I better record what is happening...

Daughters' No2 and 3 are at their biological father's place. (When I am feeling nasty I call him the sperm donor.)

Hard to feel nasty about someone going through something as dramatic as this. Saturday morning all registered horse workers were advised that no racehorse could be transported ANYWHERE. Complete quarantine. A dozen horses all wanting to go to their training and racing.... confined to their stables. Rotten luck and timing. A million possibilities and things to be thought about. But definitely nice that the girls chose to be with their father and try to help him.

Rumours are rife - I have done a little fretting. It is a tough industry but... will it raise prices or bring them down? How the heck will Spermdonor survive this if it goes on for too long? How badly will our investments suffer? Could we benefit from it if we be a little cautious now? I am pretty sure his position is safe for some time. Why do I stay in love with such a fickle industry? Why the heck didn't we push the issue of his retirement to a property that allowed greater movement more?

The thing I really LOVE - is his girls stood by him during what would be a terrible worrying time for him. Not that he is concerned about the equine flu... it shouldn't affect him... but the ban on movement stops all racing, training, spelling and will make his life so much harder. A dozen antsy racehorses in their stables wanting to get out. And they cant go anywhere.

OK - so the girls get off a few days school helping dad out. I choose not to believe that is their reasons for helping. It makes me happier.

And William alone is so much easier than his sisters. I can feed him toasted sandwiches and he is happy. I don't seem to have mad amounts of work to do. No one is stressing me about what they want to wear or why I have to play taxi a half dozen times tomorrow.

Shame school is so important. I kinda like the girls looking after their Dad.

The dogs however seem to be annoyed the girls are not home. One of them chewed up Jane's mattress.. so I turned the mattress over and made the bed. It looks fine to me. Both dogs claim they didn't do it. I speak fluent naughty dog as well as toddler.

On the weekend my friend Hope visited unexpectedly. I was meant to visit her on Sunday - but shit happened and I never got there. I should of rang or something - but I didn't. My claim is emotional exhaustion. Too many things happening.

I adore my kids at work. I suspect that seeing this is my first foray into childcare somehow I just received the best kids ever. They are so funny - so loving - a couple so brilliant.... some not so brilliant but... oh I dunno.

Adult People aren't bugging me as badly as they usually do. Things that would normally annoy me... don't seem to be.

I haven't shook this flu. I am still snotty and croaky and I still let the kids cuddle me knowing full well they are sick. I still don't listen to any seasoned worker or colleague that tells me.. don't pick them up or cuddle them or else you will stay sick. I still laugh when little Annie (not her real name) sneezes boogers all over me... and I still pick the coughing kids up and tell them its ok when they look scared.

Maybe this week we should cook chicken soup?

Daughter No1 was a wonderful help last week in planning our holiday that I am getting scared of. I worry the problems with this equine flu will affect us.. I worry that I think our landlady wants to get rid of us... suddenly giving us notices we never had before when I normally breach every single rule...(for instance... dogs are not allowed inside) My dogs complain about the temperature for heavens sake. They tell me turn on the heater and air conditioner. And I do it. I worry I should spend money more wisely... yet i still spend madly on something like a seafood dinner.

But I keep myself happy. Sometimes life is not very nice.

Almost Spring - and the garden still gives us pleasure

At the beginning of this year MOTH and I gave up our decision not to garden. We live in a rented house here... and I didn't like the idea of putting heaps of work into a garden that wasn't entirely ours. We just gave up... it is too nice to garden to go without. So - we have been dragging other peoples rubbish home building our gardens.

You are wondering why we erected the hideous corrugated iron fence before the garden shed?

WELL - that is to block out the view of the neighbours over the back. Sounds mean? tough. I LOVE it... and as I sit on my chair sipping my wine and apple & guava juice... I feel completely alone as my babies grow around me.

And we found all that old corrugated iron up the road when someone was replacing their roof. They looked very pleased at the two mad people dragging their bits of iron up the street and returning with a trailer.And yes we dragged home the bits of concrete to make the path when someone replaced their driveway.They also looked at us like we were mad as we hauled the chunks away.

See the pink Marguerite daisy - $2 markdown dead plants at the local supermarket. It has since made itself into 6 new plants.... by me pushing down the branches and covering with dirt .. waiting a little and then digging up with the new roots.

