G'Day!
Love Wendy, Andrew, George and Anna xxx
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Monday, April 30, 2007
From the man of the house....
Regular readers of this column may have noticed that the last entry was not quite as happy and upbeat as usual, OK in fact it was downright depressing. Sorry about that but we are telling it as it is and life has its ups and downs even in 'the lucky country' (as somebody recently described it to me). So far I have been able to steer clear of the dreaded lurgy and have my fingers crossed that it stays that way.
On saturday we went and signed the lease on the house in Narrabeen after which I actually had a chance to look around it (some of you might be thinking that this seems the wrong way around but as they already had our $8,500 in the bank the deal was pretty much done). Having entrusted the house searching to 'er indoors I have to say she did a fantastic job - the house is just spectacular. You literally do an intake of breath as you walk into the main living area and take in the view across the lagoon. The agent assured us that you can actually swim in the water (hence no need for a pool), as well as fish, kayak, windsurf, etc... With a fabulous beach also just five minutes away I could say that this place is about as good as mother earth provides but then it's beginning to sound like I'm gloating so I shall shut up about it.
Something that is really noticeable is how friendly people are here. We bumped into some people who live over the road to the house and they couldn't have been more welcoming. It seems that there is a real community on Wimbledon Ave.
Yesterday we went to a 'get together' of families from Anna's school year group at a lovely park next to a bay at Mona Vale. Again lots of really friendly and welcoming people, most of whom it has to be said were British. A common question being 'so how long have you been out here?' to which the answer seemed to range from about 26 years to 'a week'. Yes, we are no longer the newest family in town! Everybody seems to really like the school and we all generally congratulated eachother on living in such a fantastic part of the world. If you live in Sydney you just have to go to the Northern Beaches or 'Gods own country' (I have heard the Welsh use that expression too, sorry boyo you need to come and see this place).
Work is going well, everybody is really welcoming and the culture is very much as I was used to at Gifford. Designing a 32 storey office block is a new experience for me but interesting nevertheless and there is a real desire to include environmental features, in fact the City Council in Brisbane are threatening to offer significant grants to the developers to encourage them to do so.
Well that's it from me for now. I am sorry there are no pretty pictures but if you want to see why we are so excited about our new abode type ''Narrabeen'' into Google images and check out the beach and lagoon. There will be room at the Inn from June 1st......
Friday, April 27, 2007
How Are You?
Thursday, April 26, 2007
D Day
On the way to school (a 35 minute drive from here) I was seriously concerned that Anna was going to throw up with a combination of nerves and excitement. She kept saying she needed fresh air and opening the windows, but in the end we got there without her depositing the couple of spoons of cocoa pops she had managed to eat onto her beautiful new regalia. Happily, it was a gloriously sunny day, and the school and all its pupils looked lovely when we got there. George and Anna were introduced to the children who would be looking after them for the day and that was the last we saw of Anna. George lingered for a little longer but pretty much looked as though he had lost his anxiety about the uniform before we left, once he had seen all the other boys in it. It was interesting to see, however, how the boys could make even a very formal uniform like that look a little scruffy!
And so, after we had spoken to the teachers a little, and observed assembly (which takes place outside!) we went, giving Anna a wave and shaking George's hand (I'd given him a special kiss and cuddle before we left the flat, so as not to completely strip him of what little street cred you have left when wearing knee high socks and a Billy Bunter cap by doing it in the playground), and off Andrew and I went. I feel a little anxious about them, but I'm pretty confident they will have enjoyed it when I pick them up.
So today has been my first day as a real lady of leisure, and so far it has consisted of the leisure pursuits of dropping off the dry cleaning, doing the washing, cleaning the flat, and typing this blog before I have to set off for the school again. To be fair, after I had dropped Andrew off at Manly ferry I did have a quick wander up the Corso and had poached eggs on toast, a decaf latte and an orange juice watching the surfers on the beach......
Now - some news from home. Most of you will know that we had a lovely border collie at home called Charlie, who after long and hard thought we decided not to bring with us to Sydney, even though it broke our hearts (particularly Anna and I). He has gone to live with our good friends Sarah and Roy and their children Thomas and Charlotte, and we know he is very happy and very well loved there. Anyone who has actually met Charlie will know that you would be hard pressed to find a more friendly dog, such is his desperation to be loved by everyone he meets. So you can imagine our surprise when we received news from Sarah that Charlie has somehow had bestowed upon him the dubious honour of being on the New Milton post office's dangerous dog list! Sarah tells us that Charlie has 'issues' with postmen. Hysterical! Charlie - if nothing else - is very entertaining, even from this distance!
