BallFiend's Birthday Week Bake-a-thon

Last week was spent celebrating BallFiend's 5th birthday...

• On Friday, I sent BallFiend off to creche with a green-and-chocolate swirl cake to share.
• On Saturday, we held a party with his friends.
• On Sunday, we hosted an afternoon tea with the extended family.
• On Monday (his actual birthday), we chilled out at home.
• On Tuesday, I made gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free (flavour-free!) cup-cakes for him to take to Kinder to share.

Saturday's party was held at the local scout hall with 10 of BallFiend's kinder, creche and other friends, including MasterF, MasterW, LittleMissIz, Thing1 and Thing2 (daughters of FunkyOrganMan and ThingMaker). The party had a green-theme (a really simple theme to do - I can highly recommend it!). We had green balloons, a green table-cover, green napkins, plates, cutlery and of course all the food was green:

• pea and ham soup served in green cups;
• avocado dip with celery sticks for dipping (also some corn chips in green tubs);
• green jelly; 
• green-and-white coconut ice (which DeepSpice and I between us took four attempts to get right and then the kids didn't eat it anyway, but that was OK because all the groan-ups loved it!);
• a fruit platter of green(ish) fruits - Granny Smith apples, green pears and green grapes;
• the birthday cake was a butter cake with a green swirl through it and iced in green icing.

I also got 3 metres of neon-lime green tulle from Spotlight (on the discount table... I wonder why!) and made the kids green headbands to wear. We played a few games involving green straws but mostly the kids just played around in the hall. It was the easiest kids birthday party I've ever organised. Although I have to give fair credit to all the parents who hung around and helped out. I was assuming that being a five-year-old party, at least some of the parents would drop their children off for the 2 hours. But none did, and all were roped in to help with blowing up balloons, party games, food preparation and sorting out disputes! I was really glad that they did all end up staying.

Sunday's afternoon tea was attended by Gran, GrandPaul, StompyDad, CutLuce, DesignerMonkey, Cuz1, DesignerSis, Wigward and Great-Aunt-F (GrandPaul's sister) and her husband Great-Uncle-M. BallFiend and I made yet another birthday cake (banana with chocolate chips at BallFiend's request), and we ate party left-overs as well as Gran's chicken sandwiches and Great-Aunt-F's scones. Yummo!

By Monday (BallFiend's actual birthday), we were all too exhausted to do anything much at all. So after going to his usual swimming lesson, we came straight home so BallFiend could get down to the serious business of playing with all the toys he received as gifts. Highlights were:

• the mega-mega-soccerball (about 60cm diametre) from his aunt CutLuce and uncle DesignerMonkey.
• the gi-normous Earth beach ball (68cm diametre) from his aunt DesignerSis and uncle Wigward. (I'm sure DeepSpice would beg to differ with the promotional description that "It only takes a few huffs and puffs to fill this globe full of air" - he spent the first half hour of Sunday's afternoon tea blowing it up!)
• the foil "Happy Birthday balloon" on a stick from Cuz1.
• the green helium-filled balloons from Gran and GrandPaul.
• all the green balloons left over from the birthday party.

He also received several Lego kits and has been enjoying them a lot (as has Thumper), books, games, a marble run, construction toys, outdoor adventuring tools, dinosaur kits, a watering can and more. Some of the toys have been packed away so I can bring them out in instalments. There's easily enough to last him until Xmas time!

Overall he was totally indulged and doesn't really (know how to) appreciate it, but it doesn't matter... I loved seeing him so excited as he ripped open presents and how he got even more excited if they turned out to contain anything vaguely spherical. 
--

As promised...

Here is the more news I referred to earlier...

This story starts ten years ago, when DesignerSis was just sweet-sixteen and she met a young lad whom we now know as Wigward. Now, most normal teens enjoy a romance for a few months, then break-up in order to be able to write better teenage-angst poetry and have an excuse to go through an obligatory goth phase. But not DesignerSis and Wigward. They set out to prove that your first love can be your true love.

Fast forward ten years and announce they're off to Noosa for a holiday. Nothing really unusual about this, they've done so a few times before. They usually disappear for a week or so and reappear back home with little fanfare (other than the occasional gripe about the crappy service that they got from a cut-price airline).

But not this time.

