Caz

Ahh the lovely Gold Coast of Queensland!   Now that I've finally recovered from the ordeal of trekking to the Gold Coast with three little boys, meeting mum & the 30odd other homeschool families for our Sea World excursion I thought I'd pop on and post some pics! It was a LONG day, but the kids had a fabulous time so that sorta makes up for the stress on me... at least mostly... and in hindsight ;)  

Our crew for the day was Me, Frodo, Sam & Merry plus Mum and the boys cousin L.   She scored big getting to skip school to go have fun with us at Sea World ;)   Blogger is being a booger and won't let me rearrange my photos... ok... I'm being a noob and I can't work out HOW to rearrange them lol.  So they are totally not in the order of our day (which is how I planned to write this post *sigh*)  But here we go...


The hand you see here is Mr Samwise... And that large thing is a very big manta ray!  Before I even confirmed by reading the handy sign posted nearby, he ran up and stuck his arm in the water up to his armpit... that child has no fear I tell you! lol.  I am fairly certain he molested (in the non pervish, cute 5yo way of course) every single manta ray and funky flat shark looking fish in that entire tank before we left.  He loved it!


Here is our crew at the entrace to Penguin Point.. Little Merry totally thought he 'penguis' were awesome.


Our 'school' group had a special treat after the Imagine dolphin show.  Here are the three main stars of the show doing their thing... the kids were fascinated.  After the show, one of the trainers came out and shared some of the methods they use to train the dolphins.  My boys were ... less than attentive *sigh*.. ah well, I enjoyed it hehehe.


When it became obvious my three rat bags were not going to behave themselves, we moved away from the main group so they could enjoy the dolphin talk.  And LOOK at what happened... the kids sat on the rock edge of the pool and the dolphins swam up and just stared intently at them.  I tell ya it was unreal.  The dolphin in the picture was *maybe* 2metres away from them.  And the boys... were utterly silent.


A very out of order pic of Sam with the 'penguis' as Merry calls them :)  They were quite cute, and funny little things.  We also hung out watching the polar bear play for a bit (NOT in the enclosure with the penguis I must add lol) but didn't get any shots of him. :(

And we had a peek at the Sesame street beach show of the day :)  I have a spectacular picture of Sam on the scaled down model of the Endeavour (the ship Captain James Cook sailed on to map the coastline of Australia way back when)  but apparently it has been eaten by blooger. (typo intentional ;) 

Like I said.. after a couple of days, and several midori illusions lol, I can say that it was a great day out!


Caz

There is just something special about watching a 7yo get excited about a trip to the library, even if it's the tiny library extension at the mall.   Today we had some errands to do that required both dh & I to be there, so we all piled into the car and popped up to the local shopping centre.  We were almost there when Frodo pipes up from the backseat... can we go to the library mum?  dad can take care of Sam & Merry and you can take me?    We've been busy with moving & cleaning & unpacking for the last two weeks and he's asked a couple of times to go... so how could we say no? :) Strider & I formulated a plan to meet at X location after we were finished with our book browsing, and Frodo grabbed my hand and off we went!  

He tried very hard to be quiet hehe, but he was just so excited!  Of course he requested books on Egypt straight away lol.    Egypt is a long running fascination.. starting way back when he was playing Luxor (a computer game) yonks ago.   It hasn't let up either,  we own numerous neato Eygpt books and several others that have bits on Egypt in them...so I suggested some books on Archaeology since that's where we are in history, that idea was a big hit.   We came home with an archaeology book, one on Mesopotamia, Ancient China, a few Magic Treehouse books (he loves those :D )  and a mystery book he picked out himself.  There were a couple of story books as well, and two National Geographic mags that had ended up on the sale trolley that I intended to buy.. but they weren't supposed to be there so we checked them out instead.  

After we had quite the little stack of books, we took them to the counter and he handed over his very own library card (huge source of pride to him) and then he asked the librarian if she had any bookmarks lol.  He picked up his haul of books and off to meet dad we went.   We did our business, and ended up grabbing dinner out...  Sushi is WIN!  The kids were not in a sushi mood though, so they had McCrap.   I felt compelled to give them fruit when we got home to make up for that lol... and yogurt too ;) 

ps.  I realize I'm rather crap about photos lately in my posts... I sorta know where the camera is now, so I'll attempt to have a little more visual excitement from now on.  If anyone is out there ;) 

Caz

We finally have our wireless adsl set up, thank the Gods... dialup was sending me mental.  Now I can loaf around and waste time on the net as per usual.  Wait.. I do more than that, honest! lol    My net time is my sanity saver... I have 3 little boys underfoot from dawn till dusk, so half an hour with a cuppa and hanging out on my fave message boards is just the thing :)  

I really don't have a damn thing to say at the moment, just wanted to show my face.  

