The Bernard Files.: What a surprise!!!

The Bernard Files.: What a surprise!!!: As my readers would know by now, I have been laid up after a knee operation. What was a minor operation was meant to be followed by just a f...

What a surprise!!!

As my readers would know by now, I have been laid up after a knee operation. What was a minor operation was meant to be followed by just a few days rest then recovery would quickly follow.

However,  a week after the operation I developed blood clots in my leg, and so far I have spent 12 days on the couch with my leg up, and obviously off work. I still have at least 4 more days of this.

Imagine my surprise yesterday when the door opened and in walked our eldest boy Sam, who is meant to be in London!!

As it turns out, another son, Will, said he was off to Melbourne for the day with a few of his mates. No big deal, that sounded great.
It turns out that both he and Lachie (other son) knew all about Sam coming home, and the Melbourne trip was to go and collect Sam from the airport. They had been in on it all along!!

So the rest of the day was spent just chilling with Sam, who we hadn't seen for 9 months. His brothers hadn't seen him for 15 months.
It was great to see Jen's reaction when she walked in the door when she got home from work...our family was complete again.

So last night was just the 5 of us again in the lounge and just talking as a family should.

He heads back to London just after Christmas, so his next few weeks will be busy catching up with family and friends.

Today he was off to the gym as he felt crappy after his flights ( and wasn't I impressed with that!!!)
and catching up with his close mates who are all great blokes. He has even snagged a game of indoor soccer tonight with the team he played for, the legendary 'Cool Ridge', which he was really excited about.

It is amazing to know that someone who you thought was on the other side of the world is now just a few minutes away for the next two weeks. No doubt we will be making the most of this time together, and I will also be making some good plans with him for when I head over there in Feb next year.



Sam and Jen just after she got home from work.

Another hurdle...

Hi,
Short and sweet today.
After finally making it to the end of an enforced 4 day rest at home on the couch with my leg up, I didn't really get the news I was after when I went to the doctor today.
While my swelling is going down, the level of pain isn't, so I have been put on further medication and told to stay laying down with my leg up for 6 more days!!

Sitting down and resting has never really been part of my ideal things to do, but given the risks associated with the problem I developed in my leg I am following the doctor's orders to the letter, regardless of how much it bugs me.

So tomorrow one of our boys is going to shoot out to my school and collect end of year reports for me to read through and check ( that will be a blast!!) and also grab the new laptop waiting for me there. It will be good having the time to set it up just the way I want.

One of my fears about spending so much time being inactive is turning into a big blob of lard, but since my hunger has waned completely ( due to the medication, inactivity or both) I feel that it won't be too hard to start getting back into shape again.
Look out when I get the all clear to get on my bike!!
The only hassle will be when it all stops again so that I can get the operation done on my shoulder that was due yesterday.

Still, my hassles are pathetic in the big picture of things. Keep the perspective.

Cheers!!

Bored!!!!!

Well,
Since my last post, things haven't really been able to break the record on the "Excitement Meter" to say the least!!
I had a minor knee op a fortnight ago and was meant to be up and about and off my crutches days ago so that I would be ready for a shoulder operation that I'm due to have tomorrow.

Our youngest, Lachie, had his Year 12 Graduation Dinner last Tuesday, and during the dinner I noticed my leg starting to hurt and tighten up. We left early as a result and when we got home I saw that my lower leg had blown up considerably and felt like it was going to explode. The pain was severe as well.

So I took the next day off work and rested up, then went to work for the next 2 days, but left early on both due to the hassles with my leg.

On Friday I rang my doctor  who said I need to come in and get it checked. Some further checks at the hospital revealed blood clots in my leg that needed to be treated immediately with rest and medication. "Four days at least laying down with your leg up" was the order.
At first I thought this would be great, but the amount of pain involved meant that any enjoyment went straight out the window. Also, after about two hours on the first day I was already off my tree.
How on earth would I get through 4 days (or more) of this??

First of all, I spent a fair whack of Saturday reading through the end of year reports given to me by some teachers. That got me through until about midday, so what else could I do??

There was a bit of work to do collating our testing data from throughout the year, so that took most of yesterday, but now that I have that done I am looking at two days on my back staring at the tv. There have been a few good shows on (thank goodness for Foxtel) but even watching tv can be mind numbing at the best of times.

It hasn't failed to dawn on me that it is now two weeks since I have had any exercise at all and that is bugging me big time. From being accustomed to doing something energetic every day, this forced rest is driving me nuts. Normally I would go off my tree if I missed just one day, this is totally out of my comfort zone, and doesn't look like changing in the near future.

Finally, as I have blood clots and am on medication for them (yet to see it working yet!!) I have had to have my shoulder operation for tomorrow postponed. This is the most annoying as I have been waiting a while to get it done as it does impact on me quite a bit. Hopefully I can get it booked in soon as I need to be up and about by early Feb as I leave soon after for a few weeks overseas on a study trip.
Having a leg and a shoulder in working order are pretty high on the agenda for me!!!