In the photo above is some rosemary I bought on markdown at the supermarket for 50 cents and shoved in the dirt. It has let me put another branch that did take into another garden already. The dwarf bean has produced about 30 beans. There is capsicum, day lillies. alyssum, nasturtium, a climber I just like that everyone else thinks is a weed and the piece of lattice I found at the recycle shop for $1.
The vegetable patch is still thriving. I planted so much pak choy that we couldn't eat it all! Many went to seed. The red and green salad lettuce we pick daily as we need it and haven't had to buy lettuce for months. Nor have we had to buy capsicum or tomatoes in the past three months.
No one needs this much parsley or coriander. There is more too in the other gardens. In the future one or two seedlings at a time will be sufficient. I got carried away. I only have one workmate who appreciates me bringing her bunches of it. My girlfriend Joy bought me the kaffir lime - and the leaves are great with fish.
My dogs have learnt to stop digging in the gardens.(Err well almost - that is why you can see ugly wires across the gardens sometimes - a deterrent of sorts) They are trying to compensate with the rest of the yard. I can sit on the sides of my garden and pull a weed or two - admire the growth, sip my wine and pretend to listen to MOTH's day. I don't have to bend over or dig madly.

Why are most of our capsicums growing a funny sideways? My son and his soccer ball - that is why. The plants keep supplying the capsicum so I don't whinge too much.
Ornamentals are mixed with herbs, vegetables, lettuce and weeds.
Slowly but surely... it is becoming our "other" sanctuary. Other peoples rubbish, plants propagated and shared from friends... the dogs and the illusion that we are alone out there. And the most money we spent was for the dirt in the vegetable gardens - so under $100. The only plant I paid full price for was the passion fruit vine (forgetting you only need one passion fruit a year for pavlova) and Joy bought me my lime tree.

Maybe this weekend we will get time to build another patch! (Yes - we will mow the lawns because we have daughter no3's and my girlfriend Megs' combined birthday party Saturday) And the boat motor has to go in for a service! So that will be exciting!

And the answer is YES - the dogs have dug heaps up and I often come home from work to dirt all over the ground and torn up plants. The dogs actually appear to be pointing at each other too.

Doesn't take a dreadful lot to keep me amused!

Quick what is happening

I have been sick with the flu and it has made me ill tempered and probably not the person I prefer to be. I think being sick makes me intolerant and probably insensitive.

Anna (daughter No2) had most of last week off school due to the same flu. MOTH had a day off and my son soldiers on mostly because if you have a day off school you also have to forgo any soccer activities as well.

I had two half days off... Thursday only half my kids turned up and a nice coworker suggested I go home... I rang in for Friday off work and the director told me I had to ring at 6 - 6.30 am and not an hour before I was due to work... so I went in? and they sent me home! Sometimes policy and procedure just goes mad. I dont think I will ever have a real sick day because I wouldnt dream of trying to use a telephone at 6 am.

I havent replaced my cell phone... nor have I considered it.

Jane (daughter No3) has a new babysitting job that could become a bit of a handful. She still tries to find "herself" and sometimes does a dismal job. She text messaged her sister from the toilets of the school.... that she preferred to hide there rather than sit and have lunch alone. Her concern with her appearance worries me...But if I get too worried MOTH worries and he...well he just doesnt help matters.....and I hate it when they all fight. My girls are all like little dogs... they may have fear but together they are a nasty little pack that do bite....

I did get a healthier tax return than I was expecting. But I am a little tired of always feeling under financial pressure and so have just put it all away for a while - at least till the holiday to see daughter No1 and my grandson.

Everything will be fine... it always is. In the end.

Rudd and the strip club

Cannot help myself - have to post this.

"Four years ago, Kevin Rudd got drunk and took himself into a strip club," Senator Brown said.

"Four years ago, John Howard, sober, took Australia into the Iraq war. I think the electorate can judge which one did the more harm," he said.

Eloquent huh?

The Screenplay - Howard In Iraq

This came in my email last week via my aunt. I just thought it too good not to share. My reading is so not up to scratch lately! Thank heavens for Crikey huh?


Howard in Iraq -- the screenplay
Mungo MacCallum writes:


Scene: A secure office somewhere in Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is seated behind a desk checking the latest casualty figures. There is a knock at the door...

