Melville Dewey is my homeboy

The lass

2008-08-25T17:33:00.003+10:00

Genevieve never fails to surprise (or amuse) me. At 29 months of age, she is showing signs of being pretty damn intelligent... sure, being her mum makes me a bit biased, but can you blame me? :D Here's a run-down of some of the lastest antics/achievements:

*She loves drawing and 'writing'. Artistic skills are evolving to the point where she can now draw a recognizable smiley face, and she's having a stab at writing letters and numbers.

*'Mummy' and 'Daddy' are so passé... it's now 'Mum' and 'Dad'.

*Her vocab has expanded at an alarming rate - it's not unusual for her to rattle off long-winded sentences of 15-20 words.

*The other night at bedtime, Genevieve got a little silly and started bouncing on the bed. When Dad told her to stop, she argued back with, "But The Wiggles bounce!"
Not on the bed, they don't.

*Her love of food and her macabre way of looking at the world knows no bounds. While looking at a photo of cute, fluffy baby chicks the other night, she exclaimed, "I like chickens! They're yummy!"
Miss G then proceeded to list all of the other farm animals she liked to eat (piggie, moo-cow, duck) while pointing to the corresponding pictures. I had to explain that while the French may like eating horsey meat, it's not considered socially acceptable here in Australia.

*Agility and strength have continued to develop. She now competently climbs stairs without a second thought and has started actively inventing new routines to try out on the swing set in our yard. She is currently mastering the gentle art of climbing up the slippery-slide...

Slackest of the slack

2008-08-25T17:31:00.002+10:00

Yeah, I know. Five months between posts is a bit pov, innit? Since returning home in December and work in January, the apathy bug bit pretty hard. I will try to post more, but won't make any guarantees. :P

Jessie

2008-03-24T13:52:00.000+10:00

I've never mentioned my newest sister-in-law before now, but I just had to share this with you.

While we were living in Melbourne, my eldest brother Jason had a housewarming party and a friend of a friend (Jess) gate-crashed. Their eyes met across a crowded room, and six weeks later they were engaged.

It wasn't your typical whirlwind romance, though.

Jess had been battling an extremely rare form of Leukaemia for the past four years and was fighting a hell of a fight but losing nonetheless. A November wedding was planned, but her oncologist suggested bringing it forward to September so that she was well enough to really enjoy her big day. It was the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to, and the most fun as well. We danced our butts off and had the time of our lives.

In January, Jessie contracted pneumonia and never really got over it. The fluid on her lungs didn't clear and things have been rapidly going downhill ever since. Determined to stay out of hospital, home-based care was arranged and she learned how to use a syringe pump to administer medication. Knowing that she had a few loose ends to tie up, Jess and Jason travelled to North Qld last weekend to see Jess's family.

They were supposed to be back a week ago, but things went pear-shaped and Jess had to be admitted to hospital (which she wasn't especially happy about). Meanwhile, we were in Brisbane and absolutely frantic. All of us wanted to go north to see her, but knew that it was logistically impossible to do so over Easter. Mum and Wray caught a plane straight after Genevieve's birthday party and managed to have a short time with her before having to fly back again yesterday.

By this stage, Jess only had one functioning lung and was on the maximum non-lethal dosage of morphine. She was mostly incoherent or unconscious, but Mum managed to have a few minutes of lucid conversation with her before she slipped back into la-la land again.

Last night, Jessie came to me in a dream. We were hanging out in my brother's old bedroom, laughing and goofing off after having lunch together. She hopped up and sighed. "Well," she said, "it's time for me to head off."
"Good luck," I replied. "Take care of yourself and have fun up in Heaven. God will take good care of you."

We gave each other one last bear-hug and she walked out the front door of Mum and Wray's house. The overwhelming feeling of warmth, love and peace that I felt at that moment is too big to describe.

When I woke up this morning, I didn't need a phone call to know that she was gone. It happened around midnight.

Bye, Jess. I love you dearly and will miss you heaps. Be sure to have some scones and raspberry jam ready when it's time for us to meet again.

