[Tamara]

Thanks @KAREN. Going on a camp is probably the Australian way of saying an extended excursion. They are going to Ningaloo https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ningaloo_Coast. Which is several hours away from us and will be camping for five days I think. It is a year 7 camp which happens annually for this year group and because it is the first year group to be in high school this year, I thought they wouldn’t have one. It was the Primary school section that would organise this so I am glad the high school section has taken it on and allowed them this experience.

There is camping and going on camps and summer camps and the like and yes I know we have to translate the meaning of these terms to understand them at times. But I think if you look at it as an extended excursion for five days to a destination where you have stay over (take luggage) then you would get the gist of what I mean.

I cannot wait for the school holidays to start. Tomorrow is the last day of term. My kids went to catch the bus this morning and the bus driver didn’t even show up! This is the second time in two weeks that this has happened. There has been no explanation but I called the coordinator to make a formal complaint this morning. The bus driver doesn’t get along with us unfortunately. We had really nice drivers in the past but this one is very different. So roll on Friday home time because I need a break from all things school!

[with love Heidi]

I had the best day at work today, I got to spend all day in the woodwork/metalwork shed at school making wooden swords! I haven’t done any woodwork for over 20 years and that was only one term at school. I used the plane, hammer, chisel and files as well as the belt sanders, and drill. I really enjoyed the physical hands on of woodwork 🙂

[KAREN]

Thank you for the explanation, Justsewit. I am sure it will be a wonderful experience for all the children. Enjoy the end of term break! How long are the children out of school?

Heidi, your day sounds like fun. My son spent quite a bit of his last few weeks of high school making wooden swords and shields for a theatrical production.

[Tamara]

Thanks @KAREN. The children have two weeks off. It is the break between first and second semesters.

@Heidi woodwork is great fun isn’t it. I did a weekly help in the woodwork room with Imogen’s class for a good few years running. Of course they were only in there for half the school year. But it became something I really looked forward to. Our beloved woodworking teacher retired last year so it would be interesting to work with the new guy – not until Chloe isn’t so dependant though. As for using the equipment, i had the kids do that and I just made sure they had all their fingers intact afterward 🙂 !

[with love Heidi]

Karen, that’s what we were doing, making swords for the school musical 🙂 All the kids made very safe theatrical swords and mine was the dangerous one! It had sharp sides and a pointy point which will have to be shaved off before it can be used 🙂

[Tamara]

I was shopping in Geraldton this morning when my husband sent me a text to say that our little dog Buddy had been run over! I had to quick finish up shopping and get home so that we could break the news to Noah. Poor boy was gutted. So we had a little funeral for him and are now having a “wake” while I put the shopping away and wait for my parents to arrive from Perth.

He was a little chihuahua cross something and ran sideways. He was quite old and not desexed so would think he could “try his luck” with the work dog (hunterway cross and much much bigger). He had assets but I have to admit I wasn’t as fond of him as other dogs. We have already had a request made for a puppy!

[KAREN]

Justsewit, I am so sorry about little Buddy! Poor Noah. We have two little lap dogs (Shih Tzu) and would be beside ourselves if anything happened to them. Our Jasmine (white and gray) had breast cancer surgery a little over two weeks ago that was more extensive than expected. The vet said that she “bought us some time”. When she goes, Jade (all gray with a white spot on chest) will be bereft. We all will be.

[Tamara]

Thankyou Karen. My parent used to have shi tzu dogs. One was the puppy of the older one. I know it won’t make preparing for the inevitable easier but Princess died of cancer also. Belle (the pup) was fourteen and she had an enlarged heart and unfortunately passed away on Good Friday when they were up here at the farm. We had a funeral for her also when she died but Noah was you ger and much more optimistic then – saying that she was in heaven already! Shi tzu are lovely but they have cross breeds now, one is a maltese poodle cross and the other a cavalier poodle cross. I personally love the Cavoodle and would prefer one of these for our family but I think we will wait for a while and maybe until Lulu our sheepdog passes away and then get a work pup and house pup together. I don’t know it is early days so we have to give ourselves time.

We have just returned from celebrating 60 years of worship with our parish church. We had 100 people come to help us celebrate and I think we all enjoyed ourselves. It was so nice to see the church packed to the rafters and to catch up with old friends.

We are looking forward to going to Narrogin (south of Perth) to help them celebrate their centenary in August.

