Psssssst......don't tell anyone......

...but the Aussies have kidnapped and cloned one of ours.
There's this current affairs programme on here of an evening called "6.30 with George Negus". Well, it's not all that often I've got the TV on at that time of night, but this evening we did. Brian's out on a work "do" so I ate with the boys and railroaded Ru into a much needed early bedtime. Anyway, the TV was switched on by Alfie and there, looking back at me was Alan Whicker. Thing is, it's not. It's this George Negus chappie apparently. Take a look and see for yourselves whether it's just me, or is this a doppleganger situation??

This is George..

and this is Alan.

How odd is that? Admittedly there's an age difference but apart from that it's uncanny.  Not only does he look the same but he does a very similar job. Curiouser and curiouser I say.
I reckon these Aussies have cracked the human cloning thing long ago, but just aren't telling... ;o)

Theatres, Cups and Complications

Last Friday was the last proper day of the school hols and I took the boys up to Perth city to see a musical Scooby Doo show. It was really very good fun and once the kids realised they were supposed to shout and enjoy themselves spotting the "ghosts" mayhem ensued and a great time was had by all. Even better they sang the original "Scooby Dooby Doo, Where are you?" song so all the parents could join in too. I do wonder if I enjoyed it even more than the boys!!

Very blurrry Scooby and Shaggy.

The boys and their schoolfriends, who by some wierd chance were sitting in the row directly in front of us.

That evening, because they had behaved well all day and earned stickers for their chart, both the boys managed to reach their "goal number" of stickers and earn themselves a reward. On this occasion the goal they had been reaching for were Gruffalo mugs. Alfie's has a saucer for biscuits, Ruairi's has its own bag to carry it in (when not full obviously!). I fired up our coffee making machine and frothed some milk so that their night-time milk drink was a "babycino" (frothy warm milk with a light sprinkle of hot choc powder on top for the uninitiated). Alfie even wrote down his order and brought it to me in the kitchen. He didn't get the spelling quite right but it wan't half bad- began with BAB and ended in NO , just a bit wonky in the middle! I was so proud that he had tried.

The boys enjoy their in-house cafe experience with new Gruffalo cups!

Meantime we've had word that work would ideally like Brian to be in Singapore full time for the next 6 months! We only just got here!! He'll get away with doing 10 days on, 4 off or some such rota though, so having talked it over, we've decided I'll stay put with the boys so as not to disrupt their school/ lives more than necessary. However it's led to an even bigger decision. We may try to move house. The house we're in is lovely to look at, but it is overly big for us, and expensive to boot. The boys don't even like to go down the corridor to their room because it feels a long way away! So the thought is that economically and sensibly, we should downsize. Smaller house is cosier for just me and the boys, easier to heat and cheaper in rent. Can't lose.
Hmmm. Trouble is, I'd forgotten how hideous the Perth rental market is. I saw a house yesterday lunchtime on an open viewing. Really liked it. Rang the agent today to speak to her about it, only to be told it got let this morning first thing. You have to literally get in the door within the hour with your application or you don't stand a chance. I'm already wondering if I can go through it again or whether I should just hunker down and keep going as we are.
Watch this space for the answer in the next few weeks...

Thank heavens.......

 All of us have been a little low since getting back from our holidays. Home is where the heart is they say and no matter what, our home is where our families are. The boys have largely been expressing this by sadly telling me how much they miss Sammy, our beautiful springer spaniel who we re-homed to a farm (where he is spoilt rotten) before christmas. Given that they have not had him for 7 months now, I suspect it is just their childish way of telling me they feel a bit dislocated and homesick. Today Alfie had a 3 hour sport lesson with a couple of the boys from school and he already seems a little happier. Next week he'll be back in school for the new term and I think it will be tremendously comforting for him in an odd sort of way. Ru too. He only does 2 short sessions but he loves the routine and the company.

Every so often, especially if I'm inclined to have a miserable moment, I try to take stock and realise how lucky we really are. How many people get to try out a new location, climate and lifestyle at no great risk or expense? As I look out today, the sun is shining and I think that this is a beautiful place and a wonderful experience. It may be far away but I'm grateful for technology- we have phones, skype and facebook. It's not the same as popping in for a cuppa but it definitely eases the distance a little. Just imagine what it would have been like even a decade or 2 ago when we would have felt truly dislocated from all that goes on back home.

To improve my mood further, I made some soup for my lunch with last night's left over roast veg (spuds, pumpkin and carrot), some chopped bacon and a stock cube. I feel inordinately pleased with it as it is actually rather yummy. B can take some for his lunch tomorrow instead of boring old cheese sandwiches.