...Cause it feels so empty, without me

2008-02-15T16:14:00.002+10:00

Guess who's back,
Back again?

Yep, after two months of fighting with the customer service morons at our isp, the line fault which cut us off from the online world has finally been fixed. Halle-bloody-lujah!

Work's great, being back home is fabulous and Genevieve is the same as ever, just a little taller. Her vocab is expanding at an alarming rate (we've even had our first expletive - 'oh, crap!')

Writer's block still has a stranglehold and my motivation is pretty nonexistent right now, so that's all for the moment. Stay tuned, kids!

Welcome to the world!

2007-11-01T10:54:00.000+10:00

A big congratulations to Dave and Cat, who are now the proud parents of baby Benjamin John. I hear that everything went swimmingly (and the lucky girl only had a ten-hour labour!)

Whee! More babies to cuddle!!! :D :D XD

Get a haircut and get a real job

2007-11-01T10:42:00.000+10:00

Some people really enjoy staying at home full-time, and I will admit that it does have its perks.

But truth be told, I am really, *really* missing work. Not contributing to the household finances, not exercising my brain beyond singing along with Playschool and not keeping my library dork skillz sharp is all adding up to equal one big, fat inferiority complex. It's silly, but at the moment I feel really dumb, socially inept and generally cut off from everything. My work is a big part of who I am.

We're off to Brisbane tomorrow for a five-day trip, and I intend to poke my head around the door at my (former? future???) workplace to say hi. Hopefully I'll also find out whether or not my application to be reappointed has been accpeted. The suspense is killing me!

Happy birthday

2007-10-18T10:21:00.000+10:00

To my darling husband and constant companion of 8 (yes, 8!) years. You're still as gorgeous as the day I first met you. I love you, sweetheart. :)

It's raining, I'm home alone, and I want to shave my head

2007-10-12T11:19:00.000+10:00

'cause I'm bored and can't do a bloody thing with my hair. Damn post-partum alopaecia. :?

Growing up

2007-10-10T11:42:00.001+10:00

Genevieve has made the transition from her cot to the big bed. This is her fifth day out of the cot and I can't believe how well it is going. Night time was a seamless transition, and daytime sleeps went pretty smoothly as well; there have been a couple of times where she hasn't wanted her morning sleep, but we got there in the end. A twenty-minute stroll to the supermarket up the street seems sufficient to wear Genevieve out before her morning kip. ;)

Give it a couple more weeks and I'll be putting the cot into storage until the next munchkin eventually comes along. My little girl is growing up so quickly...

A tute for my fellow nappy nerds

2007-10-09T08:45:00.000+10:00

DIY pull-up cloth trainers!

http://mama-or-minx.livejournal.com/12349.html

/must finish her other projects first

Reason #128 why toddlers and carpet don't mix

2007-10-03T09:49:00.000+10:00

Bolognese- and vanilla yoghurt-flavoured vomit.

Another parenthood perk

2007-09-26T10:00:00.000+10:00

You can watch Sesame Street and Playschool without getting strange looks from others. :D

/<3333333 Count Von Count

Enquiring minds want to know!

2007-09-24T11:40:00.000+10:00

Genevieve has a new thing: she has figured out that if she points to something and asks, "What's this?" we'll tell her. Yesterday, she pointed to the overflow in Mum's bathroom and asked what it was. "A drain," I responded.
"Drain?"
"Yes, a drain." She was satisfied with this answer and trundled off to play in the yard.
This morning, we were on the tram. Genevieve looked up. A little voice, accompanied by a pointing finger, rang out. "What's this?"
"A handle."
Big grin. "Handle! HANDLE!"

City life, alright

2007-09-17T10:42:00.000+10:00

Living in inner-city Melbourne has its pros: loads of public transport (we only run the car once every couple of weeks to make sure it still starts), great shopping, no yard to worry about, the fresh produce markets nearby, plenty of places down the street that know how to make decent coffee. Having a gym and pool downstairs (which admittedly I only use occasionally) is also a plus.

