C Day!

So...just when I had almost forgotten that I had applied for Australian Citizenship 18 long months ago today I finally get an email inviting me to my Citizenship Ceremony on August 26th at 10.00 am. It will take place in the Town Hall at Warwick...I hope I can stand on that central balcony afterwards and wave to the gathered crowds.I am welcome to bring any friends and family along to witness the ceremony.Who's coming?  Anybody?Sigh. I expect it will just be Will.I have to provide a small description about why I am choosing to become an Australian Citizen and why I am settling on the Southern Downs. This will be read out at the Citizenship Ceremony to introduce me.I suppose I can't say I collect passports and I am going for a New Zealand one next. Nor would it be wise to say 'So I can vote out this ridiculous Australian Government and our rotten Mayor'...as she might be there at the Ceremony.I could say ' Well, with Brexit who wouldn't want a 'get out' clause?' As for settling on the Southern Downs I might say 'Well, I was never keen on drinking water or showering for that matter, so it seems like the perfect place!'I promise I will give it more thought.

The cheek of it!

So...this morning we were awakened by a metallic, rattling sound. At first we were not sure if it was coming from inside or outside but paying closer attention we soon discovered it was coming from inside. Will got up to investigate but saw nothing. He got back in bed and a few minutes later whatever it was, was at it again!He peeped down into the kitchen to see if he could see it and spotted an antechinus nibbling at an oil soaked pastry brush. A few months ago we had a mouse that was coming in under the sink but Will  had blocked off all the possible entrances/exits so we couldn't understand how this antechinus was getting in.There was no sign of it after we got up but tonight as we were sat down to tea the cheeky thing trotted along the central counter top as bold as you please while we were sat at the table.I hadn't seen one before but it was bigger than a mouse yet smaller than a rat. It just nosed about the counter top among the makings of our tea until I jumped up to rescue the banana bread that was cooling by the cooker.The cheeky thing then ran down the central post and across the floor and under the sofa.So we gave it a choice to leave and never come back or take its chances with the trap that we set.This story ends about 10 minutes later when it made a poor decision and chose the trap.R.I.P Houdini the Antechinus.

Drought! 2

Click the link below:A local news article.

The 'Book Cave' Book of the Week.

Familiar faces.

So...I survived my first day back at 'the chalk face' for 2019.I really don't know why but again, also for the first time this year, I was physically sick before I headed off this morning. It is a weird psychological thing that I can't seem to avoid.I had visited the class yesterday to chat with the class teacher about the planning  and had found half the class missing due to illness. It gave me hope and yet one of the class challenges, we shall call 'Little B' was sat there grinning at me."How are you feeling?" I asked."Fine" he said."Are you sure you're not feeling a bit dodgy and might need a day off tomorrow?" I asked hopefully. He shook his head and grinned like a demon.'Little B' was now in Year 1 and I was told he was nothing compared to 'even littler B' who had arrived in Prep. She was away sick yesterday so I left hoping it was something fairly debilitating and not one of those namby pamby 24 hour bugs.The first person I was greeted by this morning was the grinning 'Little B' and then lo and behold in walked 'even littler B'. Oh Joy! My angels were obviously far too busy helping distraught people in the UK come to terms with their new Prime Minister.Thank goodness for the classroom assistant that's all I can say. She new how to deal with these 'Little B's' and how much BS was acceptable.Within five minutes of the first lesson (reading) starting 'Little B' was whisked off, ranting loudly,  by the Principal. It all happened so fast that I really didn't know what was going on as he hadn't been in my reading group but we didn't see him again for an hour.'Even littler B' seemed quite sweet but that's the thing with demons they lure you into a false sense of security and then spit in your eye. She didn't spit in my eye but I had been warned that she might lick me.She didn't lick me at all during the day and I didn't know whether to be upset about that or not.It was really a doddle of a day. I didn't have any playground duties but then I had forgotten my hat and that is a cardinal sin here in Australia. The classroom assistant stepped in to take them for 'Phonemic Practice' as I had never done it before. I think I do know what a phoneme is but really at this age it's like teaching greek to jellyfish for all the good that it will do. I did think classroom assistant was brave asking for rhyming words to 'mist' and 'hook' but thankfully the air didn't turn blue.I spent the final hour of the day in the Year 2/ Year 3 class with more familiar faces of years past. We did some maths and a bit of geography and they were all well behaved which was a bit of shock after previous experience with some of them but they were pleased to see me so that was nice.I was glad when 3.00 pm came and took them of to the school gate and there bumped into Toerag.Yes, Toerag lives.He was in Year 1 when I first met him and now he is in Year 4. He seems like he has settled down a bit but there is still a little of the 'demon' about him. I can tell.