Sunday, January 29, 2017

Another week, another dirham.

Sunday school was manic, but I managed to enter all of my walkthroughs in the computer evaluation system and actually do another walk through. Too bad I didn't do the other four I was scheduled to do. 


I picked Jack up from swimming. Once we were home, the kids did their homework and then got ready for rugby. At the club, I rode the exercise bike. When I finished, I was told by one of the dad's that Millie had hit him, the previous practice, in the privates. Ugh! Now, she does know him and he teases her from time to time. However, I really don't want her to treat him exactly as she would family. So when rugby was over I asked him to speak to her about it because I thought it would mean more coming from him. He did so and she cried. When she cries we know she has heard the issue and feels badly about her behavior. Hopefully we won't have this issue with her again. 


The kids didn't play after rugby because the past two times we let them play after rugby they were retched to get to bed. So we went home immediately after training, got them food and they went to bed. 


After the kids were in bed, I found a new show. This Is Us! Woah! Awesome! There are so few things to watch here so I rely on Netflix and Hulu. I get excited about the smallest things. 


I got up to walk. It was so windy that Lara and I turned right around and came back to our house for coffee instead of walking. I messaged Stuart from downstairs to tell him not to come down in his undies since Lara was here. This may be a bad habit starting. 


Jack had a school trip on Monday and brought home a rock collection, which you can guess did not thrill me. Monday afternoon I headed to the doctor to get a treatment for this endometrial issue I have. Then I headed for the haircut I never received in December. Finally, I met up with one of my bariatric friends for my celebratory sergiversary! It was one year ago the 23rd of January that I had the gastric sleeve surgery. It's hard to believe it's been a year, and a great year at that. After a couple of hours with Kendra and a few cups of tea later, I headed home and ate dinner, quickly falling asleep on the sofa. Stuart had been at training and Kayleigh had been watching the kids. 


Tuesday I awoke at 4:20 am to the sound of thunder and rain. Yahoo! Usually this means our students have a day off, but things must really be changing because the majority of our students were actually at school. It rained most of the day but not enough to send anyone home. 


Rugby training for the kids was on as usual. We decided to eat dinner at the club and Scott, Clare and the kids joined us. Stuart had a committee meeting, dot he Richardsons drove us home after we ate. 


Wednesday I ended up staying home from school. I had a migraine and the thought of trying to explain the words 'extinct' and 'endangered' to my students was more than I could bear. I headed to the doctor for my sick note right after the kids left for school. I spent the rest of the day sleeping and trying to shake the headache. When the kids got home from school they played outside. Both kids have been on edge with their attitudes and behaviors lately. They ended up having an earlier bedtime because of aforementioned attitudes. 


Thursday I did my three periods of teaching. During that time I pretty much gave the students the answers to their weekly assessment, which still didn't help some of them. Shame!  The rest of the day I was to be doing walkthroughs, but instead I stayed in my office and caught up on paperwork I had been ignoring. I'm doing two jobs with the same amount of hours that I used to do one job, and I've realized I'm not doing either job very well. Hopefully we will get a cover teacher soon. 


After school on Thursday I treated the teachers to pizza at the rugby club. Morale has been really low and it seemed they needed a boost. Only 10 of my 21 English teachers showed up, but we still had a great time. Stuart and the kids joined me around 3:30 pm, as did Cathy and Mandy. We stayed for most of the evening and ended up dominating the karaoke machine once again. 


We were up early Friday morning for a rugby tournament in Dubai. Both Jack and Millie were playing, but on fields too far away from each other for me to be able to see all of both of their matches. Since Stuart was coaching Jack, I was obligated to stay at Millie's pitch and watch her games. She actually played quite well, paying closer attention than in previous matches. Her team ended up losing in the cup finals, but she got two medals because of it, which thrilled her to death. Jack's team played well, but still have a lot of growing to do in tackle. Jack had some great plays. There was one series that he tackled every kid that touched the ball. As soon as he would tackle one player, he would get up and tackle the next. It was kind of crazy and unbelievable. He's a smart athlete who knows the game well enough to predict the moves of the other team. I know I'm bias, but he is really good. 