There is a part of me that doesn't want to go back to suburban life. Sure, I desperately want to go back to Brisbane (and Wynnum is a beautiful place, don't get me wrong), but the idea of selling up and buying an apartment or a townhouse in the Valley or Spring Hill is tantalising. Loads of restaurants, good coffee, the markets in James St, the bus, ferry and train, not to mention the night life. There's a couple of hitches; we would a) Have to go into debt another $200,000 and undo all of the hard work we've put in over the past 4 years, and b) Be on the opposite side of town to our family, friends and Church.

God forgive me, I'm turning into a swanker.

My wee lass

2007-09-17T09:54:00.000+10:00

Genevieve is growing up so quickly. She climbs stairs competently, loves playing on the swings at Albert Park and isn't afraid of the big slide (the little one is for babies). She speaks in short sentences, sings and can dance in time with songs that she particularly likes on Rage (Nick Cave and PJ Harvey have her transfixed, as does Kate Bush). Ben and I no longer have to feed her at meal times.

Shades of the terrible twos are creeping in here and there (her stubborn, independent streak is making itself known), though unless she's tired or not feeling the best, Genevieve is still one of the happiest toddlers out there. She is being moved up to the next age group at daycare, partly because the babies are being put in with the toddlers, and partly because she could do with some activities that are a bit more mentally (and physically) challenging.

Popular and new words/phrases at the moment are:

Medicine
Dinosaur
Booger ('tis cold and flu season, after all)
Outside
Bye, bodies! (she doesn't quite have the hang of 'everybody' yet)
Dinner
See ya!
Daddy's shoes
Mummy's shoes
Hot
ABBY! (she loves seeing pictures of her baby cousin)
People
Baby
Lady

Our backyard

2007-09-05T09:08:00.000+10:00

Our yard in Brissie is *humongous*. You could have a pretty decent game of footy out there.

I'm kind of missing it right now... Genevieve's current favourite place (and word) is 'outside! Outside!!! OUTSIDE!!1!!!ONE' and it would be nice to have somewhere outdoors to take her where I don't have to be concerned about whether or not I am dressed and presentable.

And I've also come up with an idea for the desolate patch of ground where the 70-foot-tall leopard tree used to reside. It involves a snowflake, assorted succulents, weed mat and a whole heap of river stones (exact colour yet to be decided). Tidy, attractive and the only thing that will have a snowball's chance of surviving during the current water restrictions.

Thought for the day

2007-08-31T14:04:00.000+10:00

Kids are like guinea pigs, but with opposable thumbs and a longer lifespan.

Underthings

2007-08-28T09:41:00.000+10:00

Since Genevieve decided that weaning was the cool thing to do, things have (understandably) shrunk and none of my bras fit. All of my teeny-tiny pre-baby numbers are stashed away in the garage in Brisbane, so a trip to Target was in order.

And you know what? I wanted to buy something pretty, but all of their nice underpinnings only had larger sizes left on the shelf. So I had to settle for basic, unadorned cotton with nary a scrap of lace.

*shakes fist*

Damn you, size 10B women of Melbourne!

Validation

2007-08-28T09:35:00.000+10:00

Genevieve is off colour again with a bad cold which is borderline flu. She slept twelve hours last night and asked to go back to bed just after breakfast...

So yesterday afternoon I was called by daycare to come and collect her, as she had a temperature of 38.2. Much to her carer's surprise, she was still very happy and enjoying her day despite being unwell. When I came to collect Genevieve, the carer was singing my little girl's praises and went so far as to say (and this is verbatim), "She just does everything right!"

Dunno where she gets that from, then.

Grandma

2007-08-20T21:31:00.000+10:00

Grandma will be 82 on October 6th. She's still pretty sharp, has a strong heart, lungs and kidney and gets out of the house more often than her shut-in granddaughter. Chances are she'll be pushing 100 and still going strong.

