Book Giveaway Number 2: John

I spent my university days studying engineering which meant that my textbooks were about experimental design, computer programming, statistical analysis, thermodynamics, or the "spectrometric properties of chemicals". The type of bedtime reading which would cure most insomniacs.

John, on the other hand, studied modern history and politics as part of his Arts degree. This means that his textbooks (well some of them...) are actually interesting even if you don't need to know the information to pass the exam.

Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy Since 1938 is the most interesting book that was on the "required/recommended reading" lists. This book describes and analyses how economic agressiveness, racism, fear of communism, domestic affairs and individual characters have shaped American foreign policy from the early days of WWII to about 1996. Despite it's seemingly dry subject matter it is very easy reading. I suspect this is probably because it was co-written by Stephen E. Ambrose, who wrote Band of Brothers, (about the experiences of Easy Company from the 101st Division, during WWII) which was subsequently turned into a TV series.

Examining American foreign policy is a surrogate for studying world politics as the foreign policies of America influence the other nations - particularly those nations that were/are dependent on American military might or trade. Looking at the events from 1938 also enables a certain perspective on events that are happening in the world now like the (continued) conflicts in the middle east.

What I liked about this book (as someone who hasn't really studied history) was that it very readably described and analysed world events that I had heard of but didn't really know the significance at the time - such as the destruction of the Berlin Wall, which I can remember, but didn't realise how suprising that would have been a mere 5 years earlier. It is also fascinating how decisions which affect large numbers of people (whole countries or people groups) are made on the basis of poor information, (mis) assumptions and by some ... interesting... personalities.

I replaced John's copy of this book for his birthday - the first one was so well read that it had fallen apart.

I have one, brand-new, copy of Rise to Globalism to giveaway (within Australia).

To enter: You will need to leave a comment on this thread before midnight on the 20th October.

The flowers that bloom in the spring...

Some photos of what we have been up to....

Planting flowers and herbs, that may survive the TLC they get given

Going to Dad's retirement dinner

Setting up a "big, big bed" for Alex - and even sleeping in it ;-)

I love seeing the boys sleeping together - so sweet curled up together, so peaceful and no fears about one about to bop the other on the head....

Birthday flowers

Eating "the house with the star inside". This was on playschool about 3 weeks ago and since then we have eaten many, many apples....

Convincing James that non-liquid food is not evil. He's somewhat keener on the concept when he gets to put the food in his mouth than when one of his parents is wielding the dreaded spoon.

Boys giggling together...

Life in an American TV Legal Drama

I used to think that scriptwriters took some dramatic licence when drafting American Legal Dramas (eg Boston Legal, The Good Wife, Ally McBeal, The Practice etc). Every episode there is a scene where the protaganists have to work very late so that they can file documents to a judge just as the deadline occurs. In 8 years of being married to a lawyer that has never happened (maybe because most deadlines are 4 or 5 pm). But I was wrong....

John just worked all night to meet a 7AM deadline. And unlike when he was at university and could hand in his assignment and then go home and sleep he still has to work (in court) all day, meaning he'll be at work at least 32 hours straight. The longest day I ever worked (for money!) was 16 hours (but my employer has a policy about that sort of thing...).

Or maybe we just woke up in a TV show

The world according to Alex

Alex loves our camera - posing for photos, watching them afterwards and taking pictures himself. He has taken to "borrowing" the camera from where ever it is (and given his ability to work the step ladder it doesn't seem to matter where that is...) and photographing EVERYTHING in his life.

So we get bizarre pictures of peoples feet, everyday objects and the things that Alex deems photographable.

• Apparently James gets photographed.

• As does dinner

• And Daddy is a looong way up!

Temora Air Show

Last weekend we travelled to Temora (about 200km away) to attend one of the flying weekends at the aviation musuem there. One "plane/rocket/helicopter" obsessed little boy was very excited!

There were aerobatic displays and fly-passes from a range of prop-driven (mostly) WWII aircraft - Spitfires, Kittyhawks etc - as well as some jet-propelled planes (like the Sabre). We enjoyed our picnic lunch with the planes. After the flying display the allow the spectators onto the runway to talk to the pilots of the aircraft.

We finished the day with (very large) milkshakes at the White Rose Cafe - an art-deco style cafe that still has all the original fittings - including the rose pressed iron ceiling, before driving home.

What we do on our weekends away, Part V

Visit Friends and socialise

Ok that explanation is really nor sufficient - what I really mean is travel away for the express purpose of visiting friends to socialies (attend parties or events of some description). Here are some photos of the more recent trips!

Here is our little family walking down the red carpet at our brother-in-law's recent birthday party.

This party was on Sydney harbour and had the theme of the "red-carpet". They had even arranged for a photographer and a reporter with a video camera to take photos as people arrived!

And here is Alex having a lovely time playing with his cousins at a family Christmas party in Sydney


(I should point out that at this point it was after 10pm and our sleepy little boy who is normally fast asleep well before 8 was still partying despite NOT having a sleep earlier in the day.)

What we Do on our Weekends away, Part IV

Play in (John) or Watch (Alex and I) Kendo (a Japanese martial art)

Well John trains for this on the weekends (and during the week) that we don't go away, but occasionally (3 or 4 times a year) we travel to tournaments, gradings or seminars.

