Sweet 16

It is the boys 16th birthday today. We got them RFS shirts upon request. Now they are 16 they can become full members of the Brigade. Our next meeting is on Tuesday so it'll probably be made official then.

On Friday we went out for a Chinese meal with Robbie's friends, Harley and Leigh. Karen and Ben also joined us.

Yesterday it was the usual mad running around doing chores and getting kids to sport. We've only got to run around with Rob (rugby union) and Ishbel (soccer) at the moment and that's tight enough - not sure when Jamie (Aussie rules) starts but it's going to be interesting!

Today Jamie and two of his mates, Nick and Scott, went to the Easter Show. Ian and Ishbel also went while Robbie did his homework (!! - his choice) and I did a long long walk and the windows.

The rest of the birthday photos can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11895723@N05/sets/72157604311901171/show/

Ian is going to be a Grampa

Here he is - overwhelmed but excited!

(Having the male equivalent of what's called a "Nana Nap" round here.

Heidi to the (Search and) Rescue!

I have a pager for the RFS which goes off every day between 4pm-5pm and gives the weather forecast for the following day. On Monday it had gone off as usual and, as usual, I pressed every button on the wee machine trying to read the message and shut it up. So when it went off again around 6pm, I just thought I hadn't done it properly earlier so was very surprised to see there was an incident message.

Not quite au fait with procedure, I rang my mate Steve and asked him what to do. Bec was getting her gear on and would pick me up in 3 minutes he said. Quick call to Ian who was at the Scout Hall with Ishbel to check it was OK and I was diving into my yellows.

Bec arrived as promised and fairly flew along the road to the station - I think we were airborne a few times!

One of the Deputy Captains, Craig, and his son, Nathan, were already there. All we knew at this stage was that the 'incident' was a search and rescue. We packed torches, water and a teddy (in RFS gear) in case it was a kiddy, got in the PC and headed off down Bee Farm Road.

There were two Police vehicles and crews from Faulconbridge, Warrimoo and 4 of us there. The person missing was a woman in her 40s who'd gone walking during the afternoon with two dogs. The Police had been able to make shouting contact with her and were trying to get to her.

We were sent off down a track - we used to walk Derek there often - but got called back again after a very short time. The woman had been located and a helicopter had been called in to see if it could winch her out.

Dan was there. I took a run and jump at him and, seeing the surprised looks on those about us, said 'it's my boyfriend". Dan put them straight pretty quick!

We then hung about waiting to be deployed for ages. Later 6 men, including Dan, from the Faulconbridge crew were sent off with a stretcher to find her. It was thought that the helicopter had been unable to do the winching thing, I think.

Shortly after that we were told that, if nothing else was heard, we'd be getting deployed in five minutes. I'd been there for some hours by now and had been guzzling water so I was pretty busting. Luckily Bec knew someone in a house nearby so we went off to ask if we could use their toilet.

Turns out I knew her too, from the Tanderra Parent Committee, Margie. Bec told her I needed the toilet and then all but elbowed me out of the way to get in first! Then she told Margie I had been wanting chocolate and took first choice when Margie raided the secret Easter stash!!

Sadly (for us), shortly after we got back to the assembly area we were stood down, the helicopter had been able to winch the woman up and was on the way to Nepean with her for her to have a check up.

I'm not sure how far Dan and the others had got, presumably not too far.

Lunatic Park?

It was my Union Picnic Day today and members were treated to a free day at Luna Park in the shadow of The Bridge on Sydney Harbour. It's an annual event and, since joining the Union 3 years ago, I have taken the kids in turn. Three years ago the day out was to Taronga Zoo and I went with Ishbel and my friend, Janet, and her daughter, Georgia. Last year was also Luna Park and I went with the boys, their friend, Harley, and my friend, Kim. So this year it was Ishbel's turn again, and Luna Park again but we went ourselves.
We were up and out and on the train by 8:05am and down to the City. Last year there was an enormous queue to get in but this morning we just walzed in without any delays and were one of the first so didn't have to queue too long for any of our first rides.
We started of on the ferris wheel then went for a dodgem car ride, into Coney Island and then on the carousel, back on the dodgems and back on the carousel before heading off. In Coney Island there were a whole lot of old fashioned things to do -funny walking thingys, etc. but it also had a couple of giant slides. Ishbel had us climb all the way to the top before she bailed out!
Ish now thinks she is ready for the road having had two goes on the dodgems. Look out Springwood!
When we finished up at Luna Park we headed across the harbour on a ferry to Circular Quay where we had lunch and a quick squizz at the Opera House. On the way back to the train, we came across a busker and sat and watched him for twenty minutes or so. Ishbel thoroughly enjoyed his antics.
A gelato on the way back to the train completed a very nice day.
See the pictures from our day here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11895723@N05/sets/72157604145437592/show/

