australia day

Started early this morning with a trip to Parramatta Park for the hot air balloons.


hot air balloons in Parramatta Park

kooka

still seeing double

We took Happy and Macc with us to the Park, they seemed to enjoy themselves, and then it was back home for breakfast. Unfortunately, that was the extent of our Australia Day celebrations as I had study to do. My exam is less than a week away. B caught up with a few chores.

it's a feotus!!!

Well, last Sunday night, both B & A (not me and the other A that gets a mention from time to time from BMJ fame) came over for a long awaited dinner.

Dinner consisted of:

Entree
Mango and Prawn Tarts

Main
Orange Roasted Chicken with a Vegetable Rissotto with a side of Chilli Cheese Bread

Desert
Warm Berry Pudding with Vanilla Yoghurt and Cream

But before we got down to the above mentioned feast, both the spermanator (as B was calling himself) and L's new eBay conspirator, drop their bundle! Not figuratively of course as this would have meant a very quick trip to the near by Westmead Hospital, but the news of there upcoming parentage!

We, or at least I did, had to keep it quite, thus the timely posting of this post now, as the family had to be notified.

So well done guys!!

seeing double

guessing competition

We have a house companion for a few days. We are looking after Happy, a black male greyhound who at a glance looks just like our Macc, and also sports a red collar. Happy's family have gone away for a few days, and having 3 GH's, each has been billeted out amongst the GAP fraternity.

pesky companion

my pituitary adenoma is back, I don't know any more than that. Having had an MRI before Christmas and having not heard anything, I took it upon myself to contact my doctor yesterday. His lovely secretary Ange was suprised and very apologetic that my results were missing, having not been forwarded by the hospital, and she had forgotten to follow them up. I left it with her, and not too much later got the call that my pesky companion is back. I didn't get much detail, she did tell me how big, but it didn't sink in, my mind went to another place. She rang again this morning to book me in for an appointment in a couple of weeks. I think she knew I wasn't really listening/taking things in. At the time I was shocked, although not really suprised, sad but at the same time relieved... it explains a few things, and again I have an excuse for being a 'moody cow'.

Raw

It was a teary farewell on my part when Joe was collected Thursday PM. Macc and I have been feeling a bit miserable since, although a message from Denise that Joe's new family are very happy with him and that he has settled in well, puts the whole thing into perspective.

B was not as affected in the same way, as he was able to maintain focus with regards to the fostering process, and that it is temporary care. I on the other hand was not able to do this, and well Macc, I don't think we explained the process to him.

A suitable distraction from such self absorbtion was provided by A when she visited on Friday night, and brought a scary movie 'The Village' with her. Thanx A.

Another distraction included getting 4 exemptions from USQ for my MBA, which means I will be finished by the end of this year!

d day

Oh Joe.....

that's 'd' for..... dog (Joe); desperate (me), do we have to hand him over?

The day has arrived for Joe to move one step closer to his new home. We got the call last night that he was to be collected this evening to have injections updated and whatever else needs doing, so that he can be given to his new family on Saturday. After the call, the mood was a bit sombre, and I am sure that our four legged friends could sense that something was about to change. Both and Macc and Jas have really bonded with Joe, and Joe with them. We have noticed that 'the Boys' as they are affectionately known, have been picking up on each others characteristics and copying them. Joe in particular has become a little more crazy this week, expressing more of his personality, and even playing with some of Macc's toys which he wasn't too interested in at first.

After the call, we went on a special night walk around the block (I think this was more for B and me) and a nightcap of milk was served to the boys at bedtime. This morning toast with vegemite was their added treat, along with a dog chew before I headed out the door.

I wished I didn't have to go to work today.....I am sick as a dog (well at the thought of losing a dog).

the lazy kings

As a pick me up to the news of the afternoon - it looks like B is going to have surgery on his back - we took ourselves into Sydney Olympic Park for The Lazy Kings. The production is by French company Transe Express and is described on the Sydney Festival website as an epic production based on a traditional French fairy story of nomadic kings, debonair charlatans and witty jokers.

