Caspar the Friendly Host




The clan gathered at Café Caspar to celebrate Mothers day and Caspar’s first birthday. There were presents for the mums but the birthday boy was the centre of attention.

He was delighted with his gifts and pronounced one of his new books a story he could really sink his teeth into.



A large box from Arpa was exciting to unwrap but the wonderful activity cube inside was even better than the box. So fun! So educational!








Most of us donned our party hats but Casp decided to nibble at his instead.He offered Ma B a bite too.



Caspie’s cake was styled to look like a bottle of QV moisturiser, beloved by the sensitively skinned everywhere and a major player in Caspar’s life so far. And the cake made excellent eating too.





The birthday boy was a wonderful host but finally just wanted to nuzzle up to Mummy for some quiet time



Skypes with the Triple Ms in Germany rounded off a brillo day.

Our Page Three Girl

Here is a pic of Dr Moya McF, Senior Curator, Museum Victoria, who I am proud to call my niece. It's from page 3 of today's 'Age'. She is wearing a Collingwood hijab and has been hobnobbing with Harry O'Brien at the Immigration Museum.


Don't forget to rock up on May 11 to see the expo. Harry will be there. He has written about it on his blog

Auf wiedersehen Triple Ms

The Triple Ms are flying back to Germany tomorrow and we are feeling sad. I detest the last day of a holiday even when it’s not mine. Maybe a quiet last dinner and a bottle of chardy tonight will be cheering. And of course we are going to see them in Europe in July.
Mere, Matt and Mads have caught up with a lot of people and been to a lot of places over the last few weeks but the highlights from our point of view have been:
the airport reunion,
the first dinner at Hil and Rob’s,
the Grand Prix weekend in Anglesea,
the belated 40th celebration dinner for Mere featuring Hil’s magnificent meringue gateau – probably the best cake I’ve ever had - and a 1999 Moet,
seeing Mads and Caspie playing together,
helping Mads with her reading and blussing,
having breakfast with Mads while her mum had a sleep-in,
and simply coming home and finding them there.

Mads has arranged the Easter decorations beautifully






Note how the addition of carrots to this tableau makes it so much more acceptable to grownups.

Our lovely long weekend at the beach.

The entire family escaped the Grand Prix in Anglesea: Right and Left Foot with both daughters, sons-in-law and grand-children. The photos are entirely out of chronological order but who cares?

Multiple personalities – Katie, Bernadette ‘n’ me

Since Monday I’ve been channeling Katie Cage. It wasn’t my idea and it wasn’t hers. Katie’s phone independently decided to divert all her calls to me and there’s been dozens – Katie works in Marketing. The Unhelpful Desk just think I’m a crazy lady and haven’t done anything.

So it was a delight to leave work yesterday and hie myself off to the famous Spiegeltent to see the multi-talented Bernadette Robinson. She sang in the style of Julie Andrews, Billie Holliday, Patsy Cline and Edith Piaf as well as using her own beautiful voice to cause me to tear up during ‘One perfect day’.

When I arrived at work this morning I found my phone had developed 2 more personalities overnight; not Patsy or Edith but Kali from Hospitality and Glenda from Sociology. And by the end of the day I had become Associate Dean as well. But I’m not alone in my craziness any more: the 3 colleagues who share my office have also taken on a couple of aliases each. The noise of four phones ringing constantly is unnerving. What’s worse I’ll be going home to the Grand Prix.

Early tomorrow, however, we’re off to Anglesea to escape the whole wretched cacophony. One perfect day.

On Saturday we hung out with Mads and Ol at Monkey Mania. The kids had a fab time and worked off many, many kilojoules.





This morning I achieved a cherished dream. I dropped Mads off at school! Sure she was only going for 2 hours but I got to pack her lunch box and take the traditional first day of school photos.




Naturally we were all ready hours before necessary so here’s another pic of Mads in the park next door to the school waiting for siren time.

Fun-filled and action-packed long weekend of family reunion

Bubbling Beamish Boy 2

If I am to be humiliated by being seen in my bathers, Right Foot is too.

Bubbling Beamish Boy

Pillow Talk
We went to buy a pillow for Mere who'll be sleeping in our bunk bed come Thursday. I expected to chose from firm, medium and soft a la the three bears. But no, these days pillows come in side-sleeper, tummy-sleeper and back-sleeper then are subdivided by anti-asthma, anti-dust mite, anti-snore (oh yes!), anti-back pain, anti-neck pain,etc.
Having lost track of my first born's sleeping habits I was paralysed by indecision until I spied one simply labelled 'pillow'. So that's what we got. Poor Mere will probably be so tired after spending the previous night on the plane that she won't be too fussy.