Unfortunately, she has osteoporosis, cataracts and a tendency to forget which way is up. The cataracts are going to be dealt with very soon, but her brittle bones and shaky balance are things that can't be fixed by day surgery. Yesterday she had another fall and this time broke her hand in three places. For someone who is already losing dexterity (and as a result a fair bit of her independence), this is a huge blow.

I'm worried about my Grandma and feel frustrated about being 1800km away. It's too late to call her tonight; will find out more tomorrow.

Grrr.

Weaning: Redux

2007-08-15T16:38:00.000+10:00

Well, it's been 1 week since Genevieve was taken off daytime feeds. Day 1 was slightly snarky, Day 2 went without a hitch. Come bedtime, Genevieve half-heartedly latched on and only fed off one side before declaring herself done. Day 3, she wasn't remotely interested in the boob (I think she even rolled her eyes at me) and hasn't had a Mummy feed since Sunday.

No tears, no tantrums, no trouble getting her to sleep at night. In fact, for the first time in about 6 weeks, Genevieve is sleeping through the night (or at the very least settling herself when she wakes up). That was unexpectedly easy.

Word of the day

2007-08-09T16:11:00.000+10:00

Genevieve has started saying her name! Her pronunciation isn't perfect (it comes out as as Gen-ni-vee), but it's clear enough that you can tell what she's saying.

And her current favourite phrase is, "Daddy's at work" or "Daddy's gone to work". She uses a very authoritative tone when relaying this information. :)

Things I miss about Brisbane

2007-08-07T15:21:00.001+10:00

Our family (in-laws included)
Our friends
Our Church
The house
My job (oh, to be back doing original cataloguing and actually earning money again!)
My piano
Ben's guitar
All of the stuff I left behind in the garage
Too many other things that I can't think of right now

Things I don't miss about Brisbane:

Being overly reliant on cars to get around
Drunken teenagers walking down our street at 1am proclaiming that they are 'bad mother****ers'.

Me waaaaaaaant!

2007-08-07T15:13:00.000+10:00

Living the high life means that you get accustomed to certain... things. Like sleeping in a queen-size bed.

As much as I adore our beautiful silky oak monstrosity, it's *tiny*. And very high off the ground; I just about have to jump to get into the damn thing. Sorry, Dad... I think my family heirloom will be relegated to the sewing room when we return from our interstate jaunt.

And being very picky, there's very little in the way of modern beds that I actually like and would have in my home. Luckily, I found this little beauty on the website of a national retailer:

Mmmmm. Purty.

Weaning

2007-08-07T09:49:00.000+10:00

Things haven't been going well at all for me lately and I finally bit the bullet and saw our doctor yesterday. For the second time in my life, I've been put on medication to try and put me back on more of an even keel. Took the first dose before bed last night and I'm feeling a little bit woozy this morning... the initial shock to my system should settle in a day or so (hopefully).

Consequently, I need to wean Genevieve; it's kind of a relief, actually. For the past couple of months it has felt like she's just been having mummy feeds simply because it's there (she hasn't needed EBM at daycare since March and is perfectly happy going without when I'm not around). It'll be nice to have my boobs back. ;) Besides, 16 months is a pretty good innings as far as I'm concerned.

So far, I've been using 'don't ask, don't offer' or telling Genevieve that there's no more and offering her a cup of soy milk instead. Both methods are working pretty well and munchkin is now having her morning nap after a bit of a temper tanty. We're not going to dispense with the bedtime feed just yet; I'll get her used to getting through the day milk-free first.

Visitors, visitors, visitors

2007-07-27T12:39:00.000+10:00

Seems like half of Brisbane is coming to stay with us... it's been a busy month or so. Don't be surprised if the dearth of new entries continues for a few more weeks. :)

Oh, and my best friend from school is moving down here. Wheeeee! :DDDDDDD XD

Melbourne is where it's at

2007-07-20T10:53:00.000+10:00

There are so many fantastic events coming up in the next couple of months!

