First Week in Tafe

This week was my first week back in the scary world of studying and learning. I have five assignments and I don't know where to start. My first day I was terrified about who would be in my class and what the teachers would be like now I am just worried I won't be able to pass. I just hope I can take it all in and walk away with a certificate.

My class is a good mixture of ages and sexes which is great. I have met some really nice people. The teachers though all seem to be stale so to speak I think they are wishing they were some place else. Given what they are teaching it is understandable. I think they want to be out in the field doing the revegetating instead of teaching it.

My first assignment I have decided to do Lyngbya an algae that smothers the vegetation in Moreton Bay thus killing off the food supply to some of our native wildlife in the bay. I have to really get my head around it all. But on an up note I get lots of day trips around the Redlands and we have to assess and revegetate a few plots in the area so that in years to come we can go back and say we did that.

I can't believe that two weeks ago I was in England and now I am back to reality with a bump. I even went to work today for 3 hours and I have to work next week. Oh God to be on holidays again.

Our Trip

Steve and Terry (Steve's cousin) who picked us up from the airport and showed us the sites around Dorset.

Steve in a heated room (doesn't he look happy). The start of our holiday.

Steve and I at Swanage (it was freezing)

Steve with his apendage (his camera never a long distance away).

Our Chickens

We decided to move our girls to a new spot in the backyard on the weekend because they had been in the same spot for months. What fun that turned out to be, each of the girls got really lost come bed time as their roost had been moved, so Steve and I for the first time in ages had to round them up and put them into their new position (as quick as we caught one and put her into the pen she would escape while we were catching the others, talk about running around like chooks with their heads cut off, sorry about the pun couldn't resist but that was what we would have looked like).

While doing this one of the girls decided to roost under some lemon grass that we have growing, when I moved the grass aside and picked her up much to my surprise we found that she had been using that site for quite some time because we found 12 eggs two broken and the rest we are going to check for freshness. So while we have been complaining that one of the girls has not been laying, she has in fact been laying outside of the nest.

So I now have to check out all their little hiding spots that they disappear to and see if there are any more eggs in the backyard.

Back in Aussie

We are back from the United Kingdom and Europe. What can I say, it was fantastic. Enjoying all the sites and the people was an eye opener. The welcome home was great. I am really looking forward to sleeping at this point (in my own bed). Have spent 48 hours travelling but I don't feel tired. I have to go to tafe tomorrow to register for my course I hope I don't fall asleep. I now have the bug to explore more countries but don't have the money so will have to save like crazy to explore more of our great world out there.

If you are into travel and have the money lucky you.

Overseas

Well we are overseas and a lot of fun it has been. I have seen so many different places and it has been great, but it has been really cold. We have had some fine days which has been good, the bad weather seems to be a couple of days behind us (thank god). I have seen so many places that I have only previously seen in movies or on the news. There is so much history over here it is amazing. Listing everything I have seen would take pages and pages so I won't bore you hopefully when I get back I will post some photos. (And bore you then)

We are in Rome at the moment and have free internet hence the blog entry. Went on a bus tour today costing 15 Euro ($23 Aus) each and saw most of Rome, the ticket is valid until tomorrow lunch time so we are hoping to see the Trevi Fountain (one thing I want to see from all the old movies I used to watch).

We are here until Saturday in the hope Steve will be feeling better as he has head cold. I am over mine his seems to be hanging on and on and on.

Ciao from Rome

Trust

A couple of years ago Steve and I went to a place called Watt's Bridge just outside of Brisbane. There was a get together of fellow pilots for something I can't remember what. Steve was going to do his 210 endorsement meaning retractable under carriage. On take off out of Archerfield his instructor said I can smell smoke and then turned to me and asked if I could see smoke. On picking up my tummy from the floor and my heart from the ceiling of the plane I looked to Steve and saw his calmness and just knew we would be alright why I don't know I just did.

We landed safely and loaded up another plane and flew out to Watt's Bridge for a great night. The next day we flew back to Archerfield in the worst turbulence I have ever experienced to the point where when we landed Steve said he had hit his head and he was the the pilot. Another fellow pilot flew back in a smaller aircraft and the turbulence turned him upside down.

During all this I felt safe. Why because of the trust I have in Steve as a pilot. I thank him for keeping me safe.

The reason behind this blog entry is because in a couple of days we will be flying to England and I don't know the pilots they had better be safe. I don't know them but on flying with Steve on lots of occasions I hope they will be good, steadfast and reliable like my hubby.

Christmas Time

Almost Christmas how tired am I, in answer to that question lots and lots. These last couple of days have been so full on and I still have to go to work tomorrow OH BOY. I have not felt the Christmas spirit for a long time I wonder if it is an age thing or what. How bah humbug do I sound. I love this time of year but it has become so commercial. It comes down to time and money these days instead of family time and the other supposedly true meaning of Christmas the birth of Jesus. Don't get me wrong with a name like mine you have to realise I am Catholic (just not a practising one).

The best thing about Christmas is the light that comes on in a childs eye when they open a present or you tell them a story about Christmas. Maybe I need some grand kids to get my spirit back. But heaven help me if I say that to my girls.

The other day I was saying to my youngest daughter who just turned 21 that at 20 I was married and that at 22 I had my first child. Her response well I can't print that but it was not very complimentary. Times have changed so much.

Oh well.

I hope everyone out there has an excellent Christmas and a very safe New year. Drive carefully.