Thursday, June 30, 2005

How's my head?

Anna has been suffering with a rather sore head for the last couple of days. Unfortunately, things reached a peak last night, and I was required to make a mercy dash to the shops for some pain killers. I'm please to report, however, that Anna went to doctors' this morning and they are confident that it is an infection that can be cleared up with some antibiotics.

The other bit of fun I've had is that the speedometer in the car has just failed, so I can't currently tell what my speed I'm driving! I've booked the car in for an appointment with the mechanic tomorrow, so hopefully it won't be too complex to fix.

Chris

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Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Odd Jobs going

During her current fit of enthusiasm Anna has been tackling some of my jobs, which is fine by me so, when I got home last night, I found that the washing line had been erected and we had a new range of draught excluders! However, we'd planned on going shopping so, once we'd made sure that Caitlin had some food, we were off to Woolworths (I know, I know, you're thinking that's a strange place to go, but it's a supermarket here).

By the time we'd gone around and picked up all the various bits and pieces we wanted, Caitlin was looking very tired, as she hadn't slept between her last feeds. So, rather than wait for us to pay and load, Anna walked her home to bed - where she was off to sleep in no time.

The girls are off to their mother-and-baby group again today, so I'm not expecting any further developments around the house - their plan is apparently to go to the park if the weather is fine, or the pub if it's not!

Chris

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Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Mass Clean-up

As Anna is going on her Graphic Design course next week, we're (well, mostly Anna) doing a bit of a clean-up this week in an effort to fool the nanny into thinking that we always live in such spotless conditions.

So, when I returned home last night, the bathroom had been cleaned to within an inch of its life - naturally, that meant that I was in charge of dinner but, as Caitlin hadn't surfaced, we were able to finish off the cleaning and dinner before she woke. Even better, although there doesn't seem to be any real consistency to it just yet, she has also slept through the night for the last two nights - maybe the rice cereal has helped?

Aside from that, the weather has meant that we've both been pretty much home/office-bound, as Sydney receives a well-overdue soaking.

Chris

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Monday, June 27, 2005

Smooth Sailing

The weather in Sydney over the weekend put a bit of a damper on things (especially the car, when I noticed that I'd forgotten to fully close the sunroof). So, our itinerary was limited to:

  • Me heading out to watch the first Lions test on Saturday, whilst Anna did some final rehearsal for her concert on the following day
  • Playing & attending the Balmain Sinfonia on Sunday

Caitlin was generally well-behaved at the concert (successfully making it through the whole of the first half), but when she woke up before the Dvorak symphony started, I decided that it was probably wise to leave the auditorium before she started making too much noise. Anna was very pleased with the performance, as she had put quite a lot of time into her preparations following her return from the UK - so, we joined a few others at the Warren View hotel for a celebratory drink.

Chris

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Friday, June 24, 2005

Rain At Last

Up until now, Sydney hasn't really received any rain to speak of this autumn/winter, so last night was something of a relief for many - however, it was a little disappointing that I happened to be out for the Thursday night run at the time. Last night, we were dashing our way around Chippendale:
when the heavens opened, however Anna & Caitlin had wisely stayed at home when they saw the clouds gathering. The main event of the coming weekend will be Anna's next concert as part of the Balmain Sinfonia, which occurs on Sunday afternoon - aside from which, my list of odd-jobs will probably be beckoning.
Chris

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Thursday, June 23, 2005

Pinch of Salt

As I suspect I've said before, one of the things that has most surprised me as a new-comer to parenthood is how often the advice that you receive is contradictory. Another case in point being when to start feeding your baby solids.
Official
The local Early Childhood centre, for example, will refuse to discuss feeding solids before the child reaches six months.
Practical
Many of the parents in Anna's group find that their children are interested, and eager, to start trying food now.
Of course, the various product manufacturers are keen to have babies start using their products as soon as possible, so produce packaging like:
which states that it is suitable from 4 months. As this is not the first such contradiction, we've learnt to take parenting advice with a pinch-of-salt and, as of yesterday, we decided to start giving Caitlin a little rice cereal to complement her milk. If she doesn't respond well then obviously we'll re-think, but she certainly seems keen to give it a try. Chris

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Wednesday, June 22, 2005

More Boxes

Just when we thought we had disposed of the last box, yet more arrive - this time in the form of the packaging for the dining table and chairs, which arrived ahead of schedule yesterday. Maybe it's just that I'm not very good at DIY, but Anna & I both struggled to get everything put together (we did it eventually) only to be met with the time-honoured "why is it wobbling so much?" result. A bit of work with an adjustable spanner, on the retractable legs, should do the trick! Anna & Caitlin are off to Dick's Hotel today, as part of their mother-baby-and-pub group. Although it's not that far from us we've never been there before, so hopefully they can handle a gang of lunching mothers. Chris

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Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Careering Ahead

