Another big weekend

I note the last two weekend reports start "I should have posted this earlier but . . . " Let's see if I can do something different this weekend.

Haven't seen much of the family this weekend. I've been on a Rural Fire Driver course (Friday night, Saturday 12:30pm-11pm and Sunday 8am-5pm). It's so you can drive safely under lights and sirens and also teaches recovery for if you get a vehicle bogged and need to rescue it. The course, unfortunately, is heavily weighted in favour of those who drive the trucks which is not me yet. I'm there doing the 'light' component but spent a fair bit of the time in the back of a truck watching the boys having a go. That said, when I did get to drive the PC I got one-on-one attention. Today when we were out doing 'stall recovery' - how to recover yourself if you stall on a hill - I got to drive a Cat 7, one of the smaller trucks. I was then allowed to drive it back to the road. Woot woot.

In a month we do the second part of the course and the assessment. It is an overnighter with us going out west to Rydal.

Ian, Jamie and Ishbel meanwhile were heading out early on Saturday morning for Cronulla, all the way across town and south to the seaside where Jamie was playing his AFL match. It was the first time Jamie's team has played in a few weeks and unfortunately they lost. It must be nearly finals time, his season seems to be taking a long time, Robbie's soccer finished weeks ago.

Robbie was called in to work on Saturday afternoon and was still there when I came home. He's had a few shifts since the holidays where they've called him in at the last minute. I think he likes the money he earns.

Ishbel, having done the trip to Cronulla, was rewarded with a sleepover at Zanny's. She didn't come home until 6pm tonight and Zanny and Jeanne stayed for dinner - an Indian banquet which Ian had prepared for us. Yum!

Ian is recovering fairly well from his surgery - just getting his pin out on Wed - he was pretty sore for a day or so but I think it's better now. He's off work until Thursday at least; he has a GP appointment on Tuesday and an appointment with the hand specialist physio on Wednesday - he's just a bit concerned about how much flexibility he's going to have in his wrist.

Weekend report

Jamie and Ian were up and out early to Jamie's AFL game at Pennant Hills. His team is doing pretty well and they recorded another excellent win. You can read the match reports from this and other games here. Jamie is in the Under 18s.

Meanwhile Ishbel and I did the shopping and Robbie caught up on his beauty sleep. Ishbel and I met up with Bec and her boys in the shopping centre and managed to cadge a cuppa and a doughnut off Bec.

Jamie and Ian came home just in time for me and the boys to race off down to the shed for 12:30pm to join the other Valley Heights RFS members who were going to do a sausage sizzle at the Springwood School Fete and Fireworks. After setting up, some of us 'volunteered' to cut onions - 40kg of them. I was alright, my contact lenses protect me from the onion juice/fumes but it was sad to see grown men cry! Eventually we loaded all 40kg of onions (and more) on to 1000 sausages and accomanying buns/bread. Guess what I did in my sleep all night? And Ian had the hide to complain my hands smelled of onions still the next morning. I hadn't been able to get my lot to bring any vegieburgers along so I had two onion sandwiches, Come the revolution . . .

Robbie managed to dip out early and went off with his friend Leigh but Jamie and I stayed to the bitter end, taking money, cramming onions and sausages into rolls - it was relentless for several hours. My only break was a half hour cuddle and tour of the stalls with Xavier, Karen and Dan. Being his favourite Auntie Heidi, I bought Xavier a little blue maracca (after I'd borrowed $2 from Dan) which he loved the taste of!

Got home after 10:30pm.

Up early for training at 8am on Sunday morning. More cutting trails for our proposed hazard reduction (HR) - lots of back breaking work, scratching down to mother earth. Plotting our progress back at the shed we found we'd only done 120 or so metres - much less than the last few times we've done it - but the terrain was pretty hard going for us rake-hoeing types and when I looked despondent Hugh took pains to show me we'd actually done very well. This is the third training session where I've done trail cutting - if they put the HR on when I can't do it there'll be blood spilt!

(Will post photos later - have no computer at home again. Brand new computer we bought LAST SATURDAY already at the menders. Not happy!)

Looking back on another week

From the middle of the week this time.

Last Wednesday was Joanne's funeral. It was held at the crematorium at Leura. There's a lovely little chapel building at the edge of a hill looking over bushland. It's quite beautiful. Ian and I went up with Robbie and Ishbel. Joanne's eldest sister, Margaret, gave a lovely speech followed by Joanne's friend from college, Linda. It was very hot in the chapel and a few people had to leave to get some air and three people passed out - including our own Ishbel. She was complaining of feeling a bit sick, I was trying to find a seat and then her eyes just rolled back in her head and she just flopped. A short rest on the lawn at the front of the chapel with all the other floppers and a glass of water and she was right again. After all the ceremonial stuff was finished we let go 47 purple balloons. The reception/wake was held at the golf club in Springwood.

On Friday the washing machine was finally fixed with a new pump being installed. However, after putting on the first load I found water all over the floor in the laundry - the man hadn't connected things up properly. Luckily Ian had been paying close attention to what he'd done otherwise and was able to correct the problem.

On Saturday Ishbel and I went down to Bowral with Cathy for the afternoon. Her boys had left their Nintendo DSs at friends during the holidays and we were meeting Chris to get them. After meeting Chris over lunch we pootled about the bookshops and antique shops then finished with 3 enormous ice creams before heading home.

