Charlotte's First Friend Sleepover

This is a post for online posterity if ever there was one. No, not Jacqui going ape over Tex Perkins at Day on The Green :P - Charlotte had her first friend from school come for a sleepover down at Goolwa.
Her parents have a farm 15 minutes away and there were pick up contingencies in place if it all got a bit much, but the girls had an absolute ball, playing in the cubby, doing dressups, nailpolish, having a coloured bath, watching a Barbie movie before bed, then sleeping like logs after lots of chatting. Breakfast at Macca's, more playing, then back to the farm where we saw some divine new 4 week old calves.
There are some lovely little girls in Charlotte's class and this is one of them. Of course I am chuffed she has found a lovely friend. Her parents own a brilliant winery, and their shiraz was recently voted 5th best in the world in a prominent wine magazine, so as far as I am concerned they can be best friends forever!!!!!!!!!!!!

In other news, the lovely Kate Fewster from Little Smarties sent some awesome "Munster" clothes over for Angus. As you can see he quite likes them! I can highly recommend Kate for her awesome customer service and great range of clothes!

Hours Of Serenity!

Ah this is seriously blissful. I am "home" alone for the second night in a row.....not even the dog is here. I have been holding the fort at work, Nick, MIL and the kids are at Goolwa, FIL is in Sydney and I am alone, all alone.
Awesome.
Last night I went out for dinner with 9 of the mum's from Charlotte's class and her teacher who is just an absolute treasure, we all gabbled on as mums do and before you could say "whose turn is it to buy another bottle of champers" it was after midnight and we were kicked out!
Tonight I was planning to get my feral hair cut, but my hairdresser is booked out.
Ah so what to do ......think I'll just park my bum right here in front of this thing and drink some wine. I'm getting too old to go out late 2 nights in a row!
And in exciting new house news we have had some inside plumbing done, windows and doors in! But no bricks....hmmmmmmmmm

The Porters Week That Was

Sorry folks I'm putting my selfish hat on and recording what we did so I can look back later, probably best to hit the back button now and save you from some Georgie dribble :) Far out it was quite an eventful week! Sunday we dropped Charlotte at Hindmarsh Island where she spent 5 nights with nana and occasional appearances from pop when he wasn't working or helping us out with future strategies for work, so she could finish Learn To Swim Lessons at Victor Harbor. I'm so proud of her, she got to level 4 when I thought she'd just get her level one. Today the Porter Family went to her "secret beach" where she had been practising all week today at Victor (a man made tidal canal thingo) and whoa she really can swim!!! Amazing. I'd be lying if it's not a bit bittersweet, selfishly I had really wanted to see her progress, I was only able to attend 2 out of the 9 lessons due to work, but that's the sacrifice unfortunately :( and it was better than having her with us but not being able to complete the programme because we had to work.
So back at the big house we had Angus and Nicko, with a couple of nights with Pop. It was lovely spending one on one time with the Gus man, but he really missed Charlotte (Charlotte on the other hand didn't miss him too much at all, she was too busy being a princess with nana and going out to dinner in her pretty Fred Bare dresses every night!).
Big decisions continue to be made with the future of work, I'll elaborate later when everything falls into place (hopefully!), but I am really optimistic about our future career paths (and may well be hitting up you Trudi for some career advice!). It seems I get a 7 year itch in careers and not marriages which is a good thing.
We had to express our intended future direction to the head of our buying group and the owner of our shelving supplier who was over from NZ this week (on the same day actually), lots of mixed emotions and pleas for Nick and I to stick with the business, but we'll see what happens..........anyone who manages to work with their husbands day in day out for nearly 7 years should be farking knighted I reckon!
So while work was the dominating force my good old buyer of the ugly shoes, my gorgeous mother, stepped in and had Angus on Wednesday, Thursday and overnight, dropped him at daycare Friday so we had plenty of time to strategise workwise without the Gusman. And boy did she show him a good time! He went to "Circus Ringbarkus", an apparently amazing show featuring dogs whom have all been rescued from pounds, and a trip to the Maritime Museum which involved scaring the crap out of grandma beforehand by insisting on climbing to the top of the Port Adelaide lighthouse before the "Pirate Show" at the Maritime Museum where lo and behold that gregarious little boy of mine ended up on stage :) Once again I wished I was there, but I am just so grateful that I have a wonderful support network of amazing family here to help us out. We are really really really lucky and I appreciate all of it.
I picked up Angus on Friday after childcare complete with his ritual Friday can of Lemonade, which he told me was "cold and delectable", they teach them some weird words at Montessori LOL, then we went to look at the new house and whoa it had windows and sliding doors with the guttering being delivered as well cooooool. Alas no sign of bricks yet, but the new joint is really starting to take shape and get me all excited!
I think I've dribbled enough, next week's "The Porters Week That Was" will hopefully contain more exciting news with the cards falling the way I want them to. Wish us luck!

