carrots on fire

Russell is really developing his musical skills.  At first we felt our house wasn't big enough for his trumpet but now that we have progressed together from many scales to nursery rhymes to real tunes, it is becoming easier on the ears. 

His latest melody is the theme from Chariots of Fire and I find myself humming it all day.  His practice time is usually a half hour session before school so it sets us up for the day.  I keep imagining people running in slow motion and have visuals of Mr Bean which are rather disturbing.

Students in government primary schools are invited on to a music programme after testing to determine musical ability.  They are entitled to hire an instrument for a year and receive free tuition.  Russell selected trumpet and absolutely loves it.  He wants to purchase his own trumpet and continue next year.  I have just discovered that a reasonable trumpet sells new for around $1000!

Well, today he is being tested on Chariots of Fire so there has been much discussion around the movie and the piece as well as many hours of practice. 

Yesterday Hugo came through before school and commented with a big sigh:  "Oh, no!  Not Carrots on Fire AGAIN!"

Phuket

 It has taken some time to get my feet back on the ground after such a fantastic week away.  It was Five Star all the way and we had the best time ever.  I really enjoyed having time to myself to relax and soak up some sun.  The other 90 ladies were so much fun to be with and friendships were formed over cocktails, dinners and swims.  I had the opportunity to network with inspiring women who have been with INTIMO for many years and share with the best in the business.  The week included awesome activities like kayaking through the cliffs, riding an elephant, and shopping in Patong.  We laughed a lot and drank a lot of cocktails!  The resort was superb and I overdosed on spa treatments and meals.

What a treat.  An experience like this is priceless and I will definately make sure that I will qualify every year for this little piece of paradise.



rewards

For the next week I will have some big decisions to make.  Should I have a massage or a body scrub?  Do I swim in the sea or one of the five pools?  Is it tea time or cocktail time?  Do I swim to the bar or call a waiter?

 

No taxi run, no "Maaaaa", no lunch boxes, no meals.  This week it's all about ME!  And I can't wait.

 

My bags are packed and I am off to lie at the pool in this picture in Phuket at the famous five star Marriott Hotel.  Just for fun, 95 inspiring women will join me there.

 

 

All this for loving what I do.  INTIMO, you are one helluva boss.

 

See you next week!

outdoor progress

A gang of Irishmen arrived last week and rendered (plastered) our walls.  It looks amazing now that the unsightly raw brick has been covered.  Tomorrow the paver starts and our outdoor living areas are going to be transformed with new floors of exposed aggregate.  This means plants have to be dug up and transplanted, furniture needs to move, soil needs to be leveled and a general clean up is in order.  Rob is doing most of the manual labour with each of us doing little bits intermittently.  I am hiding here for a while to get away from the real hard work.

long weekend break

Thanks to the Queen, Monday 1st of October was a public holiday for us.  Each Australian state chooses a date to celebrate the Queen's birthday irrespective of when her birthday really is, and a public holiday is declared!  Strange, but true.  So in honour of the Queen's pretend birthday we could all take a long weekend at the start of the school holiday.  We headed down south to Dunsborough and rented a lovely little cottage near the beach.  This time we had our boat with us which made for an exciting early morning adventure for Rob and the boys as well as Rob's cousin, Duncan.  They headed off after dawn to try their hand at fishing and enjoy the male bonding that happens around burly and deep water.  Hugo and I went for a run/scooter into town for a coffee and shopping experience!  The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing on the beach, swimming and barbecuing.  We had Duncan and Jo over for dinner after sun downers at the beach, watching the boys throw their lines out over the rocks. 

On Tuesday we took a family cruise out at sea before making our way back to Perth.  It was four days of bliss, just what Rob needed to get through this last stretch to Christmas break.

holidays

School holidays for us often mean a trip down south.  And a trip down south means seeing the rellies and getting my hands on a beautiful bunch of Proteas.  The boys are in the middle of school holidays and we are making the most of every day.  So far we have been down to Dunsborough, our favourite holiday place for 3 nights, been out to Rottnest Island on our boat for a day trip, been ice skating (fabulous fun for mum!) and got our hands dirty moving plants in preparation for the next phase of our outdoor project.  Details to follow...

literacy

It all happened so quickly this time.  Hugo can read!  The penny has just dropped.  He can work out the phonetic words, make a stab at the more difficult ones and basically decode a book!  He is reading level 5 books with gusto.  The world has opened up to him as he deciphers the cereal boxes and newspaper headlines.  He is so thrilled with himself and happily reads four readers a day.  He is able to write and call out about 70 sight words and his confidence in the process is growing daily. 

