And Evie turned four

We've been away at Bluey's again. Crazy holiday with 8 children and 6 adults in one big house. Evie had her fourth birthday on the beach complete with genuine treasure hunt (Craig dressed up as Ben Gun and she didn't know who he was. He's now shaved the beard off which probably will help her with identification in the future).





I love this beachhouse. I felt wistful as we left, knowing that we will probably never be here again and already it feels full of good memories.

Occasional feature: no. 2 [people we wish to shame into commenting]

Vincent O'Shea. Part businessman, part good time guy, one hundred percent cowboy. Bring on your comments Vinny boy.

Friends

Our friends Kathryn and Gunner arrived from the UK yesterday. It's so good to see them - and it feels as if no time has passed since we last saw them. I guess that's how it will be when we come back - some relationships are timeless.

They travelled from England to Australia without stopping (well, one hour in Singapore) and with three small children. They look good, can put coherant sentances together and are up for sightseeing tomorrow. My respect and admiration for them has doubled.

Normality

We're back in our nice little Sydney routine. Craig's been running, Evie's been painting, riding bikes and baking. Barney helped with the baking. (And we helped with the painting). There's something very comforting about having a home here - I think that we have an inherant need as human beings to have our own place if we are to feel secure. I'm sure that travelling without a base might be fun but would also bring a sense of disconnection and weariness that would be hard to shift. Being back here feels good.


We're also realising that time is moving fast, so we are trying to spend as much time as we can with the Nivens before we leave. We've been playing, barbequing and generally enjoying each other's company at every opportunity. As an aside, I have to say that the australian barbeque is a wholly different affair to what we're used to. It's large, self-cleaning and powered by gas... but it's still only the men who are allowed to hold the tongs.

Ladies... all the ladies

As we settle back into a more gentle rhythm of life after our whirlwind of travelling, I am starting to remember things. I think I forgot to mention the python. We were in an animal park in Port Douglas watching a man handling a snake. As he explained (with pictures) the method they use to dislocate their jaws so that they can consume large mammals, Evie asked (very politely) if she could hold the snake. She was delighted when he said yes and positively revelled in the experience, telling us that 'she felt lovely' and that she was 'really sweet'.

I don't dislike snakes, but to be honest, I've never been that keen on meeting one close up. However, after Evie's display of bravery I felt I couldn't let the side down, so I held it very cautiously for a minute or so, before happily handing it back. I was very proud of (and slightly awed by) my daughter at that moment. Without fear, who knows what she will accomplish.

One of the exciting options open to a fearless woman over here is a job in a team working on the roadworks. I have never, ever seen a woman working on the road in the UK, but so far I've spotted one in every crew in Australia. It's quite a revelation.. although so far I haven't seen a woman in charge of a piece of large machinery - they usually hold the stop sign and/or the walkie talkie. Still, the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.

I have been pretty pleased glad to be a woman lately. Pilates is fun, the suunshine is warm and when I look at Evie and Barney I feel quite content with my body's creative power. However, in an attempt to prove my superior female strength I allowed Craig to take me to the park to practice shuttle runs today. He managed to run with me (faster) then run back pushing Evie and Barney in the buggy at the same time. I trailed behind trying to catch my breath.