Anyway, that's my gripe for the day, but in saying so, I can't stop thinking about those who have SERIOUS crap going on in their lives. What I am having is pithy compared to what they have to put up with, so the level of guilt is high when I moan about my pathetic little problems.

It's all about perspective.

Until the next post,

Cheers!

My body transformation...

In some earlier posts I mentioned that I had been getting some treatment on a dodgy knee and shoulder.
The advice I was getting in Bendigo was not having any effect, so I went and saw some specialists in Melbourne.
After a couple of MRI's the problems were diagnosed, and yesterday I had the first stage of getting them fixed, hopefully.
I had an arthroscope on my knee yesterday at Epworth Hospital in Richmond. They do it so fast these days. I was in the hospital at 6:30 in the morning, and then back home here in Bendigo at about 2:00  in the afternoon. For my first arthroscope many years ago I was in hospital for three days, which goes to show how good they are at doing them now. This is the 5th one I have had now, and each time they get quicker, it's just like popping in to the dentist for a filling!

Straight onto the couch with ice pack after getting home.

Not a very pretty sight.

The next day, still too swollen to get to work, maybe tomorrow.

And this is why I mentioned in my previous post why it might be difficult to get around the Camping Show in Bendigo on Saturday. Never mind though, regardless, I am determined to be at it as there is so much I want to see there.

Now that the knee has been done, my next part of the rebuild is in two weeks when I head back to Melbourne again for an operation on my shoulder. In one way, I wish I'd had the shoulder done first as it is causing me the most grief, but if I did, and they found something worse than expected it would mean not getting the kneed done as I wouldn't be able to use crutches.

Either way, I think we have stopped the body from falling apart for the time being, and now I just have to be mindful of doing the correct rehab, as I need to get back into shape for my overseas trip early next year.

I bought a......

Yep. We did it.
Just like so many others, We bought a Jeep!!
For many years I have wanted to get one, and when we bought our last new car we test drove one and I thought 'this is it', only to lose the decision for a different car, which although fantastic, it still didn't grab me as much.

Fast forward a few years and our youngest gets his licence, and as we provided a car for the first two, we felt we needed to do the same for Lachie, so he got the car that Jen has been driving around.
I hand over the Subaru to Jen, and we go and get the Jeep. Simple as that!

I know Jen was never really keen on them at all, but after picking it up in Melbourne, it only took an hour or so for her to say how much she liked it.

We now have plans to get away a bit more, especially as all the boys now have their licence. As we drove past a caravan sales place last week she even said to me, "We need to go in there and look at some things". No protest from me on that one!! This Saturday we are off to the Caravan and Camping show here in Bendigo, but only if I can get around. More about that in the next post!

My excitement with the Jeep copped a hiding a few days after we took delivery.

I was driving to school, and already running late when some warning lights came on, then it just stopped dead by the side of the road before I could do anything at all.

After ringing the appropriate people, a tow truck came and he identified the problem in a flash. He popped the bonnet and saw that the battery cable had dislodged. Imagine my embarrassment!!!

To his credit, he wasn't fussed and said that it was a really common problem with new cars, as the mechanics often didn't tighten these cables properly while they were still in the car yard.

It still had to be taken in to the Jeep franchise to have the computer reset, so it was onto the truck and into the dealer.

The story doesn't end there however.

I rang the dealer late in the afternoon to check on the progress, only for them to say that they didn't know whose Jeep it was, or why it was dropped off. It appears that the driver just unloaded it and drove off, so no-one knew what had to be done with it. It was only after I told them what had happened that they were able to fix it.

Luckily all ended up well after that.

Or so I thought....

Two days later I was in a car park and a young bloke reversed out of a bay and straight into the side of me in the Jeep. With the noise it made, I was picturing the side of the car to be a mess, so imagine my surprise when I found only some scratches and scrapes. The panel had popped straight back into shape after impact.

I went and got the usual quotes as I wanted it fixed so that rust wouldn't set in. Some panel beaters are total rogues, as my 3 quotes were $83:00, $221:00 and $1200:00!!

The dearest one was charging for refitting the mats in the boot among other trivial things. I couldn't believe what they were quoting for when it was just a bit of painting and buffing that needed to be done. Also, I couldn't rip this young bloke off for something that was a complete accident.

Thankfully, it has now been fixed, and we hope that is the end of any hassles with this car.

Farewell Tess...

A sad post this time.

For 15 years we have been blessed with the presence of our dog, Tess.
When we moved to Bendigo our three boys were all quite young, so we thought having a pet dog would be a great experience for them, and didn't it prove to be a great decision.

In that time she has been a big part of our lives, and rarely has a day gone by without someone calling out "Has anyone fed Tess yet?"

