Musical

Well I have finally recovered a week post musical, but wow it was such fun and I was so proud of the kids they did so well. So the week started the previous w/e with rehearsals all day Saturday and Sunday. I went and ironed costumes for 4 hours on the Saturday morning which I have to say was hard graft and very tedious. There was one other mum there for some of the time and the teacher doing costumes did do some as well, but I have to say I was glad to escape at lunchtime.  

So the kids all had rehearsal on the Monday from 12-5pm, Tuesday technical rehearsals started from 4-9pm, Wednesday and Thursdays were dress rehearsals from 2-8pm, then shows on Friday night and Sat afternoon and evening. I went from Tuesday rehearsals onwards, miking up the kids pre and post performance, then also got involved in helping with costume changes, tidying dressing rooms and feeding kids as much as possible.  It was a very busy but exciting week. The auditorium which was  only opened in January was completely full for the friday and Saturday night and 3/4 full for the matinee so in total about 1650 people came to watch a very professional performance.  I also met a whole lot of parents who were also Christians which was great, and also ended up joining FOTA (Friends of the Arts) which I felt I ought to given that Rebecca has a performing arts scholarship. Anyway I've added a few pictures of the kids all dressed up with their cast members. So just waiting to see what they do in 2 yrs time :)

So the following week was really strange, we were all exhausted  but it was weird with no rehearsals. However the kids were back into usual rehearsals for foundation day and the official opening of the auditorium with the QLD premier attending. The day after the musical we also went to tertiary expo so Josh could try and work out what course / uni he wants to go to... I think it helped a bit but Rebecca found out a lot of stuff and what uni courses she can start in Yr 12! 

Josh was definately back to work with lots of 

work and assignments to do, so no real rest for them really. However both of them have declined the sport option this term so at least we have Saturdays free again as well. Last term really was too hectic.

So this week Rebecca also had drama camp on friday and all day today which she really enjoyed working with a professional theatre company and Josh had a professional singer from the 'Ten Tenors' come to Barbershop boys so do a workshop. The opportuninties they are getting are fantastic, they just keep making the most of it. 

Rebecca is also getting the chance to go to Townsville for the final of the science and engineering competition later on this month so is quite excited about that.

Well the highlight of Rebecca's last 3 weeks is that today she 'officially' started going out with Cameron, a lad from church who is the son of some very good friends of ours. So she's walking around with a great big grin on her face. 

So a new era dawns... all 3 kids going out with someone... all very strange but great fun so far.

So as for the rest of us. Ceri and Matt are nearing their completion date for their house, it becomes theirs on the 19th August, so they are very excited, although worrying about that first mortgage payment, Mark just reassured them that as this was the first for the next 30 years they would soon get used to it... very kind of him!!!

So they have all sorts of plans going around in their heads now. 

Mark has been really busy with work and garden and studying. He has completed his first 2 pieces of work for the degree which have been ok. The good news is that the week before last week he got a phone call from the probation service... they have a job for him and no interview to be done.. woohoo!!!  It is only until October but with a view to extension, but at least once he's in there may be further opportunities, so we are really excited. Its come just at the right time as standing all day with kids has proved a real toll on his foot and he was really starting to struggle. Also having regular full time hours will be so much easier than all the split shifts and driving. So all the paperwork has been done, he is just waiting for the security check to be done. He has also been working really hard in the garden trying to get it sorted. Ashamedly (is that a word) I had a bit of a paddy a few weeks ago about the state of it, so he has got on with it, bless him. He's also had some help from 2 of the lads at church that have come up after school / college, so its now getting there. 

We've also had to get a kennel and make a dog run seeing as the dog will now be left for 7 hours a day when he starts work, so a bit unfair to leave him in the laundry all that time. 

As for me, work continues with ups and downs, I had an interview last week for an additional 10 hours / month job as respiratory clinical lead for the Brisbane south medicare local, so hopefully should hear this week. I'm not expecting to get it, but as I do know general practice well I may be lucky. 

I'm finally back on the bike and managed 58km yesterday, so nice to get back out properly but I'm not going to tell you about my little tumble last week :)

Church is going brilliantly, we have just included a Congolese congregation who are having their own service at 11.30 after our morning service but sending their youth to kidszone and youth group, as they want to integrate their youth into Australian culture for the future. However a lot of them are coming to night church and they have had a lot of their hanger ons all coming back to church, so seeing it grow and integrate is going to be exciting. We also had a stand in the local shopping centre and gave out 800 flyers about the church this w/e and lots of interesting conversations were had. God is just so at work around us.

This week Josh went to watch War Horse with school, not that he enjoyed it, but we went to the cinema while he was in the theatre and had a lovely evening ending it in Max Brenners - very scrummy chocolate shop.

Last night we were at friends who have just spent 3 weeks in France and London, there were 8 of us so a fun time was had. 

So am now getting really excited about my cousins coming in 2 weeks and thinking what we can do. Have also almost planned our itinerary for our UK visit which I'm sure will come around far too quickly.

Ok, so have caught us all up with the last 3 weeks events... will try not to make it quite so long next time so I can remember more.. obviously the brain cells are wearing out.

new adventures

So just to take you unaware blog is being delivered on a Friday and almost 3 weeks late... sorry to those who've been missing it. 

So its been a fairly hectic 3 weeks although the kids have been off school which always makes it slightly more relaxing although I think we've played taxi more than ever this holiday. 

Well to give a detailed account of the last 3 weeks would be almost impossible, due to old age my brain just cannot remember all the detail but some fairly exciting events have happened. 

So we started off by booking our flights to the UK, so just 3 of us are coming over which will be a bit weird. Not so much as not having Ceri and Josh with us, but more because we're going away without them, rather than them going away without us which has been the scenarios up until now. Hey ho, I guess that will be the future from now on as they get older / married, but as I said  last blog they have so much to learn to survive here alone its almost funny, but lessons are starting. So I am currently trying to put an itinerary together for the trip which is proving difficult as there are so many people we want to see and have missed while we've been away. However maybe snow will put the best laid plans to rest, but I hope not!

Well Josh and Rebecca have had a really busy holiday, they've both been out most days, Rebecca started the hols with a number of sleep overs and one night had 9 friends here for the evening, the 4 lads did go home at 11pm and the girls all stayed over, chaotic but fun but not to be repeated on a Monday night when we've work the following day! But she's been very adventurous getting buses to lots of different places and shopping centres. Josh has managed to see  lots of Kat, been to a number of parties, got some driving practice in and even did 1 days work in the garden and slept lots!!

