A busy couple of weeks for us! This week we toured a few of the primary schools in our area and we have decided on Specimen Hill for Oscar...so he'll get to see Trinity & Daria more often! Damien and I (thankfully!) both had the same thoughts on the schools that we saw. We found the staff at Speci to be very approachable and friendly, with a genuine interest in their students' well-being. The grounds are a good size with shaded play areas, there's a garden and plans for an outdoor classroom (it'll be completed by the time Os starts). We were very keen to tour Quarry Hill where my brother's kids go but found they had a very strong academic focus but possibly to a fault - lots of statistics that look good on paper but not that warm, friendly atmosphere of Speci. And Spring Gully... they are a school under development. A couple of great study areas, but then lots of concrete and steps everywhere. And a terrible canteen menu!
As well as school tours, I took Os (& Lil) to a drop-in speech pathologist. He is having trouble with a couple of sounds (S & L) and the pathologist thought it would be a good idea for him to continue having sessions. Just need to get a recommendation from kindy, and then a 6 month wait for an appointment :-/
Speaking of kindy, Os still really enjoys it. He told us he has a girlfriend! She is blonde and had a bunny on her t-shirt. He doesn't know her name ;) He knows Elliot from Lisa's playgroup, but generally he doesn't know names but is happy to play with everyone :)
Lil has her own special appointment next week- paediatric physio to assess her walking... she tends to be pigeon-toed when she walks quickly/runs. Looks like it is a hip-related thing which will hopefully correct itself by around age ten.
Damien has been working hard, but was still able to look after the kids while I went to the school parent info nights :) And because he started stupidly early this morning he also had time to go out for lunch with us :)
We had Ann & Clive over for dinner last Sunday, and my parents are due back this Tuesday. My sis' boyfriend/our landlord looks like he's returned from his overseas trip, too, so very soon things will be "back to normal" ;)
That's about it I think. I'm sure Damien will fill in the gaps :)
Friday, 24 May 2013
Monday, 13 May 2013
Gordon St Grapevine
"Grapevine" makes it sound like I have some juicy gossip to share, but alas, no, just a regular post ;)
I was going to just post a comment to Damien's post, but I noticed with Lisa's post that it's saying there are zero comments (at least for me) even though there are four there now. So to be safe, I'll do a new one.
Firstly, geez, Damo! Should have been Father's Day yesterday, I reckon! You have been busy busy busy! And still managed to help out with the kids! Better make sure I think of an extra special present for September :)
So yes, busy week for us, although after reading Damien's post I feel like maybe I could have done a bit more! Monday morning I took the kids for a "quick trip" to Big W to print some photos for my parents to show family in the Philippines. Os had kindy that afternoon.
Tuesday morning Damien took Os to kindy. In the afternoon I drove my parents to the bus stop and waited until their ride to the airport arrived. I then took the kids out to the uni to pick up my sister and she joined us for dinner.
Wednesday morning we went to Lansell Plaza. Os had completed his "toilet chart" and was due for a prize :) He wanted a Thomas toy from the vending machine and luckily he got a "good" one (I personally would have been disappointed if he got another set of boring tracks! ;).
Thursday was kindy morning again, so Damien dropped Os off and I went in an hour earlier for the special Mother's Day morning tea. Damien looked after Lil at home and it was really nice to spend time with my little boy. He brought me a scone that he had helped make and then we played in the sandpit. I'm sure you saw the photos of him buried in the sand! Unfortunately that did mean that there was a few little piles of sand on the carpet later on at home. Haha! In the evening Damien and my brother picked up some shelves from a friend- woo hoo! Shelves in the laundry and the office now :)
Friday was playgroup day. We're always late :p But after a busy week it's nice to let Os have a sleep-in. Os loves running around with Daria, and they both like playing with the toys :) We never seem to get there in time for craft, but to be honest that would be more for me anyway ;) Friday night we had my sibs and niece and nephews over for dinner. I made mini pies- beef Guiness & onion for the big people, and mince pies for the kids, with mashed potatoes and green vegies. My brother's wife brought over a fruit crumble. All of it was delicious (if I do say so myself!). We usually all catch up at my parent's place for dinner Sunday night, so it was nice to still eat together even though my parents are away.
Damien covered Saturday- Oak Forest and Castlemaine. It was a beautiful day! I ran into a primary school friend at the cafe. Haven't seen her for over ten years and it was great to have a chat. After lunch we looked through a cool store that had a lot of bits and pieces for around the house as well as antiques. It was quite a large store even though it looked like a tiny cottage from the outside (think TARDIS ;) Both kids napped on the way home. Yay!
