Merry Christmas and a Spectacular Old Year!

Happy Christmas everyone!  I know we're meant to be wishing Happy New Year (which I do!), but I was thinking about the old year, seeing as it's about to toddle off into history.

Today is an amazing day.  Not the day of Jesus' actual birth of course, but the day we celebrate it.  There's a lot of fun and goofy and old and new traditions attached and intertwined of course - trees, lights to brighten the solstice, decorations, paper hats, gifts, feasts, to name a few.  But when we stop and think about the miracle of Jesus, really, it's pretty awe-inspiring.

There are lots of carols, most of which we are all pretty immune to after hearing them blare on loudspeakers for weeks on end.  But I thought of the words to one this morning:  "He rules the world with truth and grace."  You know, truth and grace are pretty cool things.  Imagine what it would be like if we always spoke the truth to each other.  And did it with grace, and grace-full-ness.  Some definitions of grace:  mercy; clemency; pardon;  a sense of propriety and consideration for others.  How cool would that be?

This has also been a pretty amazing year.  Some wonderful miracles that came my way:  getting my life back through renewed health and well-being.  Having a new, awesome work to do where I can help others do the same.  New friends, new goals, people to push me and challenge me and help me move forward and change.

There've been other events, too.  Visits from family.  Leaving my real estate job - no regrets, just fond memories.  Trials and traumas too, but overall a great - fantastic year.  On New Year's Day, January 1st 2010, there were 2 gorgeous rainbows in the sky, which I felt were a double-promise of an amazing year.  I can't wait to see what 2011 brings.

Pushing Through

That seems to be theme of late.  It's a good one, just not any easy one.

I've started work at my new occupation - Chiropractic Assistant and Practice Manager.  It's not an easy road.  The learning curve has not only been steep, it feels like it's going around a twisty mountain and there's a few places where I've wondered about the guardrail.

It's presented me with all kinds of amazing opportunities.  Like the opportunity to grow personally as well as professionally.  I've been blessed with a fantastic coach and mentor - one who doesn't hesitate to push me to more than I thought possible, encourage me to do the right thing, correct me, and show me better ways to do things. It's been a real miracle, this whole process.  It's run me off my feet, but I've been pushing through.

I had to push through last night as I drove to a seminar in West Melbourne - on my own - in the pouring rain and in unfamiliar, opposite-side-of-the-road territory, driving on tram tracks (wait until one of those comes up behind you).  I must confess I was fairly stressed by the time I had to squeeze my car into the tiny, parallel-parking spot in the middle (!) of Victoria Parade.  But fairly amused and proud still because I'd done it.

Then the car died.

I called RACV and proceeded to wait for the service van.  What to do?  I had driven all this way to attend a seminar, and I only had half an hour to wait for a van that was 90 minutes from coming.  Push through.  I cancelled the call (which meant placing another one after 10pm) and went to the lecture.  OK, so I really struggled to pay attention, and was pretty stressed out.  But I did it.  And prayed hard to get home from the city.  I called the RACV later (after recharging the minutes on my mobile which, conveniently, had run out). 

Guess what?  The car started before the van got there.  Oh me of little faith.  God got that car home, because it died again today, and I had to push through and figure that out. But a really cool verse came up tonight on the Bible website.  It's the verse that was quoted to me in a prayer meeting when we first got here.  “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”(Jeremiah 29:11)

Yeah, these plans are pretty cool.  I guess I just have to keep pushing through.

Directionally Challenged

We've moved into our new rental house.  It's a different size and shape to the old one, with cupboard challenges (think "simplify") and a very wet, small garden surrounding (I miss park-like setting) but it's got some really fantastic features.  It's got an actual pantry with shelves, a linen cupbard (again, with the much loved shelves), a lock-up garage with workbenches in it, a tool shed and another shed which we suspect had animals in it (time for a chook?) and a family room which we have converted to the lounge/dining room. 

That extra room has been a huge blessing - it enabled Andrew to convert the original lounge/dining to a much more client-friendly office, thus freeing up the bedrooms from A) being walked by, and B) giving us a real guest bedroom and my own little office.  If you come over for a cuppa, you can get the gist of the layout.  Then be sure to tell me, because the new pantry is where the old fridge was, and the fridge is now where the cupboards were...which, if I am not careful, could have some interesting results.