Its been fun watching the two of them dance around the kitchen practising their dances for the musical and we've had lots of Joseph music throughout the house.. although nearly over.

Ceri and Matt spent one Saturday looking at 9 houses in the day, which I tagged along to which was fun,  and then they went camping and 4 wheel driving last weekend with 9 others from church and had a good w/e although Ceri had a nasty cough which kept her awake Sat night. 

However the highlight for them is that today they had an offer accepted on a house just up the road which is very exciting. It's in Forest Lake, small and compact but 3 bedroom and has everything they need, needs a bit of decorating but is quite liveable in. So another big item ticked off the list :)

Marks had a very busy 3 weeks, working every day with the school vacation care, but he has been messed around yet again by the fostering agency so yesterday told them he was leaving and today they've come back to him begging him to stay, given him a lad to work with that is all within school hours and will be about 20 hours a week. AARRGG... so difficult. He also preached at church which was awesome, he definitely hasn't lost his knack, he has also been discussing and praying it through with our pastor and housegroup, going to Bible college, and so finally decided last week to enrol... he starts his first module on Monday!  So he's doing a Bachelor of Ministry at the baptist college, its all online so can either attend lectures or do it online, so I expect he'll do a mixture. Its something that has come up so many times over the years but now feels the right time to do it, where God takes him/ us we know not but we believe and trust that wherever it leads will be right for all of us after all, God knows the big picture, we just take the steps He requires of us. 

In between all that he's still working away on the garden...one day .......

So Wednesday night we went to see War Horse... what an amazing play! I bought the tickets last July but it was worth the wait, the puppetry was awesome. We had a lovely evening with a meal out first... 5 of us went, Matt using Josh's ticket as he's now going with school to watch it in 2 weeks time. Just wish the theatre wasn't quite so expensive and we could go more often, hey ho... when we only have 2 tickets to get it will be easier... now there's an advantage of them getting older. 

So I've also been a good wife and bought Mark a belated birthday pressie - 3 days of Ashes tickets for the England Australia game in November... I'm going to keep him company, but with sun, wine and good book I can cope with 3 days of cricket somehow! Its one of the advantages of living in a big city that we can get to all these things relatively easily. With all the sporting events you also get free public transport thrown in which makes it so much easier to get too.

Well today I was shopping in Woollies and look what I saw....

wrong product description me thinks... the European rules should extend world wide!!

So I've not done anything exciting except the theatre, just the usual... work, taxi-ing, biking, cleaning, shopping etc... but at least its warm and sunny. 

So we now head into a really busy week...musical production week and the shows next w/e.  the kids start with all day rehearsals this w/e, I'm not required until Tuesday although I am going tomorrow to iron costumes... was really stupid volunteering for that one, seemed helpful at the time :(

So will post some pictures next week. 

End of Term

sorry no blog last week but the weekend was just too hectic. Finally now the end of term has arrived and I am so pleased, the last few weeks have been so chaotic.

The previous week was so busy, Josh was off school with exams and quite stressed, but overall his marks have been 3 A's and 2 B's, so we're all really pleased with that. His decision to drop chemistry has certainly paid off and he seems to be using the time productively, although there's always room for improvement :) Anyway he came home Monday with a list of stuff he needed for the musical that had to be in on the Friday... 5 days to get a shed load of stuff when its exam week... not the best move of the college I have to say, however after going shopping after school one day and late night shopping another day we got most of the stuff.

Saturday was the finals of the school sports competitions for the semester and Rebecca was playing in the hockey finals and woohoo they lost, but they were playing West MAC who they had previously lost 10-0 too, but this time they only lost by 6-2 so way better. However they had an awesome cheering squad of 4 mums who had a plan to psych the other team out with their cheers....well apart from some sore throats it sort of worked, they at least didn't win by as much! we then went off shopping for the day, first to get some lunch, then to try and get a new mouthpiece for her clarinet, which was unsuccessful, as the dog decided to play with hers AARRGG!!! Then we went shopping to get a few more bits for the musical and had a nice afternoon out, the highlight being booking flights back to the UK. So we are coming back from the 27th December to the 17th Jan but just the 3 of us which is a bit sad. Josh will hopefully be working and doesn't want to leave Kat and Ceri hasn't got enough holiday to take as needs hers for the wedding. Anyway, now need to work out an itinerary...so shout now :))

Mark and I then went out to a fundraiser with some friends for a chap who had a bike accident 12 months ago and is now a partial quadriplegic, and wants to get a hand bike and hoist to get it in the car. It was a good evening with food and an auction.

Sunday was the same for Josh and Rebecca...more rehearsals, while Mark and I went to Greg & Judy's (Matt's parents) for lunch and had a lovely afternoon.

So this week has been a bit better, just out Monday to life-group, and Wednesday to school options evening  for Rebecca. She has to now start reducing her subjects, so is dropping Biology and choose subjects for next year..she's hoping to do English and Maths B (harder maths) which they have to do, then Modern history, Legal studies, Music and Drama. It was quite funny coz she took us to see her Maths teacher and asked him to tell us that she could go back to Maths A, he turned around to her and said no! her plan backfired so although quite indignant now knows she has to get on with it and has accepted it grudgingly.

Ceri has done really well this week and came home on Monday with a $50 voucher from work for sustained progression over the year, so she was really pleased. She's finally seen her course tutor and got her work back, mostly ok but some silly bits to redo.

Josh finished his QCS trial exam this week, 4 papers in 2 days, so hard work. Its a test that all schools do across QLD to benchmark each schools results against each other as they have no National Curriculum, although its just been announced that Australia are going to implement one which would be far more sensible. Anyway it makes the QCS quite important that the whole year do well.

Mark only had work on Monday and Tuesday and has been told he can probably have a permanent job with the agency after Christmas from 12 - 8pm 5 days/ week including w/e's ...so not impressed. He's definitely still getting all the work that's furthest away so getting somewhat fed up with them, so is starting to look around at jobs again.

So Saturday came again and oh it was so nice not having to get up for sport, however I did finally get out on my bike and managed 30 km, especially to get some Colmans Bread Sauce to go with Sunday roast... oh how I miss being able to get it easily....my other foodie highlight of the week was that my friend Jayne (who was here in April) posted me some Green and Blacks Ginger and Mayo Gold chocolate...another favourite that I can't get here. 

Anyway after making it back ok, although I am definitely slower going down hills, we decided to go and have a look at our investment house which was just a slab with a pile of bricks on it (the wall that's up is the next door house), so it was nice to remind ourselves where it was as it took us a while to find it...being new its not on the GPS yet, so that was entertaining. 

