Now I put this here, and I'm all out of sequence....this was meant to explain Kevin's recent trip to Sydney....he arrived home Thursday morning after a week down there with a group of Trinity kids who were competing in the national cheerleading championships...............then the next pic is SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Kevin and the Ellie............yup we got the world's biggest surprise (well it was pretty big, and somewhat teary) when Ellie and Jordan walked into our front door on Thursday night. Anisia had kept a brilliant secret; well done! Jordan had to come up for a very well manouevered "work" trip to Brisbane, so Ellie couldn't let him come alone.It was just the best surprise........them walking through the door felt like they had never been away. We all hastily reorganised our plans for the days ahead (they're returning to Adelaide Monday lunchtime), so I decided to catch the train with Anisia up to Brisbane yesterday. It was all pretty well coordinated........met with Anisia and Kevin in the Valley for lunch as Neish still had to work...mmmm yummy Indian food, good choice Neish....and Kevin was on his way via the city to the airport to pick up a group of Trinity kids in the afternoon. Which left Ellie and I to shop....darn it what else could we do? Ellie did well and found a beautiful slinky dress for the weddings ahead. Unfortunately I went into the Cue shop, and oh dear, how nice are their dresses this season? If you haven't been to Cue, go look at their dress range....well it may not appeal to everyone but the dresses for me were GREAT! So yes I went in and came out a little poorer! Last night we then had a BIG dinner. I had already organised for Nishan and Sam and Selina to come over before I knew Ellie & Jordan were coming; then Kay (Jordan's Mum) came as well as all of our household, some 13 people. Did yummies for dinner, and of course Ellie's all time fave dessert, roly-poly! Tomorrow night we're having another little party, an Idol party as we're all into it....Yay....vote for Mutto. So yup a beautiful surprise........thanks Ellie and Jordan. 

In Queen Street Mall 

I got to Brisbane very early so took a few snaps!!!! 

I'm always fascinated by this church building and how it contrasts with the very large building behind it. King George Square from which this is taken in the centre of Brisbane is currently undergoing a major facelift, so lots of construction is happening there. 

Of course a trip to Sydney is not done till you've captured the photo of the Harbour Bridge.... 

and the opera house...... 

Got in a visit to Lunar Park 

Kevin also spent some time with Cheyne and Mel and Cheyne took Kevin to his place of work..... 

Cheyne and Mel at the new rental home.... 

Cheyne and Mel's new car....yes of course a commodore! 

Is it therapeutic or not? I mean blogging and blubbering? Emotional release may be good for raising endorphin levels, but it still leaves one wondering.............should one expose one's heart and life to the world? And I see that I have done it a mere 530 times!!!!

The day is drawing near............as the sound of packing tape is heard and boxes are moved, we are entering the final countdown. The days are being marked off in eager anticipation on the countdown chart on the kitchen bench. After nigh 30 years, our parenting days are o'er, at least in the sense of the daily interactions with one of our children. I have been a parent for more years than not, by a long stretch, and while this day was inevitable, I don't approach it with glee. Yes I am happy that Anisia is exercising her independence, moving into her own accommodation and using the things she has neatly packed away over the past years, probably to be surprised when she opens some of them. Anisia has been a true angel in our lives, sometimes a chip off the old block, but more oftentimes her own unique self, loving and caring for others.She has developed a beautiful faith in her Lord and Saviour which any parent yearns for in each of their children.My pride in her is immeasurable.....I know that God has a special plan for her life, that growing apart from us is part of that just as it has been for our other children. I am blessed that she is close enough for more constant contact than the others probably ever will be, but if God chooses to take her away even further from us, then I know that I am meant to stand on my own two feet even more.Like the footprints in the sand I know that as Jesus carries me at times, He too will carry Anisia as she walks and sometimes stumbles through life.May God bless you Anisia as you do walk with HIM......like our pride, our love for you is immeasurable, and how we are going to miss you. 

