Warm Christmas Wishes!

I'm afraid I didn't quite get around to sending any "real" Christmas cards this year so I figured I would save the trees and send a virtual one! And so........

To all our family and friends

May you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas with a very happy and prosperous New Year. This has been a very exciting but challenging year for us and we would like to thank all our close family and friends for their support.

Lots of love
Paul, Michelle, Ross, Madison and Gethin
xxxxx

Look what we did last night ......

Now that summer has finally hit, we're starting to enjoy some outdoor activities and last night we decided to take Ross to the driving range. Maddy and Gethin tagged along for some fun as well, so I'm not too sure if the "golfing world" were too impressed with the noisy family of five pitching up on their turf. This was quite a big driving range and had an upstairs area so we took the kids up there as it seemed quieter and less busy. Ross was in his element "whacking" away at the 100 balls he had to share with his Dad. Of course, Maddy needed to have a go and also proceeded to "whack" a few balls. However, they weren't going very far and most of them just dropped off the edge. The person underneath must have been wondering who the terrible golfer was above, who's balls were just dribbling miserably off the edge. I spent the time making sure Gethin didn't dive off the edge or catch any backwards swings in the face. Whenever we do something fun like this with the kids, Paul and I often make this comment to each other, "This is why we came to Australia!"




Last week I was "entered and orientated" into WA's education system. In other words, I did a two day induction course. What I thought was going to be tedious and boring actually turned out to be fun and interesting. First of all, it was two childfree days where I could relax in adult mode and enjoy some adult conversation. The course was quite enjoyable and informative with the added bonus of meeting some new people and possibly the start of some new friendships. Paul works near where I did the course and so on Friday we had the priviledge of traveling together on the bus and train. You may be wondering what's so special about that, but for us to be alone together without our kids is a very rare occurence and henceforth I'm sure you will understand why we took great delight in our bus and train date!

Poor Gethin has had to endure a few rather unpleasant doctor's visits lately. One of them was to be tested for allergies of which he is the proud owner of 3 - egg, nuts and wait for it, BEEF! We were expecting the egg and nut allergy but the beef was a strange surprise. Even the specialist was surprised at that one. Fortunately it was a very mild reaction and he said we should just avoid giving him undercooked meat. Phew! Paul is a very fussy eater and to have to avoid beef would be a nightmare as its about the only "meat" my darling husband will eat.

The last picture for today is of the visitor we found in our garden the other day. I believe it to be a skink! It was very hot on the day we found him and so I presume he was looking for a shady spot. However we thought it would be in everyone's best interests (his included) that he be moved onto another shady spot and so he was put on the next available flight (via a bucket)over the garden fence.

We have wheels!

I think the highlight of my news this time would have to be that we have a car. I never thought I would ever be so excited about having a car but I truly am! Its been a rather long palaver to get this precious vehicle and we very nearly got ourselves into a pickle with a certain car garage, who tried to railroad us into buying a vehicle we didn't want! The rather pushy salesman even had the cheek to call me "rude"! Since, I was merely rejecting his offer, without I might add any swearing or shouting, I didn't really see where he was coming from. Let's just say he didn't take our rejection too kindly and his manager even offered to sue us. A word of warning - when in Western Australia DO NOT SIGN any car purchase agreement unless you are 200% sure you want the car! Oh yes and don't go to Kia Wangarra! Anyway we now have the car we want from a different dealership who were far more accommodating.

The second highlight of my post would have to be my WACOT registration!! I am finally registered as a teacher in Western Australia, albeit rather late in the year. And so,I think I shall remain a lady of leisure until school starts back in February next year. That is, of course, if you care to call a "mother" a lady of leisure! In the mean time, I shall busy myself with Christmas preparations and such festivities. Not a bad thing in my eyes as I am quite keen on the odd shopping trip!

Paul, whom I shall refer to as the sole "breadwinner" seems to be enjoying his job! He's somewhat of a celebrity at the moment as the word has spread that he was a professional footballer before. The council where he works is rather large and he has even had visits from people in other departments. Quite sweet I thought - its nice to be liked!

