Wet and cold for the last day of Summer

Northern NSW and Southern Queensland are getting a bucketing again .... more floods and more rain and more water! I feel for them enormously. We are getting a little of it here which is very much needed and it seems to be raining all down the eastern seaboard. It has also turned cold .... a bit too early methinks - it's still officially summer!

Jack held the same Blackheaded Python

at the Canberra Show on 22 January.

BKZ website

Well, that's just how it happens. I take the day off work (Kids Zone) to prepare Allan's, mine and Bungendore Podiatry's tax for 11/12 in order to be ready to meet with Tim tomorrow week and what do I do? The BKZ website. C'est la vie. At least I got a job done which is great in the quiet of home with good software, scanner and computer. That's got to be a bonus. Also, doing a website is much more fun that tax!

Meg held a Blackheaded Python

at the Canberra Show on 22 January.

Allan's bumper crop

Meg and I have just picked a bumper load of cherry tomatoes which Allan grew. This is the second picking and they absolutely delicious.

A sunny day but more rain coming

It was a glorious day today but the humidity was high. Just walking up to the back shed at Kids Zone to archive files bathed me in a lather of sweat - very attractive.
Jack was sick today with a stomach bug and Meg had Hip Hop which she is getting very good at.
Bec told me that they had 66mm at Christine's and I am sure it was similar at Stafford Park. There is apparently more rain on the way towards the end of the week. We really must get our rain gauge organised again so we can measure for ourselves.

This photo was taken yesterday on the top of

Nona Lin's apartment block.

Home again

Nona Lin helped Jack find a poem for his assignment and/or Literacy Logs and had a quiet chat to him about it. Then, time to return home. It didn't rain for the first half of the trip and then started getting heavier and heavier.
I had left the Canberra Show pass to pick up the Death Star II at home along with the box and strap to help it travel in he car safely. Consequently, we first had to go home and then go into EPIC to pick it up. Jack was delighted to receive his five awards plus the unexpected bonus of $70 from the combined wins! A wonderful finish to the weekend.

Meg and Jack on the Dodgem Cars at the Canberra Show - too much fun!

Trip to Sydney to see Nona Lin

The kids and I travelled to Sydney this morning to see Nona Lin. A wet trip but the Show Bags seemed to keep the kids entertained and full of sugar (good investment!) and Jack was still on a high from last night's excitement. He couldn't stop animatedly describing the Extreme Speed ride - the absolute best!
Allan spent the night in Hobart and now starts his trip. Hopefully the weather will be a tad drier for him than it is here.

A plethora of awards

Allan left early this morning (at the airport at 6:00am!!) for Hobart and his trip to traverse the Western Arthurs. The weather seems to have picked up a tad so hopefully it won't be a rainy and windy as forecast. At least it is warm.
Jack, Meg and I went to the Canberra Show this evening after diving to see Jack's Death Star II displayed. Jack was over the moon with the awards he received as we all were.
A great time was had at the Show - the children each had a ride - Jack chose Extreme Speed which sent you high into the air at 120kph and with 4Gs pummelling your body and Meg chose the Dodgem Cars although she is still too small to reach the pedals so Jack had to drive. Show Bags all round (Jack took a nanosecond to decide on two small ones and Meg took half an hour to decide on her large one). Decisions, decisions. On the way out we saw a terrific display of fireworks. All in all a very successful and fun night.

Swimming Carnival

The Secondary Swimming Carnival was held today at Canberra Olympic Pool where Jack does diving (outside). He entered all events and came 1st in the 200IM, 100 Free, 50 Free, 50 Breast, 50 Back and the 50 Fly, coming second in the 200 Free. He also did an excellent dive off the 3m board. All in all, a very successful and enjoyable day for Jack and his house, Treacy House, won the carnival.
Meg had Jazz today which she loves. All smooth sailing.

Canberra Olympic Pool

Red-Bellied Black Snake

We're busy, as is everyone.
This is the fifth and final photo of the Queensland floods.

