Tag: good things

Blog Link-ups and Memes, Family & Parenting, Keeping the Masses Entertained, Stuff About Me20 Comments

Beginner’s Guide to Messiah

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When Adam announced that he was buying tickets for us to take the kids to a performance of Handel’s Messiah at the Sydney Opera House the day after our Christmas party I was a little unsure of the wisdom of such an endeavour. At breakfast this morning, which we were eating at midday on account of Adam and I having gone to bed at 4am, Tom very nearly confirmed all my fears by greeting the news that we were off to the city with a massive attack of the grumps, but after I threatened dire consequences for bad behaviour and … Continue reading Beginner’s Guide to Messiah

Family & Parenting, Stuff About Me, Things We Should Talk About at the Dinner Table8 Comments

I’m really rather fond of this time of year

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Here we are at the beginning of December, my house is strewn with Christmas decorations, the kids have decorated the tree, we have strings of lights ready to festoon the garden, I have all my special Christmas candles out, the Advent calendar is hanging by the dining table, there’s Christmas music loaded up on the iPod and I’ve started my annual re-read of Connie Willis’ Miracle and Other Christmas Stories. Yes, I’m an atheist celebrating a pagan mid-winter festival co-opted by the Christian church to commemorate the birth of a man who was was almost certainly not born on the … Continue reading I’m really rather fond of this time of year

Blog Link-ups and Memes, Family & Parenting, Stuff About Me2 Comments

Wordless-ish Wednesday

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I took Caitlin to her dance concert rehearsal at the UTS Kuring-gai campus this afternoon. On the way there I asked if it would be ok with her if I just dropped her outside the building and didn’t come in, instead of parking miles off and walking her to the theatre. She wanted me to come in with her, despite this being the 7th time we’ve done this. So, because I am a complete push-over I parked off to billy-oh and walked with her to the rehearsal. I was wearing the wrong shoes and my feet and knee hurt and … Continue reading Wordless-ish Wednesday

Family & Parenting, Stuff About Me6 Comments

Cruickshanks Cottage Farmstay

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After driving to Brisbane in one day and spending 2 days wearing ourselves and the kids out at the Abbey festival we weren’t too keen to drive straight back to Sydney. So it’s a good thing we’d arranged to stop off for a 3 night farm stay holiday near Armidale on the way home. We arrived at the Cottage at Cruickshanks at dusk on Monday (Adam and were very glad to find our hosts Anne and Mike had the wood burning combustion heater going and the cottage nice and warm for us. Anne left us to get settled in with … Continue reading Cruickshanks Cottage Farmstay

Family & Parenting, Stuff About Me11 Comments

Laundry liberation

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Further developments in the laundry saga: Last week (on the day I did that all that folding) I went up to Bunnings and bought 3 laundry hampers. I placed one in each of the kids’ bedrooms. When they came home I announced that there was a new regime in place. They are now expected to do their own washing. I stood by giving instructions and supervising the process for this first week. Caitlin has to practically climb into the washing machine to retrieve the last few socks and undies from the bottom after the wash has gone through and Tom … Continue reading Laundry liberation

Stuff About Me6 Comments

Sisterhood Award

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Liz over at Eternal Lizdom has bestowed upon me another award. This one is titled the Sisterhood Award. First, share memories or thoughts of childhood or adulthood sister-friends. Funny, sad, whatever. 1. Attending Physics Society parties at Sydney Uni with Ariane. The dry ice in a sealed bottle trick never stops being funny. 2. In 5th grade, rolling around my best friend Rowena’s bedroom laughing ourselves silly while quoting the Goon Show back and forth at each other. 3. A couple of years ago, feeling comfortable enough with my friend Sue to go swimming in her backyard pool wearing a … Continue reading Sisterhood Award

Stuff About Me5 Comments

I thought we didn’t do Valentine’s Day

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But apparently Adam does. He went out to take his mum to a doctor’s appointment at 7:45am and found himself outside the florist that he used to buy flowers at for me back when we were first going out. When he brought them home I was downstairs, Tom let Adam in the front door, said “I’ll take those to mum”, grabbed the roses and presented them to me as I dragged myself half-awake up the stairs. It was all very romantic 🙂 Then we spent the next 5 hours frantically cleaning the house up because we were having a whole … Continue reading I thought we didn’t do Valentine’s Day

Family & Parenting, Food Glorious Food, Stuff About Me, Things We Should Talk About at the Dinner Table7 Comments

Food and love (Part 1)

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Some time ago Liz posted a piece titled Love You With Food, it ends with these lines: There is a legacy of love and food and cooking in my family. I’m so glad to be part of it and so glad it doesn’t end with me. I wish I could say the same thing about my family. It’s not that there was any lack of love, or indeed of good food, in my childhood – far from it! But somewhere along the way food became a problem instead of an uncomplicated celebration and the legacy I inherited could be better … Continue reading Food and love (Part 1)

Food Glorious Food, Keeping the Masses Entertained, Stuff About Me15 Comments

Seventeen years

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In September of 1988, one month shy of my 18th birthday I went to a party I had not been invited to. My best mate’s girlfriend had been invited so we figured that was close enough. I knew a fair few of the people there, well, their faces and names at any rate, they were people who had been 2 years ahead of me at high school. It was a pretty good party, we danced and were silly and there may have been some booze involved (ok, there was definitely half a bottle of vodka involved but SHHH don’t tell … Continue reading Seventeen years