Our good friend Mark has raised the issue of climate change in Australia and I thought I would say a few words about it here. It certainly is a hot topic here, just as in the UK, making lots of news headlines and articles, although there seems a reluctance to link the present drought to global warming. However, anecdotally, I asked one of the people in the flats what the weather was normally like at this time of year, when we were getting so much rain and he said that they don't really have 'normal' weather anymore. He said the weather these days is pretty weird and you could get any sort of weather on any day, although it is generally warm. That rang bells really with the weather we have experienced in the UK over the last couple of years, which hasn't really been 'normal' either. There's definitely something going on. However, Australia is taking some steps to counter the effects of CO2 - it has decreed that normal light bulbs will not be able to be sold in this country in 5 years - they are phasing them out and we will all have to use low energy bulbs, recycling is a way of life and much more advanced here (even public bins on the street are divided into general waste and recyclable waste) and there has recently been a day of action where people where asked to simultaneously switch off their lights for an hour. Although this was largely symbolic, given that the city is lit up like a Christmas tree every night, it must have made some difference!
Right - it's nearly time to pick the children up again and hear about their days! Thanks to everyone who sent them emails and texts and messages wishing them luck on their first day - we all really appreciated it!
It will be interesting to see what George and Anna write about the day themselves - and if you want to see, you can do this at their blogs -
http://annasownadventure.blogspot.com
http://georgedownunder.blogspot.com
The blogs are all their own work, and they love receiving comments!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Good News!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Not to be outdone
Sunday, April 22, 2007
I told you I was ill....
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Quick bit of news
Up Days....Down Days
Added to this, George is really not well at all either (much more poorly than me). He has a temperature for the last 2 days and a really sore throat. This means we are pretty much trapped in said small flat....
However, yesterday George was manful and brave about being poorly and Jack and Will came over for the day. Obviously staying in this flat with 4 children was not exactly an option, and although clearly not really being up to it, I dosed George up with Calpol and took them to Manly where they played cricket on the beach and then took them into the Oceanarium. After that we went off to Dee Why for tea in one of the cafes, and then when I took them home, Paul and Andrew had shared a taxi and the four of us adults had a glass of wine and a really great pizza Paul had made. So not a bad day really all things considered.
Anna is suffering a little from the absence at the moment of female friends.....she's perfectly capable of doing all the boy things and is pretty rufty tufty, but eventually a girl wants to do hair, do a show and talk about High School Musical. She really can't wait to get to school, where she knows she will make lots of friends. To try to make up for her loneliness, I am taking her to Warringah Mall this afternoon to have a manicure...
Speaking of Warringah Mall - apparently this is the largest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere. Although it's pretty big it makes me very concerned about the shopping opportunities existing in the rest of the hemisphere. Clearly us shopaholics need to confine our actitivities to the North!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
A Quiet Day...
I have to say that I am beginning to regret very much the purchase of said playstation. Despite my restrictions on its use (in school holidays before 9am and after 5pm - except obviously when I've dozed off...), it is a source of almost endless arguments. When playing on it, they can argue about whether they are doing it right, whose turn it is, who has been on it longest, what game to play etc etc etc ad infinitum. And when they are not on in they are in a constant state of negotiation about who will go on it first when they are allowed on it, and what game to play. I am really really hoping that very soon it will either break down or they will lose interest - neither of which is looking very likely at the moment.
The estate agent dealing with the lease of the house in Narrabeen called me during the afternoon and asked all sorts of questions about our situation. It was like being interviewed, but I suppose if it gets us the house we will be happy! She sounded very nice actually, and like everyone we have met so far, was very friendly indeed. Hopefully we will hear something tomorrow, so don't uncross anything as yet!
Andrew is going to have to go away on the company conference in July for a few days. If you are interested in seeing what sort of privations this might involve, follow this link....http://www.sanctuarycove.com/. No dreary midweek in Coventry this.....and wives can go too! However, in the absence of any babysitting arrangements, it looks like I'll be giving it a miss this year. No doubt next year Arup will be gathering in Coventry for their company conference.....Other interesting news from the Arup office is that there is someone called Jackie Chan (George was particularly impressed by this) who, according to Andrew, used to go to school with someone called Bruce Lee. Not sure about that one!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Crossed fingers...