Sunday I enjoyed a lovely morning with Damien and the chickens: breakfast and presents :) Then dinner that night where we ordered a little too much, so leftovers for lunch today. We don't go out for dinner as much as we did in Adelaide, so hopefully we're saving money, but it is always nice when we do. The Dumpling House is our current family favourite, although we really must try some other places for dinner! When we were back home I found another handmade gift for me in Os' kindy bag haha! He had forgotten about it :) All up, a really nice Mother's Day. The kids are at a great age where they can make/do things... it's very sweet :)
So, that's pretty much our week. In between those things I have been working on my resume and doing baking (nothing interesting.. mostly healthy stuff for the kids). The kids have been good. Os has been sharing his dreams with us, practicing writing, helping me with baking, and Lil has been... a cheeky little monkey :) She still likes to chat, sing, climb, play with her babies, mimic us and most importantly eat a LOT! :)
Hoping this week is a little less busy for Damien, with maybe lunch out and some quiet time to catch up on Game of Thrones & Downton Abby :)
I was going to just post a comment to Damien's post, but I noticed with Lisa's post that it's saying there are zero comments (at least for me) even though there are four there now. So to be safe, I'll do a new one.
Firstly, geez, Damo! Should have been Father's Day yesterday, I reckon! You have been busy busy busy! And still managed to help out with the kids! Better make sure I think of an extra special present for September :)
So yes, busy week for us, although after reading Damien's post I feel like maybe I could have done a bit more! Monday morning I took the kids for a "quick trip" to Big W to print some photos for my parents to show family in the Philippines. Os had kindy that afternoon.
Tuesday morning Damien took Os to kindy. In the afternoon I drove my parents to the bus stop and waited until their ride to the airport arrived. I then took the kids out to the uni to pick up my sister and she joined us for dinner.
Wednesday morning we went to Lansell Plaza. Os had completed his "toilet chart" and was due for a prize :) He wanted a Thomas toy from the vending machine and luckily he got a "good" one (I personally would have been disappointed if he got another set of boring tracks! ;).
Thursday was kindy morning again, so Damien dropped Os off and I went in an hour earlier for the special Mother's Day morning tea. Damien looked after Lil at home and it was really nice to spend time with my little boy. He brought me a scone that he had helped make and then we played in the sandpit. I'm sure you saw the photos of him buried in the sand! Unfortunately that did mean that there was a few little piles of sand on the carpet later on at home. Haha! In the evening Damien and my brother picked up some shelves from a friend- woo hoo! Shelves in the laundry and the office now :)
Friday was playgroup day. We're always late :p But after a busy week it's nice to let Os have a sleep-in. Os loves running around with Daria, and they both like playing with the toys :) We never seem to get there in time for craft, but to be honest that would be more for me anyway ;) Friday night we had my sibs and niece and nephews over for dinner. I made mini pies- beef Guiness & onion for the big people, and mince pies for the kids, with mashed potatoes and green vegies. My brother's wife brought over a fruit crumble. All of it was delicious (if I do say so myself!). We usually all catch up at my parent's place for dinner Sunday night, so it was nice to still eat together even though my parents are away.
Damien covered Saturday- Oak Forest and Castlemaine. It was a beautiful day! I ran into a primary school friend at the cafe. Haven't seen her for over ten years and it was great to have a chat. After lunch we looked through a cool store that had a lot of bits and pieces for around the house as well as antiques. It was quite a large store even though it looked like a tiny cottage from the outside (think TARDIS ;) Both kids napped on the way home. Yay!
Sunday I enjoyed a lovely morning with Damien and the chickens: breakfast and presents :) Then dinner that night where we ordered a little too much, so leftovers for lunch today. We don't go out for dinner as much as we did in Adelaide, so hopefully we're saving money, but it is always nice when we do. The Dumpling House is our current family favourite, although we really must try some other places for dinner! When we were back home I found another handmade gift for me in Os' kindy bag haha! He had forgotten about it :) All up, a really nice Mother's Day. The kids are at a great age where they can make/do things... it's very sweet :)
So, that's pretty much our week. In between those things I have been working on my resume and doing baking (nothing interesting.. mostly healthy stuff for the kids). The kids have been good. Os has been sharing his dreams with us, practicing writing, helping me with baking, and Lil has been... a cheeky little monkey :) She still likes to chat, sing, climb, play with her babies, mimic us and most importantly eat a LOT! :)
Hoping this week is a little less busy for Damien, with maybe lunch out and some quiet time to catch up on Game of Thrones & Downton Abby :)
Gordon St Gossip
These last couple of weeks have been a bit nuts for me. As I posted on Facebook, as a freelancer I don't get holidays (at least not if I want to get paid) and I can't really get sick. After a week of being sick, I could have really used a holiday ;) Unfortunately it was about then that a job I'd quoted on weeks back came through. In true form the client left it to the 11th hour to confirm the design, so on top of my usual 7.5 hours a day of GDD work I had to squeeze in another 8 hours of work for this guy. I also had an illustration job (2 hours) pop up, and a mail form (another 2 hours) due today. Suffice to say I've had some late nights and early mornings but I've got it all done. On the plus side, at least I get paid.