It was Saturday afternoon, and DeepSpice and I were out gallivanting around the inner-suburbs, pretending to be child-less yuppies, whilst Gran and GrandPaul babysat BallFiend and Thumper. Yep that's right - we were on a date! It was quite a novelty for us to be able to wander into shops and cafes at our leisure. We ended up passing a furniture shop that I have heard about but had never actually been to, so I dragged DeepSpice in for a look.

Then my phone rang. It was DesignerSis calling whilst still away on holiday. She had news: that Wigward had just proposed to her and they are now engaged! (She had to tell me quickly as they were about to tell Wigward's mother and once she got the news, it would be instantly broadcast far and wide.) I was too stunned to say much (or perhaps it was just that I was too focused on imagining how nice it would be to get a new sofa)... I managed to stammer out a "congratulations", before collapsing in shock on my dream sofa. (Just kiddin' - I am genuinely happy for them!)

Later when chatting to CutLuce about the news, I found out that she had had a much better come-back than my corny old 'congratulations'. She immediately asked: "So, when are you having babies?" I can just picture DesignerSis squirming a little on the other end of the phone.

Anyway, I am very happy for DesignerSis and Wigward and I hope they do get on with making some more cousins for BallFiend and Thumper (and Cuz1) soon... though perhaps not too soon, as I'm still on my 'auntie' L-plates.
--

Happy New Year to me

Tuesday was my new year, the anniversary of my emergence into the world, thirty-something years ago.
It is also not long after the ten-year anniversary of my mother's death from breast cancer (on 14 January 2001).

I find that being motherless has a whole new dimension now that I am a mother myself. There are so many times when I ache for my mum and wish she was here to help me, to understand what it means to be a mother and to ask about her about her experiences of raising me. But this cannot be. All I can do is accept the way things are and do my best to remember my mum.

So I decided to mark the occasion of my birth and of the day that my mother became a mother with a small gathering at my place, with family (DeepSpice, CutLuce and DesignerMonkey, DesignerSis and Wigward) and a few friends (VolubleK and AussieG with PetitAmi, The Bibliophile with MasterW and LittleMissIs, The Librarian and The SchoolMaster with MasterF and LittleMissF).

In addition, I haven't had a birthday party since my 30th, and given that my 40th is only a few years away, I thought it would be a good idea to sneak in at least one more party before the big 4-0. (Which is going to involve a trip to France where VoluableK and I will celebrate out birthdays together in style... but that's another story for another post).

The evening was good fun, somewhat over-catered(!) and a just little chaotic, with 7 kids running amok. I am grateful for everyone's help with cleaning up (AussieG did the dishes - what a star! And a magic fairy tidied the toys up in the kids bedroom. Thank you!). I am yet to wash the watermelon juice off the deck and clean up the watermelon pieces slowly dessicating on the garden path. Though the snails seem to be helping with that! And we still haven't found the icy-pole that LittleMissIz lost somewhere - hopefully outside the house! But this is all just proof that a good time was had by all... especially me.

Thank you everyone for an enjoyable evening!
--

Changing dogs mid-stream

A long time ago, when BallFiend was about as mobile as a rock, but much more cute, he was showered in gifts, most of the soft toys - teddies, cows, dogs, dolls, elephants, orang-utans, lions, etc. Dunno what it is about babies makes people want to bestow stuffed toys on them. Anyway, one of specimens from this plush menagerie, which arrived after following CutLuce home from an op-shop, was a little tan dog. According to the tag on its rear-end, its name was 'Dolly'.

For a long time, Dolly sat on the shelf with all the other soft toys and generally stayed out of trouble. Then there was a phase when BallFiend was somewhere around 2 years old when he nominated several of the smaller soft toys to be his 'friends'. The 'friends' consisted of Moo-Moo (the cow), Ava-lant (the elephant), blue teddy (a blue teddy) and white teddy (a white teddy). Dolly was not one of this in-crowd. They got to sleep in his bed overnight but were usually ignored during the day time when balls are the companion of choice.

Then came a night when we had a grown-ups party to attend - specifically Gran's 60th birthday. And because Gran had most inconsiderately decided to invite all our usual babysitters (ie. CutLuce/DesignerMonkey and DesignerSis/Wigward), we had to look for other options. Luckily for us Wigward's parents love little kids and were more than happy to have our nearly-two-year-old BallFiend stay the night with them and their other family member Delphi the dog.

