Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Proud Mum
Exciting Times
This amazing young guy has been accepted into the Bachelor course he wanted at the local campus of La Trobe University. He has not attended school since Year 4 in 2003. For the last 2 years he has cruised through 3 Open University courses and this is what the Uni looked at when considering his application. Homeschooling works!!
He is so excited to be going. He has his next 2 weeks planned out and in his diary.
The most amazing thing is that he will turn 17 on the first day of Orientation Week. This is at least 1 year ahead of where he would be if he had stayed at school. We have missed all the dramas and hard work of completing a Year11/12 course at school. I cannot imagine how he (or us) would have coped with that!!
To say that I am a proud Mum is so much of an understatement.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Did I really go to Queensland?
Boy was that a whirlwind trip or what?
A lovely but very short visit with my sister and her boys in Brisbane. We went over to the Spinal Unit to visit Joel. I was expecting something but I wasn't sure what it was - certainly not the same kid I saw a bit over a month ago except for the fact that he is unable to walk. For an eighteen year old with his whole life in front of him, he is amazingly relaxed and comfortable with himself and his situation. The same outlook on life, the same lame jokes, the same kid. Amazing!
I then drove myself through Brisbane to stay with Vicki and her family. They are the same too. Boy I miss seeing them more often. I feel so much at home there. Zanthe did indeed cook me a yummy home made pasta dinner, which we surrounded with lots of talking, lots of talking.
The next morning it was off up the range to Toowoomba. I was glad, in a way, that the road through Grantham was closed. Not sure I could have managed to drive through there. It was raining so I didn't get a chance to see how my sister's place fared in the flood. I met up with my brother and we went to my Grandmother's funeral. It was a short service followed by lunch at the Funeral place. I really enjoyed catching up with all the cousins and their children. John, my brother, and I commented afterwards about how easy it was to talk with them even though we hadn't seen them for quite awhile. No-one was really sad as we all knew my grandmother had had a lovely long life and a few people mentioned how she would be able to boss her husband and son (my father) around again now.
I then got to do the Auntie thing with the little neice and nephew. Who knew listening to young children do their homework reading could be so much fun! In the morning, I got to do the school run, grab a coffee with another friend and then it was back on the road to the airport and home by 11 pm that night! Whew!
I am going to do another post about the exciting event that happened the day after, as it deserves a post of its own!
A lovely but very short visit with my sister and her boys in Brisbane. We went over to the Spinal Unit to visit Joel. I was expecting something but I wasn't sure what it was - certainly not the same kid I saw a bit over a month ago except for the fact that he is unable to walk. For an eighteen year old with his whole life in front of him, he is amazingly relaxed and comfortable with himself and his situation. The same outlook on life, the same lame jokes, the same kid. Amazing!
I then drove myself through Brisbane to stay with Vicki and her family. They are the same too. Boy I miss seeing them more often. I feel so much at home there. Zanthe did indeed cook me a yummy home made pasta dinner, which we surrounded with lots of talking, lots of talking.
The next morning it was off up the range to Toowoomba. I was glad, in a way, that the road through Grantham was closed. Not sure I could have managed to drive through there. It was raining so I didn't get a chance to see how my sister's place fared in the flood. I met up with my brother and we went to my Grandmother's funeral. It was a short service followed by lunch at the Funeral place. I really enjoyed catching up with all the cousins and their children. John, my brother, and I commented afterwards about how easy it was to talk with them even though we hadn't seen them for quite awhile. No-one was really sad as we all knew my grandmother had had a lovely long life and a few people mentioned how she would be able to boss her husband and son (my father) around again now.
I then got to do the Auntie thing with the little neice and nephew. Who knew listening to young children do their homework reading could be so much fun! In the morning, I got to do the school run, grab a coffee with another friend and then it was back on the road to the airport and home by 11 pm that night! Whew!
I am going to do another post about the exciting event that happened the day after, as it deserves a post of its own!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
February - not boring either!
Well the last post I thought would be enough for the year in the way of big events and disasters.
NOW.. we have had Yasi! Everyone I know up in North Queensland seems to be ok. I haven't heard from a couple but I guess they have no power, so can't contact me.
The 1st of February saw the passing away of my paternal grandmother. She had lived a wonderful full life and was still a fiesty old girl until the week before. She was over 95 years old and had only moved out of her own home under 2 years ago. I am off to Queensland tomorrow to farewell her.