I have also started my new duties as Chiropractic Assistant at Peak Potential Bulleen.  I plunged into the deep end today on one of the busiest Saturdays.  Wow, I have a lot learn.  It was full on - but in a really good way.  It reminds of that email that periodically gets forwarded to all our inboxes:  you know, the one about ending up all exhausted and disheveled, commenting to your best mate about what a fantastic ride life is.

With all these exciting changes, I've really felt as though God is expanding my thinking.  I suppose that could be more accurately phrased as "blowing my mind."  Each year since moving to Australia, I seem to be privileged to experience new and deeper levels of awe at the blessings God provides, and the new directions we have moved in.  Its scary and challenging and exciting all the same time.  I'm looking forward to more of the ride!

Photos, Finally!

As promised, I've finally gotten around to having Andrew snap some shots of me.  This is what I look like after 3 months of eating healthy and 1 month or so of exercising a bit.  I haven't been on the scale this week (flat battery), but at last count I was down 12 kilos.

On Your Mark, Get Set...Already Going!

We're in the process of moving.  We just don't know where to yet.  I'm hoping this mystery will be solved by the end of the week.  I like a bit of suspense, but I must admit I'd like to have a known destination.

The packing is actually coming along.  With help from Jan, the super-packer who has never moved home in 30 years but has in fact helped our her children move on many occasions, we've gotten the fiddly little bits and pieces from the the lounge, dining room and kitchen almost all packed.  Now for the offices/bedrooms.

I've also started full-throttle in marketing at my new job.  The problem is getting my brain to shut off when I'm not actually working.  I'm going to have to go do something really mindless to get a rest...actually, NOT mindless because my brain will continue ticking along.  I'm going to have to do something that totally distracts my brain, like a good movie or coffee with a friend.

Exercising seems to help to, especially if it is something like swimming which requires concentrating on not trying to breathe the water.   I've even found myself out walking more (on purpose) and expending all kinds of energy I would have only wished I could 3 months ago.  All in all, my brain may be annoying me by constantly going, but I must say, like the rest of me, it does seem to be more active these days!

Birthday Treats

I'm enjoying my birthday week.  It's been a wonderful month so far, with good things happening.  Among the good things, I was unexpectedly offered a part-time position in marketing at Peak Potential Bulleen, my chiropractor's health & wellness centre.

I decided that tonight, since Andrew was having take away, I'd treat myself to a lamb souvlaki.  The local Fish Caff does some tasty food, and the souvlaki has a reasonable portion of meat on it.  Three months ago I would have said it was too small.

I also decided to treat myself to 5 small chips (fries) from Andrew's overflowing plate (seriously, "minimum chips" in Australia really means "enough to feed a family of twelve").  I also had a few nibbles of the pita bread, as wheat is something else I haven't had in recent months, but resolutely put the rest in the bin before I ate it all.  What a delicious treat - my taste buds were incredibly happy.

The only problem was after I'd finished eating, I began to feel like I'd swallowed glue.  I suppose it makes sense, as you can make a pretty good glue out of flour and water.  Pretty soon, I began to feel as if I'd swallowed a balloon covered in glue.  I'm certain my stomach is giggling at me, saying, "you want me to digest WHAT?"  My taste buds refuse to admit anything.

Guess who's getting up at 5 am to go swimming tomorrow?  Someone who wants to feel a lot healthier!

Packing Once, Packing Twice...

I finally started packing today.  That's when I discovered the packing tape I'd purchased probably won't be the best for holding the boxes together...although if the contents fall out it will be fewer items to move.

We of course knew when we moved in that the bulldozers would be driving through the walls of our cherished house one day, but it is still a bit sad.  We love this house and this neighbourhood, and have no idea where we will end up next.  Well, hopefully within a 10 kilometre radius, but apart from that, we're still looking for a rental.

