Being Me...

I'm having a bit of trouble adjusting to the whole 'full time motherhood' thing. Andrew ended a mild complaint about something domestic the other day with the words ' and I've been at work all day' and it illicited a response of near hysteria and irrationality from me. We've agreed that expression will not EVER be repeated. However, it has made me have a think about my new role in life. Whilst I always considered (no matter what others may have thought) that my number one priority was the children, this is the first time I haven't had a job since I had them. And it feels a bit odd. Now, what I am about to say is by no means any sort of criticism of women who don't work - it's just how I judge myself (and I am generally my own worst critic). The thing is....I could spend all day everyday on domestic issues and run a house on obsessive compulsive lines. Andrew would never be tempted to say the banned words again and I wouldn't really have a problem with it. My problem is with doing anything that isn't strictly speaking related to the running of the home - like having coffee, lunch, going to the gym or having a wander around the shops. Because when I do that sort of stuff I feel guilty and am much more likely to have a totally disproportionate response to perfectly reasonable comments like' do I have a clean shirt' (yes you have - would you like me to insert it in your rear end with this broom handle?').

At the bottom of all this is a feeling that I can't shake off.....isn't not working a bit, well......lazy? (Waiting for a bombardment from everyone now....)

But it's deeper than that. I've realised that, tragically, I don't really know who I am when I'm not working. When filling in a form recently which asked for my profession, I stared at the categories unable to bring myself to tick the box marked 'housewife'. This set me off on a few nights of navel gazing, and this is what I've come up with.....

Over the years I've come to define myself by what I do - whether it be work, or the other stuff I rushed about doing (being a councillor, sitting on committees etc etc). I've wanted that to be what people knew about me. So the answer to 'who are you' would be a description of what I do.......I think I did this because I thought that just being me wasn't good enough. Now I don't work, there is nothing to hide behind. I have to just be Wendy. Scary.....

Another flat....

So, as planned, we moved into the Dee Why flat last Tuesday. All went well, but after my initial elation at finally being close to school in a flat that wasn't a bit 'icky', I felt rather deflated. I'm really REALLY looking forward to being surrounded by our things in 'our' house, although I have been warned that often this event leads to some panic....once your furniture has travelled across the world, there is no avoiding it - you have emigrated and you better face up to it!



The flat is very small, but immaculately maintained and has, oh joy of joys, a washing machine! No more using a communal laundry and constantly searching for $2 coins! It also has a very sunny balcony from which we can see Dee Why lagoon and which is frequented by an array of unfamiliar and colourful birds. I've taken a few pictures and will put them on here when we have our own internet connection, as currently I am in an internet cafe down the road.

Since arriving here I've been feeling a lot more relaxed. I've been able to create some routine and the children are happier - the journey home plus homework is no longer taking the entire evening. Andrew seems to be getting on with the bus ok, leaving early in the morning (generally before me and the children get up) and getting home in time for supper.

Weekends since we've been here haven't quite been what we had hoped - we were mainly under house arrest last weekend with Anna having tonsillitis, poor love, and really sick with it. She had a sleepover on the Friday night with Zoe, but I got a phone call quite early on Saturday to let me know that she was saying she didn't feel well and had a sore throat. I spoke to her and asked if she wanted me to get her now, or later as arranged, and given that she said (in a small sad voice that pretty much broke your heart) that she wanted me to come a straight away, I knew she felt awful. By the time I got there, she was running a raging temperature, had been sick and was asleep.....anyway - after most of the day not being able to get her temperature down, and a lot of vomiting, I took her to the GP and tonsillitis was diagnosed. She's back at school now, a bit pale but raring to go....

Monday evening was an exciting one for George, as Andrew took him to a rugby league match. Manly Sea Eagles play just down the road, and apparently it is a real family occasion (although I'm not tempted to go..). George was especially impressed with the cheer leaders (that's my boy!) and now spends much of his time attached to his rugby ball. It's great to see George developing interests in sports, although he doesn't have much confidence in his abilities at the moment. We have spoken to the school about him doing basketball, and he is keen to join a cricket club when the season starts as well.

However, the most important sport is swimming, which they must be able to do well if I am to stop being such a basket case when they are in the sea. To this end I have enrolled them in the Carlile Swimming School and they will have hard core swimming lessons after school every Thursday at the Sydney Academy of Sport - which just happens to be round the corner from the house at Narrabeen. They are both a bit annoyed about this, as neither of them are big fans of swimming lessons, but as I've explained to them - it's either this or no going in the sea...