Today we were excited to be going to have a look at a couple of potential houses, and hopefully we will be successful in getting the place below -
It's in Narrabeen, very close to the famous surfing beach (see sunset pic above) but best of all it backs onto the lagoon - see photo of the garden below!
It also comes with its own boat for use on the lagoon and creeks. The children are so excited at the prospect of being able to fish from their garden, there are shops nearby, a park about 100m away and the school bus and the bus to the city stop there. And the beach is on the other side of the main road.
Houses here are much more imaginatively designed than at home it seems, and you very rarely see two houses the same. One of the nice things about this house is that it has a 'master bedroom suite' running the whole width of the house, with a balcony running across it with that view, and comprises a bedroom, a small sitting room, a walk in wardrobe and a spa bathroom. I will barely know myself if we succeed in getting this house! There is also a guest suite with bedroom, small sitting area and ensuite, two other nice bedrooms, a huge playroom (they call it a rumpus) with a bar in it (!) and then an open plan living kitchen and dining room which is also enormous. The rental market here is very competitive - there are more people looking than there are properties and you have to apply and then the lessor decides who they want in their house. You have to be quick off the mark, but no one else has viewed this house as yet, and they are not planning to show it again until next week - and then only if it is necessary. So keep your fingers crossed!
Monday, April 16, 2007
More momentous occasions...
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Olympic swimmers..
A quiet day today with household chores in the morning, but this afternoon we took the children swimming at North Sydney Olympic Pool which is about 5 mins from here. As you can see from the above photo, there can't be many municipal pools with quite such a spectacular backdrop! The sun was shining and there was a sundeck with loungers and a cafe, and all for less than a pound for the George and Anna. Definitely a place to return to.
Anna impressed us by swimming 400 metres of pretty good breast stroke, so we are trying to decide whether she should compete in the 2012 olympics for the GB team or for the Aussies!
Tomorrow is Andrew's first day at work at Arup, so the holiday is over - real life must begin. George, Anna and I will be being interviewed by the principal of their new school and if we are found to be acceptable (!) they will start on the 26th. Let's see if life still feels so good when the old routines start to set in....
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Messing around on boats...
George, Anna and Andrew on the jetty at Patonga Bay - note the pelicans on the street lamps!
Our two beautiful children enjoying a trip out in the dinghy
Are we nearly there yet? Enjoying (!) a climb through the bush to try to find the top of the waterfall
George's new favourite hobby - fishing!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
We're off on our hols
Nothing much to report about yesterday - did a bit of shopping and then some exploring of suburbs, which confirmed to us that we want to live in the Curl Curl area.
Promise to take lots of photos and possibly some video and will update on Saturday sometime.
Lots of love xxx
Monday, April 9, 2007
The one where we have some friends...
We had made arrangements to go over to see Paul and Lydia for the day. Paul is the guy who Andrew will be working with in over here and Lydia is his wife. They have two children - Jack and Will - who are 10 and 7 years old and when we came out in November we spent quite a lot of time with them and got on very well.
When we arrived at their house in North Curl Curl, they had already been to the beach for a surf, so we sat on their terrace admiring the fabulous view of Dee Why beach and Long Reef (photos above) eating egg and bacon rolls and drinking tea. Andrew and Paul talked work stuff whilst Lydia and I chatted about girly things and the children. It was so nice to have a woman to talk to and have a giggle with. The children were busy on scooters, skateboards and the trampoline, but eventually they wore us down and persuaded us to take them to the beach.
I have to admit that I find watching the children playing in the surf very stressful, even with the ever attentive life guards. They went up and down on their boogie boards whilst I scanned the water for sharks and made ready to launch myself into the water should they get into trouble. Andrew thinks I'm a nutter, and I think Paul and Lydia do too! However, the children are not that sea savvy yet, and Anna is such a daredevil I don't feel I can take my eyes off her. Nevertheless, after about an hour I did start to feel more relaxed - but I was relieved when they got out! I didn't go in myself, but apparently at this time of year, at the end of the warm season, the sea is about 24 degrees! Will definitely go in next time.
The area that Paul and Lydia live in is where we are looking for a house. The children's school is there, and although there are wonderful beaches and parks, it is only 40 mins by bus to the city - even quicker when you drive and it's not rush hour. The area seems to offer everything we need - a bit of country, a bit of beach and a bit of city. There also lots of really nice restaurants and cafes by the beaches, and an excellent shopping mall about 10 mins drive away. Perfect.