After the tournament Stuart headed off to Abu Dhabi to play for the men's team and the kids and I headed back to Al Ain, stopping at the supermarket for our weekly needs. Once we were home I let the kids play outside for the afternoon.  They were wiped from the day's events, so they came in just before supper, had a shower, at some food, then laid down to watch a movie. Millie was in bed by about 6:30 pm, whereas Jack stayed up until about 8:30. Stuart got home just about the time Jack went to bed. Stuart had food delivered in, and then we were off for much needed rest. 


Saturday morning we were up, Skyped Grammie, Pop and Uncle Mitch, and then decided to run to the mall to let the kids play at Action Zone. We haven't been to that money pit for a long time, so we decided the kids needed a little treat. They played games and rode a couple of rides. It was pretty quiet there, so that was nice. After they finished, Millie had her hair cut and we got them some lunch at KFC. We got home around 2 pm, then headed to Scott and Clare's at 4 pm for dinner. 

The tilt-a-whirl is not my favorite, but they love it!
Jack chose to ride this phycho ride, while Millie chose chocolate. Surprise!

Anthony, our new friend from Arizona, came with us for our weekly English roast. Clare had invited her co-worker, Victoria. Dinner was delightful, as usual. The kids played outside and the adults chatted and laughed for a few hours. As usual, the kids took a shower at the Richardson's. We got home around 7:30 and the kids were immediately off to bed. The weekends always just fly by, but are always a lot of fun. 


Another week of fun in the UAE. 


School pictures this week. 

Millie is studying space. 


Sunday, January 22, 2017

Busy, busy, busy!

Well, my teaching regime started on Sunday with grade 4 girls, which was very bearable. This is a new assignment for three periods a day until our ill teacher returns. Once the three periods were over Sunday morning, I reflected on how much I actually did like teaching and that I was pretty good at it. 


The rest of the day was filled with catching up on things I had missed while on my extended holiday. I got home and immediately left to get Millie and Jack. Mr. Brian's battery died in his car so I headed to Brighton. I was able to get a coffee in the school cafe, so that was a bonus for sure. 


We got home, the kids did homework and we headed to rugby. I got on the exercise bike and discovered just how much I loathe my Fitbit. I thought I was to do 10,000 steps a day, which in the first 3 days didn't happen. But Stuart got 13k the same day I got 7K, so I just borrowed his extra. I didn't know you were supposed to do exercise on top of that. I hope I will get used to the demands of the Fitbit. 


On Monday I was told I had 15 minute walk throughs in 30 different classrooms over two weeks, plus we are starting formal evaluations and I have to enter my observations into the computer system. I just gained another full time job. Teaching grade 4 was actually fun, but the rest on top is definitely not a cherry. 


After school on Monday Asela, our house cleaner, went with me to take dryer to Sanaiya, the industrial area where you can get anything fixed for next to nothing. The shop didn't open until 4 so we had to wait. Once it opened, Asela did the talking and the guy said he would look at it. I got his business card and left the dryer. I just trusted he would give it back to me once it was fixed. 


On the way home I stopped to get milk and yogurt. Stuart took the kids to the club to eat dinner and I picked them up after I was finished with my shopping. I decided to stay at the club and eat as well, letting the kids play a bit longer with their friends. 


We got home, I bathed the kids, and let Jack stay up a little longer than usual. I marked books that the teacher I replaced had not done. I fell asleep on the sofa as usual. Once Stuart was home we watched Star Trek and then hit the hay. 


I was up to walk bright and early. Tuesdays are always the hardest day to get out of bed but I'm not sure why. I didn't have to go into school because I had training, but I did have to go in the afternoon. Boo! Stuart, on the other hand, was able to stay home after the training. I ended up only being there for an hour and a half, but I was there, which was the important part. 


