And.....

..yes I did buy the GHDs. And yes I did finish putting 7 years worth of photos into albums. What a grand feeling that was. Are your photos up to date? I can say that now!

Here's some snaps from the weekend, Will at the easter hat parade (memorable for me thanks to Smiths meltdown in the school while I was attempting to hold picnic gear, picnic mat, discarded easter hat, melting easter eggs and Smith) and Rafey at Manly. Glorious.

Nails

The computer still seems to be working, the computer guy blew me off again pleading sickness - man sickness it sounded like, so I'm still here.

Decided in my quest to resemble a corporate wife to get my nails done. I rarely get my finger nails done and when I do I always go for the au naturel colour that kind of always disappoints as it looks like I haven't just got anything for my $40 although I always reassure myself that my cuticles must look great. And normally I go to one of those awful cheapie places in the mall, but last time the guy sliced my heel when shaving it (!!!!), and a heel with a cut on it is hard to walk on for at least 3 weeks until it starts to heal. So today I decided I'd go to a proper place and get it done properly. Choose your colour I was told, and I bravely chose a colour one step up from au naturel - it had a bit more pink in it. Or so I thought, 10 double coated and almost dried nails later, I stopped watching the movie they had playing and looked at my extremely pink nails. For those of you with girls, it looks like what you'd probably paint her nails with. Driving home I wondered whether I should just whip out my nail polish remover and get rid of this mistake. But actually if I hold my nails a certain way it doesn't look quite so bold, or articial. Almost in fact, ...au naturel.

OMG

I think my computer is dying, or in the midst of a death throe, it's whirring and sounds like a washing machine in full spin mode. Thankfully I noticed it a couple of days a go and have arranged for John, the technician from the computer company who fleeced me, whoops I mean, sorted me last time, to come out to take a look. He's already been a no show on Thursday which fortunately gave me enough time to remember about guarantees and stuff. So on one of my last precious days packing, and playing with my boys, I'm going to be faffing with the computer. Great. Unfortunately the computer will be our only contact with the family during the next two weeks so it needs to be sorted. Stat.

My bag is sort of packed, and in my quest for beige I'm very light on smart/casual/business wear. And a bit heavy on beige. I'm almost thinking about another trip to the mall to buy some random smart/business/casual gear, thank goodness I'm not compacting. But the reality is that sensibility will prevail and I will just get by with what I've got. There is always of course airport shopping.

So before the computer finally dies, again, I'll say a quick goodbye, I'll have a notebook full of social gaffs and wardrobe malfunctions (again) to full you in on when I'm back to my happy and healthy boys. If I get a chance and I'm able, I'll post another couple before I leave. Otherwise to sum up....

No, I'm not organised
Yes, I'm looking forward to it
No, I don't really know anyone who's going
Yes, I'll use up all my chitchat lines in the first 5 mins (and I'm spending 2 weeks with these people)
Yes, I'll probably accidently call The Husband his very informal nickname, instead of his more corporate real name, and yes, this will happen in front of people that matter, but who don't care.
YES, I will absolutely miss my boys like crazy
YES, I will cry in the taxi to the airport but may be slightly sorted enough to do some tearstained and random airport shopping.
Yes I have many books to read on the plane - from political to crap. I'm even going to buy SOME trashy mags
No, I will NOT get fat, I will NOT get fat, I will eat well and refrain from alcohol occasionally
And, yes, I know, it IS only two weeks.

Take care y'all xxxx

Lists and Easter

I'm in list mode. If something springs to mind, I scramble for paper and create a list, or more accurately recreate the lists I've lost, I don't seem to have a master list, but I do have a very comprehensive Boys Stuff word doc in progress. Whenever something comes up, eg birthday, soccer training, playdate, I add it to this all important doc and where possible lock in a drop off, pick up so The Grandparents are off the hook. All good. And it is only for two weeks that we're away and The Sister wisely reminded me that they'll do everything their own way anyhow!

Easter Hat parade today. A new Australian phenomon for us last year. This year we're sorted. The parade involves me and the wee boys sitting at Will's school with an elaborate picnic lunch (ie jam sandwich and half packet of biscuits - but don't get me wrong, some parents do it in style!) watching a couple of hundred kids parade around the oval with 4litre icecream containers on their head. Last year Will took out his class prize, we kept the hat for a good 9 months before I sneaked it into the recycling. Unfortunately i didn't have any batteries in the camera, but fortunately The Grandparents were with us and The Grandfather had no qualms at getting dirty with the rest of the paps and taking some photos. This year no such luck for Will, just Mum, the two wee boys (who will run around so mum can't actually watch the parade), and a charged camera.