Whilst BallFiend liked the idea of a dog, he didn't like the actuality - Delphi unlike her owners was not  particularly enamoured with little kids. And in truth I don't even think BallFiend really liked the idea of a dog... he was just using the dog for her toys - namely various balls of interesting shape, texture and degree of chewed-ness. So to help him get used to the idea of spending around 36 hours in the presence of a dog, I dragged Dolly off the shelf and re-branded her 'Delphi' (OK, the real Delphi is black and Dolly is tan, but this didn't seem matter to BallFiend). Immediately after his stay with Wigward's parents, BallFiend showed little more than a mild interest in the toy dog, but it has continued to be known as Delphi ever since.

Jump forward 2 years and suddenly Delphi (formerly Dolly) is now the hottest soft toy on the scene. The toy has undergone a sex change (even though the original Delphi dog is female) and his namesake is completely forgotten. But BallFiend does not go anywhere with out him. Delphi has attained a status equal to BallFiend's balls (ie. he always walks around with a ball in hand or under his arm and now Delphi occupies the other hand or arm!) As a result, the toy dog that was once tan-coloured has quickly become a colour much closer to that of the real Delphi.

Before now, BallFiend displayed none of the traditional trappings of childhood: no imaginary friends, no special teddy. He was just content with balls, balls, balls as his companion. Easy to wash, easy to replace. In bed he does have two comfort items: a dummy (recently re-titled 'dumby') and a blankie (of which there are three cut from the same fabric so there is always a spare when one is in the wash).

But now that Delphi is on the scene, I have to do those things that I thought only 'other parents' have to do:

• talk to the toy dog, 
• offer the toy dog food,
• find the toy dog when it is missing,
• train the toy dog not to climb up on the table ("BallFiend, for the thousandth time, dogs eat on the floor!"), and most arduous of all,
• wash the one and only beloved toy dog and deal with the pining pre-schooler while they wait for said toy dog to dry. 

So when DeepSpice and BallFiend returned from a walk to the local supermarket, having been caught in a sudden downpour of rain, I was very surprised to hear of BallFiend's comment:

"I think I will have to change dogs - this one is all wet!"

And now, if you will excuse me, I have to go and wring out a wet dog and peg him out on the line.

BallFiend and Delphi, 18 December 2010,
at the train station on our way to the Zoo.

--

Happy Birthday Thumper!

It's been a whole year since Thumper emerged into the world (well actually it will be a whole year in about 1 hour's time, since she was born at 4.49 pm).

Her birthday celebrations began on Sunday when we had a lovely little party with family and friends. It was to be a teddy bears' picnic at a local park but the Spring-time weather was not at it's most cooperative, so we invaded Gran and GrandPaul's house instead. In attendance to honour the birthday girl was: DeepSpice, me, BallFiend, Gran, GrandPaul, CutLuce, DesignerSis, Wigward, DesignerMonkey, The Bibliophile, MasterW, LittleMissIz, The Librarian, MasterF, LittleMissF, GreatAuntF and GreatUncleM and ElspethR.

The birthday cake was a raspberry butter cake - raspberries because Thumper is an expert at blowing them!

Today, Thumper's actual birthday, began at 6.30 am, when we woke to hear BallFiend yelling at the poor child: "Be quiet Thumper! You are being too noisy!" Apparently, Thumper was murmuring in her sleep and it was loud enough to rouse BallFiend; he in turn woke Thumper by yelling at her. Sigh.

The morning went by as usual: breakfast, getting dressed, etc. then waving goodbye to DeepSpice. Thumper has recently become very attached to her dad and she always cries when he leaves. Today was no exception - I stood with Thumper in my arms, waving bye to DeepSpice, whilst she attempted to lurch from my arms after DeepSpice, saying "Da! Da!" (no, not channeling our Russian ancestors... she does actually mean 'dad').

Next, it was time to take BallFiend to his Kinder Circus class, so as usual, Thumper was dragged along. During the class I took her for a walk in the pram so she got to have her morning nap. (Essential for today, because she had an important birthday lunch date ahead!).

