The Lune in June is a Big Balloon

Hi folks,

Soccer training was canceled for the evening, little Edie is asleep, so I feel the need to at least let those who only know that we’re alive (doing well, etc., etc.) through our blog, know that we’re alive, doing well, etc., etc. This one will be short, there’s not a whole lot of energy to spare these days in the Jardine household.

It’s been a busy, busy month. At the last posting, Tim was just leaving for China. Since then, he’s been to China, dropped by for a little visit home for a night and then left again for fieldwork up north, from which he returns next week some time. Edie and I are missing that guy something awful. However, in the meantime Joy (old Newfie friend from undergrad) has been here visiting. So despite missing Tim, I’ve been having a blast catching up with Joy again and playing tourguide. We’ve done more sightseeing in a week and a half than Tim and I have done since we arrived…It’s been kind of exhausting, but so cool. Australia sure has a lot of amazing stuff going on. Edie’s loving it all too, especially because she gets to ride in the backpack carrier for most of it. She squeals like a little piggy when she’s happy, and that’s all we hear when she’s in the carrier. Sadly, the carseat has the opposite effect, so we’ve heard our share of wailing as well.

The most fun thing that I think we’ve done so far is a trip to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. If you remember back when Edie was still an embryo, Tim and I took a trip there thinking that we would see Koalas in the wild (which is not the case, it’s a glorified zoo…I remember being kind of disappointed). My mind was totally changed by taking Edie there as an infant. She LOVED it (and thus, so did I). She just wanted to touch every animal we saw, especially the kangaroos. Her squeal factor multiplied the closer we got to them. I’ll be posting pictures soon (I have to pinch them off of Joy’s camera in the next few days). Other than that trip, we’ve mostly been hiking. I’ve got to say, I will miss Australia’s many, many parks, rainforest walks and hiking trails when we get back to Canada. If you haven’t been convinced to come to Australia for any other reason, you’re missing out big-time on the nature on this end of the globe. Especially in Queensland. Pictures just don’t do it justice.

I haven’t heard from Tim directly since he arrived in Cairnes on Monday, but got word today through the program coordinator that everyone is ok and things are going well. Joy, Edie and I will be meeting up with Tim and his workmate in the Whitsunday Islands (Airlie Beach) next week. For Tim and Dominic, it will be halfway home on the long drive back from up north. For Edie, Joy and I, it will be a nice trip up the coast before Joy has to leave. Joy’s going to be getting some snorkeling in on the Great Barrier Reef, Edie and I will be content to splash around the many beaches up that way.

Tim and I will both catch up with you once things settle down around here. We’ve got lots of pictures and stories to fill your heads with. My favorite Edie trait of the moment is getting her ready for her bath in the nursery (i.e. stripping her down), leaving her there so that I can go fill the tub in the bathroom, and hearing the pitter-patter of a naked little bubby finding her way to the bathroom to join me. Then I get the big Edie smile when she discovers that she found me and the tub (her favorite area these days). She is priceless.

Lots of love,

Laura