Happy Birthday to the F-I-L

Today, we celebrated (early) the FIL's birthday... Now I am far to much of a gentleman (cough cough I hear you say) to mention his age, but the card I got him went a little something like this

"Age is like a game of golf, The higher the score, the more you lie"

Now, naturally, this was taken with the pun to which was intended, and the celebration lunch was quite good. A morning rain shower did make it incredibly steamy though, but a great time was had. I guess you could really tell by the way the kids enjoyed themselves! I & O have also done a wonderful job on the house and gardens, not to mention the cubbyhouse and Chook House!

Sedgewick House, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Sedgewick Cubbyhouse, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Michael, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

The Boys, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Cousins, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Will & Rosie Swing, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Riley 2, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

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On yer bike!

Today, I went for a ride... Partly as I was invited, but to also clear my head... I had been sorting through L's crafty stash of material for quilting and chenille. I have only cleared out one room, and there is so much junk stuff!

Lous Crafty Stuff, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

So, A,S and the kids arrived at 11.30am and were hit the road at just on midday. It is a cycleway I had done a few times before, so as I used to it. But only when I was a little fitter than I am now and also a little lighter! We joined the cycle way not far from home, and by the time we reached 'Pipehead' we were now on what was Sydney's water supply before being decommissioned in 1995 and converted into the cycleway in 2004.

Boothtown Aqueduct - 1883-1907, originally uploaded by yewenyi.

So we rode along the 7.7klm odd cycleway and were greeted at the picnic area by S, M & W with lunch, we were so spoilt! I actually didn't feel to bad either after the ride! W was feeling a little out of sorts, tired mainly, but he is the one who enjoys staying up much later than bedtime! But this was more out of sorts than normal, maybe he's coming down with something...

Alex and William, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

So we hit the road back home, and the first hill was a killer for me, but it was all 'downhill' after that. I say downhill, as it was a canal that carried water down to pipehead, but it was such a low gradient that it felt flat ALL the way! And I was so glad to be home with a cold glass of water (or four!) to drink!

Now I had been thinking of ways I can either keep the outdoor lounge clean, and/or Macc of it, so I went to the linen press and got an old odd quilt cover, so hopefully this will work! I will still be shoeing him off if he is so stupid to hop back on, but at least I will be able to pull of the slip cover in a second for a party or similar!

Lounge Throw protection from Macc, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

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Boxing Day!

Boxing Day is traditionally for us, a day to rest and recuperate... But this year, for me, it was with mixed feelings. But first let me tell you about the day of Christmas!

Now, Christmas Eve (spent going to Mass with the in-laws and Nan) I had dinner before heading back home. It was a terribly hot and humid day. I did the lawns, again, had a spa to cool down and got myself ready for last minute shopping. I was SO not in the mood for Christmas this year, but it had to be done! By the time I got home, early at around 9.30pm, I had good intentions of wrapping the presents. WRONG! Instead, I had the TV on and I was watching Carols from Melbourne. I love watching the Carols on the TV! Anyways, I digress... I had a call (SKYPE) from my friend Maribeth in the US, and we had a long chat and I eventually hit the hay at around 3am. No, I was not talking for that long, just could NOT get to sleep!

I awoke to a certain puppy wanting to go outside, I wonder why, at 7.30, so I complied to save cleaning up a mess! And just as I started to do the wrapping, my phone rang and it was my nephew Max ringing to wish me a Merry Christmas and to make sure I was not sad... awwww. We had a quick chat and he went on to tell me they had a WII from the Man in the Red Suit (he's 8 so it was very exciting). As I was now running very late for the drive out to my mum's, I had a quick shower and got ready. In the drive out, I was fine (or so I thought) until I started to make a couple of calls to friends whilst taking the long drive. I started to get all teary, so I wished them well and had to go. I had NO clue on what to do, so I called the US, for help!!! Thanks Maribeth, I simply needed to hear your voice! I was fine after you reassurance! After exchanging of gifts, breakfast with my drunken brother (he works nights, so breakfast is really his evening) and my sister and her husband and nephews, I then headed for Lou's parents for lunch. I only wished I had remembered to have taken my camera OUT to get some pictures!

