Yesterday we didn't have anything planned for the day, so the Big Fella suggested we see if someone could look after the Little Big Fella so we could go fora ride and give me a bit more learning experience.
One of my friends graciously agreed and (after a false start with the Big Fella's battery) we headed off.
We decided to go up to the Tablelands because it's a bit of highway riding, a bit of country road riding, and a bit of twisty-turney mountain riding.
I definitely need to get a full-face helmet, rather than the one I have, which only has the face-covering shield (or whatever it's called). My cheeks get a little blown around and go numb after a ride on the highway! And I got a butterfly stuck in it, which was rather distracting.
Oh! And I almost ran over a couple of snakes! One was slithering across the road (maybe 1.5 meters long) and the other we decided must have been dead because it was in the same position on the way back.
We had to avoid cattle, including crazy mother cows and their skittish calf babies.
It's a really nice drive up there, which you kind of notice a bit more on a bike. You also notice the change in temperature much more!
The ride up to the tablelands reminds me of the drive up to Olinda in the Dandenong mountains (east of Melbourne). They're different plants, and a different climate, but it has a similar effect and it makes me smile every time.
The Big Fella told me I was riding well and took the corners at good speeds, especially considering the lack of visibility. So that was encouraging.
By the time we got home I was completely exhausted though! I suspect doing a workout beforehand probably didn't help. But it was definitely a happy exhausted - I really enjoyed the ride and I'm looking forward to getting my full license so that I can just ride whenever I don't have the Little Big Fella with me.
I got a call the other day from the place that does the Q-Ride course/test. Apparently I'll need to do at least one lesson with them because they don't do automatic bikes in the Q-Ride testing, so I'll have to learn to ride a manual. That's okay, and it's probably a good thing, but I'm pretty nervous about it. Trying to keep a bike upright, while learning to change gears, and keeping everything else happening at the same time is a bit overwhelming. But I learned to drive a manual car, so I'm sure I can learn this too!
So I'm hoping to get my full license before we go to Melbourne in March! Look out Melbourne :-D
Showing posts with label motorbikes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motorbikes. Show all posts
Monday, 13 January 2014
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Blogger's block
I feel like I need to apologise, but I've no doubt you'll all forgive me anyway. I have a bunch of excuses (starting work, trying to keep my house somewhat clean and orderly, computer dying and it's trickier on the laptop or tablet, Christmas, New Year....) but really, they're just excuses.
Reality is that I have "blogger's block".
I don't feel like I have anything to say that anyone would want to read, and when I do, I don't have the time or energy to put it together (hopefully coherently).
So, let's see if we can break the block by writing this little apology. Actually, it's not really an apology, given that it's my blog and I can write whenever I want. But I guess it is an apology in the sense that I know that when I read a blog regularly, I miss it when they take a break, so I apologise if you've missed me.
Okay, let's see if we can break the block by giving a quick recap of what's been happening around here then.
I finally started work at one of the big Australian banks and finally, after two full weeks, managed to balance at the end of the day without having to re-count and re-check all of my work. I literally did a dance!
Working full-time for two weeks was great and really hard. It was awesome to be working again - spending so much time around adults, learning, and using my head all the time. And it was hard not being around my Little Big Fella, trying to keep my house up to scratch, trying to fulfill the commitments I'd made as a non-worker, sitting almost all day, trying to get plenty of sleep and keep up with my workout program.
There were Christmas parties and birthday parties, often on the same day!
And, of course, there was Christmas!
My grandparents were going to join us this year but unfortunately that didn't work out. But we had a great day! The Little Big Fella got way too many presents, again! And we had a fun time playing with all of them :-D
The Big Fella had a sleep in the afternoon (he'd done a string of night shifts with very little sleep in between) and I got a little down, I think because I'm used to Christmas day being full of people.
In the evening we visited some friends. They'd gotten together with others in their street to hire a blow up waterslide and the Little Big Fella had a good go on it. There were a few drinks and lots of laughs. It was a great, relaxing way to end the day.
Boxing Day saw us follow a tradition that began early in our marriage, with Lord of the Rings, actually. The Big Fella, the Little Big Fella and I went and saw the Hobbit at the cinema, 2 hours away. It was expensive, and mildly frustrating a couple of times, but I think it's definitely a tradition we'll continue whenever possible.
The days between then and now have been very quiet and homely. We've caught up with a couple of friends who've remained in town, been to the local pool, avoided the few shops that are near (and all of the ones further away!), practiced on my scooter and the Little Big Fella on his little motorbike, put up our pool and hidden away in the airconditioning from the high 30s to 45 degree days, and slept our way into the New Year.
Do you remember last New Year where I mentioned that I don't like it? Here's the link if you want to look it up. I actually happened to wake up 15 minutes before midnight this year and during that time I remembered some of the really bad New Year's Eve "parties" I've been to.
One included being at church (not the bad part - I loved going to church and spending time with the people around me who I considered my family), where the guest speaker actually continued speaking through the countdown to the New Year!
Then there were others (probably most of them really) where, possibly because there was no alcohol involved, we were trying to stay awake until midnight so we could count down, yell "Happy New Year" and go home to bed.
But this year I've added another reason to not like New Year. And I suspect there will be plenty of people who disagree with me, which is absolutely your prerogative.
Many people seem to think that just because we've changed the number that we write to designate the year, their life will change... without them doing anything differently. Then they whinge their way through the year, get to the other end and complain about what a horrible year it was and how they can't wait for the new year to begin.
Ummmm, sorry folks, that's not the way it works!
If you want your life to change in any way, big or small, you have to make a change! Whether it's a new year or not! And change is hard! Which is why you haven't done it yet. And, not only change for a minute or a day, but consistently! And that sometimes feels impossible!!!
Anyway, I guess I'm off on a tangent, but I guess that means I'm cured of "blogger's block"!
I had a quick look back through my 2013 posts, just to see what I've recorded about our year for you.
Now take a deep breath because 2014 is going to have lots of big moments in it too! The Little Big Fella is starting real school, we're going to Melbourne in March (as a family), in May (possibly just me) and September (just the Big Fella), I'll be getting my full motorbike license, there'll be birthdays and parties and playtimes and homework and events and competitions and Halloween and Christmas and work and love. Put that together with whatever "deep" thoughts I dump on y'all, as well as all the random things that you never expect or plan for...
Can I go to sleep now?
Reality is that I have "blogger's block".
I don't feel like I have anything to say that anyone would want to read, and when I do, I don't have the time or energy to put it together (hopefully coherently).
So, let's see if we can break the block by writing this little apology. Actually, it's not really an apology, given that it's my blog and I can write whenever I want. But I guess it is an apology in the sense that I know that when I read a blog regularly, I miss it when they take a break, so I apologise if you've missed me.
