A better offer

In the middle of creating my new 'writing' blog on Saturday morning I received a better offer in the form of a phone call from Ed. 'We're going to see Jessica Watson arrive in Sydney. do you want to come?' Took me two seconds to decide.

Sixteen year old Jessica has spent 210 days at sea circumnavigating the globe alone, non stop. Some claim it is not a true world record, (Eddie, and Maxine's ex amongst them) since she did not dip into the Northern hemisphere far enough. It was a great achievement nevertheless.

We got a glimpse of her as she stepped off her pink boat, and wobbled on her land legs up the pink carpet to be greeted by thousands of people including the prime minister and the premier of NSW Christina Keneally, who I thought gave the better of the two speeches.Jessica is a cool young woman who looked a bit bemused by all the hype.

It was a beautiful day. Cristina got to see inside a bit of the Opera house for the first time. Mathew and Annika expended energy running up and down the purple clad steps until they moved us out. Thank you for the call Ed, I had a great time.

I managed to work on the novel yesterday, not as much as planned, and I will finish getting the new blog together today, Polly's notebook. This afternoon I do a stint on 2RPH,reading Features. It will be the first time of reading without a cough from the post nasal drip so I'm looking forward to being in better voice.

Only a few lines

Who would believe that four lines of prose would take so much work...then there's the synopsis!!! I'm trying to get the novel Getting in Deep ready for publishing. Writing the novel is a doddle compared with trying to explain it in a few sentences. But this part is so crucial for getting a toe in the door, it has to be right. I've lost count of how many versions I've written. Thank goodness for my writing buddies to show me the error of my ways.

It's time to reward myself with a big cup of coffee before heading for aqua aerobics.

The cold weather has come at last, in the early mornings and late evenings at least. I got the heater out for the first time last night and am currently huddled in my favourite garment, the fluffy white dressing gown Kathie gave me. I live in it and, like my recliner which I also live in, it shows. Food spots and grime accumulate necessitating frequent washes. Can't do that with the recliner of course, I've got to call the professionals in for that, I've left it too long. I will call them soon!!!!!

Baby sitting Skye tonight and tomorrow then back on the radio on Monday. Will spend the weekend WRITING...unless I get a better offer!!!!

A few days away

Got back from Brisbane at the weekend after my 'nanny' stint with Skye while the parents partied on at a friend's wedding. That baby is a star traveller; she slept through her feed and nappy change at Sydney airport, on the plane, in the hire car and to the hotel. Easiest gig I've ever had! Got some film to work on now as Skye met her cousins and second cousins in Brisbane.

Given that our hotel overlooked the church I saw the bridal party arrive, and a colourful one it was too. The bride in white of course but she took so long to get out of the car I thought she'd changed her mind. Two bridesmaids were in red and two were in the same colour as our hire car, bright orange. Took me right back to the seventies.

The piece de resistance was the bride's mother. Not wishing to overshadow the blushing bride she donned silver sequins from head to toe with matching shoes and handbag. I thought she'd raided the aluminium foil dispenser.You could not take your eyes off her. I was temporarily blinded when the sun came out and hit those sequins full on. What was she thinking?

I returned to Sydney Saturday night, then on Sunday had Mother's Day lunch with Ed, Cris and the mini-Hewers at Wollongong golf club. Ligia and family plus Cris's mum were there too. Then Melissa showed up with boyfriend Mark who seems very nice, not too intimidated by us en masse. Lovely setting overlooking the golf course and the food was enjoyable, although we were envying Mark and Melissa going home to Mark's mother's home-made Tiramasu. It was a lovely day.

I've taken great pleasure in cancelling the op I was scheduled for in June, a sinus clean out. Ever since they told me about the post op care I've been freaking. Mercifully the little problem is clearing up on its own so I don't have to do all that washing out etc. Thanks to my immune system for getting on top of the situation, even though it has taken many months, and it aint over yet completely.

Got writer's group tomorrow. My buddies are going to pull my synopsis to bits and make my novel attractive for a publisher. Like its author, it needs a ton of Botox and drastic cosmetic surgery but between us we'll get her nice and sassy and irresistible. Who am I kidding!!!! We can but try.

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.

Skye-larking with the new granddaughter

You know all those images you see of mother breastfeeding contented baby? Well spare a thought for the ten mothers behind that picture of serenity; the ten pairs of cracked nipples; the ten intakes of breath when baby latches on with her vice-like jaw; the ten stifled cries of pain; the ten toes curling up in agony; the beat of ten breast pumps; the baggy eyes; the tears. Can't show that in the parenting magazines; it might mean the end of the human race!