Think I'll take the lads to the park in a while (when Alfie recovers his energy after sport this morning!) and they can wear each other out some more. If I'm really lucky I may get to read some of my book while they play. It's lovely to find a little time to read again as it was a pleasure I'd missed for too long. Next year, when Ruairi's school hours increase a little, I hope to find a pottery class and get back to even more of my favourite stuff. For now, I'm just enjoying the sunshine, cooking and feeling a little more positive again. Thank heavens for opportunities like these, even if what they ultimately teach us is to be grateful for what we already have.

Back home from the trip home.

We're back from the Irish Isles and just about getting adjusted to being so far from home again. This morning was the first time we got up at a reasonable time -well, Brian's been getting up for work with an alarm, but the boys and I have been dreadful about it. We arrived back just as the boys' 2 week winter school holiday started, not the best timing ever, but that's just how it worked out. It was freezing for the first 3 days and we had to go and buy 3 more heaters for the house to keep warm last weekend. Thankfully for the past few days it's been beautiful and we've had trips to the zoo and playpark and cycled by the river. Today the rain has set in and although not terribly cold, it feels rather dreary and makes us long for home again.
So how was the holiday?? In no particular order: Exhausting, stressful, fantastic, fun, comforting, exciting, homely, sad.
The main stress came when we visited our former home which we still own (can't sell it!) in Cobh. The tenants had just moved out and left it in such a state. Garden overgrown, house filthy, oil tank drained dry, gas bottles empty, shed and yard full of rubbish, the list goes on.... Their deposit was not returned needless to say, but barely covered the oil, let alone the rest. So the first few days were a flurry of unplanned activity which soon reaped its reward and got the place back in some kind of shape. The reward, as always, is the view.

When we got there our holiday cottage down in Kerry was just about as good as it gets. An old converted railway station, complete with platform but not trains. It was out in the countryside with fields as far as the eye can see behind. The boys spent ages sitting on the platform watching a tractor cut and bail silage one day.

The wedding was absolutely perfect and a wonderful day for us all. Aoife looked stunning, the sun shone and the food and band were amazing. Alfie particularly enjoyed the day with all his cousins, running, playing pool, dancing and drinking 7-up!

We had numerous barbeques, family get togethers and parties in the week that followed. We also managed to find time to take my parents to Dingle where we visited the aquarium, had lunch and ice creams and soaked up the scenery. We also saw the Gallerus Oratory, an ancient church far out in the Kerry mountains built of stone and still standing after over a thousand years.

Glorious Dingle.

Gallerus.

  One of the highlights for the boys, apart from every day spending time with their cousins, was riding ponies on the beach out at Castlegregory. It was a beautiful day and the boys were soooo excited. I don't remember ever seeing them smile so wide for so long. It was really magical.

Ready to go..

What a view for a ride....

The biggest hitter was seeing family and friends, which was just so lovely. As well as family I met up with some of my best friends in Ireland for a cuppa and a gossip. In the UK I was treated by my oldest ( by which I mean longest-standing!!) friends to a 40th birthday gathering a week early. We had a glorious day outside and a barbeque with all the assorted children running around half naked in the sunshine. I missed a meet-up with our friends in Berkshire due to a rather sad and unforseen mishap in the last few days which I won't go into here. Better luck next year I say, we haven't forgotten you.

When you're away you get used to not seeing people, but once you go back it hits home how much you've missed everyone, and how hard it will be to go away again.
And it was, it really was....

A crazy week!

The past few days have been busy to say the least and the next few promise to continue in the same vein so I'm grabbing 10 mins to write a few lines.
We went to the zoo last Saturday afternoon. It was by way of a bribe to the kids really as we'd had some boring running about to do in the morning so we promised a treat if they behaved well. In all the time we've been in Perth the zoo has had no dingoes after losing the old ones last year. Now the new pups have arrived and we were fortunate enough to rock up at the enclosure just at feeding time. They were truly delightful. At only 3 months old and born in captivity they appear as tame and trainable as any domestic dog and sat to wait for their food bowls, only actually eating when the keeper signalled that it was ok.

In the evening we went cycling along by the river. Well, the boys cycled to be precise, and we walked. It was a beautiful evening and we had to stop the boys in their desire to go paddling in the river (bit cold for that). I must say these are the times when I really do appreciate the beauty of where we are curently living, and the fine lifestyle for children. The riverside path is well away from the road and scattered with little mini river beaches complete with shells to collect.

The black swans in the background are very much part of the scenery and are why the river is indeed called "The Swan". 
Amazingly further along the path we saw another fabulous sight. An eagle atop one of the riverside houses, looking out for a feast of fish. They were jumping, we saw some, so I'm sure he won't have had to wait for too long for his meal. 

Not the best ever picture, but you get the idea!

He flew off just after this picture was taken, but we didn't manage to get a shot of him in flight which is a pity as he was really quite a sight.
On the way back, Brian took a picture up river to where the city lights were twinkling.