It is fair to say that the curriculum for foundation learning in Western Australia has changed dramatically in the past two years.  Hugo is expected to know what Adam only learned in Year 1.  He is adding and subtracting up to 20 and is soaking it all up in his internal sponge.

The literacy gap between the two boys is closing fast and I am under pressure to keep Adam motivated and focused.  He is exceptional at Maths and Science experiments but really struggles with reading and comprehension.  In the first term of this year we discovered a reading programme called Toe by Toe.  It comprises of daily exercises of 20 minute sessions to increase confidence and blends.  It is a book which we purchased online.  It gave us a structure to work with and a focus for our 20 minutes every day.  His confidence grew and he has now begun to read books at a reasonable level wtih ease.  The key has been to find books that are of interest to him with characters he can relate to.  A real hit has been the Tashi Books.  Adam loves the make-believe stories and really relates well to the boy, Jack and his imaginary friend.  These books are beautifully written and a hit amongst boys and girls of his age.  We borrowed a big Tashi Book which is a novel, incorporating all the books as chapters.  Russell devoured it and loved every minute!

Russell's reading has come a long way too.  He really enjoys adventure stories and boy scout type expeditions.  He has just finished reading the Bear Gryll's book (children's edition) and couldn't wait to get into bed for his Chapter every night.  He is urging me to read it too so that we can talk about it.  So far it is lying untouched next to my bed!

So we are all reading now.   Some of us more than others.  How fabulous!  The boys are growing up fast and taking on new challenges daily.  Just being around them is an adventure for me!

beautiful

It was wrong of me not to document the arrival of an additional member to our family.  During last term, Hugo's Pre-Primary class were learning about taking care of pets and which pets are good to have.  We had to send in drawings of our dog "Griet" and write up what we do to take care of her.  Hugo was in charge of her meals and cleaning up behind her for a few weeks.  He had to report back to his class about her and gave a detailed description of her medication and arthritic tendencies!  Someone had kindly donated a beautiful white budgie to the class for observation.  Different children were able to take it home each weekend.  At the end of the term, Hugo's teacher asked the class if anyone would like to adopt the bird named Beautiful.  Of course, Hugo's hand shot up and he claimed the prized offering.

I came to school to fetch him for our July holidays and found him clutching a cage and trolley, food baskets and water trays.  The bird was ours, whether I liked it or not!

As it turns out, Beautiful is a lovely pet.  He (yes another male at the Wilsons) talks alot and can't stand to be out of view of the action.  The boys are pretty good about cleaning his cage and Russell is trying very hard to tame him out on to his hand.

So now we are 7.  Just beautiful.

poolside

pillars going up



a pool at last


We are so excited about being in the final major project of our house renovation.  The plan is to board the plane to South Africa, knowing that when we return our house will be complete!

At the rate that our builder is putting these pillars up it is probably optimistic but we live in hope.  The pool itself, looks fantastic.  It is 7.5 metres by 4 metres so there is plenty of room for the boys and their friends to dive and splash.  They have already jumped in twice in spite of the freezing temperature.  As the days start getting longer and warmer, the prospect of having our own pool is awesome. 

So the action plan is:  render (plaster) the pillars, pave and cement the areas around the pool, install a roof over the outdoor entertainment area, put in the panels between the pillars, paint everything, landscape the garden and then SWIM!

Woohoo!!  I can't wait for this to all be over so the real fun can begin.

Maree

Rob has finally succumbed to the relentless urge to own a recreational boat!  It makes a lot of sense living here so close to so much water.  She is rather beautiful too. 

