Yay! Holidays!

When I wasn't working, during the 18 months since we sold the Fadden house, it somehow didn't feel like holidays all the time.  But now that I'm working again, I get holidays!  Yay! So I'm off work from now until the middle of January. It's been good to be back in the workforce part-time though, and I'm enjoying being in a group practice with other psychs, social workers, and various other medical bods. There is even a paediatrician and a psychiatrist on tap. Here is our Christmas party, complete with Secret Santa. Plus, they remembered my birthday and someone brought in a cake! Haven't had a workplace where that happened for a long long time.

 Update on the grand design project. We have negotiated directly with some more builders, without the architect's help and are now more hopeful that one of them will agree to a feasible price. A few details remain to be decided, such as exterior materials and colours, so we are out looking. Spotted this lovely one under construction at Elizabeth Beach, architects none other than Bourne and Blue, the son and daughter in law of our friends John and Louse from Decker place. Shane Blue designed their place in Fadden and it won awards. We couldn't afford them, though....



Think this (below) might be one of theirs as well, for sale at present. The red letterbox matches the red front door, nice touch.

Left Hallidays Point on Sunday, drove to Sydney. After a picnic lunch at a particularly leafy rest stop I retrieved this very upset critter from inside my T-shirt. You will be pleased to hear I did not die from its attempts to bite me. Neither of us badly hurt so all's well that ends well.

 Later in the journey we drove into the face of this humungous storm. Those clouds were actually green. All the traffic pulled over to stay alive while it raged.  Very spectacular.

David had his second MRI on Monday, this one of L brain.  Neurologist is looking for some explanation for why his right arm is giving him so much trouble - burning, painful, pins & needles plus weakness. Worst when at rest.  Neuropathic pain is a puzzle. After the appointment, he went back to Surry Hills by train and I continued on in the car to Canberra.  Here's my favourite bit of the journey - the wind farm at Lake George.

Staying with Mae and Nick and their fluffies.  Here are two of them, Pippin the mini lop and Evie a sweet baby seal point who is very lucky to be alive, having been rescued and nursed back to life by Mae and the team at her vet practice, after she was nearly pulled through the bars of her cage by a cat or a fox. She lost most of the skin and flesh from one hind leg and her survival is a tribute to Mae's determination. She is a delightful, happy hoppy little thing now, months later. The owners gave her to Mae.

This is another rescue animal, Gus the feral kitten who was saved with his sister from being taken out the back of the cattery where Mae was working, to be dispatched by the owner's son. They have certainly landed on their furry feet. And last night those furry feet landed on my bed. A number of times, before they curled up together to sleep.  I miss having cats, can you tell?

Mia is the other fluffy in residence. She came as a terrified kitten from the pound in Adelaide while Mae was there at Flinders Uni. No longer terrified.

Visited our old apartment in Greenway to discover it is now in the centre of a region of high rises going up. Gone are the paddocks we used to cycle through to get to the shops.

 Later in the day I met Andrea for lunch at the gallery and we enjoyed a couple of hours wandering through the Renaissance exhibition together. Lots of little baby Jesuses.

Last night we went out for a meal with Sue Driscoll, my friend and colleague who shared my practice rooms during the last year at Fadden. It was great to see her looking well and happy.  We compared work stories and recent-grandson stories. Her Beth's second, Benjamin is 6 months. Lindsey and Rob's Richie is just about a week old.  And we are still waiting for pictures, Lins if you're reading this!

This morning, Santa came early and gave Mae and Nick a casserole dish. How did clever Santa know I plan to make them a casserole for dinner?

I have the place to myself now, except for some contented rabbits who are chewing through a bowl of fruit leftovers from this magnificent creation, made by Mae this morning for her work Christmas party.  I have initiated her into the secret women's business of pavlova making, a mother-daughter exercise.