Easter in Sydney is also all about the Easter Show, they expect 1million people to attend. The Husband and the two big boys will make up 3 of that number. Hopefully me and Smith get to sit it out this year. For me of course, getting there and back is a logistical nightmare, I'm already sweating about it, and I'm not planning on going. The highlight of the show is The Showbags ie $20 for a bag of branded crap. The showbags even get reviewed. Madness. Madder still is the thought of Smith there although this will surely be my last year of getting a reprieve.

Way down one of my lists is Easter Eggs, I'm going to the mall tonight so will get the leftovers at Big W. Actually I can remember when KT and I worked on a Saturday at a department shop in Dunedin many years ago (you know, the one where I worked on the cigarettes and KT worked on the music.) Each easter when restocking the easter eggs we'd find all the broken eggs that had "accidently" broken and scoff them. In fact there may have even been a tiny brush with mgmt over a couple of caramel eggs that ended up in my pinny, but can't remember if it was just me or both of us. KT?

Anyhow, it's off shopping for easter bilby's (no chocolate bunny in Oz, no sirreee, chocolate bilbys it is (native little possum like thing) and anything else on my list of the moment.

7 days and counting

Website, what website. The ball is firmly with me at the moment, I need to make some hard phonecalls and I'm too chicken to make them. Maybe I'll make a work list while I'm at it!

Rissoles

...were officially my Absolute Worst Meal Ever of the years 1972'ish until leaving home about 14 years later when they became replaced by the smaller more user friendly, less onion afflicted meatball, as made by me instead of my mother. My mother thought rissoles needed to be slightly burnt, extremely grey, and full of onion. And accompanied by boiled potatoes and cabbage or peas. That was absolutely my worst meal ever. There was nothing to look forward to eating on that plate. I think it was her way of rebelling as my mother was always inclined to do, in a kind of "if they won't eat the exotic things that I think I should be cooking, then dammit, I'll cook a really crap meal instead". Sister? Your thoughts?

So in the hunt for a trout recipe in a very nice recipe book, I stumbled across a recipe for ...rissoles!!!!

People, this is 2008. There is no need to get all retro and vintage by bringing back the rissole. Back to the 70's I say.

Tuesday

Still doing tour guide duties to my dad, we headed into the city and did the sights without the kids so Flora stayed for a longer day so we didn't have to rush back. She rushes from my place to another job so is on quite a tight bus schedule, so I offered to drive her home. So we're driving along the road, it's hot, the windows are down, and never before have I had as many people (men) waving at me and yelling out things to me when I'm driving. Actually I tell a lie, as there was that extremely friendly man who waved and tooted loudly at me when I thought I'd been a tiny bit rude by cutting him off when turning in front of him. He drove up right behind me and waved frantically, of course I waved enthusiastically back.

So do you think the extra attention was because I had a smidge of lippy on for my big trip to the city or do you think it was because of the gorgeous Flora sitting next to me?

Speaking of which, I rang The Husband when I got home from the city and asked him why he comes home to his shorts and jandal clad wife when there are so many gorgeous women in the city, the look seems to be pencil thin skirts, sharp stretch shirts and pointy stilleto pumps.

Not a jandal in sight.

I'm off to Byron Bay this weekend for a few days with my dad, sister and our families so won't be blogging as much for the next week. It's funny too that even though with my Dad here, I have a wealth of material for my posts, I've decided there's a blog-etiquette about posting about family members.

The Sister excluded of course.

My Dad

..has come to stay for a week with his partner Helen. They live in Dunedin, population 100,000 and a bit. Population of Sydney, 5,000,000. Dad's doing very well. He has his "routines", something I seemed to have picked up off him, and for Dad, that doesn't involve driving around a busy city in busy traffic with 3 children. He's coping very well. But whether he's enjoying himself I'm not sure. Sydney is the kind of place that you need to remind people to look at the sites eg. every we time we cross the bridge I remind dad and Helen to "look at the opera house, stunning isn't it" or "look to the left.....NOW...and check out the bridge, stunning isn't it". He's tired and out of his routines. We've had a heavy couple of days sightseeing, simply coz The Husband is home to do the driving, something I'd prefer not to do. I drove to the airport with the 3 boyos to pick them up on friday night and to avoid the traffic, I left a couple of hours earlier than I needed to. So whereas in Dunedin you pay a smiling parking lady $1 to park for the day in the Sydney airport carpark, I could see Dad freaking when I paid $24.

The Husband had only a couple of things to do - put some wine in the fridge (I'd need it after my drive through the city at peak hour), order in some food, put my groceries away that's I'd had delivered. He failed on all counts as he sat in the sun with workmates at the pub that night. DOG BOX!!!!!

So we head to Byron Bay this weekend to meet up with my Sister and her family and belatedly celebrate Dad's 70th.

So I put a question to you all....when did you last fly with your parents? I think I was about 6.