Each time we walk in from the carport and open the door, we can look across the room and see Tess outside the glass doors that lead out onto our deck. Without fail she would be there waiting for us, or come bolting up from somewhere else in the yard once she knew we were home.

Tess would love to come into the house and just roam around. We rarely needed to vacuum, as she would scoop up anything that had found its way to the floor.

Will and Tess. No matter what time of the day or night, Will would always be with Tess giving her a gentle pat, especially in her last few weeks.

From being a dog who would chase balls everywhere, poor old Tess had really started to slow down over the past few months, to the point where we would take her to the vet to see if 'it was time yet'.

We all knew that as she got older and more frail, the decision to put her to sleep would have to be taken so that she would not be suffering. In her last few weeks she could barely get up on the deck or get up again if she fell over. We knew the time had come, so a booking was made to take her to the vet, and I was the one left to take her on this final trip.

Once the booking was made, a huge cloud of sadness descended over the house as we all came to realise that in 24 hours she would no longer be with us.

So, after I finished school on the Friday I drove home to collect her, all the time with a huge lump in my throat. No-one really wanted to say goodbye to her, so it was straight into the car and off we went. At the vet I could hardly speak as I was getting emotional about what was to happen, and to the vet's credit they understood this, and made the whole experience comfortable, peaceful and supportive.

Tess has now been laid to rest under a big gum tree on our block, on the side where we will most likely build once we subdivide the block. It is already called 'The Tess Tree'.

Tess just about to make her exit from this world.

Life is Changing...

As it has been many weeks since my last post, I felt the need to get myself organised and make some more posts to 'The Bernard Files'.

A lot has happened since my last post, so I'll address different things in no particular chronological order.

First of all, our youngest son turned 18, which means a whole new level of independence for him, and less reliance on us to drive him around as he obtained his driver's licence.

Just seeing Lachie being able to take off whenever he likes is great, and it also enables Jen and I to go to work earlier, or stay later as neither of us is now required to be the 'taxi'. There are times of course when we don't mind doing the pickups, but now that all three boys are independent it is a whole new world for us as we can go away when we want without having to worry about the boys getting to appointments.

Lachie also recently completed his Year 12 exams, so now is the waiting period for his results to come through. We are now finished with schooling for our boys and with one through University, another part way through, and now Lachie looking like heading there next year, they are all on the way towards forging lives of their own.

The Year 12 Graduation Ceremony was fantastic, as has been in other years.

Pretty hard to get a decent shot of Lachie as they entered the Cathedral.

The final song as they head out after the ceremony.

A wonderful sight as the Year 12's walk out with their candles.

Holidays nearly over....

Well I have been slack lately, but there has been a bit going on. That is not an excuse, because we can all make time for whatever we want to do no matter whatever else is going on.

I had mentioned in an earlier post how I hurt my shoulder earlier in the year when I fell and landed on it. It has been getting progressively worse and I have had lots of treatment on it as well as a few cortisone shots, all to no avail.
Last week I went off to see a doctor in Melbourne who has treated me when I ripped the hammy off the bone, and who also treated my osteitis pubis, which was an injury I wouldn't wish on anyone. The treatment for that was nearly worse than the injury itself!!

Anyway, I had an MRI in the morning, then I had an appointment with the Doc (Paul) in the afternoon. I have to mention here that I also had an MRI on my knee which is another story. When I met with Paul later in the day he started with "Well, which one do want fixed first?". I opted for the shoulder, as it has been quite painful to say the least, and he agreed as in his words "there is a lot of anger in there".
After seeing and hearing what was wrong, and he explained it so clearly, he then asked what my plans were for the next few days. I told him that I was on holidays and that my wife and I were spending the night in Melbourne, so he just said "Great, let's go".
Not knowing what was going to happen, he took me into another room that looked like a mini surgery. Off came the shirt and onto the table I went. Next came an anaesthetic, followed by a few needles through my back that felt like they were going to come out the front of me!!
It turns out that I had a lot of fluid in my shoulder and arm, and he was draining it out and putting in something else that would kick in over the next few days. The relief as I left his surgery was immediate, and although I still have a lot of pain and restricted movement, it is heaps better than what it has been. In a few weeks I find out if surgery is needed, touch wood I won't.
As Spring is upon us and there is a lot of growth around our house, it has meant that I haven't had to get out and about as much as I normally would...BINGO!!! The yard will have to wait, but I must confess that I did do a few hours out there a few days ago as it was just bugging me too much. Didn't I suffer for it later that night!!

