One week of the Roller Coaster to go...

One week of the Roller Coaster to ride. It has been stressful lurching from highs, lows, the steady climbs and the stomach churning drops!

This time next week we should have the key to the house!

Yesterday we had the final bill from the solicitor which included all the costs, fees and deposits. We had the unexpected surprise of seeing the Council Rates and water usage added as these have been paid in advance and so the solicitors do some pro rata adjustments on what proportion of the quarter we need to pay for!

We have become highly skilled in the use of Excel spreadsheets and developed a detailed understanding of international banking to the point that Beth was on the phone telling Lloyds TSB how to do it!

Bumpwatch Live...

With the baby just under nine weeks away we thought that we better get some practice in at getting videos from the camera and on to the blog so that you guys don't miss out on anything! Well tonight was the night as I got the call that Bub's was up to its usual Womb Gymnastics! Time for a live Bumpwatch... It's only a short clip ... but just watch the top of Beth's tum (where it is best lit!) and you can see baby having a "wriggle!" It really is the most amazing thing...

Like most You Tube videos its best to let it play with stutters first and enjoy it when it runs smoothly the second time!



... hopefully its the first of many, and they should get better (note to self... turn light on!)If any muso's out there were wondering the music is by Sebastian Tellier the track La Ritournelle. :0)

Bye bye .... but not for long!

Jean and John's three month visit came to an end today as they jetted off back to the UK. Saying goodbye was made far easier by the fact that we shall see them again in six weeks! .. they are flying back again so that they can be here when bubs comes along. Things will certainly be different around 8 Gardner Street without them... they've both done so much for us and the boys!

We dropped them off at the train station ready for their train journey to Sydney Airport. I carried their cases on and nearly joined them as the train whistle blew and the doors started closing just as I jumped off!

Wishing them a safe journey and return trip!

New Years Resolutions... lack of progress update!

Remember them??? I think I've managed them all just not all at once and not all the time!

We're warming up for the Soccer (sorry Football!) season here, and so I've been getting some training in. For the last month I've been playing indoor football and we managed to get our first win last night, a 12 - 2 thrashing of the "Midas Touch" - who were lacking a first and second touch. The team I play in has an interesting name (not chosen by me!) ... FOY FC ... each letter stands for something and is far too rude to type here! Even I managed to sneak onto the scoresheet with a goal showing all the finease of a Paul Wotton penalty! (Paul Wotton is PAFC Captain Fantastic!)Beth came along to watch (and drive me there after the pints earlier in the afternoon!) She manged to capture me on camera a couple of times... I'd like to think I was moving to fast to be captured in the second picture! ;0) Most weeks the tin shed is like a blast furnace at 35 degrees plus.. I'm still aclimatising!

Managed to get pulled up by the ref three times (once for an overhead kick while laying on the ground ... don't ask!) ... so all in all a good game!

Looks like I might also get an outside game this season with a local team... It's with quite a few people we've met already and it's quite a social thing for all the WAGs (Wives And Girlfriends) to come along with the kids, so it should be good! I'll keep you posted!

Happy Anniversary Jean & John

Yesterday was Jean and John's Anniversary and so we went out for a lunch down at the Lake Yacht Club. The meal was fantastic, as was the scenery and the company. Beth is managing to eat less and less (not a lot of room left for stomach!) and so there always seem to be some leftovers going at the moment. There were lots of cards exchanged including the one pictured with Beth and I kissing on the back - lucky Jean and John!!!

The sun was shining, the drinks cool... we gave the swim a miss!!!! A fantastic day...

The New House

All being well ...and it should be as the contracts are now signed and exchanged! ... we'll be moving into our new house on the 7th of March. It's a great little home to start with and has the potential to grow with the family! It's a lovely corner plot with palm trees and landscaped gardens. Inside there are three bedrooms, dining room and living room as long as as everything else you would expect. It is/was in a quiet neighbourhood off the beaten track but central to everything that Newcastle has to offer. There are a couple of bits and pieces to do but other than that we can just move in, enjoy it and start painting the nursery pink .
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(only joking)... or blue, or maybe a mixture of yellow and green cos' we're still not sure! Then its a case of saving up for furniture etc, although we have been luck enough to have inherited a lot of house and baby stuff! Things are fairly tight on the money front as we had to put down 10% more deposit than we wanted! Still the shortage of cash will be worth it when we move in, sit back (on garden chairs!)and think about all the money that's not going on rent each month!

We've got big plans for the house and we've already planned the Phase 1 and Phase 2 extensions! ;0)

Jake Walker

I realised yesterday that I've forgotten to mention Jake! The Walker dog spends most of his time sleeping under the house, or sheltering from the sun/cricket balls. Emerging at night for his food or with his own ball only to run off when you try to play with him.

He was treated to a brush and wash last night before dissapearing back under the house to roll in the mud! He is a dog of few words but he did ask me to say that he is pleased that we have bought a house and he is looking forward to having a run around our garden when he comes to stay!

Live Sites.... Latino Nites!

Last night was the first of the Live Sites events. Over the next couple of months the council put on loads of different free events. Last night was the start of Latino Nights where you can go along and have a dance lesson before watching the band. This will be on for about a month before being replaced with something else... comedy, street theatre, open air cinema etc These events usually bring the whole family out with their cool boxes, picnics and folding chairs. Beth and I did manage to dance a little although a little something kept coming between us! .... That's the baby Ivey and not Liam pictured! :0)

Bump Watch #5

Having received a complaint about the number of Cricket related posts over the last couple of weeks (sorry Paula!) I have been told to get back onto all things Beth and report on progress... so here it is Bumpwatch #5.