Okay, let's see if we can break the block by giving a quick recap of what's been happening around here then.
I finally started work at one of the big Australian banks and finally, after two full weeks, managed to balance at the end of the day without having to re-count and re-check all of my work. I literally did a dance!
Working full-time for two weeks was great and really hard. It was awesome to be working again - spending so much time around adults, learning, and using my head all the time. And it was hard not being around my Little Big Fella, trying to keep my house up to scratch, trying to fulfill the commitments I'd made as a non-worker, sitting almost all day, trying to get plenty of sleep and keep up with my workout program.
There were Christmas parties and birthday parties, often on the same day!
And, of course, there was Christmas!
My grandparents were going to join us this year but unfortunately that didn't work out. But we had a great day! The Little Big Fella got way too many presents, again! And we had a fun time playing with all of them :-D
The Big Fella had a sleep in the afternoon (he'd done a string of night shifts with very little sleep in between) and I got a little down, I think because I'm used to Christmas day being full of people.
In the evening we visited some friends. They'd gotten together with others in their street to hire a blow up waterslide and the Little Big Fella had a good go on it. There were a few drinks and lots of laughs. It was a great, relaxing way to end the day.
Boxing Day saw us follow a tradition that began early in our marriage, with Lord of the Rings, actually. The Big Fella, the Little Big Fella and I went and saw the Hobbit at the cinema, 2 hours away. It was expensive, and mildly frustrating a couple of times, but I think it's definitely a tradition we'll continue whenever possible.
The days between then and now have been very quiet and homely. We've caught up with a couple of friends who've remained in town, been to the local pool, avoided the few shops that are near (and all of the ones further away!), practiced on my scooter and the Little Big Fella on his little motorbike, put up our pool and hidden away in the airconditioning from the high 30s to 45 degree days, and slept our way into the New Year.
Do you remember last New Year where I mentioned that I don't like it? Here's the link if you want to look it up. I actually happened to wake up 15 minutes before midnight this year and during that time I remembered some of the really bad New Year's Eve "parties" I've been to.
One included being at church (not the bad part - I loved going to church and spending time with the people around me who I considered my family), where the guest speaker actually continued speaking through the countdown to the New Year!
Then there were others (probably most of them really) where, possibly because there was no alcohol involved, we were trying to stay awake until midnight so we could count down, yell "Happy New Year" and go home to bed.
But this year I've added another reason to not like New Year. And I suspect there will be plenty of people who disagree with me, which is absolutely your prerogative.
Many people seem to think that just because we've changed the number that we write to designate the year, their life will change... without them doing anything differently. Then they whinge their way through the year, get to the other end and complain about what a horrible year it was and how they can't wait for the new year to begin.
Ummmm, sorry folks, that's not the way it works!
If you want your life to change in any way, big or small, you have to make a change! Whether it's a new year or not! And change is hard! Which is why you haven't done it yet. And, not only change for a minute or a day, but consistently! And that sometimes feels impossible!!!
Anyway, I guess I'm off on a tangent, but I guess that means I'm cured of "blogger's block"!
I had a quick look back through my 2013 posts, just to see what I've recorded about our year for you.
- We've had chickens,
- been flooded in,
- the Little Big Fella started kindy and turned 4,
- our house has been painted and we have new furniture,
- we've played with friends,
- the Little Big Fella has spent a lot of time in superhero costumes,
- I joined the CWA and was Treasurer for our playgroup,
- the Easter Bunny and Santa visited, as did my brother, and the Big Fella's parents,
- we visited our old town a few times,
- I rolled our car and we got a brand new one,
- the Little Big Fella and I flew to Melbourne,
- I went to my first "real" concert and P!nk was AWESOME!
- I got a 2nd and 3rd in the state CWA photo competition,
- we went to the local race day,
- I've (possibly excessively) considered various aspects of parenting,
- I cut my hair short (again),
- the Big Fella and I exchanged rings in a private (and moving) ceremony... in our car,
- I've gotten back into papercrafts with some of my friends,
- the Little Big Fella played his first sport (soccer),
- we went to the May Day Fair, and the school fair,
- we've been fishing and swimming and backyard camping,
- we've attempted a sleepover with the Little Big Fella's best friend,
- the Little Big Fella finally worked out how to ride his motorbike by himself,
- I've raised the concept of letting men be manly,
- the Little Big Fella gave some of his face-skin to the concrete, and shared his hand with a knife (thankfully not needing stitches),
- I had some bad days and some bad weeks,
- the Little Big Fella had his first visit to the dentist,
- we had backyard fires and front yard fires, and fires at friends' houses,
- the Little Big Fella played with (manufactured) snow for the first time ever,
- we got airconditioning in our living area!
- the Big Fella turned 40,
- we got a shipping container/workshop,
- the Little Big Fella learned how to teatowel fight,
- we did Halloween again, and ate too many sweets,
- I had a girl's night in,
- I re-learned how to tie balloons and got to do it at two different events,
- the Big Fella and I lost weight, and the Big Fella's kidney health has moved back to the "normal" range,
- we've been to local footy games,
- I ran my first ever fundraiser, and it was a success!
- I've found a million reasons throughout the year to be thankful for my friends and family,
- I totally got into the Christmas spirit in the lead up to Christmas,
- we've had LOTS of fun times with friends at the park, at playgroup, at their houses, at our house,
- we've laughed, a lot,
- the Little Big Fella had his Prep Transition days, and loved them,
- we've spent plenty of time splashing around in water,
- the Little Big Fella and I have done a fair bit of cooking,
- and I've returned to being ScooterShell.
Now take a deep breath because 2014 is going to have lots of big moments in it too! The Little Big Fella is starting real school, we're going to Melbourne in March (as a family), in May (possibly just me) and September (just the Big Fella), I'll be getting my full motorbike license, there'll be birthdays and parties and playtimes and homework and events and competitions and Halloween and Christmas and work and love. Put that together with whatever "deep" thoughts I dump on y'all, as well as all the random things that you never expect or plan for...
Can I go to sleep now?
Friday, 20 December 2013
ScooterShell rides again!!!
Before I had the Little Big Fella, I used to ride a little 50cc scooter to work at the backpackers. It was so much fun and cost me something like $3 a week in fuel.
It was also where I got the name "ScooterShell".
I just found a photo of my little old scooter. It's not a great pic, but gives you the idea of the size.
You gotta love the tough expression, hey?
Well, when the Little Big Fella came along, it was time to ditch the scooter. I ended up getting an awesome camera with the money :-D
But today I'm back on the road and am, once again, ScooterShell!
The Big Fella has bought me a brand new scooter for Christmas. The idea is that I can ride it to work and free up the car, as well as reducing our fuel costs. The new scooter is a tad bigger than the old one!