Now for the knee. I remember giving it a twist earlier in the year when I was shifting our wood pile. It really hurt at the time, but I just ignored it and hoped it would go away. Well, over the course of the year it has progressively deteriorated, to the point where if I sit down for a while then get up to walk, I hobble quite a bit until everything seems to fall back into place. Walking and light running are no problem as it is straight ahead stuff, but anything involving a twist...no way!
Just on Sunday I was out on my bike for a few hours and loving it as I started thing ""Hey, my knee is ok!!"
I thought too soon. As I approached a set of traffic lights, I needed to get my shoe out of the cleats, which involves twisting the knee slightly. As soon as I did this it felt like I had been shot, and I was lucky not to fall over at the lights (which has happened when I first got the cleats-very embarrassing!!). The rest of the ride was fine, but I had to make sure I avoided lights and intersections where I would need to take my shoe out of the cleats.
So, after getting my shoulder treated, Paul then told me about the knee. Apparently I have torn the meniscus (I never knew what these did until then!) and there is some kneecap wear and tear, which requires an operation. This will get done in the next few weeks, which although only minor, is still a pain as it will lay me up for a while which will drive me nuts. (And also everyone else who has to deal with me!!)
Having had quite a few of these operations before, at least I know what is involved and what the rehab is.

The holidays have been spent just lazing about and not doing much in particular, which has been great.
I am going overseas for a few weeks early next year, so I have used the time to finalise my flights, accommodation and school visits and it has been surprising how time consuming this can be. How people did this before the internet made it so easy must have been so frustrating.

My wife is sort of amazed that I have been able to do it all myself, as she has done all of these things for our recent overseas trips and I have just tagged along. This is coming from someone who doesn't even know which week is pay week, or how much he gets paid, so for me to be able to get this done is a huge achievement!!

And finally, my other holiday activity that has taken up most of this week, I have bought a new car!!
Our youngest is due to get his licence in the next few days, and just as we have done with our two older boys, we are handing a car down to him, hence the need to get a replacement.
For years I have always wanted to get a Jeep, although my wife would prefer something smaller.
I just really like SUV's, particularly as they are great for just throwing the bike in the back.
Imagine my surprise when last week she comes out and says that I should start looking for one!!!
Fast forward a week or so and it is at the stage now where I have done all the searching, financing etc myself, much to my wife's amazement/amusement! I even know how much I get paid now, although I still don't know which week is pay week.
After a lot of emails and phone calls, it is now down to the point where we pick it up tomorrow, so there is a bit of excitement to say the least.

Other than that, the holidays are just about over and I'm really looking forward to watching the Grand Final on Saturday. The bittersweet part is that I go nuts for the next 6 months with no football to watch!!

Hopefully there will be a post tomorrow with a photo, where I can say

    "I bought a......."

Cheers!!!

Father's Day

Father's Day

So what does one do on Father's Day?

For me today there was not much choice, but that does not matter at all because I'm being a dad, and that's what the day is about. 

And so is every other day!

After a great dinner last night with our closest friends, it was up early to take our youngest, Lachie, to soccer. 

Hard to believe that in just over a fortnight we might not have to drive him anymore as he'll be going for his licence.

With our different work and school schedules it does get hard at times to sit with the boys, so the times we have spent with them doing their driving practice have been great, although nerve wracking at times!!

Not sure if Lachs is just resting or holding the goal post up!!

I also thought that I could spend time putting together our school weekly Staff Bulletin while watching the soccer, but as I'm now doing it in a new format, I can't access my draft as I need to be online, so there goes that idea.

I'm lucky enough to be heading overseas next March on a study tour so a bit of time planning that has been handy, but once again, no internet!

Don't we just rely on it so much!!

The rest of the day will be relaxing I hope as I have a bung shoulder that is stopping me from doing some of the most basic things. 

A short run, watch some footy and then complete the stuff that I need to do online.

Other than that, Happy Father's Day to all the dads, especially our dad who we lost ten years ago.

Off to Europe again!!!

Not a lot has been happening lately, and I always get the guilts that I am not consistent in adding to this blog, as I do actually enjoy doing it.

A bit over a week ago, I got a phone call from someone at the Catholic Education Office, our governing body.

You see, I had applied for a specific scholarship, one that is designed to enable teachers who have held leadership positions to apply to do something that really interests them, but will also benefit their school and broader educational community.

This could mean anything from taking leave to study something, travel and see other practices in action, visit other schools, whatever. There are limits on expenses and time away which have to be considered in the applications, which is totally fine.

I was very excited with this phone call, because rather than being told "bad luck buddy" ( which has happened in the past) I was actually told that I have been successful with my application.

So, early in 2016 I am planning to head over to Helsinki, Finland, and also to London ( and surrounds) to visit schools and institutions that have a focus on Inquiry and Project Based Learning, passions of mine. In my mind they are one and the same, so it will be an amazing experience to visit Finland in particular, world leaders in educational performance.
Since submitting my application I have also discovered some schools in Germany that are doing significant things in education that are very similar to what I will be going to see in Finland and the UK, so I might try and fit a few visits in there as well.

And possibly the best thing of all, I contacted one of our sons who has been working and holidaying in Europe since September last year and told him of my good news, and he thinks he will still be there when I lob over. How good will that be!!!!!!

