The first school free day for this Summer brought a welcome relief from uniforms, lunches, homework gathering and the late run to the bus.

I went to the pool - and realised just as I took my t-shirt off that I'd left my towel at home on the bed. I did 21 laps today - the extra one was so that I ended up at the far end of the pool, meaning I had to walk the 50 metres or so back to my bag, trying to drip dry in the sunshine. I used my B2B t-shirt to dry myself and managed just fine. I worked my arms a bit harder today and can feel those muscles aching a little. As I'm not training for anything ie a triathlon it's nice just to go and swim and not think about my technique (or lack of) although I still count my strokes - that's a hard habit to break. I count everything actually, always in multiples of 8, my magical number.

I arrived at work after 10 (I had to go via home to move sprinklers and pick up my boots which I also forgot) and now I find myself still here. That's going to be something I need to watch - now that I don't have to collect Drew from the bus at 4pm I have to be careful I don't think "I'll just finish this before I go" and end up being here until 6pm. Gibbo is home preparing dinner, a wagyu roast.

I hope to swim every morning this week and then we go on our annual one week holiday at the GC. Megs will come this year and share a room with Drew so I hope that goes well, although I expect it won't. She got her official results today - 2 x 5's to go with the 6 and 7 she got in first semester. Graduation is December 17.

Lazy Sunday

I woke at 6am and couldn't go back to sleep, even on a Sunday.

Gibbo took a load of cull roosters away and I rearranged a few pens of silkies. I watched a bit of Lifestyle, fertilised part of the garden and had a swim. Meg rang and should be home next Thursday. Something to look forward to!

It's been a strange kind of day. I long for days where I don't have anything pressing to do but when I have one - I'm a bit lost, I don't know what to do with myself.

I was watching Nigella last night; she makes everything seem so easy and logical. I often think "I'll make that" but then I never remember what it was. I've been having a look on ebay for one of her books (or a Jamie O) so that I can make something a bit different for Christmas lunch.

After deciding that they weren't going to partake in Christmas with the family this year (as in they were going to boycott it) my father and older brother have had a change of mind, if not heart, and decided that they will spend the few hours with us.

We have a guest for dinner tonight, a friend travelling from central Qld to central NSW; we're about half-way on the journey.

We'll have our regular Sunday night dinner, braised steak, but I'll add some peas and mashed potato tonight. Normally we just have the steak and gravy and onion, just how we like it.

Off for another swim. It's very hot.

Surfing...Not

We had the work Christmas party last night - a surfing theme with a mechanical surfboard. It was a nice night with some spectacular spills.

Last Day of Grade 11

Another last - last day of Grade 11 - a Mass, a Movie and a Swim. He's staying in town tonight and going to the movies tomorrow too so I won't see him now until tomorrow afternoon.

Coco's Friday Favourite

This is Coco's toy of the moment - the rather alarming looking pink pig that Megan bought for her. She was scared of it at first but soon overcame the fear and now shakes the living daylights out of it.

Wandering

Drew and I wandered and enjoyed the sunsets the last couple of afternoons. He rode his bike for a while and we took some shots on Andrew's snazzy little Canon G10.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Meg's boyfriend leaves today for a 4-5 months stay in a cold climate. She's putting on a very brave face but I'm a little worried for her. This is a very tough gig to deal with, especially the first little while. I remember how upset I was when Gibbo went to the States in 1991 for three weeks. She's a very strong individual but this is big. I don't doubt she'll cope but there will be some very low moments. I love you Megey; you will be ok.

Update: The airport check-in went very smoothly and the goodbyes went well too. She didn't cry, just got a bit teary. Good on you Megey, that's my girl.

Back in the Pool

I made my long awaited return to the pool this morning and swam 20 glorious laps (with fins).

It was wonderful. The sun was shining, the water was warm, the U3A ladies were doing their aerobics - it was just like old times. The pool has been totally refurbished and looks fantastic.

I swam up and down concentrating on hip and thigh work and just enjoyed the feeling of doing some exercise and the freedom that being in the water gives you.