Uncle Jeff - A Celebration of Life

This was my "uncle" Jeff. Technically speaking, he's not my uncle, he's my mum's sister's husband's twin brother. But we always called him Uncle Jeff.
Uncle Jeff was a deadset legend. He was hilarious, always the life of the party and kept us all enthralled with his tall tales and magical stories when we were kids.
The first time he met Nick he said "Shit you're a big bloke, you must have been in heaps of fights, tell me about your best one" As the night went on and the drinks went down Jeff challenged Nick to an arm wrestle. I'm not sure who won but a bridge table and 2 deck chairs were casualties :). Jeff loved the land, managing properties and had recently bought his own farm to retire on. His 4 kids have all done really well in life and he was always so proud of them. And he adored his 3 grandchildren, they range in age from 4 to 8mths old and it's heartbreaking they will miss out on spending time with him.
Jeff was working at Strathalbyn last month and was riding his motorbike back to Goolwa after work. A f*wit in a hotted up Holden decided to overtake a semitrailer over a rise while Jeff was innocently riding along on the other side of the road - and a wonderful life was cut short too soon. Jeff was bulletproof, how on earth could this happen?
Now, we all know funerals suck, but this one amongst the sadness was truly an inspiration. His 3 siblings and 4 children gave very moving speeches. Jeff really lived every day to the full and was the epitomy of a loving family man. Even though it was 11am in the morning we all got a glass of wine to toast Jeff as he was carried past. He would have loved it. He would have loved the wake at the Corio Hotel also :)
Things like this just reiterate that we really should strive to live every day to the fullest, and on another note to drive farking carefully!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Always!!!!!!!!!!!!! I drive on that road at least once a week and the fuckwittage overtaking manoeuvres I see on an almost weekly basis make my head spin. He didn't deserve to have his life cut short and it was all too avoidable.
So, cheers Uncle Jeff, wherever you are may the beers be cold and the red wine of a high standard (not that you were particularly fussy :) ).

First Post From The Palace

This is where I live.....ok kinda just trickin', I do live here for now but it's a temporary thing. We are building a new house on our old block and in the meanwhile we are living with the outlaws, I mean inlaws. It's funny, I tell people we are rebuilding and that we are living with the inlaws and automatically get the look of fear/sympathy/disbelief in most people's eyes, but it can't be all bad when this is where you have relocated to now is it! And the outlaws love a drink and MIL smokes, it can't be a bad thing when I get home from the school run and she offers me a glass of wine....and the woman is Miss Domestic personified, washes our clothes everyday, I could deadset live off 2 pairs of undies in this joint, as well as being a master chef with amazing meals nearly every night. And this arrangement is really only Sun-Thurs, cos they go to their beach house most weekends. Bliss huh?

Well it mostly is, of course it isn't all beer and skittles but we seem to have the living together thing working well. Anyway we are at the halfway mark and will be leaving to go to our new house mid June YAY!

So this is what we bulldozed, this house had NOTHING going for it apart from the location and my endearing memory is giving it the finger (literally) as I drove away for the last time....
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This WAS our bedroom, home of the workbench, although neither kid was conceived in there, they just slept there and kept me awake when they were born pmsl

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And this is where we are at, nearly ready for the bricks......

And in closing I would like to dangle another carrot at the brilliant photographer Carrie Young, stop flying over my freakin head and take some photos here PLEASE :)

My musical tastes....

Are up my bum according to most people (except my best mate Sal, she understands, she was throwing up with me after drinking a bottle of vodka with me the day Freddie Mercury died, we got smashed watching "Flash Gordon" and "Highlander" as you do), but I've just spent all day working out how to get a friggin' song on here and I don't care if you like it or not!
You can all blame T, she had "Happy New Year" by Abba on her blog and I found myself clicking on it just to hear the song. Sad hey :) Anyway quite often I'll visit blogs and I don't like the music, but not here cos I chose it!
So I'll start off with some Elton John, the man is a genius and I've seen him in concert 4 times. I didn't go to the last concert in the Barossa because of course it was on election night and of course I had to be glued to the telly (really wish I had gone to Elty now :P) This is from the "Two Low For Zero" album.
Don't protest too much, because then I'll change it and who knows what will be next - Queen, Wings, Billy Joel, Supertramp, Chicago, Abba, Meatloaf anyone? And then blame my parents, I used to know all the words to "Band on the Run" by the age of 4.

Adelaide is awesome for deja vus!

It's been funny the last month, kind of like Groundhog Day 30 years on.
I first had that feeling when I took the kids to the Christmas pageant with mum. She had it in her head we were going to take the kids, I really wasn't that interested. I got so excited about the pageant that when Charlotte was 14mths old we trekked into town, walked for miles, got a crap spot, couldn't see much and then she spewed on me! So I was a bit off the pageant after that.
Mum lamented the fact that when we were kids we went with family friends, and Alan's consulting rooms were smack bang on North Terrace. We had a great view and used to catch the bus in. As I recall the oldies also got into the festive spirit with champagne, and more than once year we were pestering the oldies to go home as the pageant had finished 2 hours ago!
Luckily mum's determination (and bellyful of champers at a Melbourne Cup Lunch auction) saw her "win" 4 VIP seats to the pageant and we had a great morning and I'm really glad I went.


