Here I am, blogging with a seabreeze tickling my… ummm…. fancy? And enjoying what I see:
And when I’m at home blogging, this is what I get to look at:
So I’ve just informed Hubs, that no matter where we end up, I need a view. I need to feel like I’m part of the world, and not just part of the block we live on. It might have be something we work towards, but it’s definitely on my “to have in life” list.
It’s been 9 days since I’ve been on my laptop and man am I feeling out of the loop. I’ve still been checking my emails on my iPhone, but that’s it. No google reader, no internet banking (and lots of shopping! Oops!), and of course, no blogging. And I’ve really really missed it! I had been having lots of feelings of “could I be bothered with the whole blogging thing” lately, and it turns out that I could. I feel that this blog is a part of me now, and I’ve really really missed it. I need to download the blogging app to my mobile so I can blog on the run! Just something else to add to the to do list.
So I’m back! And I have lots to say! So here goes!
Well, I’m just going to ease back into it, as Hubs and I are going out for a romantic dinner tonight while Gran and Grumpy look after Chanbe. Oh, and I’ve fully weaned the little guy, so you’d better believe I’m going to have more than 1 glass of wine!!! (But probably not more than 2 as I have a very low tolerance for alcohol these days! Plus, you know, I still have to get up to Chance early in the morning!)
Our road trip up was fan-freakin’-tastic! Chanbe was amazing and napped for the morning drives, had a play on our long lunch breaks, and napped again in the afternoon! He has also learned a few new tricks that I can’t wait to share with you all!
So, coming up in the next few days:
– The road trip
– Chanbe turns 1! Another birthday party to report on including THE CAKE!
– The end of Movember 2011 and the great shave
– Cooking and playing with Chanbe’s cousins
– The biggest coffee I’ve ever purchased (and I’ve been to America!)
– Our home for the next 7 weeks
– Chanbe’s new tricks
And lots more as things happen! There’s going to be a lot of this in the next 7 weeks: (can’t wait!)
On our most recent trip to Brizzie, Hubs’ sister Lsl’s pool was empty, so Hubs decided it would make a tee-yodally awesome skateboard ramp! Woo!
Since that didn’t work out so well for him, he thought he might try with the BMX.
As Hubs was poised, ready to rumble, I was pretty sure he was just posing for the camera, but the thing about Hubs is that, deep down, he’s a boy. A boy who loves a bit of mischief, so it was still possible that he’d give it a go. But the shallow end of the pool wasn’t a challenge enough for him. So he went to the deep end….
Growing up, we were always surrounded by cousins. My brother’s and my first cousins are all withing about 13 years of our age and many times through the year we would catch up with them. This still happens, although a little less often now that a few of us aren’t in Brizzie anymore. I have such a special relationship with them, that it absolutely warms my heart to see Chance’s cousins adoring him so much.
On our last few visits to Brisbane, Chance’s cousin Josie was such a great help and was always ready to volunteer to look after Chance. She also became quite good at feeding him!
I’m really looking forward to seeing their relationship develop, as I’m sure they’ll be great friends as they get older. And I’m also pretty sure Josie will be volunteering for babysitting duties in the not-so-distant future!
Hubs and Chanbe and I have been back in MB since last Friday after being in Brizzie for the week. Nanny’s funeral was on Thursday and it was just lovely. We celebrated a life well lived and told stories and shared some tears as well as some laughs. I said a few words and mentioned that I was waiting to be overwhelmed by sadness and emotion but it hadn’t happened yet, because I know she had an amazing life and she lived long enough to see her sons grow up into men and have children of their own. She was also around to see her 2 grand-grandchildren, and I reckon that just completed her. Life won’t be the same without her, but we have the most amazing memories to cherish for a long time.
Grandpa moved to a nursing home yesterday, so we’re hoping he settles in well there.
This is the last video of Nanny and Chance that I filmed, on the 19th of June.
Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers. They have been very much appreciated.
Although our time in Brisbane was sad, we also had some lovely times with family and friends.
We had a pretty rough night with Chance last night, and he’s having a very good nap at the moment. I know I should be too, but there’s just too many other fun things to be doing! Like catching up on my Google Reader, reading my emails, and sitting on the couch drinking coffee, enjoying my view.
We all arrived back home to MB late Saturday night (about midnight!) and had a really great relaxing day yesterday in preparation for Hubs’ first day at his new position today. We left Brisbane on Friday which was a bit sad, but we had a lovely time visiting, although it was bitter sweet. It was so lovely seeing Hubs again after almost 2 weeks away. We headed over to Nathan and Cal’s for dinner and sleepover which was, as always, lovely and relaxing. We had a bit of a sleep in Saturday and after some brekky, headed over to Uncle Wayne and Aunty Alida’s for lunch. And boy were we in for a treat!
AA knows how much we love home-made gnocchi, so that’s what was on the menu! We were lucky enough to get there while it was all being prepared, so I was able to get some handy hints for my next attempt.
After lunch (which included tiramisu for dessert!) we headed to Albert Park to watch Chance’s Godfather, Dr Luke, play a friendly game of footy. Not long after we arrived, one of the guys was injured so they asked Hubs if he’d like to play. Would he ever!
(That was a pretty dumb photo to take – Hubs is out there somewhere!) Hubs had a great time, and although he got a bit battered and bruised, it was good to have a run around with the guys. He helped set up a goal and made a few good tackles, including one on Dr Luke! We cheered on from the sideline on a lovely Melbourne afternoon.
We left the park around 5pm and headed to Wangaratta for dinner with Kyra and Stephan and Frederick, arriving around 8pm. We were treated to delicious lasagne, salad and garlic bread. It’s always so hard to leave their house and the time flies by so quickly! We dragged ourselves away at 10pm and after a fuel stop, got home at 11:45pm. We collapsed into bed and Chance had a pretty good night so that meant we did too.
After such an emotional, albeit wonderful 2 weeks in Brizzie, the day of family, friends, and great food, was just what I needed to lift my spirits.
Chance has been asleep for over an hour and a half now, and it’s almost time for lunch. (Looking at those gnocchi photos has made me hungry!) And the sun has come out, so we might go for a walk after we eat. This is the view I’m looking at right now. Pretty nice, huh?