Home Sweet Home...

We're back, after two nights of virtually no sleep and two days of boredom beyond comprehension, we're back home.

Poor Anna. She is so utterly fed up of going into hospital. For her, the being there is almost worse than how dreadful she feels. She puts up with the needles, accepts the canulla without complaint and all the general discomfort, but all she really wants to do is sleep in her own bed, and be in her own home. So it was a very happy, if rather pale and weak, little girl that I tucked into bed this evening.

For the record, the whole experience was virtually identical to previous admissions Anna has had in the UK. All the doctors were oriental, the nurses were Irish and the hospital building was a 1960s monstrosity that had been added and added to, making an ugly and incoherent mess. The interior design was pretty much NHS standard issue. The care was good, the nurses were lovely and we had a particularly nice paediatric consultant who is going to refer Anna to the kidney specialist to try and find out why this keeps happening.

There were a couple of areas where things seemed to be lagging behind UK expectations. There were no security people at A& E in the night when we arrived, and the entrance to the children's ward also did not have any security - at Southampton you had to be buzzed in by video camera. Of course, this may well more be a commentary on life in the UK than anything else! Food provision at the hospital was even worse than at Southampton General, which I didn't think was possible - no real choice at meal times, horridly presented with plastic cutlery, and no nutritional information about anything. I didn't see any obvious way of catering for special diets or respecting the religious issues around food. As far as I could see, you got what you were given, and generally it was a load of slop. Which is weird given the extremely high quality of cuisine and service which local people take for granted in restaurants and cafes.

As a result of all this, we are taking things quietly. Anna insisted on going to school for a couple of hours on Friday, as her class teacher was leaving (although we will still be seeing plenty of her, as she has bought the riding school Anna goes to), but I picked her up at about 11.30am and we then spent most of the afternoon lolling about on the bed. I took a few photos of Anna, which I've pu on here. I love taking pictures of her - she is very photogenic. We spent the evening with our friends Sharon and Richard, and ate a really good take away thai meal (and a fair amount of wine...).

Friday was the last day of term, and we now have 3 weeks of holiday. We have gone back and forth about whether to go away for some of it, but in the end I just couldn't face it. I know this will sound like an odd approach to the possibility of a holiday, but we have been moving around like itinerants for months now, and I just want to stay home. There is plenty to do here, and it looks like the weather is finally starting to meet our expectations for an Australian winter (ie sunny). I'm looking forward to not having the rush every morning to get the children off to school, but I'm a little bit concerned about the fact that this will literally be 3 weeks of childcare without hope of relief! With no access to babysitting etc as yet, it has occurred to me that this will be 21 days without going to the gym, or pottering in the shops, or even having a bit of peace and quiet. So if I start to seem like I might be losing the plot, you will know why!

BIg excitement this week was school reports. We were pleased with both reports, particularly in relation to what was said about how George and Anna had settled socially. Comment was made on both reports about how polite they are, George's sense of humour was highlighted and Anna apparently has beautiful manners. Unfortunately, this is not always obvious when she is at home, but her report was so glowing, that I can't help thinking that it must take enormous effort to be as perfect as she appears to be at school, and perhaps we are suffering as a result!

Another area that was highlighted on Anna's report was the super start she has made at learning Indonesian. The other children started to learn the language at the beginning of year 3, and of course Anna only started this April, some 18 months after the others. This didn't stop her from getting 85% in the term exam and getting in the top 20 for the year. It will be interesting to see how she fares when they start French next year. George's report for French was also very good - although this did lead him to comment that he wondered how bad you had to be to get a bad report for French! However, it is always George's style to downplay his successes!

Enjoy the pictures of Anna - as we will be out and about over the next few weeks (assuming I remember to take the camera out every now and again), I should be able to add to the collection.

A (hospital) room with a view

It's Andrew making a rare contribution on account of Wendy being in hospital for a second night.

Those of you who are familiar with our family medical history won't be surprised to hear that what she is doing there is parenting a certain young lady suffering from yet another UTI. Terminal boredom set in for the poor things pretty quickly today and the outlook for tomorrow doesn't look much better. The only consolation is that from the 6th floor of the Mona Vale Hospital there is a tremendous view of the beach with the waves rolling in.

