Vertigo?

Do you have a fear of heights? I don't particularly. Though I must admit my muscles were all tense after our outing.

David scored half price Bridge Climb tickets to the Story Bridge. Apparently there are only three bridges in the world you can climb (Sydney, NZ and Brissy).

On arrival we were checked over with a metal detector, shoes were checked to ensure they would stay on and all dangglies were to be removed (hair clips, bracelets, etc. etc.) We were then given a clown suit to wear and a quick lesson on how to use the radio to hear our guide.

So here is the (expensive) evidence that we climbed. Of course, you cannot take a camera (unless you book a tour that allows it). So they sell (exorbitantly) the photos of the experience.

We went on the climb that begins around 4pm so we were able to catch the city at night too.

We climbed a total of around 2000 steps. No, I didn't count. I was told. I was too nervous making sure my strap was well connected;)

Fantastic 360 views and I am told we were actually higher than the Gateway Bridge.

The most fascinating for me was hearing how the early engineers/builders put the bridge together. No safety equipment (except a rope they brought from home) a long way up in the air. Thousands of rivets to install (each one required four men to install!) and a free beer every afternoon at the local pub. Hmmm... Not sure how they managed to keep themselves steady after that but apparently they lost three men total (which is apparently a remarkable feat with so little technology/safety gear) and when they joined each part of the bridge it was only 1mm out! One, other Brissy Bridge (sorry cannot remember which one) made with all the fancy technology was a whole metre out when they joined each half. So have we really come a long way?

Olga Syska is home

Great Grandma recently went home. She was 92.

I met her when David and I were dating - a short, warm, generous-hearted lady with a thick accent and a white/grey bowl cut type hairstyle. I loved her instantly. She spoke four languages in her life. When David first visited the house where I was living when he met me, he looked next door and announced that his grandmother had lived right beside the house where I lived. He described the back yard with a huge tree in it that he used to climb. It held many memories for him of his growing up.

Olga Syska was in Ukraine (She was German) when WWII broke out. Her daughter (my mother-in-law) was born and she decided to go back to Germany. The German soldiers were actually a god-send for her for she followed them back to Germany. They fed her what they could (kept her from starvation) Which is actually quite incredible in that Hitler hardly fed his own soldiers and many were close to starvation.

David's Mum can remember watching from the window on a ship on the black sea while other boats were being bombed. They were the fortunate ones.

She lived a tough life. I often wonder what she must have thought of the affluence and materialism of the land down under as she aged. I think she was too busy serving cups of tea and bickkies to notice. She was so generous and insisted you eat when you came to visit. So eat we did - cake, biscuits, more cake, cordial, etc. etc. No one ever left Great Grandma's

house with an empty tummy.

She came to the Lord when she was in her forties through a Billy Graham crusade. Her daughter also did at about the same time. As her daughter puts it, 'Billy Graham was her pin up boy' she thought very highly of him and read many books his organisation sent out. She was a simple woman, never having studied past grade three. She also simply loved. She would always be planting kisses on our head when we came to stay. That was Olga.

We visited her not long before she left us. She was, by then strapped in a wheelchair and speaking Russian (she had alzeimers). She did say a few things in English but was hardly able to open her eyes. I snapped a quick shot of Jayden beside her. He will not remember her. I am not sure if Rosa will either. I wish they could have known her. They will probably just remember the musty cabbage smell of the nursing home, the stare of many eyes on them as they bobbed about, the ramp they liked to run up and down or the stuffy room where Great Grandma sat - windows closed in the heat of summer because she feared we might be cold.

Perhaps Joshua will remember a little more. I was quite surprised when he wrote his little speech for the funeral how little he could remember of her prior to the nursing home. I guess we tend to think of grandmas and great-grandmas as old and don't really think of them ever being young, free, in love or even as a child just like them.

But we still have grandmothers and grandfathers (most of us) to remind us that life is short, precious, that we will slow down (at least physically). That the important things are not the things we find ourselves spending so much time doing - running here and there, making lunch, washing clothes, etc. (as necessary as they are).