After Kinder Circus, I took BallFiend for a stroll to allow Thumper to have a full hour's nap. BallFiend wasn't too impressed with having to wander around for a while, but he did enjoy seeing a fire engine, a water-company worker opening up a drain, a local primary school and the opportunity to ask me question after question about the street trees... Why:

• does this tree have a post [stake] next to it?
• does that tree not have a post but it does have a broken post?
• are these little pebbles on the ground around the tree?
• is there a hole there? [a spot where a tree used to be]

At 11.40 am it was time to wake Thumper up so we could head off to lunch at Heide with VolubleK and PetitAmi. Lunch at Cafe Vue was an experience, very nearly civilised... if it wasn't for BallFiend's (lack of) table manners and Thumper throwing her food all over the floor. But Voluble K and I enjoyed ourselves anyway... once we had a glass of bubbles in hand, nothing much else mattered! :)

After lunch, PetitAmi and BallFiend ran amok in the sculpture park whilst Voluble K and I took turns pushing the pram around... until PetitAmi realised she was missing her chance and took over the pram-pushing duties.

Then it was time to go home, where I got the news that Australia now has a (very, very, very minority) government. What a great birthday present for Thumper!

For the record, here's the other gifts that were bestowed upon you:

• a jack-in-the-box (actually a monkey-in-the-box);
• Playmobil 'coastal search and rescue' boat and car, with two people to drive them;
• a stacking ring ball toy;
• "Where is the green sheep?" by Mem Fox;
• "Can you Moo too?" by David Wojtowycz (a board book);
• clothing: a Sooki Baby wrap-around top, socks, hat;
• Miffy blocks that both nest and stack;
• a Roll Along Ball (a large inflatable ball with little bell-balls inside);
• Wooden letters that spell her name (for the bedroom door);
• an oil painting of a teddy bear (a shared family heirloom from VolubleK);
• a soft-toy snowman.

And guess who has had the most enjoyment (so far) out of all the toys? Yes, of course it is BallFiend.

So, happy birthday Thumper! Over the past year you've made us laugh, kept us company on countless nights (sigh), and despite the exhaustion, brought us lots of joy. We love you and we are looking forward to watching you grow up despite feeling sad that your babyhood is fast disappearing.

--

X marks the mass

Many months ago, sometime around March I think it was, VolubleK and I came up with an idea for Christmas: to bring our families together and have a big Christmas day like the ones we remember when we were kids... the sort of day when there a heaps of people because an extensive number of extended family all turn up to gorge themselves, spoil the kids with lots of toys and chocolates and to re-gift the crappy presents from previous years.

So in November, after re-confirming with VolubleK that the plan was still good to go, I rounded up the family: StompyDad, CutLuce and DesignerMonkey, DesignerSis and Wigward all said they would come. Unfortunately though, Gran and GrandPaul declined as they wanted to have one last Christmas day lunch with Gran's second cousin and his family before his planned repatriation back to Canada. (He and his family are secular Jews who like to join in on Christmas festivities anyway.)

What we ended up with was probably the epitome of a Gen X Christmas. Family and friends, old and young, were present, and there was a smattering of tradition thrown in amongst a whole lot of 'don't act too enthusiastic - it's just another day after all'.

Our Christmas Day began with a morning visit to Gran and GrandPaul's house where we were treated to brunch - a tasty quiche, fresh cherries and of course some fine wine (obligatory as far as GrandPaul is concerned). Gran's cousin and family arrived and we did the first round of gift exchanging for the day. We gave GrandPaul and Gran a doormat with "We serve only the finest Australian wine here. Did you bring any?" emblazoned upon it, which was well-received. Also to GrandPaul an autographed copy of Free to a Good Home by Catherine Deveny (DeepSpice went to her book signing) and to Gran some smelly (floral) soaps which she always likes.

We had received our present from Gran and GrandPaul a few days earlier - a portable gazebo for our backyard (as I was after a shady place for BallFiend and Thumper to play until our trees grow bigger). However, being the generous sorts that they are, they also gave us a few more things, but the focus was really on BallFiend and Thumper who were showered with gifts.

Next stop was VolubleK's house. After we arrived, there was more frenzied exchanging of gifts, followed by lunch. The adults sat at the table, the kids ran riot and barely stopped to eat as far as I could tell. In the midst of it all though, BallFiend sat down and ate in his picky, meticulous way. He generally takes about an hour to eat a simple sandwich, so Christmas lunch with all it's unfamiliar foods took him forever, by the time he picked out all the things he didn't want to eat. After lunch BallFiend played with PetitAmi and her big sister; he particularly liked the billiard table. ("Look mum! Billion balls!!") We finished up with dessert at about 5.30 pm and didn't end up leaving until 7.00 pm, with a very, very tired BallFiend.