While I am in Queensland, I will get to hug my sister and her family. Joel is still in the Spinal Unit of the PA Hospital but seems to be recovering well. Final prognosis is still unsure, but with modern medicine we are hoping for the best. He celebrated his 18th birthday yesterday and is having a pizza party in the hospital today.
Then I am heading over to Vicki's for a well deserved natter on all things crafty. Zanthe will hopefully cook me up a delicious dinner! Hint hint.
I plan to drive up to Toowoomba from Brisbane on Monday morning so that will be a shock I think, to drive through Gatton, Grantham, then to Liz's place to see how things have changed there from the big flood. Up the hill to the funeral and then over to see Mum before heading back to John's for the night. Then back to Brisbane and fly home on Tuesday. Whirlwind trip!!
Meanwhile back at the ranch! That is here. We have had 120mm of rain in the last 27 hours! I have put quite a few pictures on facebook, so I will add some here that are more of around the house.
This is the left hand side of the driveway washing off down to the road. This is not the heavy rain either!
NOW.. we have had Yasi! Everyone I know up in North Queensland seems to be ok. I haven't heard from a couple but I guess they have no power, so can't contact me.
The 1st of February saw the passing away of my paternal grandmother. She had lived a wonderful full life and was still a fiesty old girl until the week before. She was over 95 years old and had only moved out of her own home under 2 years ago. I am off to Queensland tomorrow to farewell her.
While I am in Queensland, I will get to hug my sister and her family. Joel is still in the Spinal Unit of the PA Hospital but seems to be recovering well. Final prognosis is still unsure, but with modern medicine we are hoping for the best. He celebrated his 18th birthday yesterday and is having a pizza party in the hospital today.
Then I am heading over to Vicki's for a well deserved natter on all things crafty. Zanthe will hopefully cook me up a delicious dinner! Hint hint.
I plan to drive up to Toowoomba from Brisbane on Monday morning so that will be a shock I think, to drive through Gatton, Grantham, then to Liz's place to see how things have changed there from the big flood. Up the hill to the funeral and then over to see Mum before heading back to John's for the night. Then back to Brisbane and fly home on Tuesday. Whirlwind trip!!
Meanwhile back at the ranch! That is here. We have had 120mm of rain in the last 27 hours! I have put quite a few pictures on facebook, so I will add some here that are more of around the house.
Lovely full dam. Now if it has stopped leaking then this will see us through for quite some time I hope. Don't really need any more rain thanks. Just a light sprinkle once a week would be fine - ha!! It is either blisteringly hot and dry or pouring down!
Righto off to see if there is enough food for the 3 fellas for 3 days while I am away.
Friday, January 28, 2011
I wonder??
why I still have this blog?
Anyway time for an update. 2011 has started off with a bang!!
Literally with a bang as Daniel, Andrew and I went to the fireworks here in Bendigo on New Years Eve, then came home for a swim in the pool as it was a very hot night.
So far this year we have had lots of rain which was great for the garden, bush and our dam. Although it does still have a small leak which we will hopefully fix for good tomorrow. I can't believe how much green there is around us when I am outside. Sometimes you have to think back. I did this the other day and I remembered that when we signed to buy here, it was all brown and all there was was rock and dirt, not a bit of grass and the trees all looked so sad and droopy. Now the trees all have gorgeous green shoots and there is grass to mow!!
We had a lovely simple BBQ in the backyard with some friends for Australia Day. We realised that we should do it more often - considering it was the first time since we had moved here and that was 10 months ago - more often should be easy to achieve, don't you think?? LOL
Speaking of rain - we were very lucky to have no family or friends with any damage in all the flooding in Queensland. All my family live in Toowoomba, so hearing about that on the news was very scary. Liz had a huge terrible flood through their place the next morning which has changed the landscape completely on their 50 acres. But thank goodness, all they lost was the pump and the chookhouse along with lots of trees. She lives below the range near Toowoomba, but thankfully not the side where the horrible flood was. The water through their place was added to the water from the other side to make the big one in Ipswich and Brisbane though.
A week later when all the scary stuff in Queensland seemed to be over. Liz's eldest son, Joel, fell 30 metres down a cliff face on the edge of Toowoomba. We are all very glad that he is alive. It could have easily been the other way. He was stuck (with his best mate - who had scrambled down to be with him) for nearly 4 hours until a helicopter could whinch him out. Then he was flown to Brisbane with Care Flight. Amazingly in a week, he has had 2 operations on his spine and is now able to sit for awhile. He has some feeling in his legs, so that is a good sign. He is now in the Spinal Unit of the PA Hospital in Brisbane until he is able to look after himself. Liz says that she is so glad he is such an easy-going guy as he is coping really well with it all. He will have his 18th birthday next Friday.
