May 15, 2008
China's Tragic Earthquake
The news from China this week has been tragic indeed, but what makes it even sadder is the thought of all the children killed. Thousands of children were in class when the tremor hit Monday afternoon and many of their schools collapsed on top of them. News scenes show grieving mothers whose loss is compounded in many cases by a Chinese policy that limits most couples to one child, a measure meant to control explosive population growth.
As a result of the one-child policy, the massive earthquake that rocked China this week -- already responsible for at least 15,000 deaths -- is producing another tragic aftershock: Not only must thousands of parents suddenly cope with the loss of a child -- they must often cope with the loss of their only child.
Posted to General by Toni at 8:57 PM | Comments (0)
Say No to Internet Censorship for Australia
The Federal Government is pushing forward with a plan to force ISPs to filter out all material "inappropriate" for children from Australian homes.This plan will waste tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and slow down Internet access.
Despite being almost universally condemned by the public, ISPs, State Governments, Media and censorship experts, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is determined to force this filter into your home. Don't let him!
There are several quick things you can do to keep Australian Internet access fast and open. Go here to see how you can help.
Posted to General by Toni at 6:30 PM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2008
Beautiful Day In Cootamundra
Today Alex and I went over to Cootamundra for football and it turned out to be a beautiful day. It was quite hot and the boys once again put on a grand show. They beat Coota 28-8 but at the start of the game it looked like it was going to go all Coota's way. They scored first and we went one for one, but then left them in the dust. The Under 12's didn't fare so well, with a 38-0 loss. The photo is from last week's game against Tumut, and I discovered a site where there's photos of the boys playing football going back to 2004. Chris Young is the photographer and as you can see he sure does take a good snap. The photos are wonderful, with most of the boys, like Alex, looking very fierce. We spent a long time on the site having a great old laugh looking at the faces some of these kids pull. All part of the game, I guess.
I went shopping at Woolies in Coota but I don't think I'll be doing that too often. I ended up spending over $200 and walked out in shock! Tomorrow, Emily and Lauren, along with their husbands and children, are coming over for tea to celebrate Mother's Day, so I threw a few extras in the trolley, including a $30 leg of lamb. We'll eat, drink and be merry and by tomorrow night my shock will have worn off and I'll have enjoyed a lovely day. That's the plan anyway....
I've been to the gym twice this week after Council gave anyone who was interested, a six-month free membership. Wednesday night I went to a boxercise class and last night I went to the body pump class. Today my legs are so sore I can hardly walk. Squatting is a killer. I'm determined to get rid of the flab though and hope to be taut and terrific when I turn 50 in September. We'll see....
Posted to Personal by Toni at 6:31 PM | Comments (0)
May 4, 2008
Dad Home After 7 Weeks In Hospital
I rang Dad today and he was allowed home on Thursday. He sounds strong and was complaining about not being able to find any towels after his sister cleaned up the van for him. The hospital have set up an oxygen cylinder in his van so he's not having to get on the ventilator 5 times a day anymore, and not waking up in the middle of the night having to use it. Of course, the first thing he did after leaving the hospital was to buy a packet of cigarettes and he said that he never stopped craving them for all the weeks he was in hospital. I know what he's going through. I've been trying to give them up myself but I'm not doing a very good job of it. Last week I bought a pack of Nicabate Lozenges, and had on Thursday morning and was nearly sick. I had to spit it out. They taste foul and disgusting. Now I'm thinking about hypnotherapy after reading about one person's success with it.
Dad's still driving his car, a bit of a concern to his brother, who's worried about him having a blackout while he's out and about. There's been no more blackouts since the night Dad went in to hospital so I'm hoping that they've finally sorted out his medication and they'll be a thing of the past. All in all, I thought he sounded better than before he went in.
Yesterday Alex had football here in Junee and they played against Tumut. All the teams were missing their rep players but the boys still managed a win and Alex even scored a try. The wind down at the footy ground was bitterly cold, but out of the wind it was beautiful.
Carly plays today in her League Tag team here in Junee too. Last week the girls won so have a win and a loss so far this season. It's a new event, and not all the clubs have teams in, but our girls are going okay. Carly loves it.
