Are you true blue??

As you may or may not know, the Australian government is introducing a formal questionnaire to the citizenship requirements for this country, which seems like a load of bollocks, really - half of Australia would probably fail it! They aren't releasing the questions at the moment, so The Age (newspaper) published some real ones, so you can work out if you really understand Australian language and culture! Here are a few of my favourites:

LANGUAGE
> Are these terms related: chuck a sickie; chuck a spaz; chuck a U-ey?

> Explain the following passage: "In the arvo last Chrissy the relos rocked up for a barbie, some bevvies and a few snags. After a bit of a Bex and a lie down we opened the pressies, scoffed all the chockies, bickies and lollies. Then we drained a few tinnies and Mum did her block after Dad and Steve had a barney and a bit of biffo."

CUSTOMS
> Complete the following sentences: a) "If the van's rockin' don't bother … b) You're going home in the back of a … c) Fair suck of the …

> I've had a gutful and I can't be fagged. Discuss

> Macca, Chooka and Wanger are driving to Surfers in their Torana. If they are travelling at 100 km/h while listening to Barnsey, Farnsey and Acca Dacca, how many slabs will each person on average consume between flashing a brown eye and having a slash?




Any of you Canadians understand any of that???

You can read all the questions here.

Incidentally, Canada has a formal questionnaire - you can try some sample questions here. (They're far less fun!)

Piper in fight with a lawnmower

Breaking news: Piper got into a fight with a lawnmower last night - here's a photos of the carnage! We'd been talking with Piper about cutting some of the length of her hair for a while. Recently she said she'd be happy for me to cut it, as opposed to a hairdresser, and that she wanted a fringe as well. So last night, after Uncle John left, I got out the scissors and started hacking. I'd forgotten how tricky it is to get a straight line! I just launched in and then had to start thinking while I was cutting! So it's slightly shorter than I originally imagined, but the end result, in the cool calm light of day, is great, I think, even though, if you look closely, you'll see evidence of my amateur hairdressing skills! Piper likes it, and that's what counts. Or you could say she came off best with the lawnmower!

We're off to Gembrook today, so when we get back, I can post some pics of the building upstairs that my dad, Gord and Steve did last weekend.

A conversation with Piper

A conversation with Piper this evening, over dinner, while Jasper was sleeping and Gord was out at a cd launch:

Me: Piper, have you finished eating?
Piper: No.
Me: Well, keep eating.
Piper: (munch, munch) Mum, have you finished eating?
Me: No.
Piper: Well, keep eating.
Me: Cheeky bugger!
Piper: Meeky slugger! Yucky sleeky worm! You're going to slide all over me!

Man, she is so into rhyming, what a cheeky git! I should read the book of Spoonerisms with her!

Recent shots

Thought i'd better upload some pictures! My crafting blog has been getting all my attention lately! Here's Piper making a total mess out of a polystyrene block...

Here she is, posing in a cardigan I finally finished making for her. That's her toy-of-the-month, Nala (from The Lion King), bought for $2 at the Youngeburra market up north...

Piper feeding Jas while I was away somewhere. She's so helpful with Jas, on the whole. If he's crying and I'm busy for a moment, she'll go and attempt to cheer him up - what a champ!


Gord loaded Jas up with rubber duckies one night - he looks mischevious in a double-chinned kind of way!

Now he looks like a home boy, with Jesse on the couch...

Me and Ilsa (with Liam & Jasper) at Samara's birthday...


Piper and Ellen at Ilsa's birthday in the Botanical Gardens. Piper's wearing fancy clothes from cousin Michelle and her family. Couldn't get her to wear the matching hat though...

Homecoming

We're back from visitng family up north, and settling back in. Bit of a shock to be faced with running a household again, as well as just being a mother to the kids. I like the single focus (on the kids, say), and having to multi-task has made me a bit grumpy. Hmmm... The big suitcase remains unpacked, but I managed to clean the bathroom sink yesterday - SO overdue! What made me feel really satisfied was that all I used was water, vinegar and a few drops of lavendar oil, purely for the smell, and it came up SO clean - go the natural products! (I must have been really satisfied to be writing about it here!)

It was a great space with my grandparents. My grandmother just got better and better while I was there, although they've now decided to move into a nursing home ASAP. Big transition but having a leg amputated is a big transition too! Puts other transitions in perspective.

Took heaps of photos, and will put some links to albums up soon, but here's a few for now...

Visiting my grandmother, Ma, on the last day...


My brother Simon and Jas and I...

Gord and Piper posing at a scenic lookout on the road down to Cairns/up to Kuranda...