Coming home

Oops! It has been a week since I came home from Mudgee, Christmas is galloping towards us. It was such a great conference and Mudgee is a lovely town. They have restored their old buildings and there are cafes everywhere. I snuck out one afternoon to go to a cafe with Liz and Ian (so great to see them) and we stopped in there again on our way to the AGM of the NSW Public Libraries Association, just before the long drive home.

I arrived just in time to unpack my bag and take Bethany to an evening recital. The last one she had was just for her teacher's students and only went for around ten minutes. Three teachers brought their students together for this, and though she was very nervous, Bethany's performance went off without a hitch.

Sometimes Toby and I are a little bit silly before his piano lesson, in those last precious weekend hours. He has freckles!

Mudgee

It was a really great conference, lots of fabulous speakers, both local and international. Four days with no cooking or washing , with only myself to organise, is always pleasant, too, though I'll have to catch up over the weekend.

Library conferences are very social, with events on each night. The conference dinner on the final night had the vague theme of 'country class'. We interpreted that as we wished and sat in our finery having pre- dinner drinks on the verandah.

The meal was nice, Adam Spencer was a great emcee and mentioned Chrissie and me on stage as we asked for a selfie with him as he waited to go on. We also took this attempt at a shelfie - it's a thing, you know.

Unfortunately, the music did not live up to expectations, and though I did manage to dance a bit, I gave up in disgust after about eight Elvis songs, including one that was played twice in a row!

I was so disappointed. Thankfully, we are going to go dancing during my work Christmas party, it had better be good!

Conference time

Not the best time to leave my family, in the middle of exams and when Andrew has a big show on, but the NSW Public Libraries conference is when it is, so off to Mudgee we go. It is held in Sydney one year, and the country the next.

It's around a six hour drive from Wagga and there are twelve people here from our regional library, but six travelled together in two cars. We were to stop for coffee at Young, so I messaged my friend Sue, who lives there, to find the best coffee. She recommended the Art of Expresso and, of course, I almost baulked on the grounds of spelling, but when I Googled the location, found the spelling issue was hers! She must have been yanking my chain.

For lunch, we were to be in Bathurst, so I messaged Janice to get her recommendations. I was concerned that Sweet Caramel didn't sound very promising for lunch, but it was a winner.

We arrived in Mudgee and I immediately went into town to visit Liz and Ian who moved from Wagga a couple of years ago, then got ready for the conference's welcome event.

Yes, it's a hard life.

Freedom

I went to the opening of the refurbished Henty Library on Friday, don't you love their board book owl? His name is Owlbert.

After work Toby and I went back to the physio to free his arm from its hot, fibreglass cast. He says it felt weird, and now he has a skinnier, less tanned arm. Toby loves having his photo taken.

It was perfect timing as the weather has warmed right up. We got out the water slide for Bethany and remembered when the Melbourne cousins played on it with us.

Now, Toby and I are at piano lessons, and he can play with both hands this week!

We're really looking forward to this time next week, when all exams will be over!

Side fringe

I didn't know that a side fringe was a real thing, but Bethany has been asking for one for ages. I finally gave in, picked her up after school and took her to the hairdresser. She's awfully pleased with it.

  

Joss and Toby have exams next week, but for Food Technology, Joss had to make something at school this week. They had the choice of making a recipe set by the teacher, or bringing in  ingredients for a recipe of their own choosing. Apparently, most of the boys just made what the teacher chose, a chicken dish, and the girls all made something sweet. Joss gave me her shopping list on Monday and I spent $30 on ingredients for her triple chocolate cheesecake! $30! We have never tasted any of the things she has made at school this year because they all share them with their friends at lunch. I insisted that the $30 cheesecake come home. By all accounts, it is delicious, in small doses.....

Love

Bethany went into her bedroom after school on Monday. She put up a do not disturb sign and I did not see her for a couple of hours. Just before dinner I was presented with this. Handmade paper flowers, a plasticene version of me giving Bethany a hug, and an acrostic poem.

What a beautiful little girl she is!

BFFs

Bethany and Hannah have been friends for as long as they can remember. They are still great friends, though Hannah towers over Bethany!

Narelle had the brilliant idea of having Hannah's birthday party at Wagga Beach (we do know it's not a real beach). They played volleyball in the sand, ate pizza and whacked a pinata. Bethany gave Hannah and herself necklaces with two halves of a best friends heart. Happy times.