In spite of all that baby Skye is thriving. She sleeps well and cries when she wants to feed. But we have to be ready on the spot before the roof caves in with her fury. You know exactly how she feels about having to wait!!!! She wants it NOW if not before. She keeps us on our toes and in a fog of half sleep and confusion. We have to keep lists and charts to keep track of it all.

Last night we put the clocks back, a time to savour usually, that extra hour of sleep. Not with a newborn. It is more like an EXTRA hour of daylight, time to do more things.

However, it is fun. Especially when she smiles, even if it is wind sometimes. It is a promise of things to come. Worth the broken sleep, the late lunches the snatched showers.

Tardy blogger

I have an excuse for not blogging last week,namely things medical, namely a cold and now a hacking cough which woke me every hour last night.Ugh!!! I am now on my 3rd round of antibiotics with a 4th to follow. At least they dry up my dripping nose but I'm scheduled for a sinus wash out. Mind you since I heard about the post op care, (I'll spare you the gory details) I'm really hoping the drugs will do the trick and I can cancel.

My stint at 2 RPH yesterday afternoon was so so. I had to run out of the studio part way through the afternoon to cough. Enough of that.

I'm going to a fun evening tonight, my friend Yvonne's book launch, 'A brush with Mondrian.' It's lovely to share my writing buddies' successes. Another one, Teri has won a place, one of five, at a mentor-ship for romance writers. Not my genre but there's always a demand for romance novels.

Meanwhile I've finished my first novel... for the second time, or it may be the third, I'm losing count. It's a few thousand words short of what's acceptable so I've got to fix that. Fortunately on the way home from the radio station I heard a progam on the radio which gave me an idea to do just that.

Also I wrote a short story while killing time before going to 2RPH yesterday. Will submit to a writing competition, word limit 750 words.

The exchange rate is looking good for my forthcoming o/s trip later this year. Well may the upward trend continue.

Saw the kiddy-winks at the weekend. Mathew looked so cute in his football outfit, a Portuguese club naturally, courtesy of his big sister. Naturally we played ball in the garden, not football but batting a beach ball with a tennis racquet. The kid blamed me for ALL his misses. I pointed out that they were not all my fault, sometimes he just missed them. Then he started saying they were 'a accident grandma.' It so reminded me of my kids when something went wrong, they said exactly the same thing. Kids cotton on fast don't they? Annika swanned around in her tutu.

The annual portrait painting competition is on again. It seems to come around so fast. It's called the Archibald, and I try to see the exhibits every year and vote in the people's choice competition. It opens to the public next week.

I'm going to aqua aerobics today, brush the cobwebs away. Hopefully I'll have time for a nap before facing rush hour traffic going to the North side for the book launch tonight.

Nudies on the Opera house steps

It is the first day of Autumn and that American photographer was in Sydney this morning marshalling a few thousand nude people to pose on the opera house steps. A bit ironic since it is the first cool morning we've had in months. Look for goose bumps!

We had a lovely baby shower at Maxine's yesterday, a wonderful eclectic group of family and friends, not to mention the delicious food Maxine prepared. Many of us brought our favourite children's books for Baby Meinecke's library. A highlight was the 'Dad's Survival Kit' Cristina made: goggles, (for squirts and throw-ups) masks, (for odours) ear plugs (for screaming, both baby's and parent's) which Dirk promptly put in his nose, and rubber gloves (obvious, yuk!)and tongs (for non-touch technique). It was hilarious.

Only four weeks to go. I'm getting excited.

I've made some decisions about the novel I feel good about, and will start putting some changes in place this week. I think it will make my main character more sympathetic.

I have been reading a manuscript of one of my writing buddies this weekend, very enjoyable but needing some work. This same author has a short story in the Women's Weekly this month, very sweet. I'm also looking forward to Yvonne's book launch. (another writing buddy) It is called Brush with Mondrian and is in the shops today but we are having a little party to celebrate later this month. I wonder which one of us will get a publishing deal this year!!!

Well the Tsunami didn't hit us but those poor Chileans copped it badly. There seems to be a major climactic disaster once a month. Australia's disaster will come gradually I think. All the rivers will dry up, agriculture will fail, famine will ensue etc....

Meanwhile we live our little lives trying not to think about it and hoping the politicians and scientists get it right.

Have a good week people. At least I didn't get a parking fine this Monday (as I did last week). I didn't go anywhere.