And so, after nearly 3 months in Australia I think we are starting to find our feet and settle into life as we know it. It hasn't all been plain sailing and I have had a few days when even gloomy Wales seemed a better place to be. We didn't realise the many benefits of living in the UK until we actually left. I have come to realise that there is no "perfect place" to live in this world and that life is what you make of it! We shall do our very best to make this a good place to live for our family!Especially now that we have ironed out most of the settling-in issues!

PS. The attached video is my attempt at capturing Gethin's baby talk. At first, he just stared strangely at me and then when he did start saying a few words Madison and Ross were jabbering in the background! But if you listen carefully you'll be able to catch a few of his cute words like hello, nose, ear, daddy, Ro (Ross) and bye. xxx

Good News!

At last I am able to report back with some "good news". In fact, its quite a lot of good news. Firstly, Paul has a job! Actually he's had 2 jobs in the last month. Let's just say the first one didn't work out too well. Its a long story so I won't bore you with the details. He started job no. 2 today so as I'm writing this I'm hoping all is going well on his first day. He will be assistant drainage engineer at The City of Stirling which is a local council in Perth. I'm sure he'll do a "sterling" job!!! Excuse the pun!
The second bit of good news is that we have moved into a rental property in Canning Vale, which is much closer to the city. Its a lovely house with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We've been having (well I have) so much fun in the last month shopping up a storm for all the new house goodies. As you may or may not know, we sold most of our worldly possessions in Wales so we're basically starting from scratch again. We've been waiting for 7 years to have nice things again so I think we deserve to treat ourselves. The house is still a little bare as it is virtually impossible to get everything done in one go but we're getting there.
Today was also Ross' first day at school. He was very brave and seemed to be ok when I left him in the capable hands of his new teacher, Miss Matthews. She seems very sweet and I'm sure my boy will settle in just fine. The school is literally across the road from our house which is very convenient as I can just pop across there to drop him off and fetch him.
My job situation has had a few speed bumps along the way. You can never imagine how much stress 2 very silly letters can cause. Add to the mix some postal strikes and you have one rather annoyed lady waiting 4 weeks for them to arrive. Hopefully this is the end of all the hiccups and I shall soon be registered with the College of Teachers. I'm hoping to start supply/relief teaching once school starts again after Christmas.
And so, on this rather cheerful note,I shall say good-bye for now....

1 month on...

Can you believe how fast time goes? We have been in Perth for just over a month now. We are now in the waiting phase which I can assure you is not fun! Sitting around waiting for the phone to ring is hard work! Wishing that the phone would ring with someone offering you an interview is even harder work. Paul and I never imagined that we would feel so desperate to go out and work. Fortunately we have the children to keep us busy in the day so that just leaves the evenings for us to ponder our situation. We're trying really hard to enjoy all the precious time we are getting to spend with the children as I'm sure it won't last for much longer. Well, I certainly hope it won't!
Don't worry, I haven't lost all hope. I truly believe that God will make a way where there seems to be no way!
In between looking for work and a house and all the other boring things you have to do when you move, we try to fit in a bit of sightseeing here and there. On Sunday afternoon we visited Yanchep National Park, where we saw koalas and kangaroos and had a trip into a cave. The kids loved it and we really enjoy seeing them so happy outdoors.


Ross, who was a complete TV addict in Wales, hardly ever bother with the tv here and is much happier kicking the ball around outside. Gethin and Maddy would live in the pool, if they could swim! Gethin has already taken 2 dips in the rather cold water and I think is causing his Granny sleepless nights as she worries about him falling in unnoticed. It happens so quickly and even though we never let them near the pool unattended he did manage to fall in without Paul actually noticing him. Fortunately Madison screamed rather loudly and Paul rescued him! We have removed "pool" from our house hunting list!
Well, thats all for now folks. The next time I blog I hope to have some good news to share!

Gethin and the lego blocks.