We then went for a wander round Springfield lakes, did a bit of shopping and had lunch and had a lovely time out and Rebecca came too. 

So it was back home to finish the housework and peel veg as we were gonna be 10 for lunch today. 

Rebecca and I then went to the cinema to see 'The Great Gatsby'....interesting was probably the best way to describe it, and the boys stayed to watch the rugby, which we came back to watch the end of so just as well the Lions won again :)

Today has been lovely with friends for lunch and all the kids here as no musical rehearsal for 3 weeks :) So now we head off into the holidays, listening to their plans, not having to do ironing on sundays, not having to chase them out of bad for early starts and make pack lunches for 3 - funny how the small things can make you happy :)

sporting week

so what exciting happened this week...

I've still got a job , woohoo!! We finally had the results of our r/v which is only 2 months late, and although there are changes in reporting lines and our Healthy lifestyles team is no longer, our team remains much the same, which is great. However our mandate looks like it may change, but that is subject to further review. Reckon it will be another 12- 18 months before everything all settles back down, but at least there are no more job losses. I also went on my works first outing which was fun, it was the leaving do for our 3 diabetic nurses. 

Mark's had an alright week, still digging away at the garden... its a never ending job although is now some what annoyed with our neighbour. Our retaining wall at the front stepped down to the front and next door has had hers built in huge sandstone blocks in front of ours but not around to the side, so there's a huge gap for her soil to fall into our garden... not very thoughtful of her. So now we've got to take all the capping stones off and build ours up and along a bit to stop her soil falling into our garden.. :(((  not amused ! (that's the royal 'we' I hasten to add) 

The kids had a good week...

Ceri and Matt are still house hunting, finding it harder than they anticipated I think. 

Josh has been revising hardish as he has exams next week, however was boosted by an excellent mark for his legal assignment A-, so very pleased, Just hope he does as well next week. However he went out with Kat on Friday evening for their 1 month anniversary, very cute, even bought her flowers too :)

Rebecca did very well in the cross country Anglican schools competition, she came 4th out of 90, and the school came home with about 8 out of 12 possible trophies, so a good day was had.

She had her final debate on Thursday, losing again by 1 point, however she got the highest individual mark out of both teams, so not too disappointed.

She also had a studio concert this week which is really where some of the kids doing exams get practice playing in front of people and with the piano. She's about to do Gr 6 clarinet, Gr 3 theory and Gr 4 singing this term, so a busy time for her. 

 

 

So the weekend arrived and we have Monday off too for the Queens Birthday, so thank you Your Majesty... didn't get it in the UK :) Anyway, yesterday I went to watch Rebecca play hockey which they won 4-0 which was a real boost after the previous week, and it also got them into the final of the tournament next week. Then we went off to the pet shop to get a new bed for Simba as he managed to destroy his !!! and get him some stuff to chew and some extra toys in the hope it will keep him distracted. I then got roped into going shopping for some birthday pressied for Rebeccas friends... and there went the afternoon. I'd left Mark to go with Ceri and Matt house hunting and then do the garden. So by the time I returned the afternoon was half gone. Anyway we then had tickets to go see the QLD Reds v British Lions which was awesome. There were 50125/ 52000 seats filled so a fantastic game, especially as they won too 22-12 :)

Today has been a very lazy day, decided to skip church and get the house cleaned, ironing done early, although didn't get dressed till about 10 am which haven't done for a long while ...so a pleasurable day. Went to night church and then splodged. However didn't get this posted last night, hence todays upload. 

Am almost ready to book tickets for our trip back over... but numbers are dwindling... down to 3 of us. Ceri hasn't got the holiday and Josh doesn't want to leave Kat, as well as will have a job by then and not sure if will be allowed the time, and also his university offers will come through while we're away and he doesn't want to miss that... so looks like just Mark, Rebecca and me. Anyway he's 24 hours to change his mind as booking the tickets tomorrow I hope.  He's also 6 months to learn to cook, wash and clean... he can iron already !!! and hopefully pass his driving test, he hopes  or he'll be very stranded :)

winter 2013

so life has been just as hectic, especially the weekends hence last weeks blog didn't get done. The week before last just disappeared..... the weekend started with the kids having a band concert on the Friday night where the school bands all did the first half, including Josh doing a trumpet solo with senior concert band which he nailed beautifully. The second half was the Wind Orchestra from the Brisbane conservatorium and wow they were amazing and quite inspirational. It was held in the new auditorium at the kids school and was the first 'proper' concert in there since it opened in January, the acoustics are fantastic, they just need to get the proper seating and get rid of the plastic patio chairs which kind of lets it down, However the school is still fundraising to get the money together. At least they've hired proper seating for the musical though.

So the Saturday was taken up with kids sport as usual, then I was cooking for most of the day as we had our pastor and family round for lunch on Sunday and I was also doing the night church meal... food for 40! We also managed another trip to the garden center which was fun coming back with yet more plants.  Along with the usual cleaning and dog walking Saturday kind of disappeared. Mark went to look at a second viewing with Ceri and Matt, and although found a few issues, all solvable enough that they liked it enough to put an offer in. Unfortunately the vendor wasn't budging much from the asking price which is wasn't worth so they're back to hunting again.

So Sunday was hectic but great fun, church, lunch with friends, then night church, then ironing... all exciting stuff, well maybe not the ironing... Fortunately my pasta bake went down ok with night church. We put on a meal every week before the service which although hard work makes a good time for a natter and catch up with everybody, the difficult bit is doing it all at home and then keeping it warm etc as we have no kitchen at church :( but hey ho.. its all good fun.

So this week has been a bit better.... I think, Mark had less work but has got more done in the garden dodging the showers.... yes rain, wet stuff that comes in winter, although still warm with highs of 23 degrees in the day, not bad as its now officially winter.

Ceri has managed to injure her back at work, so she's off to the GPs tomorrow as she's off anyway. She's ok, just too much lifting kiddies I think.

Josh and Rebecca had Athletics carnival this week and both did ok although the day was soaking wet. I had a real head cold this week, sore throat and sneezing ++ but finally its improving today so hopefully no more sneezing over all my patients.

Yesterday was more sport, more house hunting, more cleaning, more revision as the kids are now into exams, Rebecca this week and Josh the week after. I went to a church ladies evening last night which was lovely and relaxing. Today has been the usual, Church, rehearsals, ironing, and church, with a pre rainy dog walk with my husband :)

So we are finally looking at flights for a trip back to the UK.. just 4 of us as Ceri doesn't have the holiday to take, however its gonna be in Jan....oh so cold it will be :( but as Josh will be at Uni next yr and gets no Easter holiday, July holidays depend on which uni he's at which we won't know until December and that would also only leave us a few weeks till the wedding....January it has to be !!! So its a good job we kept some winter woollies :)

Boots !