So - it's only just over a week before we get the house at Narrabeen. Unfortunately Andrew is unable to take time off work to help with the crate when it arrives, but obviously as the new boy this is understandable. However, the fact that the 'work' he will be doing whilst I am dealing with all this will be a surfing lesson at Manly Beach as some sort of 'team building' exercise is a little irritating.....

Catch you all again soon....

Hippo Birdy Two Ewes!

My baby girl was nine today......as always it only seems like 5 minutes since she was a newborn. And yet she seems so old for nine in many ways.....

Birthday celebrations began yesterday, when Anna chose to go to the Australian Wildlife Centre at Darling Harbour for a treat. We drove in......not a great idea really - the Darling Harbour complex is in the city centre, and I wanted to drive over the Harbour Bridge. You know how map reading causes much domestic disharmony? Well having sat nav doesn't help, because Hubby doesn't believe the sat nav either....well, at least it's not just me! However, we did eventually (after a considerable amount of swearing) find a car park, and took the monorail around the city to our destination. I was particularly interested in it because it was in the process of being built when I was in Sydney 20 years ago, and despite that it still looks rather space age zooming about on it's rail high above the ground. The children thought it was terribly exciting and giggled nervously clutching onto their seats, much to the amusement of other passengers!
The Wildlife Centre was a great success. Australia is evidently home to a large number of rather odd creatures, some of which I hope I never encounter. The ones I thought were cute I took photos of - including a loads of photos of the koalas, who are very photogenic and conveniently sit still most of the time. Apparently they sleep for up to 20 hours a day, and have very small brains. I know a few humans like that......

We were not reassured to discover that Australia is home to the world's most dangerous spider (the funnel web), the world's most venomous snake (the brown something...), and the world's most dangerous sea creatures. Virtually everything here could kill you it seems. Including the sun....

After completing our tour of all the awful ways to die Down Under, we walked over to the restaurant area and let Anna chose where we would eat supper. I took the above photo of the view across the harbour. I'm not much of a city girl, as you all will know, but I do think there is something a bit magical about those sort of city scapes at night.
We had a nice time eating Italian, watching the world go by and marvelling about the weather given the time of year. I swear George was having a good time, but Anna has her arm around him in this picture, which is guaranteed to illicit the sort of disgust you can see here!








I realise that the pictures have gotten all a bit out of sync here, but I can't work out how to change them! Sorry!

Anyway, this morning Anna leapt out of bed on first calling (v unusual) to open her pressies. Thanks so much to everyone who sent cards or presents or messages. It means so much to her and also to us - I wanted to make sure that this first birthday away from home was a happy one, and not too different to what she would have experienced at home. She loved all her presents, but she was particularly pleased with the iPod we got her, and the bikini Auntie Karen sent. Funnily enough, Anna lost her bikini bottoms at the swimming pool a couple of weeks ago, and since then I have been trying in vain to replace them. Inexplicably, no shops are now stocking childrens swimwear because.....it's winter! I honestly don't understand. There are people on the beach and in the sea everyday, but the shops are full of winter woolies! Anyway - that problem is now resolved, so thanks very much Karen!

I took Anna off to school armed with 30 chocolate muffins for her classmates and teachers, and when I picked her up this afternoon she had a sign hanging round her neck saying happy birthday on it. She seemed to have had a lovely day, and is pleased to no longer be so obviously the youngest in the class, as no one else was still only eight. But the fun didn't stop there. We had made arrangements to meet up with Sharon and her 3 children (Anna is getting very friendly with her daughter Zoe, who is a lovely sweet little thing), Maria and her 3 children and Lydia with Jack and Will (we think Anna and Jack have a bit of a mutual appreciation society going on!). We gathered at the gelato bar at Dee Why beach, bought them all icecreams and Anna got more gifts. What a lucky girl! The afternoon ended with all the children playing in the surf and the sand (more sand in the car.....)

When we got home it was pizza and birthday cake and then bed.......phew!

The other good news - for those of you who are not totally bored of my Australian lurgy - is that I have finally got my sense of smell back. For over 4 weeks I haven't smelt a thing, and Andrew has been telling me there is an awful smell in the kitchen. Today I smelt it for the first time, and oh my goodness me - yes it was awful. How Andrew hasn't taken the kitchen apart looking for the source I really don't know, but a couple of minutes of investigation revealed to me that the stench was emanating from the dishwasher we haven't been using and a brief look inside revealed a couple of inches of stagnant water covered in a moulding rotten food...lol. I've done my best with it, but all I can say is...thank goodness we move to Dee Why tomorrow!