Signing in from sunny "Perth"

We are here!!!! At last, we have finally done it!!! Am I happy and excited and is it everything I ever dreamed of? YES
Am I scared out of my mind and having sleepless nights because we don't have work? YES, YES, YES!
We truly are happy to be here and don't feel like we have made a wrong move but the lack of jobs is a big concern.
Let me tell you about our trip over....
It was long and very tiring!! The kids were extremely well behaved and did us proud! The first leg of the journey was a day flight (12 hours) so they didn't sleep much. Gethin was not too keen to sit in his seat so he charmed his way up and down the aisles chatting to various passengers. Once we reached Hong Kong they were all extremely tired and slept for a good few hours in the departures lounge. Paul and I must have looked extremely tired by the time we got on the Perth flight because the air hostesses gave us a whole row of seats (over and above our 6 seats we already were sitting in) at the back where they normally rest so that Paul and I could take turns sleeping. The kids were brilliant and slept nearly all the way as well! A certain man commented that we needed medals for taking 3 kids on such a long journey when another gentleman piped up that we didn't need medals, the people sitting next to us did!! Fortunately that was not the case and the children certainly made him want to eat his harsh words!! I hope he had indigestion!!
The house we're staying in is lovely and is just so big!! We felt quite strange in it for the first few days but I think we've settled in now as the usual mess seems to be everywhere you go!
And so, after a few days of rest we have started the exciting task of job hunting!!! Please cross your fingers and pray that we find work soon as that will be the final block to make our Australian dream complete!

Signing out for the last time from Wales!!!

The time has come!!!! I bet you're all glad, after who knows how many weeks of reading about this jolly move! As I write we have 9 days till we leave but only 5 days left in our house and 6 days left in Wales!
Fortunately, we have been rather busy over the last few weeks. Not busy enough for me though as some days have definitely dragged by!
Let me see - what have I been up to!!
Well, I've met up with a new friend that I met on the internet. Before everyone gasps with shock - it was perfectly safe! I'm on a Mother and Baby chat on a scrapping website. To cut a long story short, I was moaning on there about keeping the kids occupied for the holidays and Stevie very kindly offered to meet up with me for a day out with her kids and mine. Our children are all virtually the same age so it was a perfect day out. Stevie and I got on famously and happily chatted while the children played!



Then we had Miss Madam's 3rd birthday! I managed to magic up quite an impressive castle cake for our little princess who was very impressed with her mother's masterpiece! This birthday also saw the end of bottles for Maddy who gave them up quite graciously without too much fuss! Thank goodness! She did proclaim on the 1st night that she wasn't 3 years old, she was 2 and where were her bottles. Fortunately the bottles had been distributed to various pregnant friends for their "babies" and were by that time safely in a bin somewhere. So there was no giving in, although I'm sure she would have settled for one of Gethin's.




Gethin decided he would like to visit the hospital where he was born on Friday night for one last visit!! Thankfully what we thought was quite a serious thing turned out to be ok in the end. Thanks to mom's quick thinking! He had an allergic reaction to something he ate for supper. Within half an hour his face was swollen and he had red bumps all over. We became concerned for his breathing at one point and decided it would be better for him to be checked out. Before I left for the hospital I had given him a dose of antihistamine. Paul rang ahead and I was very impressed with the A&E department's prompt response. When I got there a doctor was waiting for me and they had already prepared the paed resuscitation unit! I felt like I was on a scene from ER! Fortunately there was no need for resuscitation as the antihistamine had worked by then but they did need us to stay in overnight for observation. He will need to get checked out in Australia to investigate further what caused the reaction as this is the 2nd one he's had and they seem to be getting worse.
We've started saying our final good-byes to our close friends this week. The children saw some friends yesterday for the last time and are out again now to say good-bye to some others. I'm meeting up with some "mom friends" for the last time on Thursday night and the rest we will be bidding farewell to on the weekend!



