Sep 30, 2008

Home alone

I am motivated to write this post as I am fed up of seeing that photograph of me.
Neil, Mary and Eloise are off on their travels in a camper van. They have now left Bunya Mountains where Eloise made friends on the campsite and should have arrived at Carnarvon Gerge by now. I haven't heard from them so I guess there is no mobile phone coverage way out west.
So, I am home alone. It has been a few years, atleast when I was pregnant. Those years are in dim and distant recesses of my memories. Needless to say, I was a little nervous about being alone. It is wierd that things stay in the same place and it is very quiet. I think the dogs are missing Eloise as they both ran up to a little girl at Nudgee Beach this afternoon. I am up-to-date with all my house chores. I even hoovered the bedroom this morning at 07:00 as I stroked Tiny and she malted all over the floor boards. I am eating lots of meat and fish in Neil's absence and getting lots of studying done. It is quite a responsibility being a lone parent to two dogs whilst working full-time.
I was awarded a scholarship last week from the Royal College of Nursing, Australia for $2500 to help towards the cost of studying in 2008. Which will cover my tuition fees and give me some left over for books which is great news. My first assignment for Quantitative Research is being marked. I am a little uncertain as the results time looms nearer.
I am working in Clinical Trials for the next 4 weeks to cover annual leave. So far, alright. It is very different from ward nursing but I think I am doing okay.

Sep 24, 2008

Nicole the Birthday Girl

Nicole Making Noises For Nicole's birthday yesterday she did entertaining things like go to College in the morning and in the afternoon we did entertaining things like going to take photographs of Peter in the shop in which he works for my college assignments. Work work work.

Besides that we went and partook in coffee and turkish sandwiches at West End where Nicole treated herself to a battery of anointments from Perfect Potions, then in the evening Val looked after Eloise while the grown ups went out for one of their occasional social jaunts to Tukka, where haute cuisine meets Bush Tucker. My food was unremarkable in terms of its ingredients, though very nice; I had a timbale of something or other with some other stuff and pea pie with peas on the side. Nicole's was a bit more remarkable in that she dined on steaks of crocodile and kangaroo, both of which looked quite tasty and reportedly were very nice.

We got home not too late to find Val chilled out and Eloise asleep although Squeaks had had botty problems and her poo wasn't right, so another bout of sickness is on the cards.

And indeed today I feel pretty grim with sore joints and a threat of a headache, which bodes well for Mum's arrival tomorrow doesn't it?

Sep 21, 2008

Recliffe Festival

The Arched Window I heard about Redcliffe Festival on the radio, and for some reason Eloise seemed very keen.

So we resolved to go today, while Nicole was sleeping off her night shift.

First of all to the brook to walk the dogs and arguably my first mistake of the day - which was to permit her ladyship to ride down on her bike.

It seems that she isn't quite completely over the hill as far as the old sickness thing goes, and became quite tired and emotional at the playground, so we wended our nearly-merry way back, paddling and rock-hopping accomplished, and back for twelve.

Whereupon I ate our lunch, and Eloise didn't, and upon suggestion of a little nap, the refrain "I would like to go to the Red Cliff now please" had us on our way.

Up on the bay, parking on the esplanade was a bit of a problem, but we got there in the end and got out of the car to the sounds of powerboats and helicopters.

We made our way down the ramp and onto the beach to see powerboats in the distance being chased around by choppers... presumably with cameras on board, but who knows.... and resolved between us to make our way up the esplanade to get a better view.

Of course getting from A to B isn't straightforward where Her Ladyship is concerned, what with having to brave the siren calls of playgrounds and children doing interesting things with sand, and general fatigue, but we rounded the headland about 1.45 to where the racing was apparently going on... but wasn't any more.

"They finished at 1.30" said a friendly bloke.

So we made our way further up le plage and stopped off to watch skateboarders and football kickers and basketball players at the amphitheatre before bypassing the lagoon (no swimmers) and going on the Sanctuary Cove playground.

Where a not altogether joyful time was had, what with pushy older kids pushing and little buggers with plastic swords doing what they do with plastic swords. Ending in tears. Never mind.

But an ice cream and a can of diet coke brought her back to the land of the happy and we headed home, Festival in sight, to see if Nicole had woken up yet.

Sep 19, 2008

Full Operational Status Restored

Jiggery Recovery pretty much complete, apart from the odd affected fake cough when health is mentioned, Eloise is back at nursery - and loving it - back at music, swimming etc, just in time for the school holidays.

Just a week off this time, but as Mum is coming to visit, it'll be a bit of a break from the old routine as we key up for a little road trip up to Carnarvon Gorge whilst Nicole hangs around here and looks after the dog and payrolls us.

The general plan is to go up to Bunya Mountains for a couple of days then up to Carnarvon, again for a couple of days, and then across to Noosa or Fraser or somewhere. Haven't decided yet.