Well the boots are out, yay!  someone said to me when we left for here, that I'd miss my boots.. well hey ho, the weathers turning colder and they're are out again...may be not for as long as in the UK but I reckon I can get 3 months use of them :)))  We even put the heating on this morning, first time we've tried reverse air conditioning, but it seemed to work quite well.

So Monday started with students at work again... but poor girl was highly stressed with her Dad in hospital critically ill and then getting her car window smashed with a stone from someone cutting grass... so most of the day was sorting that out. Then we had a trip to the GP after work, home then Lifegroup in the evening. We are doing an audio series on the Life of Jesus, which is excellent...but life group is equally great with a great group of people and we love going.

Tuesday I think was a normal day. Wednesday I was home late from an after work meeting, Mark was working late and then had a ministry council meeting in the evening, the kids were home late and Rebecca had a debate in the evening, so Josh and I took her and then went driving for 2 hours - taught him how to fill the car up with petrol which should really of been how to pay for petrol :), then we did lots of reverse and parallel parking, so a productive evening.

Thursday again was later back... too busy nattering to our mechanic who had serviced my car, anyway then came in got tea and had my tea, then the kids came in with Mark and he and I went out the door to a meeting with a financial adviser and we didn't get home till about 9.30, so again, all ships crossing that day. Finally Friday arrived with a normal home time and evening albeit numerous trips to youth as they all start at different times.

However, Marks had about 20 hours work again this week which was good:) He's also managed to get some more work done of the garden, but shifting builders concrete is taking its toll and is hard work. Rebecca's team lost the debate which was bad :(  but she did do really well with the inter school cross country, she came 2nd from her school team and 3rd overall for her age group which was great, topped of by an 100% A+ for a soce assignment, a hockey win on Saturday with her getting player of the match :))

Josh also managed an A for his music composition.. how I'm not quite sure.. but is great anyway.

Well our investment property has started being built... really ought to go and have a look at it as we've not been down since we bought the land but at least the deposits been paid which means they've started.

So Saturday Mark took the kids to sport and I went looking at houses with Ceri and Matt which was fun, but they do have one which they are going to go back and look at again with both Dads - mainly coz it needs some work doing to it which I guess they will have a part in :) It does have lots of potential though for the future but is liveable in now...so we'll see. the rest of Saturday was cleaning and gardening, so nothing exciting. 

Sunday was a great day, we had church in the morning and then went to friends for lunch and had a lovely time, that was then followed by 5 baptisms with some awesome testimonies and night church, topped off by ironing, hence I didn't get round to finishing this and posting it. So its done now... and more excitement to come this week :)

Mothers Day

so this week has been just the same as all the others with one or two memorable events thrown in. 

Mark managed to get about 20 hours work this week which was good, the downside is that its all been in split shifts which makes it more difficult to get on with the garden and other jobs, However its all useful stuff and long may it continue. 

I've just had work as normal, still waiting for the review results, but referrals are dropping off for the whole service which is not good, just think its all the uncertainty of changes happening, but hey ho, we just carry on. I also managed to get back on my bike this week, which was a good feeling although I was a bit nervous, but oh how unfit am I, it's like starting all over again....guess I just got to keep going.  

Ceri's had a busy week, another 5 day week... good for their savings but she does find it hard :) 

Rebecca had a normal week but Josh has had a eventful week. He is now officially going out with Kat, a lovely girl from a neighbouring school also in the same yr. He's totally smitten, so she must be something special for him to ask her out, after all the girls who've thrown themselves at him this year :) She's also very bright, so hopefully will encourage him to keep working this year rather than distract him too much. His other main event event was that he was invited to an inaugural 'men of the college' event on Friday where a group were invited out for a meal and then taken to the Rugby at Suncorp stadium, which he thoroughly enjoyed. 

So the weekend came and with it some surprises. Yesterday Mark ended up working all day, so I started firstly by picking up Rebecca from hockey, then taking stuff back to Bunnings (Aussie B&Q) and ended up talking to a guy from Birkenhead, then we went to order more blocks for another low retaining wall, then my gorgeous daughter surprised me by taking me out for lunch which was lovely. We had a lovely afternoon in the Coffee Club, followed by Baskin & Robins Ice cream. We then returned to a DIY job of putting our new stationary cupboard together, while the dog barked at every turn of the screwdriver !!!!Rebecca then decided to bath him which was a rather wet experience for all involved and the bathroom looked like it had be sprayed after. Ceri then had her bridesmaids over for the night, and we all had a girly evening watching videos and looking at wedding stuff. Josh had been out with school stage band playing at a Mothers day high tea, and then been over to Kat's for the evening so didn't see much of him at all yesterday.

Today I was spoilt by my kids for mothers day with some lovely pressies although they were all out for most of the day at rehearsals and Matt's parents. Mark did his first sermon at night church tonight which went really well, at least in my unbiased opinion I thought so :) Ceri and Matt spent the evening planning some wedding stuff so that was useful too. They've also bought an exercise bike..mmmmmm! So another w/e ends and the dog is still alive...just !! he's taken to chewing books off the book shelves now AARRGG!!! Having to make sure all doors are properly shut... hence the stationary cupboard too.. he managed to chew half the bills up this week and my oven gloves ... could be good , but then maybe not! Lets see if he makes another week....

scholarship

Woohoo.. well the highlight of this week was Rebecca gaining a performing arts scholarship at school for the next 2 years..certainly helps financially, but also for her its the recognition that what she does is really good

and that she is involved in so much. She's also hoping it might help towards her get performing arts prefect in Yr 12, but that's a dream that's a year away :) Anyway... I posted an amazing video of her on my fb page if you want to see her talent...me being the proud mum and all that... couldn't get to load it and bore you with it on here. She auditioned on Wednesday for the school 'singing with the stars' competition so should know this week whether she's got through to the actual competition, but we're hopeful. 

So other events of the week... Ceri finally had her tutor mark some of her work which she passed with  no problems... she's getting on with the work really quickly now, the added incentive being that as soon as she's finished she can look for a full time job nearer home, although this last 2 weeks she has actually worked all 5 days.. bit of a shock to her system though :), but its still a really awkward place to get to and the 7 o'clock shifts mean we have to take her :((( The current government is also slashing a lot of the bus routes and the main one though our estate is going which will also make things more difficult for her and also for the other 2 getting to school ... budget cuts!!! same world wide... Anyway, the initial  point was that the quicker she finishes the course the quicker she can look for a more convenient job. 