Table Centre, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Dining Table Nan, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Christmas lunch is always wonderful day in the in-laws house, but today it was somewhat subdued. But it was still a great day. Exchange of gifts, and boy, do the kids know how to rip open pressies, it was time for the Family Photo!

Someone in trouble? Nah, just Max! (just ME making sure camera settings were OK!), originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Family Christmas 2009, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

After lunch, we normally stay for dinner, but I had to get to my third 'family' for a get together! My God-daughters family and I have been friends for eons, so they are really more like family! By the very end of the day, it was now pouring with rain, I was exhausted, so when I got home, I simply fed the pets and went to bed. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow!

So, Boxing Day, what did I do? NOTHING*!!!

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*(except watch the Cricket!)

Schnitzle House Challenge: - FAIL!

Last night, we went to the Austrian SchnitzleHaus, to have dinner... It was actually have the Schnitzel Challenge, and I was somewhat scared, VERY scared!

From their website:

Do you love schnitzel ?Are you able to beat the challenge and eat our Giant Schnitzel ?$ 55.00

• Fastest times set - 17 mins!
• 1 Kg Schnitzel with chips and sauce of your choice
• 1 Litre of Beer (Erdinger weissbier or Stiegl Beer)
• Essential ...Bookings only for the Challenge... !!!
• Select either Chicken or Pork
• We are unable to offer the challenge without Pre-Ordering

RULES

• The challenge is to be completed in 1 hour.
• All the food on the plate,except garnish is to be eaten
• NO sharing with anyone !!!!!!!
• If you throw up.... you're out of the contest .
• Finish the beer
• Finish it all and you'll get a FREE Dessert, a T -Shirt, a Schnapps and your Picture on our "Champions "Wall of fame"!
• No sharing or Take aways

Naturally we needed to ensure we had a 'dedicated driver' (thanks Sam) and as both Max & Will could not eat the Schnitzel, they (and mum) had the Meat Platter which looked amazing as well! Beers arrived and it was at this point I thought, What on EARTH have I done?

Bernie Alex Beer, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Soon after, 'Cow Bells' started to ring and a fan fair as our platters arrived... OMG!

OMG Schnitzle Challenge Begins, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

There was 4, YES 4, Schnitzel's on the plate. After about 15 mins in, and wonder how on earth did someone finish it all in 17 mins, I was beginning to feel very full... Looking at Alex, he had started to look a little, well, 'seedy' and a bit 'green'! Sam, on the other hand was laughing and snickering, but also being a 'little' compassionate!!!

OMG Schnitzle Challenge, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

OMG Schnitzle Challenge Alex, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

OMG Schnitzle Challenge Bernie William Alex, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

At the 40min mark, I had called it a day, as with Alex. He at least got up and went for a walk, and the interest from the fellow customers in the restaurant was huge (not to mention the shear SIZE of the meal!). Both Max & Will had a Chocolate Mousse for dessert, and we left feeling rather bloated, to go home and watch Iron Chef, oh dear!!!

Max Choc Mousse, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

William Choc Mousse, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

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A visit to the long lost aunt!

Today, I took mum up to visit my auntie Dell. This meant another drive north up the freeway to the Central Coast. Auntie Dell is not 'really' my aunt, but her late husband came out from England with my dad, and as such, are as good as family as family themselves. She is also my Godmother and we even have the same birthday (albeit 30 years different!)!

They came down for L's funeral, and I had not seen them for many a year prior to that, so I thought it would be great to catch up properly. And to make it an even better trip, Maureen had recently had her second baby, Tristan, a brother for little Trinity! The girls, and auntie Dell, put on a fantastic lunch of chicken and salads, and we certainly didn't go hungry! And to top it all off, we even had Profiteroles for desert with coffee!

Maureen, Aunty Dell & Colleen, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Maureen Tristan, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Colleen Tristan, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Mum Aunty Dell, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Mum Anuty Dell Me, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

As you can see, auntie Dell (and even both Maureen & Colleen AND even my mum) are not very tall, and I was very much the odd one out. Yes, that's me standing behind auntie Dell who is ALSO standing! I do not know where I get my height, as I am head and shoulders above mum, from memory dad as he died in 1992, and my brother and sister!

