Asha's Birthday and The Camels Hump

Asha has had a great birthday. I have just got off the phone to her. It's weird not seeing her on the day. I enjoyed the afternoon I spent with her yesterday. I have taught her well about birthdays and hers is being spread over a couple of days. Today, on the day, she has spent with her boyfriend and close mates enjoying a variety of pleasures. Her boyfriend filled a room with ballons to 'wrap' her gift. She had fun with that! Tomorrow night she is having a party with her friends.

She works at a new coffee shop, whilst attending Uni. I called in after we went for dinner last night, with the intention of meeting and thanking her boss and co-worker for the great care they take of her. She often talks about the lovely things they have done for her. They have been very sweet to her whilst she has been working there and it's reassuring for me when she lives away.


She did describe how good it was to me, but to be honest I was expecting some kind of trendy place that wouldn't really appeal to me. I have to share with you all the ambience, coffee and cake of this place! Where do I start?


The atmosphere is warm and very comfortable and cosy. Soft lighting, variety of fabrics and textures and all with a rosy glow and clean. I immediately wanted all my closest dearest friends to be with us and to spend a few hours there kicking back. It has comfy couches with cushions. It feels very much like home with the secluded partitioned spaces to nestle into. A home where someone else would be bringing the coffee and doing the dishes!


On arrival, the water and chocolate covered coffee beans were enough to indicate this was going to be a delicious and well thought out experience. There was a slight hint of lemon and orange juice in the water, it refreshed my mouth in preparation for what was to come. It was the right temperature too, I dislike chilly water.


The cake I had, 'Sultan's Citrus Tart', was great. I wanted to bring some home for Rhonda. It is our favourite so I have many to compere it with, and can be ordered in the slim version, which was abundance for me. It melted in my mouth, the presentation was attractive and it was just yummy.


The coffee I have saved for last because it was just the best coffee. It was perfect coffee. It was pretty and the crockery was cool. My mouth felt at ease after I had finished, apart from the desire for more. I had the Jamacian Blue Mountain, as recommended by my previously non coffee drinking daughter.


So apart from being really good people who work there, which is usually enough for me, everything else rises to the occasion to make it something out of the ordinary and wonderful. I wish it was around the corner, yet the 2 hour drive will probably save me from gaining a lot of weight. I don't think I will ever be able to drive past it again, without stopping for some more of that. I intend to work my way through the menu!


Some others who are not related to the waitress have reviewed it, so I will add the links for those who suspect my alliegances:


IronEaters:The Camels Hump
My Journey: Camel Hump

The Camels Hump Website (has details of menu and how to find it, when it's open etc)

10 th December New Moon in Sag 2007

The new moon in Sagittarius occurs on 10th December in Australia. This is a good time to make some decisions about the month ahead. It could lay the foundations for your new year planning and goal setting as well. The next fortnight will likely be quite hurried and busy so I am taking some time this morning to tweak my goals, dreams and hopes.

I keep a private journal where I write my plans, checklists, rants, dreams and any learning experiences I hope not to have to repeat.

Most of the astrologers I am reading are speaking of new beginnings, fresh starts and what time is better than a new moon to make a start, especially for all us Sagi's - Megan, Kelly- Marie, Karen and Katie . (Sorry if I have missed someone, let me know!)

There is an interesting article on the Living Now magazine Stellar Stuff that mentions our current astrological lineup as similar to that at the time of Australia's Federation. With the change of government, it's kind of exciting to think we can enter a new phase as a nation.

Tomorrow is also my beautiful daughter's 19th birthday. I am heading to Melbourne to have dinner with her today as I won't be able to spend time with her tomorrow. I couldn't be prouder of her. I still can't believe I have been blessed with her. I remember clearly when she was born, looking into her eyes and feeling such awe and admiration for her clear, strong, vibrant spirit that was so totally present. It is one of the moments of my life that gives me the most power to recall.

December - What a great month!

December is such a huge and wonderful month. Summer starts and my birthday, which continued coming today. I received more gifts and good wishes as I went back to work and caught up with a few people who didn't catch me yesterday. I love it! When I was a kid I used to say my birthday is always good for a weeks worth of joy, and it hasn't changed much really. So many treats....

Tonight's 'Awards Night' at school was a most enjoyable evening. It is always a treat to see the students who work diligently during the year, receive acknowledgement from their school community. We had the author Scot Gardiner speak at the event tonight and he spoke very well. I enjoy the guest speakers I have heard in the two years we have been holding this event. Scot was excellent. He spoke for long enough and was very entertaining. The common factor with both speakers was a message that academics is not everything and it is important to be a good, kind human being. Our school strives for that personhood aspect of education and that is what I love most about it.