The parenting classes are going well and we have made some friends who invited us around to watch some birthing videos!! ... most weeks have been amazing although last week should have been called "Week Four: Everything that could posibly go wrong between now and the 27th April!!!" We went to see where baby will arrive (that's the room ... not anything else!), the birthing centre. You can have the option of a bath birth if you wish, the staff think there think that birth should be a natural process! Apparently the support person (that's me!) can get in the bath too! I asked if I could get in .... natural .... and she said no as it would be a distraction! I replied that it would only be "a small distraction!!"

Oh it's such a perfect day....

After a Summer of being taunted with chants of "Five-Nil", TV adverts from Ford encouraging kids to "Tonk a Pom!" (a pom being a small ball with the face of a typical Englishman on it ie: Monicle and cravat!) and the Commonwealth Bank taking the mickey outta English back yards ("Let's take a look at the typical English backyard" ... shows scene of dirty grey concrete yard ..."poor blokes don't stand a chance!" We eventually regained some pride last night.

Matt, John and myself went down with our 2nd One Day Final tickets (Christmas presents) to Sydney. We got there in plenty of time for the start and took up our seats in an uncovered stand. It was probably the hottest I've been since I've been here... although Sun Block and hats kept the sun off! We were surrounded by Aussies as you expect but they all seemed to enjoy the banter! I've a very sore throat today after all the hearty appeals and constant chirping! The beer was flowing all around but we stayed off it just to keep filled up with other fluids! The Esky was filled nicely and that kept us going all day!

England batted fairly well but were about 20 runs short of a good total come the end. To see Glenn McGrath's smiling face was a delight (!!!) as he took a wicket with his final ball! Australia's innings was disrupted by regular showers and certainly didn't help their cause (shame!!!) and that mixed in with excellent fielding and bowling put England into a strong position. The friends we had made earlier in the day always made sure our seats had been towelled down before we returned from the back of the stand after rain, it was a lovely gesture that we have come to expect from the Aussies!

The Police moved in quickly to remove anyone starting Mexican Waves (a few did break out!)or falling off chairs while trying to start renditions of Waltzing Matilda (seriously!), but turned a blind eye to inflatable rubber ring (full size) and cactus throwing!

As the rain continued, England took wickets and the run rate required increased the result was inevitable... We hung around as the trophy was presented to the England team in their dressing room before celebrating in the rain with the barmy army!

Still a very disspointing Summer of cricket, but with a brighter end and a fantastic day out!... we arrived back in Newcastle at 1:30am!

oh yesssssssssssss!

Our trip to Sydney for the second one day final is set up nicely! :0)

Bring it on Aussies!

Durham's Paul Collingwood hit 106 and his county team-mate Liam Plunkett took three wickets as England beat New Zealand by 14 runs to reach the final.

... bring on the Aussies in the final! Look out for me on Sunday morning UK time... in my Argyle shirt, England flag in one hand beer in the other! :0)

Apple launch the Spog-pod.

Available soon from all good electrical retailers and some bad ones too is the Sprog-pod which allows your baby to hear the music (term used loosely!)of Robbie William's prior to their birth.

... he/she seemed to be enjoying it!

Paul the Possom whisperer....

Managed to coax this little fella out of a tree with an apple. Apparently its a Bushy Tailed Possom. As usual I went off to find out a little more...

Brush tail possums are small mammals that live in trees. They get their name from their brush like tail. The brush tail possum is the largest and most common possum in Australia. Like many Australian mammals the common brush tail possums are marsupials.

The common brush tail possum is about the size of a cat. Male possums are bigger than female possums. The average brush tail possum has a pink nose and pointed face. Their tail is brushy on top and flat on the bottom. It uses its strong tail to help climb trees.

Brush tail possums eat different kinds of leaves, they also eat fruit (including apples!!!) that we grow which can be a nuisance. Common brush tail possums are mainly herbivores but sometimes they eat insects, grubs, moths, birds eggs and baby bids. They spend 4 hours eating at night.

The Brush tail possum lives in a hollow branch of a tree trunk. They sleep in the day and come out at night (LOVL...I thought they were Nocturnal Les!!!!!!.) They are located in most outskirts of Australia. They prefer open forests and woodlands but also they live in thick forests in wet areas. Many brush tail possums live in cities too.

The Common Brush tail possum is hunted by many predators such as owls, Tasmanian devils, Dingoes, Foxes, Cats, Feral dogs and Large Pythons.

... oh how I love Australian wildlife! Lesson over your are dismissed...

Bump Watch #4

Here you go bumpwatch fans week 28 and Beth still going great with ONLY 12 weeks to go as Beth keeps uttering constantly.... it's sinking in! The Antenatal classes on Monday evenings are going well, if a little intense. You feel like every word is vital, like you'll need to know what to do and when for every eventuality!

We had an appointment at the Hospital this week which was our first!... Beth had a good check up and another painful injection of antibodies for her blood type. She is sleeping like a log... twelve hours at night with a couple more snatched through the day!

Every dog has its day!!

This evening England proved that every dog has its day! (... No matter how pathetic, flea ridden and verbally abused it may be!) Another win next Tuesday against New Zealand will see three more of the Barmy Army in Sydney for the finals in a couple of weeks!... I can at last leave the house with a tiny amount of pride intact!