The Things We Do For Love

I spent Friday morning at the Grade 12 graduation, trying to avoid the ceremony as much as possible. I hung out in the kitchen of the Presbytery with a bunch of other mothers, preparing morning tea, just ducking into the adjacent church to see where they were up to in proceedings. I happened to walk in when they were doing the final role call but I couldn't stay for long. I find the end of year/end of era celebrations an ordeal. I don't find any of it exciting; to me it's such an ending. I can't imagine what next year is going to be like when Drew finishes. Already I'm dreading it. 2010 has to be endured.

Gibbo and I went to Stanthorpe in the afternoon as he was playing cricket for the QCC on Saturday. We stayed the night in a little cabin in a caravan park.

Now normally, Stanthorpe is a rather cold place and often has the lowest temperature in the state. I packed a skivvy, two jumpers and a thick heavy overcoat with a fur-lined hood. What a mistake. It was so hot on Saturday I even resorted to taking my shoes off. Lucky I packed one t-shirt.

You could say I'm not the biggest cricket fan in the world. In fact, I put watching paint dry and grass grow on a par with watching cricket. However, I love my husband and I don't see that much of him now so I took the opportunity to go "on tour" with him. Here he is making me a cup of tea at morning tea before the game started.
Here's a photo of my favourite bag of the moment. It's the one I bought at Tree of Life with the money Mate gave me for my birthday.

This is the pitch. This was my view for most of the day (with a few overweight over 40's cricketers dotted across the field in different formations).

Wickets and bails.

Inspecting the pitch. Very important. Also, apparently it's bad form to show up to the match already dressed in your gear. There's a protocol involved here - you turn up in your civvies and you get changed into your cricket whites just before the toss.

This is where I spent ALL day, on this verandah....

...reading the paper from front to back.

Here he is fulfilling his umpiring duties - he "loves being out there" - I challenged that statement but he said it's great to be out there in the thick of the action, bowlers, batters, fielders, the crack of leather on willow etc etc. Scintillating stuff.
And to top it all off, he won Man of the Match for his Team with 63 runs scored! He hit three sixes in a row at the end of the day. He was presented with a rather thick tome of Test Cricket Lists - results of what appears to be every test match ever played since the game of cricket was invented. I can't wait to borrow it.

For me, it was a chance to meet some of the people that we'll be travelling to England with next August; and I got to spend some time with G. An added bonus is that I got to read the entire paper in one day, in one sitting actually. It was a looooong day!!

This was the most exciting thing that happened all day......

Friday Favourite

My favourite fruit is....................MANGO. There's two in the fridge at the moment and every time I open the door their aroma hits me in the face. It's magical!

...And now she's gone

and I miss her already. I don't know when I'll see her again, not for weeks. It's been so lovely having her home, coming home to her, having her around to talk to, just having her here. I wish her back.

My Boy, the Prefect

How much love can a mothers' heart hold before it bursts with love and pride? My boy will be a Prefect in 2010. How perfect for him.

The Spoils

Sunday Morning Goings On

A bit of fishing:

A bit of cuddling: A bit of swimming:

A bit of nursing:
And a lot of friendship:

Heavy Sigh...................

Storms, Mopokes and Cluedo

There was a big storm here last night with severe wind and squalls. We drove through it as we went to town to the Chinese Restaurant for dinner with the R's. The lights went out so we ate our banquet by candlelight.

There wasn't much damage here at the house although the lawn was carpeted in bark stripped from the gum trees. There'll be an emu parade later today.
The mopokes survived the ordeal. Aren't they funny with their enquiring, accusatory eyes. That's a big word in our house - accusatory - if you speak harshly to someone you are liable to be accused of being accusatory - and no-one wants to be accused. It also means that the person you spoke accusatoringly to has noted the tone/content of your words and wishes to bring to your attention your lack of care in the delivery-so a bridge may need to be built.

If I close my eyes, maybe they won't see me???

Megan's potplants in the gauze room.

Madam Coco, looking beautiful.

We had a great meal of roast chicken, veges and thick gravy for dinner. The kids played Cluedo. Another great day.