Of course there's no point doing all this work if it causes me to neglect my family, so I had to work around the kids being awake and helping Cheryl out with them. Most mornings I'll get the kids dressed and fed, and Tuesdays and Thursdays take Os to Kinder. Also Thursday I looked after Lil for an hour in the middle of the day so Chez could go to Ossie's Kinder for a special Mother's Day morning tea - I'll let her fill you in on that. Saturday morning we made the most of beautiful weather and went to the Oak Forest out near Harcourt for a bit of a look, then on to Castlemaine for some lunch. The food was exceptional.
Sunday morning the kids and I made Cheryl breakfast in bed (which, as all children do, they helped consume) and they gave her presents. Then after a trip to the supermarket and more work we headed out for Mother's Day dinner. Again, I'll let Chez post about the Mother's Day stuff.
Anyway, the point of all this isn't to have a whinge, just to say it's been a bit crazy and I'm not entirely sure what we've done this week. Except I know I got all my extra work finished while still having time to play with the kids, so that's good :)
Of course there's no point doing all this work if it causes me to neglect my family, so I had to work around the kids being awake and helping Cheryl out with them. Most mornings I'll get the kids dressed and fed, and Tuesdays and Thursdays take Os to Kinder. Also Thursday I looked after Lil for an hour in the middle of the day so Chez could go to Ossie's Kinder for a special Mother's Day morning tea - I'll let her fill you in on that. Saturday morning we made the most of beautiful weather and went to the Oak Forest out near Harcourt for a bit of a look, then on to Castlemaine for some lunch. The food was exceptional.
Sunday morning the kids and I made Cheryl breakfast in bed (which, as all children do, they helped consume) and they gave her presents. Then after a trip to the supermarket and more work we headed out for Mother's Day dinner. Again, I'll let Chez post about the Mother's Day stuff.
Anyway, the point of all this isn't to have a whinge, just to say it's been a bit crazy and I'm not entirely sure what we've done this week. Except I know I got all my extra work finished while still having time to play with the kids, so that's good :)
Sunday, 5 May 2013
Brooklea Park babbling
The sun has come out this afternoon so we're sitting on the veranda making some much-needed vitamin D, drinking some vino and listening to random old music tracks on B's computer (remember Love Shack anyone?). :-)
So what have we been up to this week?
Monday I was in a school with SIAS. Tuesday was full of meetings. I worked from home on Wednesday but still had a full day. I was away early Thursday for a very important meeting in London about funding for the SIAS scheme in Wales (it went really well) but I didn't get home until late because I took the afternoon off and wandered around Covent Garden and Leicester Square. After the long hours I've worked lately I took yesterday off but met the girls after work for a quiet drink (or not so quiet.. we were out until after 1am!).
I still have work to do on the work-life balance but I do see a light at the end of my extremely busy tunnel. Another upside is that I've recently been given a pay rise. Yay! Think it's time to book some more holidays! ;-)
B hasn't done much - still working at the school and not really enjoying it. Keep your fingers crossed next Wednesday - he's got yet another interview.
This weekend is a long one - May Day holiday - so we're going to Caldicott Castle on Monday to see a random battle reenactment thing. :-) should be fun.
"Tin roof rusted!"
Friday, 3 May 2013
Shaft St Sh*t
Yeah, ok, so my attempt at jumping on the update bandwagon isn't as clever as the rest of you LOL Of course, I'm pretty slack at doing this mainly because I don't think our lives are quite as interesting as the rest of you.
I'm working Monday to Wednesday, and I'm enjoying it. I just wish I had more time at home. Thursdays I shop with Tania, though I'm trying to get out of it occasionally. It's just so busy when we have tea with mum before Jared goes to karate while I set up playgroup, with Julie-Anne's help of course. Then we get home and have to get the girls in to bed. Friday is playgroup from 9.45am until about 12, though by the time we've packed everything up it's often 1pm before we leave. Trinity finishes school at 3.15pm but to get a car park I need to be there by 3pm, 2.45 to get a park in the side street, I usually miss out on one of those when I'm working.
This weekend is the Relay for Life so after picking Trinity up we headed out to the Flora Hill track to help decorate the BCA site and then I hung around for the opening. Carolynn and Jared walked the carer's lap on mum's behalf, hope that was ok :) Then Trinity, Daria and I walked the 2nd lap before coming home. Carolynn tells me performances start around midday so I have tomorrow morning to get caught up on housework. That's about all I get done these days, catching up. I'd love to be able to get ahead of it and actually declutter. I'm waiting for the holidays, despite the fact that the last ones zipped by with very little accomplished. In terms of house-keeping that is. I chose to take the kids out to meet friends and check out stuff in town instead so I've no-one to blame but myself.
Adam isn't well. He's really breathless a lot. Hoping the doctor he sees next Monday will listen and send him off for some tests, I for one refuse to believe it's "just asthma".
So that's it here... busy but boring.
