The kids and I recently had a brief visit home. Roo in particular had been hassling me to see his friends, and so, we zipped home for our fix.

I also had an alterior motive: to see if a visit home was 'enough' or whether it was time to come home permanently.

We filled every moment with friends and family, exhausted ourselves extensively, had sleepovers and sleepins, and were well and truly plum tuckered out when we came back to Sydney.

Cookie, being the most 'changed' to her little friends (thanks largely to her haircut), had to work hard to convince her mates that it was indeed her. On one such occasion, Cooks stood happily next to her pal, whilst her pal appealed to her mum "where's Cookie?" right beside you darling. The poor little possum, burst into tears, stating "but I want the other Cookie". They found their friendship again after not too long.

Another little friend of Cooks', seemed to accept that Cooks had cut her hair, and that it was indeed still Cooks', HOWEVER, Cookie had just, simply, become a boy. Hence, "is he sleeping on my floor mum?" and "he's in the bathroom". etc etc. Cookie took it all in her stride.

She also amused us all one afternoon, whilst creating a communal picture with some little friends. My pal asked her what those lovely things were in her picture? Cookie replied matter of factly that they were "creatures that live in your hair". Most little girls draw flowers and girls. Cookie apparently draws head lice. She's a funny little bugger.

Roo had a wonderful time with all his friends, and certainly got his fix. I also formally apologise to everyone we visited for COMPLETELY TRASHING YOUR HOMES. I did warn you. We haven't changed!

And me, well I drank too much (!), ate too much (!!), talked too much and gratefully accepted all the generosity and time afforded me by my MUCH. LOVED. FRIENDS. AND. FAMILY.

and so to the alterior motive: I'm happy to continue on doing whatever it is we're doing, I'm not ready to come home, and keen to continue being adrift..... and stay tuned, August will bring change, and hopefully more entertaining and interesting posts! and I'm looking forward to it.



Excited squids.


Amongst their special mates.


All a bit much.

Wear beige.

Today I'm off to Roo's school's Mothers Day lunch.

something is bothering me: is it [Mother's] or [Mothers] Day? i.e, if it's the day belonging to Mother then it would be Mother's, but if it's for all the mothers, then it would be Mothers, and so, by that reckoning, seeing as though it appears to be a day for all mothers, belonging to mothers, then it should be Mothers'. But then I guess we don't really own it........

Anyway, to celebrate the occassion, I am trotting off down the hill to the water's edge to spend a 3 hour luncheon with some other mums, and we have been asked to wear white or beige. So as not to overstimulate the senses......

Now, some of my friends, are VERY good at wearing white. I however am NOT.

I am a dirt magnet. I have never looked crisp and clean. it is not in my makeup. in the rare occasion that I have worn the wretched hue, I have come off second best - food slopped down my front, or sat on something disgusting - right on the crack, never a cheek, always the crack ?@#*!

Currently, I don't have anything white. I did have, but I managed to dye it all pink in the last wash.

So beige it is, and beige it will have to be.

I have ONE beige top, well it's possibly more peach than beige, and then again one might call it apricot or oyster, but I'm going to have to go with beige. This top is unfortunately a bit see through, so it will have to have a [formerly white] pink singlet beneath it, which will potentially make it more of a salmon colour... It is also made from a very fine cotton, so no doubt, I will slop my first sip of sparkling down the front, and my [now salmon] top will have a wet patch which will stick to the [originally white] singlet making the top a dirty sort of clay colour - AND IS THAT DIRTY SORT OF CLAY COLOUR BLOODY BEIGE?...

Probably not.

Now, what to wear on the bottom....

Happy MOTHERS & STEP-MOTHERS Day.