The next few weeks will be hectic now as I organise my itinerary and confirm my visits with the schools that have been so welcoming in allowing me to visit.

Some action from school...

As a teacher, I still cringe at the way I taught many years ago.
It was so much of me up the front, kids in front of me answering my questions.
Sure, I know that is the way we were told to teach, but after so many years of experiencing other methods, I remain totally convinced that inquiry learning is the best way to go.
I'm aware that we may have been doing it subtly for quite a while, but until it was painted explicitly for me I wasn't really able to develop greater structure with it.
It does sound strange saying that I needed structure with inquiry, but in my own mind I know what I mean!!

Just the act of questioning with the kids...their own questions and answers to each other can guide and drive a session. It needn't always be directed by the teacher towards pre-determined outcomes.

So, what's the point of this post???

Well, another teacher who I work with is a bit of a gun with inquiry learning, and was helping to plan and implement an inquiry into Minibeasts that our Gr 2's were doing.
I was asked ( make that told!) to join her in dressing up as mad scientists and act out a scenario in front of the Gr 2 classes.
Our 'Mission' was to rid the world of Minibeasts, because we felt that they just got in the way, annoyed us and were generally just pests. The Gr 2 children now have to convince us otherwise.
On the day, Jess and I dressed up as Professors Squirrellsquirt and Snifflepiffer, and created a frothing green potion in front of the children, promising to use it to rid the world of minibeasts!!
The kids were throwing up all sorts of reasons as to why we shouldn't do this, so we gave them a 5 week window of opportunity to present a case for the preservation of them.
In the past week or so, the evil professors have sent a few letters to the classes advising them that we are producing our potion at an alarming rate, but if they can convince us to change our ways we will then use the potion for good rather than evil, as it can easily be changed into minibeast food.

The number of letters we are receiving from the children continues to grow, so over the next two weeks the evil professors will have hopefully changed their ways!!

Professor Snifflepiffer and Professor Squirellsquirt.

The Biggest Winner

As those of you who know me well, you would also know that I work at one of the biggest primary schools in Bendigo.
As such, this also means that we would also have a large staff ( in number that is!! )
We are lucky that we all get on really well with each other and are very social. which explains why our current challenge is going off.
The instigator of this new challenge is a great man who goes by the name of Cam. After the last holidays, he felt that he had neglected his health and fitness a little during the two week break, so he needed a bit of inspiration and support in getting back on track.
His idea that was shared with us was to have a "Biggest Winner" competition (well, not so much competing against each other, but more about supporting each other).
The idea is that we all put in a sum of money, and some of this goes to our weekly winner, while the majority of the pool goes to our overall winner at the end of this term.
We partner up with someone for our weekly weigh in, where the weight is not revealed, just the percentage of weight lost each week. The partner is there to keep the weigh in legit!

       

That's all there is to it. No boot camp activities, no restrictions on what you can and can't eat, just a little monetary inducement to maintain a little bit of fitness and sensible eating for the term, and hopefully beyond. Above all, it has really created a sense of community and support with all of those involved, about 12 of us.
As expected, there has been a bit of banter among the participants, such as offering them the biscuit container at morning tea, or an extra bit of cake when there is a birthday (a regular occurrence on a staff of more than 50). The amount of willpower shown already has been admirable, and when it really comes down to it, everyone really supports each other, despite the occasional offer of a bickie or piece of slice!

And not everyone even needs to lose any kg's, they just want to be involved and help support others, which builds our community further.
When I said I'd do it, I had quite a few saying I didn't need to lose anything, as I do try to stay fit and healthy, but I reckon a few kg's from here and there can only be good for me, plus I reckon I'm carting a few that I don't need.
Also, Cam was the only male involved at the start, so I wanted to give him some 'man support'!!
We took our starting weigh in last week, and our first official weigh in is this week, so for the past few days everyone has been right into the good eating and exercise. My problem was that I started doing it two weeks ago when Cam first floated the idea, and I've already dropped 2 kg, which would have been better to lose after the initial weigh in. It didn't bother me though, because they were probably a few kg's that I didn't need in the first place.

And if you are wondering how I am looking at the start of the challenge, I've include my before photo, and my target photo so that you can see what I'm aiming for.

                 Before                                                                             After???

So, just a simple idea from Cam has really galvanised a lot of people to be active at a time of the year when we'd probably prefer to be inside, on the couch with a nice coffee and cake. We can still do those things, but being more careful about how many times we do it!

The biggest challenge has not been just eating a few pieces of fruit and a box of sultanas each day at school as I normally do, but not grabbing the occasional bickie as well, or having a little snack before tea when I get home as I'm normally famished after having been for a run.

Yesterday was a challenge as it was canteen day at school, and a tray of leftover pies were placed on the staff table between myself and another participant in the Biggest Winner. The temptation to grab one was huge, as it was a really cold day and we had both just come in from yard duty. We just looked at each other and went "Nuh Nuh". Without her support, or mine, we both might have succumbed!!