Something nice though... my boss is leaving us (that's not the nice part, we'll miss her) and she was going around talking about those in the office and about me she said that when she goes around to see people it amazes her how many people know me and speak highly of me. I thought that was nice :) I said "I get around apparently" LOL
I'm working Monday to Wednesday, and I'm enjoying it. I just wish I had more time at home. Thursdays I shop with Tania, though I'm trying to get out of it occasionally. It's just so busy when we have tea with mum before Jared goes to karate while I set up playgroup, with Julie-Anne's help of course. Then we get home and have to get the girls in to bed. Friday is playgroup from 9.45am until about 12, though by the time we've packed everything up it's often 1pm before we leave. Trinity finishes school at 3.15pm but to get a car park I need to be there by 3pm, 2.45 to get a park in the side street, I usually miss out on one of those when I'm working.
This weekend is the Relay for Life so after picking Trinity up we headed out to the Flora Hill track to help decorate the BCA site and then I hung around for the opening. Carolynn and Jared walked the carer's lap on mum's behalf, hope that was ok :) Then Trinity, Daria and I walked the 2nd lap before coming home. Carolynn tells me performances start around midday so I have tomorrow morning to get caught up on housework. That's about all I get done these days, catching up. I'd love to be able to get ahead of it and actually declutter. I'm waiting for the holidays, despite the fact that the last ones zipped by with very little accomplished. In terms of house-keeping that is. I chose to take the kids out to meet friends and check out stuff in town instead so I've no-one to blame but myself.
Adam isn't well. He's really breathless a lot. Hoping the doctor he sees next Monday will listen and send him off for some tests, I for one refuse to believe it's "just asthma".
So that's it here... busy but boring.
Something nice though... my boss is leaving us (that's not the nice part, we'll miss her) and she was going around talking about those in the office and about me she said that when she goes around to see people it amazes her how many people know me and speak highly of me. I thought that was nice :) I said "I get around apparently" LOL
Monday, 29 April 2013
Gordon St Gossip
Another quick one from me.
Wednesday we went to My Teppanyaki for our anniversary dinner. It's pricey, but good. We were the only ones in the restaurant which was a bit weird - the Japanese dude came out, cooked our food, then left :) After dinner since we didn't have the kids with us we went to the ice creamery - I got a sundae and Chez got pancakes. Both were massive. We think that was the second time we've ever had dinner together without the kids since Os was born - the first being our anniversary in 2010, when my boss looked after Ossie. Hopefully now we're in Bendigo nights out wont be three years apart.
Thursday Ossie skipped Kinder again. He'll be back this arvo. Friday they also skipped Playgroup.
Saturday we had a barbecue lunch with friends - Os and Lil had a great time playing with their 3 year old son on what could only be described as a massive trampoline. Then they dropped me off at the cinema and I saw Iron Man 3. Huzzah! Seeing a movie is another thing I'm hoping might be a little more regular than once a year. Cheryl's parents came over for dinner Saturday night.
Sunday I took the kids out in the morning to find a Mother's Day present while Cheryl cooked chicken sausage rolls. We had no luck so I went out again in the afternoon while Lil slept and found something. The kids helped me wrap it. I asked Os if it looked good and he said "no" so I flipped it over to hide the edges of the paper and asked again and he said "yes". Perfect!
Sunday night was dinner at Nanny's, and both kids were so excited to see Trin and Daria. They had a great time playing together. I think Trin likes Os because he goes along with whatever she wants, and then Daria does too because the others are. Lil kind of does her own thing right now.
Wednesday we went to My Teppanyaki for our anniversary dinner. It's pricey, but good. We were the only ones in the restaurant which was a bit weird - the Japanese dude came out, cooked our food, then left :) After dinner since we didn't have the kids with us we went to the ice creamery - I got a sundae and Chez got pancakes. Both were massive. We think that was the second time we've ever had dinner together without the kids since Os was born - the first being our anniversary in 2010, when my boss looked after Ossie. Hopefully now we're in Bendigo nights out wont be three years apart.
Thursday Ossie skipped Kinder again. He'll be back this arvo. Friday they also skipped Playgroup.
Saturday we had a barbecue lunch with friends - Os and Lil had a great time playing with their 3 year old son on what could only be described as a massive trampoline. Then they dropped me off at the cinema and I saw Iron Man 3. Huzzah! Seeing a movie is another thing I'm hoping might be a little more regular than once a year. Cheryl's parents came over for dinner Saturday night.
Sunday I took the kids out in the morning to find a Mother's Day present while Cheryl cooked chicken sausage rolls. We had no luck so I went out again in the afternoon while Lil slept and found something. The kids helped me wrap it. I asked Os if it looked good and he said "no" so I flipped it over to hide the edges of the paper and asked again and he said "yes". Perfect!
Sunday night was dinner at Nanny's, and both kids were so excited to see Trin and Daria. They had a great time playing together. I think Trin likes Os because he goes along with whatever she wants, and then Daria does too because the others are. Lil kind of does her own thing right now.
Brooklea Park blabber
This week has been much the same as every other week - we get up, we go to work, we come home and B makes dinner, we watch some tele and it all starts again the next day. Ahh, the monotony.