More technical frustration.....just wrote a heap of thoughtful twaddle and it says "Sorry, I forgot the filename of that image"!!!! What does that mean......So now I will copy before I publish....it's never the same when it's reproduced because the emotion has changed to frustration! YES the joy is that I found a dress for Cheyne's wedding.....now taht may seem insignificant to most, but when mother of the bride or groom or whatever, there is this underlying expectaion that you will be wearing something special. Me not being the traditional parent (or am I), I like not to think so, but maybe I have been moulded into that role unbeknowns to my own perceptions......anyway it's a dress unlike no other that I saw in the 150 other shops that I traipsed through over the past 3 days.Thanks goes to Jenny Lotz for directing me toward the little shop in Chirn Park which comes at something of an expense, but very nice nonetheless. Ok the other thing was that I was trying to direct you toward the following link: http://ttor.blogspot.com/ which is a blog of Rikki's called "Take the off ramp" which I have just discovered....if you want to take off and read some interesting critical comment from a Christian perspective it's well worth a read.....publishable I believe, but then in our very secular newspapers there probably wouldn't be room for it! So let's see if this publishes itself!  

Thanks Rikki for your help........such high tech stuff this having wireless networks amongst all of the computers that live in this house!!!! We had some frustrated students to boot with no Internet! The trick is that if you are having probs with your computer and need technical support you phone Dick Smith on 1300 660054 and they are marvellous. I bought our new modem router from them and they are a free service, and step you through everything. Kevin is currently in Sydney with an entourage of "cheerleading" girls from Trinity, for the national cheerleading comp....which they have either won or come second at in previous years. Kevin is there till Thursday....has managed to catch up with Cheyne and Mel, who have shown him their new rented house, and new car I also believe....yet to find out details but I'd say it would have to be another Holden. I have this 2 weeks off yay.......have had NO luck finding anything to wear for Cheyne's wedding......Neish has some news to share when she gets back online, so you'll have to get it first hand from her. Lovely to catch up with Lisa Stapleton at church on Sunday, with boyfriend Andrew. Lisa will now stay indefinitely here in Australia, after the family's amazing 7-week world trip. Blog pics of their travels are amazing.......glad also to hear that Lisa reads my rantings........also Nicole in England hello. I think these people all love to read about "HOME" even if it seems mundane to us. Three weeks now till Cheyne's wedding, or I should say a fortnight this Saturday. We're all looking forward to being in Sydney with almost ALL of our family members. Unlike Ellie's wedding where there were minimal rellies, there will be a barrage at Cheyne's. We're staying 3 nights; fly down Friday evening and home Monday evening, so will have 2 days after the wedding to look around Sydney and catch up with everyone. Very exciting! OK enough for now....gotta go and defrag my notebook.....don't you love all the computer jargon. Sounds like I know what I'm doing. Hello Tim Doecke at Ellie's in Adelaide....hope you're enjoying their hospitality and cooking.....Ellie's becoming quite the little expert. 

After a great deal of frustration %$$#&%*&()**()^%$#@@!!@#$%^ we are back online!!!!!!! 

The new futon....so if you come and stay you can have a pretty comfy bed to sleep on. We're still to paint and decorate this downstairs area. 

The new KING size bed.....it is VERY VERY large. After a double bed it feels like you could fit 6 people in it! We're really pleased also at how well it matches the bedside cupboards! 

aaaaah, the beauty of nature, and in our own garden! By no means am I a gardener....these just happen to come up every year and flower, not by love and nurturing, much more a product of nature! 

Ellie....can you remember where these flowers are? 