On July 29th, I'll be heading off to Northcote for the afternoon to meet none other than Sylvester McCoy. Who? Exactly... Doctor Who! Syl was the first Doctor I ever watched as a wee tyke (my introduction to the Whoniverse was Paradise Towers at the tender age of 5, just after I started school) and the prospect of getting to meet him in the flesh is giving me goosebumps.

Coming up in September... Hoodoo Gurus, Radio Birdman (OMFG!!!!!!) and The Stems @ The Forum.

Then in October, Nick Cave and Grinderman, also at The Forum. NICK. CAVE. WOW.

This girl is officially in geekpunkgoth heaven and about to die of happiness.

Why kids are worth it

2007-07-06T10:13:00.000+10:00

Yesterday afternoon, I was feeling particularly gloomy (rainy weather, cold, missing family & friends). Genevieve came along, plonked down on top of me (I was vegging out on the floor) and said as clear as day, "I love you, Mummy!" and then gave me a big hug. She never fails to amaze me.

More, please!

2007-06-27T12:53:00.000+10:00

It's what all the cool kids are saying. :D

headdesk

2007-06-21T15:17:00.000+10:00

The el cheapo washing machine in our apartment decided to crap itself today right after I filled it up with a load of nappies and most of Genevieve's warm clothes.

It just about sent me off the deep end. I kicked that useless bastard as hard as I could without actually denting it and punched the plastic lid several times whilst pretending to be Gene Hunt kicking in a nonce (go watch Life on Mars if you don't know what I'm on about).

The string of expletives that are on the tip of my tongue at the moment is not suitable for a family-oriented blog, so I'm just going to stop typing RIGHT NOW.

Communicating: one of life's little pleasures

2007-06-21T12:34:00.000+10:00

Genevieve's vocabulary is increasing at a fairly steady rate and she is starting to be specific when it comes to telling us what she needs. A couple of weeks ago she started telling us when she wanted a drink of water, and it was like lightbulb switched on in her head; words aren't just for naming things - you can use them to get stuff!

Teething is a big issue at the moment (she has 4 molars which are partially erupted but are still making their way to the surface), so the other night she held her jaw and repeatedly said 'mouth, mouth!' until we brought out the Bonjela. Today's new request at mealtimes is 'MORE!' and she came out with a vehement 'No touch' when I took the clock radio off her this morning.

And another thing... Lately Genevieve has been repeatedly saying something that I thought was counting, though I wasn't 100% sure and kept it to myself. Ben heard her for the first time this morning and confirmed that she is indeed counting to three. My ears weren't playing tricks after all! :D

I think it's okay to be a smug mother right now.

Not a good day to be in the CBD

2007-06-18T10:24:00.000+10:00

Every Monday morning, Genevieve and I catch the tram to East Melbourne to go to daycare. This morning as we arrived at our stop about a dozen assorted police vehicles (standard & unmarked cars, armed response units, paddy wagons, the whole 9 yards) came screaming down Flinders St...

Turns out that about five minutes before we arrived three people were shot a couple of streets from our stop, one fatally. The gunman is still on the loose and there are copters buzzing the sky from Southbank (where we live) right around to East Melbourne on the other side of the river.

Walking home was a little bit nerve-wracking; every time a siren sounded or the coppers went past, passersby just about had a heart attack.

Ah, the joys of inner-city life. :-|

Trapped

2007-06-14T10:00:00.000+10:00

That's how I'm feeling right now.

///////////emo

Goths having fun

2007-06-12T11:13:00.000+10:00

This made me giggle like an idiot. No further explanation required. :D

Home

2007-06-10T21:03:00.000+10:00

I stopped in at the house the other night to tie up a few loose ends and just spent a few minutes stalking around the place. Going from room to room, switching on the lights and just looking. Even the loo got a gander.

Melbourne isn't home. It's a lovely place, but it just isn't where my heart is.

I want my house back.

New words

2007-06-06T15:38:00.000+10:00

So far over the past day, Genevieve has come out with the following new words:

Water
Rain
Phone

She wanted a drink yesterday and started doing the sign for milk whilst saying 'wasser'. I picked up on what she was wanted and she was very relieved. 'Wasser' has now morphed into 'water' and with all of the rain it has become a favourite word.

