Three Beautiful Things for the end of term 3

• My gorgeous boy survived emergency surgery and is home and well enough to annoy me - always a good sign that someone is recovering nicely
• Stunningly gorgeous day where I don't have to rush to do anything as I have two weeks hols ahead of me
• Meetin mum's gorgeous new cat - Kimba

Three beautiful things for week 3 term three

• warm winter sun breaking through the clouds and warming my back, then my face. No heaters could ever compete with that sensation.
• accidentally shedding a tear or ten and being overwhelmed with the response from unexpected sources when word got out
• meeting Rhonda's latest addition to her family and being mesmorised by an amazing pair of deep blue eyes.

Spritely feelings, fog and fine breakfast, mud glorious mud

• Waking up not feeling at all shabby despite the activities of the night before and the 3am bedtime;
• Meeting the lovely Susan and Geoff at the Ivy for breakfast. Olinda was shrouded in fog with a crisp chill in the air. Mark gave us the table closest to the roaring fire - God bless Mark;
• Playing in the mud with Peter - then hearing Aaron tell me I was "cute" with his scully rups, Travis' coat and my "dimps" because I looked like I was a kid all over again! (such compliments are a rare treat)

Relief, more relief and reflection (Saturday 14th)

• The relief when Aaron revealed he knew about my "top secret" plans for the evening. Surprise parties are just too stressful;
• The relief of Susan arriving (thank you also to Keith for his help and Geoff too) with chardonnay in hand - she could see my stress levels were going through the roof and knew exactly what to do;
• A quiet moment of reflection, looking around the room and seeing the people who mean so much to Aaron and me as we celebrated his birthday. A house feels more like a home when filled with the people with truly love. Thanks all.

party, pakenham poms & survival (Friday 13th)

• Out and about with Lorraine at a residents' get together. Lot's of fun, free champagne and new people to talk to;
• Becoming an honorary member of the Pakenham Poms. I'm not a resident of Pakenham and I wasn't born in England but I was there when the group (sort of) formed. It was lovely meeting some very recent expats who are still excited about the opportunity to come to Australia and discussing the characteristics of Bulmers -v- Scrumpy Jacks and Torchwood -v- Doctor Who.
• Surviving Friday the 13th relatively unscathed!

Baby, Movie, Goon

Watching a former student from a distance with his brand new baby. How funny to see him so responsible and mellow and with such an intense look of love and pride in his eyes.

Watching a movie with Dee - she talks all the way through a movie but can still follow what's going on and it kind of makes it a better viewing experience. It also makes me realise how anti-social humans can be when the tv is on.

Drinking "goon" (that's uni speak for cheap wine) into the wee small hours with Dee, having survived the initial hiccup attack.

Bed, Chat, Garden (3BT for Tuesday)

Sneaking back to bed for a 40 minute nap after Aaron left for work.

An unexpected chat with Caz about life, the universe and everything (usual topics of our conversations)

Gardening in the moonlight - work on the veggie patch has commenced.

Three Beautiful Things for Monday

Making plans for a night out with a new friend;

Getting close to finishing work on the front garden - Sarah and I were very proud of our efforts as we made the mulch cover exactly the area we wanted - saves us buying more;

The glorious chorus of frog voices singing late into the night

Three Beautiful Things for Sunday

1. Sarah and Max competing for "silliest stunt on a walk award". Sarah got her shoes firmly stuck in the mud (when walking where I said not to) and Max, not wanting to be outdone, slid gracefully (almost in slow motion) down an embankment into the chilly causeway below having been chasing "bubbles" in the water. He had such a surprised look on his face when he got out.
2. The sounds of multitudes of frogs around the estate, perhaps letting me know they're waiting for the frog bog.
3. A lovely family coming for dinner (success with the crackling on the pork!). The husband is a colleague of Aaron's and it was lovely getting to know "new" people including their two girls who are close to Sarah's age. We also had our next door neighbours swing by for coffee which made me feel really at home.

Three Beautiful Things for Saturday 7th July

(I) Waking up with Aaron and Sarah both here safe and sound - having survived several nights in an all but empty house

(II) Having Peter, our long lost guest over for dinner. Lovely to see him back.

(III) Watching a 4 year old boy challenge Aaron (34) to a sword fight - then very intently explaining to him how to defend himself with the plastic sword