The same thing when I took Charlotte and Angus to see Father Christmas at the Magic Cave, pretty much the same cave that I visited with my mum when I was a kid. It's seems so much smaller now!




And this week we have had Learn To Swim lessons which I did when I was a kid like 30 years ago! I remember them well also, and Charlotte is loving it. We used to walk to Burnside Pool, and if we were good we got a Pez and a packet of Toobs (you don't reckon I'm happy those magical gems are back on the shelves!). I also remember Learn To Swim as during one lesson on a hot Advegas day mum left our budgies in their cage on the clothesline in the full sun and by the time we got home, well they were dead. Poor old Sturt and Bananas (yes my brother and I named them LOL).
And I've seen 3 girls who I went to school with this week who I haven't seen for ages, 2 in the supermarket on the one day and another one has her kids at Learn To Swim too. And my biology teacher is there also with her grandchildren. We have our 20 year reunion in May this year, can't wait, but also can't believe it's 20 years since I left school!
Adelaide is good like that, things change but remain the same.

Luckily Bad Things Only Come in Threes

...I really don't need to type anything do I...

My mother is a complete gem - she's had the kids for the last 2 days, and taken Charlotte to learn to swim etc so Nick and I can do stocktake at work. She got Charlotte a well needed haircut, took them to Macca's for lunch, cruised around the farm, went shopping and even drove them all the way back to Goolwa this afternoon complete with bottle of champers in hand.

It was picture perfect really until I spied these on Angus's feet. "Dord I didn't think you'd like them but they were only $8.00" (well der you got robbed more than Nick did with Kel the vacuum cleaner).

I think she saw my face and quickly pointed out Angus's new Esprit t-shirt, shorts and shirt.....

There's a rule at our house and it's character costume thingos ONLY as pjs.....

Of course Gus loves them and is currently wearing them fast asleep in bed. And she considerately wrote his name all over them so they can't get lost too easily.

Cheers Mum, you really are (mostly) a gem xxx

All Good Things Must Come to An End (Nearly)

Ah happy happy joy joy, back to work today NOT!

That all too short 2 week period of annual Porter family holidays has ended for another year :(

One of the bummers of owning our own business is that we can only shut the door and have a break together for 2 weeks at Chrissy time....

Although we are going to commute this week so we can stay at Goolwatu a bit longer....and I have to say I think Charlotte and Nick appreciated the father/daughter day they had together while Angus and I went to daycare/work.

Ah well, things could always be worse, like imagine how bad it would be if my mum had bought Charlotte purple Crocs for Christmas and she insisted on wearing them every day or something.....oh hang on she bloody did!!! STOP LAUGHING!!!!!!!!!!

Never Ever......#1

ever ever ever ever EVER send your hubby out to buy a new vacuum cleaner. Be warned. You too could end up with a contraption that looks more like Kel Knight's Daewoo than a vacuum.

A Tiffany vacuum cleaner - WTF?????? Who would have thought. Okay so the old Sanyo was stuffed but it looked noicer. Hubby was suitably berated for buying a piece of crap.

"But we have a Tiffany toaster"......yeah so...we bought it when we first moved in together and it's only still there cos it works.

"But it only cost $104".....yeah so.....hang on what! Well bugger me I was certain that all Tiffany electrical goods were priced at $19.99 or lower
"But you never vacuum anyway"....yeah so...buying me that piece of shite aint exactly going to make me want to actually vacuum now is it.

Welcome to It's A Porter's Life - It's a Dyson Free Zone

Cool and Crazy Chaos at Couches!

Hang on, cancel the cool bit it was hot as buggery, but the Porter family had a most excellent time indulging in the hospitality at Couches (it helps that Spud works for Yalumba!).

Picture a hot NYE in a wicked shack with 12 adults, 15 completely overexcited kids and 2 dogs. Or don't lol, it was crazy but fun! The kids had a Hi-5 disco, hmmm Angus thinks he's John Travolta....

Alas poor Georgie had a cold and was struggling a bit NYE which probably was appreciated by my mates as they actually got to get a word in, but I did make it till midnight to see the fireworks at The Pines. It wasn't quite Sydney but certainly not as crowded on the beach. Luckily I felt better yesterday, found my drinking boots and had a great night last night with a smaller crowd of 6 adults, 7 kids and 2 dogs.

Couches is right on the beach, but I use that term loosely cos there are no waves, and the comment was made that it was like swimming in wee cos it was so warm. Charlotte borrowed a bikini and thought she was Christmas on a stick.

The only downer was not taking the boat out so I could once again prove why am called the "Squid Queen", but yesterday we were all way too hungover and today it was too windy. Never M.

So now I am back at Goolwa till I have to go back to work on Monday but I'm not even thinking about that yet!