After we'd been to the beach we went back up to Paul and Lydia's house and had supper. The children ate first, and poor old Anna, who has been struggling with a terrible cough and cold, had an awful coughing fit at the table which culminated in her bringing up all her tea! The boys vacated the area pretty quickly, and I felt for Anna as she was a bit mortified. Just one of those things though....
After a bottle of wine (between Lydia and I), and a lovely steak supper, we set off back to our flat at about 10pm with two exhausted children. It had been so great for them to spend some time with other kids.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Momentous Moments
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Rain, rain go away!
Friday, April 6, 2007
Happy Easter!
Yesterday we went to look at a school for George and Anna. It's called St Lukes Grammar and is slap in the middle of the area we are interested in living in. We all thought it seemed great and have made the applications along with some lovely references from Caralyn and Bill. I'm not sure who they were writing about, but whoever they are, they do seem like good people! Assuming that we don't muck up the interview with the headteacher, the children will start on 26th April. George isn't too impressed about this, but Anna can't wait to get started.
We've also been having a go at trying to buy George some shoes more suited to the weather here (when it's hot) but oddly, the shops are full of winter coats and woolly boots. Everyone assures me that I won't need the winter coats I've given away, but it's confusing to see all this stuff in the shops. I suppose it is in the interests of the manufacturers to pretend that it will be cold in the winter - otherwise I suppose no one would bother buying any extra clothes at the end of the seasons. But even so, I wouldn't have expected to see such heavy fabrics.
Another thing I've remembered is how hilly Sydney is. We are definitely going to get fit walking around here - especially when it is warm. And did you see that there was a tsunami here at the beginning of the week?! They closed Sydney Harbour and evacuated some schools, but in the event the water only rose 10 cms, which is pretty much what would happen if I got in the bath, so I think it was all a bit of an over reaction! However, in the Solomon Islands, where they got the biggest wave 15 people are dead and over a hundred missing, so something to think about....
A Whole New World...
Monday, April 2, 2007
A Message for Everyone with love
We love you loads, miss you already and look forward to hearing from you all.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We're leaving on an airplane - don't know when we'll be back again
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Really and truly the last suppers...
Friday saw us pack up all our things once again and leave Nugs, Johnny, Louis and Phoebe. It's been great to be able to spend our last weeks there, and we've had some laughs and some tears. I will miss Nugs terribly and everyone has to do their best to persuade her to fly out as soon as possible.
Before moving all of our things into Grace and Bob's, I nipped into Southampton to see Andrew's leaving presentation at work. In lieu of a present, he had asked that donations be made to our nephew Lewis's charity (www.lewisjeynes.co.uk) and we were enormously touched by their generosity when a cheque for £622 was handed over. James and Samantha were thrilled as you can imagine, and are hoping this will pay for a standing frame for Lewis.
After this we rushed back to Milford to meet up with all the grandparents to watch both the children in the school talent show. George was one of the organisers and was doing some presenting, and Anna and her friends were singing and dancing. It was tremendous fun to watch, with some really excellent acts (I feel sure we will see the name Molly Marshall up in lights) and it was a good opportunity for both sets of grandparents to see the children at school. We were all really pleased with the lovely leaving cards and presents George and Anna received, but obviously sad to be going away from everything that has been so important to us for so long.
Whilst the children had a sleep over with their friends Oliver and Jamie, we went out to dinner with the parents. We had a wonderful time, although Andrew and I felt pretty exhausted after all our socialising, and my mum and dad surprised me by giving me mum's engagement ring as a going away present. I will truly treaasure it - and I know that when I feel down I can look at it and know that there are people rooting for me, even if they are far away.
This morning we picked up the children and took Andrew and George to get groovy new hairstyles for their groovy new life.....then after some lazing around, Karen, Tony, Beth, Mads and Abigail arrived for a final supper with us. I really hope that we will see them all again after not too long. It's strange to think that even after a couple of years the girls could be really changed. Beth and Mads are pretty much adults already....
So all that remains today is to check in online and then collapse into bed knowing that this is our last night in England for....well - we don't know how long....trying not to worry about the fact that I seem to be getting a cold and sore throat and Anna has just reported some kidney infection symptoms to me which given her medical history cannot be taken lightly.....oh my god.....