The house is virtually packed up and we are finally living with the bare essentials. The removal company will be here on Thursday to take away our treasured possessions and then we are done!!!
And so, I bid you a fond farewell from "sunny" Wales and who knows where the next post will be coming from. It could be London, Hong Kong or PERTH!!!!
Hwyl (Good-bye). Wela i chi eto (See you again).

Gethin walking!

Gold Paint & Burning Couches!

Lets just say the first week of school holidays was "ok". No major damage, unless you count the fact that the carpets and walls and a few other things upstairs are slightly gold! Courtesy of Madam Maddy! She took it upon herself to spread gold paint all over the upstairs bedrooms and herself - rather liberally I might add! She was, of course naked (any tips for how to get a 2 year old to keep her clothes on will be much appreciated)at the time of the incident and looked as if she had had an encounter with a fake tan bottle!!
The great news is that there will be far more school holidays to endure throughout the rest of this year! Because ...... when we get to Australia, Ross will probably not go to school for the first month (maybe two) and then in December schools there close for 8 weeks!!! I think I shall be suitably "bonded with my kids"!!!
Wait - it gets better!
Madison was due to start full time school in September here in Wales and I discovered recently that she will not be starting school until 2011 in Perth!!! Don't get me wrong, I do LOVE my kids but every mom needs a break and school is good for them. I guess we'll be paying for a few mornings at playschool for Maddy and Gethin until 2011!!
While we're on the whole "school" topic I shall use this opportunity to brag about Ross' reading progress. His teacher printed out a few levels for me to take to Australia and I am very proud to announce that he is at a reading age of a "9 and a half year old". Well done Ross!
Last but not least, I shall take you through the photos for the week. Paul has been talking about this moment for over a year now. Burning the couches!!
Strange for some but very significant to us. We have been putting up with these couches for quite some time now while preparing for this move. They travelled with us from South Africa 7 years ago and have seen us through the last 6 years of messy kids. So, since they were not fit for selling, Paul decided he would dispose of them by burning them. This was no ordinary burning, let me tell you! Anyone who knows Paul, will know he is well known for being very neat and tidy and so this was a very "neat and tidy" bonfire. First, he painstakingly took the couch apart and cut it into smaller pieces.


Next we arranged the bonfire audience to watch from a safe distance so that their ice-creams didn't melt!

And then, Paul very carefully (so as not to spill or make a mess)poured petrol in a steel drum, lit it and proceeded to burn the couch!


This was very symbolic of saying good-bye to our old life in the UK and hoping and praying that our new life in Australia will be all we dream of!
xxx

The beginning of the end!!

Goodness, its been 20 days since the last post and we are now left with only 48 days till Operation Big Move.
We're starting to do all the "last things" before we leave. I've worked my "last" day and Maddy and Ross are soon to have their "last" day at school. I see people now and afterwards think, I wonder if that's the last time I'll see them. Strange, I know!!
We're quick to say how much we dislike this place we've called home for the last 7 years but the truth of the matter is, that a small part of me will actually be sad to say "good-bye". This is the place where we've had our children and this is all they've ever known. And besides that, I've made some really good friends here and I am not looking forward to saying "good-bye". The next month, although very exciting for us on one front is sure to hold a few tears and I'm sure it will be with a heavy heart that we say good-bye to everything good from Wales, whether it be friends or places!!!
Ok, onto a more cheerful note! Surely I should be excited about 6 weeks of school holidays! Mmmmm not too sure. I'm certainly happy that I don't have to get up every morning and get 3 little bodies plus myself ready for school. But for the most part, I think its going to be hard work keeping my 3 suitably entertained, especially if we don't have good weather!
I have a few tricks up my sleeve and I also have a lovely weekend away (without kids or husband)to look forward to!
Got to dash now as I need to fetch Ross from school and in true Welsh style its raining! I'm sure God is making sure I never forget "rainy" Wales as it hasn't stopped raining all week!!!

The big 70!!