So here I sit, waiting for Rob to return from BCF which is the biggest shop supplying the Boating, Camping and Fishing industry!  It used to be Bunnings (the massive hardware store) that swallowed him up for most of the weekend, now it's BCF.  If he makes it back in time, we will launch our little treasure and become real Perthlings at last.

handsome

Russell 10



Adam 8

 

Hugo 5

Always handomse after a haircut!

spring "kit" clean

Sometimes you just have to tip it all out and give it a good old fashioned spring clean.  Oh, the stories that I remembered as I folded each bra.  The beautiful ladies whom I remembered as I packed them all away.  The bra brings us together, but it is so much more that keeps us together.

tough life

Adam (size 4), Hugo (size 12)

This is how our boys' shoes look after just a few short months of hard wearing.  They get a beating from the scooter rides and skateboarding.  These little shoes have to run around school all day and play in the streets until dark.  They develop silent mouths and ragged tongues.  Their laces hang frazzled and knotted on the sides.  These little shoes end up soleless and tired.

 

It's been a while since anyone actually out grew their shoes around here.  They work hard to keep our boys moving!

spare parts

Just days before Granny Maggie came crashing into our lives, Rob had noticed that the motor that drives the water pump that sprays the windscreen of his BMW was broken.  Being an engineer, he stuck his hands under the bonnet and pulled out the offending part which is about 10cm long with a diameter of around 3cm.  He googled the part and compared prices at BMW and EBay.  After discovering that this little widget would set him back several hundred dollars and take weeks to be shipped from the east or Europe, he decided to put the search on hold.

On the fatal night of the Granny crash, it was my great pleasure to watch the captains of industry out in the street at midnight sweeping up parts and glass before the Mercedes was towed away.

The following morning, Rob went over the road to assess the damage of the misparked Ute and low and behold, the motor for the windscreen sprayer of the Merc had become dislodged on impact, flown out of the fast moving crumbling bonnet and landed in the back of the open Ute!  I am not kidding!

Like a delighted child, Rob grabbed the motor and raced back across the street to his little Beemer.  He popped the motor in place where a gaping hole had been left and Voila:  it worked!!

Not only do we have Mercedez badges adorning our walls and fenders that are now shields, we also have swords that were windscreen wipers AND now a motor that works in a BMW!

So the Mercedes Benz was not a write-off after all.

crashing grans

While I have been a bit quiet, one of my big prayers has been answered.  We have adopted an Australian Granny.  I have been interviewing for one for a while now - that is asking just about anyone over 65 if our boys can come for a sleep over.  It's something we really miss here.  It can be tough not having family nearby especially when we have been used to grannies and grandpas who were so much part of our lives.

A few Fridays ago I was unpacking my work kit from my car at the unusual hour of 11pm.  As I was walking up the path with my last load, I was frozen by the loudest, closest bang I had ever heard!  A new Mercedes Benz Coupe had come hurtling down our street and the driver had misjudged a bakkie (Ute/pick up truck) parked against the verge and had clipped it!  Suffice to say the Ute was pushed up its driveway and the Mercedes was ripped to shreds.  The bonnet buckled over the roof and came to a screeching halt right in front of our driveway.  Out of the crumbled heap climbed the dearest elderly lady called Madge.  She was all shaken and confused so I took her inside for a cup of tea while Rob and the men of the street got into action sorting out the details.  In the early hours of a Saturday morning, Madge and I bonded over cups of tea and tears as she got over the wreck she had caused on a 1km trip home from a dinner party.  I helped her through the breathalyser test (which she thankfully passed!) and the paperwork, and gathered her belongings from her boot. 

Granny Maggie and the boys have become firm friends.  She lives just around the corner opposite our favourite park.  I text her when the boys are going for a play and she watches from her kitchen window or wanders down for a chat.  She is actually a great-granny of 75 and twice widowed.  We visit one another for tea and have a budding friendship that melts the years between us.  She is a wonderful Aussie lady with a beautiful story and warm heart.  She made a silly mistake that night but her collision with a Ute made her collide with us.  God works in mysterious ways!

