Sad news

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I just heard such sad news, that I can't think of anything else. A work colleague passed away suddenly after having been told that her condition was benign for 18 months. She leaves behind a husband and two young children aged 3 and 5.

It's a strange thing, being a flight attendant you may know someone for decades, and share the most intimate details of your lives with each other whilst away on duty. But often the friendships don't carry on whilst at home. So the loss of this lovely woman is at once very close to home, yet also a little removed.

When I think of her husband and children I cry for them. My first thought was of all the milestones they will celebrate without her and how much they will miss her. Christmas and Birthdays are the obvious ones, but also school recitals, grazed knees, first kisses etc.

I wish her family all the love and strength and support.

Rest in Peace Anna

An uninspiring day

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I haven't been able to post anything for a couple of days now. When I tried to access my blog only the name and colours appeared, but nothing else. I tried to access The Miracle Mile and the same thing there. Anyway, whatever happened all seems to have been resolved as today I didn't have any problems.

I must say that I'm not particularly inspired. The weather doesn't help and being locked inside the house with a teething baby doesn't either.

A random thought perhaps but I've been wondering if I'm the only one who finds it strange that there seems to be a market for insect sprays that spray your home at set intervals with a fine mist of chemicals. And then people wonder why their kids get allergies. I don't get it, but perhaps I'm missing a point?

Ipod widow

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We've had a visitor since Wednesday night, a Kiwi friend who hadn't been to Bundeena before, so we've been showing him around. The weather has been spectacular so the area has been putting on a real show!

I love sharing the beauty in which we live with others who appreciate it, and it always makes me aware again how lucky we truly are.

We took Miss M to the beach in the late afternoon a couple of days in a row and she loves it! Sand everywhere of course, in her eyes, nose, ears and mouth, but she doesn't seem bothered. The water temperature is still a bit nippy for her, but she likes to play on the water line and splash her feet in the water with all her might.

In the evenings I've been an ipod widow. Since Mr Kiwi got an ipod for his birthday his every waking moment that isn't spend on the boat or at work, he spends with his ipod at the computer copying his substantial amount of cd's. Considering he's a musician it's a little sad that it took us this long to get with the program, but I guess it's all a question of money and priorities.

Anyhow, we're part of the new millennium now and I look forward to having my husband back and many more 'Music Appreciation Nights'.

What language does your dog bark in?

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I read a funny article in a dutch magazine that looked at why a dog in dutch says 'waf'-waf' while in for example english it's bow-wow. Personally I think that neither sounds particularly dog-like. Apparently in Spain they say 'guau-guau', in France it's 'ouah-ouah' and in Japan 'wan-wan'.

Of course it's got to do with the different sounds the various languages give to different letters and also how different peoples hear the different sounds. But isn't that interesting really, that a dog barks the same the whole world over, but humans hear it differently.

My brave little girl

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As Miss M has turned 1 recently, it was time for her 12 month shots. I always dread it. She was is the best mood, in spite of not having her proper morning sleep. She played happily with the slinky the nurse gave her, and was on her most charming behaviour smiling to everyone who even glanced at her. I felt like a bit of a traitor knowing what was about to happen. But it's for the best.

I must say that she was great. A bit of a cry, but nothing too lingering. So great relief on mummy's part. She's sound asleep now. It's great how quickly they forget at this age! Time for mummy to have a rest and a glass of red!

It's time to listen.

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Everybody is so busy with their lives. No one seems to make sacrifices for another anymore. I was always taught that sometimes you have to do things that you don't particularly want to do or like, for someone else. Because it makes them happy, or because then the outcome for a group would be better.


I think it's a large part of the problems we see in the world today. The fact that there's no sense of family or community anymore. That everyone is in it for their own gain. So much emphasis is placed on what we possess. Our lives are filled with noise and things. Everything seems rushed.

There's no time to reflect, to get to know another. Most people don't even take the time to get to know themselves. And what we don't know we fear. What we fear, we want to destroy, even if it is ourselves. So this fear creates violence, addiction, destruction etc.

Isn't it about time we start to listen? Listen to our inner voices, listen to others? And to stop living in fear?

Late Night Rage

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It's after 11 pm and I should be in bed. As a matter of fact I was in bed but couldn't sleep and just had to get up to blow off some steam. The thing is, I'm very upset.

Today was The Big Day, our little Miss M's First Birthday Party. We had a lovely day. The sun was out all day, the cake was beautiful AND delicious, Miss M was on her best behaviour, loving the balloons and coloured decorations her daddy put up for her. My friend V brought the most delicious gourmet mini-pies, and my Sister made very yummy fruit-kebabs. Miss M was thoroughly spoiled with lots of presents.

