deathpixie: (Simon's Cat)
So, here I am in Sydney Airport. The predicted temperature is 39 C. Back in Toronto, they're being buried in snow.

This should prove interesting. Especially since I didn't pack my boots. Hmm.

Great holiday, btw. Caught up with the family, spoiled my nieces rotten and had a great send-off BBQ last night. Love you lot so much.

Success!

Jan. 29th, 2013 07:15 pm
deathpixie: (you can't take the sky from me)
I have arrived at my parent's new place in Wodonga, I have successfully bribed my nieces with belated Christmas and birthday gifts, and, most of all, I have gotten online with my own laptop! The password took some finding, but finally got there. Yay for me.

The weather is glorious today. Not too hot, wonderfully sunny, and I'm sitting out on the patio with a cup of tea by my side and a protein shakey thing in my belly. Today is a quiet day - I've been on the go since I got here and my voice is starting to fail. Sydney with the Aussie crew was fantastic, and mum and dad are more than okay, they're doing so much better in the new place, it's great to see.

Also, trampolines are a hell of a workout when you haven't used one for 20 years. My back is rather cranky today. But at least Zoe has a new game to play on it. :)
deathpixie: (one day I'll fly away)
Just since communication has been tricky this weekend - I'm at [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]'s house, have been fed, tea'ed and my bed is made up and looking comfy. :) We have a Plan to get me to where Mum's staying (she and some golf friends are at the Australian Women's Open this weekend), with a Backup Plan should the first one fail and another Backup Plan should we be late. ;)

Tomorrow is driving back to Wodonga, which takes about three and a half hours, time with the nieces and then Catching Up With All The Things Online. I may even post about my trip so far. ;)

Oh, and organise dinner with my auntie Leanne, uncle Phil and my cousin Aden, before I leave next Sunday. :)

Made it!

Jan. 25th, 2012 03:50 am
deathpixie: (one day I'll fly away)
Made it to Wodonga in one piece, albeit a rather tired piece. The older I get, the tougher that trip is...
deathpixie: (drop bear)
Plane's starting to board, so time to close up shop. See you all from Australia in 22 hours. ;)
deathpixie: (you can't take the sky from me)
Meme grabbed from [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com], in lieu of thinking content since my head is stuffy.

2011 thoughts )
deathpixie: (buster!)
In the process of reading about Lego's new 'girl' range (ugh!), I saw mention of Lego dinosaur sets. My niece Zoe loves dinosaurs. So I thought, "hey, why not see what's around for kids her age?" and hit Google. Results turned up the most amazing Duplo sets, basically zoos with dinosaurs, which was just perfect. Except...

Except these sets are incredibly rare, largely not in stock any more and incredibly expensive (we're talking around $250 here, so I'm not being cheap). So I have the perfect Christmas/Birthday gift for Zoe, only I can't get it for her. Bah.

I think I'll still get her the zoo set, maybe the one with the baby animals, since she loves animals too. But still, totally unfair, internet, to dash my hopes so. :P

Words

Oct. 4th, 2011 11:23 am
deathpixie: (memories)
My first Christmas in Canada, the roomie's mum and stepdad welcomed me into their home for the holiday.

At one point Dave told me to leave my shoes out for him to polish. He liked doing it, he said.

Immediately, I remembered growing up watching my father spit polishing his Army boots, and teaching my brother and I how to clean our school shoes. It became a Sunday night ritual and Dave reminded me of it so strongly I choked up a little. I explained and he nodded, understanding.

Every time I visited, he'd polish our shoes. That's the sort of person he was.

Dave died this morning after a several-week battle with cancer. In one sense it's a relief - he was in a lot of pain at the end. But on the other hand, the main one, is the sense of loss. We've barely had time to adjust to the idea of him dying. Now he's gone.

Goodbye, Dave. Thank you for making me feel part of your family.

PSA

Sep. 19th, 2011 04:53 pm
deathpixie: (storms ahead)
Given certain news from the roomie's family viewpoint (it's a locked post and I don't know who's on the filter, so I'm keeping vague), I'm probably going to be a bit stressed and out of sorts for a bit. There's good news in the form of the roomie getting the job he wanted today, but there's still plenty of bad, and it's going to be tough for us on Bloor Street West for a while. Especially since the roomie's family is kind of my adopted Canadian family and I'm trying to cope with my own reactions as well as support folks.

So if I get tetchy or annoying, that would be why.

Booked

Sep. 7th, 2011 11:26 am
deathpixie: (one day I'll fly away)
So, I've booked my flights for my trip back to Australia next year and handed in my leave request. The itinerary is:

January 23, 2012, depart Toronto at 6:00 p.m.

Toronto-Vancouver-Sydney-Melbourne - 27 hours. Arrive January 25 at 1:35 p.m. (gives me time to catch the train back to Wodonga)

February 19, 2012, depart Melbourne at 9:00 a.m. (I'm probably going to need a place to crash the night before so I can get to the airport on time!)

Melbourne-Sydney-Vancouver-Toronto. Arrive February 19 at 4:20 p.m. February 20 should be Family Day and a day off, I hope!