Six Foot Track Marathon

This weekend I was one of a crew of 5 to go to man a staging post on the Six Foot Track Marathon http://www.flickr.com/photos/11895723@N05/sets/72157604088189645/show/.
Each year there is a foot race along the track - all 45kms of it. The Six Foot Track is an old stock route and goes from The Explorer's Marked Tree, near Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. It is run as a fund-raiser for the Rural Fire Brigade and the RFS man drinks stations along the route and provide support such as carrying out retired and injured runners.
We met up at the station at 6am and left shortly thereafter in the PC (4WD). Kim dozed on and off but I don't know how she did - it's not built for comfort. We headed west over the other side of the mountains then took a dirt track. A lot of bouncing around and pot holes later we found ourselves back on the bitumen, 40 minutes behind schedule and way off track. I was feeling decidedly queasy and was wondering whether to chuck out the window or reach for my helmet when we finally found our spot and parked ourselves at the top of a hill. We didn't have much time to set up our tables with sports drink and water and cut up some bananas and water melon before the first runners started coming round the corner.
Terry and I kept the cups of fluids filled while Kim and Graham counted off the runners - they don't want anyone getting left there. Most of them were very good natured and thanked us for being there. As they staggered up the hill many also asked how we were! We were fine, we weren't doing any running. There was one cranky so and so who when Terry said "Powerade on the first table, water on the second," snarled it was "High Five" not Powerade. We changed the chant to "sports drink" after that.
We wished we had some way of getting back at them. Kim thought we should radio ahead to the next station that they were terrorists and needed to be detained. Today I found out that it was the Bullaburra crew at the next station and they included my colleague, Rita. She was telling me today they were all dressed as Crime Scene Investigators so we could have had the cranky runners (or the yummy ones) detained for questioning and giving of DNA samples!!
Kim was rating the men and would give me a heads up on the pretty boys. Then David, our captain tried to help. "Is that it?" I said after he alerted me to some very disappointing talent. "Remind me not to go on the pull with you, David, you've got a rubbish taste in men!"
It was my first time and naively I put out a rubbish bag for people to put their rubbish in. I could tell the first few people wanted to be tidy but as the morning progressed the mounds of cups, banana peels and wrappers grew.
I had been needing a wee when we got there, but being late, as I said we had no time to lose in getting set up. Pouring water into little cups all morning was torture but finally the field thinned out and I had the opportunity to go to the loo - but where? As you can see from some of the shots above, we were on the top of a hill with no trees around. We were in a cow field with long grass so I didn't fancy tromping through the grass and disturbing snakes. I followed a track down the hill and found myself a nice little hollow to drop my strides in. Aaaaaaaah the relief. Then started back up the hill to the rest of the crew. And not a minute too soon. As I began my treck back, two PCs came past. 30 seconds earlier and they would have found me in my hollow, with my strides round my ankles. As Rita said, that would've been round all the brigades before I'd reached my crew!!! It's a risky life as a female firefighter!
The last runners are followed by sweepers who look for stragglers and run the Track with a broom! Once they came through we were able to clean up all those plastic cups and head home via the pie shop at Wentworth Falls.

So how do you end up liking Rachid Taha?

As we drove home this evening, Jamie asked me how you get out of touch with popular music.
I began by telling him that none of us ever think we will. I remember Fiona and I giggling in bed in Dulmen over a copy of Smash Hits over our parents lack of musical taste. Thought it would never happen to us, didn't we . . .
For me, the beginning of the end came in emigrating to Sydney. Here the commercial stations all seem to play nothing but the 70s, 80s and 90s music - music I'd heard before. I got fed up with it and started listening to ABC radio instead - talkback radio with only a smattering of music.
Yes, but how do you end up liking Rachid Taha was what he really wanted to know . . .

Here's a YouTube clip of Rachid Taha doing a cover of The Clash's Rock the Casbah: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOjTOn9lC9I

and here : Listen To Tekitoi you can sample some of his music.