Despite the incredible rain that we have been experiencing in Sydney (heading for 600mm in June - that's two feet of water!!) it would seem that good old Blighty is keen to outdo us. Good luck to all those family/friends in Doncaster and Lincolnshire areas suffering or threatened by floods. Anything for a day off school eh Samuel?

Good things....

It has finally stopped raining. It's cold, but the sun is out. When I say cold - it is mild of course by comparison to a UK winter, but we are still suffering a little bit at night. Or at least we were, until we bought an electric blanket yesterday, and I had the best sleep I've had for weeks.

I've always associated electric blankets with grannies and eiderdowns. And if I ever imagined buying one, I would never have thought that it might be a Sydney winter that might drive me to it. However, we are told that this is the coldest winter they have experienced locally for many years and the houses just aren't up to it. It doesn't matter how much heat you pack in - gas fire or electric heater - the moment you switch it off all the warmth goes straight out the of single glazed windows. And there are loads of them. Fabulous for the views, and for the summer, but this particular winter they are proving a problem.

Am I getting a bit obsessed by this subject?

However, the children are outside in t shirts bouncing on the trampoline with their friends, and Andrew and I have just been sitting out in the garden watching people kayaking on the lagoon. It all could be very very much worse!

On Friday evening we went to a bush dance at the school, which is pretty much the same as a barn dance. There was no alcohol served at the event, which those of you who may be aware of my performance during and after the last Milford School barn dance will no doubt be relieved at. George was a bit mortified and found some similarly tortured boys to run about with. Anna danced the night away and Andrew and I made a few more friends. I've included the best of the pictures that I took, but I find taking pictures of people who are moving rather tricky. As you can see!

Last night Anna had 5 friends sleepover as a late birthday party. They did more sleeping than the boys did last weekend, and Anna gave full flow to her developing version of an Australian accent. At the moment she sounds rather American - she is determined to fit in and using the accent is clearly part of the strategy. Other UK parents tell me she will travel through her American accent, pass through a South African one and then eventually sounds authentically Australian. If I allow it. Can I really let her say 'warder' for water? And if I don't, will I have officially turned into my mother?

Sunday has been a fun day - we met some more of our neighbours and introduced the children to theirs. George and Anna have spent most of the day outside riding about on their bikes and exploring the park at the end of the road. And this afternoon, the O'Briens and the Leifers joined us for food and drink and lots of laughter. Yes - definitely Good Things and Good Times..

The sun has got his hat on!

Today was a great day. I was officially a Good Mother, having sent my children off to school with their home made chicken dippin' balls and broccolini spears. We survived the cyclone and after a dreary start the sun came out and everything was right with the world.

I went to the Mall on my thermal vest hunting expedition and having got the necessary, I took myself off to a book shop to see if I could get something to help me identify Australian birds. I couldn't find anything, but I did buy three other books - a recipe book (Tana Ramsay - I couldn't help thinking how fortuitous it is that young Gordon should have chosen a wife who was so easy on the eye and such good media fodder - either good planning or good fortune...), a book on days out in Sydney with children and most excitingly, a book called 'A Perfect Mess - the hidden benefits of disorder...how crammed closets, cluttered offices and on-the-fly planning make the world a better place'. Hurrah! Apparently, this ground breaking book unlocks the power of disorder and shows you how you can use it to change your life.

Is that excellent or what? I am prone to a bit of disorder myself, and it's good to know that I'm contributing to making the world a better place. Next time I get in a muddle and turn up somewhere at the wrong time (oh ok - late) or on the wrong day, I don't need to feel like I've failed - for I will have been doing something for the greater good.

When I got home, I did some web research and discovered that the bird I had been so impressed with was a White Faced Heron - picture above. Beautiful isn't it? Speaking of birds, as the sun was out this afternoon, I went out in the garden and fed the ducks, throwing bread into the water over the low fence. I soon had quite a gathering of hungry chaps, and one of them decided that he needed to be closer to me, and flew into the garden. Have you ever seen a duck fly? They are rubbish. I know they migrate thousands of miles etc etc, but really - you should have seen it. It took enormous effort to lift itself out of the water and frantic flapping to gain sufficient height to get over the fence. Then it's landing could only be described as a nose dive into the grass, landing on it's face and nearly doing a forward roll on impact. It was hysterical, and had it been the only one to do it, I would have just thought I had come across a very incompetent duck, but four others followed suit with very similar results.

