Home again, Home again, Jiggedy-jig...

I am tired. My feet are aching. Boy, do I know that I am back at work! I should be cooking dinner. Or at least folding the clean washing. But instead I am immersing myself back in the lovely Bloggy world that I have missed, while we were away in Fiji!!

I could bore you all with our holiday happy snaps (and no doubt will do, in the coming weeks), but for now, I am just going to upload a photo of the view from my hammock on South Sea Island, where we lazed away a day, and one of Brad & Naomi at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant.

Fiji is a wonderful place to take children. The people are all so friendly, and they adore kids! Staff in the restaurants will offer to take your fractious baby for a walk while you eat your dinner. Staff at the resort will take your child swimming in the kids pool, while you sip your pina colada in peace (which is a good thing, as Naomi finally figured out how to actually use a straw -- in my cocktail).

I have so much more to tell - the ups and downs of our house being on the market, new children in my Family Daycare business, and lots more about Fiji, but now dinner and the laundry really are SHOUTING my name....

Happy New Year!

2008 is going to be a WONDERFUL new year. Other bloggy friends are saying they can feel it in their bones -- either our tropical weather is going to turn snowy in the next day, or I am feeling it in my bones too!

For a start, my early Christmas present arrived ... Broadband connection!! Yes, I am now in the world of DSL, and loving it... so this post is decadently littered with photos, which I have always longed to do, but never had the patience for.

Our trip to the Big Smoke for Christmas, to see Brad's parents, started out... eventfully, to say the least. 4am wake up calls are not my finest hour.... But we made it to the airport, only to find our direct flight had been cancelled. After spending an hour in the queue, we were given 30 seconds to decide whether we wanted to wait until 4pm to fly direct, or go via Ayers Rock straight away. Yep - a trip down the East Coast, via the center of this huge continent. So we took it.

It all worked out quite well, actually - change to a full-service airline, spare seats for Naomi to play in, an hour at a fascinating tourist destination that we may otherwise not have seen, nappy change facility in the Business Class toilet (took full use of that opportunity to use the nice soap and free moisturiser!), then a lovely hostess who gave us a free glass of wine, after hearing of our diverted trip!

So here is a photo of my 2 favourite travel companions, with Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the background.

Here is one of Naomi, more interested in her new skill of climbing the stairs at Grandma & Pa's house, than in her stocking full of goodies.... Oh my goodness... I just spotted the used nappy in the front of this photo! So THAT was what she was after!!

And playing with the walker / ride-on car that was her big present from us.

2008 is also the year that I start working from home, doing Family Day Care. Hopefully I will be all set up, with the paperwork finalised in the next week or so. I am looking forward to doing something that the world views as 'useful' again, and the money coming in will be very handy too.

So to all my friends, thanks for making my first year of blogging enjoyable, and I hope we keep catching up just as much in the next year!

Travel challenges...

Have you ever tried to have a passport taken of your 10-month old?? Must show both eyes (open), both ears, both shoulders, be straight on to the camera, mouth closed, no particular expression..... taking Naomi's photo will no doubt be the most challenging part of arranging our trip to..... FIJI!!

Oooohhh... I can't wait. Next March, 7 whole days of sun, sand and cocktails. Mental note - must wean Naomi by then!!