Your Best Year Yet

To become fully alive a person must have goals and aims that transcend himself. Herbert Otto

I like to use the ten questions of "Your Best Year Yet" to put my past year into perspective and identify some directions for the new year. There is a free online workshop that you can do (click here) - although this year I bought the book secondhand via ebay. The end result is a one-page document of some carefully thought-out, relevant reminders and goals for yourself.

I'm not sure that any of my aims will help me 'transcend myself'. They are humble goals, as I know from experience that I do better if I build in a reasonable chance of success. Nevertheless, when I read my page of goals, they put a smile on my face and invite me to enter into them wholeheartedly.

I'm looking forward to what 2008 will bring our way. Perhaps another move (not such a cheerful prospect), but if not, there will no doubt be other challenges. What gives me hope is that we've weathered a great deal as a family and I know we will support each other no matter what. Here's a toast to the simple things in life - family, love, friendship, laughter, and the ability to recognise these for the treasures they really are.

Happy New Year!

A Tree Just Fell on Our House

Yes, I'm not kidding - but thankfully it's not a huge tree and it only just hit the guttering on one corner. We've been experiencing some strong wind this weekend and Garry has been worrying about trees falling - it seems he was right to be concerned. This time all is well (although it has caused some extra work and flattened a beautiful tree fern). No doubt you will hear more on Garry's blog before long...

Underwater World

Garry's Aquarium is looking truly amazing. All four of us find ourselves just sitting and watching the fish at various times throughout the day. My personal favourite is the bristle-nosed catfish, named Mel, who spends her entire day quietly cleaning the tank. Among others, we have two swordtail females called Mandy and Margie, and a male swordtail called Excalibur.

Due to our ignorance, the third female swordtail was named Detective Spooner (from the movie, I, Robot), as we mistakenly thought she was a male. Christopher is hopeful that Detective Spooner is pregnant, as she's looking decidedly well-rounded. We also have two little diamondhead neon tetras called Luke and Leia (guess who's been watching Star Wars?).

Giant Soccer Ball

We gave Christopher this large blow-up soccer ball for Christmas, and as you can see, it's quite a success!

Just call me Lucy

I've walked down to our dam/pond? every day for the last couple of weeks - sometimes only just making it in between downpours. I love the way it smells after rain, so strongly scented that you can almost taste the eucalypt. There's one section of the path where all you can see on the left is ferns sloping down the hillside, with the track winding through the trees just ahead.

That little spot always takes me back to the bushwalks of my childhood. I used to pretend I was Lucy (from "The Chronicles of Narnia") and that if I walked quietly enough I might come upon Aslan or a dryad around the next bend.I'm looking forward to seeing "Prince Caspian" when it comes out next year. The trailers at narnia.com look pretty good.

Desktop Waterfall

My Christmas present from Garry - a desktop waterfall that is so soothing to watch and listen to. I've put some of my gemstones in the little terraced pools, which makes them shine up beautifully. It's actually a lot nicer than the photo makes it look here.

For those of you who visit Christopher and Catherine's blogs now and then - good news - they have both posted in the last few days. No more "mulberry icecream"! Christopher's is of a political nature (in his own unique style), while Catherine's is about a very creative (edible) project. You can follow the links to their blogs in my sidebar. Enjoy!

Christmas 2007

We have had a lovely Christmas this year. Last week my parents were here for an early mini-Christmas (a good opportunity to try out some new recipes). Then last night the four of us had a quiet dinner, followed by a reading of "The Greatest Gift" and then the movie (based on the book) "It's a Wonderful Life" starring James Stewart.

Afterwards we sat on the back deck and saw the moon rise and listened to Christmas music. It was so peaceful, with thousands of crickets singing along in the bush.

This morning we had croissants for breakfast - with ham and cheese, and also with mango, ham and custard (sounds odd, but is a great combination). Then Garry's parents, sister and my niece Emma arrived for Christmas lunch and presents. All in all, a relaxing couple of days. The only drawback was that Christopher woke up at 4:15am and thought his blood glucose levels were low - I did a finger prick and he was 9mmol (not low at all!). Back to bed - but then couldn't fall asleep for the next couple of hours.

Here's wishing you all a wonderful, peaceful Christmas.

Worth Watching!

This is definitely worth a few minutes of your time. Merry Christmas! (with apologies to Scott for copying the idea of blogging this great video clip).

Super-Duper Veggie Pie

Here, the kids are making super-duper vegetable pie with Pamela (one of Christopher's new carers). It was delicious!