George's trip to Bathurst has been postponed. The road over the mountains which they would have to use was closed last night due to heavy snow, and there are still high winds inland. I'm rather relieved, as I was concerned about the driving conditions for the coach. Of course, there is also the added benefit of not having to get him to school for 6.15am...

The Calm Before the Storm

It's still raining, and the New South Wales coastline is awaiting a cyclone this evening. We are told there will be 125kph winds and even more rain. So much for the drought. Apart from being concerned about a forthcoming cyclone anyway, I was very anxious about this as George is off on school camp tomorrow morning and I wondered what the driving conditions would be like for the coach.

However, on closer inspection of the letter about camp, it turns out that they go on Thursday. As I was planning on sending Andrew with George to get him to the school gates by 6.15am tomorrow, it's rather a good job that I looked.

All this meant that I didn't need to rush out and buy thermal vests for him today (they are going to Bathurst which currently has snow forecast), and can save that pleasure as a project for tomorrow. And I was able to redeem myself as a parent by doing a huge pile of ironing and making a batch of chicken dipping balls for the children's lunchboxes - Annabel Karmel, eat your heart out.

I'm not sure I should have eaten eight of them, to be fair, but there have to be some perks for the chef. And my pennance is that now I feel slightly nauseous.

Hopefully we will all still be here tomorrow so that I can report on the wild weather. Although I fully expect to be without power again as we seem to lose it at least a couple of times a week at the moment.....

And please - no messages telling me about the lovely weather you are experiencing in the UK at the moment!

Photos!

During the internet-less interlude we have just experienced I have, of course, continued to take some photos. They are collected up here. The one above is of Anna admiring a salt water crocodile at a World Environment Day exhibition in Dee Why. Luckily these formidable creatures are not found in New South Wales (except obviously at your local fete) - my 'How To Treat Bites and Stings' book tells me that the symptoms of a saltwater crocodile bite are 'severe injuries, blood loss and death'. Helpfully they suggest you seek medical attention urgently, although it seems that the role of your local paramedic will largely be to confirm your death. This one is not very big - they can be up to 7 metres long, and they kill for fun. I'm going to try to avoid them.
And here we have the guilty culprits - George's birthday sleepover. They all look a bit worse for wear don't they? They had eaten a few blue M and Ms but apart from that I think we managed to keep them clean. From the left we have Anna, George, Borja, Jack, Lewis and Andrew.
Now, in previous posts you will have noted that I am developing an interest in the local birdlife. I haven't got a book yet, so at the moment we are calling this one 'Pigeon with Mohican'. I suspect his actual name is not quite so literally descriptive. Anna gave this one a name - Puff - although I didn't like to point out that we had no way of knowing whether it was the same bird visiting us every day...
I do know what this one is called! It's a rainbow lorikeet and there are absolutely hundreds of them in Dee Why. Every evening at dusk they gather in the trees along the beach and the noise of them calling to one another is deafening. They are pretty tame and would come quite close on the balcony to be fed, as you can see.
Aren't they just beautiful? I haven't been able to get a picture of my favourite two birds as yet, but when I do I will add them to the blog. There are a lot of sulphur crested cockatoos here, which if you used to watch Playschool in the old days was the bird they had on that. The most captivating bird I've seen though is a sort of heron like creature with a long, elegant neck, grey feathers and blue legs.

The birds here are very colourful and much of their interest lies in their difference to European species. However, I have not yet heard one with a pleasant call. They squawk. So far we have been able to differentiate between the bird that sounds like a monkey, and most disturbingly, the one that sounds like a child screaming. For a while I kept going to the window and scanning the lagoon looking for a youngster in distress, until I realised my mistake!
Eeeeeekkkkkk! Spider alert! This one is a Huntsman spider - very common but capable of delivering a nasty bite if you are unlucky. This one is at Anna's riding stable. People tend to leave them be as they eat a lot of other insects which cause more problems. And yes - they are BIG.
And this is Anna at her first riding lesson in Australia.

That's your lot - until next time!

Modern Life

Last night, as part of the celebrations for George's 11th birthday, we had 5 very excitable young boys for a sleepover. 'Sleep' over, of course, being something of a misnomer, given that the little tykes were to be heard running about downstairs at the frankly ridiculous time of 2.15am. The riot act having been well and truly read, they did finally get a few hours of shut eye before starting it all over again at around 8am. It was with some relief that I bade them all goodbye when their parents came to collect them at 10am.

