Sunday, November 23, 2008
Debris by Degrees
Click here to see a slideshow of some photos taken this morning in a local park. These photos are just bits of an entire shed full of wholesale stock of friends of ours. Their warehouse was burst open by flood waters and its entire contents were washed away. We found quite a lot of them quite by accident this morning while walking through our local park area.
The Many Faces of Breakfast
Thanks go to Maya for putting this together for me.
Click on image to enlarge
Saturday, November 22, 2008
New Bike
I took some no longer wanted items yesterday to the local charity store and while there I saw this bike. It was just the right size and just the right price. I was planning on getting Henry a new one as he had outgrown the one he had and there was one staring me in the face. Needless to say he loves it!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Flooding the Neighbourhood
The storm rolling in. Our house can be seen in the background.
Debris at the base of the trees left by the rising flood waters of the nearby creek
Our friendly neighbourhood playground
The much used picnic table at our friendly neighbourhood playground
The bridge from which we feed the ducks, turtles and eels.
Just in case one major storm wasn't enough we've had one each night since the first disastrous one on Sunday. Today is Thursday and we've just waved another one goodbye. Just when the sun began to shine and those whose homes were destroyed thought they might safely be able to filter through what is left we were hit again. Predictions are that we are going to be hit each and every day until Saturday.
Last night Brisbane was bracing for another storm. The news had warned us it was coming but what they hadn't predicted was how much rain would be brought with it. Turns out there was enough to cause major flooding across areas already hit hard. This afternoon we wandered down to our favourite playground which happens to abutt a creek. We came across another mother who was trying desperately to remove the debris in case the creek rose again tonight with the predicted storms. She wanted it moved off the play equipment so that fresh flood waters or rain might wash it clean. Henry made friends with her young daughter while I helped drag the offending debris away.
The rain chased us all off and we walked home with our new friends hoping to make it before the storm really hit. As we waved them goodbye I told Henry how lucky he was to have made a new friend today. This is how he responded:
"Yeah, I make friends. You just say, "do you like dinosaurs? I like dinosaurs and then they say, yeah I like dinosaurs and then you're just friends".
I think we should all take a leaf out of Henry's book because how do you know if you could be friends with someone if you don't start with something simple like "Do you like dinosaurs". Even if they don't you've still got something to talk about.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Storming the Neighbourhood
For those of you no longer living in this city or just not from here read here to see what transpired yesterday.
It was hot, almost hotter than hell through the day. Henry and I had escaped the clutches of the family and taken a trip to the Sunshine Coast on Saturday to soak up some summer sun and surf up some summer surf. We stayed overnight and woke up Sunday to an overcast morning up there. Still it was warm enough to take a quick swim before heading home but nothing like it was here in Brisbane. Here it was absolutely sweltering. The kind of oppressive humidity that makes your undies stick to your legs like a melting lollipop and your tongue just loll about because it too is too hot to move. It was the kind of weather that all Queenslanders know is going to bring a late afternoon storm. Usually we welcome it because we know that the short lived light show in the sky will cool things off dramatically.
Yesterday's storm did that. It cooled things off so much that I was wearing a cardigan at 7PM and tonight is still much the same. What we weren't prepared for was how much destruction that short lived and longed for storm would leave in its path.
I was outside around 3PM yesterday oiling my outdoor dining table when I looked up and saw the dark clouds looming over the city and making their way towards us. By the time I packed up and cleaned the paintbrushes the clouds were directly above us. All the sunlight, which only minutes before was packed with skin cancer causing UV light, had disappeared. It was as black as night and it was only 4.30PM. Right then I knew this storm was not going to be pretty. We battened down the hatches and huddled inside bonding by trying to convince Henry to allow us to remove a splinter from his finger. We weren't successful but it distracted us all while the winds howled outside and the rain hammered the roof. Several times we all jumped when lightening struck so loudly it seemed as though it had hit the roof of our house.
Once the worst of it was over we surveyed the damage. Fortunately there wasn't much aside from some flooding downstairs which happens every time we get a heavy downpour. We were expecting it but nothing of value had been ruined because we've learned not to keep anything of value in the flood path.
