Soft tissue injury

Footy injuries. Hammies, ACLs, knees, corkies and soft tissue.

 I think the one I have is what club medicos, deliberately vague, call General Soreness. It sounds like a failed military man from the Crimean War but it feels like a whole body and soul ache, a sign that something is WRONG. 

The Hawks are vanquished, workplace morale has taken a dive, my home town has become a dangerous place and Summer refuses to arrive.

Getting ready for the Granny

I'm feeling very nervous about tomorrow. We deserve this one but justice is not always done in footy.  Hil has made me some Hawthorn biscuits to help ward off the cold and provide a sugar hit if it all gets too much.

It's going to be cold and wet and I have a seat in the open. I've borrowed a poncho and I'm going to wear a scarf we've had since the 80s - that great era of seven consecutive Grand Finals.

Go the mighty fighting Hawks!

The Mighty Fighting Hawk

Heart and SOL

Friday was the last day of my secondment to SOL.

I accepted my flowers, ate my cake and made my speech. I gave my Hawks team photo to Shaun and my Leunig calendar to Andy. I saved a few files, cleared out my desk and left.

Only problem is I don’t really have a position to come back to – not for long anyway thanks to the vile Baillieu government. Instead of spending our tax dollars on education, Big Ted is spending it on smoking out the pumas, panthers, cougars and jaguars on the lam in Gippsland. And so lovely leafy Lilydale Campus is closing.

With a view of a Wilson’s car park at home, I get my greening at work. The undulating lawns, the avenue of Manchurian pears, the abundant wattles, the lake, the parrots, the ducks, the bunnies, the occasional fox.

Lilydale is where I breathe. It’s where I work with the lovely leafy Lilydale library ladies. Our mutual support crew easing each other through our dangerous years, dealing with cantankerous parents, insensitive husbands or recalcitrant children. And an interesting array of health issues. What happens now?

SOL Kinda Feeling

Winner! (Well - runner up)
After decades of entering footy tipping contests and providing the money to pay the winners, I have actually come in second this year. I win $100. Yay!!!

Go Hawks! But don't come second.

Rhonda's 60th at Killara Estate

Terrific night with great company, food and drink.The pizzas were especially beautiful and just like those we had in Italy. Authentico! Magnifico!

The birthday girl

Das Schulmadchen

The schoolgirl

At last! Mads is finally starting school in Frankfurt. After being at kinda forever she got to spend a whole hour at Textorschule today and tomorrow begins education German style for real.

She has been going to the after-school centre for a couple of weeks now and loving it. It’s very exciting.

Her schuletute stocked with Aussie paraphernalia has been ready for months. No school uniforms in Germany so Mads wore a very smart tunic purchased on a trip to New York earlier this year

Mads and her Romanian friend Oana ran all the way to school to meet their classmates and their teacher, Frau Thoma. How long will that eagerness last?

Good luck Mads – enjoy! Only 12 years to go!

Mads and her Aussie-themed school cone

Thwertnick at Queens Road

Last Wednesday’s episode of Randling defined ‘thwertnick’ as providing entertainment to a sheriff for three nights. We’ve just done it. And the daytime version as well.


Caspie came to stay for a long weekend while his olds attended a wedding in the Hunter Valley.

Three days of:

stories (more!)

poo (enough already!)

snacks (frequent)

playgrounds ( thankfully prevalent)

death-defying stunts

Mobic (me, not him, and roughly equal to the number of playgrounds and death defying stunts combined)

cupboards (open, shut them, open shut them … )

songs

games

toys

cars

mess

and some tears but more laughs

Rossy's 70th

The clan gathered at the Kew Boathouse Cafe yesterday to celebrate.

Australian Library & Information Week

Think nationally. Act locally
On Tuesday we did our usual thing of providing barista made coffee for our students and they turned up in droves. Great for the door count.
On Wednesday we joined in with National Simultaneous Storytime. Students from our child care course read to kids from the child care centre. We weren't allowed to photograph the children but here's one of Emma who organised the whole thing.

Today we rounded off with a teddy bears' picnic for staff and students.

Carn the Spiders!

I have always scorned those people who have a second favourite team. You are meant to love your club and hate all the others. But now I have a second team too.

Last Saturday the Coodabeens interviewed a guy from the Australian Football League Germany. He described the triumphs and tribulations of the Rheinland Lions, the Berlin Crocodiles, the Munich Kangaroos,the Stuttgart Emus, the Hamburg Dockers and my team, the Frankfurt Redbacks.

We loyal fans simply call them 'the spiders'.

Sebastian first got involved in Aussie Rules as an exchange student at LaTrobe Uni. Ian Cover was fascinated by his story and so was I.

There are no cricket or footy ovals in Germany so matches are played in parks and the teams have to bring their own goalposts.

Since then, I've done a bit of research and, with the assistance of Thorsten Exner and Google Translate, have found that "The first two rounds of the young 2012 season are played. Unfortunately, the Frankfurt Redbacks still enter without a win.

The first home game against Hamburg in the east park Dockers have the Frankfurt Redbacks lost by one goal behind. It was a very exciting game because it's in the fourth quarter stood undecided for a long time and both teams fought hard to have the winning goal. Nevertheless, it was a very good game and just the new players who have played their first season and believes a good performance on the field.

Have their first away game against the Frankfurt Redbacks challenged the Munich Kangaroos. Even against multiple Grand Final winner AFLG could enter the Frankfurt Redbacks no points. Nevertheless, the management team of highly satisfied with the performance of the team from Frankfurt. The spiders have fought very well and showed a solid performance on the field. It says the Frankfurt Redbacks also in this game again welcoming new players into their ranks.

In both games, the performance of the Frankfurt Redbacks very well and raise the anticipation for the next meeting in AFLG.

Weiter so, Jungs! Way to go guys!"

That goes for me too, "Weiter so, Jungs!!"