Rain rain go away

Yes, I'm back.

I had a fabulous week ++ away. 

Unfortunately we (Australia!!) have been hit again with shocking weather.  Cyclone in Far North Queensland, fires in Victoria (although nothing like 2 years ago thank god) and heavy rain and flooding in lots of other parts of Oz thanks to aforementioned cyclone.  And we're a bloody big country.

The Aunt was evacuated from her house in coastal (read: on the beach) FNQ .  She is OK.  Her house is OK although many others were not so lucky.  The clean up will be horrendous as will the cost and the impact on our fruit and vege supply country wide. 

I spent some wondeful days with Other Brother and Mrs Other.  Sooo relaxing and just what I needed.  I then drove up to the Hunter Valley and caught up with 8 other wonderfully wicked wine wise weight watching women.  It was bloody hot (as was Canberra when staying with the Others) which did mean we couldn't do a lot of things but we spent a lot of time nattering and forging really strong friendships.

VR (a fellow WWer with whom I have become very good friends) and I then drove home via a country New South Wales coastal town to catch up with another WW online buddy.  Great fun and beautiful scenery.  Then onto another country town through recently (so recent the road was just opened) burnt bushland.  Then the rain started so the bbq dinner with yet another WW friend and her husband didn't happen so we all decided to adjourn to the local pub.  Great food, good wine and a very easy on the eye singer!

The rain caused so much chaos in suburban Melbourne and we drove home through the results.  The above photo was taken just before I was about to slowly drive through water over the highway.  Note the two cars abandoned on the other side of the road and the water up the side of them.  One of them is a Rolls Royce ... guess noone is immune!  If you look at the cars ahead of me you can see the wave generated from tyres and the depth of the water.  This was the 4th crossing we had to make to get home.  It was the longest and the fastest flowing but not the deepest.  When I was nearly home I found the road flooded near the local sewarage treatment plant (aka poo farm).  That was really scary as I think it had just happened and the water was quite deep ... and smelly!!!

Our river is running swiftly and full. 

Idiots keep putting themselves in danger and tying up emergency services people.  4WD drivers are arseholes when they drive through flood waters at great speed to the detriment of all other drivers.

My dog has grown.  My cats aren't speaking to me.  My sons all came home for dinner ... that my husband cooked.

Life is good and I'm so glad to be home.

fleeting

I killed ... or at least severely maimed ... my macbook.  I took it in to the Apple store and they said it would cost more to repair than replace.

*sigh*

The wonderful Himself bought me a new pc.  Not an apple (don't need it and too expensive) but a compaq and i love it.  I just have to remember how to use windows!!!

I am waiting for Two to fiddle with stuff and hopefully be able to transfer all my files from Mac to PC.  In the mean time I'm trying to remember my fave sites and finding others from them.  Time consuming but I will get there.

Life trundles on.  I'm going away for 10 days leaving on Thursday.  A few days with Other Brother and Mrs Other then 3 days with some WW buddies and then the pretty way home over 3 days with a Melbourne WW friend.  I am so looking forward to just being me.  I have given Mum necessary phone numbers and Dr Teacher a list of what he needs to do.  I shall call in when I can and I shall pretend I have no phone reception if I don't want to talk to people!

And on that note I shall toddle off and try to find some more websites.

Life is good

Two and GGF are over but are still best friends.  Unusual, I know, but they are unusual people.

Three will be here tonight without his girlfriend.  HAPPY DAY!  I really really really don't like this one.  She is by far the worst any of the boys have been out with and that's saying something.  And, NO, that's not me being a possessive mum!

Himself had his hernia repair yesterday and is home but tender.  Sitting down, taking it easy, relaxing.  NOT!

Angus has discovered mud.  In our back garden.  Big time.

Thank god we live near the river.  Now he's just covered in sand!

One is good.

Parents are coping.

Right now this very minute all is right in my world. And right now this very minute is all we ever have.

Happy New Year.

2011 will be a good year.

We spent the first part of NYE with friends but left just after 11 and walked home.  We don't like spending NYE with people we don't know and there were a few there.  I was under the impression it was just going to be the 6 of us otherwise we would have spent the night with Dr Teacher and his lot.  So Himself and I had a lovely walk along the river and came home in time to watch the fireworks from our balcony.  Most pleasant.

The kids were out and about doing their own thing.

Two is staying with us at the moment.  Looks as if he and GGF are finished which is very sad but I haven't seen Two so happy in a long time so that bodes well for the future.

Not sure what the year holds but I promise myself I will look after me cos if I don't then I'm no use to anyone else and there are a few at the moment who need me.

Bah. Humbug.

Yes, I'm being Grinchy!

This Christmas was the best of times and the worst of times.

I must say, though, that the good outweighed the bad.

Even though a significant amount of late Christmas Eve was spent trying to convince Three's girlfriend to get out of the fucking bushes.  And then having to listen to things NO mother should have to hear.

Himself managed to fall ONTO the dog resulting in much squealing from the dog and even more chest beating gnashing of teeth and mea culpas from Himself.  Thank the heavens that Dr Teacher was a vet in a previous life.  Dog is fine.  Tender but fine.  Himself is another story.

Two managed to assist in getting Dr Teacher's new GF's daughter (get all that?) rather pissed today.  That wasn't too bad except Dr Teachers new GF (oh bugger it ... she's called Ms Totally Awesome aka MTA ... OK?!!) ... so MTA kept saying that her daughter (CC ... cool chick) had only had 3 glasses of champagne only we new the truth!

Two and GGF are about to be no longer.  So sad.

However One has been talking a lot about proposing to his girlfriend so that's a good sign.

night night .... it's all a bit too much for this little tabby cat!!

Sad day

After nearly 4 years together Two has decided he is unsure of what he wants from life and is breaking up with GGF.

We are all devastated.  Two included.

What a strange Christmas this will be.

And I seriously wonder how much more I can take this year.  Thank god it's nearly over.

Respite was NOT a howling success!

Dad hated it.  Absolutely loathed it.  And I can't blame him.  I was told not to bring anything other than his clothes as everything else would be provided.  I paid to have his clothes labelled so they could be laundered.  We were told he would have his favourite paper delivered each morning.  And I filled out a form with his likes and dislikes for food.

He went without a toothbrush until Dr Teacher took one in on Saturday (Dad went in on Tuesday).  This was in spite of me asking for one on Thursday.

Dad's clothes were taken away, much to his distress, and returned - unlabelled.

No newspaper - again despite numerous requests.

Dad said the food was awful - which is unusual for Dad.  Sunday breakfast was cold porridge, cold toast and lukewarm tea.  On Thursday he was given bacon and egg with no egg and no fork.

And the best bit?  On Thursday night I received a phone call informing me that Dad had had a fall and had sustained some skin tears and bruising but was otherwise OK and I was receiving this call as it is the facility's policy.  And he had refused his dinner.  I was most concerned about the latter as Dad never refuses food (he is too polite) but when I stressed my concern I was told that I had been contacted re the fall as that was their policy.  I rang Dr Teacher and asked him to go over and check (he's 15 minutes away, I'm an hour) and the facility rang back.  To tell me they had pulled the wrong file and Dad was fine.

Sorry.  good bye.

Mum enjoyed the break and says she has had time to work out some coping strategies.

We'll see.

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Angus.  12.5 weeks old.