Carly cleaned Alex's bedroom for me on Friday night. She wanted me to buy her a jacket and so worked all night for it. Friday after work I thought I would be washing all night, and when I came home she had it all done and half on the line. I was impressed, so yesterday after football we went shopping and they both got new winter clothes. Alex has grown so much this last year that nothing much fits him. Thank God I have a job that pays well.
Posted to Personal by Toni at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)
April 30, 2008
The Winter Is Here But I'm Too Busy At Work To Notice
It's turned bitterly cold this week and we've all had to drag out heaters and extra blankets. Last week we enjoyed 24 degree days and this week is down to 12 and 0 in the mornings. It's hard to take. Last winter I thought about investing in a new heater, and it might be time to do just that. We have gas, but it's old and has no fan and the kids sit right in front of it in the mornings and of course nobody else can feel the warmth. Not good.
Alex is staying at his Dad's tonight, who is leaving next week to live in Moree. I'm sure the kids will miss him. Can't say the same myself though.
As usual, work has been pretty hectic. I had to find all the subdivisions since 2002 and work out how many extra lots had been created, then find out if they're still vacant or a house has been put there. I admit I was feeling overwhelmed by the task. This afternoon I sat down with our Building Surveyor, and we went through them together, looking at the maps, then the parish maps, then the new deposited plans to decide what actually happened, eg. how many lots were created or whether it was a boundary adjustment, or consolidation, and by the time I left tonight we'd nearly got through the lot. So it's true what they say: two heads are better than one. What I thought would take me a month will have taken less than a day. I procrastinated for a week before I finally got in and started it though - a bad habit of mine.
I still have another couple of large tasks that have been put on the back-burner and now I can get stuck into them. One is the annual reporting to the Department of Planning. They want to know every detail of the developments that have been approved for the previous financial year. This year they're asking us to do a trial run and give them the first 6 months of 2007-2008. It was due today, but hey, what are they going to do?
Posted to Personal | Work by Toni at 9:34 PM | Comments (0)
April 28, 2008
Honouring the ANZAC Spirit
Many of us attend the ANZAC marches around the country and get emotional listening to the speeches, but how many think about what it must have been like for those original ANZACs?
In the lead up to Anzac Day in this 93rd year since the end of World War I NEWS.com.au and the Australian War Memorial open the archives to bring you extremely rare pictures from the nation's photo record.
'An Australian Light Horseman collecting anemones near Belah in Palestine'. Picture: Frank Hurley, 1918
Squadrons of the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade in formation at Gaza Picture: Frank Hurley, February 1918
Australians of the Imperial Camel Corps form up at Rafa, Egypt. Picture: Frank Hurley, 26 January 1918
The 3rd Australian Light Horse Regiment machinegun in action at Khurbetha-Ibn, Palestine. Picture: Frank Hurley, New Year's Eve 1917
Four camel ambulances attached to the Imperial Camel Corps at Rafa - used as a base for the attack on Gaza. Picture: Frank Hurley, 1918
The 2nd Australian Light Horse Regiment behind the front line barricades at Nalin in Palestine, one man passing across a grenade. Picture: Frank Hurley, January 17, 1918
Australian Flying Corps planes in Palestine. Picture: Frank Hurley, 1918
Waiting the order to fire a camouflaged eight inch gun from the 1st Australian Siege Battery before the main attack on Polygon Wood in Belgium. Picture: Frank Hurley, September 1917
Official photograph at Gallipoli taken in early 1919 for The Australian Historical Mission showing a landing barge, wire and entrenchments. Picture: George Hubert Wilkins
A thigh bone and other skeletal remains near the Turkish war memorial at the Nek are a grim reminder of the fighting in this photo taken February/March 1919. Picture: George Hubert Wilkins
Stretcher bearers of the 13th Field Ambulance resting at a dressing station on Westhoek Ridge on the Western Front. Picture: Frank Hurley, October 1917
Soldiers, mules and carts stopped on a street in the ruined village of Voormezeele on the Western Front in Belgium. Picture Frank Hurley, August 1917
Statue of the Virgin hanging from the Cathedral of Albert in France. Local superstition held that war would end when the Madonna fell. She collapsed in the spring of 1918 under shellfire. Picture: Frank Hurley, September 1917
The derelict hulk of a British tank on the Pozieres battlefield - a battle in which for Australian troops distinguished themselves but suffered heavy losses while taking the French village and ridge from the Germans. Picture: Frank Hurley, 1917
An Australian Light Horse Field Ambulance wagon on the Philistine Plain, Palestine. Picture: Frank Hurley, 1918
French Premier Georges Benjamin Clemenceau on his only visit to the Australian front at the Somme, pictured with 4th Division command including Brigadier General Thomas Blamey, CMG, DSO, second from left. Picture: Unknown, July 7, 1918
Scattered graves marked by simple white crosses on the old Somme battlefields in France. Picture: Frank Hurley, September 1917
Posted to General by Toni at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2008
ANZAC Parade in Junee
This morning I was down town with flags that I handed out for work. I had 250 and another guy had 150 and they were all gone within half an hour. I could easily have given away another couple of hundred. The day was perfect and the streets were packed. It was good to catch up with a few friends.