Buried under Backlogs

If there's one thing that really drags me down it's a backlog of paperwork. It's always associated with a niggling fear that somewhere in the pile lurks a disaster waiting to happen. So I was pleased to come across a way to put backlogs in their place. You begin, very simply, by gathering up the undone paperwork and putting everything together in a folder (or if you're like me, in a box or two).

You completely clear your desk, inbox, email program, floors and drawers of all the work that's been lingering for who knows how long. I have even been known to create an email folder called "backlog" for this process, so that my email inbox is completely clear.

Next comes the really cool part - you don't add anything else to the backlog. The rule is that backlogs only ever stay the same size or get smaller. The trick to this is to keep up with any new papers and emails as they come across your path. I do this in a couple of ways, but suffice it to say (for now) that you need some sort of system to clear the deck again by the end of each day.

Finally, set aside a minimum of 5 minutes every day to deal with your backlog. Again, there are numerous ways to do this - but the basic idea is that each and every day your backlog shrinks just a little bit. I usually only spend five minutes on my backlogs (when I have them) but others might want to spend longer. Keep in mind that you need to leave enough time to deal with your new, incoming stuff as well.

And that's it in a nutshell. This idea is described in more detail in a book called "Do It Tomorrow" by Mark Foster. It covers many more concepts - but this was the one that really helped me this year. Backlogs are becoming more rare - and when they do occur, they are much smaller than the first one was. It's a great feeling!

Family Photo Corner

Garry has been working on this wall of family photographs for some time now. It looks amazing! The variety of frames, old and new photos, and the desk, clock and barometer all seem to blend perfectly together. It is such an eye-catching feature of the room now.

Off to LOTR Land

Yes, I am heading to the land of "Lord of the Rings", otherwise known as New Zealand. I'm going to a conference as a Golden Key honour society delegate, which is a little scary! The conference is held in Christchurch and I'll be gone for three nights. I am really, really looking forward to flying again. This will be my first flight on an Australian passport (rather than Dutch passport). It will also be my first "annual conference" of any description. So the immediate question that springs to mind is: "What will I WEAR????" Updates will follow.... the conference is not until late January.

Reality Check

Not long ago I wrote about increasing costs, particularly of groceries (click here). Someone has since sent me an email full of photos of families around the world - with their weekly shopping and total costs. They were all very interesting, but this one was the most confronting:

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp

Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

Little Zen Gardens

Catherine and I have been playing around with miniature Zen Gardens this weekend. We each have our own bowl of white sand, a set of chopsticks and our gemstone collections. Traditionally we should use miniature rakes, but I haven't been able to find those yet, so we're making do with chopsticks for now. Catherine, it turns out, has quite a flair for design - she has come up with some really beautiful combinations. I tend to be more inhibited in mine. It has been very relaxing to sit together at the table, creating new patterns and chatting about this and that.

Anyway, this will give you some idea of what my bowl is like - Catherine plans to write about hers on her own blogsite.

Some pics of the dam

Miniature English Village

To celebrate the end of a successful year of homeschooling, we spent today out and about the Sunshine Coast. We visited Caloundra, Mooloolaba and Montville. We also went to a miniature English Village at Flaxton. Here are some pics:






The kids had a wonderful day. The adults are weary but happy. Garry bought some ornaments for his aquarium and I found two candle holders to hang beside the fireplace. So it was a success all round. Tomorrow we hope to go swimming in Ewan Maddock dam for the first time. The weather has taken a real turn towards 'hot and humid', so a swim will be very welcome.

Recent Garden Work

This beautiful bouquet is a sampling of some of the flowers we have in bloom right now in the garden. All the frangipani trees are also blossoming. A special thanks to mum and Catherine for the lovely arrangement!

Garry has also been doing a lot of mulching, weeding and tidying of the garden beds around the house. One project has been this octagonal garden bed near the guest house, which was looking quite overgrown. It's now an ornamental bed with pavers, pebbles and bird bath. It's hard to tell from the photo, but there are also plants in the pebbled areas.

Discretionary Time

I would like to have more discretionary time.

I wrote recently about my daily routine. I'm still getting through the whole lot most days - but it does take a lot of time. It's usually dinner time when I turn over the last card and after dinner we don't get any 'discretionary' time until Christopher goes to sleep.

If I last for another hour after that it's a good day.

