Out.

I only got one thing to say today:

See you suckers!!!

We are now on holidays, the way I feel about it (so excited I can barely breathe) would suggest that I have been working consecutively every day for 1.5 years. We all know the truth is something closer to swanning around aimlessly in an enclosed space.

But - I am breaking free of the compound and look forward to bringing stories and photos from the big old outside world!

Adios.

Setting sail ... tentatively.

Postscript.

Jesus.

Even I was surprised when the aforementioned wound up on the family tree. It surpassed my wildest expectations of boldness and faith. He had taken the place of the last remaining great-grandparent. We were/are gobsmacked.

Needless to say - he did last long mixing with the rejects at the dusty old top of the fridge. Of course there were higher aspirations at play.

I think there may have been audible gasps when we first noticed the newest member of the family looking back at us with those unrealistic blue eyes and Californian bone structure. There he was, sitting pretty in the place of the matriarch. Perhaps one of us dropped the F-bomb (we were mid-goodnight story at the time). As I took it down, we started whispering in a slightly loud and panicked way, trying to find the other photo. As casually as I could, I crawled around the floor and looked under everything - but it was nowhere to suggest it had merely fallen off the wall.

After we had tucked the offending photo in to a nice dark place under many books, we tucked our lovely into bed, under her slightly marred family tree. And she slept.

The missing photo has since been found (interestingly - under the same pile of heavy books that I used to hide the photo) - and returned to its place on the tree.

And as for the rest?

Jesus is on a return journey, back to sender.

Vis-a-vis us - well, we need to be a bit less 'open' and a bit more 'zero tolerance' for nice ladies with big religious messages directed squarely at our 20 month old.

A mixed bag of rambles.

When my young lady got presented with a large picture of Jesus this morning to hang on her bedroom wall, all I could do was smile - awkwardly. What I did not do was run upstairs to get the blu tac. Jesus is on top of the fridge at the moment (it wasn't me), I am hoping he will be happy there for a while. That way the whole issue can be addressed naturally, without any direct intervention from me. Best possible outcome.

I admit many other things that have gone the way of the fridge-top have been me. Those stupid Spot the dog books, the Playschool DVD, bills I would rather forget about, pieces of the fridge that don't seem to go back in, photographs of a family I do not know that were on the fridge when we moved in (we should have just kept them up actually) etc etc. At least Jesus is not alone.

***

If the internet isn't good for spreading rumours, what is it good for? Allow me to indulge. Kevin Rudd is going to run for leader again - of the Opposition. Don't analyse, don't ask questions - just go with it and spread it around.

***

I thought compound life was boring, repetitive, slightly restrictive, and not good for mental health. At least I am not a soldier in Iraq. Watching the Baker Boys: Inside the Surge last night (http://www.abc.net.au/iview/?series=3238685#/series/3238685) gave me a chance to spare a thought for those poor bastards. Stuck in dust, sleeping in shipping containers, scared, young as hell and just waiting for the days to pass so they can go home. Their honesty was striking. It is a brilliant piece of work and we are lucky to be able to hear their voices. Who the hell is that war actually helping?

***

One more week and we are on holidays. Words cannot explain how much I am looking forward to this. To kick-start things we are headed to Lissenung with our posse of friends here for some tropical-island-PNG-diving-type stuff (experience only marred slightly by the fact it is to farewell our awesome buddies).

From there we head for the bright lights and crazy architecture of Singapore. At this time my family is at risk of being abandoned as I turn into a crazed pregnant woman who has been deprived of the food I actually want to eat for the last 4 or so months. Hello food capital of Asia. During this time I must must visit this place: http://www.marinabaysands.com/. From the pictures I still do not understand how one does not swim off the edge of the building - I am desperate to investigate further. Suspect pool is not child friendly.

From there we head to an as-yet-undecided tropical destination that makes great fruit mocktails (yes - I am in that demographic at the moment, how embarrassing), has a kids club (yes - I am also in that demographic), and has a general 5 star chic vibe that costs about the same as a bed in a 19 bed dorm, and loves my toddler. You know, this is not that easy to find? Being in this new demographic has made holiday planning a more complex process. Many factors need to be cross-referenced and checked off. Private infinity pool? Love it. Is my child at risk of drowning? Actually, yes. Therefore - I am no longer aspiring to this, for example.