You join one of the processions as six lazy kings are borne aloft on fantastic chariots in three separate musical journeys from faraway fantastical lands. Led by bells, percussion and brass bands, each procession winds its way through Sydney Olympic Park amidst a blaze of flares.


Lazy Kings Bells

The Witch on Wheels, encircled by her coven of Bicycle Witches,


witch on wheels


coven of witches

and Stabil of Padock, the gypsy voyager with his numerous offspring on a rolling bed approach from the West.


rolling bed

From the South comes Suzerain of the Alps, searching desperately for his true love atop the Royal haystack,


cows

and the Mermaid Olanor on her deluxe iceberg.


mermaid

Finally from the North, emerging from water comes a dashing young Prince perched on his aquarium

prince perched on aquarium


aquarium

and Mortibus Orgiac celebrating his own funeral in a hearse drawn by two zebras to the sounds of a brass band.

skeletons

They converge in the shade of a 20-metre high coconut tree where a breathtaking finale unfolds. The branches reach out to the kings, lifting them high above the crowd for a fantastic display of trapeze, sky-high derring-do, and musical delight!


palm tree finale

Last year B and I had stumbled across their production 'Angels of Light' and were totally mesmerised by it, so when we saw an article about it this time in Sunday's paper we decided it was the thing to do Monday night. It was the perfect pick-me-up, providing a distraction to B's bad news.

canal walk

come on, lets go!

Yesterday, B and I took the boys for a walk along the Lower Prospect Canal walk/cycleway from our place as far as the Cumberland Hwy, one-and-a-half hours in total. It was fantastic, we have walked in the other direction but thought it might be nice to explore somewhere new. At one point we could see Chatswood and the City and whilst we had beautiful weather the rain was coming down in these areas.


lower prospect canal reserve

Yesterday, Joe also got to meet some of the members of his new family (the mum, son and daughter). Apparently, apart from the dad, there are three more children, a live-in nanny, and a cat. He got on really well with them and they loved him, which is keeping at bay the panic that was beginning to rise in my stomach at the thought of him going.

Today, we did another part of the Lower Prospect Canal walk/cycleway, one hour this time, and starting from Gipps Rd towards the Reservoir. Unfortunately, we got just short of the Reservoir as the gates were being shut at 6.35pm. I asked the security guard how far it was to the reservoir and it was only a 5 minute walk. If we had been 5 minutes earlier we would have made it!

When we got home, we were greeted enthusiastically by Jasmine.

"You could have taken me with you on the walk".


Sleepy Boys

something different

view from the pool

We spent the night as the guests of Star City Hotel last night. After the last few months of juggling work and uni, and the late nights over Christmas, it was really nice to have dinner cooked for you, a quiet nights sleep, only to wake up and go for a swim, and not have to make the bed or breakfast. It was strange but I felt more refreshed from that one night at the hotel than I have from having just had time off over Christmas/New Year.

Today, I picked up the cottons for my next x-stitch L'Ete and ordered Le Printemps, and Garden Cat, also by Birds of a Feather. I bought L'Ete off ebay, however, I have since discovered that The Crewel Gobelin generally stocks them. They also kindly supplied me with a wholesalers website, that if I see anything I want on it, they will get it in for me. I have been to the site briefly, and it is truly enormous. I was so pleased we dropped into The Crewel Gobelin before going to mum and dad's for a cup of tea. I was going to order the threads I needed from them online (they are the cheapest for them by as much as 50%), but then I wouldn't have been put onto such a great resource.

news of a new home for joe

Joe will be going to a new home next week. He has been with us for two weeks tommorrow and already I am really attached. Actually, I was attached to him from day 1. I really admire those who foster dogs regularly, and like my friend Lynne who looks after the furry family member in her home whilst people are away, sometimes for weeks at a time. I know she gets quite attached, and now I can appreciate how difficult it is for her to say goodbye.


Joe