This Red-Bellied Black Snake hitched a ride on a

police car during the Queensland floods in January.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find out the photographer.

Laidley, Queensland

Just another day of school and work with another photo of the Queensland floods.

Poor old Laidley, Queensland didn't get much of a look in on

Australia Day. This photo was taken by Neil Cahill on 28 January.

Lucky calf

We are all getting back into the swing of the school year again with lots happening. Just a matter of keeping a step or two ahead.
Another memorable photo from the Queensland floods.

This photo was taken on 30 January of a

Queensland Police Officer helping a calf.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find out the photographer.

4th place on the 1m board

Jack competed at his second dive meet today in Parramatta. We couldn't get there so he got a lift to Sydney with a mum taking her daughter and two friends. Being a smaller meet, Jack had to choose between the 1m and 3m events and chose the 1m in which he gained 4th. Unfortunately, his Synchro partner, Finn, was injured at school on Friday and couldn't compete and so Jack had to forfeit that event. Hopefully Finn will be OK in two weeks time when we go to Newcastle.

Jack on the 1m board in Newcastle on 27 January.

Birthday picnic at the National Arboretum

Allan is leaving to go on a two-week bushwalk in the Western Arthurs, Tasmania next Friday and so will be away for my birthday. Today he organised a wonderful picnic of sashimi, sushi and fruits plus to-die-for cupcakes at the National Arboretum to celebrate before he goes. We chose a terrific spot amongst the Himalayan Cedars (the scent was beautiful) and Jack had a great time on the bike and Meg on the scooter zooming around the paths.
The Village Centre is a stunning building and the layout of the Arboretum looks fantastic. The Himalayan Cedar Forest is a mature forest but most of the other forests have been planted in recent years. There are also two terrific sculptures in the Arboretum, wide brown land and Nest III.
The views of Canberra and the Brindabellas from the Arboretum are absolutely stunning.

Farewell to Allan from the PFS Board

Allan resigned from being a Director of Palerang Financial Services at the AGM at the end of November last year. PFS is the company which runs our two community banks in Palerang Shire - one at Braidwood which is ten years old and one at Bungendore which is now six years old (opening two weeks to the day before Meg was born). Allan was the visionary as well as the mover and shaker in getting the Bungendore branch into reality and after nine years involvement with the bank and the board, it was time to hang up his shoes.
Tonight many Board members and a number of staff from the Bungendore bank gathered for a delicious dinner at the Wood Works Gallery Cafe to farewell Allan. It was a great evening.

Valentines Day

Allan gave me some beautiful red roses with a lovely scent this morning. They are absolutely gorgeous and smell divine.
Happy Valentines Day everybody!

Band begins

Jack had his first day back at St Eddies Bands rehearsals today. Wednesday mornings the Intermediate Band rehearses, Wednesday afternoon it is the Senior Band rehearsal and again on Friday morning. Jack's trumpet lesson is on Monday morning. So, he is seriously back into the swing of it. At present there is no Jazz Band which Jack was doing on Monday afternoons last year. The teacher left the school and so we are waiting to see if another is appointed and is keen to start the Jazz Band again.

This photo was taken of Jack last June when he was preparing to

go into the Grade 3 exam at the Australian National University.

First day of Tap

Yesterday Meg started Hip Hop, today Tap and on Thursday, Jazz, the only dance step that she has done previously. Three dance classes a week should keep her mind and body active with new steps, new songs and new routines. Currently all going well.
I had a Parent/Tutor interview with Ann Hamer, Jack's Tutor at St Edmund's. Jack has some great goals academically which are to gain As in Maths and Science and in sport to do the perfect dive. Very worthwhile goals to aim for.
Bundaberg will take a long time to recover from the recent floods. There is currently an appeal organised by Rotary for donations to go to Bundaberg residents.

This photo was taken on 30 January by Steven Greenwood

from the Kennedy Bridge, Bundaberg.