As today is really cold I am already thinking of going and cooking up something to eat, but just writing this has convinced me to make a healthier choice about what to cook.

Let's now see what happens with my initial weigh in of 79.2 kg (fully dressed, no shoes on) over the next 8 weeks!!

 Cheers

Happy 50th little brother!!

Well today is a special day for my younger brother Peter, affectionately known to many as "Dirty".

He turns 50!!

There are so many stories we could share about him, but a favourite tale that we always get a laugh out of is the following one, when we were all home on holidays from teacher's college one Summer.

At the Colbinabbin house where mum and dad lived, there was a big room called ‘The Boys room’ and another called “The Girl’s room”. Our oldest brother, Moose, lived in a little bungalow out the back.

Anyway, a stray cat had been coming in at night and annoying the hell out of Moose who worked really long hours at the local quarry, always leaving for work at about 5.00 in the morning, especially during Summer, which was when this happened as we were all at home.

Moose caught the pesky cat and put it in a sack and gave me, Dirty and another younger brother, Damian the task of taking it out the bush and shooting it. He also gave us a rifle, which was an automatic with a 15 shot clip.

“Yep Moose, no worries, we’ll do it today”

So, the 3 of us head out with the cat in the sack and the gun, thinking ‘this will take no time at all’. But, to save time, instead of going miles away out into the bush where Moose demanded, we just headed out behind the local tip, about one km away.

Well, now is the time to cue the Benny Hill music, as the next 5 minutes were chaotic!!

After much discussion about who would shoot, the task fell to me, while Dirty decided that we should let it out and shoot it humanely.

Well, as soon as the sack opened out flew that cat hissing and spitting and it BOLTED!!!!!

And then the shooter, who couldn’t shoot the ground even if he was aiming at it was letting loose with the rifle while the cat disappeared into the distance with little bits of dust spitting up behind it as the magazine was quickly emptied in its direction.

“Bugger!! What do we tell Moose????!!”

We decided that dishonesty would save us, so when Moose got home that night he asked if we had ‘dispatched’ the said cat, to which we vigorously nodded in agreement.

Imagine our shock and horror at 5.00 the next morning when Moose stormed into the boy’s room, with the ‘dead’ cat back in the sack. It had returned!!!

In a less than pleasing tone he marched over to Dirty’s bed, threw the cat in the sack on his bed, and this time with a shotgun, yelling

“Do it properly this time and don’t open the sack!!!”

Let’s just say it was done more efficiently this time, without the music!!

And we let Dirty go out and do it on his own!!

Just one of many funny stories that come from living in a large family who always like to have some fun.

Happy 50th Dirty !!

The past keeps catching up....

After teaching for close to 30 years the number of kids I have taught has grown to a considerable number.

I have been lucky to have taught all grade levels at 8 different schools, as well as a short stint at La Trobe University.

In that time various kids stand out for various reasons, and also some classes stand out more than others for a variety of reasons too. By the same token, others fade very quickly from the memory.
There is nothing worse than running into someone you have taught a few years later and they are excited to see you, and all you can think is "Who the hell is this?"
It is embarrassing I can tell you!!

Then there are the others that you recognise instantly, and it's always great to see them again.

Early in my teaching career I taught a particular class at St Alipius Primary in East Ballarat. I had them for one year, then again 1 year later. For some reason this class holds such special memories.
I reckon if I saw any of them today I'd know straight away who they are. I think I could even name their parents and siblings as well. This group just 'had it', meaning they were so easy to teach and we had the best relationship. I remember the two years of teaching them so clearly, we were able to do so many things that I would never have dreamed about doing with other groups, they were just so receptive to learning.

They were clearly the two most memorable years of my teaching so far because it was so much fun and I was able to really get to know my students.

So, imagine my surprise two years ago when out of the blue I got a message from one of them to say they were having a 25 year reunion, and wanted me to come along. At first I thought of not going, as I was still picturing them as 12 and 13 year olds, but when I got around to realising that they were all in their mid 30's now, it didn't seem so bad.

The next few months involved a lot of emails and renewing contact with people who I never thought I'd see again as I no longer lived in Ballarat.
The day of the reunion finally came, and it was with some trepidation and nervousness that I entered the Lakeview Hotel in Ballarat not knowing what to expect. Immediately I was greeted by a few of them, and apart from the shock of now seeing them as fully fledged adults, it was like seeing old friends again.
We laughed at so many things, shared stories, looked at photos, and they had even arranged for me to do a roll call!!
Sadly we had lost 4 of our group in the ensuing years which was tragic to learn about.

It was just a fantastic day, with the odd part being that many had to leave late in the afternoon as they had kids at home to look after and get to bed, whereas when I was teaching them I was just about to enter the parenting phase of my life.