When my partner in life and holiday planning suggested we just 'wing it', I took a deep breath, narrowed my eyes, folded my arms, and sat back in my chair allowing the words to resonate for a few long moments. I love the concept of spontaneity and finding that little out-of-the-way place, the one you only find after pounding the pavement for half a day, climbing 46 sets of stairs and looking at about 21 rooms ... but gee I cannot imagine doing this with a kid, a stroller and 3 suitcases. Although, perhaps there is a 'safe' motorbike we could climb on the back of and scoot around the Thai coastline for a day in search of The Place. Maybe it would have a little side car we could pile the luggage into, the kid could sit on the handle bars (we don't have a helmet for her but we do have a spiffy new life jacket she could wear), I could ride side-saddle in front of the driver (will only be 5 months pregnant, so not whale-like yet), and Daddy-o could stand up on the back with his shirt off and bandana on head. Yeah, I think it could work. I've seen heaps of South-East Asian families do it!

***

Hot diggety, it is c-o-l-d in the POM this week. I look at the pool and shudder. The solar powered hot water has almost expired and we're having luke-warm showers (at best). We are all wearing long sleeves. However, I must declare straight up that mine are most certainly first-world problems. It has been raining continually for almost a week, so stuff is wet, and has no chance in hell of drying. Imagine there are lots of people who are having a miserable week as the mud expands, the house stays cold and the clothes stay wet. Have expected any number of things to occur in Port Moresby, but never expected it to be proper cold.

***

Friday is here .... happy weekend!

Compound long weekend

Some weekend snaps of a compound ping-pong 'tournament'. The table was essentially dominated by the under 10s, mainly as none of the grown-ups thought it was prudent to throw a tanty and say it was their turn. The event was a great chance to get out the new family asset ... I heart our new Nikkon.

Dress sense.

I think this is a really cool idea: www.dressmemory.com. Why didn't I think of that?

Of course every dress tells a story - and the way these particular stories are told is good. Even though they are not mine, the recollections take me somewhere. Even if it is back to the 90s .... when second hand dresses ruled and stinky polyester was daily attire at Manning Bar.

Anyway, big hand punches in the air for the cool lady who conceived this idea!

Beefs at week's end.

What a week for outrage (mine)!

This is the lead story today - http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/03/3234321.htm. We are saying it's okay to send unaccompanied kids to Malaysia. I cannot imagine how additionally terrifying that experience would be for a child, following the previous terrifying experience of coming to Australian by boat illegally, following the unknown previous terrifying experience they may have had in their home country.

Whatever one's political persuasion may be on this issue - this is one solution that seems unlikely to really work. Although, if the main objective is to simply lessen the numbers of asylum seekers being processed in Australia, perhaps there will be an improved outcome. What I don't understand, is why this is the objective.

The Minister for Immigration has shaped the argument today to sound as though sending children back will enhance their safety in the long term, as it will mean they are less likely to get on boats. How much self-determination can an unaccompanied child exercise during an extended period of illegal transit where he/she has been given a vague instruction and plan and knows nothing else?

So, assuming the latest proposal gets off the ground, how will it look in the longer term? It is probable that Australia will largely fund all transit back to Malaysia and corresponding processing operations on the ground. In the meantime, Australia will be accepting an agreed number of recognised refugees from Malaysia for resettlement. And eventually, some of these will probably be the people we accommodated back to Malaysia and processed there. It's an expensive cycle that really changes very little in the longer term. I suppose all that matters is that the domestic audience buys it. Less people in detention centres here, less illegal boat arrivals - mission accomplished. In the meantime however, the reality is the financial costs to Australia will be significant and ongoing, a few more people will be subjected to additional trauma, unknown indefinite wait periods, depression and fear, and we will not have really created a national approach that recognises our international obligations and creates a sustainable framework to manage people movements in the long term.

At least the cows are safe.

Alphaghetti

I don't want to boast, but I must briefly note that when I spooned a 'U' to our lady last night and she said it was for 'unicorn fish', we were pretty impressed. Don't worry - we have it on film. She got 100% on her dinner-time vocabulary test (always room for a few more word drills in every day, don't you think?). Learning can be fun, too!