So I get an hour, possibly two per day where I can do whatever I want - like blogging or reading. It's a good thing I read very fast. There are a couple of solutions to this situation:

* cut down on the daily tasks list
* get faster at the tasks so they take less time
* learn to see the tasks in a new light
* quit whining and enjoy the time I do get to myself

The first option isn't really viable - pretty much every item on that list deserves to be there, as do some items that haven't yet made it onto the list. So I'm more likely to increase the list than cut it back.

I'm practicing the second option by trying not to go off on rabbit trails. Today I finished my tasks about half an hour earlier than usual. This is worth doing, but in the end it will only shave off bits here and there.

As for the third option, the following quote really made me think:

For an experience to qualify as leisure, it must meet three criteria: 1) The experience is a state of mind. 2) It must be entered into voluntarily. 3) It must be intrinsically motivating of its own merit. (Neulinger, 1981)

If I understand this correctly, everything I do could become leisure time if I: 1) change my state of mind; 2) enter into it voluntarily; and 3) find it intrinsically motivating. How cool is that? In fact, it relates rather closely to my fourth option above, which I will now put into practice.... at least temporarily....

New Carers

While studying for my exam about four weeks ago, I also made some calls to get some more respite... I always seem to get a lot of extra things done when I'm supposed to be studying. Both Garry and I were reaching a point where more respite was a real priority. Karen has settled in very well as Christopher's tutor (three mornings per week), but that was not proving to be enough.

So I sat down and started calling all the respite and home help places in the phone book. I was beginning to feel desperate, as most places said they had no workers in our area. Finally I came across someone who was willing to listen, and they must have picked up on the hopelessness I was feeling. Since then, that agency has set up nine additional hours of care for us!

The hours are divided into three afternoons of three hours each. They are shared by a team of three carers, two ladies and one man. Christopher has really hit it off with them already. There are plans for woodworking sessions with Geoff; I found Pamela and Christopher checking the oil and water in the Kia, and they have plans to do some cooking next week; and Michelle is going to help with bathing Christopher (a huge help), and is keen to spend time on the computer with him.

It is such a delight to have this all set up. The agency has been so easy to deal with. Mainly, though, Christopher is happy with his new friends and we get more of a break in the afternoons. Catherine has been her usual wonderful self - helping the new carers understand Christopher's speech, and showing them where things are kept. All in all, the respite situation is starting to fall into place at last, which is very good news.

Shoemakers' children always go unshod

Wouldn't you think that the more you learn about the human body, the more likely you are to look after yourself? The longer I study nursing, the more I see the reasoning behind simple health guidelines like getting some exercise, eating a healthy diet and avoiding excess sunlight in the middle of the day.

Yet nurses are as bad as the rest of us when it comes to their health - perhaps even a little worse. On night shifts it's so tempting to nibble on the thank-you chocolates left at the nurse's station by a grateful family member. Ignoring a full bladder for hours on end while you tend to your patients' toileting needs is an everyday occurrence. I could go on and on.

It's the shoemaker's children syndrome.

Determined not to live up to the proverb, I am trying to put some of the health education we learn at university into practice in my own life. My favourite so far is fibre. LOL. Increasing the fibre in my diet has worked wonders. Now I can recommend it to future patients with a clear conscience (and I am working hard not to use the obvious puns, so be grateful). I wonder what I should try next?

Going up?

The normal grocery shopping for our family of four (plus cat) tends to average out at $175 per week. This is only if we eat all our meals at home; no take-away lunches or dinners. As "at home vegetarians" we don't buy much meat, although we do eat fish each week. I don't think we're particularly extravagant, but I've watched this part of our budget steadily increase over the last couple of years. Together with increasing petrol prices, this has meant our budget has required constant revision. In fact, out of the 50 categories in our family budget, only our "savings" have gone down :(

I keep track of the budget in Excel, where I've set up a spreadsheet that automatically calculates the budget for me - all I do is spend 5 minutes per day entering our expenses. I do it daily because after a week it becomes too hard to remember what we spent our money on. This is particularly true of cash purchases. Keeping up with it daily is so much less stressful, especially since the advent of online banking.

I know budgets aren't everyone's cup of tea. However, in our family it has meant one less thing to worry about. If a bill comes in, we can pay it. If we want to spend money on something outside the usual budget, we save for it. Simple and effective. We haven't had a credit card for years now and I don't miss that little convenience at all.

Books by my Bedside

Most unusually for me, there are only three books by my bedside right now:

* "the monk downstairs" a novel by Tim Farrington. This one I'd never heard of until I spotted it in the local library and found myself intruiged by the title. More on this book later, as it's quite a gem.