Our friend who lives in one of the worst hit areas called us shortly after to give us a report on how he had faired through it all. His roof had partly been torn off, his bedroom and all of his computer equipment had been flooded (he's a computer programmer), a nearby Jacaranda tree had fallen into his pool and the creek beside his house was overflowing. Our small amount of flooding seemed so trifle in comparison. He described the devastation in the streets surrounding him and said that he and his children were huddled inside the house scared that something was going to land right on top of them or that the roof would be blown right off.
This afternoon after work I took a drive out there to see if they needed anything and to survey the damage. I've got to say, I'm thankful we weren't directly in the path of the worst of it. There are streets blocked off with fallen trees and powerlines are down. Maya's school looks like some naughty kids had gone in there and ransacked the place but with big powerful toys to help them along. Trees have simply splintered and some torn right out of the ground roots and all. Businesses were handing out stock to anyone who would take it because it was better to give it away then to waste it. One thing it has done is connected neighbours who would otherwise never give each other the time of day. The community has banded together and they're all out helping each other in whatever way they can.
For the rest of Brisbane, the definitive line the storm did not cross, it's business as usual.
The following comment, left by a Courier Mail reader, pretty much sums it up Queensland style:
I was out on the verandah sinking a few beers when suddenly a storm popped up.
He goes on to say:
I thought our house was the worst hit but as soon as I stepped outside I realised the whole of The Gap is destroyed.
It was hot, almost hotter than hell through the day. Henry and I had escaped the clutches of the family and taken a trip to the Sunshine Coast on Saturday to soak up some summer sun and surf up some summer surf. We stayed overnight and woke up Sunday to an overcast morning up there. Still it was warm enough to take a quick swim before heading home but nothing like it was here in Brisbane. Here it was absolutely sweltering. The kind of oppressive humidity that makes your undies stick to your legs like a melting lollipop and your tongue just loll about because it too is too hot to move. It was the kind of weather that all Queenslanders know is going to bring a late afternoon storm. Usually we welcome it because we know that the short lived light show in the sky will cool things off dramatically.
Yesterday's storm did that. It cooled things off so much that I was wearing a cardigan at 7PM and tonight is still much the same. What we weren't prepared for was how much destruction that short lived and longed for storm would leave in its path.
I was outside around 3PM yesterday oiling my outdoor dining table when I looked up and saw the dark clouds looming over the city and making their way towards us. By the time I packed up and cleaned the paintbrushes the clouds were directly above us. All the sunlight, which only minutes before was packed with skin cancer causing UV light, had disappeared. It was as black as night and it was only 4.30PM. Right then I knew this storm was not going to be pretty. We battened down the hatches and huddled inside bonding by trying to convince Henry to allow us to remove a splinter from his finger. We weren't successful but it distracted us all while the winds howled outside and the rain hammered the roof. Several times we all jumped when lightening struck so loudly it seemed as though it had hit the roof of our house.
Once the worst of it was over we surveyed the damage. Fortunately there wasn't much aside from some flooding downstairs which happens every time we get a heavy downpour. We were expecting it but nothing of value had been ruined because we've learned not to keep anything of value in the flood path.
Our friend who lives in one of the worst hit areas called us shortly after to give us a report on how he had faired through it all. His roof had partly been torn off, his bedroom and all of his computer equipment had been flooded (he's a computer programmer), a nearby Jacaranda tree had fallen into his pool and the creek beside his house was overflowing. Our small amount of flooding seemed so trifle in comparison. He described the devastation in the streets surrounding him and said that he and his children were huddled inside the house scared that something was going to land right on top of them or that the roof would be blown right off.
This afternoon after work I took a drive out there to see if they needed anything and to survey the damage. I've got to say, I'm thankful we weren't directly in the path of the worst of it. There are streets blocked off with fallen trees and powerlines are down. Maya's school looks like some naughty kids had gone in there and ransacked the place but with big powerful toys to help them along. Trees have simply splintered and some torn right out of the ground roots and all. Businesses were handing out stock to anyone who would take it because it was better to give it away then to waste it. One thing it has done is connected neighbours who would otherwise never give each other the time of day. The community has banded together and they're all out helping each other in whatever way they can.
For the rest of Brisbane, the definitive line the storm did not cross, it's business as usual.
The following comment, left by a Courier Mail reader, pretty much sums it up Queensland style:
I was out on the verandah sinking a few beers when suddenly a storm popped up.
