Naidoc

Uh-oh, over a month without posting; I fell off the horse, which is topical because all sorts of very talented horse-people have been tumbling from horses in Greenwich Park . However, since I am the most committed of wannabe-Olympians, here I am...back on the horse. This post has been several weeks in the crafting so is not ever so current but, hopefully, from now on it's business as usual!

Non-stop brilliance and fun recently, with 'Joseph' as the icing on the cake. Speaking of which, here's what I made for morning tea today....

Cinnamon Sticky Buns (from the front cover of June's Feast mag). They were da bomb!

This week is NAIDOC Week, a week to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I was helping to (wo)man the 'health check' stall at TP's NAIDOC Fair and we needed some morning tea to fortify us. There was an obscene amount of butter in those cinnamon sticky buns so it was a case of "do as I say, not as I do" (as is so often the case in many of the health promotion/education activities I participate in... 'rethink drink' anyone??!!). Anyhoo, it was a great morning. Loads of people came to have their blood pressure, blood sugar, weight and waist measurements taken, and loads of people avoided us!!

Kirsti and Susan avoiding the scales :)

Our groovy tent.

 

In related news, although I don't know if it qualifies as news any more, I am the new School Health Nurse/ Community Generalist for Tom Price and Paraburdoo. One of my favourite places to hang out is the Welcome Centre at F and E's school where the students who come in on the bus from the outlying communities can go before and after school.

 

I try and divide my time between the four schools I service but since F and E are at 'Central' I end up there a fair bit. Here I am being very official at the opening of the school's new early childhood buildings:

This poor Year 7 student was waiting at the school's entrance to welcome me while I snuck in around the back. One of the School Officers came to fetch me and take me back to the entrance so I could be officially shown to my seat!!

Look how important I am, I have my name on a seat!!

Joseph!!

For the past 3 months Freya and a bunch of other talented yoof from TPPS have been rehearsing for the school production of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat'. They have just finished a 3 night run. Every show was well attended and they were all so fabulous. We were bursting with pride.
Freya said, "can I have a post all about me?". I said, "sure".

Freya and her gorgeous pals.

The audience were very excited.

Jacinta and Rosemary (Freya fan-club members).

Freya is Reuben, one of Joseph's 11 brothers.

Freya's solo song, "One More Angel in Heaven". Dodgy lighting and dodgier camera operator means this is the only semi-decent pic of Freya in her spotlight moment. She was sooo good, heaps of people congratulated me on her performance, I was happy to take some of the credit!!

Taking a well-deserved bow :)

Bouquets after her third and final performance xxxx

Freya is awesome and beautiful and talented and brave (hit in the head with a bag of marbles during a scene change on the second night, she had a bit of a cry backstage and then carried on!).
I suspect we might see her name in lights one day soon :)

RED

Y'all remember my book club? It is an excellent book club. We are RED club (Reading Eating Drinking). We take it in turns to pick a book and host a get together where we eat, drink and briefly discuss the chosen book. These are the books we've read to date:

Red Dog by Louis De Bernieres (me)

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (M-M)

Cocktails Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller (Dr SG)

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo (Mons)

The Songmaster by Di Morrissey (Fi)

Grieve by Lizzie Wilcock (Beth)

Ours is a small but hard-core group of friends and readers. We are about to get a bit smaller and more hard-core with the departure of (founder-member) Mons, and our next book: Shades of Grey (with thanks to Mrs T). 

Mons arrived in TP shortly after LAFE and what she has managed to pack into 18 months makes us seem like a lazy bunch of stay-at-homes*.

Gratuitous Freya photo

Today we had a farewell lunch for Mons at the hospital. There were tears...

And presents...

Mons will be missed all over town. Personally I'll miss her as a colleague, a fellow RED and a netball team mate. We hope that Mons will fly up for future RED club meets and the Netball Finals, where the currently undefeated KDs are likely to end up!!

Stinky-Roo, honorary RED member.

Awesome RED women (sorry M-M, this was the only photo of the three of you!)

Cahhhhn the Bloooes!!  Team KD: killing it on the court, FO SHIZ!!

* If you'd like another perspective on Tompers, have a quick google of 'Mons does Tom Price', you'll find some great writing, hilarious anecdotes and pretty pictures!

What Esther did next (with added Freya)

Time to get back on the horse and bring y'all up to date.
We have been back in TP for over a month, but what a month, there have been changes...of which more in future posts.
This post is all about E and a few of her recent highlights.
Esther has just been bought by Ashburton United for $3,000,000. This is a record fee for an under-7 player but I think she's worth every cent.

She scores goals you know!

Providing support for her team mate, as is every other player on the pitch! Watching these games is so joyous...and hilarious. I smile loads on Sunday mornings but have to remember to keep my inner "soccer mom" in check...found myself yelling "REF!" last Sunday as some 5 year old kid pulled on the shirt of a United player!

Half-time huddle

Is there a cuter soccer star? Hmm, let me answer my own question: Lucas Neill is a total cutie. So let me re-phrase...Is there a cuter under-7 girl soccer star? Answer: NO!

Esther is a Rainbow Guide, which I think is what they call Brownies these days and has nothing to do with the LBGT community. Last week was her Promise Ceremony, a big deal in Guide-life. She had her promise down pat. I was 100% chuffed, E was 200% chuffed.

Esther's Brown Owl is lovely. I was a Brownie for about 3 weeks, I can't remember my Brown Owl but I recall that Barn Owl and her daughter were a couple of b!$&hes, hence only being a Brownie for 3 weeks.

Proud little Rainbow :)

Already working on her cake-decorating badge!

You were promised a bit of Freya, here she is:

Getting all maternal with Stinky-Roo, the joey that her friend M is raising.

Is HP more fun than TP?

I had promised Freya a surprise while we were on holiday and for the first week she hounded me about it. Then we did so many new and exciting things, saw so many friends and family and had so much fun that she forgot all about the surprise.
Arriving back in GB after Cyprus we told the girls that since G had been so poorly and missed out on all sorts of Mediterranean adventures he should choose our first post-holiday destination. He decided that we would go to...SOLDIER WORLD!
F and E good natured-ly went along with this although, unbeknown to them and sadly for G, Soldier World does not exist. We were off to Leavesden studios for The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour. Here's Freya (reading the 6th Harry Potter book) realising where we are:

Now, I am perfectly aware that not everyone shares Freya's fanaticism for all things Potter (looking at you JT!) but the studio tour was totes amazing. Both Grandma and G, who are NOT Potterphiles, have been boring the pants off telling anyone with functioning ears about the studios and what we saw there. It really was an incredible day out and comes highly recommended. 

Little bit excited.

Gryffindor Witches.

Freya learns to fly a broomstick.

Butterbeer, cheers!

All aboard the Knight Bus.

Goblins.

Buckbeak.

Diagon Alley.

Model of Hogwarts School.

Happy campers.