I am overwhelmed to think about the way that a simple seed of faith has impacted so great a field. I feel blessed. I feel challenged. Challenged to carry that seed on. Thankyou Great-Grandma, Olga Syska. Thankyou for your simple, straight-forward faith!

Two digits

Joshua you are now a wopping 10 years old! We just love you to bits! Here are some things you

love doing at the moment:

• being quizzed by Daddy at Bible story time.
• playing entomologist (you recently went to a workshop on insect pinning and mounting and came back all inspired. So far you have managed to catch a cockroach (hmm... no surprises at where you found him), a few amphids, a bright yellow moth and a dragonfly. Today during our walk around the lake you discovered a little black beetle which can only be spotted in flight when the orange thorax can be seen.
• Playing, talking about (for long lengths of time with your cousin), dreaming about and creating things from Lego or drooling over their catalogues
• using a pocket knife to 'carve' things (or rather slice your finger:)
• Reading all things adventure and lots of Geronimo Stilton books
• Drawing cartoon characters. I find your artwork all over the house - mostly faces of funny men or illustrations for posters threatening younger siblings to stay out of your room and our of your room of exhibits (as you call it).
• entering every competition you can in hopes of winning something. You have before. Many times. Some good prizes, some, well, not so good...
• having hugs and kisses from Dad and Mum (though you would hate to admit it) You don't like it when Grandma kisses you in public or calls you "Joshy" but you just love, love, love all the mushy stuff (secretly)
• anything computer related. We wonder whether you might follow in Daddy's footsteps and become a programmer.
• picking scabs (again and again). Still don't get that about boys...
• organising others - making sure people are where they need to be (at the right time), doing what they should be doing and informed about what they need to be. Can sometimes create issues with siblings but can also be used greatly - we just pray the Lord would use this about you, for his Glory.

A sample of your daily piano practise...

We love you Joshua

Yesterday you stood up and shared at Great Grandma's Funeral. You looked nervous at first, but bravely soldiered on. When you got to a humorous part of your acrostic you broke into a smile and from that point on you looked very confident and relaxed. Well done, Joshua - you did a great job and I'm sure Great Grandma would have been mighty proud of you just as we are.

So may parts of your life are still fitting together.

Like this puzzle I discovered in your 'room of exhibits' there are so many pieces yet to fit together. Some are hard to fit in, some come easily. When the Great Puzzleteir is the one putting the pieces together, Josh, the picture will begin to form something awesome!

XOXOXOXOX - (yes we KNOW you love these!)

scarves for the newborn

Conversation with Rosa:

I was sorting through clothes in my wardrobe, putting items into drawers...

Rosa: I think maybe this scarf will fit me. Maybe when you grow out of it I can have it.

Me: Oh, Rosa I don't think I will really grow out of a scarf but you can borrow it sometimes

Rosa: But babies don't wear scarves

Me: no, they're a bit too little

Rosa: Maybe when you are born it won't fit you

Me: Oh, but I am already born - I am not going to be a baby again

Rosa: No... but in the Bible, it says that when you grow up then you can be born again!

Me: Oh... No, that is a different kind of born - not like being born like a new baby ...

... and on the conversation went:)

Interesting what ticks through the 3yr old brain

And the opportunities...

Hospitable?

Here's a challenge to hospitality that couldn't be expressed any better. Check out this blog if you don't mind a challenge. I can very much relate to this post. Sorry all you folks out there I haven't had over for a meal yet... the Lord is working on me;) slowly....

I know, I know this blog post looks BORING but please, do take a look!

boys

Tonight I sit here smiling. I am smiling at my big boys latest thing...pranks. Gotta love boys - they get such a thrill out of seeing their Mum fall for it again. He has tried taping up the end of the tap so water goes everywhere when the tap is turned on. It worked. He tried putting sticky tape under the bottom of the computer mouse so that Daddy thought something was wrong with his mouse. He gets such a thrill out of his mischief.

What he doesn't know (until he sees this post) is that while he was out with Daddy last night I found his latest book of prank ideas and I am now in the know. At least I hope I am.