Big Game Shopping, A Social Event and Mother's Day

All the kids
Hello Possum!
Stephie, Anna, Molly and Zoe

It's Mother's Day here today, so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to celebrate for the second time. And of course, lots of love to all the other mothers who I know read this blog!

Yesterday was quite a busy day. First of all we went off to the Beadstudio again so that Andrew could buy me a Troll bracelet for mother's day (these are like modern charm bracelets - you register so that they always know which charms you already have, and you add to your collection as the years go on). I chose the lovely fish clasp, Andrew bought me a loveheart charm, Anna chose a beautiful blue and green glass bead, and then we bought the transformation charm as we thought it was appropriate. I LOVE IT! And there are so many gorgeous beads to chose from to add to it. So thanks Andrew!

After this we went off to Harvey Norman and bought - wait for it - a fridge freezer, a washing machine, a hoover, a plasma HD tv and a stereo. Andrew is still in recovery. I had a great time - lol. All we have to do now is buy some more sofas, a desk and a bunk bed. Hehehehehehe. As you can imagine, I'm having a lovely time. Service in Australian shops is extraordinary. People are literally falling over themselves to help you, but not in that sickly sweet way you get in the States. Buying stuff is like a social event - by the time you leave, you know their life story, are on first name terms and feel like they are an old friend. Now you get that sort of service in a few independent shops at home like the lovely Maison - but in chain stores? I think not..

Then we went on to Newport for a BBQ with new friends Sharon and Richard and Maria and Kenton. Both families have 3 children - Sharon and Richard have Eban (yr 6), Zoe (yr 4) and Joel (yr1) and Maria and Kenton have Molly (yr 7), Luke (yr 5) and Sam (yr 4). We were joined by another couple, Rob and Jo who had 2 slightly older children. Everyone was English with the exception of Jo!

Sharon and Richard's house was fantastic - on the top of a headland with far reaching views over the ocean and to Pittwater. We went down to Clareville Beach for a couple of hours before it got dark and drank wine and had nibbles while all the children played. It was marvellous how the children all gelled, with the 4 girls off doing girly stuff while the boys recruited other children to make an army, with Eban in command! Once it was properly dark and a bit chilly we went back to the house and had a very relaxed BBQ whilst chatting and getting to know one another better. The children ate outside, and once they had all gone off to play again, we found a possum on the table, finishing off the scraps! I've taken a picture - its not very good but it does give you a good idea of what they look like!

We got home after 11pm. I can see that we are going to make a good life here. The people are great, and the environment is captivating. I loved where we lived in the UK, and we were very lucky to live there and have such wonderful friends, but I feel more and more positive about being here.

We have a busy week this week. It's Anna's birthday tomorrow, and I've made arrangements to meet up with some people on the beach after school for milkshakes and icecreams. Then on Tuesday we move into the flat at Dee Why. I'm very excited about this, as although it is still very small and bijou, it is near the school, it isn't damp (which this flat is and I think it hasn't helped my health) and it has its own washing machine. I'm a simple lass these days! There isn't an internet connection there, so entries on the blog will be rather spasmodic.....but it's only 3 weeks! Then onto our first proper home in Narrabeen....

Love to you all xxx

Getting a life....

As you will know from Andrew's entry - I went out. It was a beading evening. Not necessarily something that I would normally do. However, it was a Year 4 class mum's event and obviously I am keen to get out and meet people. In fact, Anna's friend Keana's mum had sent me a hand written note asking me if I would like to go, which was very kind and another example of how friendly the Aussies are.

In the event I really enjoyed it. It took place at a shop called Bead Studio in Mosman, which is a very swish suburb (think Chelsea) and handily only down the road from where we are currently living. The shop is owned by one of the year 4 mums - Marlies - who is French, or possibly German (well European anyway!), and what you do is go there, choose a load of beautiful beads and make a piece of jewellry with it. Or if you prefer they will help design and make it for you. The beads were gold, silver, glass, crystal......it was such fun choosing what you wanted, and the whole shop is a dream for little girls. They do birthday parties which I will bear in mind for future reference. I made a necklace, which I'm going to send to my mum for her birthday in a couple of weeks. I hope she likes it - it probably won't be the most beautiful piece of jewellry she owns, but it will be the only one made and designed specifically for her and painstakingly put together with love.