He goes on to say:
I thought our house was the worst hit but as soon as I stepped outside I realised the whole of The Gap is destroyed.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Docking in five minutes
Since Maya has requested a new ipod for her birthday/xmas present I've been checking out all the junk mail catalogues that come through our mail box to see who has the cheapest. I've made a scrapbook of them...not really, they've all just been left to pile up on the dining table. But people, have you seen what the hell can be done with an ipod? Nearly everything in the universe now comes with an ipod dock - DVD players, electric razors, BBQs, electric kettles, toilet cisterns. You name it and I bet you someone has developed some way of including the ipod in it. Perhaps a scrapbook is not such a bad idea. That way I can make a guest appearance on ABC TV's Collector series.
Makes me sick - I'm still listening to an old tranny.
Makes me sick - I'm still listening to an old tranny.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The Life of a Pirate
Henry acquired this lovingly hand made pirate ship from some friends of ours whose children had played with it enough. Unfortunately it's made mostly from cardboard and papier mache so it can't be left out in the rain and it takes up a lot of room. When we're sick of it taking up space we'll forward it on to some other treasure hunters.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Life has been so hectic just lately that I haven't had time to scratch let alone blog anything much. It feels like I've been on an ever revolving merry-go-round that has only paused long enough for me to take a deep breath before it starts again. Even now I'm stealing precious time before heading off to work but it's early morning; the house is quiet because everyone is sleeping and I can think all by myself. That's a rare occasion.
So what's been going on? Well I turned 40 and had a party to celebrate/commiserate. The lead up to the day was rather harrowing because 40 for me seemed to be the point at which I'd start to become old. All the TV ads and the pamphlets in the doctors surgeries kept telling me I had to ramp up my health checks and instead of having certain things done once every two years suddenly they all seemed to be needed on an almost weekly basis. I don't know whether those guidelines were written by GP's wanting to line their coffers and saw old people as a way to do it or if it really is necessary to have your boobs prodded, your eyes peered into, your blood pressure measured, your hormone levels monitored and your toenails removed as often as they claim. It seems to me that spending so much time in a doctor's surgery waiting room would expose you to so many germs you'd probably die from flu before you'd die from the effects of unbalanced hormones.
Anyway I turned 40 and I'm still here. The party was a hoot I have to admit despite my misgivings. I was worried I'd not be able to stay up past 11PM, that there wouldn't be enough food and that I'd be too tired the next day to clean up. That's what getting old does to you - you no longer think you're capable of having a good time. Apparently I even looked ok - not a minute past 40.
The party was a protest party and of course I was protesting about being 40, others just protested - like my friend Liam. As he left the party at 2.30AM he took some of the protest signs from the garden and he and his partner took some photos of themselves protesting with them outside a popular city nightclub. I'm not certain whether or not they were joined by anyone who supported their cause.
Henry has started swimming lessons again now that the weather has warmed up. At first he was hesitant and not really keen to join in use his "big arms" as they call them to fasion a stroke. He was happy enough to be in the water as long as the swim instructor expected nothing of him. By the third lesson he was like a fish following the leader. Now he can't get enough. Every day he asks if he can go to swimming lessons. He prefers to spend his time sitting on the bottom of the pool or "diving" as he calls it. When the instructor aks him to show her his "big arms" his little body doubles over but his arms and legs are moving rapidly. He can't quite get the hang of keeping his body stetched out straight. As far as he's concerned though he's swimming like the strongest shark in the ocean.
We took him to see his first movie on the big screen this past weekend. I'd been thinking about doing it for quite some time to see if he was up to sitting still for that amount of time. Thankfully a Thomas the Tank movie was showing which was only 1hr long and it was cheap so if we had to hot foot it out of their nothing much would have been lost. In the lead up to it he'd found a swim costume that had been a hand me down from his older cousin. This was one of those all in one type swim suits designed to protect from the sun as much as possible - long sleeves, knee length shorts and a nice long zip at the front and very body hugging. It's ugly and it fit him perfectly and as soon as he had it on he was transformed as Sportacus - a superhero dedicated to saving children everywhere from the evils of laziness and obesity. Once he had that on he wasn't taking it off. I pleaded with him and bribed him but he would not hear of it so off he went to the movies with his swim costume on. He thought he looked like a superhero and that the suit gave him special powers so I let him go on believing that for the whole day.
