have her back! Keep her then – we don’t mind :o) She had a fairy party at the weekend to attend; which was fab. I am quite taken aback with her confidence. She’ll go to the canteen on her own with her money in her hand, buy her pikelets, or half an icy pole (whatever foodstuff she can secure for her investment), then she’ll trot off round the school oval looking for Sam and his mates to give them grief. Her class hold ‘3C’ meetings every now and then; this stands for ‘concerns, criticism and communication’. The kids get to discuss anything that’s getting them down or share any ‘big’ news they may have with the rest of the class. Concerns include feeling sad or left out :o( They have ‘recess buddies’ where they have to play with certain people during their break so that nobody gets ignored; like the ‘lonely log’ at Templewood, I guess.

Speaking of lonely logs, I may well get one for myself :o( My BF is moving to Sydney and I’m really going to miss her. She’s been a tower of strength to us since we’ve been here, not to mention a good mate that’s always there for a night out, or a good giggle. I really feel for her as she’s been as stressed moving inter-state as I was emigrating. It really brought it all back and I can’t say I envy her one little bit. It’s bloody hard doing such a big move; don’t know if I could do it again. It’s not only the stress associated with organising the move, but the feelings of the kids and all those around you. Horrible time.

I’ll really miss her and will have to place and advertisement for a new friend.

WANTED

New best friend for whinging POM

Must enjoy cheap wine, nights out without children, husbands or dependant animals; theatre, cinema and the Arts – oh who am I kidding, a night in a pub with no kids – ANYTHING!

Previous applicants need not apply; I obviously didn’t like you!

Please respond with a recent photo and your qualifications for the job to:

Mrs Delaney-Sadgit
Lonely Street
Heartbreak Hotel


Darcie gave me tips round the supermarket today. ‘It’s easy to make friends, Mummy. Just smile, tell them your name and ask them home for a play’. How simple! Why didn’t I try that earlier? I’d try it at the school gates tomorrow, although I run the risk of being carted off as a nutter! Also need to watch who I ask; some of the Dads might be more keen to accept my offer than the Mums!

I know I should be on a high, returning from our hols, everything going OK at home, lovely new boat in a shiny new pen, but I feel really blue. I think it’s a combination of exhaustion (11 week school term, packing and organising 5 people for a fortnight – and now a dog), trying to plate spin the house, kids and work…… ARGH! Plus with my friend moving, it’s just all getting too much for me. I think I’ll have to take up a hobby to vent my stress like world championship knitting, or synchronised cycling; something challenging.

The weather’s so pants they can’t do anything on Arfur. We’ve got glass in the upstairs windows, but it’s been so windy that I think two of them have smashed this week.

View from the corner

View from the front with the wood for the roof.

The roof carpenters are supposed to be on site next week to get the structure of the first floor roof on, but unless the wind drops, I can’t see it happening. Never mind, if it’s not built, we ain’t paying…..

A close up.....

The weekend we returned from our hols, Harvey Norman (or Hardly Normal as we call them), were holding their huge annual electrical clearance at the Perth Convention Centre. Paul saw an ad for a plasma at ‘silly money’ that caught his eye, so we trundled off. Unfortunately, they’d sold all their floor stock :o( but they were taking orders for more :o) So, Paul went ahead and bought a 50” plasma for about a grand UK! Great, but this means that we are now going to have a 42” plasma in the bedroom. Well, at least it’ll give us something to do in the bedroom other than crochet ;o) Mind you, as soon as the kids see it, the whole family will be in there huddled together watching Noddy, no doubt!

Hope everything’s OK with you all. Speak soon when I’ve recovered from the Winter Blues and given myself a stiff talking to!

Home again, home again, jiggerty jig.

We are all holiday-ed out and back home after our trip to Queensland. We had a good time; spent loads, did loads and argued in different surroundings (well, that’s what you do on holiday, isn’t it?) We ran the business in between theme parks and picked up emails via the lap top in the hotel room. We did turn the advertising off, but were still busy, so, although it was a pain in the ass, at least we could justify the money we were spending :o) We just had to apologise a few times for the background noise of screaming kids on fairground rides whilst we phoned customers back.

As usual, any trip of ours was not totally without disaster……. We flew on 9th June – the day before our Wedding Anniversary. We’d all checked in and were about to board the plane when I looked down and noticed that the diamond from my engagement ring had gone! We had a quick hunt round and reported it to the lost property department (ha! As if!), and then I sobbed my way onto the plane and cried half way to Sydney. Talk about pants timing! Luckily, though we’d had the rings separately valued for the insurance and they have been quick to send over a form to get the ball rolling in getting it replaced, but it’s never going to be the same, is it? :o( We weren’t off to a good start.

The kids get a lot of attention, dragging their co-ordinated luggage through the airports!