It's shiny and zippy and has SO much room and is fun and quiet and comfortable.
The Big Fella drove it home and I was just a bit jealous. Okay, I was very jealous. But because I'm on my Learner's, and hadn't ridden in four years, and the "bike" is so much bigger and heavier, we decided to let him do the hour drive home.
But once we got home (and put all the shopping away etc.) it was my turn!
Seriously, it is SO zippy!!! I turned the throttle a little and was suddenly doing 60kms!!! You should have seen the smile on my face :-D
I need to do a little practice at the slow stuff though. I nearly dropped it twice on the first drive around our little town, both times when I was going slow and turning right. I can't wait to practice some more!
Oh! I forgot to tell you it's a Honda Forza 300, for those who want to know.
And it really is kind of heavy. I just couldn't get it onto the centre stand without the Big Fella's help and I was so frustrated about it. But after showing my new baby off to my neighbor, I finally worked it out. I literally jumped up and down and did a little dance.
I'm hanging out to have another ride tomorrow! This afternoon the Big Fella had to go to work and we ended up having the Little Big Fella's best friend and his brother here until bedtime. Even though we were having fun, I was itching to ride!
But tomorrow is a new day and the Big Fella will be home and you can bet I'll be riding around our little town, getting used to my new scooter. I can't wait!!!
It was also where I got the name "ScooterShell".
I just found a photo of my little old scooter. It's not a great pic, but gives you the idea of the size.
You gotta love the tough expression, hey?
Well, when the Little Big Fella came along, it was time to ditch the scooter. I ended up getting an awesome camera with the money :-D
But today I'm back on the road and am, once again, ScooterShell!
The Big Fella has bought me a brand new scooter for Christmas. The idea is that I can ride it to work and free up the car, as well as reducing our fuel costs. The new scooter is a tad bigger than the old one!
It's shiny and zippy and has SO much room and is fun and quiet and comfortable.
The Big Fella drove it home and I was just a bit jealous. Okay, I was very jealous. But because I'm on my Learner's, and hadn't ridden in four years, and the "bike" is so much bigger and heavier, we decided to let him do the hour drive home.
But once we got home (and put all the shopping away etc.) it was my turn!
Seriously, it is SO zippy!!! I turned the throttle a little and was suddenly doing 60kms!!! You should have seen the smile on my face :-D
I need to do a little practice at the slow stuff though. I nearly dropped it twice on the first drive around our little town, both times when I was going slow and turning right. I can't wait to practice some more!
Oh! I forgot to tell you it's a Honda Forza 300, for those who want to know.
And it really is kind of heavy. I just couldn't get it onto the centre stand without the Big Fella's help and I was so frustrated about it. But after showing my new baby off to my neighbor, I finally worked it out. I literally jumped up and down and did a little dance.
I'm hanging out to have another ride tomorrow! This afternoon the Big Fella had to go to work and we ended up having the Little Big Fella's best friend and his brother here until bedtime. Even though we were having fun, I was itching to ride!
But tomorrow is a new day and the Big Fella will be home and you can bet I'll be riding around our little town, getting used to my new scooter. I can't wait!!!
Friday, 9 August 2013
Busy at home
Although we live in a town of about 360 people, out in the bush (or maybe the outback, I'm not sure if we qualify for that one?), with little in the way of shops nearby, and few facilities of entertainment, life gets kinda busy!
Here's a few of the things that have been going on since our return from Melbourne almost three weeks ago:
Our new couch arrived! It is SO comfortable - all three of us have fallen asleep on it at least once!
Unfortunately I forgot to arrange for it to be scotch guarded, so I had to spray it myself. After three cans of spray, my right pointer finger was pretty much numb. Surprisingly, it's still numb on the end! I wonder if that will ever fix itself?
The Big Fella and my new mattress also arrived. It's taken a little bit of getting used to, because it's a lot softer than our last one, but now we like it very much!
We've been to our closest major town and tried out their cinema for the first time. There was a cinema running in the next town, but it wasn't very comfortable, and they didn't even do real popcorn! They did microwave-in-a-bag popcorn! So the experience really wasn't there. But the cinema we tried out satisfies the experience, as well as providing the movie, so we'll probably be going back.
The Little Big Fella and I have been for a dental check. It was his first one ever (I know, I'm a terrible mother! ;-) ) and he thought it was pretty cool.
Apparently his teeth were lovely and clean (amazing given how he seems to brush them), and I was told off for not flossing.
The Little Big Fella was wearing a path into our grass with his little motorbike, so the Big Fella took the mower across the road and cut a track through the paddock. The Little Big Fella loves it, but not so much if no one is watching him (I think we may have created a little show off!).
Hmmm, what else has been going on?
Ah yes! We had a bit of a girl's night out last weekend. A friend invited us all around and the Big Fella happened to be home so the Little Big Fella stayed home with him and I got to go out on my own! Ah, the freedom! We had a few drinks, lots of food and lots of good laughs. And one of the girls lit a fire - a very impressive fire! It had to be moved so that it wouldn't accidentally catch on the verandah.
A new cafe/bar/restaurant has opened in the next town and we went and checked it out one afternoon. It had gone on the "definite" list as a location for a future evening out! Hmmm, I need to line that up with our babysitter.
The Big Fella had a few things he wanted to do with our camper trailer so we set it up this week. Of course, the Little Big Fella then wanted to sleep in it. So he and I had a sleep-out when the Big Fella was on night shift.
It was freezing!!!!
And no, I don't mean Queenslander freezing, I mean generally freezing. As in, single digits, I believe below 5 degrees. I spent the whole night with my head inside my sleeping bag - and I never have my head inside my blankets (it's the one experience that makes me feel claustrophobic).
I've also decided that I don't like sleeping bags anymore. It was warm enough, but I hate how hard it is to turn over. The result of that particular night was that I didn't turn over much and woke up with sore hips.
But the Little Big Fella was happy, so that's the point, right?
This week was also my 34th birthday. Now, I have to say that I have some awesome friends and family!
A friend made me a birthday cake (spewing that I didn't take a photo because it looked spectacular, and tasted brilliant!), another friend bought me a birthday cake, I got flowers and presents and hugs...
I got a card from my parents that reminded me of how loved I am. And you know what? That's what I loved about this particular birthday! As an adult, it's not the cards or the cakes or the presents that makes a birthday special for me. It's the love of friends and family, and the effort they put in to make sure I know I'm appreciated.
How can that not make my day great?
So, as well as all that has been the normal housework, kindy runs, food shopping, cooking, reading, watching a little TV, hanging out with my Fellas, playing at the park, and (just this week) getting back into an exercise routine.
You know, sometimes I wonder how I will ever fit my life in when I go back to work???