It is comforting for us both to know that we have each other just around the corner.  I am excited at the prospect of a local granny for our boys and I am enjoying getting to know this lovely lady.  She entered our lives with a great big bang and we are enjoying her so much.

stalking

Time to be perfectly honest.  One of the reasons that I haven't written for a while is the weird feeling that I am getting about being stalked.  This blog is intended for those who know and love us to follow our path and to remain part of our life journey.  It is our hope that one day we will be reunited and our stories will somehow collide again. 

From time to time, I have realised that there are people reading here who have never met me or my family but who found us in the ether and enjoy my writing.  On the surface that seems OK.  I am not sure why someone would be remotely interested in my ramblings if they didn't have a vested interest in my life.  When strangers start leaving arbitrary comments here on almost every post, it feels a bit weird.

Why would someone wait for my next post and hang on my every word if he doesn't know me?  Why would someone think I am at all interested in his comments if I have never met him?  That's the problem with our private lives in the public domain.  The Internet has far reaching arms and unlimited depth.  We are exposing ourselves like never before.  Take a look at these statistics on Facebook for a shock.

 

 

I am learning to love my Facebook.  It is a great way to connect with people on a personal level who I have met at lingerie parties.  It makes me a real person to them and helps with the intimacy of the products I sell and the experience of bra shopping.  I am able to network quickly and easily and spread my news and views quite far.  What I don't like is that it sucks you right in.  I keep checking to see what you have had for breakfast and with whom.  But that is a whole other post.

 

 

My point is this:  read freely off the net and take what you want from it.  Tread carefully when it comes to stepping over personal boundaries.  Your voice may be read as graffiti.



coming back slowly

It's been so long since I wrote that I almost felt a bit scared to be back here.  Where do I start?  The last few weeks have slipped through my fingers in a blur of constant activity.  Between our constant home decor projects, the boys' activities and our jobs, we seldom have time to fold the laundry, let alone come up for air.  When we do, it's a long deep gasp of air and we mooch in each other's company.

This week Rob has gone to New York and Boston on an investors' roadshow.  He has left in a blaze of angst and stress over the plummeting price of iron ore and is fighting the remains of flu.  There are continual fires to put out here and investors begging to see him there.  Our lives seem to be a whirlwind of cocktail parties and corporate functions as Atlas Iron's profile rises in Perth circles.  The stress of the role is taking its toll on Rob and we are going to have to take a few days leave soon in order to make it to the end of the year.

So here I sit, in silence, with only you for company.  It's been too long apart.

This past month I have witnessed two of my friends getting really ill.  One has leukemia and is fighting a brave battle with infection and chemotherapy and drugs.  The other has Crohen's disease and has just had a meter of her intestine removed that was badly damaged by the bugs.  Their illnesses have drained me of energy to write when I have had time and have stopped me in my tracks to pray quietly for their recovery.  I have also been reflecting on how blessed we are.

My business has become busier than ever since the unmasking on conference six weeks ago.  My team is growing and thriving.  I am enjoying this new role of mentor and coach while still doing between 15 and 20 parties a month of my own.  With Phuket Rewards trip now safely achieved, I am goaling for Venice in April!  It's a stretch but one I am trying to reach.

So we are still here, still working and playing.  Rugby season is over and there is a short break before cricket starts.  Spring is threatening to come.  I am still running with the group of 20 before sunrise 3 times a week and just did my third City to Surf 12km run. 

My fingers are warming up, as is my little office.  So blogging is back.

unmasking potential

INTIMO July Conference 2012

The annual INTIMO conference on the Gold Coast, near Brisbane was absolutely sensational.  I loved networking with 260 inspiring women from all over Australia and New Zealand.  The professional development was outstanding with keynote speakers who stretched and grew our thinking.  Amongst those who blew me away was Michael McQueen who is a leader in bridging the gap between the generations.  He gave fantastic insight into recruiting and retaining Gen Y in our businesses.  An Intimo favourite is Mark McKeon who is a life and business coach.  He is big on work life balance and reaching your potential within your boundaries.  I just love his zest for life and positive attitude.  He gives practical ways to take your business to the next level, wherever you are in your journey.