When I got home Stuart had figured out how we could get Hulu again, thank goodness. He was off to get Jack from his gymnastics class while I started the new season of the Bachelor. When Stuart returned I was informed that Jack actually didn't have gymnastics, but instead, this term, he was to have two days of swim squad instead of just one. So it seems that he will just be involved in swim squad and basketball this term. 


Shortly after Jack returned we headed to rugby. I sat and chatted with some of the ladies and had a beverage. When the kids finished we let them play for a while, probably too long because there was a bit of a meltdown when we left and when we got home. I threw them both in the shower and then they were both off to bed. We followed shortly after them. 


School was hectic on Wednesday, as I did my best to fit in my walk throughs along with teaching half of the day. So needless to say, Wednesday  night was a lot of relaxing. Jack had a play date with Eleanor right after his basketball practice, which gave me the opportunity to put Millie to bed just after 6 and she was out in no time. Jack returned close to 8 pm and was wiped out. Everyone had a rough day. I even went to bed at 9. 


Thursday at school I was very busy again. I think that will be the theme for this term. The good thing about being busy is that the days fly by. When I got home I was greeted with a one Barnaby Bear, the stuffed toy from Millie's class. She received 'Student of the Week', which meant she was to bring home Barnaby Bear for the weekend. This translated into 'homework' for mom! We had to take pictures and show what Barnaby Bear did over the weekend. I was going to have Barnaby drinking a glass of wine, but I resisted. 

Barnaby Bear can read!
And he loves the rugby club. 
He gets a little queasy on the bouncy, though. 
He is always very safe in a car. 

I was told I could get the tumble dryer at 4 pm, so that's what I did after school. The repair was the equivalent to $70. When I first got to the area I got out of my car, went to the shop, and they had no idea what I was talking about. Their English wasn't great so Called Asela to translate. When I handed the phone to the shop owner, he spoke to Asela. A couple of minutes later he handed me the phone back and pointed to a shop 4 doors down. Oops, I had gone to the wrong place. 


When I did go to the right place, the guy plugged it in and started it. He showed me the drum was turning, and it sounded really normal. We shall see how long it works. 


We went to the club Thursday night and met up with Anthony. Anthony is the son of Ken's friends, Jane and Duwayne. He arrived here just before Christmas and has been a bit shell shocked. It was good to finally be able to catch up with him. We stayed long enough for the kids and I to sing a few songs on the karaoke machine. 

Barnaby rocked karaoke!

We were up Friday morning and were going to go to the club for breakfast. Because the golf club is being renovated the rugby club is supposed to start serving breakfast at 9 am, but true to form they didn't. So we waited for a bit and then the kids and I headed off to McDonalds for breakfast and then a grocery shop, which Stuart met with Sean regarding the Puckett rugby tour happening in May. 

This boy may eat us out of house and home. This was his second wrap and he ate part of my breakfast as well. 

When we got home from the grocery store there were cats mating in front of our villa entrance. That's always a special time. The kids don't ever ask questions about that. It did, however, cause me to have to break the news to them that the cat we refer to as Pearl, actually may be Prince or Prancer. Super!


The rest of Friday was full of kids playing outside and over at friends' houses while I had about a 3 hour catch up with DeDe. I hadn't really seen her since we returned so it was nice to sit, uninterrupted and chat. The kids had made a fort prior to scattering in the neighborhood, so we had to work around that, but we managed. 


Stuart had a rugby match in Dubai, so he left just before noon for that and Cathy came over for dinner. Jack and Millie bathed early because Jack went to someone's house without permission. He had said he was going to Keith and Ian's, but when they weren't home he traveled to Michael and Sammy's house. Although I don't mind him going there, the fact that he didn't come ask got his butt in a sling when he got home. Oh, and he was supposed to be home at 4 pm but I ended up fetching him at 4:30 pm. Oops! Maybe after being grounded the rest of the weekend, he learned his lesson. 