I'd better go before she destroy's Mum's photo albums...

It is well with my soul

2007-06-05T21:24:00.000+10:00

Having my faith challenged or denigrated (often in an overly hostile manner) is nothing new to me. However, when it is done by someone who is considered a close family friend, it can be hard to swallow... especially when they expect their own beliefs to be respected.

But you know what?

I am who I am. Being a Christian is a huge part of my life, and I'm not going to apologise for it. If you push me, my resolve and faith in God will only be strengthened. It's okay for me to get cranky, because Christians aren't supposed to be wishy-washy doormats or fence-sitters; we're supposed to be fiery and passionate about God's love for us.

It's time for me to grow up and hop off that awful fence which I've been clinging to for way too long. The palings are starting to dig into my bum.

Dairy = eeeeevil?

2007-06-01T11:13:00.000+10:00

About 7 weeks ago, Genevieve started having the most horrific digestion problems (trust me, the gory details are best left as an abstract concept). When we moved down here, I cut out as much dairy from her diet as humanly possible and she had about 4 or 5 blissful, explosion-free days.

Then, being the clod I am, I decided to feed her some yoghurt.

Ka-BOOM.

Hopefully things will settle down with age.

Hand me a pith helmet and a mosquito net

2007-06-01T09:56:00.000+10:00

We're off to Brissie tomorrow for five days to spend time with family and friends as well as for business. Whee! :DDDDDDD

It's going to be odd to return to the muggy climes of South-East Queensland... our maximum temperature in Melbourne today is one degree less than Brisbane's minimum temperature today. Jumpers? We don't need no stinkin' jumpers!

Best. Cursor. Ever.

2007-05-27T15:41:00.000+10:00

http://www.1-click.jp/

Enable JavaScript if you have it switched off.

Oh, ****! (Or: The Perils of Relocating Interstate)

2007-05-25T12:18:00.000+10:00

I just collected Ben's car from the depot and it is now safely nestled in the building's secure carpark. We nearly lost the bloody thing, though...

It turns out that the transport company's depot also happens to be an auction house. And due to a bit of confusion on the part of the depot staff, our car (including Genevieve's car seat) was *this* close to being sold. They had it up on the block and were just about to kick things off when a frantic phone call came through from reception telling the auctioneer to call the whole thing off. I kind of wish that they hadn't told me about it. O_O

The upside of the whole incident is that our car is freshly detailed and sparkling clean.

Blessed sleep

2007-05-24T21:33:00.000+10:00

Genevieve went to bed wide awake, relaxed and tantrum-free. This is the first time in ages that she has gone to sleep without blasting off into orbit first. Now to see if she'll actually get an uninterrupted night's rest.

Grumpy is thy middle name

2007-05-24T09:53:00.000+10:00

The one real downside to being able to travel everywhere on foot is the common cold. I'm on to day three of an absolute shocker and it really isn't a good time to be sick. Genevieve has been really clingy since we arrived and is doing everything in her power to push all of my buttons. When Ben is at work, she is seriously cranky... she's constantly asking for "Daddy Daddy DADDYYYYYYYYYYY!" and doesn't want me to stray more than two feet from her side. Sleeping through the night is also a thing of the past.

She's cooling her heels in solitary at the moment while I have a breather and inhale a cup of coffee.

Bleurgh. I am not having the best of weeks.

They're heeeeeeeere!

2007-05-23T16:49:00.000+10:00

Congratulations to Julie over at Twincidence! The buns were born via caesarean yesterday. Michael and Isaac arrived very early (around 33-34 weeks if I'm not mistaken), so they will be staying in hospital for a little while yet. All the best and well done. :)

Ding-dong and all's well

2007-05-20T19:44:00.000+10:00

After a fairly uneventful flight on Friday, everything has finally fallen into place. The apartment's beautiful, it's in a great location and the neighbourhood is pretty darn nice (but Mum must *not* know that the casino is right outside our front door).