Actually, it isn't that depressing - we had a lovely afternoon on Tuesday, the sun was shining so we sat on the verandah with a glass or few of wine. :-) And Friday afternoon we had a couple of drinks at the Ty Mawr (but we sat inside because although the sun was out, it was still cold!). :-)
I continue to work long hours (I worked yesterday!) and am trying to work out when I can take some time off in lieu. Hopefully everything will settle down a little in the next few weeks.
B continues teaching, although he's not really enjoying it so he's keeping an eye on the Vacant ads.
It's great reading what everyone else is doing (especially you, Mum - you do HEAPS) - it just highlights that we need to do more stuff.... if only so we have something interesting to post.
Actually, it isn't that depressing - we had a lovely afternoon on Tuesday, the sun was shining so we sat on the verandah with a glass or few of wine. :-) And Friday afternoon we had a couple of drinks at the Ty Mawr (but we sat inside because although the sun was out, it was still cold!). :-)
I continue to work long hours (I worked yesterday!) and am trying to work out when I can take some time off in lieu. Hopefully everything will settle down a little in the next few weeks.
B continues teaching, although he's not really enjoying it so he's keeping an eye on the Vacant ads.
It's great reading what everyone else is doing (especially you, Mum - you do HEAPS) - it just highlights that we need to do more stuff.... if only so we have something interesting to post.
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Gordon St Gas
Oscar was back at Kinder last week. He was there Monday afternoon, and then Tuesday and Thursday morning. We actually made it pretty close to on time which, given that they start at 8:15, is quite an achievement. He should have been there yesterday and today, but he's sick. He's also given it to me, which is a shame because now I'm freelancing I don't really get sick days. I suppose I could have them all the time if I wanted, but then we might have issues with the rent and mortgage ;)
Cheryl took the kids off to playgroup on Friday. She sent me a photo of Jared and Lil saying some kid had made Lily cry and Jared had comforted her. What a good cousin :) So yeah, illness aside we're back into the busy routine.
Saturday was a nice sunny morning so we headed to Good Loaf for lunch. It's a really nice little caf - good food and very kid-friendly. Then we went home and both kids had a sleep, which was good because that night we went to a 66th birthday party. Dale and Joel were both celebrating their 33rds so they had a joint thing ;)
Sunday we decided to drive to Daylesford for a look at the market. It was nice to get out of the house and have a little trip as a family. Unfortunately after lunch Os had a stomach ache and we had to head home, praying he wouldn't spew in the car. He had some panadol and then fell asleep for the whole way, while Lily pretended to eat grapes out of her pockets before stuffing them with tissues :) Sunday night now we go over to Edith and Landon's place for dinner, and Darryl's family, as well as Rach and Shaun were all there, so it was a very full house. Os had clearly recovered from his belly ache thanks to the sleep, because he ran around squealing and harassing Shaun pretty much the whole time. A quick chat with Dayna and Bruce and then the kids headed off to bed.
Yesterday I actually had a meeting with a potential new client for Good Dog - BSSC. They want an App developed for their students. I've brought the information back to Henry to see what he says, but they budget is rather low so I'm not sure we'll be quoting on it. Still, it was a good experience to go out and talk to them. Once I got back back Cheryl headed out to get her hair cut. We're so lucky to have Nana and Granddad nearby so they could watch the kids while I worked.
Tomorrow is Cheryl and my 9th anniversary. Oscar's very excited by the prospect of us giving each other presents, but no matter how often he promises "I wont tell anyone" neither of us are telling him what we got the other, so the suspense is killing him ;) Our plan is to go out for dinner together, once again making the most of nearby babysitters.
So that's us :)
Cheryl took the kids off to playgroup on Friday. She sent me a photo of Jared and Lil saying some kid had made Lily cry and Jared had comforted her. What a good cousin :) So yeah, illness aside we're back into the busy routine.
Saturday was a nice sunny morning so we headed to Good Loaf for lunch. It's a really nice little caf - good food and very kid-friendly. Then we went home and both kids had a sleep, which was good because that night we went to a 66th birthday party. Dale and Joel were both celebrating their 33rds so they had a joint thing ;)
Sunday we decided to drive to Daylesford for a look at the market. It was nice to get out of the house and have a little trip as a family. Unfortunately after lunch Os had a stomach ache and we had to head home, praying he wouldn't spew in the car. He had some panadol and then fell asleep for the whole way, while Lily pretended to eat grapes out of her pockets before stuffing them with tissues :) Sunday night now we go over to Edith and Landon's place for dinner, and Darryl's family, as well as Rach and Shaun were all there, so it was a very full house. Os had clearly recovered from his belly ache thanks to the sleep, because he ran around squealing and harassing Shaun pretty much the whole time. A quick chat with Dayna and Bruce and then the kids headed off to bed.