Stuart got home just after Cathy and I finished eating. He had gone to the club for a few beers after his match and then was home and watching a British sit com with us. If you have not checked out Miranda, do so. It's worth many giggles. 


Saturday morning we lounged around and hen headed to the club to get the car. Stuart went on to the grocery store to get some meat as we were having a BBQ at ours that evening. Sean, Mandy, Anthony, Cathy and her girls as well as our kids would be in attendance. Aside from getting ready for that fun, the day was rather lazy. 


Once everyone arrived for the food fest, we gathered in or back garden and Jack entertained us with some magic tricks and Millie pulled out her tea set and said she was doing magic tricks. I carted them off for showers around 6 pm, just after they ate, and they finished the evening watching a movie. The party ended just after 8 pm. After all, we all had work on Sunday. Boo!


I fell asleep on the sofa and awoke at 10:30 pm to a silent room. I headed upstairs and was asleep in no time. Thank goodness for another fun week and weekend in the UAE. 


Sunday, January 15, 2017

A few more laughs and then back to the sandpit

Sunday I was not feeling so hot. It might be that I lost track of the bevvies I drank, so it was my own dang fault. I finally rolled out of bed at 9 am to take a shower and head to Matt's. The men went golfing again because the boat trip was off for good. It was a shame, but since it was weather related Matt was fully refunded. 


While they were gone I did a lot of sleeping. James stayed at the house as well and looked after the kids, which was really what I was supposed to be doing. I finally started feeling normal again after Stuart brought me some chicken and chips around 3 pm. 


Around 6 pm James decided Stuart and I would go to a restaurant called Co Ca Chu. The restaurants on the island were fully booked so we didn't eat out much. James' company insures Hamilton Island so I think James called in a favor and we were treated to a gorgeous meal. Again, the kids stayed at Matt's and we had a night out. Our night ended at the bar with some of the friends who attended the house party, and Matt was there as well. 

Our view from the restaurant!

The alarm was set for 7 am, but since I had been having so much fun and hadn't finished the blog for last week, I was up at 5:30 am finishing my writing and drying laundry. Once Stuart was up at 7 we got dressed and ready for the day. I had a pedicure booked for 10 am and then our flight was leaving at 2 pm. 


We headed to the house and tried to help clean everything out of there. Jack hopped in the pool once more, leaving us with swimmers to dry before our flight. Just before 10, Stuart drove me to the spa for my pedi. I still have a very messed up toenail from who knows what so I hadn't had a pedicure in a while. I apologised for the state of my foot, but was told she'd seen worse. It was probably a lie, but I took it as truth. 


Once my hour of relaxation was over, Stuart picked me up and we headed to the apartment to finish packing and sort out Jack's things from his backpack. I had packed all of his stuff to go to the house in his backpack and left his plane items on the desk top in our apartment. Once we were all ready, we headed back towards the airport with our luggage. We checked in almost 2 hours early, which avoided the crowds. 


We headed to the bar for a bite to eat and then walked down the marina to a shop where the kids spent some of their money. Millie bought herself some glittery flip flops, which would not have been my choice because of the hate I have for glitter, and Jack bought himself a hat that says Hamilton Island. I felt they were sensible purchases. 


We then met up with Brad and Gemma and told them thanks for all they had done for us. Really, Brad was the whole reason we decided to go to the island. We needed a place to stay and he had an extra bedroom. We had spent time with him two years ago when we were in Australia. He and his daughter had gone with us to the Gold Coast on that trip. He's a great friend to Matt and James, and was extraordinarily generous to let us crash with him. 


We were then off to the airport to turn in our buggy and go through security. We waited for about 15 minutes once we were there. Then we boarded the plane and headed back to Sydney. It's hard to believe we were in Australia almost a month. We had such a wonderful time. Just another day in Oz and then it was back to reality, or at least our current version of it. 


