That time of the year

Although it's been nothing like school was in term 4, the past few weeks have been very busy for me. I've worked most days, completing 3 different little jobs for the department, including a big 4 day conference in Melbourne last week. There is Christmas to get underway too, with family celebrations early this year so we could share present giving and feasting with C & J and Ollie and Angus before they all leave for "Itawee" on 17 December.

We were able to help celebrate Gooyong David's 40th birthday at Pialligo on the way to picking up the flight to Melbourne last Sunday. He and Lotte celebrated their 20 years together in his 40th year with the birth of their third beautiful baby boy Lonnie, born in September while we were in France. I take some credit for David starting his stylish new blog, showing his great photography skills and capacity for wry, ironic writing. The boys seem to have inherited their parents musicianship and gentility.

I attended the World Indigenous Peoples Congress:Education (WIPC:E) Conference in Melbourne last week. It was amazing and unforgettable. Especially this electrifying school leader from Arnhem Land talking about new programs in her school...........

and this noble articulate woman - a poet who told stories of her time on the Mission as a "stolen child" on the infamous Palm Island.

There were thousands of delegates, swarming over the Rod Laver arena: Kylie, Coldplay and the upcoming Australian Open all sharing the bill with WIPC:E

Melbourne was pretty cold last week but beautiful as always. Walking to the RL Arena from Federation Square along the river each morning was exhilarating.

It was just like Christmas morning here yesterday. Ella still seemed exhausted from our efforts at babysitting her the night before. Ollie and Angie's Christmas scooters were the big attraction for Ella although fresh strawberries and Granny K's muffins came a close second.

The colour, the crowds, the wrapping paper, the squeals of excitement, the cameras were all very familiar.

Ollie stage managed a big dance performance complete with concept statement (Why are transformers goody and baddies????), invitations, choreography, entrance tickets and costumes, but in the end only Angie seemed to have the chutzpah to turn it all on for the audience - the sweaty, demon dancer in his Batman costume.

Ciao to C & J and boys; happy times in "Itawee" and good luck too to Brisbane Joel heading off to Beijing next week for his first contract with Al Jazeera.