The good ole days when a girl would not expect her pony to follow her over the jumps

Earlier this week a little package arrived in the mail for the kids from their Grandpa.

These are the Thelwell cartoon books I used to read as a child. I think they were originally at my grandmother's house. They are, in any case, well thumbed and were the source of much mirth to me as a child. I suspect these are not so funny if you (a) have never owned a horse and/or (b) know nothing of the English brand of 'horsiness'.

You see, while not a great horsewoman by any sense, I did once own one of these ponies. His name was Luke Skywalker and he was a trifle wide in the barrel. He would puff out his tummy when I did up the girth and was terribly amused when the saddle, and me with it, slid off him during a ride.

I never did have much control over this animal. He being more interested in food than taking me for a ride.

And as for showjumping...well, lets just say that Luke and I were the entertainment at pony club as he would canter up to a jump, screech to a halt and send me careering between his ears over the jump. By myself.

Love these little books. And now my kids are getting a laugh out of them too. Thanks Dad!

La Bayadere

Last night Blossom's ballet school held their concert. It's a showcase of ballet, Jazz and Contemporary from grades K-12. The day is a marathon effort. We arrived at the theatre at 1.30pm (I was on hair duty), the show went on at 6.30pm and we finally arrived home at 10pm.

This year's ballet was La Bayadere - a ballet that is spookily, given very recent events, set in India. The production was very Bollywood in parts. This year's production was big on technique and really showcased the vocational students well. Blossom's class played harem dancers.

Special credit must go to Padawan Learner. He woke up with a fever yesterday so I had to take him to the theatre with me rather than send him to school and afterschool care. He was fabulous sitting there for five hours while I did hair and another three hours through the performance. He didn't complain once despite the frilly, mostly girly, surrounds and despite not feeling the best.

So, that's it. Ballet is over for another year. We have our Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays back again. Yay, slow starts on Saturdays...

On the record

I am told that if you are the family of a blogger, particularly one who is participating in NaBloPoMo, you live in a heightened state of alert wondering whether you will be blogged about. Apparently, they wonder whether their phone conversation is being turned into a story or whether some childhood mishap will be re-told to the amusement of the blogosphere.

I said if this is such a concern you could always say whether your conversation is 'on the record' or 'off the record'.

My brother had a better solution.

He got me this t-shirt for my birthday. I think it makes it clear. Crystal, in fact. I may need this in a range of colours. And perhaps a matching handbag.

Shirt from this very cool online store - I want the Sonic Screwdriver and the LOLMagnetz

He's with the band

Yesterday was the blow test.

Before you quickly change channels, the blow test is the day where all the interested Year Twos line up and try out lots of different types of instruments to see which one suits them best.

Padawan Learner has been very excited about this. The band program at school is very cool and there is a band camp at the beginning of the year. I'd like to think this isn't his only motivation to join band but being the only camp at school before Year 5 it is certainly an attraction.

So PL turns up with a list of possible instruments he'd like to play: clarinet (like his sister), trumpet, saxophone or trombone. I send him with instructions to try out for instruments that have very small cases (knowing full well I will have to lug this thing around a fair bit).

He tries out the trumpet but only scores 5/10. Not good enough. He scores better on the Saxophone and not bad on the Clarinet. In the end he has a choice of Clarinet or anything he likes from the brass section (other than Trumpet).

So he chooses...

the Trombone.

Big case. Bugger.

According to PL you have to spit into a Trombone and you get to wave your arms around a lot. From an 8yo boy's point of view, what's not to love about an instrument that allows you to wriggle and spit!

* pic from here

Canteens as a positive force in schools

Yesterday I was on canteen duty. Our school has a traditional canteen run by the P&C, staffed by two paid canteen managers who are assisted each day by 2-3 volunteer parents.

Until the end of first term this year the canteen had been managed by the same person for many years. Her sudden departure left a vacancy which was quickly filled by two school parents with a background in restaurants and catering. And, oh man, what a difference. Despite now employing two canteen managers the canteen has increased its takings.