This week I have one more evening out for a school event. I also have a massage and chiropractic appointment, so it's a busy week. My daughter is home staying with me which is lovely, yet I will need to enjoy every moment we have, due to the heavy commitments. She's just out with her dad for dinner right now. I'm giving her a massage when she gets home and looking forward to another practise.

Sifting Through Memories

I have spent much of these 'at home' holidays, on improving my home. When my daughter moved out, my son claimed her room and lets just say the transition was quick and rough. Things have been shoved and tucked away and as a result out of the four rooms upstairs, only one has been fit to be in. I have a lot of storage space up there too, yet it has been very poorly utilised.

I have spent today sorting through the 'stuff' my daughter has kept during her 18 years so far. Her dad dropped in to see my son today and declared she had a similar stash at his place! She also has another 'home' in Melbourne with all the important stuff she needs.

I have discussed this sorting out with her and she agreed that she didn't really need to keep every assignment and workbook she had filled in the 13 years at school. I have also culled some of the things I know she wouldn't want. So we have boxes of karate memories, travel memories (she has been to US, Italy and NZ, as well as around Australia), cards and letters (who knew kids wrote to each other so much and in such a variety of ways!), photo's, important school stuff (certificates, school captain badges, photos, awards etc), soft toys, journals and diaries and performance stuff (music, drama, debating, choir).

There was so much, I didn't really have time to read her diaries and letters as I always feared my mum would when I moved out of home. I did reflect though on how much she has achieved in her life. She's awesome!

The room is empty now and the boxes are labelled and taped up and sitting in one of the storage areas. I wonder when/if she'll ever look at it all again. I just couldn't get rid of it all. I don't feel as sad as I thought I would, but it has been months since she left, so perhaps that's why it took so long.

Hand Sanitizer

I had no idea how widespread hand sanitizer is. Last time I visited my pa in the hospital, there were bottles of this hand sanitizer as you entered the wards and a sign asking you to clean your hands with this waterless hand cleaner before and after visiting in the hospital. I did.
My daughter tells me they have it at the primary school where she is working for the kids to use before they eat lunch. There is a small bottle on my desk. It says

"Instant Hand Sanitizer", subtitled "Kills 99.99% of germs"

I'm not sure why, but that seems really weird and sterile to me. I am not sure if I like it.
New Kills Germs Without Water
Are germs endangered species? That's a joke. I wonder are we taking clean to a new and bizarre level? Are there that many germs around that we need to maintain this kind of environment? These questions and more will never be asked by me again. In fact, I possibly will never mention this again.

Ooooh, My daughters home

I was just about to write a post, but my daughter has just surprised me by coming home tonight. Woot!

I'll blog tomorrow night!

Full Moon Eclipse?

I sure it has been the full moon eclipse business that has totally ruffled me this week. I have been tired, cranky, sad and unmotivated with no apparent reason. I have continued to exercise, but have not eaten well or recorded any stats. I have burnt meals and done last minute rushed shopping frequently.

I've had weird dreams about people I'm not really fond of and found them unexpectedly turning up in reality the next day, when I never see them and I like it like that. I haven't felt like doing any writing or creative stuff, much less disassembling the mounds of dirty clothes and trails of where I've been through the house.

Maybe it was the scary thunderstorm last night when my son was down the street and beloved was riding home on his dirt bike. I imagined all sorts of disasters striking either one of them, even whilst I knew it was saner and more pleasant to 'think positive thoughts'. Perhaps it was the heat and the rain making the heat kind of sticky rather than refreshing as I was hoping it would be.

Could be it was letting go of my daughter on the weekend and talking to her on the phone and hearing that she was tired, busy and sounded just a little overwhelmed and I couldn't get to her in an instant to help. Yet because I was moving house with daughter on the weekend I didn't do a great job of my housework and I was disorganised.

Not to mention all the consequences that flow on from those things such as not being totally prepared to teach each lesson and so getting further behind at school, or that there have been quite a fewinterruptions at school this week, such as swimming carnivals and thinkfests, all wonderful and important things that I love, yet interrupt the flow.

The good thing is that I woke this morning and thought, it's feeling better, and today was. It was much better. I achieved a lot and feel good.

She's Leaving Home

Today we are taking the last of my daughters belongings to her new residence. She is moving to the city to go to Uni. She is a competent, independent young woman and I am immensely proud of her and confident that she will make a great life for herself and will be diligent and successful in her studies. I imagine she will have learning experiences about living away from home and I feel nervous and excited for her.
Most of all I will miss her. She is a fabulous daughter. I have adored her since the moment of her birth and this new letting go, just like the previous steps she has made into the world, I must admit make me long for the time when she was a toddler with wild curly hair and a trusting smile, asking plenty of questions, smiling a lot and taking great delight in everything around her. The tickles and cuddles are less frequent and the questions are harder to answer, even though they are more interesting now.