The thing I love most about boys is that they are usually transparent (at least mine) they really can't hide their mischief without eventually spilling the beans. Gotta love that.

Oh, and after showering recently I asked the 'obvious' question first, "hey, Josh, did you remember to use soap?" only to meet with a blank look and a silent pause followed by a "no". Sometimes the obvious things are not always obvious. But hey, who needs soap/shampoo/towels, etc. anyway?

Boys make me smile ...

rainy days

During the recent rainy weather...

Rosa has been busy doing lots of this...

My very clever big sister made her a folder with lots of patterns for her to make from this site for her last birthday. Rosa has been begging me to do it with her again. The above free domain book is easy to print and you can buy the coloured foam from craft shops/dollar shops, etc. The book has a number of animals along with pictures showing the steps to follow. Thanks Angela, it has given her something to do while supervising big brother's lessons.

Joshua had a go at this....

Woops... just realised the final finished project isn't in photo form yet...

We both enjoyed putting this together. Feeling all inspired he went on to do another similar project - an aircraft carrier on his own. Looks great... will show you soon... (along with the finished one above;)

Greens

It all started with lawn grubs. They joined a committee and decided to attack when our attention was diverted (we had guests). They had a jolly good feast. The lawn was left weeping, sobbing and, well, naked! Half of our back yard was left mere dirt with a few odd clover popping through. Those fat lawn grubs were rolling about with gorged out bellies. They were laughing. We were not.

This led to the introduction of Mr turf. Hopefully he is a well-adjusted character with strong determination and the ability to influence his power. At any rate he looks nice, leaves no residue inside the house on the bottom of little feet and has been a welcomed addition to our back yard. No more Mr Lawn grub please - you are most unwelcome and we will see to it that you find your visit as distasteful as we do yours.

With the introduction of Mr. Turf came the regular watering and then the idea that maybe the veggie patch could do with a bit more attention. Enter baby spinach, lettuce, beans, snowpeas, chilli plants and coriander. Then when visiting, our Liberian friend introduced us to potato greens (she cooks with the leaves of the potato plant) and casava plants. So our garden is beginning to thrive (despite me).

Baby spinach before shot:

Baby spinach after:

The thriving baby spinach (really should be re-named in our case - massive spinach) has been a staple part of our diet of late.

Potato greens:

Introducing Spinach and Fetta pie:

ok, Mr. Lawn grub, though I do not like you (not a bit) maybe your influence has led to this yummy result. Kind of. Indirectly. So ok, a little thanks to you... but we shall just shake hands at the gate - that is as far as our friendship goes.

And as for this ugly box that I collected from the side of the road. I have plans. Red, fruity plans for this box.

greens

...and a sneak peek of some outdoor fun I've been having

About time she says!

My very generous and sweet, kind-hearted and game hubby suggested that my longed-for trip to Canberra take place the last week of term while he had no work between programming contracts (oh, I so love those spaces between contracts!). In fact he suggested it on a Saturday afternoon and I was on the plane Mon. morning! Anyone might think he was keen to be rid of me for a week;)

I jumped at the chance. Here is the very sweet reason why... my sweet lil' sister lives down in that far away cold place! And as she would heartily agree - it was jolly high time I visit her!

Was loverly just to catch up - sit together, watch her J play violin, demonstrate her very clever arty side (like her Mamma) see where she and S go to school...

Check out her favourite Koko Black to see if it was really what it was cracked up to be. It was.

Watch my hilarious brother-in-law play with toys he assured me he purchased for the kids. Ok I admit, S had great fun holding up a cloth for him to aim at. It really is a Father/son toy (with emphasis on the Father part:)

My lil' brother decided to drop in, too while I was down there. He had a few weeks before his new job whisks him away further north. We got to meet his sweet heart Zoe. Not bad, Sam!

We also managed to squeeze in a trip to the famouse Floriade flower festival

Awww... but have been missing them so since coming home! Oh, I just love that face, S! I am missing that cute, Grover-ish boy talk too, S! XOX