I am now finishing this post four days later while waiting for our cab to the airport. Brian has been to and from Singapore in the meantime, nearly getting stranded there when Quantas decided the volcanic ash from a Chilean volcano was too worrisome for them to fly. Singapore airlines were not quite so easily put off though and he managed to get a seat on board their flight and get home in time to pack for our family trip home to my sister-in-law's wedding.

The past few days have indeed been crazily busy. On Tuesday Alfie recieved his first merit certificate at his school assembly so I of course attended, and felt incrdibly proud. He was credited for his "great contribution to class discussions, always having something interesting to say".  That'd be right for Alfie, chatterbox that he is!! Then between normal activities like getting the kids to sports/swimming lessons I have been tidying, washing and generally trying to prepare for this trip. The culmination of this was that today I was so busy actually packing the cases that I nearly left Alfie at school. Had I not suddenly felt starving hungry, and glanced at my watch to check how late I was with my lunch, I would not have realised at all that it was now a minute past 3, and Alfie finishes school (ten mins drive away) at 3pm!!!! I grabbed Ru, no shoes or socks on his feet and literally threw him inoto the car whilst simultaneously ringing one of the other mums to try to get a message to the teacher. All was well as they were all running a little late in class, but I don't think I have ever felt such a sudden burst of panic and guilt as at nearly forgetting my little darling.

So now we're off on our next big adventure, back to see our families and friends and enjoy the big family occasion next week. Wish us luck on our flights. See some of you soon. Byeee.

Dancing queen?

Alfie in the car on the way to school this morning said " Mummy, I've got a new song to sing for you. It's by Justin Beaver". I didn't have the heart to correct the name. So, trying desperately not to smirk at the thought of a cartoon rodent crooning into a mike I ask for the rendition.
"Ooohh baby, baby, baby" is what is offered.
"Great. Where did you learn that? The girls in your class?"
"Yes, and Mrs B did a really terrible dance to it too"
Now, Mrs B is the motherly teaching assistant who helps out in class and is great for joining in all their games. She's really not old at all, perhaps a few years older than me, which surely makes her in the prime of life ;o) .
The thing that occurs to me is how bad must the dancing have been for a 5 year old to say it was really terrible?? Or was it indeed quite normal dancing, but just because street dance is the way to go these days, it wasn't up to scratch?
It did give me cause to consider my conduct at the upcoming wedding. I might wait till the kids go to bed before I venture out onto the floor. Just to be sure that my overly honest son doesn't have the chance to tell all next time he does news for his class at school.....

The flipside is.......

So, having told you plenty about the beautiful surroundings here, the lovely outdoor life, sunshine etc, here's a glimpse of the other side of the coin.
The one thing people don't think of about moving to live in Australia is how cold you might feel. The sun always shines here right? And it does, about 90% of the time. That's the irony.

But its winter now and just like the bitter nights in the desert, so there is no cloud cover at night to keep any bit of the sun's warmth close to the land. The temperatures drop into single figures, even if its not actually frosty, and that makes getting out of bed in the morning pretty shivery.
By day, unless it is one of our very few dull and rainy days, the sun continues to shine and give some warmth. But the wind has a chill and unless you can sit in a sunny window behind glass, our house feels cold most of the time.

You see the houses are built for the hot weather. There is a tendency to point the largest windows away from the sunshine ( we have an inner courtyard which is glass on 3 sides but never gets any direct sunlight at all). Double glazing is an almost unheard of concept, and even the windows that we do have are rather draughty.

Next is the total lack of any heating provision. No central heating which we are so used to. But worse still in our house no fireplace at all. Some of the houses have reverse cycle air con, which you can switch round to provide a certain amount of warmth in the winter, but the only people I know who have it are unimpressed by its efficacy and have recently gone and bought a load of oil filled radiators to keep off the night time chill. Our house has a couple of gas bayonets into which one can fit a gas fire. We recently invested in one which has been a lifesaver but I tend to have it on all the time in the living area and then the bedrooms feel noticeably cold when its time for bed. In fact I have taken to hot water bottles again after 6 years of marriage as Brian simply isn't able to stand my icy feet any more. He said to me the other day "Why is this house so bitterly cold?" and the honest answer is simply that the fabric of the building never gets warm at the moment. Therefore there's no reserve of warmth for evenings and mornings when you need it most.

And it's not just that we chose an especially bad house, this is totally normal and in fact we are in a fairly newly built "quality" home. All the people I know (not that that is dozens I'll admit but i think it's a fair snapshot) are in the same situation. The concept that double glazing might keep out the heat in summer as well as the cold in winter has clearly not been taken on board. And oh how I long for a few radiators to air/warm the boys pyjamas before they put them on at night.

So there you have it. The flipside of all the heat and swimming and barbeques. We're cold!!