So what's been going on? Well I turned 40 and had a party to celebrate/commiserate. The lead up to the day was rather harrowing because 40 for me seemed to be the point at which I'd start to become old. All the TV ads and the pamphlets in the doctors surgeries kept telling me I had to ramp up my health checks and instead of having certain things done once every two years suddenly they all seemed to be needed on an almost weekly basis. I don't know whether those guidelines were written by GP's wanting to line their coffers and saw old people as a way to do it or if it really is necessary to have your boobs prodded, your eyes peered into, your blood pressure measured, your hormone levels monitored and your toenails removed as often as they claim. It seems to me that spending so much time in a doctor's surgery waiting room would expose you to so many germs you'd probably die from flu before you'd die from the effects of unbalanced hormones.
Anyway I turned 40 and I'm still here. The party was a hoot I have to admit despite my misgivings. I was worried I'd not be able to stay up past 11PM, that there wouldn't be enough food and that I'd be too tired the next day to clean up. That's what getting old does to you - you no longer think you're capable of having a good time. Apparently I even looked ok - not a minute past 40.
The party was a protest party and of course I was protesting about being 40, others just protested - like my friend Liam. As he left the party at 2.30AM he took some of the protest signs from the garden and he and his partner took some photos of themselves protesting with them outside a popular city nightclub. I'm not certain whether or not they were joined by anyone who supported their cause.
Henry has started swimming lessons again now that the weather has warmed up. At first he was hesitant and not really keen to join in use his "big arms" as they call them to fasion a stroke. He was happy enough to be in the water as long as the swim instructor expected nothing of him. By the third lesson he was like a fish following the leader. Now he can't get enough. Every day he asks if he can go to swimming lessons. He prefers to spend his time sitting on the bottom of the pool or "diving" as he calls it. When the instructor aks him to show her his "big arms" his little body doubles over but his arms and legs are moving rapidly. He can't quite get the hang of keeping his body stetched out straight. As far as he's concerned though he's swimming like the strongest shark in the ocean.
We took him to see his first movie on the big screen this past weekend. I'd been thinking about doing it for quite some time to see if he was up to sitting still for that amount of time. Thankfully a Thomas the Tank movie was showing which was only 1hr long and it was cheap so if we had to hot foot it out of their nothing much would have been lost. In the lead up to it he'd found a swim costume that had been a hand me down from his older cousin. This was one of those all in one type swim suits designed to protect from the sun as much as possible - long sleeves, knee length shorts and a nice long zip at the front and very body hugging. It's ugly and it fit him perfectly and as soon as he had it on he was transformed as Sportacus - a superhero dedicated to saving children everywhere from the evils of laziness and obesity. Once he had that on he wasn't taking it off. I pleaded with him and bribed him but he would not hear of it so off he went to the movies with his swim costume on. He thought he looked like a superhero and that the suit gave him special powers so I let him go on believing that for the whole day.
In the shower
Henry: How come girls have fur on their doodies?
Me: Boys do too when they grow up
Henry: ...yeah and turn into girls.
Me: Boys do too when they grow up
Henry: ...yeah and turn into girls.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Eye Pod
While very gently brushing something away from my eye...
Henry: Mum, something's in your eye pod.
Henry: Mum, something's in your eye pod.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Smarter Data
If you were Australian the title of this post would rhyme which is why I used it. Doesn't it sound great? It's ok to lie in this instance.
Anyway the reason for the title is the reason for this post. My friend is trying to start her own business. She's decided that after a life changing episode she wants to tone thngs down a little as far as stress levels are concerned and this is the result.
Now she needs this website to come up readily in a google search and I believe the only real way to do that is for this site to be accessed a lot. So get clicking people. Click away and then click some more.
Here's where you do it.
http://www.qrds.com.au/
Anyway the reason for the title is the reason for this post. My friend is trying to start her own business. She's decided that after a life changing episode she wants to tone thngs down a little as far as stress levels are concerned and this is the result.
Now she needs this website to come up readily in a google search and I believe the only real way to do that is for this site to be accessed a lot. So get clicking people. Click away and then click some more.
Here's where you do it.
http://www.qrds.com.au/
Monday, October 20, 2008
Cure
Henry: Mum, what's that thing on your face?