Mark's had a bit of work this week, not quite as much as he's like but at least he caught up on the paper work and put his expenses in... they actually come to more than the wage which is daft. He had another informal interview for the probation service on Friday, so should hear next week... are praying really hard that he gets it. However he's been getting on with the garden in between which is looking really good. 

The rest of the week has been relatively normal. This weekend was our church camp w/e, however we decided not to stay for a variety of reasons, but we did go down for the day yesterday. It was at Mount Tambourine, a beautiful spot. However it was definitely colder up the mountain and we didn't go prepared, so ended up leaving earlier than planned as Marks foot was getting really painful with the cold... just proves cold is still a problem for him and to be prepared. Anyway we had a good day and the speaker was very good... transformational churches was the topic... very thought provoking, and we had fun with everybody. We got back in the evening and Mark, Rebecca and I went out to the cinema to watch Identity Theft which was quite funny. Josh hadn't come as he'd been working and then gone out with a friend for the afternoon. 

Today was much the same as usual Sundays, church this morning, ironing for me this afternoon and dog walking, Mark carried on with the garden as there's still lots more to do, the kids were at musical rehearsal, and then night church tonight.

So not a particularly exciting week really. 

normality

normality....what's that?? currently it's getting up at 5.30am with Simba :(( It's like having the kids all over again, well at least Ceri, she being and still is the early riser! So on the bight side it should get better as he gets older. I mean, 5.30 am here this morning and its now still dark !!! and I won't say cold as that would be UK speak, but its definitely cooler, even went to get my slippers out of a box to find the plastic on the bottom had all cracked and gone brittle...M&S... you let me down!!!

Anyway, its now 6.30 am and the sun is up and looking like another gorgeous day ahead. It was 28 degrees+ yesterday, not bad for 2/3 way through autumn.

So today is the day that hopefully we should get the spa fixed and working properly... if you cast your minds back to our sorry saga you will remember we were waiting for the bent perspex to be replaced, so although we've still be able to use it, when we switched it on the heat pump was trying to heat up all of it, not just the one side, so needless to say it remained cold as was taking too long to heat up. Once the two ends are separate it should be much better. Mark wrote some lovely polite email to head office and now finally some action. The downside is that the outside looks like its been under a rain cloud as we've had to empty about 2/3 of it. So roll on 9 am and lets see if the guy turns up to fix it....

So although we were back to normal this week with no visitors, we still had Thursday off as it was Anzac day... so there we were again with our church family giving out bottles of water at the lake service....it was strange I guess as I realised that we are now starting to repeat Annual events and that we have been here quite a while now, and memories here are increasing and not every experience is new. Josh was parading with school as all the prefects had to, while the state school did the band... they swap alternate years. However while that was going on, Rebecca had gone out with her friend from school, been having a God conversation and prayed with her and she asked Christ into her life... woohoo :)))) So please continue to pray for Kim, as far as we are aware, her Mum is Buddhist (they are vietnamese) and her Dad has had some links with the church / catholics in the past...still all a bit hazy. Anyway she is coming to night church tonight and the girls D Team (discipleship group for over 14yr olds) this afternoon. Needless to say Rebecca is so excited.

So back to a week ago.. last Sunday we had gone in the afternoon to look at another wedding venue with Ceri and Matt... and that was them sold, the function suite is lovely, the grounds for photos were good and the price excellent, so Monday it was booked... 6th Sept 2014 my little girl gets married. Its nice to have it sorted as they now have a date to work to.  They also went to look at a house yesterday.. ruled it out as it needed too much work doing to it but its starting to give them a benchmark of what they can afford.. no real hurry so they can look around for a while yet. The markets not moving much anyway, so better they take their time and get it right. Anyway, don't need to do much more wedding stuff at present, got ages to go.

So we finally had some gravel and bark arrive this week, so Mark has been shovelling it up onto the front garden and its starting to look really nice, Thursday afternoon we also went plant shopping which was much more fun, we found a plant factory outlet that had so many plants in but at the same time felt a bit disorganised, but after a good wander and rummage we got about 19 plants at a good price, so hopefully one part of the garden is starting to come together. Just loads more to do still... feels a bit never ending, but hey ho.. one day.....

well I had my shoulder injected on Wednesday and at last it now feels better, and being able to lie on that side at night makes a huge difference, also got a cancellation and had the CT of my sinuses done too... and unfortunately one is completely blocked, so have been summoned to see the GP this week, but at least the pain has gone in it over the last week. After 2 months, am finally starting to feel more normal again... no sarky comments please :)

well its now Sunday night and we've had a good day and yes the spa got fixed woohoo :))) can't refill it for a few days which is a shame as the weather is fantastic at the moment but at least hopefully the saga has come to an end. 

well Ceri and Matt helped Mark shovel bark and gravel this afternoon which was good, while Josh and Rebecca were at rehearsals and I was ironing :(  Only 12 weeks till the musical and then they'll have their Sundays back :) Kim did come to church tonight which was great and enjoyed it although found it quite different to anything she's experienced before. Church was just great today and our pastor Mark is such an amazing preacher.. we are very blessed. 

So another week over and more events planned for next.

two weeks news.

No you didn't miss last weeks, it just never got written as the previous week had been so busy and I was just so tired and this week has been equally hectic. I keep waiting for a quiet week but they are very few and far between.

So the previous week Marks parents were still here and although I was back at work Mark took them out to Mount Glorious and Mount Nebo and did some rain forest walking which they enjoyed one day and the other day when Mark was working they walked up to Forest Lake . They then left us on the Wednesday morning for 3 days stop in Sydney where they had a good time before flying back. At least they got back in one piece with a fairly untroubled flight which was good. 

Wednesday we then had 15 cubic metres of top soil delivered, which Josh and his friend shifted for a small fee. Rebecca and her friend did a bit as well, but wow, I've never seen so much soil in a pile, they did a great job but they were so tired after.

Then on the Thursday my very lovely Irish friend, Jayne, who I've known for 21 years came to visit. She was over in Melbourne for work and came to pay a visit. So we had a lovely two days although it rained almost all the time, however it didn't spoil our fun. Friday we went and explored Forest Lake and the went to Mount Cootha in the afternoon, then Saturday we went up to South bank where for the first time ever there was no queue to get in Max Brenners :) the best chocolate shop in the world (I spoke to someone yesterday who queued 1 1/2 hours to get in!!!), some advantages of it raining. Anyway by the time we came out the rain had stopped and we had a lovely walk up the river and then got the ferry back down again. Rebecca came too and kept us entertained !! Sunday, we did church in the morning then managed to pin all the kids down together for lunch and went out which was fun. But then it was off to the airport again... becoming a familiar place, Josh took us, to get some hours up but then we got lost round north Brisbane coming back. I guess I should have put the sat nav on really but what's the fun in that.. he got to drive in unfamiliar territory and get more hours and we got back eventually in time for night church. However by the time we got home from there I was ready for dropping.

