Mama and Chase

Recently my gorgeous nephew Chase had the pleasure of meeting his Great-Grandmother, our lovely Mama.

Mama cannot always express in words what she is thinking, but the smile on her face when she laid eyes on the little boy was priceless.

It kinda makes my head spin that there is over 90 years between the two of them. I am just so glad they have had the chance to meet each other.

Camping underwater

Here is our luxury accomodation. Ignore the grey sky.

The lads out for a spot of fishingJulissa and Katherine enjoying a break from the rain.

The wet McGregors.

Demon Kangaroo.

The new way to enjoy a campfire. Wet, cold, miserable. Not yet drunk enough to not feel the cold. Drunk enough to stay in the rain a little longer waiting for it to stop.

El likes sitting in the rain too. Until her chair filled with water and she almost drowned.

Isla hitching a ride with dad. Geoff smiling sweetly for camera. Duncan not so happy later when Geoff wanted a go.

Well. Its been far too long since we put stuff up on this blog. It is even harder now that the keyboard has died after having red wine spilt in it. We are constantly fighting the 1 key and the 2 key wants no part of it either.

I have recently turned very old(according to El) and turned the big 30. My eyes and bones feel the age, I got new be-spectacles and feel smart now but this cold weather is wreaking havoc with me old bones.

At least at uni where I spend the far majority of my time, the kiddies keep me feeling young, just like a spring chicken. El says I am rambling but she doesn’t have the wisdom that only comes with the age that I have.

I survived my first semester of second year. It has been more full on than I thought it would be. We spent six weeks doing anatomy of the entire head and neck and had to try to memorise all the little branches of all the arteries, all the veins, all the muscles, all the nerves, all the bones, all the connections and so on. Then we had to do other parts learning about the heart, a crash course in pharmacology and respiration and so on and so forth. We had exams at the end of the 1^st semester and a third of the class failed the exams for this one subject. Luckily I wasn’t one of them and don’t have to sit any supps.

But that’s enough on uni, El is sitting here pestering me to talk about camping.

After my exams we went down to northern NSW to go camping with friends. Tash and Dunk and their little girl and Julissa and Jason and kids came down to go camping at Bundjalung national park.

The days leading up to our camping trip were wet and miserable and unfortunately the camping trip weather wise was not much better. WE did get two days of semi-dry camping in before torrential rain and cold temperatures drove us away. Poor Julissa and Jason’s tent turned into a shower on the 1^st night so we rigged up a tarp to protect them the next night.

We pretty much had the entire campground to ourselves except for the other brave souls that were out in the elements. One night the group of us sat around the fire with umbrellas trying to enjoy the atmosphere. There is only so much cold that the fire and green ginger wine can take away when your back is wet and it is cold.

It was Dunk and Tash’s first camping trip with Isla and hopefully they were not too traumatized by the experience. It was still a great trip though. Better weather would be nice, but at least we set up camp when it was dry. Pulling everything down in the rain was a bit annoying, and the kids loved being in the rain.

Besides, I don’t know if we had enough beer to last another night anyway.

So here we are now, back in Brissy. I’m back into the swing of uni reliving my nightmares of T cells etc as I endure Immunology lectures. So much detail. Seems so crappy and irrelevant. El had a fun day mashing up mouse livers. She is glad the week is over.

That’s enough crazy old man ranting now.

See you later dudes.

Geoff( El is sitting here being the punctuation police- but I don’t care,./)…!

More Chase photos

The proud parents...One proud Daddy...

Nellie...

Chase 4 days old...

I really love this photo...

Chase Mark

I'm in love...
:-)

Easter Happenings

Happy (belated) Easter everyone. I hope it was a relaxing and fun time for all.

Easter this year was a little different for us. Normally we head off down to Casino to catch up with Geoff's family. It also involves heading to the beach with a spot of fishing during the day and spending the nights sleeping in their lounge room in front of a roaring pot-bellied stove. Well, we didn't head down to Casino this year. And I guess sleeping in front of a fire would have been madness anyway (what is with this weather - get cold already!!).

Instead we spent time at home. We went for two walks in Toohey Forest - one time we managed to head off the beaten track a bit and ended up on a dirt bike track which had us climbing up this very steep hill and walking through dry creek beds. We weren't too worried about getting lost when you still have mobile phone reception and can hear the SE freeway close by though!

We also took another kayaking trip to Hinze Dam. The other half of the dam which we hadn't explored turned out to be quite short in comparison. It did however have an awesome view of some mountain which made us pining for the Rocky Mountains. I know the sizes aren't really comparable though, but eh!

On the Saturday night we had a family dinner at my Dad's. It's always good to catch up with everyone. My brother Mark and his girlfriend Jenna are expecting at the end of next month... getting really close now guys!