Zefrank's Learning Strategies

Zefrank has some seriously good ideas delivered in his usual frank and delightful way. I am a fan.

Interestingly he uses divorced people as a metaphor and after spending a really positive evening with my ex-husband, current family and friends and ex-in-laws last night to celebrate my wonderful 18 year old's birthday, I know it works, interestingly enough. Watch the video, it may make sense. If not - Oh well. It was a great night.

VCE Time

I am proud of my daughters journey through the schools I have sent her to. She has always strived to do her best and has worked well at learning and building positive relationships with her peers and teachers. I haven't given her much assistance with her work and have never believed in motivating my children to study. 'Education is it's own reward.' is what I have chanted to them over the years. There have been no prizes or monetary values placed on doing well at school. There are no threats about doing poorly. It is after all, their own adventure into the world, they need to make mistakes so they can learn.

The imput I have had with both my children has been the occasional conversation when the frustration has built and they have fortunately chosen to discuss it with me rather than take extreme measures. The frustrations have usually come from teachers who don't care or don't know, or the typical dilema's with other students. There have been tough times and joyful times. I teach at the school they attended in junior secondary so it has been challenging for all of us at times. I do know the characters they are grappling with and not much could be hidden about actions they take.

Now she is doing her VCE exams and has prepared herself very well, throughout the year and now at the main event, she is taking responsibility to be the best she can be. I don't need the results to come in. I know she is a great success, and I am proud of her.

Investments in Learning

My daughter, very conscientious human that she is, signed up to do some extra study during the holidays to prepare herself for her VCE exams that are coming up. She applied to a well known University about 150kms away. She woke early on Monday morning and caught the train, only to get a phonecall on her mobile about an hour before the course was due to start, to say they had overbooked and they didn't have a spot for her. She had arranged accomodation for herself for the three days in the city and was well organised. The uni have debited the money for this course from the Visa card and although it is three days later, no refund has appeared. She was quite devastated.
I was altogether unsurprised and others I have discussed this with have expressed a similar belief that universities in general are not the best at customer service. As courses become more expensive I find myself wondering if it is all worth it.
Interestingly I read this today:What's the ROI on an MBA When You're in the SEO Industry?. I hope people begin to question more, what is the return on the investment.
I have attended uni, tafe, adult education and lots of privately ran courses. I am a bit of a course addict actually, or at least I was until I started blogging:-). I honestly found my uni course to be the least quality or ROI. I guess that peice of paper one needs for many professions, that is only available at a uni, is the edge they have. As far the actual learning though or the growth gained, uni's didn't rate for me.
I guess I am just always cranky when people are not treated with respect.

Eyespot's fun

Had coffee with Asha yesterday and the best lemon meringue pie in Traralgon from PJ's. Asha had a white hot chocolate. I am glad we went there, haven't been there for ages and it was divine! The sculpture they have in there next to the comfy couch we sat on is in my little clip I am sharing with you.
Tom went off on his trip to QLD with his dad. I miss him already!
Yesterday I played around with Eyespot. It was great fun. I made this little clip:

I like it!

I watched a couple of movies. Nothing worth mentioning, purely entertaining and forgettable, action and adventure.
I am reading a Gary Crew book at present, an older one called "No Such Country". It has archeology in it so I love it. It's also a bit scary and because it's a kid's book, I'm hoping I'll cope with that. I am teaching history to the 7s and 8s this term so I am all passionate about archeology and history. I'm gathering a pile of great books for the holidays and I can see it in sight so I'm feeling good about that.

Driven by Daughter

Yes, she has her L's and look at what a great driver she is. Ok, so she's been practising for over a year. We drove to Melbourne yesterday. It was a long drive and she did an amazing job. I would say I tried to stay calm, but that would imply there was something to stress about and there really wasn't. It was a pleasure.

Quiz Galaxy

Quiz Galaxy

Johanne -- [noun]: A master of storytelling 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Compliments of my daughter, who sent me there. I am pleased with the results. I like stories. Ok so I exagerate. My fairy godmother taught me to 'never let the truth get in the way of a good story'. I trust her taste.

Home fires burning

The cold weather has set in. I lit a fire tonight. I love a fire and I enjoy it once it's started but coming home to a cold house and having to collect wood and make a fire seems too much work when I am cold. It is also not good for the environment! I am going to have to find an alternative heating solution. We put jumpers on most of the time because we aren't home long enough to bother with a fire, which realistically is only viable if you are going to be home for a length of time. I am concerned that if we get a more convenient form of heating it will be overused. Decisions decisions!