So this week has also been quite hectic, I waited an hour in the docs on Monday and came out with 3 prescriptions and 2 request forms. I have had 7 weeks of sinusitis with constant headaches and am so over it... so on a 3rd course of antibiotics, with steroids and another decongestant  nasal spray, if that doesn't work I've to go have a CT scan of my sinus's. I've also got a sub deltoid bursitis in my right shoulder which has been giving me bother since I fell off my bike, so have to have steroid injection  under ultrasound this week.... so hopefully that one will be solved. Am fed up of not feeling 100%.... actually so's Mark, I am so rubbish when not feeling great.... actually think its a case of milking it as happens so rarely  (hee hee). 

Anyway Life group started again on Monday which was so lovely to get back too as we have a really good group with some great times. 

Tuesday evening Matt's parents came over for tea to discuss the wedding, which was really useful and we had a good time. Wednesday was free for me but Mark had church leaders meeting, and then Thursday Ceri and Matt had a mortgage advisor over to see how much they can borrow. Friday was cleaning night for me and Mark and the kids all went to youth group. So that was all the evenings used up. 

So yesterday was an early start as Rebecca had to be at her hockey match at 6.45 am in Ipswich, so we left at 6.15 am :( however then won 14-0 and she got player of the match so she was really happy. I also met some mums of both her and Josh's friends which was good too. Mark then took Josh to his rugby match at a more civilised time of 9.30 which his team won as well.... so a good sports day was had for both of them. 

So that was followed by visiting 2 wedding venues and a house with Ceri, Matt and his parents, so lots of driving about and decisions to be made. They decided the house wasn't for them but it's started the process of working out what they do want. The plan being to get it now while prices are low, rent it for 12 months then redecorate before they move in after the wedding. 

The wedding venues were lovely in different ways, and with very different costs... so one still a possibility, the other ruled out, so seeing another one today and 2 more next Saturday, then hopefully a decision will be made. Still, the kids have the budget and its their decisions to make so its a good process for them to go through working out what's important to them and where they want to spend the money. However Ceri is finding it a bit overwhelming at times, but Matt's very good and letting her cool down and going back to it when she's ready. I'm still finding it very surreal at times that my baby is looking at weddings and houses.

So in between all that, Josh and Rebecca were back to school on Tuesday and back to full on activities and musical rehearsals  Mark has had a bit more work the last 2 weeks but the after school care want him to organise some training in his own time, with the attitude, if you don't want to do it, we'll just use somebody else....so not great, but at least he's getting a bit more work from them.He's also been finishing off the top soil and putting the mapex down in the front garden, so hopefully that will be done before too long. Ceri has been working through her course work and seems to be doing well with that and will hopefully finish it about 2 months ahead of schedule. Work for me is just waiting for the result of reviews which will lead to more reviews and take months to be implemented. Senior staff meeting just keep giving us lots of unknowns as nobody really knows how the new structure fits together yet... so I just keep going to work...and at least I keep my job which is good. Got very cross with AHPRA this week though as they have finally and adamantly said that they will not accept my NP qualification and I need to get the magic 3 letters MSC, despite all my modules being at M level.... not happy, but it's not financially viable to do the upgrade ..so I guess unless I find a job where someone will pay for it, that's it over. 

Well, Simba is settling a bit although still gets us up ridiculously early, hence writing my blog at 6.30 am on a Sunday morning. He didn't like my lovely flowers that my gorgeous husband got me this week, decided to tip them all over and get water everywhere. He's loving digging holes in the garden too, especially with all the top soil there now, but he's still pretty good for a puppy and we're loving having him.

So today, the plan is Mark and I are going to play hookey from church this morning as we need to get gravel for the front garden, Josh and Rebecca have rehearsal this afternoon, then another wedding venue this afternoon and night church tonight, with the usual uniform ironing and dog walking in somewhere. So life still whizzes past on into another week.

holiday...woohoo!!

So I've had this week off work with Mark parents being here which has been lovely. Its been added to as we had Good Friday too so seems like a long week which is great, trying not to think about the morning though :(

Well most of the week has been out doing day trips. Monday we started with Mount Tambourine and wandered around the town, then went for lunch at Cedar creek with the aim of walking up to the falls, but unfortunately we couldn't get parked so ended up coming home which was just as well as the heavens opened not long after we returned. Ceri and Matt came too which was nice.

Tuesday we spent around here as I had numerous jobs to do and Marks parents got the train into Brisbane and explored a bit more. Josh had a rugby clinic at school all day too from which he was completely shattered when he got back. Wednesday, Mark suddenly had to go to work, so Josh drove us up to Moorochydore where we had a lovely wander round and some lunch, then Josh had a rugby match at a school up there so after dropping him there we went into Mooloolaba until we had to collect him. He was one happy boy as although they were expected to lose they won with a try in the last 13 seconds. He then got a lift up the following day for yet another match in the same place and again they won that too so they were a very positive team that finished the week which is a good start for the coming terms matches. Anyway we had a lovely day exploring places I've not been to either. 

Thursday I went to a meeting at work, followed by shopping and came home to a lovely clean house and garden, so the afternoon was spent packing for Fridays trip away and decorating the house ready for Ceri and Matt's engagement party last night. So Friday we rose early as we were off to Morton Island to Tangalooma, (sounds like a Swallows and Amazon adventure). We caught the 10 am ferry so fairly civilised really, and it took a hour and a half to get there. Well... we had a lovely time although both the accommodation and main resort felt 'tired' and could really do with a refurb we felt. However after dodging the showers and having some lunch, Tony and Di went for a long walk up the beach, Josh and Rebecca hired a kyack for a hour, although I think Rebecca just went for the ride and some steering (she says), as Josh was exhausted when he got back. I then braved the sea with them and went for a swim, but really sitting down reading a book was just great. We had tea on our way up for the highlight of the trip...feeding the wild dolphins. Its a wild dolphin marine conservation project but the dolphins come up to the beach nightly for feeding. So there were about 8 dolphins with 2 babies that arrived that night...its a well organised event as all guests on the island can take part, but a memorable experience. Saturday morning Tony and Di went on a boat cruise to visit the wrecks and see the fish, and Josh, Rebecca and I went quad biking. Unfortunately Rebecca got a bum deal, being under 16yrs she had to do on the kids ride which was very tame, whereas Josh and I had a fab time up on the sand dunes doing all sorts of exciting tracks and going through very narrow tracks in the woods and down onto the beach, would so love to do it again. 

