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!!