We were up there much longer than I had thought we were going to be, as I wanted to get home so as mum could drive herself home before the peak hour rush... This was not the case, and after the 90 minute drive down the freeway, I was home very tired, but relieved to be here all the same. What a great day!

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Picton Show 2009

Today, we went out to the Picton Show. I was invited to come along with A,S,M & W and L's mum & dad, J & M (are you with me still?) :). The forecast was a bit so so, but we headed out with a slightly overcast morning. A & S were on the look out for a couple more 'girls' to join Velma & Daphne in the chook yard as Daph as been a bit 'broody' since being confined to the chook run (she was enjoying being a free range bird in the back yard)!

So we got to the Showground and headed straight to the Chook Pavilion, where there were a couple of birds for sale, but not the breed they were after. There was also some very UGLY chooks there:

Ugly Chook only a mother could love, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

For Sale, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Are you looking at me, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

There was also a shearer who showed us how sheep are shawn! He was great in the demonstration, and really got the kids involved with handing around some of the wool. He also showed us how wool is graded, and traded, and how much they get paid per sheep!

Shearing Sheep, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Grading the Fleece, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Fleeced, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

The boys also had a couple of rides, dodgem cars together, whilst M went on the slide and W went on the train!

Max Slide, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Dodgem Cars, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Will Train, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

There was also a 'Snake Man' there who was doing a show, which was very informative, but one thing I didn't like was how he demonstrated how blind they really are! OK, he's an expert but with the worlds deadliest snake on the ground, did he have to show how close his foot can go to it? Here's W & M, with a Python, which is non poisonous...

Will Snake, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Max Snake, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

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Wet, bogged in the sand, but a great weekend!

This last weekend, was in fact a long weekend and a great chance to go camping, right? Well so we thought...

I got up to the camp site late Friday afternoon. Showers/rain had been forecast, but I would be ok, I have a Camper Trailer right? A,S & W arrived a couple of hours later, whilst M & I got it all set up. So all we had to do was get dinner ready, sausages, boiled potato's & salad. During the cooking, there was the odd drop of rain hitting the hotplate BBQ'ing the 'snags', but all was good and the kids were having fun.

Once they were in bed, we enjoyed a couple of 'refreshments' and having a chat through a brief thunderstorm.

Sat morning, we woke to a cold, overcast day, but not raining (yet). We had breakfast of eggs on fresh bread (YUMM) thanks to A cooking, and headed off on an adventure into Tea Gardens. Along the way back, we past an entrance to the beach, a 4wd entrance (remembering I have a 4wd...) and headed in. Looking left, there was a Nissan Pathfinder bogged, so I decided to go right, make a steady long turn and head back out. WRONG, I ended up bogged and the car was sitting on the chassis rails, and the tide was coming in! I remembered that the local garage had a service if in this situation, so I called them. BUT, just after I hung up, a passer by offered assistance, and winched me out, and then, using a 'snatch strap' (4wd recovery equipment) towed me to a safer location for me to go. It was here, that the recovery team arrived, and although I had already paid by credit card, $150, I did not care as I was out. Another 30 mins and it would have been having the incoming surf against it!

We had decided to pack up after both kids (and dad) were coughing and the rain was not abating. Within 60 mins or so, we were done and on the road heading home to dry out... What a weekend!

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Jamie's Baptism

Today, we had little Jamie's Baptism... A lovely day was forecast, but true to form (for C&P anyway), it ended up quite gusty and the coldest day in 7 weeks!

On another matter, you might remember a few weeks/months ago, I was after input for a colour change to my house... I have got some colours and have painted the outside of the kitchen window... I have photos of the before, one option and another option below... I am after some comments!

Kitchen Window Schemes, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

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Struggling against the loneliness & depression...

Mood: Depressed/Lonely

Listening to (iPod): War of the Worlds

Today, Father's Day, was a really tough day for me... Don't get me wrong, please, it was a great day over at 'the next sister down', but it was the realisation of how things SHOULD have been...