The reason? Really good food. Good, yummy, kids.don't.know.it's.healthy food. Before the change the most exciting thing on offer was a hamburger. Now food like pies and hamburgers are restricted to one day a week - and even then they are homemade versions made with organic beef. Instead we now have sushi and wraps available every day and each week there is a different lunch special made on the premises by these excellent cooks. There are no chips, lollies or ice creams on the premises.

Yesterday's lunch special was Crazy Chicken and Avocado Salad. It had avo, pasta, chicken, coriander, tomato and loads of other yummy bits held together with dressing that was mixed on the spot. Seriously good food, and at $3.50 is the most expensive item on the menu.

In the past the most popular item was the meat pie. Eaten with a spoon. Last Friday they had a record 81 orders for the lunch special alone.

Our school, while in a 'good area', has a mixed socio-economic base. Many kids come to school without a real breakfast, sport is not high on the agenda for many families and, judging from the contents of lunch orders in the past, nutritional guidance can be low. Whatever your view on the role of schools vs the role of parents, Canteens play a vital role in educating children in what is okay to eat and what is best left for special treats. Our canteen now takes this seriously and I applaud them.

How about you? Does your canteen play a positive role in your school?

eBay: it's a full time job offloading stuff

After the garage sale a couple of weeks ago I took a lot of stuff to St Vinnie's and the rest I photographed and put on eBay.

Jeepers, it's a full-time job trying to sell stuff on eBay. People have questions. I've had several emails a day asking me to measure this, estimate that, can they send a courier and how far am I from the Timbuktu town centre?

After seven days of this I feel exhausted. Every item has sold and I now have to arrange for pickups and couriers. To boot I have to be nice and efficient so that I get a good "seller rating". That will all take another 15 or so emails.

I tell you, garage sales are a doddle by comparison. Mind you with a combination of garage sale and eBay we now have over $1000 in the Bikes.For.Christmas fund. All from stuff that was clogging up our shed/junk room.

Do you eBay?

OLD-ER

This morning I woke up the proud new owner of one of these, which is very cool because my previous iPod died halfway through a song on NYE last year. In fact it died before the guests had even arrived which made for a very quiet evening as it was connected to a sound-dock and was the entertainment. Luckily for us fireworks make even better entertainment around here.

I have to admit knowing about this gift as I was present at the Apple shop last week when it was purchased ...

What I didn't know, however, was that I would get these...

Bose in-ear headphones.

Very cool. You see the headphones that come with iPods are white - which would never do when one has the uber-cool black iPod Classic (I'm old school).

I'm off to download every song, video and picture I have.

There'll be music at our party this NYE.

Idol Fans Looky Here

So we were on our way to watch the Aussie Ballet at yesterday's matinee.

When we noticed that the stages were all set up for the Australian Idol final outside the Opera House.

Look who was doing her sound check. Last year's runner up, Jess Mauboy.

She sounded fabulous. The girls were thrilled. Then we hotfooted it into the House for our 1.30pm start time to see the Aussie Ballet perform Interplay.

The Idol final is on tonight. There's no way we'd even attempt to cross the harbour for the craziness. We'll hear all the commotion from our house and we'll be looking out for the fireworks.

icePhone Addiction

Someone got a new work phone. That someone explained to the "Q" Section at his work that he'd be happy with a CrackBerry thanks. "Q" Section said all the cool employees have the icePhone.

Luckily Firegazer is on the company phone plan. Because Firegazer gets mobbed by the kids when he gets home. It's my turn on the iPhone, no it's mine. And so on. Padawan Learner's social capital at school has increased because his dad has an iPhone.

If we were paying for this ourselves we'd be taking out a second mortgage on the house already. Music, games, downloads, emails, google earth, video clips. It's just ridiculous. I can totally see how people get into financial trouble with this thing.

I assume it'll all get boring soon. I'm waiting for the day. [even 'though, quietly, I think it is quite cool]


[photo from apple.com/au/iphone]

Proud and Positive: my cunning plan

I've been pondering my own self-pity over the last week. I've been mulling over the nature of thank-yous and how it is so important to get them right, and also to give them at the right time. Too many thank yous and you seem insincere, too few and you are unappreciative. Thank yous, once forgotten, are difficult to make up.