Payback of the best kind

On the way to Pebbly Beach on Saturday, Allan told the story of a landowner who asked a sign writer to do a sign on the side of his shed - Mount Pleasant. A price was agreed upon and the sign writer did the work quickly and efficiently. When the bill was given the landowner decided that as the sign writer didn't take long to do the job, she really only deserved half of the amount asked for. The sign writer later came back and painted out half the sign as she only received half the payment.

Ikea, Sandra and Jimmy

Today we did a flying trip to Sydney to get a desk, bookshelf and DVD tower for Jack. Now that he has his new computer with its large, 23cm screen, the desk he has is too shallow for him to sit at comfortably and look at the monitor. He needs a better desk anyway - the one he currently uses was suitable for primary school but he needed something more substantial for secondary school. The three-piece Ikea system that we picked out should work really well (fingers crossed!). The great thing about Ikea is that if you choose pieces from different ranges but with the same finish like we have (three pieces from three different ranges), they should look good together. Now Allan just has to get some time to put it up from the flat packs!!
Sandra and Jimmy were visiting Doreen and I hadn't seen Doreen for months (I couldn't go up after Christmas) so we called in for lunch and caught up with them all as well as Aunty Rene. It was great seeing them again. The boys had a very enjoyable time playing on the DS.

Pebbly Beach

Today was going to be a hot one so we decided to head down to Pebbly Beach, just north of Batemans Bay, to go for a swim. Leaving at 7:15 we were there by 9:00ish and it was absolutely delightful. The kids played on the sand and in the water - Jack practicing his back flips and burying Meg in the sand. We went for a walk on the rock platform at the north end of the beach and had great fun exploring the rock pools.
We left about 11:30 when the wind started to get stronger and the day much hotter. We headed into Batemans Bay for fish and chips looking out over the bay with an ice cream afterwards. A wonderful, relaxing day!

Biggles on the mend

Biggles had a hip replacement operation on the right side yesterday afternoon and it will take some time for him to recover. He has had trouble with his leg and back for a long time but it wasn't until he had x-rays showing how damaged his hip was, that the doctors realised that was the problem. All going well with physio and exercises, he should be home in about six weeks or so.

The first tooth

The excitement was at a crescendo when Meg's first tooth came out this morning. She has had a wobbly tooth for a few days now and last night was very tricky. Couldn't eat anything hard like the ribs we had for dinner and there was a very specific list of foods that couldn't be consumed. Chocolate was out (this meant that her tooth really was sore!), apples were out, most vegetables, etc. Bananas were in and, of course, ice cream. However, we did find that pasta was acceptable for dinner and ice cream afterwards. All good. Allan and I wondered how long this might go on for.
This morning .... all done and dusted! The first tooth is now lying in state in a glass of water waiting for the Tooth Fairy to appear. Meg thought she should put it under her pillow (after seeing how it's done in Rise of the Guardians) but I explained that that's how it's done in America but not here. In Australia, the teeth go in a glass of water.
We wait to see if the Tooth Fairy comes tonight ....

Notes from school .... it's all happening

Notes are whizzing their way home from respective schools .... we're back into the swing of things!
Meg's permanent teacher, Ms Emily Craggs, doesn't arrive until Monday 4th March and Jack's Tutor, Mrs Ann Hamer, has requested a Parent/Tutor interview for 15 minutes next Tuesday afternoon. This is on top of the Parent/Teacher 7 minute interviews we have each term. Yesterday I received an email from Tim Bibbens, Jack's English teacher, regarding the 'Literacy Logs' that are part of the English course. This is the English homework for the semester and makes up 25% of the semester grade.
The school year has started in earnest.
Eastern Australia has had some severe bushfires and floods and there are a number of memorable photographs to illustrate the severity of both.

This photo was taken on 29 January at Pine Creek near Gin Gin, Qld

of cattle sheltering on a verandah to escape the floodwaters.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find out the photographer.