The rest of the morning was very leisurely until we got the 2 pm ferry back.

So having made it back we had the final decorations to put up for the party, and a friend turned up with his coffee machine complete with caramel syrup and hot chocolate :) 6.30 arrived along with about 60 guests. We had a great evening, Ceri and Matt enjoyed themselves, so mission accomplished, and they got some amazing gifts so were very lucky. Mark even practised doing a speech. So now we just need to get the date confirmed and venue booked and then can sit back for a few months. 

Simba behaved himself all evening too between being locked up with a bone and kept on a lead as he still gets very jumpy and excitable with people about. However he now seems to be completely house trained which is great, although just need to get him to sleep beyond 5.30 am now!!

Today was Marks mum's birthday so after church we went to the Botanic Gardens for ,lunch although rather a long wait....note to self ...don't attempt sunday lunch there again, 20 minute queue to order food and another 4 minutes for it to come

So back to work for me tomorrow to see what changes have happened while I've been off... the review of chronic disease was due to be completed on Friday. I should hopefully hear back from AHPRA too this week... am still arguing with them over my Nurse Practitioner qualification. Marks got a fairly full week with work too which is good and the kids get another weeks holiday, lucky them. 

So I've added a few piccys of the party for your perusal too.

 

sight seeing.

So it's not that you've all been blocked and can't access the blog... it's a day late really.

Well. Mark's had a busy week taking his parents around to see the sights, they did 2 days in Brisbane visiting South Bank, and doing the ferry ride up the river. Ceri was off on Tuesday so she went too having not done the ferry ride before. Wednesday they went to Wivenhoe dam and Thursday they went to Springfield Lakes to see the Investment plot (as there's no house yet) and then up to the Botanical Gardens. Friday being Good Friday Ceri and I went off to the service at church while Mark and his Dad started digging the front garden.... but that's going to be a very long job :( and then a few tonne of top soil will be needed to cover it and fill the raised beds, but at least the gardener finally finished. Anyway, we then had a relatively lazy day, we took the dog to the dog park which was the first time he'd really been off the lead. You can only take them to certain park areas which are fenced off, but usually have water bowls and some agility equipment but as far as Simba was concerned..lots of lovely smells. he didn't really get the running bit just wanted to smell everything :) Anyway we then went and walked around the lake instead.

Saturday we had a lovely day out going up to the Glasshouse Mountains lookout, had coffee watching the kanga's and one had a baby roo that kept jumping out of mums pouch..very cute it was. However unfortunately it was rather cloudy so the view wasn't as good as it could have been. We then went on up to Monteville, wandered round the shops and had lunch. As Tony pointed out, some of the scenery is very much like Devon, maybe that's why I like it so much :)

Sunday was Easter Service and wow it was awesome, we are so fortunate to belong to such an amazing church that loves to worship our risen Christ. However I was playing keyboard, and at one point I had a sax in one ear and a trumpet in the other, both improvising and couldn't hear a thing I was playing, it was almost funny but God so helped me out coz I was told afterwards that I still sounded OK. Anyway we then went up to Redcliffe for a picnic, which we managed before it started raining... so home we came. 

So as for everything else, Josh and Rebecca finally finished school on Thursday having had the swimming competition and the cross country events, Josh doing ok in his events and Rebecca's made the cross country team for next term, as if she didn't have enough going on already! Josh went to see Legally Blonde with school getting one up from our trip as they got to spend 15 minutes meeting the cast. They both then went off to Easterfest (a Christian music festival) for the weekend with the youth from church and seem to be having a good time albeit rather wet which I guess is par for the course with music festivals. 

Ceri and Matt spent Saturday with their friends, who happen to be their respective bridesmaids and grooms-men  so I think there was a bit of wedding talk going on :)

I've now got this week off which is rather nice.. just wish it would stop raining, although at least its still 23 degrees and not snowing :) 

Still working out how to privatise this blog.. I think I have to do it using email addresses, so if you can let me have email addresses if you don't access it via facebook, that would be good. facebook is ok still as that's friends only. thanks readers, xxx

eventful fortnight

 well what an eventful fortnight, I didn't write last week as far too busy and excited. 

So obviously the highlight was Ceri and Matt getting engaged, it was all very exciting and I can't believe my little girl's getting married. However its happening and we are very pleased for them both, but not getting married until Oct 2014 so plenty of time to plan. Having said that there was a huge wedding expo in Brisbane this weekend so yesterday we went and ran round for an hour picking up leaflets for everything as the venue is the first thing that needs sorting. Then in 2 weeks time we're having an engagement party for them here which will be fun.

So apart from thinking about weddings the main event is that the spa almost finally got sorted this week. 2 weeks ago we went to switch it on to find that one of the control panels wasn't working and that the other only had half the jets working...AARRGG... so after so irate phone calls the asme guy who did the heat pump came back to sort it and found about 5 faults with it. So apart from the bowed perspex that still needs replacing we have a working spa :)))) we even went in it yesterday and it was great fun. Still need to work out how it all 

works but a least its functioning and usable finally...wasn't sure I'd ever see the day at one point, actually more than one point. 

Also the gardener has almost finished... Mark challenged him this week as to why it was taking so long and he's finally got his act together, still got the gate to do and some tidying up but almost there. Then the hard work for us starts... need about 15 tons of top soil and then mapex, gravel, tiling and planting to do. I'd like to say the ends in sight but still a lot of work to do. 

So this week work has been chaotic.. there have been lots of meetings going on as to how we are going to be restructured. Community and primary health no longer existed as from Monday, and the result of the review will be done by the 5th April.. so it's gonna be all change I'm sure. However I did disappear for 2 days to Canberra for the National Asthma conference. I really enjoyed it, learnt lots and met lots of interesting people. I think I'm just a conference junkie....but much harder here as only get 3 days allowance/ year to go to conferences/ study days, anything else has to be done in your own time. How you get up dated highly skilled staff with that I know not!! 

So what else has happened??

Josh has had exams this week, hopefully done ok. He also went on a business breakfast with his legal class which he enjoyed and also a trip to the central library to do research for modern history. 

Rebecca had her first debate which went well too. 