Meanwhile Robbie and Ian went cricketing leaving Jamie to hold the fort at home. Robbie's team lost - the umpire came from the opposing team and the decisions were not without controversy apparently.

Robbie has signed up for both soccer and rugby this winter. I'm not at all sure how we're going to manage to get him to games and Jamie to his AFL games. Jamie doesn't start his comp until April but we have the draw already. He has games ALL over Sydney. Some with early starts. I've said to Ian they should just stay overnight near the venue for those ones.

Ian went for a long bike ride to Oberon on Sunday morning. On the first Sunday of the month he usually does that with a crowd of fellas while I go to RFS training leaving Ishbel at Ruby's house. We'd not got into our stride after the holidays though and hadn't arranged for Ishbel to go to Ruby's. It wasn't until mid-morning that Carolyn rang wondering where Ishbel was! Ruby came round to play in the afternoon and we'll get back into it next month.

The boys have started back at Venturers tonight. Tomorrow Robbie starts work at McDonalds in Blaxland. He's to be there at 4:30pm for orientation. Jamie starts his AFL training at 6pm and at 7:30 I plan to take Josie to dog school. Phew!

Oh and the forecast is for hot, hot, hot weather this weekend. Yeuch.

Aussie Rules

I've been playing Aussie Rules tonight! There is a summer social comp. for over 14s and other old folk and Jamie and I are going to go only Jamie is at his friend's house tonight and didn't go. I didn't have much of an idea of what was going on but it was a fun time.

Another weekend gone

It was a bit less frantic on the sporting front this weekend.

Robbie's rugby league season is finished. All he had was a presentation in the morning.

Ishbel's soccer team had a bye so they just met up at Springwood High School for a knockabout. It didn't matter that we arrived late. Or that Elki and Lily didn't come so that Ishbel was the only girl.

After the soccer we came home and picked Jamie up for his Aussie Rules game. It was on just near the shopping centre with Aldi in it so Ishbel and I dropped him off and headed for the shops. In the car park we were tracked down by Ian and Robbie who were finished and said they'd bring Jamie home so Ish and I could finish the shopping and take it straight home. Ian was going to drop Rob off at his mate Harley's house.

On Sunday we had another birthday lunch for Ishbel. This time Roey and Al B came up (Pete was working and Jack was at a party) and Karen and Ben (Dan was doing a First Aid course). Spent all morning getting the lunch ready.

Except that is, for taking a look under the house to see what could be put away in to the storage place. Hardly found anything - most of the STUFF under the house is only fit for the tip. However, we need to borrow a trailer to get it there so that's next weekend's project.

After lunch we piled in to Roey's car to take her to see our new house - just from the outside. We were passing the end of Karen's street (sort of) so we swung past her house and let Roey see that too for the first time. Then all the way out to Winmalee. I think Roey liked both houses.

Whirlwind weekend

Another weekend spent at full tilt. We were up early on Saturday and trying to get the grocery shopping done and be back for the sporting events.
Ian took Ishbel to soccer while I did the shopping. I missed out on seeing her score her first goal. She surprised everyone, including herself and almost scored another one shortly after, so high was she on adrenalin.
Playing tag, Ian took the groceries home and got the boys ready for their sports. Meanwhile the soccer team were having a little party - it being Gala Day, some organised members had sausages cooked for sausage sandwiches and the Coach had brought a birthday cake for Ishbel. I was very touched by that kind gesture.
Ishbel and I were home long enough for her to have a quick shower then we had to go back down to Penrith to collect Jamie from his AFL match. After taking the scenic route, we arrived in time for the last quarter. Ish was very impressed - Jamie appeared to be playing the Sydney Swans. No wonder they lost badly!!
Rob and Ian had further afield to travel for Rob's game and were back in time to help with the last of the preparations for dinner. It is our friend Janet's birthday so we had her and her family and some other friends for dinner.

Up early again this morning for RFS training - we did off-road driving and recovery - winching the PC out of trouble - fun!.
Ian had the kids up relatively early too and down to Penrith to get some gear for Jamie who is off to the snow this week on a Leadership Camp with school.
Back home I shoved a cake in the oven and we are just now waiting for Auntie Karen, Dan and Ben to arrive to share it with us.

Australian Rules Football

James career as a high flyer began on 12 April, unfortunately only half the other team made it to the ground. The game went ahead with Springwood reserves playing for the opposition, needless to say the result was a little one sided. The "mercy" rule was applied at half time with the score at 148 to 1. The second half was more of the same but unscored.
The second game on the 19th was against more formidable competition, Jamie played in the defence and won many possessions and managed to combine with his team mates to turn the opposition raids. The final score had Springwood ahead by 9 points, but they had been pushed and were forced to maintain their concentration right to the end. Jamie acquited himself well, and showed more confidence and ability as the game progressed, although he did seem lost on occasion he did find a solution and disposed of the ball positively most of the time.

Footy footy footy

We had our first weekend where each of the kids had a footy match. While I took Ishbel to her soccer match at 11:30am - Ish's Bower Birds won 5-1, Ian took Jamie for his AFL (Aussie Rules) 11:30am match. His team also won - very comprehensively - indeed when the score was about 148-1 in Jamie's teams favour the "Mercy clause" was invoked and they stopped counting the goals!
Robbie's rugby union team lost 65-5 -ah well.

Jamie's AFL slideshow: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11895723@N05/sets/72157604534123995/show/