Latest update from Anisia is that she and friend Jo Mohr have put an offer in on a unit in Kangaroo Point......it overlooks the Brisbane River and the Storey Bridge, which Anisia could walk over into the Valley to work! She is currently packing up boxes ready for the imminent move. All very exciting for her and sad but glad for us. We have been blessed to have Anisia with us for many extra years than most parents have the privilege of doing. We are looking forward to a housewarming, helping to unpack lots of stuff Anisia has accumulated over the years, and some regular Brisbane visits/sleepovers.....Jo has a futon which might accommodate us for the odd night or two. News for others is that our good friends Becky and Tony Qualischefski will be returning to the Gold Coast after a wonderful year's experience in Central Australia working on a remote Aboriginal mission (Kintore). The year has certainly flown and I know it'll be an experience they'll always treasure.....we've missed their company, and look forward to sharing a wine or two again with them. Beyond that....I have a week before holidays begin....it's wonderful being part of the school system and the holidays that go with that. My time these holidays will be targetted toward my research which has been on the backburner for all of this year. I need to find some closure with it, and make a major decision about the direction it's taking.....the question is do I need a doctorate? A resounding NO echoes in my head.......I can do all I want to do in the future with a Clinical Masters...it's the perfectionistic traits in my personality that say I have to finish things.....I know that God isn't finished with me yet, but I do get the feeling that I don't need to pursue an academic lifestyle.So in spite of my academic friends trying to persuade me to continue with the PhD.....I must continue to pray about what it is that God wants me to do! I pray that I can make a firm decision in a week's time. 

Kevin preparing the spot for the new rainwater tank. It has been ordered but will be a few weeks. We are getting a 4500 litre Polytank, mainly for watering the garden and filling the pool. The government has just mandated that all swimming pools must have a pool cover (to reduce evaporation) installed by June 2007. I think there was a proviso that if you use rainwater to fill your pool you don't have to have one. The Government and Council, like for the tank, offer very generous rebates also for pool covers.......I just don't find them aesthetically pleasing! AND we don't use the pool often enough now, let alone if you have to take a stupid cover off!!!!! 

The expression says it all............... 

Time for some more rambling........it seems people do read this, so I shall be encouraged to continue. Our big purchase after some chasing around yesterday was for a rainwater tank; today we bought new shower heads, water saving ones which both the State Government and Local council offer substantial rebates for, so now our household members will be using a maximum of 9 litres of water per minute in the shower compared to 15 litres previously. Anisia definitely thinks it's time to move out, but she is yet to use the new device.This may make her decide very quickly how much longer she resides here!!!!! Although Kevin keeps telling her he will miss her hugs........The election yesterday didn't offer much in the way of choice. In our electorate we had Labour, Nationals or the Greens.....where was Family First? Maybe the family should start another leg or is it an arm up here in Queensland.Peter Beattie looks set for yet another term in office. The Opposition floundered once again with the Liberals and Nationals not quite being able to get it together and decide who was actually going to lead if a coalition made it over the line. Our friends the Lotz's came over after church today for a morning tea of jam and scones. We tried very hard to solve the problems of the world, after we gave up in frustration over the problems within our church...... I approached the LCA after no response from our own Queensland President, and likewise, got no response from the mother state! So I give up on that front....think I might just lose myself in Australian Idol instead. Vote for Mutto (Guy Mutton) who is a lead singer in a fine Christian Band called SoulFrame, and is from here on the Coast. He's in the final 12, and we "religiously" sit glued now every Sunday and Monday nights.....so DON'T phone then because we won't answer. I don't have anything deep and meaningful to share..............so I'll just chug away and read some nonsensical literature sitting here piled up on my desk. Avoidance is great! I tell others to stop avoiding but of course it's fine for me to spend my time idly blogging, emailing, and generally surfing the net. Even Rikki can get up pre 7am this morning and write a screed on a soccer game.....so he got the rambling gene........time to sign off and out.....

Just checking on Ellie's behalf whether Hello is working.......she was having trouble uploading pics. It's the end of another week and a weekend to look forward to. We'll continue to source out rainwater tanks......did I mention that the State Govt will give us $1000 toward a tank, and the Gold Coast City Council $200 if we put it in before the end of September. For a state that saw tanks as a health hazard, they sure have done a turn around. Not many weeks now until our Sydney trip for Cheyne's wedding....time to catch up with lots of family. Only two weeks of school left of this term, and then two weeks of holidays. Oh how I love being part of the school system and their well-earned holiday breaks. I have the two weeks all booked up already, then another term to go, and here we come China! Enough warble for now. Waiting to hear Ellie whether you got the job at Minda Home???????? 

Kevin atop of Mt Coolum 

The view north from the top of Mt Coolum. 

A glimpse of the Sunshine Coast with the airport in the foreground. 

Some of the group at the top of Mt Coolum....a magnificent view.