Face the Facts...

My precious near-new digital camera with 12X optical zoom and wonderful whizz-bang features (that I'm still learning about) is in the camera hospital! The LCD just went white for no reason that I could fathom. Now something I didn't know I needed has become indispensable, and I miss it.... this jacaranda was one of my first pictures, and has so many pixels I couldn't e-mail it to Anne for her (November) birthday. I've since learned how to resize, how to take action photos, how to take close-ups of flowers, how to take portraits, how to change to sepia or black 'n white....I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms. The repair shop quoted 4 weeks, so I guess I'll have to go crawling back to my old SLR - I hope it takes me back!

Start Anywhere

Thanks to kate i and her link to the fabulous lovelife.typepad.com/my_weblog
I decided to pick up my watercolour pencils and sketch a piece of the orange trumpet vine coming to life in my front yard. I really enjoy the focus that comes to me when I am sketching - it is the one time I am totally "in the moment" - my mind is usually very busy! The challenge this time was to spritz the sketch with water when I'd finished. I usually dampen the pencils as I work with them.
I was really happy with the result- go with the flow, indeed! I'll post a photo of the vine when it is in full bloom- brilliant colour all through winter is the gift from this climbing plant. No, I wasn't procrastinating- the reports are done!!

Stay on Course

Do NOT go out for coffee. Do NOT read your blogs. Do NOT check Twitter to see what Paull is doing. Do NOT do any housework (I like this one). Do NOT check your e-mails, put on a load of washing, ring a friend, watch the News, pay a bill, or even prepare a good lesson for tomorrow. It's REPORT time, hours of work, then hours of proofreading, some corrections, hopefully trouble-free printing, collating, - I hope you parents out there appreciate them! I certainly didn't when I was a parent of school-aged kids. In fact, I didn't really understand them, so I would just flip to the "social" comment on the last page. Paull was always a "pleasure to teach" whilst Eliza was "Talkative" - no surprises there! Ooops - I'm blogging.............

Just Show Up

- and we did; a very well-attended family reunion last Sunday was a great day. We are not a family that lives in each others pockets, but we do care and like to know how everyone is going. This historic picture has all five Stilwell Siblings together for the first time in many years. We are in order of age: Helen, Cate, Anne, Patti and last but not least, Philip. I'm glad that we still care enough to keep in touch; and that we enjoy each other's company so much. If our parents knew, they would feel that they have done a good job.

Take Care of Each Other

Yay! It's the weekend.......I'm ready for some quality couch time. Sadly, however, my house guests are leaving tomorrow. The macro family reunion on Sunday was a great success, and we've been having a micro reunion ever since. Poor Spice (pictured) has had to relocate to the rocking chair as she keeps finding random relatives on the couches. It's been great to catch up with Helen, Allan and Anne over dinners, wine, coffee and chat. We joined Patti & Phil and Caleena for a special dinner on Wednesday night - soft shell crab, Mmmmmmm! Tonight is our final evening, so we are going to dinner and a show at - wait for it - Revesby Workers Club!!

I Still Call Australia Home..........

Nervous Mum, slightly teary Eliza, my sister Anne putting "Rescue Remedy" on my tongue - then off to the International Airport. Tears in my eyes when he said goodbye to the dogs. Then a long coffee and cake session after check-in during which we talked about the new life waiting for him in New York. Hugs, kisses, then through the "door of no return". I didn't cry for long! Thanks to Skype, blogging and e-mail we'll not lose touch. Parent/child blogging is the subject of Trevor Cook's post on http://trevorcook.typepad.com. This generation of kids will be citizens of the world - and social media will keep them connected.

Face Facts

"You raise your kids to fly" is a saying often heard; I've encouraged mine to be independent from a very early age. I helped to begin a Montessori pre-school 20 years ago, because their motto is "help me help myself" (there wasn't one in the neighbourhood, so a few parents decided to make one happen. It is still there, catering for 40 children).

So, face facts! You teach them to reach for the stars, and if you are lucky, they do. Eliza has just started a great job at Standards Australia in the heart of Sydney; Paull is flying out on Monday to begin a great job in New York. I'll be teary, of course - but also excited. We went out for Thai and the new Australian movie "Noise" at Newtown for a farewell/Mothers Day treat. Great movie, lovely meal, a special evening.

Say Yes !

Late last year our extended family suggested a mega-family-reunion to coincide with a favourite uncle's 70th birthday. As the news was passed around - wonderfully, amazingly, everybody said "YES!"

So it will become a micro-family-reunion for the Stilwell Siblings. I'm looking forward to Helen arriving from Queensland on Friday, Anne from Hong Kong on Saturday, the big family bash on Sunday with Patti and Philip (yes, a brother!!) and then a week of being siblings together. This will cushion the impact of Paull, my globetrotting son, leaving for his new life in the Big Apple the same week. At least he gets to see all his Aunties (and Uncle) together in Australia before he goes. The picture above was taken on the last occasion of us being together all at once- was it 16!!*? years ago??

Don't Prepare:

I've not even thought about this, so here goes

Five things you may not know about me:

1) I left school aged 16

2) I completed two university degrees after the age of 45

3) I handed out "How To Vote Green" leaflets all day at the last state election

4) My 2 children have become two of my best friends

5) I love socialising but cherish solitude