School’s out, school’s in

We have been homeschooling the children.  It’s going well, although it took a while for the authorities to stop chasing us.  We have been meandering in our own way until Honey and Lilly came to stay and Lilly started school last week.

Spike decided he would like to go.  Really he only wanted to catch up with friends but after days and days of discussion and us looking like we were preventing him from going we agreed and he went back.  Now the authorities are thinking about us again with Rex and Jos.  What a pain in the Arse.  We  have done refrigeration this week as their project and it’s been really interesting.  At school they have done nothing because of the hot weather.

Two days of school and Spike comes in to me saying “do I have to go to school”.  How do you explain to a seven year old the utter chaos he has caused.  Jem and I have discussed (in very serious and loud tones) what is the best course of action.  Rex and Jos are clear that they are happy home schooling and Rex especially has become so much more settled over the past year.

Bloody government, we think we are free but everything we do is controlled by some sort of legislation.

Even hotter

Not only have we had the third highest temp ever recorded here, almost 46 degrees but I have attended 5 births in 8 days.  I wonder if it’s the weather change?

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Jeremy also decided to use the eggs that we have been generously given by friends with chooks who are great layers. It was a work of art.   He hand made the pastry too.

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I’m tired and can’t sleep because of the heat but we are all very well fed!!

Mikado

I have attended 3 births this week as well as the tour down under.  After a birth on thur night and friday night, we had tickets to see the Mikado on saturday night.

Heading the all singing, all dancing line-up as Pooh-Bah is Colin Lane, best known as one half of former comedy double act Lano and Woodley. He is joined by fellow comedian and 2008 Helpmann Award Winner David Collins (of Umbilical Brothers fame) who steals the show as Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner. Musical theatre legend Julie Anthony takes on the role of Katisha.

It was fantastic, a variation on a theme of course, but it was gilbert and sullivan modernised and socialised.  I had a great time and the kids really enjoyed it.  I laughed until I cried and haven’t enjoyed myself so much for ages.

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Tour downunder

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This week is the tour downunder and Stirling is one of the stages.  It is a full carnival day.  We walked into stirling to see the riders and to catch a glimpse of Lance Armstrong.  If only we knew what he looked like. It’s a bit like wheres Wally?

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I had this romantic notion of meeting up with the kids (who all buggered off at 9am to try and get the freebies) but by the time we had arrived they had been there for hours so went to a friends house.   They watched the race from Donna’s house where they sat on the wall and the race passed them.  No crowds or blazing heat.   The adults were all partying at the festival and the kids were at home.   What is the world coming to

Home news

For the past 2 days I have been out with a labouring woman.  I am writing this after having no sleep since Saturday night. When I arrived home my husband had been in charge of our 4 plus Oz’s girlfriend.  Sophie and Aiden who are Jos and Rex’s friends and Honey’s daughter Lilly.  He’d made a huge pot of buttered chicken enough for all of us including Honey myself and my friend Donna (sophie and Aiden’s mother) who had all been at work.  He can sometimes surprise me with his nature.

Two major events happened while I was away.

1.   Oz cleared his room!  There was a terrible smell in the house as he’d had lots of curdled milk and ransid food up there.  The rest of the childrens reaction was to use  an avoidance technique

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2. Spike finally lost a tooth.  He has been desperate for a tooth to fall out of his mouth.  He is the only kid he knows that this hadn’t happened to.  He was so proud of it and the fact that he pulled it out.  We have no more children left to lose their first teeth and I missed it.  He asked me if I wanted to buy it for 2 dollars.  The tooth fairy dream seems to have by passed him.

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Wii tv.

We have no TV,  I am apposed to the propaganda, advertising and subliminal brainwashing that happens.We were loaned one when we arrived in Australia 6 years ago and didn’t use it until a few years later when we bought a play station 2 with a few games.  That didn’t work well in our family so it all went in a box and the TV went back to the shed.