* "Do It Tomorrow" a time-management/organisational book by Mark Forster. This is a second reading as I felt ready to tackle this topic again. I find that revisiting books like this one helps me gain one or two new skills each time through.

* "Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing" a nursing textbook. I know, I know - uni semester is over! But I actually like learning about this stuff :)

Now it's back to the election websites - I am trying to track seven websites at once and blogging only has a fraction of my attention at the moment.

This I Can Say

"We journey on different paths, in many ways, from different directions. Yet when we join together in reverence and respect, we begin to see our connections to one another and to spirit" L. Mooney

On officially becoming a "Quaker" earlier this year, after several years of attending Quaker meetings, I was presented with the book, "This We Can Say". It's a collection of quotations by Australian Quakers and it's a wonderful bedside book for browsing through at night. There are poems, snippets, reflections and mini-essays all of which try to express some facet of what it means to be a Quaker in Australia today. Each time I dip into this book I am refreshed and strengthened by what I read.


I don't really know how to express my spiritual affiliation anymore. It used to be so black and white once upon a time. But nowadays I find myself drawn to paths that allow all people to be themselves. I guess I'd call myself a 'Zen Quaker' right now, but even that is deceptive and misleading.

I like the Quaker focus on equality, integrity/truthfulness, community/caring, simplicity, peace and care of the earth. I also like the fact that most people who call themselves Quakers (that I know of) have lived in a way that I find inspiring, challenging, or encouraging.

As for Zen - well, I'm certainly no Buddhist - but I like the clear cut simplicity and the gentleness of Zen. It's calm and quiet, but also fiery and passionate. I kind of wish I was like that myself. So the dichotomy of calling myself a Zen Quaker suits me right now. It probably won't always be right for me.... but it is enough of a challenge for today :)

P.S. Quakers are not necessarily connected to the oatmeal of the same brand name.

Freecycle

"Changing the world one gift at a time" is the motto of a worldwide movement known as Freecycle. With over 3.3 million members, Freecyle aims to keep reusable goods out of landfill by 'gifting' them to a local network of members. I recently joined the Sunshine Coast group (via Yahoo), which is very active.

The group allows members to send out an email with "offers" of goods that they no longer want, which can then be collected by anyone who wants the item/s for free. Our local group has a great deal of activity - items are snapped up within hours! Once an item has been promised to someone, another email goes out to the group to let them know it has gone.

Offers through my inbox this week have included: videos & DVDs, a toy box, a bread maker, a steam mop, a dining table, several washing machines, clothes, toys, books, a blender, gutters, colourbond fencing panels, security screen doors, a VCR, a stereo, a whipper snipper, garden plants and so on. Members are also allowed to send two "wanted" emails to the group each week.

I've personally thrown away less stuff since joining the group, because I always think to myself that someone on Freecycle might want the item. This alone is a good thing. The other interesting thing I've noticed is how often people offer an item that has "stopped working", and how quickly even those things are snapped up by other group members. It's refreshing to think of broken stereos and washing machines as being in demand, rather than being destined for landfill.

Uni break = ?

Since finishing second semester, my daily routine has been much more manageable. I am actually getting things done around here! I've recently moved my daily task cards back onto my index card "bleacher". As I complete each task I turn that card around. By the end of the day the aim is to have all the cards completed. To my complete amazement, I've actually achieved this the last three days - I don't think that's happened ever before. I'm starting to collect little quotes to write on the back of each card to keep me interested and motivated. Here is a photo of the bleacher with all my task cards on it:


In addition, I've enjoyed getting back into the kitchen (another thing I never thought I'd say!). Here is a photo of some cinnamon scrolls I made:

Not only were they delicious, they also happen to be incredibly easy to throw together.

HbA1c and Kia

"Diabetes is like being expected to play the piano with one hand while juggling items with another hand, all while balancing with deftness and dexterity on a tightrope" - Marlene Less

Today I travelled to Nambour with Christopher for our first visit to the Sunshine Coast Diabetes Clinic. Apart from some minor hiccoughs the trip was uneventful. Christopher's latest HbA1c was 8.5%, which isn't brilliant, but also isn't too bad considering all that's been happening in our lives lately. Unfortunately we had to wait for over 45 minutes after seeing the diabetes educator until we could see the paediatrician. Christopher picked up a few gifts, including a poster that he admired and which the lady took off the wall for him, blue tac and all! Typical.