Here is the summary of our ill-gotten goods (seeing as we are atheists, and so don't officially qualify for Christmas goodies):

Me:

• Friendly Fire by Wil Anderson,
• Wil Anderson's Wilosophy DVD
  
• a purple scarf
• Space Oddity by David Bowie CD
• some other stuff that I can't think of at the moment
  

DeepSpice and I together:

• a box of chocolates (from Father Christmas),
• Outdoor Kids by Jamie Durie (from StompyDad)
• Mini vacuum cleaner
  
• (the aforementioned) gazebo
• some other stuff that I can't think of at the moment

DeepSpice

• A book by Richard Dawkins.
• some other stuff that I can't think of at the moment

Thumper

• a green hat (from Gran and GrandPaul)
• a purple hat (from DesignerSis and Wigward)
  
• Ernie and Bert soft toys (from Gran's cousin and family).
• In The Night Garden memory game
• green teddy bear
• Dora the Explorer bowl, plate and mug set
• roll-around Fisher Price toy
• Teething rattle toy
• a few books
• some other stuff that I can't think of at the moment

BallFiend

• a toy car
• stilts (from the playgroup Kris Kringle)
  
• Dora the Explorer floor puzzle
  
• a cricket set
• The Umbilical Brothers DVD
  
• a backpack for Kinder
• shoes
• green bath towel with a hood
• a quilt and pillowcae
  
• lots of books
• 12 inflatable mini beach balls! (Father Christmas found these on eBay)
• a large inflatable beach ball and an inflatable penguin-shaped green swim ring (courtesy of his great-aunt and uncle)
• probably some other stuff that I can't think of at the moment

--

Still stackin' it on

At four weeks of age (plus a few days), Thumper was weighed and measured again. She put on 500 g in 2 weeks! That's one full kilogram since birth. Scary!

I am constantly starving... eating enough to make milk to feed this hungry baby is hard work. Thankfully, I have had DeepSpice waiting on me with meals and snacks. Plus guest masterchef Wigward making dinner for all of us on occasion.
--

A special moment

Last night, CutLuce came over to look after BallFiend as DeepSpice and I were going out to a HypnoBirthing class. While I was getting BallFiend into his pyjamas, CutLuce was quizzing him about who his best friend is...

CutLuce: "Is LittleMissL your best friend?"
BallFiend: "No."
CutLuce: "Is LittleMissP your best friend?"
BallFiend: "No."
CutLuce: "Is MasterW your best friend?"
BallFiend: "No."
Me: "Is S. (at creche) your best friend?
BallFiend: "No."
Me: "What about L. (at creche)? Is he your best friend?
BallFiend: "No."
CutLuce: Is DesignerSis your best friend?
BallFiend: "No."
CutLuce: Is DesignerMonkey your best friend?
BallFiend: "No."
CutLuce: Is Wigward your best friend?
BallFiend: "No."
CutLuce: Am I your best friend?
BallFiend: "No."
CutLuce: So who is your best friend?
BallFiend: "Mum."

My heart melted!

When I set out on this parenting journey, nearly three years ago now, I never had the slightest comprehension that my child would one day describe me as his best friend! Whilst I do remember reading ages ago that a young baby sees their mother (or primary carer) as their main friend and playmate (and not just as a carer and provider), I had sort of forgotten this. I suppose I assumed that because BallFiend is older now, and more independent in his play, this does not really apply anymore.

But in that instant, when BallFiend named me as his best friend, I gained a whole new insight into how he views me and our relationship. To me, he is my son and I understand our relationship as being primarily about responsibility - ie. mine! I need to love him, raise him well, care for him physically and emotionally, guide him through life and help him learn and develop... and ultimately ensure that he grows into a healthy, happy, independent adult. Each day is 'work' that I need to do towards this end (and usually with many challenges to be negotiated in doing so): serving meals, changing nappies, brushing teeth, reading stories, playing with toys, talking about the world and all the things in it, providing (positive) discipline, and settling for naps/sleep, etc.