Here's a few of the things that have been going on since our return from Melbourne almost three weeks ago:
Our new couch arrived! It is SO comfortable - all three of us have fallen asleep on it at least once!
Unfortunately I forgot to arrange for it to be scotch guarded, so I had to spray it myself. After three cans of spray, my right pointer finger was pretty much numb. Surprisingly, it's still numb on the end! I wonder if that will ever fix itself?
The Big Fella and my new mattress also arrived. It's taken a little bit of getting used to, because it's a lot softer than our last one, but now we like it very much!
We've been to our closest major town and tried out their cinema for the first time. There was a cinema running in the next town, but it wasn't very comfortable, and they didn't even do real popcorn! They did microwave-in-a-bag popcorn! So the experience really wasn't there. But the cinema we tried out satisfies the experience, as well as providing the movie, so we'll probably be going back.
The Little Big Fella and I have been for a dental check. It was his first one ever (I know, I'm a terrible mother! ;-) ) and he thought it was pretty cool.
Apparently his teeth were lovely and clean (amazing given how he seems to brush them), and I was told off for not flossing.
The Little Big Fella was wearing a path into our grass with his little motorbike, so the Big Fella took the mower across the road and cut a track through the paddock. The Little Big Fella loves it, but not so much if no one is watching him (I think we may have created a little show off!).
 |
| Every time the Little Big Fella came close to the house, the dogs jumped and yelped. They love chasing the motorbike around! |
 |
| You may not be able to see, but Daddy is watching from the comfort of our little balcony. |
Ah yes! We had a bit of a girl's night out last weekend. A friend invited us all around and the Big Fella happened to be home so the Little Big Fella stayed home with him and I got to go out on my own! Ah, the freedom! We had a few drinks, lots of food and lots of good laughs. And one of the girls lit a fire - a very impressive fire! It had to be moved so that it wouldn't accidentally catch on the verandah.
A new cafe/bar/restaurant has opened in the next town and we went and checked it out one afternoon. It had gone on the "definite" list as a location for a future evening out! Hmmm, I need to line that up with our babysitter.
The Big Fella had a few things he wanted to do with our camper trailer so we set it up this week. Of course, the Little Big Fella then wanted to sleep in it. So he and I had a sleep-out when the Big Fella was on night shift.
It was freezing!!!!
And no, I don't mean Queenslander freezing, I mean generally freezing. As in, single digits, I believe below 5 degrees. I spent the whole night with my head inside my sleeping bag - and I never have my head inside my blankets (it's the one experience that makes me feel claustrophobic).
I've also decided that I don't like sleeping bags anymore. It was warm enough, but I hate how hard it is to turn over. The result of that particular night was that I didn't turn over much and woke up with sore hips.
But the Little Big Fella was happy, so that's the point, right?
This week was also my 34th birthday. Now, I have to say that I have some awesome friends and family!
A friend made me a birthday cake (spewing that I didn't take a photo because it looked spectacular, and tasted brilliant!), another friend bought me a birthday cake, I got flowers and presents and hugs...
I got a card from my parents that reminded me of how loved I am. And you know what? That's what I loved about this particular birthday! As an adult, it's not the cards or the cakes or the presents that makes a birthday special for me. It's the love of friends and family, and the effort they put in to make sure I know I'm appreciated.
How can that not make my day great?
So, as well as all that has been the normal housework, kindy runs, food shopping, cooking, reading, watching a little TV, hanging out with my Fellas, playing at the park, and (just this week) getting back into an exercise routine.
You know, sometimes I wonder how I will ever fit my life in when I go back to work???
Monday, 5 August 2013
Melbourne trip - Last days
Our last two days in Melbourne ended up being pretty busy! I guess I wanted to squeeze in as many visits with people and activities at the same time as I could.
But, we "squeezed in" a sleep in first :-D
Most of the morning was unplanned so we had a sleep in and did a few domestic duties, then jumped in the car and went to find a motorbike gear shop.
See, since the Little Big Fella has started riding his motorbike by himself, my heart has often been in my throat watching him. And while that will probably always be the case, safety gear can go a long way to making me feel a bit better about it!
We found the shop and found these funky motorbike pants (with appropriate padding) and a pair of little gloves.
We've since found some elbow pads that fit him, and decided that the gloves are actually too big for him, so found some that fit even better. For now, we've decided that we're not getting boots. Partly because they're ridiculously expensive and his feet are growing an an equally ridiculous pace, but mostly because he's riding pretty slowly still and there's no logs or anything where he rides, so covered shoes are okay (for now).
After the motorbike shop, we went to a camping place and found me a new winter jacket. I'd bought the jacket I had when I first arrived for my year in America - in 1998! Definitely time for an update. Sorry, no pics for this one, but it was a bargain $50!!!
We got a call from the Big Fella's sister and partner and agreed to meet at a nearby shopping centre for lunch. We ended up at a place called Outback Jack's. There was a big crocodile hanging from the ceiling!
We had a great (BIG) lunch and a good chat then headed into the shopping centre. While the girls were sorting some stuff out with their phones, the Little Big Fella was entertained on a car ride and by going up and down the escalators a million times.
We picked up some gorgeous pork chops to cook up for dinner then it was time to say goodbye until our next visit to Melbourne. Obviously the adults wanted this to last just that little bit longer, but the Little Big Fella strongly believes that when we say goodbye, we're actually going. So he headed up the stairs toward our car!
So we said our goodbyes and had one last hug. I hate goodbyes :-(
We had a bit of time before needing to be "home", so we dropped in on Cadbury J and her kids for a last play.
You know the saying, "two's company, three's a crowd"? There was a little bit of that going on for the first while, but thankfully (after a fair bit of frustration) it settled and they played well together again while us mums caught up some more.
Then it was time to say goodbye. Have I mentioned that I don't like goodbyes?
Sigh.
Back at mum and dad's place, I made dinner, then my sister called to say she'd be coming over. We ended up watching Origin 3 (kind of like a grand final for rugby league), which is kind of funny given that my family isn't very sporty at all and Victorians don't tend to watch rugby. Dad totally got into it!
Just for the record, Queensland won, making it 8 years in a row :-)
Afterwards, my sister wasn't really keen on leaving and we ended up talking till pretty late. Dad also pulled out a bunch of old letters between his parents.
I found out that they lived in a suburb of Melbourne when they first married, and we found the place on the map. That area is now very hoity toity!
Eventually it was that time again. Time to say goodbye. I really hate saying goodbye. Hanging with my sister (especially at P!nk) was really awesome.
But that's just the reality of life when you live in a different state, isn't it? Goodbyes just become part of your life. I guess they're a part of life anyway because even if you stay in the one place, others come and go.
Okay, time to move on again.
