nice way to spend a wet weekend

What a nice saturday. First I got to go to a tupperware party and catch up with extended family and then we went off four wheel driving up little used roads to see what we could see.

We met Rob and Frankford for a nice coffee or hot chocolate and the blue berry barn and then head for the hills. Kelly's lookout road was our first foray, not at all challenging but awesome and we ended up high in the clouds beside three communication towers. It was a nice place on a warm moist afternoon. The we turned off in Holwell and made our way to Kerrison's road. It runs along a ridge bewteen deep valleys and extends from Holwell to the York town - Baker's beach road. This was a little less used and more fun. Nothing challenging, just a slow wend along a rough rutted old road. Unfortunately the powers that be have decided to put boom gates across and stop it being a through drive, so we walked the last little bit to the fire tower for a look before back traking and heading home again.

All in all a very restful and pleasant afternoon.

Sorry no pics, camera is on the blink.

Clinical Nurse

Guess what, I am now officially a clinical nurse. That means that I hold a level 2 nursing position at Beaconsfield. I have been filling in for this for a couple of months and now officially have the position. I am pleased now I will get the pay appropriate for the level of responsibility. So far I have been working 5 days a week for less than 4 shifts per week and filling a more responsibile role. It will be nice to have the job officially.

It is a challenge to be responsible for the co-ordination of the care of the 18 residents and up to 4 more acute clients. I am also responsible for some of the staffing issues and for student and graduate placements. I have discovered that there is still a lot to learn.

I will keep you posted.

Port Macquarie

For all those that haven't read Rob's log or Emma's adventures, we have just had a week away at Port Macquaire. It was lovely.

We left Saturday the 24th of July and flew via Melbourne where we collected Em from Dienece and Scott and drove from Sydney the rest of the way. It was a very nice trip and we found ourselves in a really tropical island style timeshare resort. What a great place to unwind, sleep in, swim in the indoor pool, feed the fish in the saltwater lagoon and use as a base to explore Port Macquarie.

Sunday saw us sleep through morning church but make it to Wauchope PCEA for the afternoon service. We got there early and thought we had mnissed out as the sign made no mention of an afternoon service. We did a lap of the town and returnde in time to see the congregation turn up so we joined them. Wow the singing was amazing for a small congregation and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole service. John Cromarty was preaching and we had met him before so it felt quite familiar.

As some of you know, my family accuse me of striking up conversation with anyone at the drop of a hat, but I have nothing on the friendly Hamiltons. We were whisked off to have tea with Glen and Sonya Hamilton and their five children before we had even realised what was happening. It was very nice of them and we enjoyed ourselves (even the reluctant ones of us).

The rest of the week was a whirl of site seeing, whale watching, game playing and simply relaxing. So nice to spend time together as a family and so good to get Steve to take time off.

Sadly we had to come hoome to Tassie and the frost. But it is nice to have everyting where you expect it to be and to settle back in.

I have this week to get the house into shape before it is back to the grind of work 5 days a week. It is a good thing that I like my job.

Em is back here with us as she starts her job with the devil breeding program on the 16th and it is based in Launceston. It is nice to have her here.

new job?

Hi All,
I apologise for not posting more often, but my life is fairly boring. Work sleep and more work!!!!

My only news is that I am now filling a level 2 position temporarily until it is advertised and filled. I also plan to apply for it permanently. Level 2, for those not nurses, means more responsibility, leadership roles and more speciality nursing skills. I have, according to my colleagues the ability to lead, not sure that I have the clinical skills as honed as some people do, but I am working on it. It means Monday to Friday 7 to 3.30 with public holidays off, so nearly normal. No more night shifts, no more lates followed by early shifts.

Steve is looking forward to seeing more of me and being able to predict when I will be available.

I will miss days off during the week to shop, clean , garden etc. Oh well you can't have everything.

Reading matter

Hi Everyone, it has been almost two months since I last posted as I have survived another stint of night duty and am to start another next week. Time flies and I don't have anything exciting to report.

I have decided to recommend a book series that Rob loaned me to read. It is the Tomorrow Series by John Marsden. I was not expecting what I got as Rob usually lends me sci fi boooks. I can recommend it as a story that manages to take a look at the way a group of teenagers survive when a foreign power invades Australia. It is written from the perspective of a 16 year old girl and chronicles the struggles to survive, fight back and overcome the terrible emotional and mental cost of war. I think it will strike a chord with anyone that has lived throuogh a war and most teenagers. Be warned the book is quite matter of fact when dealing with teenage sexuality and experience. Mature teens of 15 or so would cope well with it, but it is not apporpriate for any sheltered kids or immature ones.

Overall it is a good read for most adults.

Thaks Rob for the lend.

Night Duty

I have survived my first stint of night duty in twelve months. Apart from not managing to sleep for more than 5 hours average per day, I did well. I have a good Enrolled Nurse (EN) to work with so it is not a bad job.

It has taken me a whole week to catch up on lost sleep though.

It is only one week a month so it isn't too bad at all.

Extended family get together

Lucy, my niece, gave all of Steve's family a reason to get together by having a birthday.
Here she (in the purple top) is at a table with her friends, her mother, Julie (Steve's sister), is in the foreground with a cuppa and cake and her brother, Rowan, has his back to the camera.






Pictured here from left to right are Steve's other sister, Annie, his mother and father with a little of Dion, nephew just in frame. We all sat around in the sun outside and enjoyed a chat, cuppa and cake. It was a great way to get together.




This little cutie is Charlotte AKA Charlie, she is Lucy's niece and our great niece. Sweet isn't she?

This weekend we went camping. We wanted to make the most of my having two weekends off. Steve also took a long weekend and we were able to leave mid afternoon Friday. This is the packing up exercise. It is always the hard part and at one point we thought we would need a trailer.
Poor Steve was very patient about what had to go with us. And we managed to get it all there safely and back.


This is a picture of the beach near the campsite at Lagoon Beach between Falmouth and Bicheno. It was beautiful but there was a lot of surf and the fish wouldn't have been able to get caught if they had have wanted to. The lures kept being washed up on the beach further along.




It was here at Bicheno that we all went swimming. Yes, even me. The surf was awesome for bodysurfing. It was difficult to stand in the breakers so we headed out a bit. Hence it is difficult to see who is in the water.





Sadly all good things must end and here is the campsite as we left it. apart from Steve hiding behind the tree, there was no sign that we had even been there.

A friend gets married

On Saturday I was privileged to attend my friend Fiona's wedding. We became friends during our uni experience and we got each other through the gruelling time there. It was wonderful to share her big day. She made a beautiful bride. Mark managed to scrub up well too.

tamar odyssey

Ok, It has been a while since the last post and we have done something other than work.

To celebrate surviving 29 years of marriage we took ourselves off on a Tamar cruise aboard the Tamar Odyssey. It was a lovely day trip down the river. We left Home point in Launceston and went down as far as Bonnie's Beach just past the Batman Bridge. Here are some pics.

Happy New Year

Hi all and I hope that you enjoyed seeing the old year out and the New Year in. We did, we visited the Klavers continuing a tradition of board games and eating away the night. Mocktails were the order of the day with champagne at midnight and a game with a glow stick ball which we discovered the making of in the glow stick pack I bought.