I suppose on the upside, all this packing and moving will provide a free, in-home gym experience.  I have purchased a 10-pass to the swimming facility, but haven't had a chance to go this weekend as several of us attended a women's conference in the city.  I did make up for by walking all over Southbank in 2 days.  I'm certain the Exhibition Centre itself is at least 50 kilometres long.  We were able to drive from the hotel to the conference on the second day, but of course being women, we made up for it by walking around window shopping.  The good news is that it walked off the 4 bites of white chocolate mud cake I had in honour of a friend's birthday. 

So, this week will be spent finding boxes and packing materials and turning the house into a cardboard fortress.  I'm still working on the cardboard arrows and moat to keep the bulldozers out.

Does This Make Me Look...Skinny?

I sat down to watch some mindless TV today, and found myself in my room trying on outfits instead.  I have some lovely ensembles from my wedding & honeymoon, and another embroidered outfit that haven't seen much wear; with our move coming up, this seemed an opportune time to check out my wardrobe.

Not having a full length mirror, I ended up waiting for Andrew to come in from the garage, whereupon I showcased a series of fashionable, lovely clothes which now fit with all the elegance of potato-sacks.

The diet itself is going well.  I've tested my system's reaction by introducing a couple of elements, such as dairy and sugar.  A cream-based soup proved to inflame joints, as did sugar.  The sugar was by accident.  I bought what I thought was a healthy snack option as a treat, and discovered after a mouthful that I hadn't read the packaging properly.  I braved the delicious taste - until the overly-sweet substance left a burning sensation in my throat and heaps of arthritic joint pain the next day.  Into the bin it went!

I'm now going to have to introduce some exercise into my routine, despite the chilly winter.  I'm thinking swimming, but not before I purchase a new bathing suit.  My old one seems to have "potato sack" written across it.

Post Detox Diet Musings

Well, I've finished the detox diet program!  I celebrated my progress by buying myself a new black leather purse - one that converts to a little backpack in order to save my back from more stress, and has a better chance of looking "fashionable" than my well-loved but decidedly LL Bean 'outdoorswoman' look backpack that I used during my medical education days.

On the last night of my program we had a lovely dinner at my sister-in-law's home, and she thoughtfully prepared a meal which would be easy for me to pick and choose what eat.   She did pass around a scrumptious-looking tart afterwards and an even more scrumptious-looking box of Lindt chocolates, but I must say I wasn't anxious to find out how I'll feel after indulging, so I gave them a skip.  I decided if I'm going to get a bit ill, I'll save the chocolates for my birthday.  Odd thinking, that.

I'm really excited to continue the weight loss and health-full-ness which has begun on this particular journey.  My healthcare practitioner suggested it would be worthwhile to continue with the diet as it seems to be benefiting me enormously healthwise - and I certainly like the way it is making less of me!

Can't Hold My Drink

As I've mentioned, I seem to have a somewhat unusual problem of not being able to hold my drink.  Water, that is.  Everyone I've come across who is healthy and drinks heaps of water says, don't worry, after a few days your system will adjust.

Apparently, I am not normal.  (Just ask my husband or any family member to confirm this.)

This was brougt home to me dramatically during an excellent presenation I was attending.  About 15 to 20 minutes into the talk, my body reminded me urgently of the litre of water I had consumed about an hour beforehand.  It was too small a venue to sneak out inconspicuously, so I held my peace (so to speak), and discreetly darted off to the nearest loo as soon as the speaker was finished.

My hopes for a quick trip followed by an unobtrusive departure were soon dashed.  I had been too discreet.  Everyone left VERY quickly, much more quickly than I'd anticipated.  I didn't get locked in, but it was a near thing!   Once I get over my sheepishness about it, I'm sure I'll be laughing.  But not after I've drunk a litre of water.

Health Nut...Or Nuts Not To Be?

This whole process of getting the toxins out of my body and even losing some kilos has left me amazed at seeing how being unhealthy and overweight drained my energy, my enjoyment, time spent with friends, my emotions, my outlook.

Lately, life has been a lot more fun.  I've been going out at night, ringing friends saying "let's do something," getting the chores done now instead of the proverbial "later."