On the Monday afternoon we went to Isla's naming ceremony. It was a great afternoon and Isla looked very cute in her white dress. We also caught up with Robbo who is back in Australia now. Isla is very close to walking. As the afternoon wore on, she was doing lots of unassisted steps that just got longer and longer in duration. What a champ!

Geoff had a nice week off over Easter and managed to fit a bit of fishing in between some study. He's back at uni now and has a busy week ahead of him with two exams.

Not much more to say so will finish up here. Hope everyone is well!

March Update

Since our last post we have done a fair bit of kayaking. Two trips to Lake Currimundi (with Mum and Geg with their new toys on one of the trips) on the Sunshine Coast, one trip to North Pine River and also to the Hinze Dam on the Goldy Coast. The 4.30 am starts on a Saturday have been a little difficult (read: Geoff dragging me out of bed) but well worth it when you're out on the water without a care in the world. We think we may be getting a little stronger too, with our last effort at the Hinze Dam being probably 12km. It was especially taxing on the way back with sideways blowing winds creating mini waves. All good though.

Geoff has had some success fishing from the kayak. He managed to bring in two catfish on the North Pine River, unfortunately they weren't worth keeping but it was exciting all the same. I was in charge of "backing up" the boat and keeping it on track so Geoff could wind in. We would have kept going to North Pine except for all the ski boats that whiz by creating so much wash. It wasn't the most serene place. Hinze Dam, by contrast was extremely peaceful, with hardly anyone else out on the water. You aren't allowed any petrol craft on the water which is great for us! We are planning on going back there next weekend to check out the other half of the dam which we didn't get to see. Apparently that is where all the perch are caught so fingies crossed Geoff will land something decent.

In other news I am now a year older and wiser (!?!) . The actual day was a bit of a flop, being midweek and also feeling a little under the weather. I did however, have a yummy meal a few days before with Mum, Geg and the boys, a BBQ dinner the following weekend with the lovely McGregors and a dinner the following Saturday after that with Dad and Eleanor. Geoff bought me Season One DVD of "My Name is Earl". The reverse-karma episode made the DVD worth it all by itself. I also scored a cool floppy hat for kayaking, some perfume, a funky green work bag and lots of chocolate. Not bad going me thinks. :-)

Geoff has been ultra-busy with uni. He has already had two practical exams and on Tuesday he has an exam for the 6 week anatomy block he has just finished. It is amazing how many notes he has for that - it is equivalent to a whole subject's worth (for a science subject anyway). Geoff is feeling really stressed and is looking forward to the Easter holidays.

Today we were bad and bought a tent. It's a 10-12 man tent, which means really, it fits about 6 people comfortably. It is pretty cool, with high spots to put your keys and wallet, vent holes at the base and other spots to keep your shoes away from critters. We can't wait to try it out - we were kinda hoping we might do some camping over Easter but with the crowds it might not be such a good idea. May have to wait until mid-year, damnit.

Ka- POW

Bec, as promised, here are some photos of my Mum's pet chooks. The fluffy one on the left is Sydney (a Silky) and the other one is Star (a Silver Spangled Hamburg).


No I didn't make up the name of the latter breed. It really does exist. :-)

And below shows their fighter nature. Not surprisingly, they both ended up being roosters and had to go back to my Uncle's farm, unfortunately. I hear they are both quite happy there though. :-)

Babies

In the last few weeks four baby girls have entered the world.

Congratulations to my workmate Grant and his wife Eldene on the birth of their daughter Adyson, born on the 24th January.

And a BIG congratulations to my workmates Macky and Aleks on the birth of their triplets - Klaudia, Amelia and Charlotte, born yesterday.

We wish them all the best. :-)

They made me do it

We have moved over to the new blogger system. Fingers crossed everything will be where it should be!!