It is with this in mind that I got over myself about last week's little incident. An incident that was only one in my own mind. And I decided to dish out a few thank yous of my own.

On Tuesday I emailed every person who had taken the lead role in a function or fundraiser and personally thanked them for their contribution, notified them that I had stood down from my role as F&F co-ordinator and introduced the new co-ordinator.

On Thursday I put a note in the school newsletter introducing the new co-ordinator and thanked all parents and staff for their contributions in whatever capacity they made them.

Last Wednesday I felt empty . Today I feel strong, that the case is closed, and that I am ready to stand aside proud of my contribution to the school.

I don't need anyone's thank yous. And I really mean that in a positive way.

Bye Bye Neighbour

The EasternMax family live in a cul de sac surrounded by fabulous neighbours. We all notice what is going on, we have an annual Christmas get together and an organised Halloween spectacular.

On one side we have a family with two little boys who are similar in age to our Padawan Learner. For the last three years the three boys have spent most afternoons travelling from one house to the other playing. If I needed to pop down to the shops or pick up a child from an activity our neighbour would watch over the fence to make sure my kids were okay, we would help out with school drop offs and pick ups. My lovely neighbour has borrowed a cup of sugar, I've borrowed a lemon, we've shared kitchen equipment and we have worked on school functions together. It has been just like on 1950s television. I never thought this would all come to an end.

But it has.

[Our yards are only separated by this pool-style fence, over which we stand and chat]

Three months ago our neighbours were given notice by their landlord to be out by early December. They had been there five years and we suspect it is a capital gains issue for the landlord. Even if they move in they have no children to fill the five bedroom home.

Yesterday the last of our neighbours' stuff was transported to their new home in a neighbouring suburb. We will still see them up at the school but our 1950s TV lifestyle is over.

I can't begin to think how PL will feel once it all sinks in that his mates won't respond to his over.the.fence cry "Guys! Guys! are you there! Wanna play?!"

We will really miss them.

How was the 80s for you?

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this, but the eighties was my era.

I started high school at the beginning of the eighties and I started my first full-time job in the last year of the eighties. Arguably one of the most defining periods of my life...in shoulderpads. Aaaargh.

So when the theme of our school's end of year function this year was "Rewind to the 80s" I just HAD to go. Dress up was optional. I took the no dress-up option because while I have an 'archive wardrobe' of taffeta froth and bubble I also weighed about 50kg back then so the chances of those outfits getting any further than my knees was a little doubtful.

This was one of the best school functions I've been to - we had 80s trivia, dress up comps and two dads dressed as Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons EmCeeing for the evening. What's not fun about that?

One thing about the evening was clear: we all experienced a different 1980s. There were those who dressed up as Madonna, the acid-wash jeans brigade, the corporate shoulder pad group, the glam rock (think Poison/Bon Jovi) brigade, the Don Johnson lookalikes and one mum who could still fit into an amazing Year 10 formal dress!

My 1980s was the early years. As an impressionable first year high school student I befriended a girl from Manchester, UK whose much older brothers were in the British army (and, yes, went to the Falklands). I was fascinated by New Mod - the Jam, OMD, Joy Division. I listened to the university radio station. I was unimpressed by anyone who wore Stuart Membrey, Jag or Country Road. All way too mainstream. I was forbidden by the housemistresses from going shopping in my tartan mini, fishnet stockings with socks rolled down over the top, army jacket and stilettos (why?).

Then, when I got over myself, I thought The Police were fab, that U2 were the HOTTEST, and that David Bowie was the best live performer in the world. Madonna was not my thing. My opinions hold.

By the mid 1980s I succumbed to every bad fashion notion of the decade. Baggy jeans that finished at the ankle, white Reeboks, permed big hair (with or without hair combs).

At uni I supported Australian bands, because that was cool -and cheaper than going to international acts.

My dorm room was a testament to 80s glam. Isabella Rosellini was the Queen, David Bowie (early years only) was still my thing, quoting from Le Petit Prince was cool (typical Arts student) and my sound system played cassette tapes.

