been busy - just not on here!

Image via WikipediaWell, shame on me again - few updates recently, and (until now) nothing in November!


Callum did have his 4th birthday party - with a Pirate theme. Once he got over his shyness, we think he enjoyed it. We played walk the plan, canonball pop (black balloons), and the kids got to eat "dead people in seawater" jelly (blue jelly with jelly babies in bottom) and drink sharks blood (red cordial icecubes in sprite).

Just cool

take a look - you'll need something like Google Chrome - it will work in Firefox, but it's way slow!

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

when nature attacks

Image by marcleh via Flickr

So - it's spring - must be time for the local wildlife to attack us!

So far we have had:

• two ant nests - one in the hall cupboard (apparently organic leg wax is yummy. And unfortunately very sticky! The other was a little more major - a complete nest, complete with eggs behind a chest of drawers in the kids bedroom.
• the dead funnel web under the fridge
• and most recently, a live spider (big, black, unsure what it was) in our bedroom. next to the bed.
• plus the usual cockroaches coming in....

Joy. Still, it keeps the chemical companies in business.

still here

Image by alexkess via Flickr

OOPS - suddenly it is the middle of September!

Well, Spring is here - birds are waking us up in the morning, it is getting warm during the day (still cool/cold at night), the lawn is needing cut and we are in the middle of Birthday season! 

Callum and Amelia have discovered a new toy in the garden - the Hill's Hoist - 42 tonnes of steel (ok - not quite) used to hanging the washing out on, or small children...

warragamba dam

Image by superciliousness via FlickrWe decided Sunday was going to be ok weather and time to give the car a bit of a run (rather than the usual urban usage it gets, or just the school run in the rain), so off to Warragamba Dam - primary source of water for Sydney since 1960.

Whilst we were not expecting a thrill ride of adventure, we were expecting it to be vaugly interesting. 

But with the weather (very windy) and particularly picky kids, it wasn't the best of trips alas.

So back into the car - a picnic in the boot, and then back to Sydney via Campbelltown, Bankstown and the south. 

aroma festival

Back into the city last Sunday (this time without a bus detour from Chatswood), for the 2010 The Rocks Aroma Festival.


Highlight of the trip for C&A was their trip on a camel - that well known transport option in the harbour!

Lowlight was the Turkish coffee - not really my thing!


Over all, not bad, but VERY busy

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A weekend of culture?

Image via Wikipedia

Well, for a change, we both entertained, and went out over the weekend.


Saturday was (home made) Masterchef style pizzas and white wine. Kids weren't so impressed with the pizza alas, but I think they all had fun.


Sunday we did the family funday sunday travel ticket (only $2.50 per person for unlimited travel in the city), and braved the fact that it was a bus replacement service between Chatswood and Wynyard (Joy! At least there was an express bus going direct, and it might even have been quicker than the train!).

Anyway the first item of the day was coffee and a cake at Renaissance Café Patisserie in the Rocks - very yummy. Then round to the (Australian) Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) - not sure the kids enjoyed much of it, but both Amelia and Callum were very quiet (in a good way!) when watching a film about Lipizzan horses.


After that a walk round circular quay and a stroll up to Pitt Street Mall (for lunch). Louise checked out Myer for kids jigsaws - nothing suitable. We all went across to David Jones - also no suitable jigsaws. By now time to make our way over to the bus stop to get the bus back to Chatswood; Callum and Amelia enjoying a new Doctor Seuss on the train home.

Things Callum likes to eat (without asking, or telling anyone)

Things Callum likes to sneak into either his bedroom, or the playroom, to eat in secret...

• Stock powder
• Louise's chocolate cake
• Callum and Amelia's saved muffin (crumbled, and hidden under his pillow)
• Sultanas
• Weetbix (dry - also discovered under his pillow)
• Rolled oats (dry)
• Jam (half a jar, eaten with a spoon)
• Honey (from the jar)
• Daddy's breakfast cereal
• Sultanas (Again)
• Mint chewing gum (except for the piece saved, and put under Daddy's pillow, sans wrapper)

I'm sure there is more...

Bad Ass of the Week - Australia

It's all true!


http://www.badassoftheweek.com/australia.html

Winter, so it must be cold

So, like a typical pom, I regularly complain about the weather - it's too hot, it's too cold. It doesn't snow. But most of the time I'm just doing it to keep up apearances.

However, this week (now I'm back from Europe) - IT IS COLD!!!

Lets put this into perspective, in the hallway at the moment - it is 14degrees
In the bathroom, after a hot shower - it was 17degrees

Outside it has been down to about 4degrees in the last couple of days - peaking at about 14d on a sunny day (which today wasn't).

We don't have central heating. We don't have double glazing. I have now blocked the cm sized gap under the front door. The oil filled heater hardly seem to make a difference (except to the electricity bill!)

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June already

Image via Wikipedia

Crikey - is it June already??

It's now very much winter - the temperature is down to single figures at night, but can be nice in the sun early afternoon. Alas it's getting cold in the office (eg the garage!)

I'm off to Dublin with work in a couple of weeks - hoping to stop off in London for the weekend on the way back - this will be the first real visit back to the UK since we emigrated in 2006.

Oo - I'll be there for the Summer!

The price of books in Australia...

Why are books so expensive in Australia? Yes, I know there are the local restrictions on parallel imports that is there too allow Australian publishers/book sellers to compete (which is why books such as the last Harry Potter were not being sold in the big stores at a $1 with a bag of apples).

