Kids… such a joy to have.

Oct 252007

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 morning I had a long chat with the wife in the UK. She was actually *at* Heathrow minutes away from boarding the plane and with the kids next to me we decided that instead of her catching a taxi home as she and I had arranged previously, because we missed her so much we’d all try to go pick her up at 7:00 a.m., maybe have breakfast at the airport, and then take them on to school.

So off she goes to board her plane thinking happy thoughts… and *then* the youngest tells me that *she* has to be in school by 8:30 latest… but doesn’t know why. I ask the eldest… she knows nothing.

After some minutes pulling out my hair, the youngest grabs her school bag, rummages around in the bowels and pulls out the school newsletter which she presents to me.

I scour through this rag, and right on the back page is an announcement to the effect that Friday will be the day of the “Foundation Assembly” to be held, not at the school, but at the local civic centre… and *all* pupils will be attending, i.e. the eldest as well as the youngest daughter! The event is, it seems, in similar celebratory vein as the Silver Jubilee Fair I wrote about a few days ago and just as pointless.

As far as I could make out, the kids are all to be bussed to the civic centre. The buses leave the school for the civic centre at 8:30 a.m. sharp.

We, of course, will be at the airport at 7:00 and *at best* it’s an hour and a half driving time to get from airport to school. You might think we could just make it… and indeed we *might*. However, it may be we’ll meet some heavy traffic… bearing in mind the race to get back to the school will take place right in the middle of the rush hour this is a distinct possibility if not inevitability!!

Also let it not be forgotten that this ‘hour and a half’ is all assuming the wife’s plane arrives on time *and* she gets out of customs without any hassle! Neither are good assumptions to make at the best of times and, yes, the ongoing and constant terrorist threat means this *isn’t* ‘the best of times’.

Basically, when we meet the wife off the plane… whenever it lands and whenever she makes an appearance… we’ll just have to forget breakfast, grab her and her cases and make a mad dash to the car to race back towards the school as fast as we can manage!!

I wrote a note in the diaries the kids carry to and from school to let their teachers know there is a ‘slight problem’ and that we’ll try get the girls to the civic centre as soon as we can… even if we can’t make it back to the school. Right now I’m not even sure they’ll get there for the end proceedings never mind the start!!

The other thing that excites me no end is that *parents* are ‘invited to attend’, i.e. show your faces or else. You can imagine how my wife will receive the news that after a gruelling 28 hour flight she would be expected to sit through this ‘assembly’ just to show the family flag!! I’m going to have to try to convince her somehow that she really wants to go… but right now I don’t know how I’m going to manage it.

I asked the kids why they hadn’t felt it important to inform either of us of this upcoming event *before* we made arrangements to collect their mother… or even whilst. Their answers… both of them just said “I don’t know… “.

Kids… who’d have ‘em??

Tidier still.. so moving forward!!

General Ramblings No Responses »

Oct 252007

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 kids will be here in three weeks to stay for eight over Xmas so that room *must* be sorted out soon, i.e. this weekend, or it’ll never be ready for them to sleep in. In addition the kids will be shifting rooms to make sure all have a place to sleep with the two boys in one room and my girls in the other. The baby? In a drawer somewhere I suppose

More on this later no doubt. In the meantime, at least a couple of rooms up there are tidier than they were so we are moving along albeit slowly.

The wife was telling me she’d persuaded (told?) the old man to get his act together and come over for Xmas and that she’d expect he and my mother to arrive at the end of November! I’ve not had any reaction from himself yet… but I’m sure he’ll make some comment soon enough. With luck it’ll be “Tickets bought… we’re on the way!!”

Their room is still much the same as it was so if they *do* decide to arrive, all we need do is vacuum and put clean sheets on the beds!!

Be nice to have a big family Xmas!

One more day.

Home and Hearth No Responses »

Oct 252007

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 was asking if we’d all be there to meet her off the plane. I’d originally suggested she get a taxi back since the kids have to go to school and it’s a long hard drive thru the traffic at that time of day. However… like I said… we’d all underestimated how much we’d miss each other in the short time she was away so we’ll all try to be there when she steps out of the customs gate in the Arrivals lounge!

The kids have mixed feeling about it. Yes they want to meet their mother… but I think the idea of getting up at 4:30 a.m. is a bit daunting for them even if they get to sleep in the car on the way down! So I’m not sure they’ll be coming with me, but *I’m* definitely going to get her!!

It’s been two weeks too long already

Tidying is an understatement!!

Gripes No Responses »

Oct 242007

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 appears to be washing, standing outside my bedroom door already… and I’ve not started on the youngest daughters room yet! What the hell I’ll find in there I hate to think. I also threw out six bags of accumulated rubbish that I separated from things that were obviously needed.

I’m not asking for much, just that they throw their clothes into the laundry basket and rubbish into a rubbish bin… not hard… not rocket science!!

These two girls aggravate the hell out of me. They know how much I need their help while I’m in this competition and their mother is away but *do* they help? Well of course not… they just make it 10 times harder.

I think I have an inkling which hat the names of these two will be going into when Santa sorts out the ‘naughty’ from the ‘nice’ around Xmas time!!

Home today!

General Ramblings No Responses »

Oct 242007

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 do today the place won’t be ‘clean’ but it *will* look better than it has… does!

You could ask why I’ve not started yet despite it being 9:20 a.m. and my having dropped the kids off at school at 8:00 a.m. Answer is simple… things to do!