Those "health nuts" might have a piece of something.  We do seem to have lost touch with the basics of how we are created to move and live and be in this busy, inventive, modern world.  I think it honours our Creator when we take care of ourselves.

I sure am nuts about how being healthy is impacting me in a positive way!

Ooh, I Broke A Nail...

Final Phase of the Detox starts tomorrow - hurrah!  In preparation for it, I had a wonderfully relaxing lymphatic drainage massage (it really does help boost the immune system).  I was warned I might feel lethargic afterwards, but as I needed to bring in wood for this evening's fire, I decided to ignore that bit.  Actually I'm feeling great.

After a light lunch, I donned the old work gloves, and started hauling.  I promptly discovered it is possible to break a nail, even while wearing protective gloves.

I did discover an advantage to wearing work gloves, however; as I pulled another piece of wood of the lower, wetter pile, a large, creepy, grey-green spider with black spots was uncovered.  After the requisite "eek" and jump, I actually summoned the courage to find a piece of discarded wood and squish it.  Quite unsurprisingly, it squished quite well.  The surpising bit is that I noticed this because I didn't close my eyes.

I wonder if I can convince Andrew to get the next lot of wood?  I'll tell him it's for the good of my nails.

Now We're Cooking With Coconuts

I'm 3 weeks plus into the detox, and striking out in strange and weird directions.  Specifically, I went on a hunt for coconut oil, which has a much higher smoke point than olive oil, and is actually better for you when frying foods.  Coconut oil (or butter) comes in a jar and is weirdly solid until you heat it.  The upside of that is you don't spill it everywhere.

My downfall came when I got impatient, and instead of locating the deodorized item, I picked up the only brand I could find in the store.  I've been forced to admit that unless the dish I'm cooking calls for coconut, the flavour really IS more noticeable than I'd like.

I've been drinking (for me) heaps of water, but in reality I've finally gotten up to a normal, non-dehydrated level.  I wish my brain would inform the rest of my system, which seems determined to mimic a motion-sensitive sink tap.  Apparently this seems to be a Barbara-specific problem, so don't be afraid to drink more water!

I'm getting the hang of not resorting to frozen vegetables and microwaves, and Andrew is even gaining a bit of benefit with fresher foods, despite my cooking a separate meal for him.  I try to cross over on the veggies where possible, but we have very some different preferences in types and styles of cooking.  I think I need a bigger stove and more pots & pans...and some more prep space.  I wonder if we really need that microwave...

Energy Drink

I've discovered the ultimate energy drink:  water.

OK, it's not just the water, it's getting the body healthy.  We all hear about how good health and nutrition will actually make you feel better, more focused, have more energy, yada yada yada.  And we all mentally agree with it.  But having been suddenly graced with the mental fortitude and determination to do this diet properly, I'm astounded to find I really do have more energy and focus:  I'm reading, writing and doing things I used to - I even hared off on my own and met up with friends and family at an amateur theatre production on a Saturday night.   It wasn't in the city, but given the crazy things I used to do, who knows, I may even brave downtown one evening.

I can't say I feel exactly like a kid again, since I managed to blow out my knees as a teen; but I am already feeling better than I have in years, and am becoming interested in life outside the daily "rut" again.

Donating Sleep and Other Odd Things

This week's discussions with friends have included the concept where our sleep is being donated.  There seemed to be quite a bit of insomnia going around - once one person was finished with it, they seemed to pass it to the next.  But we couldn't figure out which of the lucky ducks actually got the extra sleep nobody was using.

Other things that are disappearing seem to be my weight.  I'm genuinely looking forward to being half the women I currently am.  Well, perhaps 2/3 would be a better goal.  I've finally dropped all that weight I put on visiting the States for Thanksgiving two years ago - which essentially is attending one huge party from the end of November until New Year's when everyone makes their diet resolutions.  One friend claims I must have donated the kilos to her.

We've also just recently been informed that the 14th of September is officially the last day in our house here (which may explain some of the insomnia).  We will soon be on the hunt for a new home - anyone out there bored with donating insomnia, sleep, or weight?

California, here I ...am?