We landed in Sydney just before 6 pm, picked up our valeted car and were off to Oyster Bay. When we arrived Karen was cooking food. She made spaghetti bolognese for the kids and was baking chicken for the adults. It was smelling quite delicious. 


We unpacked and repacked while the kids all played downstairs. Matt had dropped Josh, Karen and Barry off earlier since they had an earlier flight. Matt thought it would be good to let Josh spend one more night with Jack and Millie before we went home on Tuesday evening. 


We got up on Tuesday and decided to take the kids to breakfast in Cronulla, the seaside town we had visited earlier in our trip, you know, the one where I won over $800. This time we had the kids so the pokies were out. We ate at a place called The Nuns' Pool. I'm not sure if the significance of the name, but the food was delightful. We then went down by the beach and ended up at a playground close by. We let the kids play for a bit, but had forgotten sunscreen so they didn't play long. 


The drive home was about 30 minutes. With just about 10 minutes left in the drive, Stuart pulled over and because we were in two cars, I did the same, only to find out Billy had blown chow all over the backseat. The kids all made a quick exit. I was shocked that Jack had not given a sympathy barf. 


Once the car was clean enough to re-enter we did so and continued our journey home. Billy seemed fine after his episode and at the house the kids carried on with their fun. I went to the shops for a last look around and to get some snacks for our plane journey. Once I was back and the kids were fed lunch, Karen and Stuart headed down for some provisions. Matt came to the house once he was finished with work. It was slowing setting in that we were leaving and I became very, very weepy. There were many reasons for my tears, and all stemmed from the love I have for this family I married into. How thankful am I that God blessed me with such great in-laws?


Once James was home from work, he and Stuart went to collect the Thai we had ordered. It was from a place we had eaten the first week we were in Oz. It was a great meal to end on. Then the dreaded time came when we had to leave. Because of the steep grade of James' driveway, we had to take the bags up to the road and wait for the cab. We bid our farewells and I cried and cried and cried. I'm sure I didn't seem quite stable to the family, but I was so sad. Once in the cab, I realized I had forgotten my phone. So I ran down the drive, which was not the wisest of decisions, and collected my phone, all the while bawling my eyes out. I said goodbye again and we were off to the airport. 


The flight was uneventful and seemed to go more quickly than on the way out. In the Sydney airport Stuart and I decided to buy Fitbits. We had done very little activity while we were in Australia and we needed a motivator for the beginning of 2017. So the Fitbit was our choice. 


The kids slept most of the way from Sydney to Doha. The layover in Doha was short, and we almost missed the flight. The connection was super tight. We came to the gate as the last bus was leaving to get on he plane. The flight was only an hour, which was nice. We got back to Dubai just before 9 am. Our driver, Bassel, picked us up and drove us to Al Ain. The kids slept the entire way. Had we not had Christmas presents to open once we got home, they probably would have slept all day. 

Christmas carnage. 

We were home by 11 opening presents. While the kids played with their new gifts, I unpacked and Stuart headed to the grocery store. Once I was unpacked I took the kids to the doctor for their painful ears.   Millie's problem ended up being her nose, not her ears, which is why I'm glad I insisted on seeing the doctor who took out Jack's tonsils a little over a year ago. Jack had an inner ear infection and was to come back for a check up the following day. The wait for the medication was the longest because their system was down and they had to wait for insurance approval. I was tired, with two sick kids, and I got a little cranky with the cashier. 


Once we were home and kids were medicated, they played outside for most of the afternoon. They came in around 4 pm and had showers. Jack fell asleep around 5:15 pm and slept through the night, fortunately. Millie wasn't so lucky. She was asleep around 7 pm, but woke up four or five times in the night. At 3:45 am she came into our bed and announced that she was hungry. We finally got up just before 5 am. After we were all up and ready, the kids headed off to school and we were off to work. Thank goodness it was just one day and then it would be the weekend. 

His new do. 


I picked Jack up early from school to take him for the check up with the doctor. His ear was better, thank goodness. Jack and I stopped at the supermarket for some groceries. Stuart had gone to the store as well. We have to go to different stores for specific items, which is irritating some times. We met up at home with all the needed items and were set for the weekend. 