Honey and her daughter Lilly have come to stay for a few months and brought a suit case with a Wii.  Initially I wasn’t keep or even willing for everyone to bring the TV into the house.  I was over ruled and it ( which by the way is at least 35 years old) was brought in and Wii fit set up.  Now I have a profile.  FFS I hate tv’s they drive me insane all that watching and not communicating, but I just couldn’t help it. I wanted one.  Computers are bad enough but this!!!.  I am at heart highly competitive and had to have a go at the hoola hooping and the running, then there’s the tight rope and the yoga…..

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Honey, Lilly and Jos singing

We have had our box packed in the shed, it contained Sing star, this was the next thing to come out.  Mic’s didn’t work so today we went all the way to the city to buy some new ones, and of course an extra Sing star game.  I Love singing and 3 hours later, my friend Donna had arrived with Sophie, Jos friend, and we are all busy with “sweet home Alabama” and “The son of a Preacher man”

What does all this mean? well we are stuck with a tv for the next few months.

My Oldest Son works full time and bought himself a screen and playstation 3.  We talked about the pro’s and cons of that for ages before he did it and he bought the playstation first and couldn’t use it for weeks until we all agreed. he has the whole third floor to himself so the others didn’t get to see it).  He doesn’t watch channels but We do all occasionally watch a DVD.

Now we are all obsessed with keeping fit and singing without even leaving the house…. the world is a crazy place.  My crunchiness is going down by the minute, my voice is hoarse and I have to do cardio.  How did we manage so long without these things, and how will we go back to normal when Honey goes home?

Spinning

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I took up spinning after being given a spinning wheel and a fleece from a client well over a year ago.  I am trying to get more adventurous.  I was given an Angora fleece from another friend and washed and hand dyed some to make a top.  It is going pretty well.  I’m hoping to have it finished tomorrow

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Angora washed and then hand dyed with denim blue and purple

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Spun with a large bobin to give me plenty of chunky bits for my piece.

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I’m looking forward to posting my completed work.

I have also been dying wool.  It’s all looking good, now I just need a bit of time to work on my projects.

Dreads

I’ve been trying to grow dreads for a few months.  Apparently they are supposed to take well.  Why the Hell wont mine?  I’ve tried everything but they just curl up.  I have rolled them, clipped them used a hook to weave it in.  I still look like a half demented wannabe.  Astrid came and started them for me and explained what to do.  My daughter managed to get them naturally, the only effort she made was not brushing her hair.  Can you have duff hair?  With a band on they do look half decent but they aren’t really.

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So can anyone tell me exactly what I’m doing wrong here?

Hot Hot Hot

Today Adelaide was the hottest place in Australia, it was up to 42 degrees.  After pushing the hospital to give me Anti D for an antenatal and seeing a new client I drove back to the hills to get the family.  My birth on Monday was with a woman who lives at the beach, so we made it a family affair.  Being Welsh I can never quite get the feeling I’m on holiday at a Greek island out of my head.  It was still well over 30deg after dark.  These are the times when I know why we moved to Australia.

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Jeremy, Rex,Spike, Honey and Lilly who are living with us at the moment.

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I intend to blog about my dreads and the progress in making them.  I had a bit of a set back today however when Lilly asked Honey why I had string in my hair and how do you get it out?    Progress hasn’t been quick I know but all the same I like to think they look ok!!!

The balls

The thing I hate about new blogs is, I’m a technical idiot and I have to keep asking Jeremy how to do stuff.   He seems to know it just to spite me.  He decided to reformat my computer, or some such nerdy past time, now I can’t find anything or access my regular programs.  I like that I know where my pictures are and how my msn works.  Now I can’t do a damn thing and its holding me back.

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I took my car in for a service.  Honey is working with me for a few months and we put all my equipment in her car today while mine was being checked over.  A few hours later, between visits, we pick the car back up and drove to the edge of the golf course where we pull over to swap my equipment back.  While minding our own business chatting a ball fell from the sky and hit Honey’s car.  Bloody hell that’s a bad shot, not even in the rough but on the side of the road!!  The guy came to apologize and see if he could help.  Honey took his number in case we had a problem but the car wasn’t really damaged.  He was a bit of a spunk however and now we have his number.  (rubs hands together) hhem for Honey of course.