critters

I am filling in time until I go to the airport this afternoon and wing my way south for a week or so. Haven't seen Charles since Feb 19, so am really looking forward to getting to Melbourne. We have a frantic social calender for the week, including a night at a lovely place at Apollo Bay, 2 nights at Gillian's and various lunch and dinner dates. As well, the Swanny Cinema is reopening this coming weekend (Easter) and we are working on Saturday night. Then we are driving back to Brisbane with as much as we can pack into our new (2nd hand) car, another Corolla, hatchback this time, to be here on April 10. Our friend Jill, from Vermont, arrives on the 13th, then it is Charles' birthday on the 25th. Lots of fun ahead.
Here are some of the critters I have met up here. Hope you like them.

the newest super hero

Rocket Boy has arrived in great triumph. He even visited kindy this week, but was forced to change into street attire due to the threat of either heat exhaustion or drowning from the accumulated moisture under his flying cap. He has suggested that his family all get suitable flying outfits and we can leap into the sky and away together.

angelina ballerina

Only parents of young children will have heard of Angelina Ballerine, but in this house she is the star of the moment. The op shop has again provided the material for an Angelina dress, so here is Remi dressed, he tells me, as a boy Angelina. Last night he and his friend Lucia (dressed as a girl Angelina) put on a show for us. Here is the prima ballerina.

claudia's 60th celebration

Last Saturday night we celebrated Claudia's 60th with a C party...what a great night. There were some wonderful costumes, including a pair of cupcakes; Capt Cook; Cheerleaders (who performed a chant for Caludia); cars; a credit card; and much more. Claudia went as Cleopatrea; I as Carmen Miranda; Helen as Claudia and Remi as Carabos, a mouse character from a ballet he is enamoured with at the moment, Angelina Ballerina;and Bec went as Christ, but when she put on the beard she turned into Charles! We had a very late night or , rather, an early morning, which has taken me some days to recover from. Mum saw out the night as well!

words of wisdom

You may have read an article a few months ago in The Age A2 by Cate Kennedy about the things children say and how we musn't correct them, but leave them experiment with their own language. Remi provided us with a beautiful example of this yesterday. He had said that he wanted to have a sleep after lunch. so lay down and Bec read to him, until, some time later, he quietly told her, in a serious little voice, 'Bec, the sleepiness has gone and now the wakeiness is here in my body. I can't help it.'
The other one was a week ago, when he announced that he was feeling 'fartish'. Perfect, don't you think!
It is Claudia's 60th party on Saturday, and this is what Remi is wearing. I am going as Carmern Miranda, and he is so impressed, he's going as Carmen. We bought some necklaces today in the op shop.
I have been making fabric brooches for the market. Here are 2 examples. It is great fun .

tropical tales

I am back in Brisbane and as I write the rain is bucketing down in tropical expansiveness, as I sit here in my tropically suitable clothes. I wonder if I will ever become blase about the luxury of rain and warmth together...I hope not.
This is my second week back here, for which time Remi has generously allowed me to sleep in his room, something, I am proud to say, he will not grant many people. I am one of the chosen few. Whilst it has its advantages - a little boy climbing in to bed with me in the morning to play wonderful games of imagination and fantasy - I am permanently sleep deprived. Still, the wonder of his world is a great place to be.
Charles is still at the farm, and despite our nightly phone calls, I am missing him very much. Not sure how long before he gets here, but Remi has said that grandpa can sleep in his room too.
I have been reacquainting myself with the West End scene, have borrowed books from the library, visited a number of coffee shops, been to the flicks and dinner with Claudia ('Precious' - confronting, exhausting and great, and barramundi extraordinaire) and am having a wonderful time with Helen, Bec and Remi. Sunday mornings is the organic market to buy the week's food supplies.
Remi has started at 'proper' kindy and is loving it. He has put on some shows for me, and is well on the way to swimming - he can float, dive under the weater and retrieve items, as well as dog paddle. Do I sound like a proud grandma?
Charles collected our new (2nd hand) car yesterday, a 2003 Corolla hatchback. Or it may be 2004. With the comparatively little driving we do up here it should last us quite a while.
Well, that's about it for the moment, so til next time, cheers.

a long hot summer

After a long saga my laptop has been back in action for a few weeks, but as we have no wireless connection at the farm opportunities to update my blog are few. I am sitting in the supper room of the Swanpool Hall to write this post.
It has been a long, hot summmer at the farm, but fortunately only one Code Red day, over 40 and a frightening northerly. We watched green turn to brown, but it has come back to a degree as we have at last had a bit of rain.
We have been very busy catching up with family and friends - 2 trips to Gillian's at Tower Hill, 2 to mum, 1 to Wonthaggi,and 6 days in Sydney at the beginning of January. In between we've been sorting out the house, as we have made the decision to move permanently to Brisbane and sell our house and share, 33 years after we bought the place in 1977. It has been a decision long in the making but nearly 10 months up there last year, testing that it worked for everyone, we have all decided that we want to be near each other. I am flying back next week, on the 18th, and Charles will follow when the fire season is over, driving to Sydney where I'll meet him and drive back together.
We had a farm meeting and work days last weekend which everyone came to, plus Uki and Hugo, which was wonderful. We celebrated our time together at a dinnner setting that reminded me of medieval settings at long tables, combining our cullinary skills for a magnificent meal, and concluded with words from members to Charles and me that were very humbling. Then on Sunday they presented us with a truly magnificent table made by Shaun. It was a very emotional time, and we are just recovering.
The photos are from the November farm visit by Bec, Helen and Remi. We had lunch with Charles' mum on their last day, and you can see how big Remi is at 3 and a half.
I'm afraid I haven't reduced them in size, but will do so in the future. Til then, hope you keep enjoying my blog.