Kaylin, Amanda and Wendy

The masquerade ball, flash mob and gala black tie awards night were all done with a slick professionalism and attention to detail that was just brilliant.  I loved being back in a corporate event immersing myself in my business, without distraction, for a few days.

The time away was made even more special by having two days with Cindy and Ian in Brisbane ahead of the conference.  I loved shopping with a 16 year old girl for a change and Cindy and I had a really good catch up.  After twenty years of friendship, it is just wonderful to reconnect every few months.

Rob and the boys coped very well without me.  Life went on quite smoothly.  We all missed each other but it is safe to say that I can now take these trips, confidently knowing they are all big enough to take charge of themselves.

Now back to reality.  School goes back this week.  I have ideas to implement, a team to motivate and so much to do.  INTIMO has been a fantastic adventure so far.

another year

We have lived in Australia for over two years now.  The first two are supposed to be the hardest.  Well we feel very settled and very happy.  The longing for special people, places and smells will never go away but the rich experience of being here is just brilliant.  This has been the best decision for our family.

This has been a very big twelve months.  Rob has established himself in a new career, I have started building a business.  The boys have each grown and developed and really started making good friends this year.  Having all three at full time school has been a shift for us as we move into the next phase.  We are now living in a beautiful home that is almost complete!

I went back to "seconds please" that I wrote a year ago.  It was interesting to reflect on the lessons we had learned in our first year.  This is what I have learned this year:

depth of friendship is not measured by how long you have known someone
relationships evolve and change
women are amazing, incredible and resilient
there's a part of me that isn't alive when I am not working outside of our home
our skills, education and experience can be reapplied in a new situation
to render and paint a wall
I can drop my standards on housework a little
life and health are fragile
I still have so much to learn from our three boys
Rob has an incredible capacity to cope with stress and challenge
with faith, anything is possible

We're half way to citizenship.  Bring it on!

forty something

OK, so we are now really in our forties, whatever.  I celebrated birthday number 41 this month.  Some days are better than others.  I'm not quite in therapy.

The truth is, most of our friends crossed the great decade divide ahead of me so I had enough warning.  It's just that the hype around 40 is so fabulous.  The party is usually a big one (certainly was in my case).  The milestone is significant.  And then you turn 40 something.  I feel so middle aged.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful.  I am undoubtedly blessed.  In this day and age we do need to celebrate every happy, healthy birthday.  Rob and I have reached this point without a bad medical diagnosis or a major crisis.  We haven't suffered bankruptcy or divorce.  We have arrived at this place still enjoying each other's company.  Our children are not dysfunctional (yet) and so far appear to be normal.  We aren't searching for spiritual truth but rather are grounded by our faith.  Our friendships, albeit wide spread across the globe, are strong.  Rob has a stimulating and rewarding career and I am building a fantastic business.  Life is pretty good, wrinkles and all.

I was spoiled on my birthday and beyond.  I have never been fitter and am comfortable with who I am.  We have a beautiful home and toys for all ages. 

It's just that, well, the life of Gen Y looks like so much fun.

We're both forty something.

winter sports

Sometimes a play on the beach in the middle of winter is great fun.  The icy wind rushes over you and the tumbling waves crash in your ears.  It takes all your energy to stay warm as you run on the damp sand and suck in the cold air.Summer taste even sweeter when it finally comes.

boy fun

We survived Russell's birthday sleepover on Friday night.  He invited four boys to share the end of term excitement and camp out in our lounge next to a roaring fire.  The boys were really well behaved and had a great time.  The thumping music was a bit loud at times which made me feel very middle aged!  They barbecued their dinner, played iPod games and had a table tennis tournament.  They road their skateboards in the road and climbed the tree.  The late night movie was The Adventures of Tintin before chatting in their makeshift bed.

Mother to seven boys for a night!  And Rob, of course.

Conor, Johnan, Brynne,and Harry

alphabet dress up

C is for Clown



G is for Gold

Every year the cub scout pack has an alphabet dress up night.  The boys choose a letter out of a bag and have to dress accordingly.  Of course Adam got the clown suit and Russell was going for Gold!  Not much of a dress up for the Wilsons.  More like a come as you are party!