That's all that's left folks!!! 70 days left in sunny Wales! I've been busy, busy, busy organising our move and feel like I'm on track with things now. A wonderful sense of accomplishment I have to say. We've booked a Holiday Villa for our first month which is a big relief as I can now relax and know, that when we arrive we have somewhere to call home even if it is just for a month. I'm so excited as its a lovely big house with NO STAIRS!!!!!! Have a look if you'd like http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/quinns-rocks/16193
That's not all I've been doing but I won't bore you with the trivial details.

As I said in my previous post, we were off to London for my brother's wedding. What a lovely day!!! It was a wonderful wedding with perfect weather and lots of lovely people. The children were so cute in their wedding outfits and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the day! They happily played and danced until the late hours of the night!

Then came the hard part - saying good-bye to my parents again. You'd think it would get easier each time but it doesn't!! It gets harder. If you're reading this, mom and dad, I miss you guys!! So to all those people who live near their parents - enjoy them and truly appreciate how lucky you are!!

One down side from all this hustle and bustle is that I am now behind on the scrapping challenge! Plus, I think I've lost my inspiration. Oh dear, not good!
We are going back to London this weekend as Paul has been invited to a job fair for Australia. Once I get back, I will make a concerted effort to get back to scrapping my life.

Please pray that Paul finds favour on Sunday as it will certainly make our move a lot less stressful, if he has a job offer.
Keep well. Till next time.
xxx

Quick Post

Just a quick note to say hi and show my handiwork for the last 2 weeks. I've found the best cure for spending too much time on the Internet - wonderful parents visiting!!
My mom and dad arrived last week and because their stay is so short this time we've been busy, busy, busy! It's a fun kind of busy though - shopping, eating out and lots lots more!
We're all off to London on the weekend for my brother's wedding. I'm so excited because I love weddings and I also can't wait to see the children all dressed up in their adorable little outfits.
On this very happy note I shall love and leave you!
Until next time ......

Once upon a time .......

Once upon a time there was a very sweet Princess named Michelle. She lived in a far, far away land where the rains often fell. The Princess' family were the proud owners of a castle in another far, far away land but because they were not nearby the castle began to fall apart. The poor Princess tried her hardest to get the castle fixed again but it was not proving to be an easy task. She was very dismayed and wished that a very large dragon would appear and burn that castle to the ground!
There we go - the story of our house in Pretoria. That pretty much sums up how I feel about it right now!



Its half term this week so I have the undivided attention of my lovely children all week. By Sunday I shall be in desperate need of a coffee break on my own at Starbucks as Paul has 2 exams this week and then is off to my brother's bachelor party on the weekend.
But come Monday next week, there shall be no more football and no more university which therefore means NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait!
And to make next week even more exciting - my parents are arriving!!!!! YAY!!!! Don't you just love it when Grannies and Grandpas are around? I really do as I don't get to see my parents very often and they are a huge help with the kids.

Because of this we shall all live happily ever after.
This Princess has no servants so she's off to make a cup of tea and relax.
xxx

Another Day, Another Week .......

Another week has passed and that officially leaves us with only 106 days left in sunny (not) Wales. Can you tell I'm not too impressed with this Spring/Summer weather we're having??? I just love fetching Ross from school everyday in the rain! It just makes things such a mission - pram out, Gethin in, raincover on, Maddy out, raincoat on, stand outside classroom with no shelter waiting - they're always late, back to car and reverse the whole procedure! Anyway, its a Bank Holiday weekend this weekend and Paul says its supposed to be the hottest weekend of the year. I'm not sure where he gets his info from but I sure hope its right! We haven't got any official plans for this weekend as Paul is studying for his last two exams and life has been pretty hectic lately. Maybe take the kids swimming and do some nice outdoor activities - weather permitting that is.
On the move front, things are moving along slowly but surely! I have e-mailed the relevant authorities for the week and am hoping to lodge my application with WACOT next week when my friend has verified my certificates. I have also started making appointments for removal services so that should be finalised in the next month.
All these things make me realise that we really are going to do this, which then fills me with all kinds of strange emotions ranging from absolute fear to extreme happiness. My new philosophy is that "if we go there expecting it to be a rocky ride we won't be disappointed if things don't run smoothly straight away and if they do we can be pleasantly surprised!" It makes sense in my head!
I have done very well with our scrapping challenge this week and completed my layout a few days ago!
The single layout that says "heaven" is actually meant to read "heaven sent" but I ran out of alphabets and need to find the same ones again.
That's all folks!Have a good week!
xxx

All Birthday-ed Out!!!

