12-04-03

Alice's class and another at the same level at King's College had a school excursion this week to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum.  My goodness!  The children were able to participate in a 19th Century-style schoolroom.  Unfortunately, due to the enlightened attitudes prevalent today, I couldn't watch my daughter get a caning on the back of the hand for misbehaviour.  Not that any in the school group misbehaved hugely.  But they all enjoyed themselves so much and really wished that they had gone to school back in those days, it seemed a pity that they had no real idea of how tough it was.  Mind you, all of the children had to call the teacher "Marm" after each answer and certainly give no cheek.

 

They used slates to write on, using pencils that were thickish bits of slate, well rounded so that they did not cut into the hand, and rubbed off their work on the slate boards with bits of material.

The children who were left-handed were told to write with only their right hands, and "Marm" blamed the previous school teachers for not doing the right thing and re-educating the children.  When she was back in her normal persona, after the school lesson, the guide explained that we all wrote right-handed back then because that way we would not smudge ink on our work.  I had assumed that it was a mixture of the left hand being associated with the Devil and that conformity was the best system as far as society was concerned in those days.

 

I was issued a fake five pound note at the "Bank", and was able to use a nib pen and ink to write out a request for withdrawal of funds.

 

The children and I also saw a glass-blower at work, along with a gentleman making stained glass windows and three wonderful ladies doing a variety of craft work.

 

Saturday was the King's College Fair and it was HOT.  The School cleared around $15,000, which is not bad for a small community.  Alice and I helped with the second-hand bookstall, and I am not telling you how much I purchased for the simple reason that if my husband ever reads this there will be Questions Asked in the House.  None of which I am prepared to answer, suffice to say that they will all be very useful, thankyou.

 

We, ourselves, finished at 5PM, and were very hot and bothered.  We went down to Lady Bay to reward ourselves and Alice and I were boogie-boarding for another two hours.  It was great fun.  Apparently, the temperature made it to 30 C.    Don't forget that the waters come straight from the Antarctic, and it was some time before I became used to the cold (try fifteen minutes before all feeling had disappeared - I freezes with eases because of the breezes).  Mind you, I wasn't the only middle-aged fool paddling around in search of the perfect wave.  And the next day, my feet were aching.  Why, oh, why, do we stand on tip-toes in the water?

 

At least I didn't get sunburned, it being too late in the day for that.  Nor even windburned, which is amazing for Lady Bay.  What's even better, neither did Alice.

 

We have, like last week, had a succession of late nights/early mornings.  I keep thinking that it is a good thing I no longer drink alcohol, otherwise I really would have to start liking coffee, just to stay awake.

 

One particular night (yes, Tuesday, after a lonnnggg day, what with the school excursion), Craig and his daughter Tori came over for dinner.  I laid on a cinchy three courser - smoked salmon (it was on special at one of the Supermarkets in Warrnambool) with raw onion on seaweed crackers, roast chicken sectioned and wokked in Char Sui sauce, served with fried rice, and a dessert of fresh strawberries and blueberries overlaid with a sprinkling of castor sugar (very fine granulated white sugar), topped with thick cream blended with castor sugar and vanilla essence.  Yummo!

 

I was already feeling a bit weary, and blessed be, Craig and Tori left shortly after 9:30PM.  Brian and I had treated ourselves to an early Christmas present, with his tax return cheque and we hadn't tried out the DVD player, so I put on a classic that I had recently bought in a discount place - Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart.  Well, that went on until Midnight.

 

Brian had never seen it before and loved it.  Old sook that he is.  I'm just as bad, having to drag out the handkerchief a few times.

 

So we finally dragged ourselves to bed, and were awoken a short half-hour later by an invader in our bedroom.  A mosquito had decided to have a late night snack.  Finally ridding ourselves of her, we drifted off again.

 

I was in the throes of some solid REM sleep, when Brian charged into the bedroom (I hadn't even noticed he'd left!) calling for me to get out of bed.  Someone had let the bulls out on to the road!

 

I made a hasty exit from bed and entrance to clothes, then found out I was desperate to go to the toilet.  Bother!  Couldn't stop.  Straight into the gum boots, no socks, and charge after the bulls (reverse psychology, everyone knows that bulls are supposed to charge after humans), Brian occasionally (every twenty seconds or so) shining our rechargeable million candle power torch into my eyes.  Aaargh!

 

The bulls were extremely interested in the heifers over the road, and took a little bit of persuading, but by 2:30AM we were back in bed.  Only one minor interruption after that, but I had trouble staying awake during parts of the Home League luncheon.  Ahh - the bucolic life for me!  Got it all over those city slickers!

 

Brian is baling as I write this.  Praise God!  Russell, Aaron's boss, very kindly loaned us the use of his rake, and Aaron brought it home behind Russell's tractor, a slow trip ("it wouldn't do hardly past 16,000 revs.), and then proceeded to do all of the raking whilst Brian was sleeping off a night shift, hoping that "Dad won't wake up, otherwise he'll want to come out and do it.  And he needs his sleep."  What a terrific son!   How blessed we are to have a son like that (although, technically, he is not of my blood, we are very close, and I love him dearly, for many reasons.  Please pray that he makes a decision for Christ soon, he believes, but will not give his heart, I think he thinks he has too much to give up, not realising all of the benefits.  A bit like never having had chocolate, I think!)

 

Greetings!

 

What joy you have in life!

Your little body shaking in pure ecstasy!

 

Wiggle and dance, jump and run!

Scream and cry in delight!

 

Your eyes are sparkling, sweet one,

and you seem to live only for me.

 

Such happiness - pure, undiluted!

 

What it is to be a dog.

 

Dominus tecum.

 

Leonie