Simba is doing well, is almost house trained now, but is one excitable puppy...loves his chews and bones, which is preferable to chair legs and cushions. He's been to the vets for his stitches out which was eventful... we couldn't get him to stay still to get them out but somehow they managed it. Still unsure what his cross is... vet thinks maybe some kelpie...but either way he's gonna be a big dog. 

So yesterday Marks parents arrived bright and early... they had a good flight and are coping really well with the jet lag. So just been planning what we are going to do with them while they're here. 

Today was Marks birthday....yay... he's older than me again! so the girls and I did church this morning, then thisafternoon we took his parents up Mount Cootha, then walked around the Lake back in Forest lake then went our for a meal tonight which was lovely. His birthday gets extended though as I managed to get tickets for him to watch the British Lions (rugby union) when they're here in June and also tickets to see the Boomtown Rats who have reformed for a tour, so looking forward to that. 

Ok...finally a boring part...unfortunately I need to make this blog totally private so if you read it this week can you add yourself to 'Followers' or let me know and I'll add you to the readers list as it will get blocked from public viewing very shortly. Thanks. 

Have a good week to you all xxx

Engagement

Yippee, Ceri & Matt got engaged thisafternoon, so excitement reigns in the house tonight. So no blog I'm afraid this week as I've too many people to phone tonight. Wedding planning on being Sept / Oct 2014. 

Simba

So, welcome to our new family member, this is Simba a 3 month old labrador cross (with what is unknown). Officially Rebecca's dog but care is looked after by all. We went and picked him up on Wednesday afternoon and it's been an eventful few days with lots of cleaning up ...funny but he likes bath mats to poo on :) However we have seen a noticeable improvement in the last 2 days. But the floors are so mucky, well actually they aren't now coz I cleaned them all yesterday, but because its been so wet and the back of the house is just so muddy and thick with clay, he just pads it all around the house. So after cleaning up yesterday we are working on him coming in and out of the laundry door only and cleaning his paws before letting him in the house. He's getting the hang of it slowly!!! He's found a poo spot in the garden which is great in that its the same area each time, the bad news is that it's right where Mark is planning on putting his raised veggy beds....however by the time that happens I'm sure the dog will be more adaptable to a bit of change. Well he slept through on Wednesday night, how lucky we thought we were....but Thursday up 3 times, Friday once and last night not at all until 5.30 which I stupidly thought was 6.30, so got up started doing some jobs (as had to get up at 7am anyway) and then realised it was still only 6am...stupid me, so now tonight I'm pooped!!! (if you'll excuse the pun). Anyway the point was that he is starting to sleep better which I hope will be sorted pretty quick. As for playing ....that's great fun, especially hiding on the lower shelf of the coffee table and playing islands....remember that... how far round the room can you get without standing on the floor!!! yep, furniture whatever kind doesn't matter as along as he doesn't have to get down :((( breaking him of that one is top of the list, but he does love cardboard and shoes too and of course tuggy :)

It is lovely having a dog again, although he'll never replace Jester, however I've caught both me and Josh shouting 'Jester' at him...he doesn't seem to mind though.

The other highlight was that the gardeners were at least here for 4 days and we now have a fence up...woohoo.... right fence but wrong colour :( can't have everything I guess. It was s'posed to be the same colorbond colour as the roof...but it's not. However it probably goes better with the retaining wall colour and as you can't see the roof when in the garden I guess it isn't too bad. It's lovely not being in a goldfish bowl anymore. As for the retaining walls...half done....I wonder if they'll reappear on Monday.

The spa saga continues.... it got filled, we had a handover from the spa guy....but guess what???? we went to turn it on at the wall and the electricians hadn't connected the cables in the box so it still doesn't work. Just to add to that, there is also a piece of clear perspex between the spa and the swimming end that bowed after we filled it pulling some of the screws almost out. So having gone back to the engineering dept at spa world they have told us not to use it yet as its a new model and they don't know what will happen if we start changing the pressures with the jets whether it could crack the perspex / pull the screws out completely damaging the cabinet structure itself. They have asked for advice from China where it was designed but in the meantime ordered a new piece of perspex....which will mean emptying it about 2 ft to be able to fit it.... ho hum, I wonder if we'll ever get to use it????

Well Mark got a bit more work this week which was good, but he's mostly spent the week doing the deck at the front door which not only reduces our mud intake, but looks really good, hopefully he'll get in finished tomorrow :) He could still do with more work, but there seems to be a bit more filtering through which will be good, in the meantime, he's just keeping his eye out for other stuff. It is handy him being here at the moment with the dog though.

Looks like I get to keep my job too which is good news, we got told this week that after the current wave of voluntary redundancies have been processed that they hope to keep everybody else on, however there is more streamlining of services to occur which I'm sure will lead to more job losses, but mine should be ok. My bad news this week was that AHPRA will not recognise my Nurse Practitioner qualification as it 'doesn't meet the educational requirements'!!!! I'm really cheesed off... the NP course here is a 2 yr MSc course, mine was a 3 yr MSc course of which only the first 2 years were needed for the NP qualification but as such gave you a PGDip instead so because it doesn't say MSc they won't look at it. Just trying to decide whether to appeal. AHPRA have only been in existence for 2 years as a national governing body so lots of people having to appeal to get overseas qualifications recognised, so I don't know...need to think about it. The upside is that at least it doesn't affect my current job and at least I still have a job :)

Ceri is fine, still working and enjoying it, still getting 7am starts which we don't enjoy and still never here but always with Matt...young love :)

Josh has been working harder this week, has some assignments due soon and exams in 2 weeks time, still managed to go to a party on Friday and out with mates to the cinema last night and of course today governed by rehearsals. He's picked up more solos again this week... not quite sure how, but the music teacher obviously thinks he can do it.

Rebecca also had a busy week, she was at a 'world poverty' conference on Thursday which she enjoyed and also had her scholarship exam yesterday, so we hope she gets it this year, she also has to have an interview with the head this week as part of the process.

They both had swimming carnival on Monday too...a cloudy, drizzly day but both managed to get sunburnt, Josh got cooked particularly badly which actually stopped him doing PE and swimming the rest of the week...seems to have settled down now at last.

Last night, Mark, Rebecca and I went to see 'I give it a Year' at the cinema....very funny and very British, there was a very funny comment about Tesco Home delivery which of course we got, but nobody else did.

So today was church thismorning, then we had a baptism service thisafternoon, followed by tea and night church which was equally amazing. Church really is a growing feist at the moment, new people every week, Gods definitely answering the prayer of our key words for 2013, transformation and multiplication.