Easter 2013

The Easter break has meant a very welcome reprieve from work with a four day weekend. Both Jane and I are enjoying the break (and needed it too!)

We have had a busy day in the kitchen. We don't do easter eggs (the chocolate is either rubbish, or far too expensive), but bake an easter bread. Today we have six loaves of chocolate, prune and espresso sourdough sitting on the bench, along with a wheat sourdough. Limes collected from our visit to Mum and Dad's the other day mean we have a years stock of lime and ginger marmalade, and MacK has a tub of chocolate chip biscuits. Combined with the hot cross buns (made with fig and ginger jam), we are just about full up with carbs! 

We have new neighbours across the road, and to say they don't fit the demographic of the street is an understatement. They are a couple of young kids with a predilection for loud music and louder conversation. I went outside a little after eleven last night to see a sight you can see outside any nightclub in any town... There was a young girl sitting in her own inebriation, leaning against the garage door; bemoaning the mess she had made of her life. The two guys sitting with her were equally socially lubricated, and were soothing her with "this is how you grow" (said in cheesy American accent) and other equally inane platitudes. This after a couple of hours of music better suited to dodgy clubs and conversation heard up and down the street. 

MacK is a delight. He is so funny! He generally comes into our bed at some point in the night (and can take up almost the entire bed), and we really enjoy waking up with him in the morning. This morning he rolled up, and said "I want pizza, NOW!" Fortunately he was happy to settle for hot cross buns... He is now even more of a mimic, as we occasionally discover to our dismay. He was sitting on the couch with me this afternoon when I dropped a plate of chocolate sourdough. I said "oh, shit". He immediately repeated it, and then obviously decided he liked the sound of it. We had a session of "oh, shit" until he got bored with it. Never mind, it was bound to happen at some point, and isn't as bad as it could have been. It was all Jane and I could do not to collapse with laughter.

Tomorrow we celebrate his second birthday (his actual birthday is 02 April) with a few friends and afternoon tea. We will post more photographs so you can share the celebrations with us. Stay safe this Easter.

The month of March...

Hi all

The last couple of weeks have been crazy busy, and we haven't been able to sit down at the computer at all. To recap - I think that 35 years for payback might be a bit long! Dad rang me up at work to tell me that his dinner looked lovely. I thought he might have twigged about the symbolism, but that wasn't the case. Practical jokes don't carry quite as much impact when they have to be explained. It was funny though - we don't have a microwave, so Dad asked me how he might heat the dinner. I explained (over the phone) how to use the oven, and left him to it. I was most amused to see the next day that Dad's plate still had the plastic wrap stuck to it. It seems that Dad heated his dinner in the oven with the   plastic wrap on the plate. He still ate the dinner. A little plastic is a healthy addition to any diet, isn't it?

Jane had a fabulous trip back to Canberra to relive her (long distant) youth. She spent a worthwhile day with our architect confirming the progress of the plans for the house. He is coming up with some fabulous ideas that will make the house look lovely when we eventually get to build. On her return to Brisbane she was very happy to be offered a job with the Wesley Mission. As yet the job is a little slow, but Jane is sure that it will pick up.

MacK has finally had a haircut, but not before pre-school had a 'crazy hair' day.

I wonder if the attitude drives the hair-do or vice versa?

We found a really good park in Strathpine, that includes a pedal powered rail line. MacK loves it when Jane spends an hour or two there! For her part, Jane is very glad that Brisbane isn't as humid as Townsville, as she would surely melt if it was. We have also discovered the South Pine river, which is a short walk from home, and another one of MacK's current favourite haunts. It is a lovely spot, and shallow enough to negate the bull sharks that I am told inhabit parts of the river!

MacK in the shallows

This last weekend, we went to MacK's daycare to give them a hand during a working bee. We are very happy to see that they have a new teaching philosophy. They are (finally) taking the bubble wrap off kids and letting them do what kids will naturally do. We helped them barrow in stones for rock gardens,  that are also full of tree stumps and branches. We were the only parents there, and when we arrived, it was plain to see that the staff hadn't thought through the logistics of the day. They had massive piles of stones and dirt, and were planning on moving it with the plastic spades and wheelbarrows that the centre retains for the kids. Naturally we raced home to get a grown up sized wheelbarrow and tools to make the job a bit more manageable.

MacK had a great time helping, and at one point had a roller in each hand, varnishing the deck. And the ground, the table, and one of his teachers!

We caught up with friends at the Everton Park Hotel on Saturday evening. It isn't much chop for a quiet get together, but it is a great space for kids. They have a big undercover playground set in the middle of the dining space. The kids had a great time and were well exhausted by the time we left. They met Jane's expectations - every time she has broccoli on a restaurant menu she finds a bug in it, and they unfortunately met mine also. I was most interested to see the number of parents who were happy to let their kids loose in the playground with no supervision while they sat at the table. MacK loves swings, and is happy to just sit on a swing for hours. I was pushing him, and turned to see where the other kids were as a youngster ran under MacK's swing on the return. MacK's feet aren't small, and he knocked the poor kid for six. We were just surprised that we didn't see more carnage!

In other news, I have a St Paul's reunion/networking dinner in Brisbane this Thursday. I find it hard to believe that it is almost 24 years since I left the school. I am looking forward to seeing a couple of my old teachers who are coming over for the trip. 

Bubbles and a 35 year pay back!

Hello! It is a wet Autumn this year for those in the South-east corner of Queensland. It seems as though we have had rain forever. I have been riding the motorbike to work, and my riding gear has pretty much reached maximum saturation stage. Jane and MacK have gone south to Canberra for a week to seek out a little sunshine (and to attend a significant high school reunion!).

Jane's absence has another benefit. I suffered an unfortunate injury on Friday, where I rolled my ankle in a pothole. The good news is that I haven't broken bones, but there is a chance of ligament damage. The swelling is coming down (slowly) and is now an alarming shade of purple/black as the bruising sets in. Riding the bike this week was always going to be a tough ask, and having Jane away means I can take the car. 

But to the topics for this blog. MacK just loves bubbles, and on the odd occasion it is fine enough to get out on the lawn, he loves to do nothing more than chase bubbles. We had friends over last week, and were able to get these photographs of MacK:

On payback - When I was about five years old (back in '77, when my darling girl was yet to show her face), we had the farm house on Atawhai renovated. The staircase needed replacing, so Mum took Camille into Rotorua to stay with family whilst the reno was completed. I stayed with Dad, as I was at school. I will never forget the lunch that Dad packed me, and I have just been able to get my own back!  I opened my lunch box, expecting my usual sandwich and fruit, to see two lamb chops and three fried eggs wrapped in greaseproof paper. I was never going to go hungry, but it was a surprise. 

Dad is currently staying with us during the week while he working in Brisbane. He is enjoying living "in a restaurant" (his words), as long as the offering doesn't include pasta. I can't be at home today, as I am on duty at work. Dad will arrive sometime this afternoon, and I have prepared dinner for him. Yes - two lamb chops, and three fried eggs!

It isn't as pretty as some of my other plates, but that isn't the point. I just wish I could be there to see his face when he sees the plate in the fridge!

On other news, we have a plan to graze the farm for the next couple of seasons, and improve the soil at the same time. While down in Canberra next week, Jane is going to visit the architect to see where he is at. Apparently he has made some fairly significant strides forward and we should be able to show you some plans in the near future.