Now that we have the Kia Carnival back these types of trips are much easier. I am so glad to have a car with a ramp that doesn't break my back. The straps are easier to attach to the wheelchair and I am able to stay modest, even in a short skirt (the Mitsubishi required all sorts of strange contortions to attach the straps). Christopher now sits in the middle row rather than being tucked way into the back of the car - so we can have a conversation while we drive. Hurrah for Freedom Motors, the company that did the modifications.

Oh, and have a look at Christopher's blog - he's trying to choose a colour for his next wheelchair.

How Many Happy Days Have You Had?

Abd Er-Rahman III of Spain: (960 C.E.)

"I have now reigned about 50 years in victory or peace, beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honors, power and pleasure, have waited on my call, nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity. In this situation, I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot. They amount to fourteen."

FOURTEEN?????!!!! Fourteen days of pure and genuine happiness.... I'm not sure whether Abd Er-Rahman is to be pitied or envied. After all, how many people could honestly say they've had 14 perfectly happy days in their life? On the other hand, fourteen doesn't seem like a lot out of 18,262 days! And who goes around counting things like that anyway? Do you know how many days of pure and genuine happiness you've had in your life?

Just thinking about that reminds me of a scene in the movie "City Slickers", where one of the characters makes the point that often the best day of your life is also the worst day of your life. Actually, that's also the movie where you find out what the secret of life is:

Curly: Do you know what the secret of life is?
[holds up one finger]
Curly: This.
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don't mean shit.
Mitch: But, what is the "one thing?"
Curly: [smiles] That's what *you* have to find out.

Zen Habits

An interesting discussion developed on a blog that I like, about how you can accept yourself as you are, and yet need to change who you are. This is something I have struggled with as I try to start new habits (such as drinking more water) which then fizzle out sometime down the track. I found some of the resulting comments more helpful than others. I guess what I really like is the fact that others struggle with similar questions. What it doesn't help with is the day-to-day habit of drinking more water... but then there is probably a post on the site that mentions it, I just have to find it. The site is Zen Habits by the way. The "Popular Posts by Category" section at the bottom of the blog is a great jumping-off point.

Home Again

Just to let you know, we are home again after a two-week holiday at the beach.... just getting unpacked and settling back in. No doubt the family blog sites will start to show some action now that we're back on broadband.

Girly Weekend

Opa Kraal, Annika and Sanne came to stay with us this weekend. It was a lot of fun to have the two cousins here and the three girls had a great time together.


Catherine and I made a yummy lunch, and Christopher and Catherine made a Four Minute Brownie Pie for dessert. I also baked a date slice that went down pretty well. There weren't many leftovers!


Garry and Christopher made the most of the weekend also, hanging posters in Christopher's room and shopping for a second hand ride-on mower. Altogether, a nice weekend.

Potatoes and Point

I came across the quaint phrase "potatoes and point" in the Anne books and decided to Google it. This led me to a funny little blog called The Moon by Night. I am not responsible for what you may stumble across if you follow any links from The Moon by Night, but I personally enjoyed my little blog crawl very much!

In Our Home This Week

Lots has been happening around here this week:

* University classes finished on Tuesday, leaving two weeks to study for the exam, after which I will be halfway through my nursing degree.

* I slipped away for two nights at a B&B for a much-needed mini-break - now we need to find time for Garry to get away also!

* We returned to Australia Zoo once again, and were fortunate enough to see the constrictor snakes being fed their weekly rat - a fascinating spectacle. Our photos didn't come out very well, but perhaps someone with good eyesight can just spot the rat's tail hanging from the snake's mouth...


* The rain is steadily filling the lake which thankfully has its dam(n) liner in place (due to much hard labour by Garry).

* I baked a dozen of Catherine's all-time favourite breadrolls this morning, and she ate three for lunch then returned for more an hour later (see recipe). These are so easy to throw together, and smell divine while they bake.

Put in the bread machine in order:

1 c. warm water
2 T. oil
3 T. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1 egg
3 c. bread flour
2 1/2 t. yeast

Hit dough cycle. Let rise in machine until doubled. Take dough out to a floured counter, knead well, then divide into 12 equal pieces. Place on baking tray and allow to rise until doubled. Bake at 190 Celsius (375 F) for 15 minutes.

* I have started re-reading the entire "Anne of Green Gables" series, which always makes me want to spend more time in the garden and kitchen (hence the breadrolls).

* No doubt there is much more that has been going on... but that's all for now, folks.