Yesterday I actually had a meeting with a potential new client for Good Dog - BSSC. They want an App developed for their students. I've brought the information back to Henry to see what he says, but they budget is rather low so I'm not sure we'll be quoting on it. Still, it was a good experience to go out and talk to them. Once I got back back Cheryl headed out to get her hair cut. We're so lucky to have Nana and Granddad nearby so they could watch the kids while I worked.
Tomorrow is Cheryl and my 9th anniversary. Oscar's very excited by the prospect of us giving each other presents, but no matter how often he promises "I wont tell anyone" neither of us are telling him what we got the other, so the suspense is killing him ;) Our plan is to go out for dinner together, once again making the most of nearby babysitters.
So that's us :)
Monday, 22 April 2013
Busy busy
Hi all,
Great to see so many updates on here and apologies for my tardiness.
This week has been very long! I've travelled nearly 1000 km and done more than 7 days work in 5... (map here: http://goo.gl/maps/OlvVJ)
Monday I was running workshops in Cardiff for Spectroscopy in a Suitcase (SIAS); Tuesday lunchtime I headed up to Bangor for an evening meeting - the RSC North Wales Local Section AGM & Committee meeting; Wednesday morning I was on a train back to Cardiff, had a couple of hours in the office and then headed over to Bristol that evening to support the South West Regional Coordinator in a training session (got back home after 9pm!); I'd organised an event for 45 students at Swansea University on Thursday afternoon (part of the STEM in Medicine residential); and Friday I had a fairly early start for an RSC ChemNet event at Lafarge Cement, we learned about how cement is made and had a tour of the site.
Anyone else tired yet?
Definitely feel like I've earned a relaxing weekend and that's what we've done. Last night we had my old boss, Pete, over for dinner. B did most of the cooking and it was very tasty. Dessert wasn't great - I'd tried to make a chocolate pudding but it just didn't seem to work. O well.
B can update what he's been up to. :-)
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Recipe site
Hey all, I put together this CMS site for Chez to record recipes. I was wondering if anyone else wanted access to add recipes?
It's here: http://damienmason.com/recipes/
Let me know and I'll make you a log in.
It's here: http://damienmason.com/recipes/
Let me know and I'll make you a log in.
Mudder Training
With the most important problem -- a roof over our heads -- now settled, it's time to start thinking about the future: particularly the Tough Mudder challenge. I need to get training!
It was pretty much fate: I'd been looking for something to get me motivated, and then saw that the next Sydney Mudder was on the 12th and 13th of October. The day before my 35th birthday, then! I immediately signed up, before I had a chance to reconsider. I then proceeded to forget all about it, since it was suitably distant in the future and we had so much other stuff to deal with.
Except it's not that far away, now is it? Almost May already, and then it's 5 and a half months. Yeah, that's not long to prepare for a 20km run, let alone one with the all the devilish obstacles that TMHQ see fit to torment us with ... so I better get training! I've had an absolutely crap week dietwise, but it means I'm feeling motivated to do better and so I've been sitting here watching TV and reading various sites and blogs: body-building, marathon training, mountain-biking ... anything to geek-out on.
Last time I wrote up a calendar, crammed as many training sessions in as I could, and tried to stick to it. Even worked, for the first month and a half (lost it completely on month 3, and then it was go-time). So this time I'm thinking about a calendar but also how I can avoid losing focus. Any ideas?
There are two aspects to the challenge, and consequently two (maybe three) areas I need to train on. The first is running, which should be pretty straightforward (but still difficult) -- I just need to go running 3 to 5 times a week, building up my distance and stamina. I've got the same C25K app that I used last time, as well as a fun little game called "Zombies, Run!". It's just a matter a picking the best time: when I'm not too tired, too distracted, too engrossed by the computer, too unmotivated. Dee and I talked about it tonight, and we've agreed to put aside 30 minutes a day each to doing something fun and physical. Exercise-alone-time.
The second type of training is for all the obstacles. TMHQ provides a "boot camp" training plan which seems pretty good. In theory, I could do some/all of these combined with a morning run, kind of a half-way. Especially if there is a playground or some open-air gym equipment in one of the many parks near our new place. I think having a good plan written down for that is probably important, so I don't just try to make it up (and then feel silly, and then just stop doing it).
The last thing I definitely need to do is more stretching. We had a stretching class at Palantir for a while, and it was pretty apparent to the trainer that my knees were out of alignment and lacking the kind of strength I'll need to actually run for the full 20km. (Last time I ran 5km, tops, before my knees started hurting. I ended up walking most of the course. Not this time!) She gave me some stretches to do, but I'm not going to do them unless I specifically put time aside and it's on my training plan.
So that's it. Anyone got any good advice on how to stay motivated, what exercises I should be doing, food for training? As mentioned, there are parks near our new place, and we've both got a Palantir gym membership (at Fitness First -- still got to make sure we can use the Sydney gyms), as well as our bikes. Food-wise, I think we know what to do (even if it's hard to do it) with good, natural food and the perfect combination of Fitbit and MyFitnessPal; provided we get decent sleep, and are together to keep each other strong, we won't fall off the wagon. Fact is, I don't have TIME to fall off the wagon again. So I guess I'm hoping you can keep me on the straight and narrow!
