We’re sailing! Part II

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Not only is Hubs keen on sailing, he also wanted to do a bit of windsurfing while we’re here. We had originally thought about going to Lake Cootharaba – a favourite camping spot for both of our families – but with everything that’s been going on, it’s been a bit hard to plan, so we decided on a sailing and BBQ weekend right here at Woody Pt.

On Saturday we got the windsurfers out and it was perfect conditions for beginners with a nice, gentle breeze.

It was also a perfect day for sharing grapes:
(Chanbe with his friend Athena) 

The wind really picked up on Sunday, so my aunty and cousin brought their sailing boat up for a bit of a go.

We also had a bigger crowd:

I just love those days where you’re surrounded by family and great friends, enjoying the company and just hanging out. Oh, and taking walks in the park…

It’s my birthday week! (and I forgot!)

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It was my birthday yesterday and it just hasn’t felt like my birthday week this year. I don’t really know why. I have reminders for all of my friends and family’s birthdays a week in advance in my phone, and a week ago, a reminder popped up for my birthday and I thought “huh? Really??”

So anyway, I woke up yesterday morning (at 8:45!) to this:

which quickly turned into this:
If there’s a better way to wake up, I’m yet to find it. 

We then headed to our local Kiwi cafe, Jandals for this:

and this:
Sitting here:

We then went for a drive around Scarborough and dreamed about houses we might one day live in (you know, when we’re old and rich!) It was then coffee o’clock so we grabbed a couple of take-aways and went for a walk on the Redcliffe pier.

After dropping Chanbe off for an afternoon with Aunty Liesel, Hubs and I met my parents for a Gold Class screening of the second Sherlock Holmes movie. So. Much. Fun.

And to top the day off, we met up with our immediate family (there were 12 of us) for a scrumptious dinner at the Brekky Creek Hotel. By the end of the night, I finally started to feel like it was my birthday. And what a great one it was…

We’re sailing! – Part I

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Since being in Brisbane, Hubs hasn’t had a lot of luck with sailing. He has owned his hobie catamaran, “Big B”, since before we were together, and we have had a lot of great times on that boat. For the last 3.5 years however, it has been sitting in his Dad’s backyard, yearning to be free. So the boat was in our front yard within days of arriving in Brisbane.

The first day he took the boat out with BFF Ben, they cartwheeled the cat in really rough conditions resulting in this:

But you should have seen their faces. “It was totally awesome! You should have seen us!!” I’m kind of glad I didn’t as I probably would have been worried sick, but I’m glad they got some thrills in the process of smashing up the boat 🙂

So Hubs and Ben spent an evening building a new boat from the 2.5 boats Hubs owns, and had quite a bit of success. Um, except for the fact that when they took it out, it… um… almost sunk. After more fibreglassing of the hulls, Hubs and another one of his mates Nate had a great afternoon of sailing up and down the waterfront at Margate:

It turned out though, as you can see from the photo, the blue hull was taking on water again, but it was through the pylon, not the bottom of the hull, so Hubs has since sealed this leak and is keen to take “The Phoenix” out again.

Part II to come…

A package deal

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When I married Hubs, there were a few things that came with him, like the desire to live in many places and experience different cultures, the want to try new things as much as possible, a lot of electrical cables and wires, 2.5 hobie catamarans, an amazing family, and this:

Most of the people in this (very dark) photo (taken on New Years Eve) are a part of Hubs’ extended family, and they are amongst my most favourite people in the world. They welcomed me into the fold with open arms, and I feel I belong. And this is how they are with all they meet. Everyone is a part of their family and some of my best times in Brisbane are spent in their company.

I’m looking forward to so many more good times to come with these folk 🙂

A mammoth task

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We had Grandpa’s funeral and wake yesterday. I said to Hubs on our way to Nanny and Grandpa’s place, where the wake was held, that it feels much more final. When Nanny passed away, we still had Grandpa with us, but now that they’re both gone, I feel like “that’s it.” It’s a strange, not-nice feeling.

And the next job? Clearing out the house. The contents of the house was left to me in the will, so it’s up to me to determine what happens to what. I don’t really want that responsibility, but it’s mine and I will do my best to honour their wishes. This will also mean we’ll be spending a lot of time out there, and not so much time at our beachside holiday house 🙂 But that’s okay. It’s a job that has to be done.

We just have to work out where to start…

Amanda Huggenkiss

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Greetings. They can be tricky.

If 2 guys are meeting for the first time, it’s a handshake. If you’re seeing a male friend, again, it’s a handshake. If you’re really good male friends or family, you might throw in a hug (being careful to give 3 pats on the back to exert your manliness.)

If a girl is meeting someone for the first time, either male or female, a handshake is quite acceptable. But upon meeting that person again, a handshake can seem really awkward or impersonal. So do you go in for the hug? Or a little kiss on the cheek? (i.e. in the air next to the cheek) or do you keep your distance and give a little wave? Or do you pretend you have your hands full with your baby/toddler and avoid any kind of contact? (No, I would never do that. Maybe…)

It can just be so awkward sometimes. Someone goes in for the hug and/or kiss and the other person isn’t expecting it, or they go to both kiss on the same side or there’s the one-arm hug which is pretty half-hearted but good enough for some.

And what happens if you haven’t seen a friend for a while and you go in for the hug, and then you see them the next day and then a few days after that. Do you keep going in for the hug or is it kind of done?

The Europeans have got the right idea. Hug and kiss (2 or three times!) every time. Male or female, old or young, every situation is covered because it’s always the same. This takes the guesswork out of it and I’m sure makes greetings go much more smoothly.

I think part of the trick is confidence. If you’re going to go in for the hug and/or kiss, go in with confidence and make it obvious that that’s what’s about to happen. And just hope that the person who is about to receive the physical contact is ready for it 🙂

(The day before our engagement party, August 2007. There was nothing awkward about our intentions :-))

A numbers game

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(See here and here for previous numbers games)

in 2011…
20 (ish) – the number of full nights sleep I had
3 – the number of places we have lived
5 – the number of times we visited Brisbane
??? – the number of kms we’ve clocked up
1 – the number of candles on Chanbe’s birthday cake
2 – the number of Grandparents I lost
192 – the number of blog posts I published
8 – the number of awesome Mums I met who enrich my life

in 2012…
2 – the number of times we will move house
20 – the number of boxes of stuff I’d like to donate to Vinnies
4 – the number of tables/bench spaces I will strive to keep clear
2 – the number of semesters Hubs has left of medicine
1 – the number of PhDs Hubs will receive
1 – the number of blogs I’d like to beautify

Christmas 2011

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This year, Christmas day was held at the house we’re staying at, with both mine and Hubs’ families coming along. Which meant we didn’t have to travel anywhere all day long. All. Day. Long. This is quite significant for us, as every Christmas we have been together we have gone to at least 3 events on Christmas day, so it was just so nice to sit back, relax, and enjoy ourselves. I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the tale.

A mere 30 people gathered around the table(s) in the back yard

Just a few prezzies under the Christmas tree
A few of Chanbe’s Christmas presents (the pool as well as the outfit)
There was a bit of food
and a yummy Christmas Cake made by my Mum
And Santa came to give out the presents!
And boy were there a LOT of presents!
Including a very clever shirt for Grumpy 
(“Grumpy 
But not by Chance”)
Thanks to everyone for making the effort to come all the way out to our place for Christmas day. I can’t tell you how lovely it was to not have to move from our house all day, and to be with you all.