Hi Ho Hi Ho It's off to holidays we go

Thought I would let my loyal readers ( all 7 of you) know that there won't be much blogging action for a while. Assuming no major hiccups between now and when the plane departs tomorrow TeamSAK will be heading out of state for a very short break. Rather exciting when the furthest I had previously gone this year was the next suburb for my oncologist visit. Not taking the laptop either so will catch up with everyone else's news upon our return.

Kingsley and I are off to pack while Ahubby is working in Sydney. Bon voyage.

Happy anniversary - or is it?

Ahubby , bless his soul, gave me a wedding anniversary gift at 5.30 am before heading off to the airport. A silver package wrapped with a ribbon containing a sterling silver Georg Jensen locket. It was a contemporary design in the shape of half a heart. When the locket is open the full heart is revealed. Eleven years of wedded bliss and despite all the best intentions Ahubby still can't get the date right!

Not that it is really his fault. Even I get confused ( and not because of the brain tumour!). After checking the wedding certificate Ahubby declared the official day is tomorrow 27th September. I guess he gets bonus points for being early and having a gift.

The confusion arises because we eloped in New York after attending a friend's wonderful 3 day wedding in Monaco. We both knew it was a Friday and the day before the AFL Grand Final. In early December that year we held what we called a wedding celebration in the scenic grounds and restaurant at Delgany Portsea . It was there we announced to surprised family and friends that we had been already married nearly 3 months earlier.

Eureka- I've found it!

Have lost track of the number of times TeamSAK have walked the streets to school or the shops. Shows how much you take things for granted. Yesterday it took Kingsley to point out the Eureka Tower on our way home. It's the tallest one in the city skyline- only wish the power lines didn't obscure it in the photo.

Before my medical mishap this year Ahubby and I were seriously looking at Eureka Functions for a combined "significant" milestone birthday party.

A tourist attraction has now also opened . It is called The Edge and is a glass cube which project out 3 metres from the building approximately 300 metres from the ground. Not for the faint hearted or those afraid of heights! Who said there is no adventure in Melbourne? Experiencing the Edge is on our list of things to do.

Tea for Two ( or Three)

Day one of the school holidays and the most exciting thing Kingsley and I did was head to the local shops for morning tea. Quite an achievement in itself despite the fact it is only a 10 minute walk. Both of us are renowned for not finishing drinks so always ask for them in paper cups so we can take them away. Of course the obligatory mixed berry muffin to share was also ordered today but 1/3 of it ended up in a bag coming home with us as well. Poor Ted ( who was won at the Royal Melbourne Show by Ahubby on Sunday) just looked on , with those pleading eyes, desperate to sample the fare!

Showday Sunday

It was a coming of age for Kingsley today when Ahubby took her on her first visit to the Royal Melbourne Show. Having finished another strong cycle of chemo yesterday I would not have been able to walk around the large showgrounds and check out all the exhibits so stayed home alone. Next year I will be there!

I last went as a child with friends of the family who were dairy farmers and members of the Royal Agriculture Society who put on the annual show. I loved the animal enclosures, livestock, wood chopping events , equestrian events and of course the showbags. I suspect today there is a much greater commercial focus and less on the agriculture, crafts and cooking displays. Sadly, owing to the equine flu there are no horses this year. Kingsley has gone off clutching her $5 pocket money so I am guessing a (small) showbag will come home!

Breakfast like a King

The saying goes along the lines of "Breakfast like a King, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper" to set yourself up for the day and contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

On the weekend TeamSAK ran into triathlon friends we haven't seen for a while. Flip is another of my talented, competent and inspirational friends who has achieved a great deal. While I never intend for this blog to be commercial in any way I will proudly share the accomplishments of family and friends via these entries. Check out Flip's Muesli and her website ! You can also see her on some forthcoming TV shows going to air shortly.

100 not out!

A blogging milestone is being made today! 100 posts since starting this blog in mid June 2007. It is all due to Fairlie and M who encouraged me to take up this hobby and provided critical guidance in the early days. Thank you learned masters from little Grasshopper.

The next goal to is to find enough interesting material to make the 150 post mark before the end of the year.

Kid's Presents

Seems like Kingsley has a better social life than her parents. Almost every weekend there is a birthday party to attend for one of her school friends. It will surprise none of my friends that I like to be organised and usually think of a boy and a girl present idea at the start of the year and bulk buy for present pile. This way when the invites roll in it is a simple matter of going to the basement selecting the correct sex pile and wrapping the pressie ready to go. This year is a little different.

Given the demographics of our area most children really don't need any material items. This year some of Kingsley's friends have received membership to the PawPrints Club of the RSPCA as part of their gift. It is more of a community based present and obviously only suited to children with an active interest in animals. It is also a gift that keeps on giving by helping the organisation and by the child receiving quarterly magazines etc in addition to the fun welcome kit. The children seem to love receiving items in the mail as well.