In that one special moment, BallFiend made me realise that despite the number of times a day that I...

• grow bored with re-reading him the same story,
• get fed up with 'helping' (ie. instructing/coaching) him pick up balls to return to the ballpit,
  
• become impatient while waiting for him to finish a meal or get dressed;
  
• put my needs and wants ahead of his, or
  
• lose my temper,

I must still be doing something right!
--

Quarter time

Assuming she lives to 100 years of age, yesterday marked quarter time for DesignerSis. It is hard to believe my baby sister is so very, very old! Nah, just kiddin' she's still just a kid. But a very mature, responsible and well-adjusted one... especially considering the sort of role models her big sisters have provided.

To celebrate 25 years since her birth, we all went out for dinner at Hellenic Republic with DesignerSis - me, DeepSpice, BallFiend, Wigward, CutLuce, DesignerMonkey and StompyDad. We ate ourselves to a standstill all, for around $32.00 each. The repast was fantastic - we had:

• Dips (Taramosalata and Melitzanosalata)
• Tiganites Patates (Deep fried potatoes chips)
• Fasolakia (green beans with feta and pine nuts)
• Kefalograviera Saganaki (Spanikopita served warm with peppered figs)
• Patzari (beetroot roasted in cumin)
• Revithia Plaki (chickpeas cooked in tomato and olive oil)
• Loytianos (snapper, baked to perfection)
• Chicken and Lamb off the spit
• Moussaka

Followed by:

• Bougatsa (Semolina custard wrapped in filo pastry)
• Loukoumades (Greek donuts)
• Risogalo (chocolate rice pudding)

The service was excellent, the food was excellent, the only thing I can really fault is that the music was too loud to talk over. This made it particularly challenging for keeping a tired, yet enthusiastic BallFiend in check.

He had refused to nap in the afternoon, so was particularly tired, then I had plonked him in creche for an hour and a half while DeepSpice and I did a parent re-education camp to learn some new strategies for dealing with those more difficult toddler/pre-schooler behaviours. Then we rushed out to dinner and kept BallFiend out till 8.00 pm (half an hour past his bedtime). However, a little after 8.00 pm, it was clear that BallFiend was exhausted so DeepSpice decided to take him home to bed, whilst I got to stay on and enjoy civilised adult conversation, and more importantly, dessert.
Apparently once he got home, he got a new burst of energy and ran through the house excitedly. However, DeepSpice skillfully calmed him down with a story and had in bed a mere 30 minutes after arriving home. To reward his altruism, I took home a donut for DeepSpice.

Overall, and despite his tiredness, BallFiend was very well-behaved for a 2.75 year old - he threw a few bits of food and made an interesting 'installation' in his water glass using nothing more than strips of lamb, Melitzanosalata and paper serviettes. Mm-mmm! He also seemed to enjoy eating the food - he tried the chicken, beetroot, the dips and pita bread but was fairly cautious about trying other things. As he is getting older, it is getting easier to eat out with a small child... pity this newly acquired possibility for a social life is about to be smashed to smithereens when Thumper arrives in just over two months time.
--

Mother's Day

I really only wanted one thing for Mother's Day - to sleep in till at least 8.00 am (well, that and a box of Roses chocolates). BallFiend woke us at 6.45 am. So no sleep in, but at least it wasn't a 5.30 am wake up I suppose.

Still, I did get to lie in and have a hot cup of tea and breaky in bed, many thanks to DeepSpice (although he does this for me most days, so it wasn't really a mother's-day specific thing). Then BallFiend brought me in a gift that he made at crèche - a noteholder to go on the fridge. We have now officially reached the point where the endearing-yet-truely-awful-handmade-gift-for-mum-on-mothers-day rite-of-passage begins. I remember many long weeks spent at school in Grade 2 making my mum a padded coathanger. This tasteful craft project involved:

1. collecting plastic bread bags
2. cutting bread bags into strips
3. tieing the plastic strips around a wire coathanger
   

It was a long and tedious process and I was bored-to-tears after about an hour of assembling it. Still my mum claimed she loved it... and whether this was true or not, she continued to use it for her jackets for the rest of her life. I suppose it was functional even though very unattractive.