I'm doing a detox diet these days. It's something I've always seen value in, but have generally relied on the bodies amazing ability to detox itself. Finally, reaching what ambos & other medical types affectionately call the "Three Fs" (forty, fat & female), I realised I really needed to something radically different. Einstein was certainly right - to do the same thing over & over and expect different results is madness.

Currently I'm in week three of the 6-week program. Once I started, the enormity of no caffeine alcohol, or bread hit me fully, but I've soldiered on nonetheless. I've been fairly fanatical about it, too, and didn't have any sort of red meat until last night as a treat.

This phase includes a drink which looks (& tastes) like it is straight out of "LA Story." It is green, grass-like but at least isn't like licking a shag carpet. So far no earthquakes or warm sunny weather, but I'm definitely feeling California-ish these days.

Anyway, the diet is certainly helping. I'm feeling better, and as a bonus I've lost about 2 kilos or so, which brings me back to the weight I was when I arrived here. I'm hoping to lose more soon, and bring Australia back to the #2 most obese country in the world. We surpassed the USA by .01% shortly after I arrived, which makes me very suspicious...

Buzzing the Plane

We just purchased a Power8 Workshop. OK, so there's no planing tool in it. But this thing is still awesome - it has a hammer drill, jig, circular, scroll, and table saws, drill press, plus a halogen light. Plus it's got a bunch of other bits and bobs, and runs fully on battery power with all kinds of cool power connectors. Everything packs away neatly inside the "table," (item 8 for those of you who are counting), which is really a large carry box with all kinds of nooks, crannies, and work surfaces.

The handheld bit is really heavy, so I much prefer attaching the bits to the table. Yes, I am learning to use this thing. I thought it was so flash that I promised I'd learn to use every tool in the kit if we got it.

It's not high quality by any stretch of the imagination, but it does have the advantage being portable - at least if you use your imagination for that. The only way I was able to carry the unopened box down the hallway was to wheel it on a trolley. I was a amazed that the chap we bought it from was carrying it under one arm. Maybe after a few weeks of using the power tools I'll be able to do that, too. Goggles, please.

Burns & Boboties

It's been over 3 years since I made bobotie, which really is scary as it shows how fast time can whiz by. With the advent of freezing evening temperatures and quickly cooling afternoons, and the fact that it's Saturday, I took the lamb mince out of the freezer and got to work this afternoon. I find it about a 2 hour process, so it's just not a practical weeknight dish.

Of course there's the prerequisite burn because I don't seem to understand the spatial concept that my hand cannot occupy the same area that the molecules of the hot metal oven wall live in. Owie.

Just waiting for the custard on top to set, and we'll be eating South African fare. I suppose I'll have to try it with kangaroo one day just to get that Australian flair.

Autumn Days

The days are turning cool and the leaves are turning in Victoria - perfect fireplace weather. Of course it helps if you bring the wood in from outside. That was part of the plan today, but we've spent a great day with a friend who came over, and that bit of the plan got modified to either sometime tonight, or tomorrow. Preferably tomorrow as it it easier to see the centipedes and evict them off the logs before carrying them into the house.

Last night we had a lovely event at church called "Live at Oasis" with impersonator Ben Price. It was great to enjoy an evening of humour that you can actually bring the kids to (even if they don't understand all the jokes!) The caretakers of the hall we rent were worried we might have too large a crowd, so Andrew & I helped out by directing traffic in case we were overflowing. It was a great reason to play with our orange traffic torches and portable ham radios!

Afterwards, a group of us went to the "Pancake Parlour" (amazingly they are open to 3 am on Fridays & Saturdays). It was a foggy autumn night, which is very cozy when you are home in front of the fire, but since I wasn't, hopefully we'll get another one soon!

Auto Escapades

It's been a lively week for automobiles. My sister-in-law in SA has had an exciting experience as the result of some "affirmative shopping" by car thieves. These were very determined thieves, as neither the "club" nor other measures deterred their original interest, but simply led to lots of bent and broken bits before they abandoned the process as impossible. Fortunately, they abandoned the car as well, but not before inconveniently pushing it out of the driveway.