Of course, the main point was that George had a really great time - which he did - although due to his exhaustion today he was not able to express it. After a sullen day followed by a tearful evening he was in bed, and fast asleep before 7.30pm.

All this makes me wonder if I have made the right decision in arranging a similar extravaganza for 6 nine year old girls next weekend.....anyone want a visitor on Saturday night?

Bad news from one of the parents this morning - there was a stabbing in Narrabeen last night and the 20 year old victim died in hospital today. We don't have much information about the incident at the moment, but the police were out in force this morning (in the pouring rain...). It is a reminder that although the crime rate in Australia is much lower than that in the UK, we have moved from out in the sticks where violent crime is pretty much non existent, to a city suburb. Luckily such things are also very rare here.

It's easy to imagine that because the sky is blue, the sun is shining and the beach is beautiful, that we are snuggled up in a place which is not touched by the normal risks of modern life. But it seems that wherever you are, eventually it will catch up with you....

Hmmm...

It's still raining.

Nuff said.....

Finally...a home.....

Such a lot of news to catch up on, now that we are in our house and have an internet connection.....!

I could go into immense detail about my apoplexy when we were moving from the flat in Dee Why to our house in Narrabeen, and getting our container from the UK, but I can summarise quickly and concisely if I say

• the removal company who had been storing our container phoned me at 4pm the day before they were supposed to be delivering and unpacking and said that they were going to be a bit busy and would it be ok if they delivered it on Monday and Tuesday


• I referred them to the agreements made by email with Andrew many weeks before that it would all be delivered on 1st June at 9am, and suggested they call Andrew as he had the emails


• when they phoned Andrew, for reasons that he can't explain, he thought they were the furniture shop from where we had bought a desk and chair, and agreed that it was no problem if they delivered on Monday


• aaaaaaaaggggghhhhhh......I may have to kill someone


• in the event they delivered half the container on the 1st and the other half on the 4th


• in the event Andrew was in Abu Dhabi

I think I've covered that.......

So, onto life in our new house.

A bit of a baptism of fire by all accounts, as our first weekend here happened to coincide with the worst storm in New South Wales for 30 years. This involved absolutely torrential rain, terrifyingly high winds, no power for 24 hours and lots of fallen trees and washed away roads. We watched the lagoon get higher and higher in the garden and wondered if the house would survive - the storm lasted for 3 days, and at the end of it 8 people had died, some parts of the Hunter Valley are pretty much completely under water and a state of emergency has been called in some areas. There is also a tanker grounded on a beach north of here - see photo. It's still raining now, but the wind has dropped.

Which brings me onto something else. It is definitely winter. I feel a bit cheated. I had no idea winter would actually bring bad weather! Those of you who have been following the Tupper's experience in New Zealand will know that they have been struggling a bit with the cold. I had been feeling rather smug about this, while we were having such warm weather, but I'm starting to understand why the shops are full of flannelette PJs and electric blankets. The thing is that although the temperatures are very mild by comparison to a UK winter, the houses are unheated, uninsulated, and not very well sealed. This means that if the overnight temperature outside is 7 degrees, the temperature indoors will not be much better. Suffice to say that we are now the proud owners of said flannelette PJs and some electric heaters! I am told that this is as bad as it gets and that it doesn't last long, but I'm glad that I didn't get rid of all my coats. In the mornings on the school run it can be pretty chilly, although later in the day if you are in the sun you could burn. The moment the sun goes in, the temperature drops rapidly and you find yourself indoors beside the gas fire wrapped in a blanket. Not quite what I envisaged for my new life in the sun.....

But it's not all bad! I took George to the cinema down the road to see the new Pirates of the Carribean movie and discovered that if we paid $20 each we could sit in LazyBoy chairs!!! How cool is that?? I reclined mine right into a bed, put my drink and popcorn on the side table and prepared for a snooze!

And I have a walk in wardrobe, which is quite the best thing I've ever had (yes I know that is really really shallow). But imagine being able to see all your shoes on racks and all your clothes? I will never be able to live without one again.

But the best thing by far is having all our stuff and a home. The house is great, and now we have all our stuff in it, it feels like it is ours. For the year at least....it's only when you are able to settle a bit that you realise how tense you've been. It's like suddenly you are able to let out a great big sigh of relief. We're here....we're home.....