Lately

So, what have we been up to lately?

Grocery shopping, vacuuming, mopping, cooking, washing up, feeding the cat, cleaning up after the cat, being kept awake at night by the cat...

All very domestic!

Llew has been working, working, working. I have been doing odd jobs around the place. I really don't know where the time goes in the day. It's not like I've been sleeping in either. I get up when Llew does. Just have breakfast, check email, clean something or do the washing up and suddenly it is lunch time. Then I get into something serious before Llew comes home. Then he cooks dinner and I sit there. It is great to have a table in the kitchen and it is great to be able to see the TV from said table.

I posted off the CD with my revised thesis on it last Wednesday and it has gone to the printery which is the official submission. Therefore I don't have that to dwell over anymore. I won't say that I don't have it to worry about, I am still worrying. Iwill until I get that piece of paper. Speaking of pieces of paper, Llew got his over a year ago, but will finally be able to walk in a ceremony in July. Yay! He gets the floppy hat and all. Special. Wouldn't it be nice to walk together?! That is wishful thinking. How slow is that university? Extremely. Need I say more?

So, on that note, I shall say goodnight and hope you are all watching the Eurovision final.

More Rocky updates

We are settling in quite well now. Everything seems to have its place. Here are some snippits from our lives over the last week and a bit.

The desktop computer decided to give up the ghost, so Llew is now on the old laptop.

Homemade chili sauce! Yes, thank you very much Marianne for the hot hot habeneros.

Llew needed somewhere to store all his spices. The magnetic pots were simple to find a solution for. This bracing is extremely cheap from the hardware store, works a treat, and is easily changed and moved. It also as room for more (don't tell Llew).


The local wildlife is great and on our front veranda. Peanuts hasn't seemed to have found them yet.

Last weekend was mother's day and since Mum and I drove up on the Saturday, we had a mother's day dinner that night. Llew cooked of course.

Grilled vegetable terrine.

Chicken wings (not hot, sorry), loaded fries, and mini fried quesadillas.

Homemade cajeta and shortbread biscuits.

Peanuts was not nearly as impressed as we were, but stayed next to us anyway.

Peanuts would rather just sleep or play (or try both at the same time).

This weekend was lovely and fine (again) but Sunday was very cool, so we decided to spend some time in the sun. The orange and lemon trees weren't looking too healthy, so we picked most of the fruit (some a little green but they are only destined to drop otherwise) and gave each a good pruning. Hopefully the fruit that is left will now ripen instead of the things wasting all their energy on all of the long gangly branches.


An arty orange.

Our haul. The oranges are actually quite sweet and apart from a few juiced for food, they are pretty much all destined for marmelade. Sorry folks, can't send you any. You'll all just have to come and visit and try some.

Today I went with Llew into work and finished off the draft of my thesis. Carlos is having one last read and will let me know if I can submit tomorrow. Sigh.

New House!!!

Finally, I can say that we have moved into our new rented house in Rockhampton. Llew started work there on April 7. He was in a motel for three weeks while Rockhampton time real estate agents got around to processing the application and contacting the owner......

So for those overseas, here is a mud map of where Rocky is.

And for everyone, here is our place, and CQU where Llew works and I will hopefully work soon.

Here is our house. Mum and Dad drove myself and Peanuts up last weekend and we unpacked all of the boxes and sorted out all of the furniture. Yes, the three bedroom house is now full! We have a nice corner block across the street from a nice park and the Fitzroy river.

It has a huge open kitchen/dining room/lounge room.

Llew is happy with the size of the kitchen, and the ability to have a full table in the middle (and he can see the TV from the kitchen). The only strange thing is the sink is all the way over on the left, so a long way from the stove.

Looking from the side of the kitchen into the hall where the back door is on the left and then into our bedroom. It is a good size and windows on two sides so is nice.

From the edge of the kitchen you can just see the front door on the right and then the huge lounge with which we have combined the study.

This is the left side of the lounge. The large bookcase's bottom 3 shelves are all Llew's cookbooks. Now he can sit there and read them all!

The bathroom is really large too, and looks out ove the backyard.

The third bedroom is where our new exchange student (girl from Germany) will stay. Sorry, no pics of the second bedroom with the double bed. Yes, plenty of room for all of you who want to come and visit. We want ALL our friends to come and visit!!!!! Come on!!!!!

Peanuts sure feels at home after hiding for a couple of days. Now he is king of the castly again.

As I said, we are across from the river. Lovely! Gorgeous! So many birds too.

This is a zoomed in view out from our front veranda. Fabulous to sit out there of the afternoon once the morning sun has moved off to behind the house. Have a beer, run or wine (whatever your favour) and watch the world go by.

Zoomed back view. The city centre is off to the left about 6 blocks, so there is a bit of traffic. Not too noisy and makes for good entertainment.

So, we are extremely happy there. Doesn't quite feel like home yet - feels too much like we are on holiday. I guess we should enjoy that while it lasts! We are, however, going to be on the lookout for a place to buy. Hopefully in the next 6 months. We'll see.