Coffee

Every morning last week I dropped the almost sixteen year old off at the Trail St cafe before 8. I drive right past it on my way to work, and Prime, where she was doing her work experience from 8.30 to 4.30, is just around the corner. On her final day, I got out too. Just a couple of working women, having coffee before work. Hers is hot chocolate, though, as her taste buds aren't as mature as her outfit.

She loved work experience, and is currently planning to study journalism. Not the most stable industry at the moment!

Talbingo

We went on our church weekend away to Talbingo on the weekend. Bethany had originally had a speech exam scheduled for the middle of Saturday, but one of the other girls had to go to Sydney so it was moved, and we were free to head up the mountain.(The speech exam went well as far as I could tell. We were there for more than three hours!)

It was a great time of enjoying theoutdoors (in the warmest part of the day), listening to encouraging teaching about work, rest and busyness from SMBC's Mark Adams, and just hanging out with the church family. The planners were very thoughtful and brought a proper coffee machine and various people stood at it and just pumped out the coffees. I partook of many as the cabin we were 'sleeping' in was pretty rough!

We got home on Sunday afternoon and scrambled to get ready for the last week of term! It's just a normal week for Bethany, but Toby and Joss are mixing it up. The Years 7 - 9 kids have Activities Week, and the Year 10s, work experience.

It was supposed to be Out and About in Wagga, but somehow, Toby's group ended up driving to Canberra on Monday to go ice-skating and shopping. Six hours in the bus! Toby bought a basketball. Yesterday they went to The Rock and climbed it, followed by the Botanic Gardens for a scavenger hunt. Today is bowling, the movies and laser tag. I have enjoyed not making his lunches, sitting in the car for half an hour with Joss, waiting for the bus to return from Canberra (laughing about elves and cats from the underworld, and then going home again because they are running so late). Tomorrow I won't wake him in the morning and just see him when I get home; term over for Tobes.

Joss gets to go to Prime News, 8.30 - 4.30, every day this week. Actually, today she needs to be there at 8. She is loving it. Going out with the journalists investigating arson, editing stories on cycling, and writing stories to be critiqued, and to be read on air. She is all kitted out in pencil skirts and peplum tops, having lunch with other students who are doing their work experience at businesses downtown and basically living the life. Her current plan is to study journalism at Wollongong Uni and she is on track so far!

Playing with the big kids

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra was in town a couple of weeks ago and Bethany, as a violin student of the Riverina Conservatorium of Music, had a special lesson with them. This weekend, the Sydney Youth Orchestras are here, and they had a morning workshop with Riverina students, followed by a concert in the evening.

The Sydney Youth Orchestras, one was a wind orchestra and one was mainly strings, played on their own and with the local kids. Bethany and two friends from her year were probably the youngest. I wasn't sure how she would feel about it all, but she loved the workshop and was very excited to play with the whole orchestra.

This is the group from the Con. If you look very closely, you'll see something clever. Someone appears in the photo twice!

The whole thing cost us $10. What a brilliant opportunity! 

I am sitting with my tea, occasionally hearing a tooting steam train, the sound travelling across the plain and up the hill. The next time I hear it, Bethany will be on it as she has been picked up by a friend for a day of steam train riding and vintage cars. After the train ride they will be getting into Mr Fletcher's old Jag and heading to a vintage car rally, so I got to tell Mrs Fletcher about being driven to my wedding in my uncle's old Jag and getting grease on my skirt. Ah, the memories.

Aaand, relax

How I love a long weekend! But first, to finish this post.

The Riverina Regional Library has grown since we moved to our current building, and we are bursting at the seams. This is my office. Admittedly, I was having fun unpacking a new projector and have since tidied the boxes and paper away, but I am certainly looking forward to moving somewhere bigger in around a year.

Toby made the front of Wagga's What's On brochure. Joss is unimpressed to be just behind and, therefore, not in the shot.

I spent a day on the mobile this week, going to four places I have never been. One was tiny, two were stops outside little schools and one was the sweet town of Ganmain.

The last stop of the day was in my own suburb, and Bethany walked over to visit. It was a long day, around ten hours, but I do enjoy a trip around the countryside, chatting to people about books and movies.

I was out again the following day, visiting two branches. Tracey, who is in my team, is doing workshops in the libraries, making felted bowls. They are very beautiful; not for soup. I think I'll book myself into the Wagga workshop.

Now, I am home alone. Joss and Toby are at PY camp until Monday night, and Andrew is dropping Bethany at an orchestral workshop with the Sydney Youth Orchestra. I think I'll put the Eurovision album on and do some baking.