Lidia walked unaided!
And eats.
🙂
It is truly amazing!
She is getting better at an incredible rate.
The doctors are astounded.
We know we are loved by and serve an amazing God. The God of life.
Keep praying.
And pray for Kim’s friend’s little girl too.
Lidia woke up!
Just when the temperature finally heats up, all Sydney beaches are most miserably closed! It’s just not right! It’s just not summer! High winds in Queensland have severely affected Sydney beaches. The news reports that all beaches from Queensland to Sydney are closed!
This is completely bad news for my beach faring family! So far this season we have cancelled a couple of trips down to the beach due to the rough surf and hazardous conditions. We have sensibly resisted the powerful urge to swim in the unrelenting heat, till now. Today we finally succumbed.
My brother took the boys to see the first day of the second test at the SCG while I met up with a friend. It was a hot day. So hot that you couldn’t sit in your car for a minute without the aircon on. So hot that your clothes stuck to your skin, the air felt thick around you and sapped your mind of rational thought. Perhaps that’s why the promise of cool water was too much to resist. By 4:30 we had all found our way to Bronte. (Photos of Bronte here).
The beach was mush. Most of it was white water. Churning white water frothing on the surface hiding the terrible undertow. The beach was closed. I had walked down earlier in the day and had checked out the state of the surf. The beach was certainly too dangerous to swim in. Despite the hot day, no one was in the water. Actually, when I say “no one was in the water”, I mean no one was in the surf. Some people were paddling in the areas that were protected by the rocks. However the tow there was still quite strong and most people only went in up to their knees. The dangerous surf sign was up and the flags were down.*sigh*However, the Ocean Pool was open!
Waves periodically crashed over the walls turning the usually calm lap pool into a wave pool but it was safe. I walked down the steps and dipped my toes into the water expecting it to be refreshing but warm. It might as well have been ice. The water was sooooo cooooold but so enticing.
As I said, by 4:30 we were all at the Ocean Pool and while it took us some time to jump in, once we were in it was divine! Oh how I love the sea! We swam across the pool and climbed up onto the wall closest to the surf. Holding onto the ropes we braced ourselves for the crashing waves that splashed a spangled shower of salt and bubbles over our heads and into the pool. While the waves were of a frightening size they were not as strong as I expected them to be once they reached us having lost a lot of their power on the rocks (they would push you into the water if you were not holding on but were not strong enough to pull you free of your grip on the rope). Thus we spent the afternoon splashing but mostly being splashed by the beautiful ocean. [Ooh! and I just found out Rebecca’s theme for the month is weather! I guess now I can safely confess to having a few weather widgets on my dashboard! ]
NYE Fireworks Sydney 2008 ptI
These are the fireworks I would have watched had I stayed awake. Oops.We had a very nice family celebration at home, eating delicious food, waving sparklers and watching the 9pm Sydney fireworks. After desert it was bedtime for little men and a tired mama fell asleep next to them. It was a nice way to usher in the New Year in my opinion. Happy New Year all! May 2008 be a year in which you grow in your love for God and those around you!! Love to all!
NYE Fireworks, Sydney 2008, ptII
…so much fun!!! 
I am loving this game!
Let me know what your high score is. HT: Rebecca [She knows where all the fun stuff is!]
I have just been allocated an Extension English class for next year! Wooo!!!
I get to teach solid texts from the canon and I’m very excited about it.
My first task is to choose a theme or a character that has been represented in literature throughout the centuries. I have a few ideas. For example we could study ‘Heroes’ and look at Beowulf, The Odyssey, Ulysses as represented by Joyce in Ulysses and then I would need some contemporary texts including poetry and film. Or a closely related theme we could study could be ideas of ‘Saviours’ in literature throughout history. Or we could study the theme of ‘Redemption’ and look at Cry, the Beloved Country…
Ooooh! There are so many good options my mind is all a flutter! What theme would you study – either one of mine or of your own invention – and which film, poetry and fiction texts would you choose?
Tonight I began studying again!!!
Hehe!!!!
After lamenting the loss of study for nearly a year, I have decided to delve into the realms of discovery again! Oh how I love it!!! Tonight I began studying a subject that will be credited towards my Masters of Christian Education and already I’m feeling indulged!
I’m soooooo excited!!!!
Me & My Boys, Mt Perisher, 2007
Work has been hectic! So I’m heading for the bush. Not George Bush – as many fans and protesters are – but the Aussie bush. While George Bush has hit Sydney for the APEC conference, residents are being encouraged to stay out of the city. We’ve even been given the day off work on Friday in order to minimise traffic in the city. Mind you, George Bush is doing a good job of gridlocking the city with his enormous cavalcades! Did you know he is even followed by <strike>an</strike> six ambulances with the correct blood type in it ‘just in case’? Wow!
Anyway, as I am an obedient citizen I have decided to get as far away from Sydney as I could be bothered going for a weekend and so I am heading for the snow! Woooooo! Snowy Mountains here I come!
This year we have had some of the greatest snowfalls in years – though probably nothing like what some of you Northern Hemisphere people experience! So, although it is late in the season, there should still be plenty of fun to be had. In fact some resorts still have excellent conditions. Yay! My family are all going which will be fantastic! I love family holidays! After a experiencing a term at school with enormous amounts of work I just can’t wait to feel really snowed under!!!!
I graduated!
See!
Waahoooo!
My youngest calls it my ‘Congraduations’ which I think is lovely. It says it all and demonstrates great economy of language.
Check out the awesome graduation cake my mum and her friend made me…
It’s delicious!
And a friend also gave me the beautiful hyacinths behind the cake.
After a weekend at a church camp, my friend’s husband asked very casually over dinner, “So, what do I have to do to become a Christian and live a changed life?” I think she nearly choked! We are all dancing! It’s so hard to sit still!
Pray for him. Pray for her. Pray for their little family. And feel free to jump for joy with us or dance on a mountain top or anywhere else as we shout “WAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
God is good.
regainingparadise 