Melbourne is a beautiful city. We're right next to the West Gate Freeway, but the traffic noise is fairly minimal. There are a lot of trees along the streets, high-rise buildings are fairly scarce and there's a real village atmosphere. The South Melbourne Markets are less than five minutes' walk from here and are a revelation... if you want it, chances are you'll find it at the markets. I'll be heading down there on Wednesday for fresh produce and on Friday I plan to buy out a stallholder's stash of spiderweb lace (it comes in three colours!)

There are so many things available here that you wouldn't have a hope of finding in Brisbane... I have finally tracked down a tea shop that sells roast barley tea and Maccha/Matcha (powdered green tea, the key ingredient in green tea ice cream).

Will post pics once I have finished unpacking and am a little more organised.

Everything is a bloody problem

2007-05-09T18:07:00.000+10:00

!@#$%^&*(%)^%&*?BARBARA STREISAND!!!!!1

This whole moving thing is really starting to royally piss me off. I'm so cranky right now and anyone who disapproves of my tone of voice can SHOVE IT.

Screw the company. Screw them right in the ear.

*sips some cheap and nasty merlot*

So there.

A skinny little Brownie and a fat Girl Guide

2007-05-07T21:56:00.000+10:00

While packing today I came across my old Girl Guide uniform which dates back to 1993.

I can still fit into it without too much hassle. This is either cause for amusement or unbridled horror. Either way, I'm saving it for fancy dress parties...

Introducing... Abby

2007-05-02T21:38:00.000+10:00

Abigail Dawn Stockton was born at 2.18am this morning, Wednesday May 2nd. At birth she weighed 7lb 15oz, was 52cm long and had a head circumference of 38cm. Mother and baby had bit of a rough time (last-minute caesarean) but are now doing splendidly. Welcome to the family, kiddo. :D

Movement at the station

2007-05-01T21:37:00.000+10:00

Looks like we're going to have a new niece or nephew within the next day or so. Wheee!

Making headway

2007-05-01T21:23:00.000+10:00

Well, we finally found out where we'll be living while in exile... it's about a ten-minute walk from the office, right near the river, the tram stops right outside the front door and it's *extremely* posh... I'm talking granite benchtops in the kitchen, a swanky bathroom, heated pool, gym and sauna. Holy dooley. We're not going to know ourselves. o_0

Who's a pretty polly, then?

2007-04-27T18:52:00.000+10:00

Genevieve is getting to that delightful age where she is starting to parrot attractive-sounding words. So far this week she has come out with the following:

Grandad (pronounced 'dada')
Watch
Done!
Duck

And the absolute kicker:
EVIL.

Yeah, my kid is learning all of the important words early.

Kristie made me do it!

2007-04-25T16:52:00.000+10:00

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next three sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't dig for your favourite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
6. Tag five other people to do the same.

John Metcalfe, writing in 1951 on libraries in relation to the jubilee of the Australian commonwealth, stated one of the major turning points in Australian library history: 'Since 1934 there has been a library renascence in Australian which is still going on. The Munn-Pitt report was published in 1935 and this has had such a bettering influence on library provision in Australia that librarians have talked of a new time reckoning'.

Tagged: Ben, Nikolai, Elli... dunno another two people with blogs, so there. :P

OMFG renovating is teh suck!

2007-04-23T16:33:00.000+10:00

Yeah, I know. Nice title. :p

So far I have been without a proper kitchen with running water or stovetop for nine days. You heard right, ladies and gentlemen. Nine. Days.

My cooking area consists of the cruddy old cabinets from the now-demolished kitchen set up on the back deck with a microwave and electric wok to cook with. I never realised how handy the stove was until it was disconnected. Thank bloody goodness it's only five days until the new cabinets go in... there's only so much left-overs, fast food and crappy pasta a girl (and her husband and her daughter) can take before going something something.

Hello World

2007-04-23T10:54:00.000+10:00

Yay, first post! :D