A while since the last post. Quite a lot has been happening.
The family went on a week’s holiday to Avoca last week, along with my elder sister and her husband who are visiting from England. It had its good bits and its bad bits.
Robert had a great time. He got to go to the beach twice a day on most days. We went to putt-putt golf (he’s getting very good at it) and took him to a driving range for the first time where they loaned him some cut-down clubs. Then he and I went ten-pin bowling. This is not easy for a five year old but they put up barriers so the ball can’t go into the gutters and they have light balls for kids (although Robert still has to throw it with both hands). Fun though.
The bad bit was that Pamela was a sick as a dog nearly all week – necessitating a trip to the doctor for anti-nausea treatment. I was fine until we got home, at which point I started throwing up. My sister is a Rain Goddess. Wherever she goes, it rains. The week was sunny until about Wednesday then wham. Hence ten-pin bowling.
By the time I got back to work I was totally stuffed. A colleague here has pointed out that coming back from holiday is always difficult. After you have been back a week a so, the hopelessness and despair become part of your existence again and you don’t notice them, but the first week is difficult. I am settling in.
On the positive side, I got to spend some time with my sister which is always fun. I got away from work for a week which is always worthwhile. And I guess having a job to come back to is not to be sniffed at.
We have been infested with tradesmen this week. The tree people have been and lopped the dead wood off our camphor laurel tree and cut off the bit which overhung our neighbour’s yard. The latter had been causing some angst on the neighbour’s part. Unfortunately, they also trimmed off some new growth at the bottom of the tree which had been shielding us from the the flats behind and was to provide cover for Robert’s tree house (which I am slowly putting together). We asked them not to but, of course, they knew better. We were not happy.
The bathroom is being refurbished. The 1920′s red tiles on the floor have been replaced with something a bit less dingy and sundry outstanding plumbing jobs are happening at the same time. I had to help carry the cast iron bath in and out as neither the tiler or the plumber turned up with an offsider. I seem to have avoided a hernia. The bathroom does look a lot better.
We had a swimming pool full of kids on Wednesday. Pamela has instituted a sort of open house policy on Wednesdays so we tend to get overrun. This is not a bad thing. It is good for Robert to have other kids around.
That’s about it for now. Time to head off to work and find out what today’s emergency is going to be.
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