Apart from making the necklace, of course I met some more mums, who all seemed very nice. It will take a while to really get to know people, but for the moment what is clear is that the local women are keen to welcome you into their community and that there are lots of fun events to join in. There is the 'Annual Class Mums Weekend Away' for example, which takes place in November at a spa up the coast. How cool is that? There is also a tennis day in a couple of weeks, but I'm not sure about doing that on account of the fact that they will never have seen a worse tennis player. And also I can't even laugh at the moment without collapsing in a coughing fit, so I think running about might be a bridge too far!

Yesterday I spent the day with Lydia. We had breakfast in one of the beachside cafes in Dee Why, and before we knew it, it was nearly lunchtime! Lydia offered to show me the shops in Dee Why, which was quite a laugh, as the shopping area is about to be flattened for reasons that are obvious when you look around it. Then we took ourselves off to the Mall, looked at clothes, had lunch and then it was time to pick the children up again! So a very lazy day....

Now, just a couple of messages.....Happy Birthday to my nephew Samuel, who was 14 yesterday. From his mum's blog, it looks like he had a good day! It's also Anna's birthday on Monday, so if you are able to send her a message via her blog that would be nice.

Thomas the Tugboat

Wendy has (for the first time in her new life) gone out this evening and so it is me again today - that chap who cannot be trusted to look after his children in 3 feet of water and whose sexuality has so scandalously been called into question. Thanks to those who jumped to my defence on that front (Alex - who has known me since we were three so he should know! and Lucy) Not that I would have a problem with it if I were but I'm not so lets just put that one to bed, so to speak.

Thanks also to Amanda who so kindly e-mailed to say that she enjoyed my last entry and that I should be encouraged to do more. Oh dear I think I am getting a bit bogged down in double entendres, I had better move on.....

It's really quite odd writing something that you know people are going to read but not knowing how many or who they are, except for the obvious (Hi Mum and Dad). I notice that our counter has clicked over the 2000 mark so I guess there are a few people out there that are interested, which is nice to know.

The great excitement in the house (or 'unit' I should say) today was the new mobile phones that the children can't seem to put down, particuarly Anna. It was kind of nice to receive the first ever text message from my daughter but it is another sign that they are growing up pretty fast. Part of the reason for coming here was to make sure that we have as good a life as possible together as a family whilst we are a unit of four. I am absolutely sure we have done the right thing.

I have been travelling to work on the ferry from Neutral Bay to Circular Quay passing the Opera House and Harbour Bridge en route. I was thinking of taking some pictures and putting them on the blog, the city in particular is spectacular in the evening with all the lights on in the dark. Then I realised that the pictures would be pretty much like any other pictures that you can find of the Opera House, the Bridge and the City except the photography wouldn't be as good, so I don't think I will bother. Instead I will give you a quote from Bill Bryson's 'Down Under' which sums up the experience. I had previously avoided the Bryson books thinking that they are probably not my type of thing but I have to say that I really enjoyed it and I certainly learnt a lot about this country that we now call home (actually we still call England 'home', I wonder how long that will last - or is your place of birth always 'home'?) Anyway here's the quote:

"Spangly water is crowded with the harbour's plump and old-fashioned ferries, looking for all the world as if they had been plucked from the pages of a 1940's children's book with a title like 'Thomas the Tugboat', disgorging streams of tanned and lightly dressed office workers to fill the glass and concrete towers that loom behind."

"An air of cheerful industriousness suffuses the scene. These are people who get to live in a safe and fair-minded society, in a climate that makes you strong and handsome, in one of the world's great cities - and they get to come to work on a boat from a childrens story book, across a sublime plane of water, and each morning glance up to see that famous Opera House and inspiring bridge and the laughing face of Luna Park. No wonder they look so damned happy."

If I say 'How did you get to work today?' will I be showered in metaphorical old tomatoes?! Hold your fire though, I will be on the bus next week when we move to Dee Why.....

Traffic...

The Australian's seem to be pretty keen on traffic lights. Today on my drive from the flat in Neutral Bay to the school in Dee Why I counted them, and I have to go through 32 sets. It's no wonder I approach the journeys each day with some dread. Naturally they are mainly red when I approach them. I suppose, to be fair, the drive I am doing twice a day could be compared, in distance and importance as a route through a major city, to say....driving all the way round the North Circular twice a day, which no one in their right mind would do. The traffic is nothing like as heavy as it would be in London, although people here like to complain about it.