After uni I got a job working at the ultimate late 80s icon in Perth - Bond Corporation. I had shoulder pads as large as anyone elses and front row seats to the collapse of the 80s lifestyle and all it entailed.

What was your 1980s?

How you can tell it's ballet concert season

It's ballet concert season.

How can you tell?

Because on Sunday morning while dropping of our kids at ballet rehearsal all able-bodied parents who have ever put a thread through a needle were co-opted to hand sew tutu layers together so that they (the tutus) sit flat like a pancake (rather than - as it was described to us - 'like a duck's bum").

This involved tacking each layer of the tutu to each other layer. Each tutu has 4-6 layers. And there were 18 tutus.

Three tutus took me 2 1/2 hours. Luckily the company was great, but I think my eyesight is shot!

PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY IMPOSSIBLE PRINCESS!

How I know my son is on my side

After dinner last Thursday

Padawan Learner pulled this out from under his placemat

Then this

And finally this.

He's a good boy.

[Now I just need to work on his spelling and apostophe placement]

Tweens make Gingerbread Houses and get more icing on themselves than the house

[click pic to enlarge]

On Friday night Blossom and some school friends joined about thirty other 9-12 year old girls at our local church hall to make gingerbread houses.

They had a great time eating more lollies than went on their house and they wore more icing than was holding their house together.

Fundraising is a thankless task

So, I've retired as Fundraising and Functions co-ordinator at my school. This is a good thing. It's been fun, tiring and worthwhile. And also time to hand-over to someone fresh.

[BEGIN VENT]

On Wednesday night I turned up to P&C, ceremoniously handed over the fundraising files, gave my final wrap up of fundraising and functions news, stood down from my role and waited for the vote to be held to elect the new recruit.

Now, I did not take on the F&F role to receive accolades or flowers, that's just not my style. I am relatively quietly spoken, get on with my work, do a lot of behind.the.scenes negotiating and generally just get things done with minimal fuss. Clearly this is not the correct way to do things.

During the AGM the P&C president saw fit to make a big fuss of the outgoing Canteen Co-ordinator (well deserved) and of the P&C Secretary (also well deserved). I even bought flowers and presented them to the aforementioned secretary.

But was there any mention of the outgoing F&F Co-ordinator (moi)? Of the record fundraising results of the previous two years? Of the record number of parents who now attend school functions?

No.

Gosh, the P&C must think those SmartBoards in every class appeared from the ether.

I felt that, given that the others were thanked a small vote of thanks recorded in the minutes might have been appropriate. I was a little cross.

But it's now two days on, I recognise this is a small concern in the scale of world concerns and I move on happy knowing that I played a part in making our school just that bit better for our children.

[VENT OVER]

Note: School parents who read this blog: I would rather this not be mentioned at school. I have my own cunning little plan.

Boys, Bakugans and the pitfalls of Trading

These are Bakugans. They are about half the size of a golf ball, cost $9.95 each and are the most highly sought after toy for 7-10yo boys in Sydney.

What do they do for their $9.95?

They do this.

This is a photo of Bakugans in battle formation.

Not exciting you say?

That is because you are not an 8yo boy. To PL these are what life is worth living for.

Padawan Learner saved up for these for weeks. Well, actually not these ones exactly because once he had two Bakugans he did what any self-respecting 8yo boy would do - he traded them.

Trouble is PL is new to trading. He went to school with two brand new Bakugans and came home with one with a dodgy magnet and one with a dodgy leg.

Aaaah, the lessons of the playground are sometimes hard learnt.

Secret Garden

I have lived in this house for three years.

By now you'd think I would've seen every plant in the garden at least once.

But not so. Yesterday I looked up from my vegie garden to see this.

A beautiful dark pink climbing rose. I swear, it's the first time I've seen it.

It must've spent the last three years recovering from a dramatic pruning.

I was even more excited when I turned my attention back to the vegie garden to see this. My first Roma tomato developing.

Gotta love the sub-tropical climate here. Things just grow.