We're back

Actually, we had the Internet connected over a week ago but have been crazy busy. School assignments are the bane of my existence. I have a few things to catch you up on, but it is late and I still have to walk Milo, so I'll just tell you about our weekend away.

On Friday afternoon, after work, we packed the car and headed out of town and up into the hills for a church weekend away. I usually shop, clean and wash on the weekends, so adjustments and sacrifices had to be made, but it was well worth it. Talbingo is a couple of hours away, almost at the snow, on the edge of Talbingo Dam and it is beautiful. It can be cold, but we had sparkling weather.

Great Bible teaching, fellowship, circus skills for the kids, walking, running and playing made for a refreshing time away. I'd like to visit again.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for Bethany and Toby (Joss finished yesterday) and my last day of work for four days. Best of all, Tim, Shona and their many little people are coming tomorrow evening! I can't wait.

Still offline

Progress has been made, we have three boxes attached to the house, but we are not yet connected. Perhaps this week? We're happy to wait since we are getting the NBN, super fast Internet! 

There has been lots going on. Bethany had a friend over on our long weekend Monday, Toby and Joss came home from PY Winter Camp exhausted but elated and Bethany helped me at the Muddi Markets. I'm looking forward to being able to share it all without using my phone!

The Long Weekend

A long weekend is just what we need. Joss and Tobes have gone away and left us with just Bethany. They have gone to Presbyterian Youth (PY) Winter Camp. Toby is at Deer Park just south of Sydney and Joss at Stanwell Tops, near Wollongong. Bethany is enjoying having us to herself.
There was no sleeping late yesterday morning as we had our yearly shift rosters on the egg and bacon roll stand at the Farmers' Markets. It was very cold and foggy, we thought no one was going to come out on such a morning, but there were brave folk and then the fog lifted and we sold everything! Wagga Cycling Club doesn't need to have members selling chocolates because bacon and egg rolls at the Farmers' Markets every month do the trick!
We were on with lovely people and had fun until Andrew git a nasty burn on his hand. There was a doctor among us, though as an obstetrician, burns aren't really his thing. He gave good advice, though, and the burn is much better than expected.I am almost ready to call my obstetrician by his first name because he is just a regular person. There is just something about the person who helps you deliver your babies.
After church today, Muddi Markets. Then, I can relax! And clean the house.....

The Great Gatsby

The cinema smells like stale popcorn, not an especially enticing aroma, but as cinemas have always smelt that way, it's nostalgic. Wagga's cinema isn't small and independent, but somehow it reminds me of going to funny little cinemas like the one at Avoca, where I saw The Jewel in the Nile and Legend, or Roseville, where I saw The Princess Bride.
I don't think I am going to remember going to The Great Gatsby so many years later, but we did have fun dressing up and going for coffee afterwards. It wasn't a bad film, I just wasn't thrilled by it. It was disconcerting to see lots of Australian actors and Jack Thompson's accent was very unexpected! I won't bore you with what was changed or left out but will just say that the costumes were great and I enjoy an evening out with friends.
Kristy wore her beautiful, new, red cloche and I wore a dress I bought at a funny little shop in Chatswood, called Entity, in the late eighties when I was in year 10,11 or 12. I remember standing on the train station, wearing this dress into the city during the day. Teenagers don't mind a bit of overdressing.

An evening in the life of....

The award Bethany was holding in the last post was the one handed out at the end of her soccer game. It entitles her to a free mini wrap, bag of cut up apple (what chemicals must be required for that?!) or bottle of juice. None of those things sound very exciting to me, but she is very keen to go. I'll get a coffee.
This is what the kids are up to this evening while Andrew is at a gig and I am making school lunches, looking forward to getting back to my book - after a bit more unpacking.

Impressed

I have been wearing my Charlotte Bronte (I don't think I have any reasonable way of adding the accent using Blogger on my phone) brooch a lot. Nobody has known who she was without me telling them. Sandy, our church minister, has been the closest. He asked if it was Emily Bronte. I am very impressed that he guessed a Bronte sister, but did I show it? No, I gave him a spirited talking to - Emily Bronte? As if! Charlotte is so far superior, as Jane Eyre is to Cathy, not even mentioning the hideous Heathcliff. Still, it was pretty close and I am impressed. If you are going to get it so close but not quite, at least guess Anne rather than Emily!

Fog

I flew to Sydney today. I didn't get out of the plane, we just flew around above the city, well, above an invisible area I imagine was the city, attempted landing once then flew back to Wagga. I then spent an hour in the queue just to tell them there was no point in my catching another flight as I would arrive at the end of what I was going up for! It was was quite ridiculous to be denied because of fog in Sydney, when Wagga is usually foggy but clear as a bell this morning. I felt very bad for other passengers. No money of my own was involved and I just read my book for three and a half hours! The poor girl next to me only had a Cosmopolitan magazine. I almost offered her my spare book but she didn't seem the type to enjoy a book about cricket and suffragettes.
We still don't have any Internet beyond that on our phones. We are not impressed with Telstra who will not give anyone else access to the infrastructure. We have the NBN in our street, but only the most expensive provider can access it. I shall just have to blog from my phone.
Did you watch Eurovision? We enjoyed it very much and, in fact, are still enjoying it. We bought the album and the kids and I ask each other which song we have playing in our heads. Joss and Toby loved Azerbaijan the best, Bethany loved Estonia and I just can't go past Romania. If you haven't seen Cezar's performance, you should watch it on You Tube. We all love to sing along to Sweden's entry, which didn't do nearly as well as it ought.
We are continuing to settle in, unpack and make progress. I had people from work and book club over last Wednesday night, for a farewell for Jess and had my first card making night since the move. Life is getting back to normal; a better normal.
I am getting used to running in a hilly suburb and in near freezing temperatures. The long streets of slight incline are very hard to run up! They make me think about quitting a lot, but the views are spectacular.