The following day, our last in Melbourne, was another friend day. In the morning the Little Big Fella and I met up with my best friend to see Despicable Me 2 at the cinema. Definitely a movie that will end up at our house! It was very funny and entertaining. Unfortunately, my friend hadn't seen the first movie, so some of it wasn't as fun for her.
After the movie, the Little Big Fella got excited about the games in the foyer and pretended to drive the cars, ride the motorbikes and shoot the guns. We had a game of air hockey, which was pretty funny because he could only reach the smallest part of the table. Obviously I tried to make it fun for him and not get the disc in the hole too many times ;-)
Again with the stinking goodbyes!!!
Then it was into the city to meet up with another friend. K was my best friend for about a year in high school before I moved towns. We met up last time I was in Melbourne, when the Little Big Fella was 1.
It turned out that the place we decided to meet had some snow for kids to play with/on. The Little Big Fella would have literally spent the whole afternoon there!!!
Thankfully he got hungry so we went and had some lunch and had a really good catch up.
One thing I found difficult by the end of our time in Melbourne was being constantly in parenting mode. At home, the Big Fella is there to take some of the weight of parenting, and the Little Big Fella has kindy so I get a break then too.
But in Melbourne I was constantly in parenting mode - thinking about distances and how far the Little Big Fella would be happy to walk, thinking about what kinds of food he'd actually eat when we were out, finding toilets in a hurry, dealing with the fact that he gets bored with stuff I like doing. It's all part of being a parent, but it got a bit wearing by the end of our trip.
After lunch it was straight back to the snow to play, while K and I chatted some more. I'd noticed a little earlier that the sky was starting to get quite dark, but hadn't paid that much attention. All of a sudden it let rip! The rain came down hard and fast and we ran to find some cover. Thankfully it settled down a little so we made our way to K's car, because it was closer. Then she drove us around to our car (although, I was a bit disoriented and we went the wrong way initially).
Then there was another goodbye. Sigh.
You know, my biggest problem with goodbyes is that I'm a terrible long-distance friend. I try to keep in touch, but I'm really just not good at it. Life gets busy and it slips further down the to-do list. And I'd understand if my friends felt that they weren't important to me.
But I honestly treasure each of you! At various times in my life you've been the very reason that I love living! Friends (and family - but they're my friends too) are my favourite thing about life.
So, I'm sorry that I'm such a terrible long-distance friend. I will try harder to make time to call or write or text or send you a Facebook message. Because I think you're awesome and I'm incredibly grateful to have had you in my life.
Back to the story ;-)
We managed to head home in peak hour traffic. Woo hoo!
Okay, another side note. I don't know how you guys stand driving that far, in those conditions, all the time! I mean, I only drive a couple of days a week, for about 15 minutes each way, on the highway and it's plenty of car time. But you guys drive up to an hour each way, often in the dark, with crazy people all around you! Hats off to you!
The saving grace on this particular drive was the massive double rainbow!
Mum and dad have recently moved and now have a couple living across the road from them that they get along with really well. So this night we had dinner at their house.
G & K are pretty cool and it was great to finally meet them in person (we would have met them when we were heading back to our old town, the day we had our little roll). I can see why mum and dad get along with them so well - they're the same kind of crazy, as one poster I read recently put it.
We had a lovely dinner, and the Little Big Fella had a play with their dogs, then we retired to the front room and sat around the fire. K had bought some American marshmallows and made some awesome little marshmallow toasting sticks. So the Little Big Fella cooked them up for everyone (he only likes them uncooked) until we all felt kind of sick.
Then it was time to say goodbye and go "home" to finish packing, ready to head home the next day.
But, we "squeezed in" a sleep in first :-D
Most of the morning was unplanned so we had a sleep in and did a few domestic duties, then jumped in the car and went to find a motorbike gear shop.
See, since the Little Big Fella has started riding his motorbike by himself, my heart has often been in my throat watching him. And while that will probably always be the case, safety gear can go a long way to making me feel a bit better about it!
We found the shop and found these funky motorbike pants (with appropriate padding) and a pair of little gloves.
We've since found some elbow pads that fit him, and decided that the gloves are actually too big for him, so found some that fit even better. For now, we've decided that we're not getting boots. Partly because they're ridiculously expensive and his feet are growing an an equally ridiculous pace, but mostly because he's riding pretty slowly still and there's no logs or anything where he rides, so covered shoes are okay (for now).
After the motorbike shop, we went to a camping place and found me a new winter jacket. I'd bought the jacket I had when I first arrived for my year in America - in 1998! Definitely time for an update. Sorry, no pics for this one, but it was a bargain $50!!!
We got a call from the Big Fella's sister and partner and agreed to meet at a nearby shopping centre for lunch. We ended up at a place called Outback Jack's. There was a big crocodile hanging from the ceiling!
We had a great (BIG) lunch and a good chat then headed into the shopping centre. While the girls were sorting some stuff out with their phones, the Little Big Fella was entertained on a car ride and by going up and down the escalators a million times.
We picked up some gorgeous pork chops to cook up for dinner then it was time to say goodbye until our next visit to Melbourne. Obviously the adults wanted this to last just that little bit longer, but the Little Big Fella strongly believes that when we say goodbye, we're actually going. So he headed up the stairs toward our car!
So we said our goodbyes and had one last hug. I hate goodbyes :-(
We had a bit of time before needing to be "home", so we dropped in on Cadbury J and her kids for a last play.
You know the saying, "two's company, three's a crowd"? There was a little bit of that going on for the first while, but thankfully (after a fair bit of frustration) it settled and they played well together again while us mums caught up some more.
Then it was time to say goodbye. Have I mentioned that I don't like goodbyes?
Sigh.
Back at mum and dad's place, I made dinner, then my sister called to say she'd be coming over. We ended up watching Origin 3 (kind of like a grand final for rugby league), which is kind of funny given that my family isn't very sporty at all and Victorians don't tend to watch rugby. Dad totally got into it!
Just for the record, Queensland won, making it 8 years in a row :-)
Afterwards, my sister wasn't really keen on leaving and we ended up talking till pretty late. Dad also pulled out a bunch of old letters between his parents.
I found out that they lived in a suburb of Melbourne when they first married, and we found the place on the map. That area is now very hoity toity!
Eventually it was that time again. Time to say goodbye. I really hate saying goodbye. Hanging with my sister (especially at P!nk) was really awesome.
But that's just the reality of life when you live in a different state, isn't it? Goodbyes just become part of your life. I guess they're a part of life anyway because even if you stay in the one place, others come and go.
Okay, time to move on again.
The following day, our last in Melbourne, was another friend day. In the morning the Little Big Fella and I met up with my best friend to see Despicable Me 2 at the cinema. Definitely a movie that will end up at our house! It was very funny and entertaining. Unfortunately, my friend hadn't seen the first movie, so some of it wasn't as fun for her.