Around 5 pm we headed to the club. Stuart walked with Sean, the kids played on the field, and Cathy and I had a glass of wine. When Stuart returned we had dinner and stayed for a bit for the karaoke night. Millie fell asleep at the club, but I still insisted she have a shower when we got home. She was not terribly pleased about it, but mama wins in these situations. 


I stayed up to watch television, do some laundry, and I took down the Christmas decorations. I boxed them up and they are still sitting in the living room, waiting for a permanent home. 


Friday morning both kids were up by 5 am, downstairs eating donuts and chocolate, which sent me over the edge once I was awake. It's obvious that we have some retraining to do from being on holiday and having no rules for almost a month. Once I sorted out the kids and had a cup of coffee, all was better. 


We sat around for most of the morning. Millie played with her toys and set up a fort. Before too long I looked over and she was sound asleep. I suppose the jet lag had escaped everyone but her. She slept for almost 3 hours. 


When she woke up, both kids went out to play and Stuart decided to wash the Land Rover. Stuart had first taken off the training wheels of Millie's bike. He tried to help hold her bike and push her, but she wouldn't take any instruction from him. So he told her to figure it out on her own. Well, that stubborn little thing had bike riding down in about 30 minutes. She was so pleased with herself. 


The kids came in the house around 5 pm and showered. They went upstairs to watch a movie. In the meantime, Cathy and Mandy came over for a cup of tea. Millie came down and wouldn't stop talking. Needless to say, her little nap in the morning kept her awake in the evening. Jack, on the other hand, hadn't come downstairs which led me to believe he was asleep on the sofa upstairs. I went up and put him in his bed. 


Millie finally went to bed around 8:30. Cathy and Mandy left just before 10 pm. I stayed up for a bit, but fell asleep on the sofa. I went upstairs around midnight. Millie came into our bed just after 5 am, and Stuart got up a bit after that. Jack had a rugby match in Dubai on Saturday. Millie and I decided we would stay home. Jack seemed okay with it, which was good. I didn't have the energy to ride to Dubai for the day. 


Millie went out to ride her bike while I sat on the sofa and did nothing. It's possible that jet lag didn't escape me either. She then came back into the living room and played with her dolls for a while. Stuart called just after 11 to say that Jack had lost his matches, but he had played well. 


They arrived home just before 1 pm. The weather is so great right now that all the kids want to do is play outside. Jack attempts to perfect his pogo stick and Millie goes between her bike and her scooter. It's wonderful! I open the window to the outside and can hear or see them while they play. Bliss!


Around 4 pm we went down to Clare and Scott's for a catch up and dinner. It seems we always have an open invitation to theirs on a Saturday evening for what we refer to as a 'Sunday roast'. We always take the kids' shower stuff and once we hit the road to come home, the kids are clean and often fall asleep. It's perfect planning! The same was true for this particular Saturday evening. 


Life is the same in the UAE and we still love it!


School pictures from their one day at school this week. Their teachers are awesome!


Millie's new topic this term is space. She is dressed as an astronaut. 

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Another week down under!

I woke up really early on New Year's Day and everyone was already up.  The brothers and Barry went to golf at 11:30 am. They returned around 3 pm. In the meantime the kids played downstairs most of the time. It was a lazy day, which is how I like New Year's Day to be. 


I got in the jacuzzi around 3:30 pm with a glass of wine. It started to rain, which made the spa even better. Jack came in for a bit, but then I kicked him out. We didn't eat until late. The kids finally got to bust their piñata that was intended for the previous night. Candy flowed so needless to say they were hyped up. 


But the kids were in bed by the time we ate. We sat around the table for a few hours. Barry started playing his guitar and I sang. It was a smashing evening, maybe a little too smashing, as I woke up with a raging headache on Monday morning. In spite of that, I had to pull it together because Lou had arranged for us to have family photos taken at 10 am.   