Just before Alex was born we went to Melbourne to the Australian Championships (John came 3rd in his grade, and his team came first). We spent a couple of days either side having a holiday.

They had also won a teams competition about a month before that.


We've also attended competitions in the ACT and in NSW.



Alex has so far been pretty good - especially as it is not a quiet sport! - sleeping in the pram when we've been places and charming everyone when he is awake. Maybe all that time listening to Kendo in utero, and then being made to sleep while Band of Brothers was playing when he was a newborn actually worked!

Wedding Anniversary

OK it is not Wedding Wednesday but it was our wedding anniversary yesterday (points to those who can guess/work out how many years)



It was a very hot day (not dissimilar to today) - so pity the poor boys in their woollen kilts - but by the time we had been married and gone to get photos taken a storm was on it's way and up on the hill it was very windy. The girls weren't too flustered by this but the men were not so used to dealing with short skirts and high breeze!



These pictures are a testament to my parent's garden before the drought- for some years it was claimed that the last time it had been green at home was the summer of my wedding. That silver birch behind the beautiful bridesmaids did not survive the drought.


[For the record - we spent our wedding anniversary...... at work! Although we did eat out at home for dinner!]

Christmas Holidays - Flooring

After spending Christmas at my parents with my sister (unfortunately I have no photos of that) where my parents did much of the work - cooking, cleaning and looking after small child! - we drove across NSW to Burrendong Dam, where my in-laws have just bought a cabin.

Having just bought a cabin, the family have decided to extend it so that in total it will be about 4 times it's original size. The rest of the family spent the week around Christmas building the frame and putting most of the roof on. When we arrived, it looked like this:

We (by which I mean John, his father and brother) spend the next few days finishing laying the joists, laying the floor and then decking. I was designated as cook, scullery maid, housekeeper, painter (did I mention we had to seal the floor) and chief toddler entertainer!

Alex spent large portions of time locked with me in the cabin (due to welding), or stuck in the portacot outside (once the first section was done and it was no longer a hurdles competition to leave the building!). When he was allowed out, he thought he had better lend a hand.

We finished the building work late on New Years Eve (as in around 11pm) after drilling in 2600 screws in the deck and ~400 in the floor.

The finished product on New Years Day:

There is still some minor work to go - just little things like, walls, balustrades, ramps... etc, but is more accessible than it was (and more usable) so hopefully the rest of the family can enjoy it while they do some more of the building work!

What we do on Our Weekends away, Part III

Perform in (watch) Scottish Pipe Bands!

In October, there was a Scottish style Tattoo in Condobolin run by their local pipe and drums band. John is old friends with one of the organisers, and as he had some pipe band experience (drum major - not an instrument but he claims it still requires skill!) he was asked to go along.

So we drove the 4 hours to Condobolin, he got all dressed up in his kilt and paraphenalia and the bands marched up and down the street and then up and down a square for the tattoo. Unlike some of the other bands that were present, Condo band is ... non-proffessional ... so they hadn't had a great deal of practice so John just did drum major flourishes (ie throwing the mace in the air) for the Condo section rather than fancy scottish tunes or fancy marching.

We stayed the night at our friend's place and then turned around and drove the 4 hours home!

It was a fun weekend - Alex was beautifully behaved at the tattoo, and the dancing and the piping were fairly good. [The best pipe band in the Southern Hemisphere was there] If you click on the link above then you may even like to see if you can spot us in the photos that were in the local paper!

What we do on our Weekends away, Part I

For the last few months, it seems like we have been away nearly every weekend. Unfortunately we rarely get to share what we have been up to so I have decided to post some stories and photos here in a semi-regular fashion .

At the beginning of August we went skiing at Perisher for three days with my dad and some of his colleagues (Mum was working and after tearing a ligament last time wasn't keen on skiing again). Our little family was fortunate enough borrow snow-gear from some relatives - even some for a nearly one-year-old. Alex spent the days happily playing in the childcare centre while we skied (or attempted to...). The poor little mite couldn't really move in the snow gear though - it's so thick that he can't bend which makes carrying him a little awkward. In fact it was impossible to carry Alex and a pair of skis and stocks!

We all had fun and our skiing improved, so that after a grand total of 4 days skiing (total time in life) we were actually on blue runs. There was much more snow than there had been the last time we were there, and it snowed overnight making it good to ski the next day. Dad had so much fun that he is planning to go to Japan skiing early next year. (Needless to say, this was not his second time skiing).

Alex wasn't quite sure what to make of the snow - he wanted to touch it but it was too cold and wet! It is amazing how much difference a few short months can make - here he couldn't stand by himself, and now he would be attempting to run on the snow and copy what we are doing!

The only blight on the few days was that Alex decided to not sleep properly for two of the three nights - which was just what his parents and grandfather wanted after they had been busy skiing all day! The must have been something wrong though because he definitely made up for the sleep once we got home. Maybe he got cold in the night ;-).

Here are my two boys - both of them tired after a long morning, and both bothered by the bright, bright, sun. Alex is so rugged up that you can't see much of his face, while John obviously didn't wear enough sunscreen and has the start of a skiers tan!

We're not sure if we'll be able to go much again - it is prohibitively expensive, but we both enjoy it and it is the sort of skill that is easier to learn young rather than old so we will have to see what happens for the next few years.