One thing I did was to visit the local Girl Guides Hall and water their new garden beds. They had 175 people there last weekend who voluntarily cleared up a huge amount of mess, painted the outside, cleared away vegetation… and planted a garden bed with shrubs. It’s not rained for ages here so I thought it wise to go and make sure they were soaked to give them a good chance of bedding in properly.

Of course… as always when you do things like that… the weather forecast is for rain this afternoon!! Typical… but as I’ve said before it’s best to keep the plants alive until the rain comes as it won’t be much use to them if they’re dead.

And so with that… off to work!! Loads to do so I have to make a start.

So dad… what did you do at the Jubilee?

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Oct 222007

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 on.

Luckily… well deliberately really… the sunscreen we used was an insect repellent as well and boy did we need it. There must have been five times as many flies as people! I love Australia but the flies are *really* tedious. I think god must have out them here to remind us we weren’t quite in heaven yet though you might be forgiven for thinking you were otherwise.

Anyway the place was heaving… people and kids everywhere. Petting zoo, fairground rides, stalls, food… you name it and it was there, including a large stage and screen facing a hill which was to be the seating area for the afternoon performances.

The kids had so much to do they were beside themselves… but both were there to perform as well as have fun. The school has a large Arts section and an even larger Music department that really excels in what they do.

After an hour or so I left the kids to do their own thing and went to sit down in front of the stage… in literal fact about 5 metres from the front. I love live music even when it isn’t ‘professional’ and though some of the kids performances were a bit ‘shaky’ they were all still very good.

I was there sitting on the bench in the heat from about 1:00 p.m. until Delta Goodrum came onstage to sing Happy Birthday to the school at 6:00 p.m. By the way my opinion of her rose at least 100%. She was *very* pleasant and really does have a good voice. She was making a ‘flying visit’ and though having another engagement that night made time to talk to kids and old staff she remembers from a few years ago when she was at the school and to sign autographs.

The kids seemed to have fun but of course there were the usual issues and dramas to contend with.

For example, the youngest forgot she was supposed to be onstage singing with her choral group so missed the first song they sang and had to rush onstage during the seconds between the end of the first song and the start of the second. The eldest daughter was in Junior Band… and somehow forgot her flute.

She managed to borrow one which she left next to a friends trumpet in the music dept., but just before they were due to perform and they went to collect their instruments… they discovered the doors were locked. After a short panic the results of the raffle were called while the head of the music dept raced up to unlock the doors so all was well.

Shortly after this… the youngest daughter came up to say she’d been on one of the rides… and had thrown up all over her special ‘Performer’ t-shirt so could she have $25 please to buy a new one! Agghh….

Come straight back with the change says I as usual. Two hours later she appears with her mates doing *their* bit right at the end of the afternoon. Where’s my change? Err… seems she put it down with the t-shirt and it was stolen.

Anyway, all in all it wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it was going to be and as a matter of fact I actually enjoyed most of it. Roll on the next ‘celebration’ in five years time!

Hills Grammar School Silver Jubilee

Gripes No Responses »

Oct 212007

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 mutter to myself about all the things I could be doing otherwise.

Trouble is the wife isn’t here so I’ll be spending most of the day on my own or trying to make polite conversation with people I hardly know. What?? Antisocial?? Well ok yes I am

Where did yesterday go?

General Ramblings No Responses »

Oct 212007

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 year so it must be doing *something* right!! Either way the kids love it. It means they get to chat with Guides from all around the world… though of necessity this usually means Australia.

My kids were there from 2:00 p.m. til 5:00 p.m. and had a great time as usual. But while they were there… I went out shopping for provisions. Finished the shopping at 4:30 so raced over to get them. Then had to put it all away of course… and *then* made a start trying to tidy up and clean the living room.

All I managed to do was fill the dishwasher and wash the work surfaces… and it was almost time for bed!!

It’s all go while the wife is away… roll on Friday when she comes home!!

Old music… old memories

Reminiscence No Responses »

Oct 192007

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 creations, instrumentation and vocalisation. The songs really take me back to my youth.

Hey I’m getting maudlin… that’ll never do. Back to work I think… there are floors to vacuum and wash… clothes to pick up… carpets to clean.

Oh hell… I think I’ll have lunch first and see how I feel afterwards. Why spoil a nice day eh??

Oooohh…. “Sun King”. just the right track for today!!

Life at the Manse.

Home and Hearth No Responses »

Oct 192007

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 water any old time I can. So for the better part of an hour I wandered around the beds, pots and containers (such as they are) wetting it all down in preparation for this afternoons searing heat.

What struck me half way through was how much I was enjoying myself. Despite being the one who usually ‘does stuff’ out there I don’t really take time to literally smell the roses.

It wasn’t really the roses that set this off, we only have two flowering and neither has a particularly strong aroma. What set me off was the wall of Jasmine alongside the pool which has finally flowered and is filling the area with it’s heady scent. I just stood quietly at the front of the house (where most of the containers are) drinking it down and feeling glad to be alive.

It’s at times like this that the simple pleasures of gardening really hit home. Not the hard backbreaking work turning over a field in readiness for planting ‘taters, or the mind numbing *and* backbreaking tedium of weeding, but just standing looking over your little domain and taking pleasure in the colours, forms, shapes and even feel of the various plants that make it what it is.

It felt… good.

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