catching up

Got a bit to catch up on given the time that has elapsed since I last posted.

First of all baby Skye is plumping out nicely and she can hold her head up with all the other North shore babies and their fancy prams. Her smooth-action red buggy is not out of place with the other designer carriages jockeying for position in the elevators of Chatswood Chase shopping centre.

I'm sure there's a breeding program in full swing in the area. Must be the baby bonus set up by the Howard government to encourage a 'baby for the country.' Ed and Cris did their bit with Mathew and my suburb is obviously busy working on it. Mind you the strollers are not so fancy in my neck of the woods.

Thanks to Tizzie Hall's settling techniques, Skye gets herself off to sleep beautifully. She has started to smile although she gives them out sparingly and after some encouragement. Is this a sign of the nature of her personality I wonder or is it early days of practising something new? We will see.

On another note two of my writing buddies and I had a successful day selling copies of Better than Chocolate this week to a delightful group of women of the Chicken and Chablis set. More money for needy children's education,, thanks everyone. I wore my pearls for the occasion but they shrank in comparison with the big orbs strung around one woman's neck.

Have sent three short stories to competitions this week but now I really must get down to re-reading the latest version of my novel and finishing it once and for all.

Annika and Mathew spent the night with me last weekend, the first time I have had both of them stay over. I thought there might be an argument about which bed each would want but there wasn't. Mathew had the single bed, and after a reading session about Bullwinkle the Fire moose, and clutching a moose ornament I happened to have he went to sleep without fuss. Annie and I watched Masterchef Australia together then she went quietly too.

The next day we went to the pool, tried the Aquatic centre at Homebush first but it was closed for ANZAC day so we ended up at my aqua pool with a promise of McDonalds afterwards. 'But grandma you said you would never take us to McDonald's' pipes up Annika. 'I know but you've had a disappointment so it's a treat,' says I. She'd been so excited about showing Mathew the Olympic pool for the first time, I felt sorry for her when we couldn't go. But it's back to the 'No Mcdonald's rule now, same as I did with Melissa.

April has been one of the warmest on record and it has been beautiful. This weekend is promising to be pleasant again after a rainy day yesterday.

I booked my o/seas trip this week using frequent flyer points: Sydney - New York on Sept 8 returning on Oct 24 with a month in UK and a visit to Graceland thrown in. It is my 70th birthday treat to myself. Before then I have the Darwin - Broome trip which will be pretty tropical. After this I really must settle down!!!

I'd better quit. I want to get to the grocery store before the hordes converge. Campsie is becoming overcrowded and unpleasant, all that breeding I suppose! I will make a concerted effort to attend to my blog more frequently from now on.