After the movie, the Little Big Fella got excited about the games in the foyer and pretended to drive the cars, ride the motorbikes and shoot the guns. We had a game of air hockey, which was pretty funny because he could only reach the smallest part of the table. Obviously I tried to make it fun for him and not get the disc in the hole too many times ;-)
Again with the stinking goodbyes!!!
Then it was into the city to meet up with another friend. K was my best friend for about a year in high school before I moved towns. We met up last time I was in Melbourne, when the Little Big Fella was 1.
It turned out that the place we decided to meet had some snow for kids to play with/on. The Little Big Fella would have literally spent the whole afternoon there!!!
Thankfully he got hungry so we went and had some lunch and had a really good catch up.
One thing I found difficult by the end of our time in Melbourne was being constantly in parenting mode. At home, the Big Fella is there to take some of the weight of parenting, and the Little Big Fella has kindy so I get a break then too.
But in Melbourne I was constantly in parenting mode - thinking about distances and how far the Little Big Fella would be happy to walk, thinking about what kinds of food he'd actually eat when we were out, finding toilets in a hurry, dealing with the fact that he gets bored with stuff I like doing. It's all part of being a parent, but it got a bit wearing by the end of our trip.
After lunch it was straight back to the snow to play, while K and I chatted some more. I'd noticed a little earlier that the sky was starting to get quite dark, but hadn't paid that much attention. All of a sudden it let rip! The rain came down hard and fast and we ran to find some cover. Thankfully it settled down a little so we made our way to K's car, because it was closer. Then she drove us around to our car (although, I was a bit disoriented and we went the wrong way initially).
Then there was another goodbye. Sigh.
You know, my biggest problem with goodbyes is that I'm a terrible long-distance friend. I try to keep in touch, but I'm really just not good at it. Life gets busy and it slips further down the to-do list. And I'd understand if my friends felt that they weren't important to me.
But I honestly treasure each of you! At various times in my life you've been the very reason that I love living! Friends (and family - but they're my friends too) are my favourite thing about life.
So, I'm sorry that I'm such a terrible long-distance friend. I will try harder to make time to call or write or text or send you a Facebook message. Because I think you're awesome and I'm incredibly grateful to have had you in my life.
Back to the story ;-)
We managed to head home in peak hour traffic. Woo hoo!
Okay, another side note. I don't know how you guys stand driving that far, in those conditions, all the time! I mean, I only drive a couple of days a week, for about 15 minutes each way, on the highway and it's plenty of car time. But you guys drive up to an hour each way, often in the dark, with crazy people all around you! Hats off to you!
The saving grace on this particular drive was the massive double rainbow!
Mum and dad have recently moved and now have a couple living across the road from them that they get along with really well. So this night we had dinner at their house.
G & K are pretty cool and it was great to finally meet them in person (we would have met them when we were heading back to our old town, the day we had our little roll). I can see why mum and dad get along with them so well - they're the same kind of crazy, as one poster I read recently put it.
We had a lovely dinner, and the Little Big Fella had a play with their dogs, then we retired to the front room and sat around the fire. K had bought some American marshmallows and made some awesome little marshmallow toasting sticks. So the Little Big Fella cooked them up for everyone (he only likes them uncooked) until we all felt kind of sick.
Then it was time to say goodbye and go "home" to finish packing, ready to head home the next day.
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Will we survive?
You might remember that a few weeks ago the Little Big Fella managed to cut his finger with a steak knife whilst trying to open a packet of tortillas by himself. He learned that scissors are a better option.
Earlier this week the Little Big Fella was trying to do a handstand off the trampoline onto the concrete. Obviously the fact that I'm telling you about it means that he was unsuccessful. He learned that the grass is the best place to practice handstands.
Last night my darling son (again) couldn't wait for me to use the facilities while he was dying of hunger. He got a scone (Americans call them biscuits) from the freezer, put it on a plastic plate and put it in the microwave. First thing I knew about any of this was when I exited the loo to be told something about smoke, although I didn't decipher that part immediately.
"All right, show me what you've done", said I.
I was guided to the kitchen, to discover smoke pouring out of the microwave.
The next 5 minutes were spent throwing the black scone and melted plate over the balcony onto the grass and trying to get smoke out of the house, whilst waving a placemat at the smoke detector to shut it up.
The Little Big Fella has since learned which one button on the microwave he is allowed to push (our start button will set the time to 30 seconds).
But all of this makes me wonder if any of us will survive to his adulthood. No doubt there will be broken bones in the future, especially given the new motorbike skills he's developing. I'm wondering if there'll be electrocutions, loss of digits or limbs, all manner of (hopefully minor) fire incidents...
Then there's the reality that I am now a heart-in-mouth parent. Watching my little boy get a few wobbles on that bike was very stressful!
But, the flipside of it all is that my "little" Big Fella is not going to be little for long. He's learning how to do things for himself (albeit the hard way). As well as food-related independence, we've been teaching him some letters of the alphabet while he's on holidays from kindy. And he's soaking it up like a sponge!
So I guess now is a significant learning time for the Little Big Fella, and it would probably be smart for us to make the most of that. Because soon he'll know it all ;-)
Earlier this week the Little Big Fella was trying to do a handstand off the trampoline onto the concrete. Obviously the fact that I'm telling you about it means that he was unsuccessful. He learned that the grass is the best place to practice handstands.
Last night my darling son (again) couldn't wait for me to use the facilities while he was dying of hunger. He got a scone (Americans call them biscuits) from the freezer, put it on a plastic plate and put it in the microwave. First thing I knew about any of this was when I exited the loo to be told something about smoke, although I didn't decipher that part immediately.
"All right, show me what you've done", said I.
I was guided to the kitchen, to discover smoke pouring out of the microwave.
The next 5 minutes were spent throwing the black scone and melted plate over the balcony onto the grass and trying to get smoke out of the house, whilst waving a placemat at the smoke detector to shut it up.
The Little Big Fella has since learned which one button on the microwave he is allowed to push (our start button will set the time to 30 seconds).
But all of this makes me wonder if any of us will survive to his adulthood. No doubt there will be broken bones in the future, especially given the new motorbike skills he's developing. I'm wondering if there'll be electrocutions, loss of digits or limbs, all manner of (hopefully minor) fire incidents...
Then there's the reality that I am now a heart-in-mouth parent. Watching my little boy get a few wobbles on that bike was very stressful!
But, the flipside of it all is that my "little" Big Fella is not going to be little for long. He's learning how to do things for himself (albeit the hard way). As well as food-related independence, we've been teaching him some letters of the alphabet while he's on holidays from kindy. And he's soaking it up like a sponge!