But now it is back to life as normal and looking forward to celebrating the second family birthday of the week (Murray my husband turned 44 today) and Noah is 10 on Saturday. We plan to go to the movies and see “Inside out”

[with love Heidi]

My husband has very good tastes in sewing machines. He knows I’ve been talking about and investigating embroidery machines.
We were walking around a quilt show over the weekend and he points to a machine that is embroidering and says ” What about that one?”. It was a top of the line Bernina 880 worth about $13,000!
Totally out of the price range I could look at, but good taste 🙂

[Tamara]

My twelve year old went off on her school trip to Ningaloo today. We had to get her to school by 5.45am to leave by 6am. That meant getting out of bed by 4.30! I was up anyway, feeding the baby. She was excited but nervous and I have to admit I had a bit of a cry when she left in the car with my husband to go to school. It is the first time she has been away from home without being with family. But it won’t be the last as we are preparing her for boarding school next year. So my mantra this week is “just keep busy just keep busy”.

[cybele727]

OH I am sorry about Buddy. We have an older girl whom I think it is time to go, but my husband can’t do it. She’s 13 with bad arthritis and a lipoma, and these weird growths that hang off her body and bleed. She’s got cataracts and she’s getting weird. Senile, and begging incessantly. The other day, she got up on her hind legs and put her front ones on the bench at the dinner table during dinner. I think she has about 6 months, and I hate to sound cold, but 6 months of meds for arthritis and surgeries to remove the weird growths is lots of money.

I feel your pain about the child leaving home thing. I remember when I was 5 my mother sent me away for my first overnight camp- from 6-9 it was 2 weeks. By the time I was 10, I was sent away for the month of July. I absolutely loved it. Now, such a thing is completely unaffordable (in the 80s my mother paid $500 American Dollars total to send two kids to camp in Canada for a month each- the exchange rate was quite high– between 18-25%). My 9 year old has had a few single overnights with friends. But that is it.

Even if we could afford it, I just can’t imagine it- sending my babies away. And yet, on FB, I am still connected to a few of my close friends from camp. We cried on the first day being sent from home and cried on the last day not wanting to ever leave. We shared a unique experience that allowed us to grow outside of the shadows of our families, even if our siblings were there. It was such a tremendous experience.

[Tamara]

@cybele we had to pay $420 for this trip and that was even with the fundraising. Imogen didn’t gives the notes from school, thinking we wouldn’t let her go. I only found out it was actually happening when I sat down to read the newsletter! Of course opportunities are few and far between for the kuds up here but even if the cost was high, that was a good price I thought as it covers everything. We just couldn’t believe she thought we wouldn’t let her go. But still, it will be something she will reflect on for a long while.

Oh we have already had more requests for a puppy. I want to wait until Chloë is older and walking before considering one though.

Your dog sounds very ill. My parents had a Shi tzu with cancer and she had to be euthanised because she ended up fitting so badly (or something) it was frightening anyway. She was 16! It was hard because she was the mother of the other shi tzu (and she died of an enlarged heart and collapsed lung). They waited three months after Princess died before getting Teddy and that was only because dad saw a pup coming through the airport on route to its new home and fell in love with it.

It is difficult when you have such an attachment to an animal (I was devastated when our lamb Missy passed away from Lupis as I had spent all that time feeding and caring for her). But in the end it has to come from compassion to end their life. It is not selfish to want to keep her alive nor is it selfish to want her to not be put down. But if she is in pain ….. I think it would still be so difficult.

[Tamara]

I just received a text message from Imogen saying they arrived at 6pm last night, that they played “spotlight” on the beach (good thing I put my torch in for her) and that she is sharing a tent with four of the nicest girls in the class – always reassuring! So it sounds as they she is having a ball already.

[Masha Richart]

I just hit the “purchase” button on a Brother 2340cv coverstitch machine!! My siblings (I have four of them) and father were very generous for my birthday last month. I hemmed (ha ha) and hawed over buying it, but when the hem on my newly sewn Colette Mabel snapped today while I was giving the kids a bath, it was the last straw. I can’t wait for my new toy to arrive, though I do feel a little guilty for not saving the money for a rainy day.

In other news, my husband is home now. We are all adjusting to our new situation and working our way through the millions of follow-up doctor’s visits.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by Masha Richart.

[Tamara]

Oh that sounds like a wonderful toy to keep you sewing with Masha! I am so glad your hubby is home. I have been thinking of you over there and wondering how you have been coping. The doctors appointments will get fewer as improves I am sure but of course right now they are very relevant and required.

My daughter has been sending messages to me keeping me updated on how she is going. She has been using my friend’s phone as she is the parent on camp. She has been doing a fair bit of snorkelling and took a ride in the glass botoomed boat yesterday. They had a quiz which she won with her quiz buddy. I can’t help but think she is missing us as the messages are piling up. I bumped into the mother of a fellow student at the shop the other day and was told her daughter didn’t bother messaging her! I guess they cope in their individual ways. I will be looking forward to having her home again tomorrow night. The week has flown but we have also kept busy. I am still yet to do any sewing this week though which was at the top of the priority list.