Visitors from Toowoomba

We’ve just had a lovely visit from Mum and Dad.  They stayed for 2 weeks, and did a fair bit of tripping around (and a little bit of getting lost).  I suggested they stay at New Norcia in the monk’s guest house, which they did – and loved.  I think they would have stayed 2 nights had they known how interesting the place was going to be.  We all went up to Kalbarri (Mum and Dad took a few more days than us).  The widlflowers were spectacular up there.  We had a lovely meal again at the Grass Tree Cafe where the chef is very on the ball in terms of Harrison’s diet.  Dad indulged in the famous Kalbarri Rock Lobster.  They also visited the zoo with us, and we had the obligatory buffet at the Pines at Observation City.  On their last afternoon we all went to the Perth Royal Show where Dad naturally met up with various saddlers and leather work enthusiasts and got orders for whips.

Harrison just adored them both of course, and loved playing “roughing up” with Dad.  He went into their room in the morning and gently touched Mum’s cheek or Dad’s hand to see if they were awake.  We made a very interesting balloon dog using multiple balloons tied together with string (I have no skill in balloon sculpture!). Harrison drew the dog’s face, including a patch around one eye.  He was very pleased with it until one of the legs burst.

In a couple of weeks we get our next Toowoomba visitor – Simon’s mum.  Simon and Harrison are heading down to Esperance for a long weekend with Marg during that visit.

Ryan Sercombe

Mel and Tim’s baby arrived yesterday (Ryan James 8 pound 2 oz, 50cm long), and Harrison and I went to see him when he was just 5 hours old. Needless to say he’s very, very cute. Looks like he’s going to have Mel’s lovely thick dark hair. Harrison was absolutely besotted with him, and very gentle. He spent the evening at home putting Pooh bear under his shirt, lying down on the couch and ‘delivering’ him through a cut in his tummy, then breast feeding him.

More cuteness

Simon has just discovered this blog (a sign that he’s well and truly emerged from the fog of overwork), and suggested I record –

The kneecap search

Last night Simon and Harrison were having a “super-shower” which means they were both in our big bath/shower together.  Harrison leaned back in the bath with one leg raised, and started lifting his foot up and down, looking at the way his knee moved, and talking to himself – “look, kneecap, now you see it, now you don’t, now you see it, now you don’t, now you see it, now you don’t....”.

Concern for Grandma

This morning it was drizzling, and Harrison said to Simon – It’s starting to rain a bit.  We haven’t had rain for a while.  I hope grandma’s safe inside.  He also asked the other day if he could live next door to grandma when he grows up so that he can visit her every day.  AND he told us he loves her because she’s so old (she’s only 72!), and old people have floppy skin, which he loves.

Space man

Some time ago, Harrison added space man to the long list of professions he’s going to have when he grows up.  When asked why, he said it was because space men don’t have to get married.  When asked why that was, he said that’s because there are no girls in space.

It must be noted that he did relent and decide that I was allowed to share his rocket and go into space with him.  Mums don’t count as girls, obviously.

Taste test

The other week Harrison came home from day care, and as usual loitered around the front steps looking for slugs.  Suddenly there was an ear splitting wail and he comes running up saying he’s hurt his tongue because he licked a slug!  Apparently he just wanted to see what they tasted like.

This morning, he was stomping down the front stairs and looked back at Simon, announcing “For several months now, I haven’t been licking any slugs.”

Just gorgeous.

When I lived in England...

Harrison has had a long standing “other life” – probably for about 2 years.  He tells stories about when he lived in England with his new Mum and Dad.  There are odd details like the fact that there was coal between the bricks of his house, it was very cold, there was no dishwasher, and they didn’t have batteries for toys.  His new Mum and Dad were named Jeff and Murray (though they aren’t the real Wiggles – they just share their names).  This other life took on a new purpose on Thursday night. 

We had all been at the shops, and Harrison persuaded Simon to try his luck at a Skill Tester that had Batman soft toys in it.  Simon explained that it was unlikely he’d be able to pick up a toy, and that Harrison had to be prepared for disappointment.  He was not to make a fuss if he didn’t end up with a toy.  Sure enough, Simon couldn’t get the toy, and Harrison tried very hard to hide his disappointment.  A few minutes later we were in the car on the way home, and Harrison starts his story. 