That aside, the flights weren’t too bad. Qantas were miles better than Virgin Blue. Even though the air hostesses were older than Joan Rivers, they were really friendly towards the kids and fed us like there was no tomorrow. We had cornettos after our lunch on the way to Sydney! Yum! It was really quick getting in to Sydney – only took us about three hours (it’s five coming back though. How does that happen? Do they move it once we’re there?). We had a few hours in Sydney airport before an hour and a half flight to the Gold Coast. Coolangatta airport was tiny, so we rushed through, collected our luggage and picked up the hire car.

The car hire company really did think of everything!

The hotel was ‘tired’. It had a large billboard at the front announcing that it had won ‘Australia’s Best Family Resort’. However, no date was mentioned and I did ask Paul what decade he thought this was from! It was only after chatting to a Real Estate guy later in the week that we found out that the hotel has been ear marked for demolition and a new twin towers resort is due to be built in it’s place. It offered good kids club facilities though and we were able to leave them all for a few hours and go out for a meal ‘alone’. Something we haven’t done in a long time! It was much too similar to Butlins for Paul’s liking, but it kept the kids happy for a few hours. Sam and Darcie even went to the weekend disco and were entertained and looked after until 10.30pm! Woo Hoo!

We were about an hours drive from Brisbane, so we had a few trips in to the city to have a look about. We took a City Cat cruise on the Sunday. Very reasonable at less than a tenner for all of us.

The river looked really brown and murky compared to WA's waterways.

However the staff were a little grumpy; Adam got told off three times in the space of an hour. Twice because he wouldn’t sit nicely on his bottom ‘facing forward’ and another because he’d picked up two sticks from the park and was happily banging them together. ‘Could you stop doing that? We don’t want to make a hole in the seat, do we?’ For heaven’s sake, he’s hanging them together, not trying to discover fire or sharpen them into a spear! Other than the staff having PMT, the river trip was fun. The water was a terrible murky brown colour compared to Perth’s Swan River and they are suffering from terrible water restrictions currently. There are notices in every toilet about the water crisis. Water parks have been affected, fountains have been switched off and swimming pools cannot be filled at all! All toilets in Oz have a half flush setting anyway, but the lack of water was even more prevalent over East.

We were staying in the famous Surfers Paradise. It was pants! A cross between Blackpool and Benidorm; just not our cup of tea at all. The surrounding area was quite pretty with lots of water ways and houses backing on to the river with their jetties, but with the drought, the jetties were getting further and further into the centre of the river to be able to have enough water to function! We did a little shopping over the next few days; they have STARBUCKS!! And I managed to squeeze in five during the holiday! The shopping was better than WA. We managed to buy a little Polo Ralph Lauren jumper for Mr Cheese for $40!

Adam on the beach at the famous 'Surfer's Paradise'

Wednesday was our first major adventure; Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. It was a little further than we thought and an hour’s drive turned into a 2½ hour drive! But we got there in the end, met with crowds and helicopters. Apparently, the Dali Lama was there giving a speech to a specially invited crowd. He nipped in and nipped out, although there were lots of his followers around the place for the day. Adam was really looking forward to seeing the Kangaroos – his favourite. I kept saying I preferred the Koalas, but he was really shouting at me that kangaroos were much better.

Adam with his finger up the 'Be-Alla's' bum.

The Zoo was cool. Bindi, Terri and Bob were there to meet the Dali, but they didn’t hang around to say hi to us – obviously didn’t get the message we were coming (o: Steve’s picture was everywhere around the place and all the info boxes in front of the animals were written ‘Steve style’. Lots of ‘crikeys!’ and ‘look at this little beaut’.

On the snakey ride at the Zoo.

I’m really glad we went. We had a great day, but I wouldn’t rush back if it was on my doorstep. Again, it boiled down to their staff and they were a little sniffy and didn’t go the ‘extra mile’ to make you enjoy your day just that little bit more. The crocoseum was cool and we watched the croc show which was awesome. We saw Acco, who is the biggest croc at the Zoo, he’s a legend.

....................and BITE!!!

The funniest part of the whole day was when Adam got to see his beloved Kangaroo. He got a little too close to one in particular and it gave him a left hook in the mush! He looked at me, cried and demanded to be taken to see the Be-Allas’ instead! I did tell him they were much nicer (o:

The world-famous croc show at the 'Crocoseum'

Darcie and Addy feed an Elephant.

We had Thursday off for some R&R and then tackled Dreamworld on Friday. It was very quiet for a theme park and we just ran from one ride to another! Sam had a fab day and did all the big rides. If Paul or I didn’t fancy them, he took himself off on his own! He went on one called the Claw which swung very high and rotated. I just stood underneath it with my eyes shut and my fingers crossed. Should have had a little fishing net and caught all the loose change that fell out of everyone’s pockets!