Now onto some exciting news - Gregory will find out on Monday if there is a place for him at the Bendigo Campus of LaTrobe University in the Bachelor of Arts Course. Homeschooling works!! Even if he doesn't get a place now, although they think it is very likely, he can apply mid year. His friends are all off at Uni, TAFE or working so he is really looking for something. Fingers crossed, it will happen and another phase of his life will begin. So cool, to think he will only turn 17 the week before Uni starts. He hopes to do part-time for a couple of years here, so he is still at home, then transfer to a Uni in Melbourne.
More exciting news - Daniel attended Brickvention in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago and was mesmerised by all the Lego and the "grown-ups" who are still into it. We need to investigate a career path for him that leads to working for Lego, I think. We often laugh about how we went to see the Lego Man in the Barossa Valley and how Daniel has a collection to rival his now and could open a showroom! Perhaps a shed down the front of the house - $5 to see the collection. What do you think?
Righto - that's the good and yucky news for now. Off to make sure the plants can survive the 39 degrees it is going to be here on Sunday. They all need little umbrellas.
Anyway time for an update. 2011 has started off with a bang!!
Literally with a bang as Daniel, Andrew and I went to the fireworks here in Bendigo on New Years Eve, then came home for a swim in the pool as it was a very hot night.
So far this year we have had lots of rain which was great for the garden, bush and our dam. Although it does still have a small leak which we will hopefully fix for good tomorrow. I can't believe how much green there is around us when I am outside. Sometimes you have to think back. I did this the other day and I remembered that when we signed to buy here, it was all brown and all there was was rock and dirt, not a bit of grass and the trees all looked so sad and droopy. Now the trees all have gorgeous green shoots and there is grass to mow!!
We had a lovely simple BBQ in the backyard with some friends for Australia Day. We realised that we should do it more often - considering it was the first time since we had moved here and that was 10 months ago - more often should be easy to achieve, don't you think?? LOL
Speaking of rain - we were very lucky to have no family or friends with any damage in all the flooding in Queensland. All my family live in Toowoomba, so hearing about that on the news was very scary. Liz had a huge terrible flood through their place the next morning which has changed the landscape completely on their 50 acres. But thank goodness, all they lost was the pump and the chookhouse along with lots of trees. She lives below the range near Toowoomba, but thankfully not the side where the horrible flood was. The water through their place was added to the water from the other side to make the big one in Ipswich and Brisbane though.
A week later when all the scary stuff in Queensland seemed to be over. Liz's eldest son, Joel, fell 30 metres down a cliff face on the edge of Toowoomba. We are all very glad that he is alive. It could have easily been the other way. He was stuck (with his best mate - who had scrambled down to be with him) for nearly 4 hours until a helicopter could whinch him out. Then he was flown to Brisbane with Care Flight. Amazingly in a week, he has had 2 operations on his spine and is now able to sit for awhile. He has some feeling in his legs, so that is a good sign. He is now in the Spinal Unit of the PA Hospital in Brisbane until he is able to look after himself. Liz says that she is so glad he is such an easy-going guy as he is coping really well with it all. He will have his 18th birthday next Friday.
Now onto some exciting news - Gregory will find out on Monday if there is a place for him at the Bendigo Campus of LaTrobe University in the Bachelor of Arts Course. Homeschooling works!! Even if he doesn't get a place now, although they think it is very likely, he can apply mid year. His friends are all off at Uni, TAFE or working so he is really looking for something. Fingers crossed, it will happen and another phase of his life will begin. So cool, to think he will only turn 17 the week before Uni starts. He hopes to do part-time for a couple of years here, so he is still at home, then transfer to a Uni in Melbourne.
More exciting news - Daniel attended Brickvention in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago and was mesmerised by all the Lego and the "grown-ups" who are still into it. We need to investigate a career path for him that leads to working for Lego, I think. We often laugh about how we went to see the Lego Man in the Barossa Valley and how Daniel has a collection to rival his now and could open a showroom! Perhaps a shed down the front of the house - $5 to see the collection. What do you think?
Righto - that's the good and yucky news for now. Off to make sure the plants can survive the 39 degrees it is going to be here on Sunday. They all need little umbrellas.
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