Wait.. I do have something to say... we have found  a decent treadmill on sale and we're going to put one on layby tomorrow :)  I'm going to commit to using it for half an hour a day to start with and work my way up from there.  I have/had a gym membership, but honestly since my abrupt trip to the US late last year it has just seemed like a huge chore to find the time to go work out.   We won't have the treadmill probably for about 6weeks or so though :(  Which sucks because I'm feeling motivated by finding it and want to USE it dammit *sigh*

Caz

Here I sit, still stuck with shitty dialup internet.  How in the world does anyone in a civilized country live with this rubbish?!?!  AAPT, our esteemed internet service provider (not for bloody long though!) has shafted us for the SECOND move since we have been with them.  When we moved into the last place we weren't REALLY all that shocked that dsl wasn't immediately available.. it was an older neighborhood with ancient .. well ancient everything.  Fast forward 18months to now.  

We just moved into a new house, in a brand new development that touts its technological advancement.  There's even a super fancy box with all the telecom wiring and such and in the house there are several special outlets to plug into for high speed internet.   AAPT said yes, no problem having adsl at your new address Mr. Strider!  So we thought nothing of it, until we move in and then the story changes to 'oh, it will actually take 3-5days to process the internet transfer' then a day later it changed to 7-10 days.  Then the chick today said well actually your house has 'something pair' lines so you can't have this service at all sir.  Let me backtrack a moment...

We recieved our bill today for the last month from them, and it was ... odd.  It looked like we changed internet plans midmonth, which we did not.  So Strider calls them up and finds out eventually that there was a MASS upgrade to ADSL2 and that 'some customers' didn't get notified.  The adsl2 plan we were apparently upgraded to, without our consent, would have cost us 10bucks a month more. You can bet your ass the Telecommunications industry Ombudsman will be hearing from me... again.    I also happen to know that it costs the company a fuckload of money everytime a customer complaint comes to them and they have to get involved.   Enjoy it AAPT, it's what happens when you shaft your customers up the arse. 

Ok, back to the something pair lines.. it appears that they were trying to transfer adsl TWO here, which definitely won't work since adsl1 isn't here yet.  So I will get the immense satisfaction tomorrow of calling them up, again, and telling them to stick their application to transfer the dsl up their bums... and that our telephone and net will be going to Telstra wireless as soon as humanly possible.  

Choke on it assholes.

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Caz

That moving sucks.  

We are move into our new place, but haven't finished unpacking or getting the what goes where sorted out yet, mainly because of the absurd cleaning required at the old place.  The place was a cobwebby, dusty, grotty mess when we moved in so why should *I* have to leave it any better than all the nastyness I wrote on the entry report?   Well, Yesterday I came to the FUCK IT moment.  I came home and told dh that anything else that got done, wouldn't be by my hands because I was D.O.N.E!   

I have washed & ironed curtains (that were filled with the nicotine stench of the owner that assualted my nose as soon as they hit the water), cleaned walls & cabinets and scrubbed shower & bath.. and even cleaned the disgusting window tracks (sliders) all through the house.  FFS, they were filled with at least a decades worth of dead bugs and grime.. it was foul.  But I soldiered on.  Then the vacuum cleaner clogged, I vacuumed that damn crapet weekly (sometimes more) and yet there was still enough crap in it to make a several inch long blockage in the hose of the vacuum.  As I sat on the floor trying to get the crap out.. I suddenly blew a gasket and yelled FUCK THIS!  and gathered my gear and left.   

DH went over and emptied stuff out, tidied some outdoors, and mopped.  He'll go mow the lawn & meet the crapet cleaner this afternoon after work and then the keys go back tomorrow.  I swear if that lady tries to ding us on one single thing, I will bury her body under the friggin pebbled area in the back yard that has been the bane of my weeding existence for 18months now.  

Ok... not really.. but by gods I'll want to!

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Caz

This is not one of my typical rambly posts, but I thought I'd share something with anyone that happens to wander past my little blog.

