The Carraghers In Oz

The girls said goodbye to their teacher Penny again this week as she heads off to finish rehearsals for the So You Think You Can Dance Tour.  Sadly, we can't go see it as we'll be in the UK but that's OK!!  Anyway, for those of you in the UK, here's a clip of Penny dancing a beautiful contemporary piece whilst on the show!!

 

...do you remember that John Paul Young song "Love is in the Air"?  Well that's the theme tune to accompany this blog entries title lol.  Melbourne is now officially the swine flu capital of Australia and one ofthe worst hit cities in the world.  Oooohhh Aaaahh, run for the hills and panic........or not!!  A friend of a friend has a different flu and was told by her GP that she'd have been better off with Swine flu as it's symptoms are less and it lasts less time.  Another firend of mine is a nurse at the Melbourne Children's hospital where they renamed a whole ward in anticipation of swine flu cases and they've had a total of NO admissions lol.  Correct me if I'm wrong but is this not just all a bit of a storm in a tea cup.  I'm sure swine's flu's no picnic, but it seems to be just a flue which lasts a few days (3 at most from what I hear), and in Victoria at least, no one's died, or even come close to it!!!!!

 

Saying that, my good friend Sandra has just informed me that she has a suspected case and is quaranteened at home.  Her whole family are to take Tamiflu and guess how much it costs....$59 per tablet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I may be a cynic but I suspect someone at the pharmaceutical company who makes it is behind the unwarranted hysteria.

 

Whilst we don't have swine flu, we do all have the cold.  Mike and I to a lesser extent, but the girls are suffering big time! Still, better now than in 2 weeks on a 24 flight to the UK lol.

 

It's actually pretty cold here this week, and I am not exaggerating.  This morning was 7 degrees - cold by anyone's standard.  Roll on Spring, and hopefully a couple of warmer weeks in the UK.

 

We've a very busy couple of weeks ahead of us as we prepare for our holidays.  There's a bit of work to finish in the garden and house, plus we have all sorts of shows/classes and rehearsals and competitions to attend as choir, school, dance and gymnastics all finish for the winter hols.  Also, this weekend we're having a Christmas in June Party at the Codmans and I'm in charge of the turkey.

 

Life's just become a bit more interesting for Mike this week too as his first client in Hong Kong has gone online.  Let's just say, he's been very busy lol.

Firstly, I need to say big congrats to Mike and I for our continued weight losses.  Mike has now lost about a stone and a half and I'm 3lbs off losing 2 stone.  It's slow and steady but we're both delighted. 

 

This week saw some of our new furniture being taken away for repair and a new arrival yesterday in the shape of Mike's new toy!!  He woke up yesterday with the biggest smile on his face, and when I got home mid afternoon, it was even bigger as his pool table had just been delivered.  As I type this, he's "trying" to explain the rules to the girls lololol.

 

Mike wasn't the only one to get a new toy this week as I got a sewing machine.  Not quite in the same league, but a toy's a toy lol.

 

I've been doing a spot more painting this week, as well as catching up with one or two friends and I can't believe how fast this week has gone!!  Weather wise, it's been glorious.  Although it was only ranging from 15 - 20 ish, the skies have been blue and it's generally been lovely. 

 

Other good news this week was that Thinkfolio have finally confirmed we are definately going to the UK !! Talk about leaving it to the last minute!!!!!!!!

 

Finally, more congratulations are in order.  This time for Ellie who received an award at school this week for asking questions and learning well.  We're very very proud of you babe :-)

 

     

The new furnitur we ordered for the lounge has finally arrived and guess what, it's damaged!!  The bookcare and lamp table are both being replaced!!!!  Joy!!!!

 

Other news this week is that we have finally caved and ordered a little pool table for the back room having decided we didn't need a theatre room.  We've got new covers for the orange sofa and I'm about to start painting it before the new arrival.  To say Mike's excited is an understatement lol.

 

This weekend past, Mike was helping Neil and Fiona move house.  They've finally bought somewhere and it's a beauty.  It's on an acreage in the semi rural town of Sunbury about half an hour away (birthplace of the Ashes for all you cricket fans out there).  It's a beuatiful victorian style house with a lovely verandah running the length of the front, and it has a garage, barn, field and pool!!  And a pool room big enough for a massive snooker table.  Lovely.  While Mike was doing the heavy work, the girls and I had a lovely day at Watergardens mall having lunch, shopping and going to see Night At The Museum 2.

 

Some of the mum's from Becca's class are starting a small sewing club and have asked if I'd liek to join them.  I'm not the world's best sewer but I'm going to join in as it sounds like a good escuse to get together once a week for a natter.  There's about 5 of us all in and they're a lovely bunch.  And in keeping with Ellie's class theme of the term (multiculturalism...and she can say it too lol) we're a very mixed bunch.  There's Kathy who's italian, Miriam who's a kiwi, Josette who's Maltese and Lydia from Croatia.  May aim is to start small and work up to making curtains for our bedroom which I'm going to redecorate soon.  Wish me luck.

 

Mike is very excited today as he's just secured tickets to see AC/DC in February.  He's going with Campbell and Cliffy (who's coming down from Sydney for it) and Andy Vaughan and the boys.  Paul wanted to go too but couldn't get tix for the same night.  Now we've just got to hope that AC/DC don't burn themselves out before Feb.  They were on TV last night and OMG they are in bad shape.  Way too much of a good thing for way too long lolol.

 

 

Last Sunday was Mother's Day here in Aus and the girls were busy making lots of cards and gifts at school.  The school also held their annual Mother's Day stall in which I helped out for a few hours like last year.  The Mother's Day stall is essentially a fund raiser for the school whereby the committee buy a bunch of Mother's Day tat and sell it off to the kids for their Mother's Day gifts.  The kids are all asked to take in $5 and each get to choose one item.  The older kids don't really bother with it but the little ones just love it.  It's really fun seeing the little preps come in clutching their money and looking bewildered as their never had the chance to choose like this before.  When the girls' classes came in, I had to turn around while they chose.  From Ellie I got a little bag of make up brushes and from Becca I got a back massager.  

 

The night before Mother's Day we had Paul and Lorraine and Aaron over for dinner.  Paul has just recently moved here from Scotland and is waiting on his permanaent residency visa coming through.  His girlfriend Lorraine and her son moved out last year.  For those who don't know, Paul is an old friend of ours whom Mike has known since uni days.  We had a great time meeting Lorraine and catching up with Paul while Aaron thrashed the men at Guitar Hero lol.

 

Mother's Day was quite possible the best one I've ever had.  We were woken to sounds from the kitchen which promted Mike to run downstairs.  He was met on the stair by both girls carrying a tray with breakfast in bed for me.  Entirely on their own, they'd come downstairs, and made a card reading "We Love You Mum", they'd made me breakfast of a weetabix (with about half a pint of milk on it), a cup of milk and they'd even added the silk flower the Rebecca has in her bedroom to it.  IT was soooo cute and so thoughtful, albeit unedible lol.  But very very special.  Mike soon after brought up a cup of coffee and the girls showered me with cards and gifts.  My special pressie this year was something I've been wanting for ages - a new iPod.  I got the iPod classic with 120Gb of memory so that should keep me busy for a while.  Also, Mike had arranged for it to be etched on the back and it reads "To Mummy, we love you, from Ellie and Rebecca".  Perfect.

 

I actualyl did nothing at all other than play with my iPod for the rest of the day.  Mike and the girls did the cooking, cleaning and ironing.  In the afternoon, we walked into the town centre for a coffee and the sun was out and it was a glorious, warm Autumn afternoon.