Diving begins

Diving started again today which Jack does twice a week on Tuesday and Friday afternoons from 4:15pm until 6:15pm. He is competing again on Sunday 17th at the 3rd Interclub meet which is being held in Parramatta, Sydney. He will be travelling with another family for the day.

This photo was taken of Jack diving from the

3m board at Newcastle on 26 January.

Jack's first day back

Jack had his first day back at school today so the cogs are beginning to turn. We feel a bit like the mice on the wheel .... round and round and round and round but it's all good.
Jack has a new uniform for this year - the High School uniform. At St Edmund's, Year 7 is classified as Middle School and High School proper doesn't start until Year 8 even though they do the High School curriculum in Year 7. Consequently, when boys start in Year 7 there is a Middle School uniform and then another for High School. Some items are still the same such as the shorts and socks but the ties and sweaters are different. Most boys prefer the plain shirt for Year 8 (Jack had one with an embroidered pocket for Year 7) so another set of shirts have been purchased. Great for Trutex!

Clean up day at the shed

Allan removed the bolts from the cement of the shed yesterday and today Allan, Jack, Meg and I went down to remove all the rubbish that had gathered around the bushes next to the shed and also to trim them and make them neat and tidy. Three trailer loads to the tip were the order of the day but the side of the shed looks much tidier now. Jack worked really well and Meg was distracted for most of the time.
This evening the kids and I played Monopoly and yet again, Meg walloped us. I honestly don't know how she does it but she crucifies both Jack and I every time we play. We both end up bankrupts and she has mountains of money!

Meg enrols in One2Step Dance Academy

Meg is going to try out three dance classes this year as in previous years she had only done Jazz. This year she is continuing with Jazz and adding Hip Hop and Tap. She is incredibly keen to learn to spin on her head (they don't actually do that at One2Step but she wants to learn - perhaps one day!) as she has seen it in movies quite often and has tried it out on the lounge room floor. Perhaps we should move to the States where she can get in with a crew and do Flash Mobs!

This is an old photo of Meg ready for her first Dance Concert

in December 2011 at the Q Theatre, Queanbeyan.

It's those really special days you remember as a Director of an Art Gallery

Today Bec and I spent our last day in the shed .... finally and at last. Clearing the shed has been an incredibly long, drawn-out process but we are finally at the end of it. After moving thousands of books, sorting out dozens and dozens of catalogues, clearing out more mess than you can imagine from last year's flood and finally getting everything organised, we are ready to rent. The very last thing to do is for Allan to go down on the weekend with a power tool and sheer off the bolts that are still in the concrete from the pallet racking and make the floor smooth again.
It's those special days as a Gallery Director that one remembers best. A couple spring to mind. One was when I had to move eighty boxes of books from where the delivery truck dumped them at our storage facility in Sydney, into our storage unit. He couldn't fit in the building so just left them outside, in the middle of the driveway. No pallet jack, no trolley and only a long, winding labyrinth of storage units to negotiate with each box individually. It looked like rain and had to be done quickly and the day was absolute hell.
Last year, Bec and I had to shore up the pad on which our five containers sit as the continual rain during the weeks of February and March undermined the soil and it looked like they were going to slip down the hill and into the dam. That would have been nice! Bec had covered the bank in hay and mulch to keep the soil from washing away, had inserted pipe to help the water run past the containers and we covered the whole area in metres of black plastic to stop more water soaking into the soil. That was another gem of a day.
Of course, there are numerous more but those two stick in my mind as does yesterday. Bec and I have spent the best part of the last three weeks in the shed but as we work at Odana only two days a week that's only six days. We have also been there on the odd weekend as well. Ten or so days doesn't sound a long time but when it is spread over a month or so, it seems never ending.
Yesterday was another gem - cleaning the shed. We had twelve years of dust, dirt, leaves, bugs, spiders and webs to remove, not to mention the debris from the flood last year. Sweeping, removing webs and hosing down the walls and floor with the water spitter became the order of the day. Not the cleanest of jobs but at least it was the last major one.