Then why be upset, you ask? I'm upset because several of my dearest friends were no-shows. I know they all had valid reasons why they couldn't be here today, and I totally understand they all have their own lives to live. But to receive a call, or worse a text, at the END of the day is in my books just not good enough.

Of the 9 people that didn't show, 1 send me a text the night before, 5 let me know one way or another during the morning/day, 2 rang after the party finished and 1 send a text at 8.30 pm.

So, I'm spewing right now. I know, I should let it go and be thankful that we had a nice day with those that did take the trouble. But you only get one go at a first birthday and it would've been nice to share it with those that I considered my fr-amily.

First Birthday Party

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I really don't know where my days go. I usually get up before 7 am and race around all day but there just never seem to be enough time. I have no idea how I'm going to fit work back in my days come Febuary.

Anyroad, tomorrow is The Big Day; Miss M is turning ONE! Luckily her daddy could take the day off, so I look forward to some special family time. On Saturday we're having a party, which has turned out a little bigger than we originally had planned. To be honest, I've been a bit stressed about it. I guess it's the first First Birthday party I throw and I just hope everyone has a good time.

I'll let you all know how it all went and promise more blogging next week when the peace returns to the DutchieKiwiAussie household!

Fingers crossed for a sunny day!

Sadness

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A friend called today and told me that his father passed away. He was almost 90 and sick for a while but death always seems to come unexpected. My friend sounded understandably deflated and sad on the phone and I just wanted to give him a big hug. I tried to think of something comforting to say, but there's really nothing that can take away a sadness like that.

I read the following quote somewhere and thought it might be quite appropriate as my friend's father was very religious and strongly believed in the afterlife;

When you are born, you cry and the world rejoices
When you die, you rejoice and the world cries

I wish my friend and his family love and courage during this difficult time.

Maiden Voyage

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Well, as I've mentioned before, today was the Big Day; the launch of our 'Petit Bateau' (little boat). Mr Kiwi had been getting progressively nervous all week but at last the moment was here!

Serge and Mr Kiwi set off down the sand ramp, boat in tow, the girls followed in the other car. After quite some skilled manouvering on Serge's part (why they build a dog-leg into the lead up to the ramp is anyones guess) we finally got our little lady in the water!

Such excitement!... Such joy! ...Such disappointment when we found that she is still leaking! Not much, but enough to be worried somewhat.

We monitored the amount of water that was coming into the boat over the next couple of hours while we happily motored around Bonnie Vale, Hordern, Gunya and Jibbon Beaches. The sun even came out and it gave us a real taste of what it would be like to have a boat and the freedom to roam Port Hacking! It was wonderful.

We discussed our leaky centerboard casing and some other minor improvements we should make. And knew that we had no option but to get the boat back in the carport and fix what needs fixing before putting her on the mooring.

All in all of course a disappointment, but at the same time we felt it was an achievement to have her in the water and we definitely learned a lot again.

So it is back to the drawing board and fiberglass and epoxy resin. And quickly too! Because now that we've had a taste of the life, we don't want to wait too long before we can go out again!!

A Woman's Work is Never Done!

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To be fair, I probably should have titled this blog; A Home-Owner's Work is Never Done! After all Mr Kiwi is pulling his weight as well. He actually suggested writing about the staggering amount of jobs-around-the-house we always seem to be lagging behind with.

On todays agenda was getting the boat ready for launch tomorrow, fertilising and then watering the lawn (should have done that BEFORE it started to rain), two loads of laundry, changing the sheets of Miss M cot, vacuuming, making the guest-bed for my sister and her fiance (he finally popped the question to her last week YAY!), sweeping the driveway, wrapping some presents, baking a quiche, baking banana-bread and fixing a loose door-handle.

That still leaves a massively over-grown backyard that needs mowing, weeding, pruning, mulching and fertilising, a badly peeling ceiling that needs scraping and painting, a balcony deck that needs at least some tlc, if not replacing, windows that need washing badly, a vegie-patch that needs building, gutters that need a clean-out in anticipation of the fire season.

And I won't even mention all those small and big things we need or would love to get that require loads of cash we don't have.

Oh well, Rome wasn't build in a day either! So I take some time out for some blogging, interrupt my day frequently for cuddles and laughs with my daughter and husband, and stop and smell the bush after the recent rain (we haven't got any roses to smell). Heaven!

Kiwi Inspiration

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My Kiwi-man was told about this cartoon by his boss at work and hesitantly told me it was quite funny (he gets a little sensitive about kiwi-accent jokes). So I checked it out and thought it worthy of a link.

Which got me thinking about Kiwis and associated inspiring Things.

Number One had to be my man, of course! He's hard-working, honest, enthusiastic, loving and funny. He's salt-of-the-earth and completely unpretentious.

