Almost forgot

Almost forgot to mention it’s Halloween tonight. Much as I loathe this Americanism it seems to have taken hold here as an excuse for kids to wander around people’s houses begging for lollies!! 
My kids obviously took to this with much pleasure and now they team up with a young girl from across the [...]

Quiet lately.

Not a lot happening really so yet again I missed a day yesterday!
The eldest daughter was home again because of her tonsillitis, so I only spent an hour in the gym instead of the usual 2½ - 3 hours. The rest of the day was just a ‘blur’ chatting online to my sister-in-law in the [...]

Gardening, such fun.

Had a good day on Sunday. Woke up early because the dogs don’t understand daylight saving any more than I do (see previous posts) and once up… I stay up.
Started off mowing our little patch of heaven. Took ages but the sky was overcast and so was a bit cooler than usual. Also of course [...]

Home alone?

Home alone?? I think not. The daughter was complaining over the past few days of a sore throat so this morning, off to the docs we go. He decided she has tonsillitis and has to have at least two days off. Oh gee thanks.
Still it was worth going. She now has both a course of [...]

Daylight saving.

I forgot to mention the start to my day. Daylight saving starts tonight… but because the wife was home Friday I got a bit disorientated and thought it was *today*.
I woke at 5:15 a.m. to start nagging the kids to get dressed. The youngest has a skating lesson at 6:30 a.m. and the eldest now [...]

Happy birthday me!!

Yes it’s true… Welsh Dog has finally reached the ‘Big Six Ohhhhh…. ‘, i.e. 60, today. Do I feel it? Well I didn’t until I went to the gym this morning and flogged myself into a stupor. Actually I decided there is nothing to be gained from over exerting myself any more.
Since this ‘person’ has [...]

Phone calls?

The wife was intending to call the old man in the UK to let him know she was safely back. Unfortunately by the time she’d come out of customs and I’d dragged her off to the school to drop the kids off it was far too late for her to call.
No doubt she [...]

Ooh la my baby’s back!

Picked the wife up… she’s home… all is well.
We staggered out of bed at 4:30 a.m., showered, dressed and made it to the car at 5:25 a.m. Trip was uneventful and we arrived at the airport just as the wife emerged from customs so no waiting for any of us.
Lots of hugs and [...]

At the scene of the grime!!

Went up to the eldest daughters room after she’d gone to school and discovered… three towels over the floor plus her clothes from yesterday. In the bathroom was a dress… another towel and her underwear! This weekend she’ll be without her computer.
The youngest daughter made an effort. Even though her room wasn’t tidied (at least [...]

On a theme…

You may recall from the previous message that I sent the kids off to school with messages written in their diaries explaining to their teachers they might be late for their buses and asking if it would be ok if we took them straight to the civic centre.
When I picked them up I had a [...]

Kids… such a joy to have.

This house runs on chaos… it’s true. Regulars might wonder why I spend *so* much time wittering on about how aggravating the kids can be… are… and how they seem to either do nothing… or maybe worse… do just the wrong thing at the wrong time. Here’s an example of why I get so frustrated.
This [...]

Tidier still.. so moving forward!!

After some serious aggravation the kids finally made it upstairs to the back room and made an effort to tidy it.
To be fair, whilst they ignored homework and instrument practice, and watched a DVD while they did it… you *can* at least see the floor now which is a vast improvement!
The daughter, husband (fiance?) and [...]

One more day.

The wife is in Heathrow and currently boarding her plane home (via Singapore). Maybe we’re odd but it’s been a real strain being apart for two weeks and regardless how much we fight when we’re together (well we don’t fight a lot actually)… we like being around each other more than being apart!
She [...]

Tidying is an understatement!!

Spent the last *four hours* in the eldest daughters room trying to make some sense of it, but at last it’s looking like it is a child’s bedroom instead of a pigsty.
It’s hard to believe how many clothes I found when she is forever complaining she has none! I have three baskets full of what [...]

Home today!

Decided on reflection that with the wife in the UK and due home in a few days, and the house being in the state it’s in despite pleas to the kids to help keep the mess down… I really needed to be here to make a start on the worst of it.
No matter what I [...]

So dad… what did *you* do at the Jubilee?

Well let’s see. For starters temperatures were up around 34ºC for a large part of the day and we arrived at around 11:30 a.m. so it was already baking us as we got out of the car. Sunscreen had been liberally applied before we left but we needed a lot more as the day wore [...]

Hills Grammar School Silver Jubilee

The carnival celebrating the school’s anniversary is on today from mid-day onwards. There are supposed to be rides and attractions for all… including a live performance from Delta Goodrum who is an ‘old girl’.
We’ll all be trooping up there soon to spend the day boiling and fighting… but the kids will have fun while I [...]

Where did yesterday go?

Had a *very* hard day yesterday!
It was ‘weigh-in’ day at the competition… I’d lost 4 kilos but only after a heavy session on the treadmill which boiled off a lot of water! After that the kids went to a Girl Guide/Scouting organised event called JOTA (Jamboree of the Air). It’s JOTA’s 50th year this [...]

Old music… old memories

Am sitting here still in a haze of well-being because of the quiet time in the garden and on the computer I’m playing through some of my old Beatles tracks. Currently the system is working through Abbey Road on the ‘Because’ track. Gee those guys were something special.
Track after track, of wildly differing styles, musical [...]

Life at the Manse.

Came home today after the usual couple of hours at the gym. It was stinking hot outside and no sign of rain so, as usual, out came the hosepipe.
Mid-day is not the best time to be watering, but where the alternative is waiting until the right time… and meanwhile the plants die of thirst… I’ll [...]

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