Turn up the a/c

Our first heat wave of the summer is upon us, in the dying days of summer 2008. I know it's 'only' around 34 today, but yesterday was another hot day in the low 30's, so was Thursday, and tomorrow is supposed to be around 28 - cooler - here on the coast. I relented. Just now at 11:45am I turned on the air conditioner in our apartment and am enjoying dry, cool air. We've only used it once before for cooling. The reason I turned on the a/c was that I popped next door into the gallery apartment where Rene is working and he had his a/c on and it was SO very pleasant, so I immediately came back and switched ours on too. The great news is that the builder has had dry weather to pour the concrete for the foundations of our new home back in Brisbane. It was boxed up on Wednesday (I photographed it) and it was poured yesterday - we know because late yesterday an invoice email came through requesting another 10% payment. (Edit: it finally reached 39C here and 40C in Brisbane).


The Queen Victoria berthed in Sydney at 7am today. I'm still hoping to catch her sailing past here on Tuesday morning but my friend who works on the coast guard here (our former registrar at my old Toowoomba school) said that it would come past Warana Beach around 4am to pick up the pilot from Point Cartwright (Mooloolaba) and she reckons it wouldn't be worth getting up to see a load of lights out to sea - it's not light until 5am. Maybe I'll have an early brekky and drive to Caloundra and see it from there at first light? Don't know (and don't ask why bother, Rene has already done that and he didn't get a sensible answer - I just want to see it.)


I'm the proud owner of a new fridge. It's all stainless steel, shiny and new. I said 'I' because Rene thought the change from a perfectly good white 'right door hinged' fridge to a left hinged fridge was unnecessary (hence I paid for it myself). Anyway, it will fit perfectly into the new kitchen design in the new house. Yesterday the new one arrived and the old one left for the new home of American friends in Holland Park, Brisbane. They are using it as a second fridge. I'm very happy with the change over, and our new house will be the better for it both ergonomically and aesthetically (does that sound like enough justification??). Anyway, it's keeping the beer cold next door because it's still too big to fit in the main apartment.

Driving three days a week to Brisbane is more than tolerable - I no longer get annoyed by the inevitable and unexpected hold ups in traffic. My days at both schools are getting some sort of organisation about them, and my latest project is developing a garden with my African parents and planting vegetables as well as getting a nutritionist from Queensland Health to talk to them about healthy eating. The African mums are trying very hard to do the right thing, but sometimes they copy us in ways that aren't so helpful - eg lots of processed, prepackaged foods that their children's bodies are just not up to accommodating. A little, yes, it's OK, but too much and the children have the potential to develop diabetes and other illnesses because their diet isn't rounded enough. They desire their kids to have what Aussie kids have, so they buy these prepackaged foods, but we as a society already have issues with childhood obesity and we certainly don't want our refugee children developing such conditions. Anyway, we'll get our African parents involved along with our other parents, and of course the children. It should be wonderful.

Yesterday Rene and I spent two hours in the pool. I used sunscreen, but tried to keep in the shadows (not many early on, but towards the end it was covered in shade). Around 4pm I'll head out again, but not until there's a little shade. I've never been one for baking in the sun, and with our record for being the world's worst area for skin cancer from too much exposure to sun, I'm working on enjoying the great outdoors without harming my body (plus I don't look so blindingly white when there's shade around haha).

Finally, we are going out to dinner tomorrow night with friends from Brisbane (ex Toowoomba) who have an apartment here plus another couple (ex Toowoomba, building in Brisbane, banished to their coast apartment here until the remodelling is finished). Looking forward to some seriously good conversation, some great food, a little drink (I'll yet again be the designated driver) and a swapping of yarns. And guess what? No work Monday - again. Ah yes, life's good. Until next time, have a great week.