And after you're done ... this is how a Mudder recovers:
Lease signed, we're moving to Sydney
Did I mention we got the house in Annandale?
Yesterday I met Kate, one of the owners, and signed a 12-month lease on 301 Nelson Street, Annandale. It's expensive, but not that much more than we're currently paying in Belconnen, and we get all the benefits of living close to the city -- it's a 20-minute bike ride! -- and a lovely little community. Wide, tree-lined streets; a park just behind us; a child-care and supermarket opening up just down the road; bike paths, off-leash parks, Rozelle Bay. Everyone I've spoken to has said how nice an area Annandale is -- I can't wait to move in. Kate said that it wasn't uncommon to see neighbourhood kids playing together, running in and out of each others' houses. And that never happens in Sydney!
Which means only one more week of flying to Sydney, flying back to Canberra for the weekends. We move in on the 26th (or thereabouts), the day after ANZAC day. In fact, I've only got today, tomorrow, and three days next week away from Dee and Jules! Yay! "Settling" will be like Christmas, with so many boxes to open and sort through, including some we haven't unpacked since Melbourne.
Once we do settle in, of course, I'll be coming back to Canberra every Monday, and maybe more often if I get put on a particular project. But somehow that doesn't seem so bad, and sooner or later we're going to open a Sydney office (Shannon was even scoping out buildings yesterday) so our long-term plans are now based around living in Sydney. Settle, get our life back under control, save a little money. It's a good plan!
Yesterday I met Kate, one of the owners, and signed a 12-month lease on 301 Nelson Street, Annandale. It's expensive, but not that much more than we're currently paying in Belconnen, and we get all the benefits of living close to the city -- it's a 20-minute bike ride! -- and a lovely little community. Wide, tree-lined streets; a park just behind us; a child-care and supermarket opening up just down the road; bike paths, off-leash parks, Rozelle Bay. Everyone I've spoken to has said how nice an area Annandale is -- I can't wait to move in. Kate said that it wasn't uncommon to see neighbourhood kids playing together, running in and out of each others' houses. And that never happens in Sydney!
Which means only one more week of flying to Sydney, flying back to Canberra for the weekends. We move in on the 26th (or thereabouts), the day after ANZAC day. In fact, I've only got today, tomorrow, and three days next week away from Dee and Jules! Yay! "Settling" will be like Christmas, with so many boxes to open and sort through, including some we haven't unpacked since Melbourne.
Once we do settle in, of course, I'll be coming back to Canberra every Monday, and maybe more often if I get put on a particular project. But somehow that doesn't seem so bad, and sooner or later we're going to open a Sydney office (Shannon was even scoping out buildings yesterday) so our long-term plans are now based around living in Sydney. Settle, get our life back under control, save a little money. It's a good plan!
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Update
So its been a busy time of year for me, with Easter and National Youth Week and uni assignments. So over Easter I had the flu it turns out, I was meant to carry Ping, but was not well enough to do so on Easter Sunday :( but it did mean for a change I got to watch the parade and Jared perform with Choi. I've also joined the plum blossom dancing team so I will now be performing at events with the BCA. Last week was Youth Week, and I was at events, the main one really, which was a Zombie Walk, Jared and Maddi were zombies, and I was there reporting on the event which was really different because I haven't been filmed as a reporter before, but I thought I did a really good job :D Uni is the same as normal, lots of assignments all due at once and with only 7 weeks until mid year exams I'm starting to try and not get stressed like I normally do.
I've been in Bendigo Magazine and Bendigo Addy both for YO Bendigo and Youth Week, its cool that I'm one of the first picked for interviews now, and I'm hoping to start building a portfolio that I can send in to the ABC in September with a cadetship application for journalism.
I've been in Bendigo Magazine and Bendigo Addy both for YO Bendigo and Youth Week, its cool that I'm one of the first picked for interviews now, and I'm hoping to start building a portfolio that I can send in to the ABC in September with a cadetship application for journalism.
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Curl's Column
It was a wonderful week of dancing. Ann is a very capable dancer, even though she claims not to be able to perfect them all. I would hate to dance with someBODY that believes they are perfect in every way.
Weather is great in Bendigo, gets me out on my bike,
I think we'd be better off not to watch television, The Boston bombing is on at the moment.
Have a great day everyone. Regards Clive.
Weather is great in Bendigo, gets me out on my bike,
I think we'd be better off not to watch television, The Boston bombing is on at the moment.
Have a great day everyone. Regards Clive.