The pictures were good fun, and I'm sure they will be great. The brothers goofed around throughout most of the shoot. They can't be serious when they are together. They are still children in many ways. 


After pictures everyone scattered. Giles and Barry went into the city for a night, Matt and Karen headed to Castle Hill, Louise went to a meeting for her job, Stuart and I went to the mall, and James stayed at home with the kids and cleaned up Christmas decorations. 


When we returned from the mall the kids were content and playing nicely. We all headed to dinner around 6:30 pm. The pokies were not very kind to me. However, I am still ahead of the game and am a winner. The club we went to had a kids club where the kids were entertained for over an hour. It was great!  Once we were home I did some laundry and we all went to bed. 


We were up and in the city just after 9 am and took all 4 of the kids to Luna Park, which is a little like I imagine Coney Island to be. In fact, part of the park was named Coney Island. It was an exaggerated carnival. The kids had so much fun. However, since I was an 'accompanying adult' it meant I had to go on the rides with Billy and Millie because they were not tall enough to go on their own. Boo! It's more painful to ride those rides when you are older and less flexible. Oh but they had fun, and isn't that what's important?


We left around 2:30 and headed back towards James' office, where we had parked. He was waiting to bring Giles back from the city. We ended up just bringing our two back to the house. On the way back they were able to take a nap, which was a nice way to get them some much needed rest. This has been far from a restful holiday, but it has been one for the memory books and that's also what's important. I hope we have done our best to create great memories, with family, for Jack and Millie, especially since we are all on different continents. 


The rest of the afternoon was very low key. James and company returned just after 6 pm, while I was at the store getting a birthday card and some shower gel. When I returned there was Thai food being delivered. We sat and ate. After, the kids showered and were off to bed. 


I was awaken by Lou at midnight because Jack had barfed in the bed he and Billy were sleeping in. He didn't get it anywhere but on the sheets. Poor boy! I stayed downstairs with him and he threw up two more times. It then dawned on me that he had eaten about 3 red and yellow bell peppers. I'm sure that was what causing some of the stomach cramps. Once he had stopped vomiting I went back upstairs to bed. When I got up Wednesday morning I was pleasantly surprised that Jack was feeling fine. 


We were off to the airport at 9:30 and on the flight just before 12 to Hamilton Island. The flight was just over 2 hours. I tried to catch some sleep since the night before had been a bit restless. We arrived to paradise. It was a beautiful, steamy setting. The humidity was not nice, but the temperature was pleasant so it was relatively comfortable. We met up with Brad (the friend of Matt and James who would be putting us up for the 5 nights) and he took us to his apartment, after we collected our buggy (golf cart).

Buggies are the only vehicles allowed on the island, except for service vehicles of course. Once we had unloaded our things and repacked Jack to go up to stay with the rest of the family, we went to the bar on the marina to pick up Barry and Karen to take them to Matt's house. His house accommodated 8 people. It was massive.  We swam, played pool, sat on the deck, and enjoyed family and new friends. 

Jack decided not to stay at Matt's that first night. I think he was just too tired to think about not going to bed with us not there. It was a late night, as it has been on this holiday, but everyone can recover when we get back to Al Ain. 


Stuart was up and gone on Thursday morning at 7 am. He and his brothers went to play golf. When he left it was pouring down rain. They had to take a ferry to another island to play. He said they played the first hole and it was drizzling, but then it cleared up. The tropics, this time of year, are unusually very wet. 


The kids (Jack, Millie, and Gemma, Brad's daughter) and I sat around the apartment and played games. We then decided to go to the marina just before 11 am. Stuart messaged that he would be back by 11:45 and would take the kids to Matt's place. We went into the shops, grabbed some shopping, and sat at a picnic table to have a donut, which was quickly disturbed by some birds who were looking for breakfast. 


Giles, Matt, James and myself stayed at the  bar with the pokies, which were not so brilliant, while Stuart took the kids up to the house. Our buggy lost steam on the way home.