Another issue I have to deal with whilst driving is the constantly changing speed limit. Sometimes it's 50 kph, then 60kph, very occasionally 80 kph, and then just to make it really really testing, between 8am and 9.30am and 2.30pm and 4pm all areas around schools have a speed limit of 40mph. From a public safety point of view this is, of course, a good thing. But 40kph is really very slow. And I have to remember both where the school zones are, and be aware of what time it is. Given that there are cameras at traffic lights to catch you going through on red, and all these funny speed limits, there is the possibility that one could lose one's driving licence just on one school run!

Today after school we have been to the mall and bought George and Anna mobile phones. Naturally they are beside themselves with joy and I have been pronounced the Best Mother in The World (which of course I am). We've bought them because very soon they will be travelling to and from school on the bus, and in my new state of heightened anxiety about them, I can't bear that I can't contact them or them contact me if there is any sort of problem. Also with the children at the school coming from such a wide area, and me not really knowing all the parents, I don't like to think that they are completely remote from me when they are at other people's houses. They have been told that if they abuse the privilege, bad things will happen.

Speaking of school - the children are being taught American spelling. Aaarrrrggghhhhh.....

We've just been playing a silly game of 'what's your favourite....?' over supper. I have discovered that Andrew's least favourite colour is brown. I am shocked and distraught. At our house in Hordle, our sitting room sofas were brown. Our bedroom was blue and brown. We had a great big feature wall that was brown. Our dining room was two shades of brown. I have loads of brown clothes. I have brown eyes. He says that his favourite colour is pink. So after 17 years together I have just discovered that my husband doesn't like brown and is gay. I'm not playing that game again....

Beach Babies

At last I managed to remember to put the memory card back in the camera. As a result I've been able to record a lovely day on the beach at Dee Why. Dee Why is where the children go to school, and where we will soon be moving into another (temporary) flat. It's also where our friends Paul and Lydia live.
I think Dee Why will turn out to be my favourite beach. It's got a rock swimming pool (most beaches have these - they tend to be on the end of the bay and are enclosed swimming pools filled and flushed through by the sea - no sharks there) and local people tell us that quite a big octopus lives in the end drain, but we've had a good look for him with no luck! I'm sticking to my idea that this is a bit of an urban myth....Dee Why also has lots of lovely restaurants, cafes and other places to buy snacks - sushi bars, noodle bars, juice and smoothie bars. Anything you want you can get there, and then you can eat it on the beach. Today there was live music at the back of the beach where the restaurants are, which was rather jolly. Further along the beach it is just sand dunes, which I rather prefer.
The children enjoyed themselves trying out their new boogie boards. We had a bit of a dodgy moment at the beginning when I waded out to Andrew to berate him for taking them out too far (but when I got there I realised they were on a sandbar and the water was only going up to their knees) and then I decided to read my book facing away from the sea to save my sanity and my marriage. This seemed to work better and I think Andrew has forgiven me now.
I'm not sure where this anxiety about the children has come from. People who know me well will know that in general I am not prone to this sort of thing. I was trying to explain to Andrew as part of my defence that in a (totally irrational) way I think I am especially concerned about not letting anything happen to the children while we are this far away from home. Am I making sense? I fear not.....hopefully, eventually I will calm down.
Despite a neurotic mother though, you can see that George and Anna had a wonderful time. It's absurd to think that it is virtually winter here. However, you can kind of tell in the evenings. Whereas at home if it was 27 degrees during the day we would expect a warm and long evening, here it is pretty much dark by 5.30pm and the temperature drops quite suddenly around 4.30pm. I know this because if I am out I have a coughing fit! The sea is at its warmest though - the sun has been heating it up since about November and the water temperature is around 24 degrees.
I've bought a book about how to deal with stings and bites out here. It's concerning to discover just how many things are out to get you here! There isn't an environment that doesn't have it's dangers and some of them are pretty gruesome. We are kind of relieved that Great White Sharks don't really like eating humans and after they have tasted you they will usually spit you out. Small mercies. However, if you should bump into a box jellyfish you will experience excrutiating pain of a sort it is impossible to describe - George is currently reading Bill Bryson's 'Down Under', which tells of a swimmer in Queensland who has an encounter with one, and is still screaming uncontrollably after he was unconscious and had been administered with morphine. Eurgh. Apparently there is antivenom....Then of course there are the snakes, the spiders, the ants.....some of these creatures carry enough venom to kill 10 men with one sting or bite, which seems to be something of an overkill. It's surprising that mankind has actually managed to conquer this country! I am to the mall tomorrow to buy a first aid kit.....