During her time out of the workforce, Anna has been doing some thinking about what she is really interested in doing when she returns. Although she could continue in the environment field, she is also considering other options and has enrolled in a week-long workshop with CATC to gauge her interest in Graphic Design. So, come the start of July, Anna is going to get five days away from Caitlin to attend the workshop in The Rocks - a friend of ours, who is a professional nanny, is going to be holding the reigns. Meanwhile, we got rid of the last of our packing boxes yesterday so, after 8 months, we're now completely moved in! In my experience, this is actually pretty good going, as I know people often have a last box or two lurking around for years after they move! Chris

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Monday, June 20, 2005

The Hills are alive

Anna & I spent the majority of the weekend getting the bits-and-pieces to perform a few chores around the house. Having successfully managed to avoid being a handy-man for many years, it looks as though it has finally caught up with me and I'll have to invest in a couple of tools to complete my list of to-do's: We also, finally, bought a dining table and chairs which should arrive in the next 10 days or so. Once that list of jobs are complete, things should seem a little bit more homely! On a separate note, Caitlin got to try her first bit of solid food on Friday, when she sampled some mashed banana - although a little hesitant at first, she soon started leaping for the spoon. The current recommendation here is that solid food should be introduced between 4 and 6 months, so as Caitlin has just celebrated her 4-month-aversary, it looks like she's making an early start. Chris

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Friday, June 17, 2005

Normal Service resumes

First of all, we'd all like to wish my Mum a happy birthday!
After something of a hiatus from my daily drivel, I expect that you're all anxious to hear how things are progressing: Chris

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Thursday, June 16, 2005

Gallery #8

Photos from the trip to the beach in Barmouth.
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Gallery #7

Photos from a trip to see Joy & Jan.
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Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Gallery #6

Photos from Jan's, Anna's godparent, recent birthday celebrations in Baslow.
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Monday, June 13, 2005

Gallery #5

Christening Photos - this selection courtesy of Len.

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Chris

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Friday, June 10, 2005

Gallery #4

Christening Photos - this selection courtesy of Tony.
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Thursday, June 09, 2005

Gallery #3

Christening Photos - this selection courtesy of Sarah.
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Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Gallery #2

A variety of photos in the days leading up to the Christening, including Great-Grandma Ella's birthday.
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Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Gallery #1

Since everyone always asks, I'm going to dedicate the next few entries to uploading the photos from our recent trip to the UK. First up, the photos that Len took as we arrived at Heathrow after 24 hours flying...
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Monday, June 06, 2005

Home safely

The girls arrived safely at Sydney airport on Saturday evening, although Caitlin had apparently been somewhat less than well-behaved on her return trip - refusing to settle in the bassinette when Anna tried to get her in. So on Sunday, while I went out for a run and did a few chores, they both enjoyed a good sleep and didn't surface until around 2pm; although in hindsight it might have been best to wake Caitlin... Although there's still a bit to do, most of the things got unpacked and Caitlin was a little tired by the time Anna's rehearsal with the Balmain Sinfonia was due. However, once Anna returned, she was soon awake for what turned out to be a good portion of the night - the jet-lag meaning that even though it was dark outside, she was convinced that it was still daytime! No doubt, it will take a few days for them both to get used to the timezone switch, so I expect we may have a few rough nights in store. Chris

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Friday, June 03, 2005

Beer anyone?

The end of my first week in my new job, and generally things have gone well. Although the first few days in a job are often a little slow (while accounts and paperwork are completed), it looks like my first assignment is decided and that, at some point next week, I'll be doing some work for one of the local breweries - unfortunately, not as their chief taster! That said, I've already been informed that I'll have access to the staff shop, which apparently has some very good deals. Anna & Caitlin are mid-trip, so no news from them until they land tomorrow... Chris

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Thursday, June 02, 2005

Farewell

Anna and Caitlin spent their last full day in the UK attending the funeral for Great-Uncle George - although a sombre occasion, it did allow some relatives who hadn't been able to make it to the baptism to meet Caitlin. The run tonight started from King George Park, just down the road from our house in Balmain, and looped around Rozelle and Lilyfield - which meant that, aside from having the map, I knew my way around pretty well. It's been a bit nippy in the evenings since I got back from the UK, so we were all grateful that there wasn't any wind to chill things any further. After our exertions, most people adjourned to the Wests Tigers club just up the road but, as I had driven directly to the run from work, I figured that I'd better not be tempted by any alcohol. Chris

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Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Always sunny in Wales

Grandpa Staines was kind enough to send me a photo from yesterdays' trip to the beach and, as can clearly be seen, it was yet another clear day in Wales. After a long day, Anna is going to be busy packing for the trip, as she sets off to London on Thursday morning.
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Aside from work duties, I'll be busy doing a little spring cleaning, making sure that things are shipshape and Bristol fashion for when the girls get home. Chris

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