Broken Boy Elijah

The wrist was first (aggressive inline skating). The knee came after coming off a scooter he wasn't supposed to be on.

Movie Insufficient for Gaynor

Even though we've lived and travelled across different parts of the globe now we still pine for the fjords of Australia.[1] Though it has only been just over four years, sometimes it feels like a different life. A couple of months ago we went along with my visiting brother Martin -- who has been out of Australia much longer than us -- and his wife to see Australia. We quite liked the film; fabulous cinematography, great story and what's not to like about Hugh Jackman? But it also didn't help Gaynor's missing-Australia itch, which she's had for a while now.

So when some relatively cheap tickets to Australia became available we had to make a decision. And the decision was that all children who had lived more than half their lives outside Australia were eligible for a return visit. Conveniently, this meant that the youngest (and therefore, cheapest) two would be heading back and Gaynor, obviously, would need to accompany a still-breast-fed Micah. So it was a win all round -- except for the older children, whom we considered already fortunate having lived more than half their lives in Australia. The next part of the conversation at the family meeting went something like this,

"Well, we would all very much like to go back to Australia but unfortunately that's not financially possible at this stage. So those children who are staying here, not only won't be able to go to Australia, but you'll also need to do extra work, picking up those jobs that your mother would normally do -- cooking, a lot of the cleaning, most of the washing etc. We realise that this is a tough ask, so what we'd like to do is shamelessly bribe you."

To this they all agreed and eventually -- after much negotiation, as is the norm in our house -- they decided on a new computer, primarily for the children. And so, yesterday we picked up a new Mac mini. This bribe also has the added benefit of getting the children out of my study.

Thus Gaynor is now set to fly back into Australia on the 4th of May and will be there for the entire remainder of the month. She'll spend most of that time in Brisbane with a week in Canberra. So while she may not be able to catch up with Hugh Jackman or Nicole Kidman, she will be spending a reasonable amount of time with family and close friends. And I believe that'll be sufficient for the time being.


[1] Though we do prefer kipping on our backs.

Easter 2009

While Good Friday is currently sacrosanct as a holiday in Australia and Germany -- indeed in many other countries that we've never experienced it in -- that's not the case in the U.S. At least, not in California. I'm told some other states do have it as a holiday but, well we don't live there. So as such, Elijah, Mara, Ariana and Bryna all had school that day, while Joshua is currently on spring break. Well, not so much of a break as an exaggerated bend -- it's merely a week off. Unlike many other general populace workers though, it was a company holiday for me. Not sure why exactly but it's good just the same. :)

So we had to be on our toes in order to continue one of our Easter traditions -- freshly baked hot cross buns on Good Friday. When I say 'we' I really mean 'Gaynor'. She was up early and had the buns baked in time for us to enjoy a good couple before dropping Ariana and Mara at school. Usually they catch the bus but driving them myself gave us just that bit of extra time.

The Devourees - the hot cross buns all prepared to fulfill their Easterly duties.

The Devourers - the family gathers for our Good Friday tradition.

Of course, the traditional condiment to accompany these delectable delights is nothing less than slatherings of butter. There are some things we are glad we have taken the time to carry on. :)