Garry at Work

Here Garry is using a ride-on mower and trailer loaned to us by our very kind neighbours. We are looking into buying a secondhand ride-on ourselves, as the path to the lake will require constant maintenance!

This is also a test of how well the video footage works, so please leave feedback in the comments section if you have time.

Blog Action Day

Today, 15 October 2007, is "Blog Action Day", when over 15,000 blog sites are talking about one issue - the environment. Together, they reach 12 million readers!

I don't actually have much time to write about anything today, but I really liked the concept. So I'd encourage you to click the link in the sidebar and explore some of the other blogs taking part in today's action.

I guess this is cheating, but hey - that's my prerogative! Also, I've done my bit with the cloud formation, hippiastrums and tawny frogmouth lately :) Just read the rest of my blog!!

Tamara slinks quietly from her computer keyboard, hoping not to be hit by any rotten tomatoes, and heads straight for bed.

Unusual Cloud Formation

Taken from our back deck late this afternoon, as thunder rumbled menacingly in the distance, this reminded me a little bit of the movie "Independence Day":


(You should be able to click on the photo to enlarge it). When I checked again a short while later it had transformed into a camel-like shape.

Hippeastrum Splendour

Our garden has been unveiling all sorts of delightful surprises now that it's Spring. These colourful Hippeastrums are putting on a spectacular show around the driveway.

In Our Home This Week

School holidays are over and we're all back into our regular routine. Christopher and Catherine have each finished writing a book for their homeschool work this week. Christopher's is called >"The Boy and the Sword" and Catherine's is "My Pet Cat". Both stories are outstanding (of course!).

We've had several thunderstorms, resulting in a small puddle of water in the newly excavated lake/dam. Unfortunately we don't have the dam liner in place yet, so this water will have to go to waste. My tomato, lettuce, chilli and capsicum seedlings are enjoying the extra soakings.

On Friday, work finally begins on a ramp between our garage and the front door - a great relief, as getting the wheelchair and walker up several steps has not been fun (nor has it been very safe). Due to ongoing delays with council approval we have decided to go ahead and build the ramp without a roof, so that no approval is needed at this stage. The roof will become a separate project.

My university studies are hotting up, as the exam period is approaching rapidly. Between now and then I hope to find at least *some* time for study each day, but we'll see how that unfolds. The kids always say I become like 'Hermione Granger' around exam time (Harry Potter fans will know at once what I'm talking about).

In Our Home This Week

A very busy week, as school holidays continue but university starts up again...

• We have six house guests staying over for a couple of nights


• There are a bobcat and an excavator building wheelchair paths and a small dam on the block - so Christopher is beside himself with excitement


• My oral presentation was due at uni Tuesday night (I'm so glad to have that over with!)


• The children's cousin, Emma, is staying with us until Friday - so she and Catherine are constantly on the go with countless games and projects


• We hope to have some friends from Toowoomba drop in for a visit on Thursday


• We'll be travelling to Toowoomba on Friday to take Emma back, go to bookgroup, visit my parents and visit Garry's parents

A beautiful guest!

Look who came to visit us today! Isn't he a stunner? A tawny frogmouth right on the railing of our deck. Once he flew into the trees he was remarkably hard to spot again.

In Our House This Week

So what is happening in our home this week?

1. School Holidays - hurrah! Since we don't need to sit down and start school by 9am, we are all enjoying a slower start in the mornings. It's so nice to have that little bit of extra time to work on projects and go on outings together.


2. Our regular carer/home tutor, Karen, is also taking holidays so we were happy to meet Jo, another in-home carer. She is dropping in for a few hours twice a week to spend some time playing with the kids.


3. We met with the local Cerebral Palsy League team at a gathering in a local park today. We also met some other families from the area, which was just lovely. A delicious BBQ (including vegetarian sausages and banana chocolate muffins) was provided and we each added our handprint to a special banner.


4. Garry's parents are holidaying nearby, so we plan to catch up with them for dinner one night, as well as spending some time at the beach with them. The weather is really starting to warm up, so the water is looking very tempting indeed.


5. Garry has been hard at work preparing for the wheelchair path project - marking the track, ordering supplies, and making sure all is ready for the excavator next week. Christopher is pretty excited!


6. I am heading to the university to prepare for a student presentation about abdominal assessments. Since none of us wish to bare our own abdomens for the demonstration, I have purchased a 'macho man' apron to use instead. Pretty cute, don't you think? NOT!!