Monday, 15 April 2013
Gordon St Gossip
We've had another fairly quiet week, followed by a busy weekend. It was the second week of school holidays, so I've been trying to find ways to entertain the kids. Os and I did some baking together. I'd almost forgotten how fun it is to cook with my little boy. He's very capable and great at following instructions :) Both kids like to do "activities", so I've been sitting down with them to do drawing/stickers etc, as well as reading to them and making up games. It has been really nice to have time to spend with them both, but I think I'd start running out of activity ideas soon! ;) I've also taken the kids out shopping a couple of times, and sometimes a "bit of a drive so that Lily falls asleep" ;)
Tuesday Damien had lunch out with friends (cafe au lait, I think?) and I had a nap! :p I was very lucky that Lil wanted a nap, too, and Oscar was happy to quietly play with Lego. He only came into the bedroom once to announce that he needed to do a wee :D Once again, he's very capable and took himself to the bathroom :)
My parents came over on Wednesday so that I could convert my driver's license. Damien did his, too. We both thought it was worth putting in a bit of effort beforehand to get a decent photo, so we'll see how they turn out ;)
Friday night we went to the Mexican Kitchen with my side of the family. The food was good and everyone seemed to enjoy it. W"e also had a bit of time to do some wandering around town beforehand. We checked out the secondhand bookshop, as we as the View Point gallery/store (we saw your cards, Lisa! :)
Saturday was our big day. Damien left the house at 8am with Dale, Dale's wife and son for Supanova in Melbourne. (I'm sure Damien will fill you all in on the details! :) The kids and I left the house at 9.30 (early for us!!) for the Farmer's Market in town. We stopped by the Chinese Museum so that the kids could play on the lotus, then went through the Conservatory gardens so that Os could run around and smell the "rosies" :) Didn't buy much from the market just a lamb sausage and nashi juice for my lunch (as the kids had their own lunch). We met up with my parents and wandered around with them. We headed back to the car after a couple of hours and despite Os announcing that there had been "too much walking" he wanted to go through the Conservatory gardens again to run around :p Lisa, Carolynn, Trin & Daria happened to walk through the gardens as well, so Trin, Daria & Os ran around and hid from Lily, while Lil picked petals off the flowers :) We had dinner at my parent's house while we waited for Damien to return home. It was 8.30 when he got back with a bag full of comics/books and some presents. The kids were very excited to be getting presents. Lil sang "Happy Birthday to me!" and then "Bacon Pancakes" when she got her Jake (Adventure Time) toy :) Os was very happy with his new Lego mini figs. He put them together straight away! :) And I got a cute pair of earrings... little slices of cake!
Sunday we had a bit of a quieter day. Damien did some work in the morning, we had lunch at the Market Place, then dinner over at my parent's house.
So now it's back into the routine... Os has kindy 3 half-days, we have playgroup Friday mornings but no more cooking classes for myself so we at least have Wednesdays free now. I've been working on my resume, so hopefully I can start applying for work soon :)
So that's our "gossip" for this week :)
Tuesday Damien had lunch out with friends (cafe au lait, I think?) and I had a nap! :p I was very lucky that Lil wanted a nap, too, and Oscar was happy to quietly play with Lego. He only came into the bedroom once to announce that he needed to do a wee :D Once again, he's very capable and took himself to the bathroom :)
My parents came over on Wednesday so that I could convert my driver's license. Damien did his, too. We both thought it was worth putting in a bit of effort beforehand to get a decent photo, so we'll see how they turn out ;)
Friday night we went to the Mexican Kitchen with my side of the family. The food was good and everyone seemed to enjoy it. W"e also had a bit of time to do some wandering around town beforehand. We checked out the secondhand bookshop, as we as the View Point gallery/store (we saw your cards, Lisa! :)
Saturday was our big day. Damien left the house at 8am with Dale, Dale's wife and son for Supanova in Melbourne. (I'm sure Damien will fill you all in on the details! :) The kids and I left the house at 9.30 (early for us!!) for the Farmer's Market in town. We stopped by the Chinese Museum so that the kids could play on the lotus, then went through the Conservatory gardens so that Os could run around and smell the "rosies" :) Didn't buy much from the market just a lamb sausage and nashi juice for my lunch (as the kids had their own lunch). We met up with my parents and wandered around with them. We headed back to the car after a couple of hours and despite Os announcing that there had been "too much walking" he wanted to go through the Conservatory gardens again to run around :p Lisa, Carolynn, Trin & Daria happened to walk through the gardens as well, so Trin, Daria & Os ran around and hid from Lily, while Lil picked petals off the flowers :) We had dinner at my parent's house while we waited for Damien to return home. It was 8.30 when he got back with a bag full of comics/books and some presents. The kids were very excited to be getting presents. Lil sang "Happy Birthday to me!" and then "Bacon Pancakes" when she got her Jake (Adventure Time) toy :) Os was very happy with his new Lego mini figs. He put them together straight away! :) And I got a cute pair of earrings... little slices of cake!
Sunday we had a bit of a quieter day. Damien did some work in the morning, we had lunch at the Market Place, then dinner over at my parent's house.
So now it's back into the routine... Os has kindy 3 half-days, we have playgroup Friday mornings but no more cooking classes for myself so we at least have Wednesdays free now. I've been working on my resume, so hopefully I can start applying for work soon :)
So that's our "gossip" for this week :)
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