Fast forward another two years and I noticed a message from one of them on Facebook, which I replied to. This then started a line of discussion about how to use a slow cooker to cook a roast!!
Imagine that, 26 years later I am still offering some of them advice, and in cooking of all things!!!
It just goes to show that some connections can remain solid throughout the years.

It all started with Kellie asking about her slow cooker...

And having just cooked a frozen chicken in ours just a day or two earlier, I had to add my bit...

This exchange made me realise that although we may think that some people may have passed through our lives, we just never know where or when we we will catch up with each other again.

I look forward to our next reunion.

Last day of holidays...

Well after a massive hiatus after our overseas trip, I seemed to have developed writer's block for a few weeks, as I just couldn't come up with anything as good as what I had just been lucky enough to experience.
Thankfully, these holidays have got me going again, and although the content isn't as exotic as I'd like it to be, it is what has been happening.

Being a devotee of the Richmond football club, it hasn't been great being so starved of success since our last flag in 1980. Not only have we not won a flag since then, we have been perennial cellar dwellers and at times the laughing stock of the AFL. Nonetheless I have tried to fly my Richmond flag proudly for the past 35 years, often at the expense of relentless ridicule from friends and colleagues.

So how good has it been for the past two and a bit years now that the team is actually winning more games than they are losing!!

As I was in Melbourne for a few days last week with lots of time on my hands, I took the opportunity to go down to Punt Rd and watch Richmond train, then went to the game the next night with my son Will and one of his mates.
Although not overly confident of our chances, as experience has taught me to expect everything and nothing when following the Tigers, it was great to see us get up and win in what was an extremely ugly game of football.

 A good crowd already assembled to watch training at Punt Rd.

 The boys going through some drills.

I left the task of buying some good seats to Will, as the forecast was for terrible weather, and he didn't disappoint!

And the best part of the night, hearing the song after the game!!!!

It was a great night, not just because I got to watch them train and really soak up the atmosphere, but because I was there with one of my boys and one of his mates, and we had a great night regardless.

It was funny though at one stage during the last quarter when the rain started coming down.

We decided to head to the bar behind us which was out of the rain and have a beer, and the group of blokes we were next to had obviously hit the bar a lot earlier than us!! 

They were all probably in their late 50's, but to just listen to their banter was hilarious. The best comment we heard was when one of them yells out to his mates "What quarter is this?"

They were well and truly oiled and were having a big night, but they were harmless and very funny to watch and listen to.

A great night and a great result.

So what does one do??

As my readers know, I am enjoying the luxury of a few days roaming the streets of Melbourne while my wife attends University.

Yesterday I had an experience that is really troubling me, and I still don't know if I did the right thing or not.
When I say the right thing, it has two ways of being taken - one being what I felt was right for me, and secondly, what was right for the other person involved. This is something that I didn't consider until after the event, which I'll try to describe now...

Firstly, let me put it in context. In an earlier post I described a situation we experienced in Berlin a few months ago where I had the opportunity to help someone who was down and out, but left it too late and was then unable to do anything at all. The message I took from that was to address a need as soon as you see it.

So, yesterday morning as I was walking through the city I passed a homeless bloke who was sitting on a bench shaking severely from the cold.
My first thoughts were "Poor bugger", and then I remembered the bloke from Berlin.
There was a Macka's just ahead so I went in and bought a meal and a coffee and took it back to this bloke. Imagine my dismay when I saw that he was now joined by another bloke. Only later when I talked to Jen about it did she suggest I should have gone and bought another meal for him too. Agreed.
As I gave it to him, and apologised to the other guy for having nothing for him (and to his credit he was ever so gracious as he said he expected nothing) he was so thankful.
But it was his parting comment that stirred so many emotions within me, and I still don't know which way to think.
After his very gracious "Thank you",  he then said "Next time could you ask me what I want, because people give me food all day". I was taken aback by this comment and my first thought was "Bloody hell, what more do you want". Immediately I felt guilty for thinking this way and tried to put myself in his shoes.
I was determined not to give money after hearing a recent interview with Brendan Nottle from the Salvation Army. They explicitly ask not to give money to beggars and street people (I hate those terms). I did what he advised to do, short of giving the money straight to the Salvos.
And if I did ask beforehand what he would like, perhaps I might have found that he may have wanted fruit, or something sweet, or toothpaste or whatever.
I now wish that I had done that, but what stopped me was that I was concerned about insulting his dignity by asking in the first place.
So now I am in a difficult place because I didn't want to do nothing, and by doing something I feel that perhaps I did the wrong thing? Does that make sense?
I can sort of understand where he comes from, but I will never understand fully as I have never been in the situation that he is in.

But what it does mean to me is that we should not give up on helping others, it just means that we need to have a better understanding of each situation.

I know that it sounds like I was offended by his remark, maybe I was slightly, but I have brushed it away completely as I was embarrassed to find myself thinking that way.
To his credit, he was dignified, thankful and respectful throughout our brief encounter, so it now appears that I gained the most benefit out of this situation.

