This time next week we should be touching down in the UK; to say we’re excited is a massive understatement – i for one can’t wait! I can’t believe it’s been almost two years since the wedding and our last trip home, and we’re really looking forward to catching up with all of our friends and family. I’ve been completely useless on the Little Aussie front in the last six months, no excuse i’m afraid; just busy with day to day life Down Under! There’s probably too much to report in any detail, but i thought i’d attempt a brief update before heading for home…
Sebastien is half way through his Pre-Primary year at school and is doing really well. He’s playing tennis every week now and is looking forward to showing off his tennis skills on the Wii with Grandad Smith soon! He’s also still swimming and really is the quintessential “water baby” – he loves it. His asthma hasn’t been too good lately and he’s now taking a preventive dose of medication twice a day; hopefully when the Summer returns he may not need it, but we’ll just have to keep an eye on him. As usual, he takes it all in his stride. He’s learning to read and is doing well but it’s sometimes difficult to persuade him to read a “Pre-Reader” story when he would rather read “The Hobbit” with Owen! He’s also been at his second school disco and seemed to be a little less overwhelmed this time around; he was most impressed by the break-dancers, as was I – it was the best school disco i’ve ever been to! His highlight of 2009 has probably been heading to watch a Fremantle Dockers training session; he returned home with an autograph book full of signatures and the biggest smile i’ve ever seen.
Miss Smith is also doing well, she LOVES dancing and her weekly class at Gymbaroo and i have no doubt that she will be quite the little drama queen! She’s been toilet trained for most of the year and much to our surprise was out of nappies at night as soon as she made the change during the day. She’s in her own (very big) bed and after a little bit of diffculty revolving around the fact that being able to get out of bed whenever she wanted was a HUGE adventure, she’s now settled into her routine of story, song & sleep. She talks like a five year old which still surprises us sometimes – it must be all the time she spends with her clever big brother. She’s already got all the boys in Sebastien’s class chasing her around the playground – hopefully that won’t lead to problems somewhere down the line!
Owen is as busy as ever with work but at least he now has two fully working feet! He tripped over a pipe while Robert & Isobel were with us in March and managed to break a bone in his foot as well as damaging some ligaments, so he was on crutches and had to wear a CAM Walker for six weeks. Thankfully, at his six week review, the orthopedic surgeon was happy that the foot was healing well and since then he hasn’t had any problems. The accident meant we didn’t make it to Mogwai as planned, but we did see Black Mountain who were pretty good.
I’ve been lining the pockets of the Perth medical profession in one way or another of late. I finally decided to visit the dentist for only the second time in ten years and several fillings & three wisdom tooth removals later, im feeling very proud of myself! Sebastien & Tabitha have also been for a check-up and their teeth have been given a clean bill of health which is good news. I’ve also been seeing a Dermatologist about my skin but i’m not having much luck with medications – i’ve been at the emergency GP for the second time today and it turns out that i am allergic to the latest medication. The last one caused photosenstive dermatitis so who knows what they will try next?! I’ve also left my teaching job (it’s a LONG story!) and although i miss the students it’s actually been great to have Saturday mornings free in the last few weeks.
Other news in brief… We are now eligible for Australian Citizenship, which we will organise when we get back… Cynthia & I went to see the Geneva Ballet at His Majesty’s Theatre which we both really enjoyed… Robert & Isobel were here to celebrate Isobel’s 60th birthday complete with balloons and cup cakes; collection of which led me to go through a red light!… I went to the School Quiz and had so much wine that when i returned home i tried to open the front door with my car key – probably enough said!… We had an Easter Hunt on Easter Sunday which Sebastien & Tabitha LOVED; there are some photos in the April set on Flickr… I’m going to Pilates every week now and really enjoying it… We’ve helped Simon & Lennard celebrate their 40th & 1st birthdays respectively and we’ve spent Australia Day with Gordon, Becky & Bella. It’s been all go really, as always, but we’re all very well and the next Little Aussie update will probably be on our return. See you soon!
