Month: December 2006

This is the view Santa will have in a few hours time. Can you spot our house?
Christmas Eve has finally coincided with some sunshine, so family trip to Khandallah pool, remember that place? E, J and I all jumped in and made lots of noise, even Sara had a swim. MG laid at the pool side and fell asleep.
Entertainment on the deck this afternoon, and I expect early to bed to be fresh for the mad paper unwrapping. I have been a good boy all year, so have eight presents under the tree for me.

Last night picked up EQ from end of year, end of school disco. I stood there with the other parents waiting for the music to finish and the lights to come up. I was nosing to see who big daughter was with This is the beginning on a new phase, the picking up after the disco time, but when not really wanted around to see what is going on. I think there will be more of this, and as time goes on, the parental presence will be less well tolerated.
Daughter looked attractive. I think some boys have noticed,as phone calls to house have started.
I will have to wheel out the grumpy Victorian father persona to keep them on their toes!

You now that you are getting old when your children start changing schools. Eleanor is coming to the end of her time at St. Benedict’s and will soon be going to college as it is called here;onto year 9. So as school finishes this week then there are lots of final events going on.
Last week there was the formal dinner for the class with parents. “Formal” might be over doing it but it was on a small scale.
Then tonight there was the school carol service at the local church followed by by the prize giving for the year. Eleanor was a worthy winner of the the cup for special character; the all round valuable person prize.
Parents are proud as punch.

This is posting 100, so how appropriate that I had a cricket theme in mind.
Joe had saturday morning game, the last in the usual tide of events until after the school holidays in February. Summer weather it was not. I sat scoring while being frozen by the unelenting wind. The boys in the game strugled to bowl into the wind and looked like Brett Lee with it.
Joe’s figures 4 overs, 1 for 12. He was player of the day for his bowling and a fine catch behind the stumps with the gloves on.
In the afternoon we went off to the Basin Reserve to watch NZ play Sri Lanka, who it appears are always over here! A small crowd watched in the chill wind. Not pleasant, and certainly not Perth.
NZ are set to lose the game after a low 1st innings score, and Sri Lanka looked comfortable without having the need to push on. Probably too cold for them as well. We only arrived for the last session, but even Joe wanted out before the end of play.
And then home to watch the Ashes live……shite. A painful experience watching the bowling being hit all over the ground, and what opportunities came England’s way not being snaffled.
All not helped by fact that here we receive the Australian Channel 9 coverage, so I had to listen the endless gloating and laughing. Much rather get English commentary with misery and saying how shite they are.
Trip to Melbourne looking to be more of a punishment now. Though Big Al sitting through 4 days(5 looks improbable) of Perth in company of Aussie mates must be an effort.

How many times have I told myself that sport is not worth getting worked up about?

A trip to the Khandallah Fair, and a special request to have a couple of dudes dance for the locals. Three performances in total, with a larger audience than the old fuddy duddies playing country music.

My new mode of transport, which is purely functional and nothing to do with trying to regain my youth or a way of dealing with my middle life crisis. Some wife’s however, do not believe such comments, and are convinced of early death, nasty accident and disablement.
It is 15 years since I last had a mean machine, and that was a 400cc beast. Given that this is nearly new, more modern, though 250cc, it is as powerful and the old number, though possibly not so heavy.
This is a South Korean make. I think they plan to have the same impact in the bike world as they have in the car world.
Anyway, happy motoring with the wind in my flowing locks.