So I guess now is a significant learning time for the Little Big Fella, and it would probably be smart for us to make the most of that. Because soon he'll know it all ;-)
Monday, 24 June 2013
Overcoming fear
I think the Little Big Fella had just turned two years old when he got his first bike... motorbike, that is. The Big Fella bought it and "tested" it at work:
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And the Little Big Fella loved it from Day 1!
He literally did (and does) sit on it and pretend to be riding!
So either the Big Fella or I would jump on the back with the Little Big Fella and take him for rides around the yard, or just up the road to a big paddock, or around the lagoons.
At that point he was riding a pushbike with a handle on the back. He couldn't steer in a straight line, so we had to "adjust" his trajectory for him.
Over time he's gotten great at riding his pushy. He and I used to ride along the Esplanade on our bikes, and he even got to the point of riding over the ramps at the park.
When he ruined his "old" pushbike (I'm not sure toddler bikes are designed for skate ramps), the Big Fella bought him a really good BMX-style bike. It's tough and should last for at least a couple of years. Unlike his previous bike, which had back-pedal brakes, this one has handle-bar brakes.
During our rides together on the motorbike, we'd gotten to the point that the Little Big Fella did the majority of the steering and throttle control.
So now the Little Big Fella had developed the ability to ride in a straight line, and the ability to use handle-bar brakes, and an understanding of how to use the throttle. In theory, he could ride his motorbike all by himself.
In theory.
The problem is, he was too afraid.
The Little Big Fella had the skills he needed, he just needed the confidence in his abilities.
The Big Fella tried forcing the Little Big Fella to do it on his own. But that seemed to make him more afraid. He tried coercion, to no avail.
How do you help someone overcome their fear?
Sometimes the solution is to build that confidence little by little.
The Big Fella somehow got the Little Big Fella to sit on the motorbike all by himself. That in itself was a bit of a feat!
Then Daddy got his son to keep his feet on the ground and move forward just a foot.
And then a little bit more.
And then a couple of big steps.
And then a couple of metres.
And then along one side of the yard.
And then he was off! (Cautiously.)
The dogs thought it was great fun running around with him (possibly the most exercise they've had in a little while!).
The Little Big Fella was so impressed with himself!!!
Daddy started riding my pushbike around to keep up with the Little Big Fella, but then decided that his big motorbike was a much better idea!
The Little Big Fella wanted to show me, and then he wanted all his friends to come around and see him do it. And then he wanted to ride all yesterday, and all of today, and will probably ask first thing tomorrow morning!
The Big Fella was so impressed and excited that he called his parents, then my parents (who are part of the Ulysses) to brag.
It is definitely a momentous day in my son's life!
The whole process got me thinking a bit about fear though. The Little Big Fella had what he needed to move forward, but fear stopped him for months! And I wonder how many times I've let fear hold me back. And how many times others have helped me moved forward, little bit by little bit, until I realised I could do it on my own!
Maybe it's time to take a leaf out of my son's book and overcome a little (or big) fear.
.jpg)
And the Little Big Fella loved it from Day 1!
He literally did (and does) sit on it and pretend to be riding!
So either the Big Fella or I would jump on the back with the Little Big Fella and take him for rides around the yard, or just up the road to a big paddock, or around the lagoons.
At that point he was riding a pushbike with a handle on the back. He couldn't steer in a straight line, so we had to "adjust" his trajectory for him.
Over time he's gotten great at riding his pushy. He and I used to ride along the Esplanade on our bikes, and he even got to the point of riding over the ramps at the park.
When he ruined his "old" pushbike (I'm not sure toddler bikes are designed for skate ramps), the Big Fella bought him a really good BMX-style bike. It's tough and should last for at least a couple of years. Unlike his previous bike, which had back-pedal brakes, this one has handle-bar brakes.
During our rides together on the motorbike, we'd gotten to the point that the Little Big Fella did the majority of the steering and throttle control.
So now the Little Big Fella had developed the ability to ride in a straight line, and the ability to use handle-bar brakes, and an understanding of how to use the throttle. In theory, he could ride his motorbike all by himself.
In theory.
The problem is, he was too afraid.
The Little Big Fella had the skills he needed, he just needed the confidence in his abilities.
The Big Fella tried forcing the Little Big Fella to do it on his own. But that seemed to make him more afraid. He tried coercion, to no avail.
How do you help someone overcome their fear?
Sometimes the solution is to build that confidence little by little.
The Big Fella somehow got the Little Big Fella to sit on the motorbike all by himself. That in itself was a bit of a feat!
Then Daddy got his son to keep his feet on the ground and move forward just a foot.
And then a little bit more.
And then a couple of big steps.
And then a couple of metres.
And then along one side of the yard.
And then he was off! (Cautiously.)
The dogs thought it was great fun running around with him (possibly the most exercise they've had in a little while!).
The Little Big Fella was so impressed with himself!!!
Daddy started riding my pushbike around to keep up with the Little Big Fella, but then decided that his big motorbike was a much better idea!
The Little Big Fella wanted to show me, and then he wanted all his friends to come around and see him do it. And then he wanted to ride all yesterday, and all of today, and will probably ask first thing tomorrow morning!
The Big Fella was so impressed and excited that he called his parents, then my parents (who are part of the Ulysses) to brag.
It is definitely a momentous day in my son's life!
The whole process got me thinking a bit about fear though. The Little Big Fella had what he needed to move forward, but fear stopped him for months! And I wonder how many times I've let fear hold me back. And how many times others have helped me moved forward, little bit by little bit, until I realised I could do it on my own!
Maybe it's time to take a leaf out of my son's book and overcome a little (or big) fear.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
New Year? Bah, humbug!
You might have noticed that I like the Christmas period... just a little bit. But when it comes to New Years, I am so bah, humbug!
I've been trying for three days to write a 2012 review and/or 2013 plans post but it's just not working for me. I'm not a new year resolution kind of gal, and generally I'd rather go to bed early then wake up with the sunrise for the New Year. So, seeing that my heart just isn't in it, I'm moving on!
Yesterday the Little Big Fella "discovered" a bunch of little presents in a box from my parents. He'd already opened it on Christmas Day but didn't really pay attention at the time. But on discovering paints in the box, it was on!
We got out the messy mat and an old t-shirt of mine to protect his clothes then I let him go for it with the paints while I took photos :-D He ended up painting his fingernails (guess what Mummy's been doing lately that's slightly unusual!) and getting it all over his hands!
For some reason I've also had a bit of a clean out bug over the past week so I've been going through the cupboards and drawers and tossing lots of stuff into bags for the Salvos. So far I have three and a half garbage bags of clothes and linen, about 3 shopping bags of toys and a bag of Christmas decorations all loaded up in the car for the next time I go in that direction.