Me: It's a pimple
Henry: It looks like it hurts
Me: Not really
Henry: I know, maybe if I touch it it will make it feel better
Me: I don't think so
Henry: I'll get a bandaid, that'll work
Me: No, I'd rather not walk around with a bandaid on my face
Henry: But bandaids look nice
Me: It's a pimple
Henry: It looks like it hurts
Me: Not really
Henry: I know, maybe if I touch it it will make it feel better
Me: I don't think so
Henry: I'll get a bandaid, that'll work
Me: No, I'd rather not walk around with a bandaid on my face
Henry: But bandaids look nice
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Perfect Weather
I'm going to continue going on about the weather until it's all rainy and overcast again. I need to say it once more - it's perfect and the best thing about it is that Henry has not watched TV for two whole days. He's been happy and excited and has played outdoors. He filled his wading pool and entertained himself with that and the colander for almost two hours today while I passionately ironed our work clothes for the week. He asked his father to take him to the park to throw the frisbee, he painted and drove his cars up and down the pavement and only a few times did he ask me for a "treatie".
I want it to stay just like this until it gets cold again because I hate the fierce heat. Right now it's warm enough to swin and cool enough to be comfortable. I'm loving it and going to enjoy it while it lasts.
I want it to stay just like this until it gets cold again because I hate the fierce heat. Right now it's warm enough to swin and cool enough to be comfortable. I'm loving it and going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Monkey
Sharon mentioned how beatiful the weather was down there in her part of the country. It turns out that it's pretty perfect here too. Despite my aching tiredness (dinner with friends caused it), I am loving this calm, temperature-perfect amount of sunshine. So is Henry and I can't tell you when he was last so peaceful and contented. The two of us walked to the supermarket this morning to stock up on some supplies. I was weighed down like a pack horse on the trek home but still I wasn't bothered. We came home and made some mint green and pink play dough then sat down on the deck in the shade of the trees and set up a bakery full of green sausage rolls and a zoo full of pink animals.
Right now Henry is making himself sick with laughter at his own fart jokes. The sunshine must have affected his brain because as far as I'm concerned dinosaur fart jokes are much funnier than monkey fart jokes. He doesn't think so though.
Right now Henry is making himself sick with laughter at his own fart jokes. The sunshine must have affected his brain because as far as I'm concerned dinosaur fart jokes are much funnier than monkey fart jokes. He doesn't think so though.
Friday, October 17, 2008
So Proud
Look at me name dropping...I know this performer and I am so proud that she will be coming to help me celebrate my comin of age.
This would completely horrify my mother
But Henry thinks it's pretty funny. Farts are funny and I dare anyone to tell me otherwise.
Saving Lives
It seems that there's a lot of people out there trying to find someone to save their lives. After this post, which I titled Someone Come and Save My Life, my sitemeter has gone crazy and tells me that this post has been awfully popular by people google searching for a way to save their lives.
Those words are obviously in that song but I'm wondering if people are just generally looking for someone to save them from something - financial debt, erratic or suicidal thoughts, the need to go grocery shopping, a violent husband/wife, severe physical pain, the taste of bad coffee...who would know but there's a lot of people out there searching for something that may save them.
Is there a need to inform the newspapers about this?
Those words are obviously in that song but I'm wondering if people are just generally looking for someone to save them from something - financial debt, erratic or suicidal thoughts, the need to go grocery shopping, a violent husband/wife, severe physical pain, the taste of bad coffee...who would know but there's a lot of people out there searching for something that may save them.
Is there a need to inform the newspapers about this?
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Can anyone answer me this?
Why in heavens name would a dog need alphabet treats?
While shopping at the supermarket the other day I spotted just that - Alphabet Dog Treats. Do you think they're used to help the dog learn the alphabet in bark? If they recognise all of the letters of the alphabet do they then get an extra meaty treat like a bone?
Or maybe someone really clever came up with a way to teach their human children the alphabet by feeding letters to the dog -"Ok give the doggy a Z now". If the kid gets all the letters right they get to tease the dog by eating a T-bone steak in front ot it. Seems pretty sane to me.
While shopping at the supermarket the other day I spotted just that - Alphabet Dog Treats. Do you think they're used to help the dog learn the alphabet in bark? If they recognise all of the letters of the alphabet do they then get an extra meaty treat like a bone?
Or maybe someone really clever came up with a way to teach their human children the alphabet by feeding letters to the dog -"Ok give the doggy a Z now". If the kid gets all the letters right they get to tease the dog by eating a T-bone steak in front ot it. Seems pretty sane to me.
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