Penny

Adam cruising

She's our latest craze!  The boys have been saving like mad to purchase their "Pennyboards".  They are luminous coloured awesome short skateboards for cool transport and fun in the streets.

Most of the afternoon is spent with other kids racing up and down the streets, ramping pavements and cruising around corners.

Hugo is not quite ready for one, but I don't think it will be long!

 So far there has been no major accidents but I prefer to stay in doors and not watch the speed at which they fly!





cutting corners

tunnel vision

Adam and his fellow Pally Rugby players had the great honour of forming the tunnel on the oval for the Western Force to run on to the pitch.  It was terribly exciting for these little rugby players to be standing in the middle of the packed stadium and coming so close to the state's heroes.  To crown the glory, it was Nathan Sharpe's final home game and there was lots of celebrating. 

Adam was given the commemorative cap by a spectator and he had the grand opportunity of getting the souvenir programme autographed by the retiring giant.

Sadly the Brumbies trounced our boys but it didn't take away from the thrill of being one of the little players who played a match at half time in front of the crowd. 

Rob was in a corporate suite (of course) so saw Adam's excitement at close range.  Russell, Hugo and I cuddled up on the couch and caught a fleeting glimpse of him as the Force took to the field.

What fun and sheer joy for these little chaps.  This will be a day Adam will remember for a very long time.  The dismal score is already long forgotten.

Toast

A toast to us!

Our men

Last Sunday we took time out from church, friends, activities and work and had an all exclusive Wilson family day!  First we lazed around at home.  Then we headed down to my new favourite eatery called Toast for a scrumptious brunch.  The boys tucked into pancakes and giant milkshakes and we loaded our plates with all things delicious.  Toast is very retro and fun.  The cups and plates are straight out of anyone's granny's cupboard and the location is idyllic on the water's edge.  A photo session and stroll along the river bank in the winter sunshine was pure bliss. 

brotherly love is tying your shoe laces

I have learned to keep a stash of INTIMO boxes in my boot for these ocasions as you never know when you may find a hill worthy of a cardboard slide.  The boys had the best time sliding down the grass, wrestling, chasing each other and just being boys.

always crazy Hugo

Adam in action

Love padlocks on the park bridge

The end of the game!

double digits

Last week Russell turned 10!  A whole decade of parenting has slipped by!  He is so grown up now, our first born.  To mark the special occasion we finally gave in and bought him an iPod Touch.  He is so thrilled and made a whole outing of going down to the mall with his dad to choose a cover.  So we are now entering the phase of face time, pinging and gaming.  It's a slippery slope down the technology hill from here.

Russell is so responsible and a great big brother. He is quite independent now and loves to ride his bike, scooter or skateboard to school. He usually comes home via a friend's home.  He is really doing well at karate and rugby and is so keen to give everything a try.  He is proud to be part of the chess team, a sixer in his cub pack and is getting really good at his trumpet!  We just love his great passion for life. 

To crown it all, Russell is sporting lots of gaps in his mouth which is so endearing!
Now we just have the mini party to look forward to.  He has invited five boys for a sleepover on the last day of term.  I am bracing myself for even more testosterone in our home.  We'll just keep them busy with movies, gaming, table tennis, darts, skateboarding and lots of food and in all probability they will only talk to each other via their iPods!

Happy Birthday my darling big boy!

Hugo's birthday

In the midst of these busy past months, Hugo turned 5!  He had a fabulous party in a park.  The play equipment is new and really brilliant so we met up with his classmates, other friends and all the siblings after school on his birthday, Friday 18th May, for a play.  They  all had a great time playing on the equipment, hunting for their treasure bags and having scooter races on the paths.  I organised for a face painter to come down and he churned out princesses and tigers on every little face.

Hugo started his birthday with grilled cheese on toast, a household favourite!  He was so delighted to find that God had sent him a birthday wish in the shape of a grilled heart!!

