South!

If you look really, really hard, you can see the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge through the plane window.

I took the kids down for five festive days and (when I don't need a Panadol and a sleep so desperately) I'll show you some more pictures.  And words, since people seem to like blogs to have words... 


. . .

Optimist

Dad lifted Man-show up on to the giant antique McCormick-Deering that lives up the back paddock.

Man-show grasped the steering wheel with both hands. 

"Okay!" he said, "Now push."

. . .

I'm not obsessed

Gallery of Modern Art : South Brisbane

After swearing all my life that I never would, I started drinking coffee a couple of months after Man-show was born.

I thought it was simply a way to stay upright.  In Australia – where coffee really is coffee – I've realised it's soooooo much more....

Brother Espresso, downtown Brisbane

Merlo espresso beans : vintage Bushells jar : my parents' place

Noop : Gumdale

Three Monkeys : West End

Don't try this at home

We survived.  More than 8660 miles, I survived wrangling two kids in a plane – well, three planes – by myself.

Aside from three low points, the trip to Australia was about as decent as I could have asked for.

Low point #1: trying to get a place on the very necessary shuttle from the domestic terminal of LAX to the international terminal of LAX at 9.30pm, shuffling along a narrow traffic island besieged by blaring traffic with the stroller, the carry-on luggage, a weeping Berry and fifty other passengers. And the shuttle swept past the stop without so much as a pause.

Low point #2: on the flight to Auckland, two of our three in-flight entertainment units malfunctioned. Sadly the entertainment unit is essential for entertaining a toddler on a 14-hour flight, but the crew did try... they got it fixed after about eight hours. Man-show slept well which was a real bonus. Berry, not so much.

Low point #3 (the worst): the trip from Auckland to Brisbane. Man-show was really, really over the flying. He didn't shout or cry, but he was bored out of his head and started asking "Are we there yet? Can I get out?" on continuous loop starting about 15 minutes into the trip. He couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to kick the seat in front of him.  Wasn't it put there specifically for kicking?  I basically had to lie on his legs. Uhhhh.

But we're here, we're done, and we don't have to do it again... until late September.  Heaven help us.

Bad cat

This is wicked Pilly.

She used to be our cat, and then she became Grandpa Tom's cat some time after Hurricane Katrina. Tom needed a cat, Pilly needed an owner tolerant of miscreant pets – it was a match made in heaven.

That's Nathan's arm she's biting.  No idea what the offense was.  Knowing Pilly, perhaps none.

. . .

Sparkly!

"Mommy," Berry asks, "Who is that lady on our fridge? The one with the red dress?"


. . .

Absence

Six weeks down. We won't talk about how long there is to go...


. . .

Inconsiderate

"Mommy," Berry says, "you know what I really don't like about birds? Is when they DIE, and lie down on the road."

Dead birds have such a nerve.


. . .

Mmmmmojitos

I made these mojitos from scratch – simmered the simple syrup, squeezed the limes, even picked the mint from our garden – and they were fabulous.

I didn't drink all four of them myself, but if I hadn't had guests I might've been tempted. Nathan is usually chief mojito maker, but it looks like this is one of the valuable skills I'm gaining in his absence.

Cheers!

. . .

Not the Chosen One

Berry: Mummy, what if you were a doctor! That would be GREAT if you were a doctor.

Me: Oh! Why?

Berry: If you were a doctor, you would need to go Afghanistan and Daddy could stay home! And I love Daddy."


. . .