Maliki: (resignedly) Come in.

(Enter a small, grinning, perspiring, twitching person)

Maliki: And you are …?

Howard (for it is he): John Winston Howard, Prime Minister of Australia. G’day, or Shalom, as I think you people say.

Maliki: No. (pause) Australian, is it? The Australian ambassador told me a joke the other day. He said “John Hunt is a coward.” I did not understand. Perhaps you can explain … no? Then what is your business?

Howard: Well, it’s about all the fighting that’s going on among you lot. I can tell you we’re getting pretty sick of it Down Under.

Maliki: It may surprise you to learn that we don’t like it much either. So …?

Howard: Well, I’m here to tell you that unless you pull up your socks and do something about it, we’ll have to take action. The opinion polls won’t stand for it much longer. We’ll have to consider the position of our soldiers. They might even have to leave.

Maliki: Yes, I suppose that might help. But remind me: you have soldiers here? What exactly do they do?

Howard: Well, some of them guard our Embassy …

Maliki: The Australian Embassy. That’s very helpful.

Howard: … and there are others down South, in the thick if it.

Maliki: Doing what?

Howard: Well, until recently they were looking after the Japanese.

Maliki: Yes, the Japanese ... I believe they have left. So are you too planning to cut and run?

Howard: Oh no no no no no no no. Far from it. It is just that if things don’t improve public support for our presence here may no longer be sustainable.

Maliki: But as I understand it there has never been any public support. Almost from the first day the Australian people have vigorously opposed your sycophantic, token involvement. Why are you now mouthing this empty rhetoric, my little man of steel?

Howard: Well, I have this election coming on …

Maliki: Ah, an election. I understand. Well, good luck to you. And may I give you one piece of advice?

Howard: Oh yes, thank you Caliph or Sultan or whatever it is, please please. I’m a little desperate …

Maliki: Change your name to John Hunt.

(Curtain)

Pearls of wisdom.....

Currently I am a very poorly paid assistant at a Childcare centre wherein I take care of 12 two year olds usually with someone who has had formal training in childcare. I love it - the kids are amazing and smart, loving and hideously funny. My usual coworker is a pleasure to work with and has a similar attitude to kids. Some of my kids are so wonderful that I should be paying to play with them. That is no crap - they are that much fun.

Sadly - occasions mean I have to deal with ... other women. People. Adults.

Sharing this weeks "pearls of wisdom" that another worker decided to impart to me. The first one was where on noticing one of our walls is particularly old looking in the decorating she commented that I should "Come in on a weekend and undercoat it so that I could paint it fresh!"

Uhuh. I wont go into how poor the pay is in the childcare industry. Or how I think 99% of us work to have our weekends...

Because I have learnt that if I speak when someone says something stupid to me it almost always gets me in trouble (eventually fired)if I retaliate with the first thing I think of - I just chose not to speak to any adults for the rest of the day.

I love the kids - they completely don't mind if I chose not to talk at all.

But this one was possibly better.

Coworker walks past my room just as I say "Small child, please put the chair back at the table where it belongs." (Obviously child's name is not small child and I don't call them that)

She stops, and tells me, in all seriousness "I studied child psychology for three years and the experts tell you that you should NEVER say please to a toddler...instead you should say "Thank you for putting your chair back where it belongs" to indicate you are in control of the situation. Never say please to a toddler."

I bite tongue. Firstly small child is not, has no intention and probably wont put the damn chair back in any instance because he plans to use it in yet another escape attempt or mission to launch on his playmates. Let ALONE the consequences of saying that you should never use simple manners on a child....

I will ALWAYS say please and thank you to any child I work with because it is simple manners. I don't expect them to say either because honestly - only about five of my kids have a vocabulary that includes that. A couple of my kids don't have ANY vocabulary past "Mummy, uhoh" and "oops". Mummy means anyone they like who they want the attention of.... Uhoh means anything from I bit the kid crying next to me or I opened the door and three of my playmates just escaped... and OOps means when your back was turned I got hold of the paint and it is now all over the floor or somehow I just tipped my entire bowl of spaghetti on my/my neighbouring diners head.

I am always on the alert for both words... uhoh and oops.