Anyway... at 9.15 am, DesignerSis and Wigward arrived to take their nephew out to the Aquarium to see the penguins. It was weird waving goodbye to BallFiend as he drove off in another car. Apart from when he went with VolubleK after the Wedding, he has never been taken anywhere in a car without myself or DeepSpice being in the car too; and this was the first time I had ever actually watched him drive away without me.

Our child-free morning was spent industriously - planting new trees and other plants in the garden (purchased at CERES Nursery on Saturday):

• a Eucalyptus forrestiana (Fuschia Gum) to replace the E. kitsonia that died in the January 2009 heatwave;
• a Scleranthus biflorus - a groundcover in the back garden to replace a Phormium (New Zealand Flax) that didn't do well under my 'complete neglect' gardening regime. When we had the garden landscaping done, I specified only Australian native plants were to be used, but somehow four of these NZ Flax snuck in. They are water-hungry things... there are two still hanging in there.
  
• a Grevillea nudiflora (Curvy Tops) - a prostrate groundcover for the front garden;
  
• a Kennedia prostrata (Scarlet Runner, Running Postman) - another prostrate groundcover for the front garden;
• a Grevillea pteridifolia (Golden Grevillea) - another tree in the front garden... actually I had intended to get a 2m bush but didn't read the label properly so have ended up with a (potentially) 4m high tree. Hopefully it won't be too big!
• I also bought a punnet of lettuce seedlings and a punnet of spinach seedlings but ran out of time to plant these.
  

In addition, I shifted a daisy bush (to make room for the Grevillea tree) and DeepSpice put our hard rubbish out on the street ready for collection on Monday.


After gardening, we had organised to lunch at a restaurant with GrandPaul, Gran and StompyDad. We had planned to enjoy lunch unencumbered by BallFiend, but the Aquarium trip didn't take as long as I hoped expected, so BallFiend was back in time to come along.

I was concerned that he would be tired out and ready for a nap at about 1.30 pm, but he held up just fine and loved his spaghetti. So did the people at the next table who said they got a real kick out of watching him eat it, strand-by-strand, biting each one in the middle then sucking the ends in. Personally, I enjoyed watching the grandfathers, seated either side of BallFiend flinch and cry out in horror every time a bit of bolognese sauce went anywhere other than BallFiend's mouth!

Gran, DeepSpice and I shared a tapas platter and I also ordered a pasta dish but as this hadn't arrived by the time everyone had just about finished their meals, I asked the waitress to cancel the order. She was very apologetic that my meal had been missed and so didn't charge us for BallFiend's pasta as compensation. I was happy, since I had got too full on the tapas to fit the pasta in anyway!
--

Wedding of the FULK, Part 4 - Wedding Reception

We arrived in South Yarra at the reception venue about half an hour before guests were due to arrive. Time for a few last photos with the Cadillacs. Then "the boys" got stuck into beers (thoughtfully provided by the chauffeurs), "the girls" had a glass of bubbles, and I made do with soft drink.

We went inside for yet more photos and then finally I got to relax (collapse!) on a couch, where I remained for the next two hours. Illness, pregnancy, insufficient sleep and a very long day had taken their toll and I could not have got up even if I wanted to! I held court like royalty and made everyone come to me if they wanted to chat. The downside to this was getting stuck talking to certain people who I would have preferred to quickly exchange pleasantries with, then avoid.

After a decent rest and some food (I did not treat the canapés with the delicacy they deserved, instead scoffing down two at a time), I was at last capable of wandering around a bit to socialise. The main meal was served - a delicious middle eastern style feast. I had several serves and the food, plus sugary soft drink, gave me the sustenance I needed to last a few more hours.

The wedding cake appeared, providing both the basis for the ritual 'cutting of the cake' and more importantly, it was also dessert. The cake was extremely delicious! It was homemade by Wigward's sister... a really yummy, super-rich chocolate cake with Frangelico icing and decorated with edible red love hearts. The top tier was a traditional circle-shaped cake and it was placed on a cake stand with multiple tiers below, each covered with individual cup cakes. (The venue charges $2.50 per slice to cut the cake in their kitchen, so this way, the happy couple saved about $250.)

Later came the wedding speeches (or maybe this was before the cake cutting, I can't quite remember) by StompyDad, DesignerMonkey's parents, DesignerMonkey's brother (and best man), and rounded off by the groom and bride themselves. All very good - lots of laughs and love. Speeches were followed by an impromptu 'bridal waltz' at the urging of friends, after which much more dancing ensued.

