Sprained ankle

Posted on February 14, 2007
Filed Under Australia - The land down under, Irony Anyone?, Stupidity and randomness | Leave a Comment

P.S. The phone was for Jamie. Tama has sprained his ankle. Looks like it’s 4 in the car….

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Why is the morning so early?

Posted on February 14, 2007
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It’s not even 7:30 yet and there is already a million things going on here. Now, I know that getting 4 kids ready for school takes some finesse. Showers need to be staggered to allow those just waking to go to the toilet, only two at at a time in the kitchen having breakfast or making lunch, they even stagger leaving! Jamie often walks with Tama at 8:00 (if Tama picks him up along the way.) The girls wait for a lift from yours truly at 8:20 and Connor leaves by himself now at 8:30. Brian left just after 7:00 for work.

Mum has wisely decided each morning to wait in her bedroom until the bulk of them have gone so that she can go to the toilet on demand and shower when she wants to. I’ve been trying to keep the 4 of them quiet so as not to wake her but it’s not easy. They seem to have an inability to speak quietly or not slam doors. *Sigh*

It’s 7:35.

The phone is ringing…… again

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Jet-lag’s a bitch

Posted on February 8, 2007
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Well, Mum arrived safe and sound 5  minutes earlier than scheduled, today. She was excited to have gone through Sydney and was relieved to have finally made it to the end destination!

Brian and I picked her up from the airport and brought her straight back home (knowing, of course, that she would be tired after her long trip.)

We spent the afternoon just sitting around and talking, after giving her a tour of the house (which she says she really likes, yay!) The kids are so happy to see her and I’m over the moon. I love my mother very dearly and I remember a time when moving to the next suburb sent me into a panic because I would be so far away…lol. Who knew that a few years later, I would be moving halfway around the world.  It’s been only 6 months since I went to Canada to visit but it’s so different. This time, I get to show her around my home and the city that I have come to love.

It’s only 7:30 and she’s already gone to bed. I’m amazed she made it this far as she didn’t sleep very much at all of the planes.  Jet-lag really is a bitch!

Tomorrow, I think we’ll have a wander around the neighborhood so she can see the kids schools, the local shops and get a feel for direction.  My mother loves to go for walks and I don’t get a walking partner that often. I’ll certainly relish that.

For now, I think I’ll keep this short as I’m sure she can hear me typing away.  Wouldn’t want to wake her after all that, now would I?

Signed,

Happy Camper!

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First class, Baby!

Posted on February 6, 2007
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Mum leaves tonight on the first leg of her trip to Australia. I’ve very quickly slapped together an image of her flight path.

The red indicates her first flight; Montreal, Quebec to Vancouver, B.C. - 5 hours then an 8 hour layover
The yellow indicated the second flight; Vancouver, B.C. to Sydney, Australia (with a refuelling stop in Hawaii) - 18 hours then a 3 hour layover
The pink indicates the last flight; Sydney, Australia to Perth, Australia - 5 hours.

This makes a total travelling time of 39 hours from start to finish. Whew! It’s such a long flight and I know! I’ve done it 5 times now with different variations. I’ve stopped in London, Kuala Lumpur, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Detroit. Every time my bloody ankles swell and my knees ache from sitting for so long but I managed…lol

Fortunately, Mum is flying FIRST CLASS. Something I’ve never had the luxury of doing (on this flight.)

Don’t you love how they’ve changed it so that the people flying cattle car economy get to board at the front of the plane and get to walk right through first class on the way to their tiny seat waaaaaay in the back? They might as well station the flight attendants there to make comments on the way through…

“See what you can’t have?”

“Shoulda paid the extra couple of grand.”

“Look but don’t touch!”

Then the people who are in first class can titter over our gross lack of funds and toast with their champagne to being first class citizens. I digress.

Anyhow, Mum arrives Thursday afternoon and it seems like such a long time from now (Tuesday evening) until then. Guess I have time to clean and make the bed.

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I was jealous of her scars…

Posted on February 5, 2007
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Recently, my friend Nicola wrote a post on her blog Down The Bog titled “Ouch!” In it, she speaks of burning herself quite badly with boiling water.

Well, not to be outdone, *rolls eyes* this evening I splashed sizzling oil onto my inner arm while attempting to sear some lamb for our dinner of Tika Marsala. Check out the damage!

I cannot tell you how much this hurt! And even now, it still stings mightily. I’m feeling pretty stupid right about now.

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