A very good friend of mine, SolsticeMom, is having a giveaway over at her blog.    She is giving away a copy of  this  book (see her blog for details!)  It looks to be just the most gorgeous book about showing our little ones how to live more in touch with nature as other cultures have done.  The artwork is just beautiful (as it is in all of their books.. just have a look at the preview page for Arthur of Albion *sigh*)  They also have a lot of VERY pagan friendly books *happy dance*

If you've never looked at a Barefoot book or their website, wow are you in for some eye candy.  I haven't actually ORDERED any books yet... mainly because our Australian dollar has been in the loo versus the USD recently so the exchange rate just KILLED any international ordering!  Things are looking up for the old AUD though so maybe soon I can.  (And my suitcases will be a bit heavier for my return trip from the US in a few months lol)  But for all you Americans, if you want your children to have beautiful books this is the place to go.    

So, make sure you stop by her blog and then go over to her Barefoot Books 'stall' and have a look!

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Caz

Today is a perfect day for chicken soup.. it's rainy and overcast and sorta chilly.  Does that just scream out for chicken soup or what??   So this morning my beloved put a chook on to boil with celery, onion & carrot (plus a bullion cube for good measure) and we made my Asian chicken & sweet corn soup.   There's no real 'recipe' for this soup, I cook by smell :D    But I digress...

Into the crock pot goes the skimmed chicken stock, minus the veggies, and the bird itself is cooling. Cut the kernels off three or so fresh cobs of corn, slice up a bunch of green onions and toss into a skillet with vegetable oil.  Add some grated ginger & garlic (I keep mine in jars in the fridge, I'm lazy ;) and lemongrass if you have some.. and cook until it's aromatic.  When your mouth waters, you're there.   Grab ye olde hand/stick blender and blend until it's about half or so unrecognizable, then dump into the stock in the crock pot.  Add a splash of sesame oil and soy sauce... probably about a tablespoon of the former and a couple of the latter.  Obviously if you taste it & it needs more, go for it!  

When the chicken is cool enough that you won't lose the skin from your fingers touching it, pick it to shreds and put into the crock pot as well.  Lid on and cook all day, stirring occasionally (read: find any excuse to taste that you can)   Sometimes just at the end of cooking, I'll crack an egg and separate it, then lightly beat the white with a dribble of water and drizzle into the pot while stirring the soup in a circular manner (witch way you stir depends on your hemisphere.. northern deosil and southern widdershins ;) lol).  This makes those very cool little strings of egg like chinese soups from restaurants have ...  not terribly necessary, but hubby likes it so if I remember I try to add it.  

Serve with big crusty rolls to dip and maybe sprinkle a few bits of sliced green onion on top for ... well for absolutely no reason at all except to make it look fancy ;)

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Caz

Ok Memo to mother nature... this rain business is far more efficient if its in reasonable doses.  This whole no rain for months on end, then days and days worth of rain doesn't really work so well .  My tomatoes are going to just EXPLODE from this massive dose of water *sigh*   and just think of all the fluffy bunnies!?!  The poor things will drown .   Oh wait.. bunnies are a horrid pest here.. so nm so much about the bunnies Mother nature, you didn't put them here anyway :)  But srsly... my tomatoes are gonna diiieeee!    If anyone needs me I'll be out back building a raft... I think we may wash out to sea on the weekend.

Completely unrelated, now that we have the lease signed on the new rental... I've been seriously bitten by the packing bug.  There is a small wall of boxes  all packed up ready to go (ok there are 9 small boxes and one large one.. sort of a wall)  and I've got a couple more planned for tonight.  I've spent the day washing half the curtains in the house (they have to be handwashed UGH) so I'm bloody exhausted.  My dearest made the mistake of suggesting McDonalds for dinner ... so I threw the keys to the ark...err, car.. at him and said go for it. lol   Butter chicken burritos will be for tomorrow night instead, I just can't face my kitchen tonight.  Guess what part of the house I started packing? ;)

And I forgot to mention that I rang the real estate agent regarding the drapes that recommend dry cleaning (mainly because if I hand wash them and they shrink I want someone else to blame it on ;) and the twit in the office asked another property manager, as mine was out, and was told I'd best get them dry cleaned since we've been here since 07.  WTF?  Their list specifically says that is NOT our responsibility so it just ain't happening.. cause I assure the world those damn things were not dry cleaned before we moved in.  FFS, they had COBWEBS between them & the window when we got the place!   Twits reply was to say she'd leave a msg for property manager to return my call when she got back in the office at 130.... it's now 5pm, so I'll assume I won't be getting a call today.   I'm underwhelmed with surprise.

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