Much later (or what felt like much later), I looked at the time... 11.30 pm! The function was scheduled to end at 11.30 pm and my last brideslave job of the evening was to ensure all the wedding gifts were safely transported home. I was amazed I had held up this long and though sorry to see the festivities come to an end, I was eagerly looking forward to going to bed. I started the rounds of saying goodbye to people and packing the gifts up to take home. Then I rechecked the time. It was only 10.30 pm. Argh! Still, it worked out quite well, because it took me the full hour just to say goodbye to everyone and pack up the gifts, so it ended up that DeepSpice and I were in the car and driving home right on the dot of 11.30 pm; and home asleep in bed by 12.30 pm. What a party animal I am in my old age!

Anyway, overall a great night out was had by all - CutLuce and DesignerMonkey make a very happy couple.
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The Buck's Night

One week after the Hen's Night for CutLuce, the obligatory Buck's Night for DesignerMonkey rolled around. This time it was DeepSpice's turn to be dragged into various drunken misadventures all in the name of 'living it up one last time before being shackled for eternity to the love of one's life'. (In contrast, I got to go out for nice and civilised -- although sadly alcohol-free for me -- dinner party at Gran and GrandPaul's house with several other friends who I had not seen for some time.)

Personally, I don't understand the whole Hen's / Buck's night thing. If you are voluntarily and willingly marrying the one you love, surely it is contradictory to have a wild night out so you can engage in all those things you are supposedly going to have to give up. If you feel you are giving something up, then why get married?

Anyway, DeepSpice drank a few beers, had a few good conversations (many with Wigward apparently) and generally participated in the 'sociological experiences' that typically occur when a Buck's night pub crawl bumps into a Hen's night pub crawl.

As DeepSpice left with Wigward at about 11.30 pm, the others were allegedly egging DesignerMonkey on to his next challenge: to pole-dance on the steps of Parliament House. Interesting... last time I looked there weren't really any poles as such outside Parliament House.

I got home from my dinner engagement (child-free for a night as BallFiend was staying over at Gran and GrandPaul's), then promptly had to drive out again to collect DeepSpice as the buses had stopped running for the night and the tram had only got him half-way home.

The Reclaimation

Welcome to my second attempt at this blog... seeing as I lost interest in it (many years ago) after about 10 posts. So, I hereby reclaim my blog. This time, there is no specific focus. Just going to write about my life and stuff that interests me. PS. Thanks to FreeloadingPhill for the inspiration.


Here goes... what's happening with me at the moment:


Bun in the oven

I'm pregnant, for the second time. Expecting my next "bundle of joy" in September. I was really 'morning sick' (from morn till night) until about 5 days ago. Then it just suddenly stopped. Same happened last time, except not till I reached the 14 week mark. This time, it stopped around 9 weeks. Yippee! (Still utterly exhausted though).

Me (and my tree) in the oven

I nearly died in the recent heatwave: three days in a row of horrid, awful, unfathomably hot weather: 43, 44 and 45 degrees respectively. (OK I exaggerate a bit on the 'nearly died' part, but I did nearly collapse when waiting for a tram home from work on Friday in 45 degree heat - pregnancy and heat waves do not mix).
The tree in my back yard died in the heatwave. It was planted in March and had been growing so well... then a few days ago, I watched as its leaves turned from green to brown over a few hours.

Cake in the oven

I've just had a birthday, so even though I've just aged another day in the past 24 hours, I feel like I have got a whole year older, *sigh*
Still, it was one of the best birthdays I have had in a long time. StompyDad's birthday is two days before mine and usually I have to share the occasion with him, but this year he is overseas so I got to have my birthday all to myself. Deepspice, BallFiend and I had crepes for brunch with Gran and GrandPaul, then BBQ for dinner at DesignerSis and Wigward's along with CutLuce and DesignerMonkey for some excellent company. I even got a birthday cake, store-bought courtesy of my sister though - not from her oven. (It is still way too hot for baking! Though I suppose some poor sucker somewhere had to bake it.) Unfortunately it was too windy to light the candles, but it was good regardless.
The only disappointment was the distinct lack of presents. I love getting presents! I received a necklace from Deepspice, and a book from my StompyDad. Hopefully something else might be forthcoming... my sisters did hint.