And the answer is . . . I got to liking Rachid Taha via bellydance classes - we did a dance to the aforementioned Rock the Casbah.

New student at Faulconbridge Public School

After lazing about in bed until about 3pm, furiously finishing my book group book, yesterday, I got up and got around to doing what Ishbel has been requesting for a while - I made Angel a school uniform.

Not bad if I say so myself.

Birthday Bellydancing

It is Kate's 15th birthday today and Sharon's @#$%th one tomorrow. Steve, Janet and I arranged a surprise dinner out at a Lebanese restaurant in Penrith for Sharon. We made the booking then got Sharon's mum and dad to say they'd be taking her and Holly to dinner.
I met Sharon at the pictures last week and went into a rambling excuse for not doing anything for her birthday this weekend. She said that was OK, Holly was going to a party on Saturday and on Monday night she had something on at school.
In a panic it was all going wrong I rang Janet when I got home to tell her what'd been said and she rang Sharon's mum. It was OK, Holly had told Sharon she was going to Kate's party to throw her mum off the scent. It WAS all still as arranged. Phew!
As arranged, we headed off down to Penrith to be at the restaurant for 6:45pm. As we came off the freeway and into Penrith we were stopped at the lights. And who should pull up beside us but Sharon!!! Ian held back and tried to let other cars get between us and her but again we thought our cover was blown. We couldn't believe it when we got to the restaurant before her.
And without her having seen us. She arrived with her parents and Holly some ten minutes later and was very surprised to find us all there.
We had a nice meal but the highlight of the evening was the belly dancer. She wasn't terrific but it was a lot of fun watching her get people up to dance - as long as it wasn't us! She got Georgia and Ian up to dance. With Ian she was getting him to do belly rolls, you can see she had a walking stick - he had to roll his belly in and out and keep the stick between them. Hilarious stuff!

Soccer and Rugby Gala Days

Saturday 1st March was Springwood Soccer Clubs annual Gala Day for the younger players and the first opportunity this season for the players to get out against another team.
We were rung up the night before by John, the coach, to be told to have Ishbel out at the park by 11 for an 11:30 start and that the kids would be playing three games or so.
Arrived around the 11am mark after haring around all morning. Jamie and Ian were up at the crack of dawn to take Jamie to the rendez-vous point for a Venturer hike. It's part of the Venturer skills program and Robbie had already done it so it was just Jamie going from our house. They got to the rendez-vous on time but another boy hadn't got his permission slip signed and everyone had to wait while his parents were called and someone came to give permission for him to go. They were not so much hiking as going down the Grose River on li-los.
Once they were back I was able to go and do the weekly grocery shopping. Ian had done it all the weekend before while Rob and I were at the First Aid course so we had heaps of meat but had run out of fruit and vegetables by Wednesday.
Anyway, back to the park at 11am. Found the rest of the team, kids all rounded up and given a pep talk and then we find they are only playing ONE game and it isn't until 1:30pm. Eeek. There was some 'entertainment' there - some jumpy castle things and Winmalee RFS had their truck on show. I took Ishbel and Elki over for a play in the big red truck and met up with Scott, one of the fellows from last weekend's course. There was also a police car and the police were giving away cardboard make-it-yourself paddy wagon money boxes so that kept the girls busy until their game.
The rules have all changed for the younger players this year. In Ishbel's age group, the Under 8s, they are playing 7 a side. There is no goal-keeper, the goal is tiny and once a player has scored 3 goals they are not allowed another kick at goal. The officials say it's to make things faster and fairer. They will also only be playing other Springwood teams. There are about 10 Under 8s teams. That means all the matches will be at the home ground instead of all over the mountains and western Sydney.
Ishbel had a very good game, getting much more involved than she often does. She had told her coach at training that she was 'rubbish' at soccer - she disproved that.
She'd also apparently growled at him for something during training and told him she had a dog and "wasn't afraid to use it." We had Bella with us on Saturday - I don't think John is having any more nightmares about attack dogs!
Finally her game was over and we were able to head down to Lapstone for Robbie's rugby union day. He'd gone down with Karen, Dan and Ben a bit earlier in the day so we met up with them there. We also met up with old acquaintances Cathy and Tony whose son, Mitchell, used to do the Fencing with Robbie and who is in his rugby team.
They were having a sausage sizzle and an opportunity to buy some gear. Ben got some boots but the team supplies shorts, socks and shirts and Rob got his boots a few weeks ago so we got away scott free!