PS The children keep on checking their blogs and are always disappointed if they don't have any comments. So if you feel you can, why not say hi to them? You'll make their day.

Failed again....

Once again I failed to put the memory card back in the camera. This is particularly irritating because we went to Palm Beach (aka Summer Bay) and there were photo opportunities. However, as George's new school friend Jack lives there I'm sure we will be back.

Palm Beach is the sort of place that you read about and look at photos of in a glossy magazine. Multi million dollar houses hang off the cliffs there with views of the beaches and the pacific you would die for. Cute little coffee shops and expensive boutiques abound. The sun shines. All is good with the world.

It takes a while to realise that you actually live in a place like this. Well, I suppose we don't live in Palm Beach, but it is only 20 mins drive from where the Narrabeen house is. But we are still very much in the stage of feeling like we are on holiday - because our experience is that these sort of places are only where you go when you are on your holidays. Imagine having access to all this beauty every single day of the year......I hope it takes a long while to wear off. I think it will - I could still look at the view in Milford as you entered the village along the cliff top road and congratulate myself on living somewhere so wonderful when we left. I think that when a place loses its magic perhaps it is time to move on.

A good thing that happened today was that I discovered that there is a huge secondhand book store about 5 mins walk from the house in Narrabeen. Books here are very expensive - paperbacks are about $28 - about £12, and you don't tend to get them at supermarkets and places like that. So finding this shop is very welcome. I know I will spend hours in there.

We also fitted the children out thoroughly with everything needed for a day on the beach boogie boarding. The day on the beach will be tomorrow, so I'll report back then. I'm expecting it to be stressful, in a constantly having to save their lives sort of way. Andrew will get frustrated with me and tell me I am being a ridiculous, anxious mother of the worst sort and I will go and hide in the loos. Just a normal day on the beach.

In the absence of any photos taken today, I give you a picture I found on the net of the sun rising over Narrabeen lagoon. Enjoy...

Normal service has been resumed....

It's been a tough week since my last entry.....however, so as not to bore you with my ailments further, I can say that with some new medication and threats of chest x rays, I seem to be turning the corner and can look back on my misery last Friday with some humour!

Despite my ill health (and the advice of my very nice doctor) life has had to go on as usual. The children have needed driving to and from school, and as a result I have been doing a small amount of socialising with some other mums from the school. They have thankfully been willing to spend time with someone they barely know, who is coughing and spluttering in the most unpleasant way and pretty much deaf - and for this I am very grateful! The school is very friendly, and they have this system called Class Mothers which helps you to get integrated. Although the term sounds a bit Stepford Wives, it is actually just 2 mums nominated for each class to organise social events for parents. So when your children join the school, you immediately start getting emails and phone calls inviting you to events and welcoming you to the school community. All very good. As a result I've met quite a few people, some of whom are from the UK, but Germans and French as well. It bodes well...

Also on the school front, George and Anna are so happy! It's wonderful. They are both making friends and enjoying the new challenges that the school is throwing up for them. Anna is learning Indonesian and George is learning French. You are probably thinking that these are two pretty useless languages - Indonesian is hardly a world language and France is a long long way from Australia - and I'd be inclined to agree, but the kids are enjoying it!

Tonight Anna is at a sleepover with her friend Keana, and George has a nice chap called Jack here for the night. He lives in Palm Beach, which is where they film 'Home and Away'. We'll be going there tomorrow to take him back and have a bit of an explore. Maybe we will see a star (although I don't think I could recognise anyone from it!).

I've sorted out a flat near the school which we will move into on 15th May, and we'll stay there until 5th June. The furniture from home will be delivered to the house at Narrabeen on 1st June, so that will give me a few days to get everything organised before we get in there. It's all starting to fall together.

The weather here for the last week has been wonderful beach hot. Everyone keeps telling me it is unseasonably hot for the time of year. However, they do also keep telling me that very shortly it will get cold. I do wonder what they mean by this. Do they mean I may have to take my shorts off and put on a cardigan? Or do they mean I will need a woolly hat and scarf? Time will tell. Which ever way it goes, the forecast for the weekend is really good, and it's possible that I will put my bikini on for the first time since we got here. It's been warm enough, it's just that when you feel rubbish you don't want to walk about in your underwear!

I will take some photos this weekend. The camera has been in the car ready for action all week. Unfortunately the memory card has been languishing in the card reader back at the flat rendering said camera utterly useless...

Many thanks for the texts and emails I've received telling me to get well soon. Doing my best!