When we did return to the house, we went right back out again for fish and chips. The kids ate, swam, and then went to the beach to play cricket. I stayed at the house to watch Gemma and  Millie because they decided they didn't want to go. Just as they left, the rain came pouring down. 


When everyone was back at the house, we started the BBQ. Karen and Barry's friends, Janie and Digby, showed up and brought the kids gifts. They are also doing a few months in Australia and will end up staying with us a few days in late March. 


Jack had decided he would spend the night with Josh and Billy Thursday night, but as always happens when he's too tired, once we started to leave, he broke out in tears. I finally convinced him that he wanted to wake up with Billy and Josh and we couldn't guarantee what time we would return to Matt's house the following morning. He settled and we left. Millie had already fallen asleep before we left for the apartment. So I had to hold her on my lap, which is against buggy laws, but we really had no choice. 


Stuart ended up dropping us off and going back to the bar for drinks with the guys. It being Matt's birthday it only seemed the thing to do. Stuart returned just before midnight. A good night's sleep was needed by all. 


We were up just before 8 am. The plan was to go to the bakery for coffee and a roll. Sadly, it was pouring down rain and since there is no indoor seating we had to take it with us. By the time we got to Matt's we were all soaked. The kids had been to get milk shakes and they were showering when we arrived. Once they finished they had a bite to eat and started playing pool. Millie joined in the fun. She's hardly tall enough to reach the table, but she worked it out and ended up with a technique all her own. 


Lou and I headed for our massages just before 10 am and it was pouring. What a great time for a massage! The doors to the room were opened to the outside and you could hear the rain falling the entire time. I dozed for some of the massage, which is always a treat. I can always count on Louise to book us a spa treatment that is a cut above the rest. 

The entrance to the spa. 

Once we were home we grabbed a bite to eat and lounged around the house. Stuart took me to the Marina early so all the buggies could get everyone down. We ate dinner at a place called Taco, which was, as you would guess, a Mexican place. The food was amazing, but our reservation was not for enough people and Matt and James ended up sitting up at a high top bar table where they said they wouldn't serve them food. It was a bit silly. I felt badly that the birthday boy had to sit away from his guests so we took the party to him. We all kind of took turns sitting at the bar with him. There were a few beverages that hit that table, as one would guess. I might have a new favorite drink called an espresso martini. Hello!  It cranks you up for sure. I was still feeling the caffeine effects on Saturday morning. Wow!



We got up Saturday morning with plans to go on a chartered boat for the birthday boy's official celebration. However, once we were up, it was obvious that the winds were too strong and it would need to be delayed for another day. 


Grandma and Grandpa took the grandkids to have breakfast with the koalas. It's a gimmicky thing, but it was really nice. Stuart and I tagged along as well. Millie and I went into the bathroom and were surprised at the window above us to see a possum. Freaky! 



Once we were finished eating, I decided to stay in town and look around the resort shops. It started raining even harder, but still yet I decided to walk back up the hill to Matt's house. By the time I got there I looked like a drowned rat. I also had forgotten any dry clothes. So since the brothers were going to the bar, I dropped them off and then headed to the apartment to get some dry clothes and put a load of laundry in to wash. 


Once I was finished, I went to collect Gemma from the bar, get some things at the general store, and get some food for Louise at the bakery. I bought more than I needed to thinking the boys would be hungry, but they weren't. I was sure none of it would go to waste. 


The big Telfords returned just after 3 pm, which was when the musician showed up. The house party started around 4 pm and didn't end until almost 11, and since both our kids were asleep in the bunk beds at Matt's we headed to the bar for karaoke.



 I had already wedged my way in to sing with the singer at the house, but more singing was fine for me. We danced and sang the night away. And although the boat was canceled for that day, it didn't stop the celebration. I think Matt would say he had a fantastic birthday bash. 

Giles and me at karaoke. 
We are going to need a vacation from this vacation.