I also started copying all of my photos from CDs to an external hard drive today. Seriously big job! Mostly because I get distracted :-D I got to remember lots of fun times so I thought I'd share a few of them here:
Oh! And I saw an idea on Facebook just before Christmas where you write down things that make you smile throughout the year and put them in a box. Then at the end of the year you get to look at what a great year you've had! So I started that tonight.
Wanna know what I wrote about?
Of course you do!
I wrote about the Little Big Fella and I having a jump on his new trampoline for about half an hour this evening, when he probably should have been having a shower. We laughed and giggled and tickled and crashed into each other and had a great time.
Yeah, that's a good memory :-)
I've been trying for three days to write a 2012 review and/or 2013 plans post but it's just not working for me. I'm not a new year resolution kind of gal, and generally I'd rather go to bed early then wake up with the sunrise for the New Year. So, seeing that my heart just isn't in it, I'm moving on!
Yesterday the Little Big Fella "discovered" a bunch of little presents in a box from my parents. He'd already opened it on Christmas Day but didn't really pay attention at the time. But on discovering paints in the box, it was on!
We got out the messy mat and an old t-shirt of mine to protect his clothes then I let him go for it with the paints while I took photos :-D He ended up painting his fingernails (guess what Mummy's been doing lately that's slightly unusual!) and getting it all over his hands!
For some reason I've also had a bit of a clean out bug over the past week so I've been going through the cupboards and drawers and tossing lots of stuff into bags for the Salvos. So far I have three and a half garbage bags of clothes and linen, about 3 shopping bags of toys and a bag of Christmas decorations all loaded up in the car for the next time I go in that direction.
I also started copying all of my photos from CDs to an external hard drive today. Seriously big job! Mostly because I get distracted :-D I got to remember lots of fun times so I thought I'd share a few of them here:
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| You've seen this one before, but here's my little boy learning to ride his motorbike. |
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| My 21st birthday! Isn't this cake cool? Unfortunately the staff at the restaurant threw out all of the toffee pieces :-( Fun night though! |
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| This is Alvin. He was one of our first attempts at owning chooks and ducks. Yeah, that didn't turn out so well! The first three chicks all died, then Alvin was all alone so he moved to a new place with lots of ducks. |
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| The Big Fella and I remember this photo being taken. It was one of the most awkward moments EVER! We were keen on each other but not together and our friend who took the photo kept trying to get us to stand closer together. Awkward. |
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| The Little Big Fella was mucking around trying to get into one of our large suitcases around the time that the Big Fella was driving back and forth from here to our old place. This photo makes me smile, but feel sad at the same time because it reminds me of how much we missed the Big Fella when we were living mostly apart. |
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| Obviously our wedding. We had so much fun that day and I thought he looked SO handsome in his suit! |
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| This is my Big Fella trying to catch my sister's bouquet! |
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| When we still lived in Victoria I danced with these girls. For this concert we were dressed as dolls and danced to Gwen Stefani's "Tick Tock". |
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| Here's my Little Big Fella in his first week of life! |
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| The Big Fella and I lived with a couple in Darwin for a few weeks before we moved to our last town. The couple were in their 60s and 80s and were hippies. The bathroom that we used had about 12 or 14 of these little frogs in it all the time - they're only about 3cm long. One day I was showering and screamed! One of them must have been on my facecloth and had jumped onto my tummy!!!! Once I realised what it was I laughed. |
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| Here's my biggest fish catch ever! A barramundi :-) |
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| I finally graduated - it took me about 6 years and I didn't quite complete my degree so graduated with a diploma. |
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| These are my grandparents - my Dad's parents. I was stoked when I came across these photos on my CDs! |
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| And in the front here are my other grandparents - my Mum's parents. And all of my Aunts, Uncles and cousins celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary. We all stayed together for a weekend to celebrate, and dressed up for a bit of a fancy dinner on the Saturday night. |
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| Here's a rare photo of us together - I think it's at Mossman Gorge. This was definitely the worst holiday we've ever had, but it was good to see the photos and see that we actually had some good times amongst it all. |
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| Lining up in the plastic bags are some of the staff where I worked. The students got to throw plates of cream at them :-) |
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| This is one of the Big Fella's favourite places! A Polish deli with all kinds of meats and salamis and smallgoods. We sometimes went here (it was about an hour from home), bought a whole bunch of things from this deli, and some breads and dips and whatever else caught our eye. Then we'd find a park or just take it all home and eat it together. |
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| Here's my best friend! This was at my goodbye dinner before I left Victoria. |
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| This was a constant source of amusement when the Little Big Fella was younger. He'd often grab the vacuum cleaner from me to suck up his hair, skin, clothes or whatever. It brought a lot of giggles :-) |
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| This is one of the first times the Little Big Fella and I cooked together. It's also the time that he fell backwards off the chair and bumped his head. I ended up calling 13 HEALTH to check what I should be looking out for (in case he had a concussion) and they put me through to the ambulance. The ambos were absolutely wonderful, and the Little Big Fella was back to his normal self by the time they got there (of course!). |
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| This is the Little Big Fella on the "Little Red Tractor" with Poppy. This is one of his absolute favourite things to do when we visit Poppy and he normally starts asking as soon as we get there (often before we've even walked in the door). Luckily Poppy likes it too :-) |
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| The Big Fella and I went to IMax 3D last time we were in Victoria (before the Little Big Fella was born). There happened to be a group of school kids in the theatre with us and I screamed more than any of them when the shark appeared (it was a sea movie). |
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| The Big Fella decided to smoke some meat using his BBQ. Unfortunately he "smoked" the patio too - putting a hole in the roof and also on the side, behind the BBQ :-D |
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| Ever wondered why I call myself "ScooterShell"? This is me on my scooter, long before the Little Big Fella came along. I ended up selling it while I was pregnant, and bought and awesome camera instead. I loved my scooter, and one day I'll have a big one!!!! |
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| I was a volunteer at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, before we moved to Queensland. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed meeting lots of different people. |
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| This is my Dad on the trampoline when we were kids. Nothing like a parent jumping :-D |
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| This is Poppy with his motorbike and sidecar. When we first moved to Queensland we stayed with my grandparents for a couple of months and the Big Fella helped Poppy re-paint his bike and sidecar yellow :-) |
Oh! And I saw an idea on Facebook just before Christmas where you write down things that make you smile throughout the year and put them in a box. Then at the end of the year you get to look at what a great year you've had! So I started that tonight.
Wanna know what I wrote about?
Of course you do!
I wrote about the Little Big Fella and I having a jump on his new trampoline for about half an hour this evening, when he probably should have been having a shower. We laughed and giggled and tickled and crashed into each other and had a great time.
Yeah, that's a good memory :-)
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