I could then go onto why the hell anyone proclaims to have studied child psychology for three years and then works at a childcare centre on less than $20 an hour when this town has an incredible shortage of suitable experts for children with behavioural and learning disabilities....

I think I have a terrible low tolerance for adults. I suspect in this womans heart she thinks she is "helping" me. I am learning how to make sure I look terribly busy when she choses to come visit my room to help me.

The awful thing is I think my coworker will jump ship at her first opportunity. That will most likely make my "educator" my immediate boss. It is a shame the kids and I cant be left alone. Or I could chose who shares the responsibility with me.

Death of the cell phone - Or Mr Nobody strikes again

Last week the kids helped me bring in the groceries and a bag of stuff I had bought home from work to attend to. On the top of this latter bag I had stuck my cell phone, wallet and keys. Considerate kid did heap the bag onto the (already full) drainage rack beside the kitchen sink.

Some minutes later said cell phone was found taking a bath with the dirty dishes.

Nobody put the bag on the drainage rack. Uh-uh - all three confirm it was not them who put the bag ontop of the drainage rack. One day.. Mr Nobody.. one day... I will have my revenge.

Anyway - teenage daughter no 2 tells me that the phone will be fine... BECAUSE... she dropped her very expensive one in the SCHOOL TOILET a week or so back and when it dried out it worked fine. Same phone is in my name and has already been broken once and claimed on what was my perfect insurance record (barring an incident almost 20 years ago when my brother crashed my car)

"YOU didn't tell me that!" says I - in complete horror.

"Well duh, look how excited you get over your crappy phone!" Anna proceeds to take my phone apart to dry it.

"My phone has lasted me over SIX YEARS Anna!" I protest. (Ok so I only learnt my own number within the last year and can only just text message if you give me an hour to find all the keys - I like smspup - it is free and I can type the message on my keyboard)

My phone has not recovered. Sometimes I hear that annoying beep that means I have a message but the screen doesn't work at all.

Hope none of the text messages are important!

The LAST thing I feel like shopping for at the moment is a phone.

And of COURSE... for once my phone actually did have credit on it when the swimming incident occurred.

Gladstone Multi Cultural Festival 2007

My favourite festival of the year! This town throws some pretty good events - but this one is my absolute favourite (followed very closely by the Seafood festival). The food at this one is so wonderful - the choice perplexing, and a crowd with much jostling ... I don't really like crowds but in certain situations you have to deal with the bad to get the good! Jane and I chose the Indonesian, MOTH the Indian and William went for a little of each and the sweet donut like thing in the last picture that came from the Mexican stand - but I have no idea if that is authentic or not. (Anna was at work today) I cant wait till I am old though. Way too few tables - one taken up by a solitary senior citizen sitting alone with 6 chairs all taken up with a cardigan whilst mother's try to feed their children sitting on benches next to the garbage bins - and that table is taken for the full time we are there like that. That old bloke seriously needs his own walker. I hope someone buys him one. Even those perched on the tables with no food? Are they oblivious to the people trying to eat standing up?

We gave up trying to balance food on our laps - offering our bench to a woman trying to balance her food on her knees as she lent to assist her child in a pram - and ventured further into the marina parkland finding a lovely shady, grassy area to relax and eat. Just perfect!
Entertainers galore...
Something for everyone.. I especially like the use of recycle bins now days!
Doesn't take a lot to amuse me. I liked the camels second only to the food.


The things MOTH and Will are eating here were so incredibly sweet and came with chocolate or caramel dipping sauce just to make it sweeter!

We all went home full and a little sleepy.We parked a fair way away so as to enjoy the walk and anticipation and avoid the frenzy in the carparks. We called into the Crazy Prices on the way home for some gardening supplies and camping supplies for Anna's trip to the Oaks tomorrow with the school. MOTH is happily buying camping stuff at them moment as we plan to go camping over at Curtis Island on the 18th of this month. I am just hoping Anna doesn't lose or break anything we are sending with her - she is just brilliant at that. Usually simply lose.

I am looking forward to the weekend away - even if a little apprehensive about how the washing, cleaning, projects etc will fair while we are away. I am still not adjusted to working full time and the state of the house and the pile of things I have to do seem to be so daunting.

Except that sunrise generally means I have stayed awake too long again...

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?