The Inner Child

Ok I confess that I am just a big kid. This morning on my daily walk I took some time to "rest" at the local playground at the end of our street. Had a quick swing until the motion sickness settled in on top of this morning's chemo and even crawled through the red tunnel. I lay briefly down on the slide to enjoy the sunshine and imagined the animal shapes in the clouds above. It was so disappointing to have to leave to allow a group of toddlers to have their turn! Let's hope the inner child returns tomorrow.

Rain on the Sunshine Coast

Recent "once in a century " storms on the Sunshine Coast caused extensive damage to homes. Seems even TeamSAK were not immune. This is picture of what once was a pristine almost new internal garage roof of a house built to withstand low category cyclones! With nearly a metre of rain there was always the risk of some water penetration but we thought it may have come in via the garage door and not the roof. Needless to say our friendly insurance company are now on the case to assess this and the rest of the damage ! In the interim we have been granted $500 emergency funds to enable us to open the front door which has been damaged and can't open due to swollen water damaged internal floor boards. Guess that is why we pay insurance premiums for situations like this.

For the record thankfully the car which was parked in the garage was not damaged when the roof fell onto it!

My Friends are diamonds!

I am so lucky to have wonderful friends and family who have been so supportive during this year's journey. There is a saying that "True friends are like diamonds , precious and rare. False friends are like Autumn leaves- found everywhere!" TeamSAK are blessed with a quarry full of diamonds!

Unbeknownst to one of my "diamonds" Ronnie , I was a feeling flat as chemo had been delayed yet again. A surprise package arrived in the mail filled with fun items that bought a smile to my face. A packet of Minties ( it's moments like these you need .........) , a TimeOut bar ( we all need timeout ) and a Kit Kat ( have a break with ....). The thought and kindness of the gesture certainly brightened my day.

Rock Challenge

Our niece T1 has been rehearsing continuously most of the year with the school ensemble. Their school participates in the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge. A drug free event celebrating the creativity and skills of secondary school students. T1's school did very well in the early rounds and made the open finals held on Thursday 13 September.

WStar and I took Kingsley into Vodafone Arena to watch part of the production and to support T1. We sat near T2, TB , Mili and Phili and Kingsley's aunt TL. We saw 2 primary schools present their exhibition performances then watched 5 of the 12 senior open schools present their productions. Unfortunately we couldn't stay for T1's school as they were not scheduled until well after 10.15pm which was after all our bedtimes! . The order was only determined that morning and it was risk we took when we arranged the tickets weeks ago.

Even our short attendance gave Kingsley an overview of the talent various state and private school students could show. We understand there may be a TV production screening in early December and will keep our eyes open for that.

Drought proof trees

This morning was the annual student led portfolio conference discussion at Kingsley's school. This is run by the students who present a portfolio of their work covering all subjects to their parents. Our session also included a visit to the art room to see the tree sculptures. The metallic representation, mounted on a trunk offcuts, was prepared based on sketches the children had done of living trees in the school yard. Looks like a lot of the trees in our yard!

Springtime

My fellow bloggers Fairlie , M from EasternMax and Ronnie have inspired me to add to the spring fever blog entries. Their photos capture elements of spring- the blue Melbourne skies and the floral output. Being unable to nuture a garden I won't be posting a floral tribute. Being housebound in the House of Germs I was limited to walking to the end of our street which backs onto the river. Was lucky enough to capture some school children doing rowing practice. Yes- the river is always that brown colour!

Honey Joys

What do you get if you combine melted butter, sugar, honey and cornflakes? The classic treat called Honey Joys. Sad to say that S has never made them and it was left to Nanny Danny to make them with Kingsley after school today.

House of Germs

If it has been quiet on the blogging front lately it is because no one in TeamSAK has been feeling their usual bubbly and chirpy selves. Poor Kingsley started the reign of germs with a few bad days with a chesty cough complicated by the fact she has 3 loose teeth and another just cutting through the gum. Now Ahubby has been struck down by a dreaded lurgy. For the first time in Kingsley's lifetime Ahubby has taken sick leave for an illness. Drugged and tired he has adjourned to the spare bedroom to let nature and bag full of ( legal) drugs do their work.

The good news is that S passed her chemo related blood test this week ( without even studying!) and provided there are no dramas/illness between now and the next test on Monday should be back on chemo next Wednesday.

Dad's Day

Best wishes to all the dads who enjoyed being spoilt by their families today. In the house of TeamSAK we don't need a special day to tell Ahubby we love him and that he is a great dad. In a small concession to the commercialism of Fathers Day we gave Ahubby a new long sleeve top and 2 iTunes cards to fill his iPod with more songs. Kingsley and Ahubby also enjoyed pancakes for breaky.

DoS and Phili also got special attention.

Jazz Sounds

While Kingsley is not quite ready for the Noosa Jazz Festival being held this weekend she is now on her way. After diligently participating in recorder lessons she has mastered reading music and can even play Greensleeves . After a trial lesson with both the flute and clarinet she is now learning the Clarinet while continuing with violin as part of class instrumental. Benny Goodman , a true master of clarinet, jazz and swing, started playing when he was 10 years old so Kingsley has a bit of a headstart! Her first official lesson was yesterday.