My own auto problems are, on the other hand, the result of "affirmative stopping." Someone stopped unecessarily and suddenly on a damp road in front of a driver, which caused another driver to have to stop suddenly, and so on. As a result of that melee, I now have a car which is driveable, according the constable, but I can't get the bonnet up. It's a bit up on its own anyway, with a nice pronounced bend.

Of course this happened as part of Dad's exciting Australian Adventure, which previously included an emergency trip to the dentist earlier they day before due to some unexpected crown problems.

Other than that, today is Anzac Day, and we were hoping to find a local parade, but it seems this year all the services are either in the city or in towns not near us. As much as Dad loves taking the bus into Melbourne, he decided he wasn't up for a dawn service in the city. There will be some programs regarding Gallipoli on the telly, so he'll be able to learn a bit more about Anzac day from a warm, dry lounge room.

Resurrection Day!

I hope eveyone had a great weekend as we celebrated Jesus' resurrection! I did miss posting this blog on Easter. It's not even still Sunday in Hawaii. But it is still Easter Monday...

Friday morning was our church's Easter service & breakfast. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent cleaning and cooking, and I even spoke to my folks a couple of times over the weekend via phone & internet. On Sunday we had a lovely time hosting family and friends for dinner. My official paid holiday (today) included digging into the bits of paper that clutter my office and trying to turn it into a respectable guest room for Dad's visit. It's getting there.

We also managed to mow part of the lawn & dirt this weekend (it's a BIG lawn, and the lawn guy hasn't shown up yet), get quite a few loads of laundry done, and finally got both bed and bath put back together again in the later hours of this evening to allow us to shower and sleep...although not necessarily in that order.

I suppose I'd better head off now and decide which one to do first...

Happy St Patrick's Day

As I write this blog, it is, in fact, still St Patrick's Day in Hawaii. It gave me a good excuse to have corned beef and cabbage for dinner, since the Shepherd's Pies we had last night weren't as good as we had hoped (a minor blip in the quality control of the shops where we usually get our dinner pies).

You can see there is even enough of food left for a post-celebration lunch.

Despite the busy week and attendant disorganisatoin, we did manage have (several) shandies in the green freezer mugs that Heidi gave us and while we don't have any green clothing, I wore shamrock earrings. I wore blue tonight, which according to some information I found on the internet, was original colour for St Patrick's Day. I suspect it has to do with the original liturgy, but I'd have to do some real research.

Oops, I'd better go put my Sullivan clan pin on quickly before Hawaii runs out of holiday.

It's raining hailstones

We had an enormous storm system run through the area yesterday. Winds, rain, and huge hailstones were the order of the day.

I don't have any cool pictures of hailstones, because they managed to fall in the city, rather than here. The neatest pictures show hail lying like a blanket of snow on the ground, but then the downside is that hail is rather destructive. There was quite a bit of damage to homes, buidings and cars, major events were cancelled, and flooding abounded. Even some friends of mine got caught in the downpour, and got nicely bruised, cut and soaked.

Amazingly, we received 2/3 of the month's worth of rain in just 1 hour yesterday. We're hoping that the enormous amount will help the dam levels.

Events of the weekend included a trip to the Ham Radio club on Saturday, hiding from the weather yesterday, and a day off today (labour day) with and Andrew busily constructing a new mobile table for the bbq, after the second-hand, non-outdoor particleboard trolley it was on disintegrated after a year and half of sitting in all sorts of weather. The new one is actually meant to be outside. I'll bet it's probably hail-resistant, which means it can be used during these major storms...as long as we have our helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and face-guards!

Humidity Ho Hum

It's been like Queensland around here lately. For almost 2 weeks we've had hot humid weather, warm humid weather and cool humid weather. It's rather unusual, and although I'm not ecstatic about it, I'm thankful for some of turning to some amazing (albeit still humid) rain, and perhaps it has even kept the fire threat down. Still, to be honest, I'd prefer normal rain, less humidity and less drought.

I've gone from a 5 day work week to a 3 day work week then back to a 4 day work week. It's been a bit disorienting, but at least I've gotten to have some lunch with friends and help my sister-in-law move (at least nominally - I did get a few items in my car from one house to the other). They are staying in an adorable unit until their new house is built. Here's praying they don't have to move again after that (unless they really want to!). I think they hold some kind of record.