Dentistry is fun

Woohoo.
I survived my first week back. We start a lot earlier than the rest of the uni people(with the exception of the med students) and this week has been pretty full on. We have at least 35 hours of contact time a week and a lot of it is repetitive with 2 whole days a week on anatomy involving 6 hours of lectures and 10 hours of prac. We are working with a cadaver at the moment and are removing his scalp to get access to the face a bit further down. A bit gross for most people but some people I am sure will know what I am talking about. No one has been really queasy in the anatomy pracs with the exception of one girl who faints all the time. She fainted in the intro prac when they were telling us about the rules and there was no gory stuff around. She also fainted way back in O-week last year at an info session. She is very slight and only 17 or so and everyone thinks it is probably lack of food before classes that causes the fainting.
This week I have had my first go at the drills, learning the different sized burs and different speed handpieces for different things. The water/air squirter is pretty cool. Lots of technology in dentistry which is another cool thing for me.
To those out there reading this do not be too amused at what I am writing next. We are paying good HECS or PELS or whatever they call it to spend time assembling model cars in one subject. The only catch is we are using dental wax instead of glue to stick it all together. Some of the skills seem a bit distant to those of a dentist, but you can see they are developing our manual skills as we go. I was putting the engine together and it was so fiddly when the pieces are about a 10th the size of my fingernail. I wonder if my ample sized hands will be a disadvantage. The demonstrators warned a lot of people that their marks will drop from the sevens they are used to to maybe 3s or 4s . They said some people cry. The whole academic thing needs to be matched with the manual skills and that sometimes seems a bit scary.
We had a 2 hour lecture today on the anatomy of teeth. I'm sure some people would say why, but I was amazed how much detail we are supposed to know. We had a prac trying to identify different teeth, and for some it was easy such as your incisor but the difficulty comes when you work out whether it is upper or lower or left or right. We have to know the number of cusps, roots, grooves etc and it is hard to know straight away what is going on. It is all a bit much the first week back. Normally you would expect a bludge the first week but not this time.
They keep asking us to fork out money for kits, textbooks and the cycle seems neverending. $400 for an operative kit with a couple of things in it,$200 for teeth models, etc, etc- silly stupid heads. And we have to pay hecs on top of all these miscellaneous fees. Worst thing is I'd just finished paying hecs from my first degree.
Only one week down and 4 years to go.

If anyone reading this has any form of a color atlas of anatomy (I know I spelt color wrong- silly American spelling) with the big pictures of dissected things that you would be willing to loan or sell to me please let us know.
Hope everyone else is having as much fun as me.
We are getting up at 4.30am to go kayaking tomorrow and have a 30th birthday party to go to tomorrow night so I will forget about uni for a couple of days and take it easy.
I would love to say that I'm studying now, but alas I am watching Tv and having a beer.
Geoff

:-)

WICOE

(Women In Charge Of Everything)

is proud to announce the opening of its

EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN!

OPEN TO MEN ONLY

ALL MALE FORM WELCOME

Note: due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants. The course covers two days, and topics covered in this course include:

DAY ONE HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS

Step by step guide with slide presentation

TOILET ROLLS- DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS?

Roundtable discussion

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR

Practicing with hamper (Pictures and graphics)

DISHES & SILVERWARE; DO THEY LEVITATE/FLY TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES?

Debate among a panel of experts

REMOTE CONTROL

Losing the remote control - Help line and support groups

LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS

Starting with looking in the right place instead of turning the house upside down while screaming - Open forum

DAY TWO

EMPTY MILK CARTONS; DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?

Group discussion and role play

HEALTH WATCH; BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH PowerPoint presentation

REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST

Real life testimonial from the one man who did

IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS?

Driving simulation

LIVING WITH ADULTS; BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER

Online class and role playing

HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION

Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques

REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE

Bring your calendar or PDA to class

GETTING OVER IT; LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME
Individual counsellors available

Kayaking 101

What a great idea it seemed at the time, buying a kayak. When you read the guidebooks they say it is just a short paddle and is full of enjoyment. They dont tell you that when you are paddling into the wind and against the tide you need to multiply the distances by about a 1000.










A couple of hundred metres in a kayak seems to equal the same intenstity as if you had walked several kilometres. At least at this stage of becoming one with the kayak.



Today we got up at 5am to go for a paddle in Currumbin Creek. It is weird seeing all these super buff oldies doing tough laps up and down the creek, lapping us several times while we haul our sorry arses along. They must have engines hidden somewhere in their various wave skis, racing kayaks and various other watercraft to propel them at speeds that seem close to the speed of sound. I like to think of our kayak as a big old limo. We aren't the fastest, but we do it with style.
It really is a good thing though, there is nothing more enjoyable than paddling early in the morning looking at the peaceful waters and trying to have a fish from the kayak. I am still a bit wobbly when I try to fish and kayak at the same time but I have worked out that I can fish a lot better if I take it easy and let El do the paddling while I drop my line in. Today we did a 10km return trip up the creek and are feeling the effects now. Most muscles are sore, even the ones that you didn't know you had. I am trying to get El stronger so I can have a snooze in the back while she paddles. It is good fun, but you do get really sore. I even saw all those whiting I have tried to catch in the past swimming by, taunting me with their beady little faces.
I am back to uni on monday. Only 4 more years! Back to being old man Connolly.Mr "mature age". I learn to drill this year so are there any volunteers for me to practice on? I've got a pretty good cordless drill here at home and with a few medicinal rums I'm sure noone would be able to tell the difference.