I have just under 4 weeks in Australia, all of which will be paid leave. Good price on the tickets, even if I have to fly Air Canada (bleh) - $2,106.00. I'll organise visits to people closer to the date, obviously!

Next step - renew my passport, since it expires in December. I already have the paperwork, just need to get the photos and make the appointment. And pay for it. *sigh*
deathpixie: (drop bear)
So, having talked to my folks at last, I have a rough plan for Christmas. That being, I'll be spending the actual holidays here, and visiting Australia mid-January to mid-February. Probably about three weeks' worth, which will give me time to see my family, coo over the new baby, play with Zoe and visit the Aussie peeps. That way I get two Christmasses and don't wind up spending a fortune on airfares.

To do:

1) Book tickets before September 6;

2) Book leave with work (it's far enough ahead I shouldn't have an issue);

3) Renew passport before December;

4) Collect gifts of various sorts between now and January;

5) Organise tribal type gathering - anyone up for a party? ;)
deathpixie: (calm)
Apologies for the fuzzy pic. Here's my mum, my brother, Zoe and Mia, from a batch of pics Dad sent over last night:




The happy family under the cut )
deathpixie: (carefree)
I got an early morning phone call from my brother, to let me know that Eva had the baby at 6 p.m. their time. I'm an auntie again! Another little girl, this time named for Eva's sister and mother: Mia Alona (apologies for spelling, I haven't seen it written down yet!). Mum and bub both doing well after a nice short delivery. Mia has a little bit of fair hair and again the Howard curled over ear like me; Eva says she looks like Dad. 3.8 kg (I think) and as long as her sister was - my brother and Eva are breeding a family of giants!

Any way, pics when I have them. :) Welcome Mia!

Edit: And here she is!


deathpixie: (one day I'll fly away)
Oops, got a bit behind on this due to Busy. So, three posts in one.

Day 11 – Your siblings )

Day 12 – What’s in your bag )

Day 13 – This week )

and the rest )
deathpixie: (warrior woman)
I had a Skype call with my parents over the weekend, while they were taking care of Zoe. She's so big!

Her hair is exactly the same colour as mine is naturally, only thicker and wavier. She's a little chatterbox, says "please" and "thank you" and loves dinosaurs and wants a little sister.

I don't want children of my own, but damn, my niece is awesome. :)


Eee!

Jan. 22nd, 2011 10:50 am
deathpixie: (happy)
Come August, I'm going to be an auntie again!
deathpixie: (vegemite toast)
I've been asked by a couple of people about my family and the flooding; they're not impacted, being largely in Victoria, but I appreciate the concern.

I've spent part of the morning catching up on the news, much the same way I did during the bushfires last year. It's mind-blowing, when you see some of the footage. Cars and houses just floating past on a wave of reddish-brown water. Stories of people calling out for help from their roofs and from inside those houses floating away. 78 people are missing, with 10 confirmed dead. It's just boggling, especially when not so long ago, this very part of the country was under crippling drought.

C., my new lawyer, has family in the Lockyer Valley, one of the areas worst hit, and spent most of last night confirming they were okay. Brisbane is looking at flooding as the Brisbane River rises 4.5 metres above its normal levels. I'm hoping that the people I know in Queensland are safe and well and that they can let someone know that's the case.

For those with family in the effected regions, here's some numbers that might help:

Emergency hotlines

Info for relatives, friends on Toowoomba flash floods: 1300 993 191
Lockyer Valley Council emergency line: 1300 005 872


Those wanting to donate money to help, there's a donation button on the top right hand corner of the Queensland Government site. The site also has a lot of good information and updates on the situation.

For those wanting to keep up with the news story, the ABC website has a lots of stories, videos and photos.

deathpixie: (winter wonderland)
Some good things did happen yesterday and today. So I shall list them!

1) [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]'s Christmas card for me arrived yesterday, finally, a full two weeks after the roomie got his. Thanks, Raph!

2) A spot finally opened up for my grandfather in the facility where my grandmother has a supported living apartment, so now she can see him every day whenever she likes again, instead of travelling for an hour and a half whenever someone could take her. In case I hadn't mentioned, my grandfather has dementia, to the point he needs a secure ward. :( But he's always happy to see Nana, which can happy now. And Nan's happy too.

3) It's been snowing all day. I know, crazy me for liking snow, but I do. There's always something about walking in the snow, when it's coming down like little bits of torn-up tissue paper, that brings out my inner child and makes me smile.

4) While I didn't sleep well again, I did dream I was a super hero and could fly. Which was fun. :)
deathpixie: (setting of the sun)
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning;
We shall remember them.

Lest we forget.

This one's for my dad.

This one's for my grandad

Survived

Aug. 16th, 2010 10:02 am
deathpixie: (the morning after)
Another Dexcon has come and gone. Now to make it through the rest of the day at work.

And for the love of god, someone remind me to call my parents tonight? I've been a very neglectful and forgetful daughter. So if you see me online, poke me!

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