We can always learn so much from others...

A little holiday to end the holidays...

Well here we are in Melbourne for a few days, courtesy of my wife needing to attend University as part of her Master's Degree that she is doing.
While she goes and studies for a few days I am being free to do what I want down here as I completed mine a few years ago.

So what plans do I have???

We did a few things in the city today that had to be done (the yearly eye tests as we ARE getting older!) Thankfully for the second year running I don't need my glasses changed, but it's still a pain needing to take them everywhere.

When I mentioned this they kindly raised the subject of contact lenses, "and it will only cost $90 to set you up".
Well, this sounded too good to be true, so I stopped the lovely lady and bluntly asked her "So you're saying I could have contacts for just $90?" (I knew it was too good to be true, particularly as she started to shift in her chair a little.)
"Well...umm...aahhh...".
She then quietly, very quietly mentioned that there would be a slight 'production cost'. When pressed further, this 'production cost' was close to $300, and it would need doing every 6 months!!
We left on good terms, and I told her I'd think about it.
I'm not discounting the idea, it was just the sinister way that she was trying to hook me in that was a bit dodgy.

We then went and checked into our digs which are in a great central location. After going for a walk and tram ride to see where Jen has to go tomorrow, I suggested that we walk back to our digs, as it wasn't really that far. She was on to me straight away and knew why I suggested this plan of attack, as my route took us straight down Elizabeth St, coincidentally past all of the motorbike shops.
Some of you might know that I had a bike for a few years, but sold it as the two younger boys were on their L Plates and any time I rode the bike to school meant that they missed out on driving practice, so I sold it...regretfully. It has always been my plan to get another one, and as our youngest is soon to get his licence, I have started to keep an eye out.

It wasn't a big bike, but it was good first one.

I had to kill some time along Bridge Rd in Richmond while waiting for my eye appointment, and it became rather nostalgic when I found myself walking past the block of flats I lived in with a few school mates years ago when we all worked in banks and lived like slobs for a year. While everything in this area near the town hall has been redesigned and redeveloped since, the old digs haven't changed a bit.

Many great parties here, no wonder we were invited to leave!!

And while I still had time on my hands I just couldn't resist the temptation to duck down Punt Rd to see if the Tigers were training. Unfortunately they weren't, but you can guess where I'll be at 10.30 in the morning!!

So, my plans for the next two days are to just have a ball exploring Melbourne, something I've really been looking forward to. Just me, going where I want, when I want. And doesn't that sound so selfish!!!!

Well, the plans look like going a bit haywire, as one foot has decided to just hurt really badly for no good reason. What started as a bit of tenderness has now reached the stage where I am struggling to walk at all as my foot and ankle have decided to go on strike. I even packed the runners and a few sets of running gear so as to hit The Tan a few times...wishful thinking it now seems.

The only thing I can think that could be the cause is the fact that I have just come off a course of anti-inflammatories, and now my body is reminding me what it can do to my best laid plans.

At least I was still able to get a bit of exercise in the gym here, because if I couldn't I would just about go around the bend.

The funny thing in the gym was that when I went in, there was just an old bloke on an exercise bike  reading a paper at the same time. From what I could see, there was an element of leg rotation going on. Not much, but at least movement was detected.

So I just hopped onto a rowing machine nearby, plopped in the headphones and started to give it a go, but nothing too strenuous mind you as there wasn't much competition in the room.

Or so I thought.

Just then two young bucks who didn't look like they needed to be in the gym in the first place rocked up and started their workouts. Not wanting to look like a total flog, I upped the tempo in order to preserve my "macho-ness" and look a bit better than I actually was. For the first few minutes I was fine, until it dawned on me that they were not in the gym for a quick fix, they were here for a good session!! And then the old guy on the bike packed up and left, leaving me and the two Manpower Candidates alone!!

Eventually we all made eye contact, gave each other 'the nod of approval' ( you know, "Yeah mate, I can see you're doing a solid workout, good on you") but I knew they had me worked out from the start!!

Thankfully they finished first, gave another 'nod' (and a bit of grunt as well!) and left.

I kept pumping for another minute or so until I was sure it was safe to go back to my more mediocre pace, picked my heart and lungs up off the floor and headed back to our room, exhausted, but glad for the workout regardless.

I'm just hoping that I'll be mobile enough in the morning to get to training and back to the motorbike shops for a long look at what is around.

And to end the week, middle son Will is coming down on Friday and we are off to see the Tigers hopefully belt Carlton at The G. As the weather is going on the stink over the next few days, I gave Will the task of purchasing good seats, and from what he has told me tonight it seems that he has done a mighty job. If we win that will great, but if we lose, I'd rather watch it from good undercover seats!!

So, the two days of prowling Melbourne has got off to an eventful start, which is what I love, because wouldn't life be boring without these things to test and challenge us.

Cheers!!