“You know, when I lived in England, there was a toy machine, and my Dad Murray tried to get one for me.  My Dad Murray was so good at getting toys from the toy machine.  He got me one, and I really, really loved it.  So my Dad Murray got me another one, and another one, until I had too many toys!  Do you know why my Dad Murray was so good at getting toys?  He was really tall, and so old.  He was one hundred and one and two!”

Alistair...

I forgot to post on the most exciting news of late... Denis and Tracey had a baby boy – Alistair Bruce!  He was born on Sunday 27^th July at 12:45 am after Tracey spent 3 or 4 days in hospital with various attempts to induce labour.  He weighed a whopping 4.36kg (9 lb 10).  He’s sleeping well and feeding well, and Tracey made an early escape from hospital. 

 

Phone manner

Harrison is probably a late starter on this, but we’ve put our mobiles on speed dial from the home phone and taught Harrison how to call us (for emergency purposes).  (As an aside, he can recite our street address and tell a police officer each of our full names and where we work, but when it comes to telling someone our phone number, he just knows our speed dial numbers).

He’s just decided he can answer the phone himself, and it’s kind of weird ringing home and having him answer the phone.  This evening I’m working late, and he’s called me three times asking where various toys are, and letting me know whether or not he’s found them. 

 

Trauma at PMH

I had to take Harrison for a blood test on Friday, after our visit back to the paediatric gastroenterologist.  Knowing how much he hates needles, I didn’t tell him until we arrived at the hospital collection centre what we were there for.  He was absolutely terrified.  It took me and three nurses to hold him down and take his blood.  Unfortunately they needed 3 vials, so it wasn’t exactly quick.  I think only Princess Margaret Hospital staff would be capable of getting blood out of a screaming (and strong) four year old.  After it was all over, I tried to persuade him that it was all over much quicker than he’d expected, and didn’t hurt nearly as much as he feared – he thought about it for a second, and then announced that it *was* just as bad as he expected...

 

My first video

I have experimented with short video for the E-Learning course I did this year... and here’s my very amateur first attempt...

http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=4A82ABF061C411DDBC04000423CF385C

Detention policy

Good news for Australia today – there have been “sweeping changes” announced to Australia’s mandatory detention policy (ABC News Online).  The Age reported on this today, and in an interview with Dr Graham Thom from  Amnesty International, Lateline foreshadowed these changes last night.  The upshot is that detention of asylum seekers will be a last resort and it’s likely that large numbers of people who’ve been indefinitely detained are likely to be released into the community.  This is such a more humane and sensible attitude to take.  You can also read the transcript from Radio National’s The World Today...

 

On ya Kev!

 

 

Kalbarri

We’re back from our holiday in Kalbarri – the first time we’ve ever stayed in one place for 7 nights on holiday!  We camped for a few nights, including at Coalseam and at  Eurardy Bush Heritage Reserve, where we met Paul and Leanne, and their 2 girls, Beth and Maysey.  Beth is 2 years old, and Harrison just adored her.  Leanne took us on her morning native animal monitoring run, and we checked their traps for dunnarts, frogs and native mice (I maintained a respectful distance...).  Leanne weighed and measured the animals before releasing them.  At Kalbarri we had a unit right across from the area where volunteers feed pelicans each morning (Harrison got to throw a fish to them).  We went bushwalking, canoeing and even hired a little surf-cat and went sailing.  Many of the tourist things in Kalbarri are a bit amateur and over priced, but the location itself is fabulous.  Plus there’s a cafe run by a woman with celiac disease, so we could buy food for Harrison with confidence.  On our last night we had a sensational meal at the Grass Tree restaurant, and the chef was really helpful with Harrison’s meal – he had a large (and healthy) kids menu with several things on it that were gluten free, and was happy to make whatever Harrison wanted to eat.

 

The band

Harrison spent the whole trip home yesterday afternoon planning his first band.  He picked 3 friends who would be in it with him (Andy, Aaron and Felix), who would play which instrument (he couldn’t decide between the piano or guitar for himself), who would sing etc.  Apparently Andy is very funny, so he’s the lead singer.  He’s decided that he will be the one who thinks of all the songs, and the major planning snag in his mind is how to fit a piano through the door when they play a concert.  When he becomes a rock legend in about 20 years time, this will be a good anecdote for the Rolling Stone feature on him.