Everything was going 'according to plan' for us, we had a great house, our dream house, that was slowly getting fixed up, finance's were/are in order and L was pregnant, twins even! Days like this, and many others (Mothers Day, Christmas, birthdays etc) were meant to be fun, family days. Where as today I found myself fighting all sorts of emotions of wanting to cry, scream jump up and down and a whole number of others as well... There was also times of laughter as well, but for the most part of the day, I was fighting anger as well. Certainly not at ANY of the family members I so dearly love, but for the circumstances that I am now in. And it was great catching up again with all of the kids and babies, they are just growing so quickly!

So when I left, I found myself driving, thinking, and before long I was at the Cemetery where they had laid fresh rolls of turf over L's grave. All I wanted to do was to race home, grab whats left of my 'Shirlys No. 17' fertiliser, and sprinkle it over and water it in. But, when I got home, I found myself regressing even further, so I jumped into bed and curled up and simply stared off into nothing... I am beginning think where I would be better off.

I am not really wanting to go to work, who have been and continue to be FANTASTIC in supporting me, I simply have lost the 'drive' to go. But I fight with myself every day to go all the same. Whilst I was away at the conference, I came to the realisation I was ready, and I WAS. But this last week of with chronic hayfever (which is now moving onto a chest infection with a very heavy cough that feels like Jasmine the cat is sitting on my chest) I was finding myself slipping slowly deeper into depression. I spent most days in bed, washing has piled up, dish's need to be washed (not that I have eaten much) but at least they are in the dishwasher.

I am in the final process of organising a trip to Doha, and I will be leaving next Sunday. I am still in a lot of ways, very confused about this, will I or wont I, as I am struggling with the notion of 'leaving' or 'abandoning' L. Whilst I know that she is and always will be with me, I just can't get past this step. I often wonder, is this a normal thing with grief and depression, and if so, does it last long?? I am also wondering if, is it all I need to just leave? I can take Leave Without Pay for a while, and simply do nothing, or is doing nothing not healthy for the mind? I simply do not know what to do anymore...

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Welcome to Spring... NOT!!

Today, marks the official, unofficial start to Spring, but for me, I just wish it to pack its bags, bongos and drums, and head back to where it came from! Yes people, I am a Hayfever sufferer, and I am in agony! Since I was in London, I have been sneezing and suffering from itchy eyes and a runny nose...

Saturday, saw me do more than a few kilometers with an early start out to Penrith Show, to see if a friends photo had won, as he had entered in a couple of divisions. He had won First Place in the 'Rural' division! After this, I headed to the nearby soccer fields, and caught up with my mum, sister and her family. Her youngest was playing in his soccer grand final, which they won 1-0. Do you think he is happy in this shot just after the whistle had blown?

Cam GF 29082009, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Cam GF 29082009, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Later in the day, I also went to the Swans v Brisbane Lions match with A,S and the boys, (thanks to my brother and a couple of mates of his from up the mountains!). It ended up being a good match, but (bare with me here and try not to get lost...) the second half of the first quarter, and the entire second quarter, were as boring as ... well, you know! BUT, both the third and last quarter were really exciting indeed!

SCG Members Stand, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Centre Bounce, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Alex Will Max & Sam, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Sunday morning was here, and it was another early morning to an old neighbours place to have a look at his rear garden, with suggestions for them and their son, Lee. After a few hours there, I had to go as I was going to be running late for a very dear friend (of L's) who was doing a presentation for the Soi Dog Foundation. When I got there, Lynne was somewhat stressed for some reason, and she was so glad to see me there! As it turned out, the laptop she was using and the data projector were not 'talking' to each other... A simply reboot of laptop followed by Fn & F5 (shortcut for toggle between Laptop, Laptop & Screen or Screen only) and she had a smile and a very relieved lady indeed. I urge you to visit the Soi Dog Foundation, and if you can help in any way, I can assure you it will go to a very worthy cause...

Lynne Soi Dog Talk, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

But, in late breaking news, I would like to introduce little Jack Rupert... The youngest sister to L gave birth to a healthy little boy via a C-section at 8.30am. Is he cute or what?

Jack_Rupert_sleeping, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Jack_Rupert, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

BP_& Jack_Rupert, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

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