He's the one that got me onto my Number Two favourite thing of NZ; Salmonella Dub. This being the band, not the bacteria causing severe stomach cramps and diarrhea. They play a reggae/ska/drum'n'base blend (apologies to music-lovers as I am notoriously bad describing music). We saw them live in Sydney a couple of years ago and were blown away!

My Third favourite New Zealand thing would have to be Akoroa, the picturesque little french whaling town on the South Island were we got engaged. It is just so pretty and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone!

And after today's heat I absolutely crave for the cooler New Zealand temperatures!

Out of control!

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I was feeding Miss M in a parents' room a couple of days ago, quite enjoying the escape from the hustle and bustle of the shopping mall when a blood curdling scream, followed by some choice expletives made my heart skip a beat. A mother in the children's toilet was going off her nut at one of her children.

When they came out the little girl was dragged by her arm and had such a look of terror on her face. Mr Kiwi (who was with us at the time) and I looked at eachother in horror and hesitated. We wanted to tell the woman to chill out but at the same time felt like we couldn't. It seems such a social taboo, to interfere. I guess I wouldn't like it either if some stranger told me how to discipline my child. But this woman was out of control!

I wonder if she even realised how she sounded, and how scared her little girl was of her. It is my guess that if she loses it like that in public, she wouldn't control her feelings much better when in the privacy of her own home.

I am by no means a perfect mother, and totally understand that on some days children can make your blood boil. But us being the adults, and therefor presumably the wiser ones, we should be in control of our feelings. I think much more is achieved if you can discipline your child in a calm and resolute manner. I don't believe screaming like an out of control Banshee teaches a child to respect you and your authority.

Finger and Telephone Manners

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I guess it's a bit of an odd title for my blog today, but that's the first thing that came to mind. The finger is obvious; it's still throbbing away a little, though it is healing and I get reminded with everything I do as I've got this massive bandage restricting me.

The telephone manners bit is perhaps less obvious but it definitely is something that gets on my nerves.

For example; the phone rings yesterday and I answer. I hear; "who's this?". Well, you called me, so who's this? I say. That seemed to confuse the caller somewhat. Isn't it plain good manners to introduce yourself?

I know I'm probably nit-picking but whilst we are on good manners; am I the only one that gets irritated when the person behind the counter doesn't interrupt their personal conversation while they serve you? And that goes both ways, I think it is equally rude to be on the mobile while you order your coffee for example. What is that important that it can't wait those 30 seconds?

I know these are all little annoyances in the greater scheme of things, but it signifies a breakdown in human contact and interaction. And if we can't even communicate properly with eachother over these small instances, then what hope do we have of solving major differences in our world?

Love, Luck and other Learned Behaviours

Saturday

I just read a great post by Crystal Clear about luck (see link). It tied in very well with what I've been thinking lately. I've pretty much always felt lucky. Lucky to have been born in a free country, lucky to have received a great education, lucky to have a fantastic family and partner. Also lucky to have been spared great tragedies.


Of course I've had my ups and downs, but all in all things always worked out. I think a big contributing factor has been my dad, who is definitely the eternal optimist. One of his favourite sayings is; There's a solution to every problem. I believe growing up with dad's positive outlook and mum's love and protection has made me into a lucky person indeed.


Monday

I started this post on Saturday but then had to run off to go First-Birthday shopping with Mr Kiwi. We had planned this a while as we don't get that much time together. Anyway, I packed a bag with Miss M's lunch, threw in afternoon tea and dinner just in case we took long, a cardigan just in case it got cold, a book and some toys to keep her entertained, checked that we had enough nappies and wipes and off to Miranda we set.

A 40 minute drive later, we finally got a park, set up the pram, put Miss M in the pram...and realised that I'd left my handbag with my wallet at home!! Mr Kiwi always relies on me for cash and never really carries a wallet, so there we where; all ready, but no money! I was so frustrated, it's really out of character. We had a bit of a look, but the moment was spoiled, so we decided to go home and just do some stuff around the house.

I got stuck into the kitchen as we had some people coming over to visit on Sunday and I wanted to make a quiche amongst other things. I had decided on one with spinach, roast capsicum and fetta to cater for everyone including vegetarians. So, still a little cranky with myself I'm chopping away, wondering what's wrong with me, when I literally chop a slice of my right index finger off! I can tell you by this stage I was totally OVER everything.

I'll spare you the gory details but I'm off to see the doctor this afternoon as it still hasn't stopped bleeding. Everything is a challenge, especially typing, so I've been putting it off.

Anyway, to get back to the lucky thing. I guess you wonder if I still think I'm lucky? Of course I do!! I could have chopped my whole finger off for starters. This is but a small speed-hump on the road of life. And it's been a lesson too. I fancied myself quite a Jamie Oliver and have since realised that when it comes to chopping I might need a bit more practise.











Crystal Clear: luck

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