Scamp's Adventure

I bought Harrison Lady and the Tramp 2 when I was in Melbourne. He loves Lady and the Tramp, and knew from the shorts on that DVD that there was a second movie. We've had to put it away, because he ends up in tears every time he watches it. He is heartbroken by the baby in the moving missing Scamp when he's run away, terrified of the dog catcher, and traumatised by the idea of a dog pound.

Melbourne

I had THE most relaxing weekend in Melbourne.  I was in Geelong for a leadership course last week, and Simon arranged for VJ to come down on Friday and shouted us 3 nights at an apartment in the city.  We did the usual Melbourne things – took trams, went shopping, ate out lots.  I went to the Medieval Manuscripts exhibition at the State Library also.  But the best thing of all was the fact that for 3 nights in a row I got 10 hours sleep.  This was the first time in 4 years that I have had sleep like that.  I know you can’t bank it, but it was VERY nice at the time.  So thank you Simon!!!!

Mystery solved

We got a call from day care on Wednesday afternoon asking us to pick Harrison up because he was sick.  Well, he looked terrible, and was sick again in the car on the way home. But after a bath he was suddenly full of beans, and hungry – as though nothing had happened.  This didn’t seem like an ordinary tummy bug, but we couldn’t think of any time he might have eaten any gluten.  Next morning he was full of energy, but we had to keep him home from day care in case this was a contagious tummy bug.  When we called them to let them know he was fine, they mentioned that he’d only had vegetable soup and couscous for lunch the day before, so they were sure it wasn’t the food.  Doh!!! Couscous!  The mystery was solved, and the cook was mortified by her “brain freeze”.  Everyone was very apologetic.  Of course, now they’re all nervous again about what to feed him...  We’re going to organise a dietician to come and talk to a staff meeting.

 

Happy birthday

Harrison turned 4 today!  Four seems such a grown up age for our little boy – I feel a bit sad about this milestone.  We gave him his first “real” bike with training wheels.  His feet only just reach the pedals.  I made the 4 cake from the Women’s Weekly Kids Party book for him to take to day care.  It looks very impressive for not much effort, as it uses plastic toy road signs, foil covered chocolate cars, and ready-made royal icing for the “roads”.  I converted my favourite chocolate cake recipe (which uses soured milk and a warm cocoa paste) to a gluten free one, and that seemed to work fine. 

ANZAC day

We took Harrison into the city this morning to see the ANZAC day parade. He particularly enjoyed seeing all the marching bands.
This afternoon I killed a couple of hours with Harrison at Uni, and we discovered a "Nearer Nature" marquis on the foreshore at Matilda Bay. They had various animals - frogs, snakes, lizards and snails there for kids to hold and learn about. Harrison absolutely loved it. Didn't want the snake curled around his neck, and got a bit girly about having a frog jump on him, but he loved touching all the animals, so long as someone else was holding them. Snail are his all time favourite animal, so having a basket of snails to explore was heaven for him. Nearer Nature is a Dept of Conservation program. They do various fee based things like overnight camping trips, but this one was free.

Seedy side of life

Simon and I wasted a date night last night on Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.  It was a very disturbing portrayal of a family of people with virtually no redeemable features who spiral into self destruction, and it left us both feeling less than good about the world. 

Piano!

We made a major investment on the weekend.  Simon bought an electric piano (in a single visit to one shop – most unlike him!).  The boys are already making good use of it.  Harrison is able to turn it on and bash away whenever he likes, and he and Simon have a duet of “Froggy went a courtin’” going (Harrison’s role is to hit a single note in time with the music).  The box (literally the size of a coffin) is also being out to good use as a boat, a train, or a hiding place.

 

A couple of weekends ago we took Harrison to a WASO concert for under 5s, and Harrison had his first go on a violin.  He also tried out Simon’s violin at home.

 

Along with Simon’s recent discovery of ITunes, which has reignited his passion for making compilations, the piano is changing the tone of our household.

Shannon to the rescue

Shannon Lush’s Speed Cleaning bible came into its own on Sunday after I discovered Harrison had used a fabric marker to draw with, and not always on his paper!  The laminated top of his kids table appeared to be ruined forever.  Sugar soap had absolutely no effect, and seeing as fabric marker stays on clothes even when washed in Napisan I wasn’t confident.  But Shannon advised that perfume on a cotton ball removes permanent marker from a whiteboard, so I tried it on the table.  Felt a bit silly using Red Door to clean Harrison’s table, but it worked perfectly (and smells nice!).  Not a trace left.