BUT what I don't understand is why an Australian book, published in Australia should be cheaper to buy from the UK - even when postage is included.

Etcetra is published by Murdoch Books in Australia, with a list price of $59.95. The cheapest Aussie price is $55.95, plus P&P ($6), thus making it more expensive than going to the local shopping centre.

It is also published by Murdoch Books in the UK (ok - so I stretched the truth a little earlier).
It was listed on the BookDepository.co.uk at £20 (the list price - about $33 at the moment), however they can deliver this to Australia free of charge. Even Amazon.co.uk can offer it for approx $35 - including delivery....

things that make you go hmm.

Image by young_einstein via Flickr

We are finally returning the garden waste wheelie bin we have been borrowing from the neighbours across the road (whilst their house was being built), so thought I should give it a hose down to clean it out.

Off to the corner of the garden to get the garden hose on it's reel. Oh - lots of leaves and webs - perhaps I should be cautious here?

After using some spider spray and killing the 4th redback spider, I though hmm.

Glad I was cautious.

I have a bad back

Image via Wikipedia

Actually, I have a slipped disc, or more specifically:

L2/3: Within normal limits.

L3/4: Mild disc bulging

L4/5: Disc bulging with shallow left paracentral protrusion. Minimal impingment on the left anterior aspect of the thecal sac

L5/S1: Large central and left paracentral disc extrusion which impinges upon the thecal sac and the left S1 nerve root which is displaced postero-laterally at L5/S1. This would be consistent with a left S1 radiculopathy and is likely to be the culprit lesion. There is no evidence of sequestration or calcification.

but the tramadol is helping...

(the pic isn't my spine)

ringtail possum

Image via Wikipedia

Mrs Possum hasn't been seen for a while, but Mr Possum has been here for the last two weeks.

We have a Ringtail Possum spending much of the day sitting on the outside window blind, keeping out of harms way. Eating breakfast we can see it's tail hanging down the shade. In the early evening, we can see it waking up and cleaning itself before going for a run on the next door's colorbond steel roof (ok - that bit isn't good).

did she really just say that???

Image via Wikipedia

Oh dear - the Federal Education Minister (Julia Gillard) on the 7.30 report really just said "..children are learnt to read..."

Please! I thought children were taught to read... and correctly form sentences when speaking...

working from home

Image by fensterbme via Flickr

So, I've got a desk in the garage (it's ok), a chair (it will be replaced), the laptop and an aio printer/scanner. And it all sort of works. I get to hear the birds outside (especially when the side door is open to let some cool air in). And I don't get in the way of anyone in the house (mostly)

It is very sweet when I do go back into the house to use the 'coffee machine' (aka kettle) - Callum frequently asks "are you still at work daddy, or are you home". My reply usually being "at work", to which he says dejectedly "oh. Ok, see you when you come home".

The downside is it can be noisy, and I am actually working on my own. In the previous job I might have had headphones on to block out some of the office noise, but I had a choice to interact with others - something I don't really get now. Oh and this chair is really uncomfortable!

On the plus side, I can jump in the pool for 5 minutes if I really want to (which at the moment I don't - it is a cool 19degrees outside, and the pool isn't likely to be much warmer - the rain two weeks ago flooded the pump shed, and killed the solar heating pump - either it is shorted out, or the bearings a re full of crud. Still at least the electrics weren't powered when the shed was a foot deep in muddy water!!!)

(no - the picture isn't of my HomeOffice - my I wish! Still, I'm getting a new laptop and screen soon)

Breakfast at Bronte

Image by sekundo via Flickr

Louise (and Kids) picked me up a the airport this morning, and we drove up (down?) to Bronte for breakfast. Afterwards A&C got to go for a paddle in the sea, which they really enjoyed. Think A is going to be tired after her school do tonight...

Singapore

Image via Wikipedia

Racking up the airmiles - just back from a couple of days in Singapore. Stayed at the Fairmont Hotel over looking Raffles. And only minutes away from a branch of Marks and Spencers - they still make great crisps (sorry - chips).

Auckland

Image via Wikipedia

Just back from a couple of days in Auckland - first time in NZ. Stayed at the Westin hotel which was quite funky - massive rooms!

The harbour area was quite cool too - less touristy than Darling Harbour and better for it.

It's been a little wet recently

Image by spud murphy via Flickr

My God - has it rained this weekend! It started properly on Friday, and pretty much didn't stop until very early this morning.

In the 24 hours from 9am on Saturday, the nearest weather observation site (Terry Hills) had over 9cm of rain!

Off to NZ

Image by Squiggle via Flickr

Righty - more travel on Tuesday. Off to Auckland, New Zealand on Tuesday for a bit of training and a customer meeting.

lots of updates!

Image via Wikipedia

NYE
Saw the 9pm Family fireworks from under the Harbour Bridge like last year. Then off to Sam/Hillary's for midnight.

First week of Jan
a week at the Siera Grand in Broadbeach, Gold Coast. Brisvegas/Ibiza-down-under was different. We took the bus upto Surfers Paradise; Louise went to a spa, and we went up the Q1 tower (very tall).

Second Week of Jan
New job - working from home.

Third Week of Jan
Off to Richardson, Texas (near Dallas) for the yearly sales conference and a couple of drinks (was very strange - crossed the international dateline on the way there, which means I arrived in LA before I left Sydney. And then on the way back, I lost a day - does that make me 1 day younger??)

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