My Exhibition Poster 

Exhibition 

Something I Love...

Something I love...
Getting really good news that you'd almost not dared to hope for.

Something I hate...
The good news coming together with lesser news, that therefore takes the edge off the good news feeling.

Something I ate...
Lots and lots of veggie soup - delicious! Also good for the waistline, of course.

New Look for Aad 

The Job

Well, I decided to take the job (see Job Offer), and am now officially a PCA (personal care assistant). My orientation shift is on 8 November after which I'm on call. My last day as a volunteer is on Friday.

I'm a bit nervous about the change. As a volunteer I haven't had to work full shifts or carry the responsibility that falls on the PCAs. But I am also very excited. I love working in palliative care and am looking forward to learning lots!

Wheelchair Woes

We were expecting Christopher's new wheelchair to arrive today. The company had rung to make sure we'd be home for the delivery. They rang again this afternoon to explain that they were waiting for a part to arrive, so the chair won't be coming for some time yet. No idea how long.

At least this time we're hopeful that Christopher will actually still fit into the chair by the time it arrives. He'd outgrown the last one before we finally got it - 18 months after he'd been measured up.

Christopher is so very excited about getting this new wheelchair. I will put up some photos on the day it arrives, so you can compare old with new. We're planning to have a special celebratory dessert on the night it gets here. Christopher had been saying things like, 'This is my last Monday in this wheelchair' etc, so he was pretty disappointed today. Not much fun, but we seem to be stuck with it.

The Girl in the Cafe

Last night we watched a deceptively simple little film on ABC, called 'The Girl in the Cafe'. I have to say this is one of the most beautiful, poignant, challenging films I have seen in some time. It caught us by surprise because we'd not heard of it before. In addition to being funny, sad and beautifully crafted, it is also a very good introduction to the Millenium Development Goals. Definitely worth watching if it comes your way.

Job Offer

To my great surprise, I've been offered a casual job at the hospice where I work as a volunteer. We've been tossing up the pros and cons of this offer all weekend. On the con side: I would no longer be able to work there as a volunteer, the shifts would be unpredictable and I'm not really experienced enough. On the pro side: there would be on-the-job training, this is what I really want to do, they really need me as a PCA (personal care assistant) and it would be fantastic experience. There are of course many other factors, but those were the main ones.

Garry is really encouraging me to take the job, especially since I will soon start four months' break from uni. That is perfect timing for learning a new job and doing odd shifts. Obviously this will have an effect on our Centrelink payments - something I'll have to look into tomorrow. Then it will be decision time!!!

The Kite Runner

I've just finished reading 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini. I didn't expect to like this book so much. The relationship between the two boys, the relationship between Amir and his father, the kite tournament and the setting (Afghanistan) all combined to create a story that haunted me from the very first chapter. I can certainly recommend this one!

Another book I've just read is 'The Girl in Times Square' by Paulina Simons. At first I expected this to be a girlie book which I chose to read for pure mindless entertainment, as a nice change from textbooks. Somehow, though, the story captured my attention at a deeper level and I ended up really liking it.

I've just begun reading 'Dirt Music' by Tim Winton. I am a fan of 'Cloudstreet', but only after the second reading - I didn't like it so much the first time. 'Dirt Music' is proving dificult for me to get into just now: will have to reserve my judgment on this book for now.

On the Porch

Last night a thunderstorm developed while we were eating dinner, so afterwards the four of us sat on our tiny back deck watching the lightning and listening to the pouring rain. It was so lovely to share the joy of the rain (finally!) and beauty of the sky together. Moments like that linger in the memory.

Today I keep singing to myself:

Out on the patio we'd sit
And the humidity we'd breathe
We'd watch the lightning crack over cane fields
Laugh and think, this is Australia.

View from our unit

This was the view from the units we had at the beach last week.

Something I Love...

Something I love... finding the perfect article for an essay (two due this month).

Something I hate... discovering the above-mentioned perfect article isn't available because our library isn't subscribed to that journal.

Something I ate... Garry's Spanish Omelette recipe is high on the list of family favourites at the moment.

I'm reading... 'Don't Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees'

I'm listening to... 'Habanera' from Bizet's opera, Carmen.

Bill and Valda

Bill and Valda 

I love this photo of Bill and Valda, taken on their recent trip up north.

Comoros Recipe

While searching for an International Recipe (more about that later), I came across the following classic from the country of Comoros. I am not kidding you!

Chicken with coconut, mashed potatoes, carrot and sweet potato - Main

Cooking Recipes Ingredients:
1 coconut milk box
1 chicken cut in pieces with its offal
2 onions, thin slices
600 G of sweet potatoes
500 G of carrots
1 furnished bouquet
3 parsley bits
1 C with coconut soup grated
5 grated nutmeg pinches
0.5 C with coffee of powder gingembre
2 C with oil soup
salt and pepper

Cooking Recipes Directions
Gild chicken out of casserole in oil. Withdraw gild the onions then reserve them. Place offal in the casserole, sprinkle with 70 water Cl carry to boiling, foam and let boil 20 min.
Filter the bubble. Pour it in the casserole with chicken, onions, the furnished bouquet and the powder gingembre. Salt, pepper. Let quiver during 15 min. Gently pour the coconut milk (reserve 10 Cl) while mixing. Leave mijoter during 30 min.
During this time, peel carrots and the potatoes, cut them in cubes. Cook separately them with salted ebullient water 30 min. Separately pass them to the potato-masher add 3 C to sweet potato mashed potatoes in that of carrot, mix.
Water the coconut milk remainder in 10 water Cl. Season grated nutmeg and carry gently to boiling. Mix the 2/3 in potato mashed potatoes and the remainder in that of carrot. Check the seasoning; add, with your taste, a little butter.
Remove casserole the furnished bouquet. Strew mashed potatoes with chopped parsley potato and powder that with coconut carrot grated. Be useful quite hot with chicken.

Carmen

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend OzOpera's "Carmen" with mum, dad and Liz. Last time the four of us went out together, it was for "La Boheme" two years ago! It was a fantastic performance and we especially enjoyed the opportunity to see a family friend play the male lead.

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Two Beach Photos

So here are two beach photos to begin with. The first is of Opa and Catherine at Australia Zoo, the second is of Tamara and Christopher walking on the beach right outside our unit.

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Home Again

We're home after having enjoyed a wonderful holiday at the beach. Everything's finally unpacked and the first load of washing is on the line. Thanks to my parents joining us at the beach for the week, we've been able to enjoy this holiday to the full. I'll get some photos up soon.

Books I read while away:
"I'm Not Scared" by Niccolo Ammaniti
"The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon
"Three Weeks with my Brother" by Nicholas Sparks
"The Wedding" by Nicholas Sparks