Posted to Personal by Toni at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2008
Nanna On The Job
I've had a full weekend, and it's not over yet.
Yesterday morning I drove Alex to Borambola Sport and Recreation Centre where he's staying until Monday afternoon. From there, Carly and I went and collected Riley and Zeke so they could come home to spend the weekend with us. Carly played League Tag in Young, so after lunch we loaded the kids into the car and headed there. It's about an hour and a half drive, and we watched her play and then drove home again. The kids were great and I think they both enjoyed themselves.
We didn't get home until around 5 so it was a pretty full-on night with feeds, baths and then trying to get Riley to go to sleep. I think we had a bit much driving today and of course he slept for most of the time in the car. Zeke went to bed without any drama. He's always good to look after.
Carly was Riley's favourite choice, and settled easily for her. She left around 2 on Sunday to spend a week with her friend down the South Coast. I managed to get both boys to sleep around 3pm and they slept till 5 when Emily arrived with Scarlett. Zeke bounced straight out of bed when he heard Emily's voice.
Lauren and Daniel got here not long after Emily, and we enjoyed a lamb roast, always a great meal. I had a great weekend doing my Nanna thing.
Posted to Personal by Toni at 8:00 PM | Comments (0)
April 14, 2008
Monday Madness
What a day! I had last Thursday and Friday home sick and so today when I went in to work there was a mountain of paperwork waiting for me. To make matters worse, I had to take Carly to the dentist in Wagga and was gone for 2 1/2 hours. Around 5 it started to look like I'd made some headway and tomorrow I'll be back on top of it.
Carly's been very lucky with her teeth so far. She had her first serious filling today, and we were in there for nearly an hour while they deadened, drilled and filled. Two weeks ago the dentist put in a temporary filling for her, and in another two weeks she has to have a smaller filling done. She's always been very good with her teeth, brushing twice a day, but it looks like we should have had more regular check-ups.
The kids are on school holidays now for the next two weeks and I'm looking forward to next week already when Carly is going to the South Coast with a friend and Alex is going off to camp for a few days.
Posted to Personal by Toni at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2008
Home Sick From Work
I'm feeling awful today, temperature, sore throat, cough. I went in to work for about half an hour because as soon as I decided I wouldn't go, I remembered a couple of things that urgently needed doing. Why I get so guilty about work when I'm genuinely sick I don't know, I rarely have days off.
Speaking of sick, Dad rang me on Tuesday morning and he sounded so much better. He said he told those doctors where they could shove the valium he was on, and I had to laugh, because I can hear him doing that. He said he was able to walk around better and he's alert. There's a chance the hospital will send him to a rehab home for 3 weeks and it can only be good for him. He was okay with that too. Broken ribs can take weeks to heal. I'm much relieved after talking to him.
Posted to Personal by Toni at 2:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Previous 10 entries...
- Blogging Just Got Easier With Windows Live Writer Apr 9, 2008
- Alex Hits the Teenage Years Apr 7, 2008
- Nothing Like a Crisis to Bring Family Together Apr 1, 2008
- Early Morning Phone Call Mar 30, 2008
- Easter Weekend Mar 22, 2008
- Tidying Up the Nest Mar 16, 2008
- Dripping Taps Mar 12, 2008
- Festival Support Disappointing Mar 10, 2008
- Festival Weekend Mar 8, 2008
- Summer and Winter Sports Feb 29, 2008
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