I'm still here - its been awhile I know. I am officially Birthday-ed and partied out! Our baby is now 1!! I can't believe how fast this last year has gone. He had a very low key Birthday with just a few little pressies which his brother and sister gladly opened and played with for him! Ross and Gethin then had a shared party on the Saturday after Gethin's birthday. I'm not too sure Geth even realised what all the fuss was about but they both seemed to enjoy themselves and I was particularly pleased with my cake creations!! In fact, I was very impressed with myself and had loads of compliments from the other moms.
Last weekend was Ross' and my birthday which we also kept very low key as we'd already had the party. Birthdays aren't quite so exciting when you hit 34 and have children. I get more excited about the children's Birthdays nowadays than my own. But it is nice to be spoilt and although Paul isn't very proactive with lovely, surprise treats and presents on the actual day he has given me carte blanche this past week to treat myself to some new clothes!
The scrapbook challenge is still on the go even though we occasionally bend the rules ever so slightly to suit our schedules. But as Kerry said the other day, at least we're doing something which is more than we were doing before.
My brain is working overtime lately as our big move creeps ever closer. We are now down to only 115 days till we move!! I can't believe it. I better get myself into "move mode" and start sorting the more urgent issues which should not be left for the last minute. I think I may start writing the things I need to do on here so I can hold myself accountable every week. This week I need to sort out my registration with the department of education in Perth. Lets see if I've got it sorted by next week. I'll keep you posted.
On that note I shall say farewell and so long,until next week!

Compsognathus, Allosaurus, Baryonyx .......

We were traveling to Cardiff the other day and the kids were pretending we were being chased by dinosaurs. So I asked Ross what dinosaurs were chasing us, fully expecting the usual run of common dino names!! T rex, triceratops etc etc .. you know the ones everyone knows! Well, my dear son came up with some names that I couldn't believe, let alone pronounce - Allosaurus, Baryonyx, Compsognathus and so on and so on. The one name is so long that I won't even attempt to spell it. He not only knows their names but also their characteristics as well! His favourite bedtime story is a dinosaur encyclopedia from which we read about a different dinosaur every night.

On Saturday, Paul played his last home game of professional football so we all went along for moral support. The children were match mascots which made the day even more memorable for "daddy" who is finding this "end of an era" rather emotional and sad. I hope we helped to make his day a special one!!

Today, my baby is 1!! I really can't believe how fast this last year has passed. He had loads of help this morning to open his pressies and then watched while Ross and Madison promptly played with them for him! Poor Geth! He's meant to be having a routine injection today at the baby clinic but I just can't bring myself to take him on his birthday so I think we'll postpone it till next week. He's having a nap at the moment and when he wakes we might take a walk to the park and then later this evening we'll be taking Ross to his first swimming lesson. Maybe, if we're allowed Paul and I will have a fun swim with Gethin and Maddy while we wait for Ross.
The official celebrations are on Saturday when Ross and Gethin are having their party so I'll be able to post lots more birthday pics next week.
xxx

Oops!

Couldn't add the picture of my layout to the previous post so here it is!

Happy Easter!!

I have so many pictures to share this week that I think I'll keep the writing to a minimum! Its been a wonderful long weekend with plenty of sunshine, chocolate and fun!!!
Of course, I also managed to complete my layout for the week! The picture came out quite dark as the background is actually a teal/turquoise blue. Quite a nice one I think!!
The rest of the pics are from the Easter weekend. We took a trip up to Folly Farm yesterday as it was such a nice day. The kids had great fun seeing all the animals, riding the tractor and going on some rides.