Where have we been??

We have been away for a while...R's dad had a stroke so we have been back to Tasmania for the last 3 weeks. R's sister rang at 2am on Sunday 7 Jan and after a short period of prevarication we managed to book flights and be on a plane out of Heathrow by midday. This now holds the record for our shortest preparation for an international flight! The trickiest bit turned to be getting to Heathrow - we drove down and left the car in the long term car park (Purple Parking - they were really good and we paid for them to wash the car while we were away). It was touch and go for a while though as there was very little petrol in the car and the nearest open service station was down near Stansted. Huge check in and security queues of course!

The only 4 seats we could get together were right down the back by the toilets, which we were a bit worried about, but it turned out to be really good as there are only the 4 centre seats with a little bit of standing room either side so the kids could get up and stretch their legs. Went via Hong Kong and M was upgraded to Business Class for the leg from Hong Kong to Melbourne. Looking at her wreck of a husband she ceded to him and the kids and she felt very very virtuous while Daddy slept off some of his anxiety in luxury. Now he sees the point - pity we cant afford it and academics have to travel economy as a matter of policy - almost enough to make you get a real job.


So kids had a sort of good time in Tasmania, they got to see their grandparents. Made many trips to the hospital and gladly informed all who asked that Grandad was getting better thankyou. Went to the beach in between times. J's Grandpa made him a sword (yes thats right, see the picture for full impact, made of huge piece of steel). Saving grace is its so heavy that it tires him out quickly. Its oiled and wrapped and stored at Grandpas!! Didnt really fancy bringing it back through security (cant imagine why). Little M had a birthday party with her cousins which was lovely. Big M went to Canberra for a few days at the end, which was hot. We all got suntanned a bit (look very European now) but not sunburnt as we managed last year thankfully. So now we are back, exhausted and poor, on with life. R is intending to go back to Tas to see his Dad in May if circumstances permit.

Happy New Year!

We made it through another whole year! And we even went out for New Year's eve this year. The local pub closed for a private party which had a kids room and bands and we all went along for some drinks and chat with local friends. It was nice to go out for NY as we havent done so for a while. Little M crashed at about 10, but J made it through to 1 am watching 007 with his dad!
Not much going on here as winter shut down sets in. We went to the pantomime on Sat which was a blast, very silly. The main cast have stayed the same over the past 3 years and they do a good line in slapstick comedy - buckets of water etc etc, the political satire is a little lame but my dad would love the puns = ie they are truly awful. Theatre season is great here - the Mikado is on soon from the local G&S society so we will probably try and see that one. Other than that highlights have been J being able to walk to Granchester again without completely collapsing from foot pain, another expensive visit to the dentist by big M. Apparently my teeth (which are just like everyone elses teeth) need extra care as perhaps the reason my siblings have few fillings and I have lots is due not to childhood eating and brushing habits (which were the same) but due to differences in mouth flora. Basically I got really sick of being told by dentists that its all my fault and clearly I didnt brush my teeth - when I am a stickler and R is hopeless and NEVER has a filling. So being the annoying academic that I am we managed to agree that averages are part of a distribution and that not everyone would end up with the same outcome from exactly the same care regime cos there are actually differences in people's saliva etc (so R now loves to tell people to watch out for my acid spit). Now I am much happier because we have worked out a few things that are good for me to do so that there will be no more decay work, only restoration work of the already mountainous set of fillings. (For those of you with unhealthy interest in dental care this means brushing with water as soon as I get up, brushing as soon as possible after meals, a special 'clinging' mouthwash for overnight). Oh another piece of invaluable advice for all chocoholics..... if you MUST eat 10 squares of chocolate eat them all at once, not one piece an hour as then the bacteria only get one go! Best excuse I have heard! And in case you are wondering the bill is $A210 for the check up and then $A1250 for the 3 fillings - feeling better about your healthcare costs now??