Should be interesting.

Meanwhile after her recovery I'm sure that Eloise is getting heavier and we have observed that her talking is improving once more, with conjugation coming along quite well and, dare I say it, lying for profit (generally sweeties) which is of course an essential skill.

Sep 15, 2008

Recovery

Eloise in the Woods On the mend now so Nicole spent the weekend writing up her first assignment for her Master's course.... and then re-doing it after I read the question for her properly.

So Eloise and I got out of her way, walking in the forest, falling asleep, going to the shops...

We managed to winkle her out of the house on Saturday to go to the beach, where we all got bitten by mosquitoes.

In the forest Eloise did quite well but decided part way round that she wouldn't be walking anymore but wanted to read Percy the Park Keeper. The dogs kind of sat around and watched as bemusedly whilst we carried out this activity.

And now we have itchy ankles.

Sep 12, 2008

Unwellness continues

Eloise ... just so you know ...

Nicole's better though. But Eloise is still not herself, except between the hours of ten am and midday when she's on pretty good form.

Still she'd better be better by Monday. I'm on holiday now don't you know.

Sep 10, 2008

Viral Oscillations

Crumbs from your table Eloise continues her downhill slope and being a responsible mother Nicole took her to the doctor whilst I was over at Coochiemudlo Island on Monday prancing about taking photographs of rocks, trees, boats, more rocks, more trees, more boats, a dead bird, then some rocks and trees and just for an encore, some boats. Then, for a change, a cliff of red muddy clay which was quite interesting to look at, what with being red, but to be filed under rocks.

Anyway the upshot is that Eloise has a flu virus and indeed 'twas a good job that we kept her off nursery as she has not been in the best of shape, although Nicole did take her to the beach, and yesterday with Nicole feeling ten times better we went to the beach again.

And the pattern seems to be that she wakes up feeling pretty rotten and miserable, takes drugs, perks up by about ten o'clock whereupon doggy duties are performed, possibly including a playground then crash and burn in time for lunch.

Today Nicole was suitably improved to return to work so I made my excuses to College and stayed home to tend my poor sickening infant. We went to the brook and did the doggy thing then to the playground where we ran into Olga, a local mum of our acquaintance, and Eloise made a new friend who she played with (and yes he was coughing already before you play the contagion card).

After lunch three hours of sleeping was done, and it was back to illness and misery but perking up again as we went to pick Nicole up from work.

I went into the darkroom this evening and processed B&W from Coochie and B&W from Val Windowlight stuff. Should see how it came out on Friday when I will go in to do another couple of films and contact sheet the backlog.

Sep 7, 2008

Uphill, Downhill

Almost Blue Nicole's on the mend and I'm feeling OK pretty much, but now Eloise is on the way downhill again. Very listless today, and a bike ride down to the brook to feed the ducks ended up with a carry-cuddle home to go to bed,

I shopped while they slept then it was an afternoon in front of the telly watching the Sunday Arts programmes and eating crunchy nut corn flakes.

I've got an early start tomorrow, a field trip to Coochiemudlo Island... Nicole should be fine with Eloise on the sofa as I don't think she will be fit enough to go to nursery.

Sep 6, 2008

Ug

Still not on top of the world. I had a flirtation with fever around tea-time yesterday, but it came to nothing.

Nicole is still spending a lot of time in bed and after visiting the doctor yesterday has cattle-antibiotics to deal with the laryngitis which has swept into her throat in the wake of the now-officially recognised real-deal flu.

Nicole took Eloise to ballet yesterday while I went to the forest to give the dogs the walk they so desperately need (it's been raining cats and dogs). I got a call just as I arrived to the effect that ballet wasn't on as they were having exams so I went and took the ladies home.

"Nicole made a mistake" opined Eloise. "Well that's OK, she's allowed" I said. "It's not OK" said Eloise.

No compassion, that one. We'll have to beat some compassion into her, I can tell.

Sep 2, 2008

Glum

Reduction We're all feeling a bit glum as the dreaded cold worsens its icy grip on Nicole's poor body, confining her to bed with fevers and chills and cramps in addition to a beyond-Bonnie-Tyler sore throat and sinuses you couldn't drain even with medical suction.

So ill is she, in fact, that she has had the past couple of days off college and work, which for her and her Protestant work ethic is saying something.

Meanwhile Eloise and I meander along with our sad excuses for colds and pretty much live life normally, if still a little short-fusedly owing to our depleted resources of emotional tolerance and patience.

I did lose my rag today when I offered Eloise a sausage roll for lunch, and after an enthusiastic welcome to my suggestion bought her one, whereupon immediately upon leaving the shop she announced she didn't want one after all, she wanted a curry pie. That was on top of music where she insisted on using her glockenspiel backwards and her quaver-paper upside down. Though to her credit she seems to be able approximately to use her fa-finger.