Ticket Troubles

We're having some hassle organising our train tickets for the holiday in Europe.

Turns out that the tickets we wanted to buy -- £300 for 16 days 1st class travel through all the places we want to visit -- are only available for people who haven't lived in Europe or the United Kingdoms for 6 months.  The tickets that WE are allowed to buy are some £200 more expensive ... and cattle-class.  What, the British are so used to paying too much for trains that they're just going to take it?

Yeah, probably.

Anyway, it means we have to figure out what we're going to do, and figure it out soon.  We don't really want to travel separately, so we might look at buying each leg of the journey separately.  Dee's going into STA Travel to get their advice today.

Very annoying!

Er, no.

Oops.  Looking at the broadband bill again I think I overpaid by £5.66.

Ahem.  Please disregard my rant.

Internet Providers? Meh.

Internet connectivity hasn't gotten any easier -- ISPs are, as a general rule, either a) expensive (by locking you into a contract) or b) incompetent.  It was true in the dial-up days and it's still true.  Take my current ADSL provider -- I won't name them, but they're the only ADSL2 provider in Scotland (and maybe the whole United Kingdom) who won't ask for a minimum 6 month contract.  And they rhyme with "spooltog".

When we moved, I rang up to get my account transferred to the new address.  Nope, can't do that -- I need to cancel the old one then reapply for the new one.  So I do that (or so I think).  It takes weeks to get the new connection, and then I finally logon to check my old account ... and I still owe £5.66 for the last four days of the month.  When I wasn't in the house.  How does that go again?

The customer call centre has been outsourced (can you guess to where?) and they don't have any connection to the finance department ... even to the point of transferring my call.  So I get a double-dose of the 15 minutes waiting on phone whilst inane pop music rings tinnilly in my ear.  I'm just glad I've got a headset, and can mute the microphone and actually continue working.

Why must it be this way??

Bendigo Photos

Here are some photos, as promised. We put in the one of us with Trinity to demonstrate what happens whenever anybody else but Lisa Carolynn or Jared tries to hold her. Mum and Dad look like it's under control, but she was on the way out :)

And here's a photo of Jared making a silly face.. I told you i'd put it on the internet ;)

Finally this fine photo is William in the hat I made him :)

Damien and Cheryl's visit

We 'celebrated' Trinity's birthday first, (by opening the pressie from Uncle Damien and Aunty Cheryl) Then it was Cheryl's turn (she got to open a pressie from us) Trinity got a big book of first words with great pictures (of trousers and pants heheh) We gave Cheryl a set of knitting looms. It was really cool, she and Damien got some wool from mum and had a go. Damien made a hat for William and Cheryl started a hat for Charlotte (Damien finished because he used the smallest loom) I'd bought a set for us as well, and Carolynn and Jared have been loom knitting too. I couldn't resist getting a photo :)

Visitors

We collected Damien and Cheryl this afternoon. They had a very early start. (4am) Tonight we're going to the RSL club with them for Edith's 60th birthday. Just checking to see if you're home yet Dayna. I realise you may be jet lagged so I don't want to disturb you if you're resting. i'll ring tomorrow night. By then you should be back on Australian time. Hope you had a fabulous holiday. Love from Mum and Dad

Back to Hay

Dad has been asked to return to Hay for a few weeks (up to ten?) The Director of Technical Services resigned and a suitable replacement hasn't been found, The CEO wants to go to Canada for July and his wife is going even if he cancels. Bob would like Dad to go up on Monday. I think they'll pay accommodation, fuel for return to Bendigo each weekend and a good wage. Dad says he won't stress out because he knows it's a limited tenure. Dayna I'm sorry but we won't get to Canberra in a week since they want Dad to start on Monday. I think we'll leave our visit until next school holidays (mid September) and we'll also go to Adelaide over that fortnight. I'll be staying in Eaglehawk with Foxie and going to my job each day. Talk to you all soon.
Lots of love from Mum and Dad

World Cup header

Hi all,

Another day, another header. This one is to celebrate the World Cup (Australia v Japan tonight, 10pm on SBS, watch it!). For your own reference, here's the countries each of you are wearing:
Adam - Trinidad and Tobago (Trini-dad.. heh), Trinity - Ukraine, Lisa - Poland, Glenn - Mexico, Carolynn - Portugal, Danielle - England, Nana - Australia, Dad - Argentina, Mum - Netherlands, Jared - Switzerland, Dayna - USA, Cheryl - Italy, and I'm Germany.

