First Day at Nippers! (Junior Lifesaving)

Today was Sophia's first day of Nippers.  She is now a junior member of the North Curl Curl Surf and Lifesaving Club (NCCSLC).  Nippers (aka junior lifesaving) is a real Sydney tradition and pretty much every beach has a program.  We joined North Curl Curl because 1) we have a friend who was able to get us in (we applied at 3 other places with no luck) and 2) it is a real surf beach so Sophia will actually be able to put what she learns to the test.  It was truly one of those experiences that reminds you how far you are from Austin, Texas.  The photos I took probably don't do it justice - but picture a hundred kids from 6 up dressed in green and yellow "rashies and togs" and running drills in the beach and the ocean.  Here is the official description:  "Nippers is about learning, confidence and having fun in a safe beach environment. For Nippers, the beach is the classroom. They gain confidence by passing the ‘tests’ of swimming, body boarding, beach sprints, dolphin-diving, spotting a rip, having fun with new friends and discovering things about themselves."   Parent volunteers run the program and keep everyone safe.  Sophia had a fabulous time, as you can probably see from these photos.  It runs nearly every Sunday from now through February so there are many adventures ahead! 

Another Day, Another trip to the ER

I don't know what's going on but I just can't seem to stay well!  My "bacterial tonsillitis," which I thought had been cleared up, has now turned into something called "Quinsy."  Evidently, Quinsy is a peritonsillar abscess and is most common in TEENS.  Crazy that I would have it, particularly since I've never had any issues with my tonsils.  I went to the doctor yesterday morning and they sent me to the ER, where I spent 7 hours getting antibiotics and steroids pumped into my system.  I'm told I will most likely need a "procedure" to have my left tonsil drained in the next 24-36 hours.  I can hardly wait.  But I am feeling a bit better (and am able to eat) so I'm hopeful that it won't come to that. Surely yesterday's drugs combined with the 3 oral antibiotics I'm on will do the trick.
Oh, and remember how I've been complaining about parking?  Well, the hospital is no different.  I actually had to leave the ET (emergency triage) in between IVs to move my car (parked 3/4 mile away and the closest one i could find) to avoid a $500 ticket.
But, aside from my health and driving issues, I really do love it here.  More on that next time...
(PS - the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup - hurray!  Perhaps Andy will now be home a bit more. . .)

Mama Grizzly Take 2

Andy and I were watching TV last Friday night when I saw a large spider scurry across the floor.  After a brief panic, we leaped up, turned on the light and tried to find it to no avail.  That spider has been in the back of my mind ever since, prompting me to ask our agent about pest control and installing some weather stripping under the door that leads from the garage to our house (which I'm 99.9% sure is how the spider got into our house.)  But its been over a week since the sighting so I'd almost forgotten about the whole thing. Until a few minutes ago when it crawled right back into my consciousness. . .
Well, there was no way I was going to let that spider stay in my house another day.  I gathered what I felt were essential supplies - my iphone (in case it bit me and we needed to ID it), the largest tupperware container and lid i could find (guess i was thinking of letting it live at this point), a metal spatula (needed the distance and a way to kill it if necessary), a copy of the FT (you never know) and a colander (no idea.)  Oh, and I opened the front door, too.

Here is the end result: 

And, yes, this story is eerily similar to the time in Austin when the snake crawled into our house.  (Another time when Andy just happened to be out of town.)   And both stories just go to show you that there is nothing more powerful than a mother's instinct to protect her young. The spider put up a good fight (sorry about the collateral damage to your office, andy) but it was no match for me and my spatula. 

So, to all you venomous spiders and snakes lurking in the wilds of Australia:   Don't Mess with Mom! 

The Best Zoo Ever

destination360.com

I started a post yesterday about how much I hate my GPS but it is a beautiful Spring day and so instead I'm going to do a commercial for the Taronga Zoo, which in my completely unqualified and biased opinion is the best zoo in the world.  It has amazing views of Sydney Harbor, is too big and full of animals to see everything in one day and is immaculately maintained.  Almost everyone who visits Sydney visits the zoo (it is a 12 minute ferry ride from downtown) so I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks it is awesome.  But now that I live here, I love it even more.  And it is only 10 minutes from our house.  I've been there several times but this was Sophia and Zachary's first visit and it was so fun to see it through their eyes.  Zachary's favorite part of the zoo was the giraffes and Sophia's favorite part was riding on the train and seeing the bears.  I have no doubt that we'll be getting our money's worth out of our membership!  Sophia brought her camera and took about 200 pictures. . .the one featured here is not one of them.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend.  Big rugby game tonight - Go All Blacks!

French Lessons

Sophia has daily french lessons at her new school.  (Clearly, we aren't in Texas anymore. . .)  Before bed last night, she did a little performance for us.  Enjoy!

Pass the Vitamin C, Please

Our  immunity systems are in no way prepared for the onslaught of Aussie germs and viruses that seem to be assaulting us at every turn. Zachary was the last to fall ill but he has not only been hit the hardest, he has taken me with him.  We are now very acquainted with the nearby medical center and I love that you can set appointments up online in the middle of the night for the following morning.  We took Sophia to school and then headed straight to the doctor, where they eventually realized that they'd better find a room for us as we were scaring people in the waiting area - Zachary was screaming that he wanted to go home and "didn't want to have his equipment checked" (no idea where that came from) and i was just rocking him as I shook with fever. 
We have both been diagnosed with bacterial tonsillitis and are on antibiotics.  I can't remember the last time I was this sick. Fortunately, Andy is on his way home from work and a friend from Sophia's school is going to help with pick-up. . .Z and I are going back to sleep. . . 

Pirates, Pikelets & Playgrounds

We headed down the street to the Kirribilli markets this morning.  We had breakfast at a little cafe and then wandered through the artisan stalls.  We made a few purchases - some local olive oil, fresh bread, a pirate's costume and a floral headpiece.  Then we stopped to play for awhile at a local park.  The photo
probably doesn't do the view justice, but here is Sophia with the Harbor Bridge directly behind her.  We are loving all of the local parks - seems like there is one on nearly every corner and they are all beautifully maintained.  And the views aren't half-bad either. Ha!
We are nearing the end of "spring break" - Sophia heads back to school on Tuesday.  It has been raining off and on for the past two weeks - but the sun always seems to show up at some point and rain is still a bit of a novelty given the drought conditions we've had in Texas for the past several years. 
The Rugby World Cup continues to dominate our weekends but Andy decided to watch the quarter-finals from home so at least he is in town.  (And he has made huge progress on setting up the office and family room so that makes me very happy.)    New Zealand is playing Argentina tonight.  If the All Blacks win, Andy will be in NZ for the semis and the finals.  Australia is still in the tournament, too, so if they both win tonight they will play each other next weekend. . .
Will end this post with a photo of our grouchy pirate, who is digging a giant hole in the backyard as I write.  Had better go save the garden.