Hugo is a gorgeous boy who is so full of life.  He loves playing with his friends and has extraordinary amounts of energy.  He grabs life with both hands and makes the absolute most of every situation, loving school and learning to read so quickly.  He engages in every activity and is a keen learner.  He is a joy to have in our home.  We are so thrilled to have three big boys now!

spotless

Spotless.  Well, not quite but much better than it was.  Bring on Gill, my new cleaning lady.  And there is purposefully no photo of her because that is the whole point.  I go out on a Friday morning and make other women feel amazing in beautiful and well fitted underwear while Gill cleans our house.  I come home and the house is all perfect, for a while!

It really has helped a lot to have someone do the main hard labour once a week.  It's not quite the life I left behind but it is a step in the right direction.  The boys are shocked that they now have to tidy for the cleaning lady.  Everything must be packed away and in its place before school so that she has a clear working surface.  She only has four hours to get around the kitchen, bathrooms, dust and vacuum, sweep and mop.  It's a workout and not for the feint-hearted.

Now that I am working so much, I just was finding it increasingly difficult to get to the cleaning.  I still have to change bed linen, do the washing, fold endless piles of laundry and spot clean as we go.  I usually iron on a Sunday night and do a quick blitz in the middle of the week.  The boys have their jobs and Rob has always been "Mr Min", cleaning as he goes, so our home usually looks alright.

It's tough keeping the living space of five busy people looking spotless but we keep on trying.

storm warning

The crackling fire is competing with the drumming rain as our city is bombarded by a freak storm.  Wind speeds of 125km/h are expected and there are severe weather warnings being broadcast on every channel.  The power keeps tripping and the rain is thundering on our roof.  The sky is ablaze with lightning bolts and trees are breaking under the powerful forces. 

This is the weather map showing a level 2 cyclone moving in!

I am so glad that I don't have to venture out to work tonight and am cuddled up on the couch with Rob (and his laptop!).   We are hoping that there won't be too much damage to property over night.  The storm is rushing in from the sea and covering most of the South West corner of this vast country.

Bed time soon and I don't think I will be getting up for my usual 5.45am run. 

Sleep tight.

the force

We are embracing The Western Force as our team to support.  Rob has the cap, I am yet to get the T-shirt but we are out there routing for them.  It's tough when the Stormers are doing so well, but we really are trying to take this last step in the direction of the Green and the Gold.

Recently the Stormers played the Western Force in Perth.  Lindsay and Rob took the two big boys to watch.  There was much excitement in the lead up to the game.  Hugo, Pat and I stayed at home.  I felt a little left out...and then the heavens opened.  It didn't drizzle, it poured.  We experienced our first winter rain and it bucketed down.  Pat and I were cuddled up on the couch with Hugo while the stalwart supporters were out there backing their teams!  They came back half-drowned, defeated and cold.  It was a sight to behold.

Nathan Sharpe

It was a great day when the Western Force visited our local rugby club to meet the players and sign autographs.  Arnout and I shared in the boys' excitement as they met the giants of the game they love.

It was quite something to get up close to these huge men.  They were so friendly and encouraging.  They gave freely of their time and many autographs to make these future rugby stars happy.  What fun for everyone.
Hugo was able to walk right between some of their legs!  He loved getting close to real heroes.

friends first

Little Creatures Brewery Fremantle

We are so fortunate to have family that we call friends first.  Mike and Julie spent a week with us as part of Mike's whirlwind business trip around Australia.  Mike is first our friend, and second Rob's step brother.  What makes him a great friend is his foresight to arrive in Perth four days after Julie's arrival.  That gave us girls just enough time to catch up properly, see some of the sites and work our way down the cocktail lists of many river and sea facing establishments!  It was our absolute pleasure to spend quality time with Julie and Mike.  We caught up on family matters, shared our lives and dreams and soaked up the last summer rays (and beverages!).  Julie, of course, had the uplifting experience of Intimo which is always great fun!

We shared an unforgettable evening at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, walked through Kings Park, took in some skylines and vistas and just enjoyed special time together.

Julie is one of the faces I see at the end of my blog every time I write.  I know she is there, willing me to write, wanting to see into our lives.  This time was meaningful and special, the first of many, we hope.  We love you guys.  Come back soon.