Closing time

As we get ready to depart in just 2 days, a short blog to bid farewell and keep you updated is due. Just to keep us on our toes, 10 days ago Celia managed to pull a container of near-boiling water onto her lap in her highchair. A cold shower, a short ambulance ride to the Mater Hospital and a few silver nitrate patches have done her a world of good. She's well and truly on the mend and it slowed her down for about oh, one day all told. She is soooo fiesty. Trying to do anything with her that involves her being still is like trying to hold down a juvenile kangaroo, so try to imagine dressing changes...not much fun. Tim said it well the other morning when he commented 'Dear Abby, my daughter is stronger than I am...' I have had to take her to the hospital burns unit for 2 checkup appointments since and she's been pushing her weight around the other burn victims in the waiting room. She totally flattened an 11 month old boy who was just minding his own business and didn't happen to notice her race-crawling towards him. As a bonus, she's been seeing the same surgeon that worked on Edie...Good because we know he's excellent and kind of embarassing because he's had to fix both of our kids...Either way, let's just hope that this is the last hospital visit before we leave.


Ceeley and our friend (and pastor) Michele. Michele is a great person to have around when I'm feeling like a bad mom (there have been a few moments over the years)...She has 3 boys, and always has a story to top mine. We are really going to miss her and her family. As for Celia, the bandages really make it look pretty bad, hey? It's not nearly as frightening underneath, thankfully.

One person that we've been hanging around with a lot since he moved here is Brian Fry. He's an American, a stable isotope guru, one of the 350 most cited scientists going, and happens to be one of the nicest guys on the planet. Edie in particular is quite smitten, as you can see from our photos she and Brian have lots of fun together. We are really going to miss him.




Edie and Brian, great pals working the hoola hoops.

One friend we've already had to say goodbye to is this guy.



What! A toaster? Yes. A toaster. A toaster from the 70's that has toasted our bread to perfection ever since we brought it home from the Salvos nearly 4 years ago. How many appliances over 30 years old do you have kicking around still working? Anyway, we sent it home with Chelsea and Burt, our Canadian friends living in Sydney who came up to say goodbye and to help pack up last weekend. We hope it treats them as well as it treated us- 10 out of 10 Mr. Goldair!


She's a very willing helper, she is.


She's also a very good director.

A few more pictures to end off our time down under. To our Aussie mates we say good on ya, you're a beaut. To our Canadian friends and family we say we'll be home shortly, leave the porch light on.


VEGEMITE TOAST!


This one has trouble written all over her.

Signing off from down under. Love to all.