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Finally a blog post! Honestly, I have been meaning to get to this for DAYS and WEEKS. Well, here it is at last! Time for a cuppa and a read!
One reason that I’ve been finding it so hard to get here is that I have been INSANELY busy for the last month or so. Of course, I finished up my part-time Office Manager job about a week before Christmas and then it was Christmas craziness (good crazy) and then school hols all of January. I had a great time hanging out with the kids. We didn’t really do that much - mostly we just hung out at home - but we did go ten pin bowling, saw a few movies, went to Questacon, swam at Pine Island, played card and board games and we even went to Melbourne. I guess we did do a bit, after all!
Melbourne was a lot of fun.  I flew down with Jack and Emma (thanks Paul for the points!) and that was exciting already for them.  We sat over the wing there and back and Jack LOVED looking out, especially when exciting things happened like the flaps moving up and down.  On the way back, Emma felt funny and then had a tiny vomit (thank god for those little paper vomit bags!) but she was fine again right after.Â
Of course, that gave me a great opportunity to tell the kids about a (truly disgusting) prank that Barry Humphries used to do.   I think it happened in the 70s on a TAA plane, though I could be wrong about that. He took a tin of condensed soup onto the plane and quietly tipped it into a vomit bag and tucked the vomit bag back away in the seat in front. A little while later, he makes a big scene of grabbing the vomit bag andthen he makes horribly loud vomiting noises for a little while, before looking inside, grabbing a spoon and EATING it in full view of the horrified passengers. It’s soup, remember! How horrible is that story? I LOVE it though. Anyway, back to Melbourne…
Churros on Brunswick Street, Melbourne. Churros are Spanish donuts that you dip in melted chocolate. to.die.for. We made quick work of them.
We had a great time in Melbourne, staying for about 4 days. My bestie Yvie and her husband Dan had a gorgeous baby back in October and we were SO happy to finally meet her. She is absolutely gorgeous and it was such fun. It was a little stressful at times, trying to keep the kids quiet and all that but I needn’t have worried really as Dan and Yvie are easygoing and understanding about noisy older kids who don’t seem to have a volume button. It was so nice to hang out with a baby again, they truly are just gorgeous things.  Yvie and Dan seem so relaxed and confident, and they are just loving their new time as parents.Â
Batman Park, above and another awesome park I forget the name of, below.
We went to quite a few parks, CERES for lunch, and Brunswick Street for window shopping and Churros. We even ran into my niece Ruth and her mum Sascha while we were there, and stopped at a cafe to catch up - such a great surprise!Â
We caught lots of trams (including a couple of wrong ones - no dramas though, thanks to the iPhone GPS I knew where I was and how to get back) and we did lots of walking. It was the week just after the massive heatwave, so we were very glad it had cooled down a bit by the time we got there. We went to the Melbourne Museum, which was awesome and we met up with Al (SIL) and her lot for a play in the park just outside. We had such a great time away and then we came back to another few weeks of holidays at home - I love Summer!
Cool Kids: Jack and Emma with two of their other three cousins, Kyle and Cam (the third one, Kenzi, ran away!)
Besides all that, I have been really busy on the work side of things too.  I am going to save that for the next blog post though…Â
Writing a regular personal blog is hard work, especially if you want to keep it interesting enough for other people to keep reading. Having an idea is one thing, but you then need the time and skill to articulate it in on the page. Suddenly something you do for fun is starting to look suspiciously like work.
Meanwhile Facebook is quick and simple - just bash out a sentence and you’re done. Reader feedback is almost instataneous, and is from your friends, so you’re encouraged to continue.Â
I am determined to keep the blog going though, so don’t worry. With my life so busy right now, I may not get here as often as I would like, but I will just have to make time! I do love blogging!
This morning I was laying in bed, awake but relaxed and not ready to get up yet. The phone rang and it was my mum calling to tell me that I was in the newspaper! …
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Social butterfly. I have taken to using Facebook in a big way lately. I am in love with checking the Live Feed and posting links and status updates. It is the best way to stay …
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Can you BELIEVE that it’s about to be a brand new year?  It will be a new decade too… Of course, this is a time to look back on the past and wonder what the future might …
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On Sunday, I was Event Photographer for local self-published success story, Tania McCartney who was launching the second children’s picture book in her Riley series – Riley and the Dancing Lion.
above: Tania’s newest children’s book, …
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Through my business Red Instead, I recently had the pleasure of taking some Product Photos for Michelle from Poppy, Bean and Bloss.
It was a lot of fun to pose the toys and dolls, and to …
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I’ve been doing a bit of behind-the-scenes tidying up and organising. Files and folders on my computer, font management, sorting out links and banners for my new business (as above) and much more.
One thing …
Handmade Market on the weekend was absolutely fantastic - again! So many wonderful stalls and so well organised - thanks Julie. It was stinking hot (38.9 Celcius) but the people of Canberra still came in …
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If you’re in Canberra, lucky you! Handmade Market is on again this weekend!  Friday night from 5pm to 9pm and again on Saturday from 10am to 4pm.  Held at the gorgeous Yarralumla …
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I have BIG NEWS! Next year I am going to go to Uni to get a Bachelor of Graphic Design degree. I am SO excited! It will be a big change, and of course we …
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Today was Mathilda’s Market - a new market to Canberra (today was the second time) and I went along to take a few photos.
I didn’t have a stall there today and I won’t be having …
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What a week it’s been! It started with Paul’s parents coming for a visit from Victoria, which was great! Love seeing them and we wish we lived closer so we could get together more often. …
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Paul and I went along to “An Evening to Remember” on Monday night, which was a social event for Bosom Buddies, which is a non-profit organisation that supports women with breast cancer in Canberra and …
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I run RED INSTEAD, a graphic/web design and photography business, and RED INSTEAD handmade making clothing, women's handbags, jewellery, art and collages, gocco and lino prints, papercraft, cards and lots more. |
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I really miss this boy. Jack left for school camp yesterday. He’s only 8!
I’m sure he’s having the BEST FUN EVER but I miss him.  More than I thought I would. I hope he’s warm …
Happy Anzac Day! This is the day in Australia and New Zealand that we remember and thank all those who have served in war, and especially the ANZACs who fought at Gallipoli in WW1. Many …
Congratulations to Fiona who won the shoulder bag I was giving away in my Happy Blogiversary to Me post the other day. I had 18 comments (one of them mine, replying) and so I used …
I have been busy making some new things for the upcoming Handmade in Bloom market - on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th September at the Yarralumla Woolshed. Â See below for much more info about …
I went along to Bek’s baby shower this afternoon - though I think I wrote Bec not Bek on her card! Sorry about that! I got to meet Bek’s gorgeous sisters and a few of …
Congratulations to Fiona who won the shoulder bag I was giving away in my Happy Blogiversary to Me post the other day. I had 18 comments (one of them mine, replying) and so I used …