As with the others, Cheryl and I take turns drawing people :)

Dayna's Dangerous Dance-off

Another day, another Internet café.

I'm sitting once more in a little café in Stockbridge, drinking Irn-Bru (it's good for you!) and playing with the world-wide-web. Dayna is next to me, writing emails and looking at photos and stuff, and Dee's outside in the nearby park reading a magazine. We're all waiting for the next bus to Ocean Terminal, a shopping centre by the Firth of Forth.

It's been fun having Dayna over here -- we've gone out, gone shopping, gone crazy; drank ales in an old church and cherry-flavoured beer on the balcony; talked and laughed and spied on Edinburgh through the Camera Obscura. In short, we're having a blast.

If only we didn't have to go to work. Dayna's been catching up with her friends and doing touristy things (like getting sunburnt at the beach) while we've been stuck in our offices, chained to a computer terminal! Awww, no fair!

She's takes a bunch of random photos, so at least we can live vicariously.

Still waiting for an Internet connection at home; hence not updating this very much (it's hard to be inspired to write when the hum of fans drowns out the music on the radio, and the computers are all stuck on little desks with uncomfortable slide-out keyboard rests and equally uncomfortable (but not slide-out) "bum-rests" (AKA chairs).

Anyway, Dayna can write a full break-down of what she's been up to. I'll just say that we've met a couple of her friends, and she's scheduled for a dance-off with a Scot named Gregor sometime this evening. Heh heh heh.

I've got some photos, but not heaps. Try to take more and upload them to Flickr!

Is he strong?

Listen bud. He's got radioactive blood.



So how did you spend your Saturday?

skill recognition

Damien,
Auntie Denise would love a blog type picture of her family. Nana has a photo that would be a good start, but they want to include Nana (and she's not in the photo). We can give you the photo when you come in a couple of weeks.
Next weekend we're going to Talbot for the opening of a new community library. We're to have lunch with the Hazelman's. Chris is back in Australia and working at the Aquarium in Melbourne, but Michael is still in Vietnam.
Dad used the old wooden posts from our fernery to reinforce and stabilize Nana's fernery. Today we went back to tidy it up. Nana was out but noticed the difference as soon as she arrived home.
one more week until holidays.( and no pay- oh well the rest will be nice and we're looking forward to seeing Damien and Cheryl and Dayna over the break.
Val Loomes was to have surgery in Albury on Friday, Hoping all went well. I guess chemo is to follow.
Kerry and John are to call in over the holidays on their way to Adelaide and a trip on the Ghan. Both are still off work after the bike accident.
love to all

Happy Birthday Nanna!

The title says it all really!

hellooooo from sunny Edinburgh

just a quick one to say that i arrived in edinburgh last night. i was met at the train station by glenn, and then we waited for dee (i was still in the coffee line when she came out of the station).. we dumped my bag at their lovely house, and then went to their 'local' for dinner and a couple of quiet bevvys. it was great.. we even ended up chatting to a few interesting people..

anyway.. best get a move on.. hope all is good, and i look forward to seeing everyone when i get back..

jared, hope footy is fun still (and you don't get tackled..)
carolynn, hope the flute practice is still going well - before my holiday i was playing my guitar every day, so i hope we still get to have a jam!
everyone else, be good and have fun.. ;)

*hugz*

weigh-in, music and footy

I thought I would wait until today so I could post a bit about everything. On Wednesday I actually remembered to take Trinity to the Health Centre. She now weighs 9.6kg, so my guess on Tuesday of "about 10 kilos" was pretty close. She's slowed down a bit on the growing so she still fits into some zeros (especially Target, their sizes are really big)
Last night was the Bendigo Instrumental Music Program concert (phew, that's a mouthful) Carolynn was going to 'music camp' from Tuesday to Friday this week, and the concert was to showcase all the kids had learnt. Mum, Dad and Nanna all came too, and it was good, if a really long night. Carolynn said she messed up one song, but I didn't notice so I'm sure no-one else watching did either.
And finally, Jared had a 9am footy game today, which they 'lost' (it's just for fun, remember) I think the other team got 13 3 to White Hills 1 point (on the bright side, Jared kicked the point) I hope they win a game this season, just one would be nice *grin* Although I did think in the future Jared could become a footy star, and his story would start "We lost every game the first season I played" That would be funny!!!