Paul and Sam locked in on the Wipeout ride. It was my intention to get some cool, upside down shots, but Adam needed a wee and I missed the ride totally!

Adam isn’t good with the rides. He gets on quite happily and moans all the way through them ‘I want to go home Mummy!’

..................BEFORE............. in the queue for the log flume

He did an upside down rollercoaster and all the log flumes though, so he did well.

.........................AFTER............................ Unfortunately, the unsuspecting Mr Cheese 'picked' the wettest seat on the log (ha ha!).

Unfortunately for Darcie, she was just a little too short for the bigger rides, so missed out on some of the faster rollercoasters. She was a little miffed as she loves anything like that. She took it well though and escorted Mr Cheese on some of the smaller stuff.

Posing with Wags the Dog from the Wiggles.

The parks have really short opening hours (by theme park standards; 10am to 5pm, and it’s not like Disney where you can then wander round the shops for another hour. The park closes at 5pm and everyone’s out and the doors are locked by 5.20pm!

Say Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhhh

Saturday we visited Pacific Fair; a huge shopping center. We had a few IT problems and weren’t able to access the emails, so we had to sort that out with Telstra, then we all went to watch Shrek 3. McDonalds are selling the Shrek toys this month, so I keep going in to buy the toys. So far I have (yes, I – not the kids), Shrek, Puss in Boots, Fiona (or Be-owna as Adam calls her), and a baby donkon. The film was fab although Paul fell asleep twice!

Sunday we went back into Brisbane and met up with Campbell, Sandra and their two girls. They have recently migrated to Brissie from Scotland and we spent a lovely day sharing concerns and frustrations whilst the kids played in the stream and on the man made beach next to the river. It was a good giggle and we didn’t leave them until 9.30. I felt a bit guilty as their girls had to be up for school in the morning.

As it was another late night for the kids, we bummed around and did some more shopping at the outlet center on Monday, before hitting SeaWorld on Tuesday. Sea World was FANTASTIC and absolutely my favourite-ist park. The dolphin show was brilliant.

How fab is that?

Now we know what they are capable of, I shall be training them harder back home when we go out on the boat, let me tell you! They must have jumped about 5 meters into the air. Paul got some brill photos. They look more like birds than dolphins. I had tears in my eyes whilst I watched them. Marvellous! The rest of the day was fab too. The kids ran from one ride to the next; there were hardly any queues. Sam took me on the corkscrew four times and he and Darcie almost took root on the Pirate ship.

You can call me 'Sir'.

Not really native, but they looked quite at home.

So, after Sea World, Movieworld had a lot to live up to….. and it didn’t really.

Scooby Dooby Don't

It had two really scary thrill rides which Sam tackled completely unflustered! He took me on the Lethal Weapon ride (made me do it twice as I couldn’t quite believe how bad it was the first time!) where we dangled our feet and got propelled upside down and round and round more times than I could count. I screamed like a fishwife; Sam just smiled.

Sam and I are in the last two seats, going over the top. Can you hear my scream?

He then took Paul on the Superman ride where you are propelled to 100kph in something ridiculous like 5 seconds. Again, Sam completely loved it – Paul looked like he poohed himself when he walked off.

Willy Wonka (quite scary!)

Darcie went on the Scooby Doo rollercoaster five times which was pretty hairy as most of it was in the dark and it dropped you backwards at one point which was completely unexpected!

Sam and Darcie pose with their namesakes.

It didn’t help that it was particularly cold though on the day we did Movieworld. Another storm front was moving in over NSW and QLD and they were warning of floods and hurricane force winds.

Adam practises his driving skills - he drives like Darcie steers the boat (badly!)

We managed to squeeze in a whale watching trip too after someone on the Expats had been and posted some fantastic photos. Unfortunately for us, it was SO cold and miserable that even the whales were reluctant to poke their heads out from above the warmth of the water. We managed to get a few photos, then they’d disappear into the water for 10 minutes at a time. The first ones we saw had an armed escort of dolphins in front of them – probably shielding them from the paparazzi. Paul and I were convinced that the whales caught sight of the Japanese tourists in the boat and scarpered. Can’t say I blame them really, can you?

So, the pictures aren't very exciting, but you can see the whale, OK!

Two whales with Surfers in the background.

Who says Australia doesn't have seasons? The beautiful scenery at Mount Tamborine.

Miss Parcel on Mount Tamborine.

On that note, I shall bid you farewell. There's loads more to tell, but it's 11.30pm and I've had a shi*t day, so I shall save all the other news for a better frame of mind. TTFN :o)

By the way, I've uploaded a few more photos on Flickr, so click on that to the right. More to be added when I've got some more space next month. Bye!