The other great news is that friends of ours are going to be parents for the first time. Seeing the great job their folks did with them, I suspect this child is going to be all right. And given that niece-in-law Heidi & her husband Adrian will be contributing a good child to the world in the not too distant future, I fully expect there to be a generation of really great kids on this side of pond.

Science & Rainbow Kites

I proved it is possible to fly a kite off the balcony. At least in Melbourne.

Amongst my treasured possessions which were lugged halfway around the globe is a compact, but amazingly aerodynamic rainbow-coloured kite my dad bought me as present. This occurred at the same time he purchased a gift for Andrew of one of those the planes that runs by pumping air into it.

I never was really successful flying my kite in New York, and Andrew never really found a clear open space to fly that plane. But since they've chopped all the trees down in the back garden, Andrew has, with the help of various nieces, nephews and friends, successfully flown the plane, lost it, lost the tail, found the tail, and flown it again. So it was obviously time to try the kite out, to prove it could be done.

Yesterday, neither the attempt from the balcony by myself nor in the back garden with Andrew saw the kite lift off very well. But this morning the wind picked up again, so off I went, venturing about a metre from the back doors on the balcony, and after a few ploops, the kite finally caught a good wind. Up and away, very high. Um, very high. Over the roof, and way up above the front garden. Andrew missed this, but he didn't miss me coming back into the house explaining that I'd lost my kite. Well, it was not so much lost as posing as a giant, rainbow-coloured decoration at the top of huge gum tree right up near the road, multi-coloured dangling tail and all. It did come loose after much prayer and pulling.

At least it didn't and in the road, or on a car, or in the neighbour's yard across the street. We do say it is never too late to have a happy childhood, but I still would have felt a bit awkward explaining that one. At least they understood the science involved.

Post Holiday Holiday Bash

We had one last holiday get-together this week - we usually get together with our neighbours, Clem & Gina, over Chistmas week, but family commitments on both sides, and the opportunity for them to spend time at the beach with their son & his partner, we put it off until now. Our neighbour from across the street, Kay, joined us as well, which is always delightful.

Gina & Clem are of Italian extraction, so that mean wonderful hospitality and good food. So, after the last visit, I'd determined that we would not eat a big supper tonight. Well, after beer and wine and Gina's pizza, next time I am not going to eat all day before we visit! I barely have the energy to breathe at this point. But it was fun. And I now am in possession of some homemade pizza for lunches over the next few days.

Now that I've had the last holiday bash, I can put the New Year's resolutions into play. Diet, exercise, and breathing...

Post Holiday Post

Happy New Year from the KLog. We had a very busy Christmas week, running the African and Singaporean contingent all over Melbourne until their tackies (sneakers/running shoes) needed a rest.

Sean stayed with us whilst Russell, Belinda, Matthew & Lara stayed with Linda & Bernie. The week involved a hectic pace of sightseeing all over Melbourne, including ferry rides, sports arenas, shopping, movies, wineries, and a host of other things. Christmas Eve lunch was spent at the Cuckoo, a quaint German buffet/attraction in the mountains; Christmas day was spent at Adrian & Heidi's with Kaytons and Staceys galore, Boxing Day involved the sales, sightseeing and a BBQ at our house. I even had a go at making a gingerbread house.

After a rushed week of getting re-aquainted with relatives and sharing stories and stomach virus around the family, we spent New Year's Eve at Bernie & Linda's and then hustled and bustled Russell's clan off to the airport at 4:30 am. We tried to convince them to stay longer, but the airlines wouldn't cooperate. Anyway, it poured with beautiful rain New Year's Eve, so we didn't go outside for the fireworks, but we did get to enjoy a rainbow New Year's Day.

Andrew, Sean & I went on the Puffing Billy as well, a quaint steam engine which can be ridden for various trip lengths, including a dinner trip and a night trip. Andrew had the opportunity to do a short stint next to the engineer. And yes, those are MY feet hanging over the side of the train as we puff along. I love Australia.