Today both my children were unwell. Tom was collected early yesterday and stayed home today. Ash was collected early today. I am feeling a little ordinary also so I am really glad it is the weekend. I would like to stay in bed all weekend and read and eat chocolate. I have some movies to watch also. This is a fantasy because there are a few things I really have to do!

Nothing to say

That's all .... I kind of made a quiet agreement with myself that I would attempt to write everyday during the holidays but I can't think of much to say today.
I visited with Brendan and got to wave goodbye to him as he went off to his new life. Yesterday when I visited he'd gone to spend some time with our grandfather, so I missed him. I didn't do his resume, he said he'd decided he didn't need one since he already has a job to go to and when that finishes up he'll be in touch.
I went to a jewellery party for my daughter. That was interesting enough I guess. It was at my ex husbands house with my daughter and the ex husbands girlfriend and her ex husbands new wife and my ex father in laws new wife. My mum and auntie came to keep me company. It was one of the rare occasions I have been invited and I was treated quite pleasantly so that was nice. I like it when we all just get along. There have never been any dramatic scene's though so it is all good. After all we are all just women, doing the best we can under ever changing circumstances. It seems so weird though. There were no exes in my life until I became an adult so I have had very few role models. My friends have been the best role models. Thank goodness for them.
Well I have managed to say quite a bit for someone who had nothing to say...

Weeks whizzing by

I can't believe I haven't blogged for a week. Life hasn't been that busy or stressful, in fact it has been a regular kind of week. A couple of meetings after school. Even shares of good and bad news received about friends and family. An appointment or two. Some questions to grapple with, some repairs to be done. The daily exercising and juicing and cleaning and shopping and cooking and teaching and preparing and correcting and learning and loving and discussing to name some events specifically. The range of emotions have been felt, delight at the news my friend, Sam started secondary school triumphantly, fear about my pa having cancer at 85, that is treatable but will no doubt cause pain and disruption to his life, satisfaction about stimulating classes taught and surprise and pleasure when my beloved wished me a happy valentines day. I have been tempted by offers of further study and had to reflect on whether a MA in Educational Leadership is for me, I decided not. I have been troubled by my son's outbursts that have all smoothed now and turn out to be a storm in a teacup and not the catastrophe I often fear when my kids seem unhappy. Helped my daughter with her role as school captain and felt concerned that whilst the role is within her scope of ability that it will affect her study negatively. Not a featureless week or a week without surprises but there is a feeling of dullness in me that I can't shake. A lack of inspiration. I don't know why.

Drs

I have to take my daughter to the drs. She has sprained her ankle. This is my second visit for the week as my son also had to go on Tuesday because he had a badly infected throat. The dr wanted to give him a penicillin injection it was that bad, but sleep and tablets has repaired it. He is much better. I am concerned that he is not taking enough care of himself and I may need to interfere. I don't really tell my kids when to eat, sleep etc but maybe I will have to if he doesn't look after himself better. Daughter just fell in a hole. Not much I could do about that. From the moment you have kids you want to protect them from everything but you can't. Not that I do much at all to them other than want and worry and hope. I nag occasionally, but mostly I am too caught up in my own world to interfere too much with thiers. They are doing a great job of themselves though, so it isn't too bad a method.

December - woot!

An amazing week has wooshed by.

The last week of students at school is my favourite week. Not just because it is closer to the holidays, but hey, I am human. We have such a fun time reflecting on the year and by this stage the students are so close and know each other so well. It is a great celebration. Last year I didn't have a homeroom. I just taught subjects and I missed it so much.

Yesterday we farewelled the year 9s from my school and there were tears. I love how we let them go. My son is in year 9 and he got the chance to show a short film he had made in Enterprise to the school. It was well received. I was already proud of him and I enjoyed seeing others acknowledge and celebrate his effors.

Tomorrow my daughter turns 17. I am so proud of her. She is an amazing young woman. I have adored her since the moment I saw her.

What a month this is!

The week

This has been a busy week. I have kept up with the writing for nanowrimo for most of the week. I have walked every night and all the other things I do to keep myself alive.
Last night I dropped everything though. My daughter was announced school captain for next year. I am so proud of her and happy for her. We went for coffee to Eviva after school/work. She is amazing. I took my son to an event in Morwell and did a spot of shopping, collected daughter from work and came home and went to bed. I was pleased I managed to brush my teeth I felt so tired.
This morning I have cleaned up and am attempting to catch up the writing I missed last night. I feel unimaginative and wonder if I am coming down with the flu or something. I have a lumpy underarm so I am going to the docs this afternoon, which I really dread. I can't stand going to the docs. I know I am too busy at this time of the year to get sick though so I want to get this handled asap.
This must be the dullest post to a blog ever written.