Hi Rod, regarding your latest blog - It may not be the place to go to advance your technical skills but I bet it will make you appreciate what we have here - as imperfect as it may be!

Perhaps you can try switching your brain to auto-pilot whist you're there so you won't go nuts with all the stupidity!

Anyway, time will fly... it certainly is flying for us over in NZ.

Just keep enjoying the good stuff :)

Dear Rod,

I have just read your blog, and it is also hugely exciting this end that you are both on your way! Well, we realise that you have started on your way ages ago, but the whole family - extended as well - are so excited at the thought of seeing Pippi, and that she is going to be home in England before long! Just to reassure you, I am going to stay the night before fetching her in London with one of the girls, and will be hopping up and down on the tarmac if they'll let me, to fetch her IMMEDIATELY! and then we will go and fetch Anouk, who I am looking forward to seeing again. We will skype you the minute we get home, or whatever you both arrange. I am partly putting this on your blog, so that Bert and Ronda will be reassured that Pippi will be well looked after as soon as she sets foot in England, as after my computer disaster I have lost most of my email addresses! Anyway, not long now till you two are together for your wedding anniversary. I will email you before then! Lots of love, Katharine

Hi Rod,

New computer arrived today. I see you are getting around, and so you should while you have the opportunity. Your photos continue to be interesting. It all looks terribly HOT!!! Do you think you will ever get used to it. I'm sure I couldn't.

Time is going pretty quickly. You'll soon be meeting up with Pip. She is coming up to our place for a day or so before she leaves.

Love Mum and Dad

Hi Rod,

Just saw your photos it all looks good, seems like it is all going well for you. Won't be long before Pip is there. Bet your surprised to see me use technology, this is my first message ever on a blog, I even called it a blob.

lots of love Anuty MaeX

Hi Rod,

How are you doing? We just spent the day helping pippa and shifting furniture. I discovered that both myself and Anouk can fit comfortably in the TV cabinet, although i did crack my head while trying to get out again. One wonders. Jazz is growing up swiftly, I managed to put her on youtube if you can access it, it's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1WqYNjujCo it was a rainy day so she was inside mostly and with too much energy. Her an anouk get on really well! Pippa is doing really well and is nicely on track with sorting out the house, I'm quite impressed!! lol i said that incase she has been trying to convicne you it's not all going marvellously. Geez I'm tired i think I've also inhald too much MOULD-RID (I started to clean out my bathroom when i got home). I have personally saved your Queensland Nurses badge from being mercilessly thrown out, it was made of solid gold and jade with a pin masterfully crafted from the finest elven workforce. Right that is enough babble from me. Sorry the Westerners are leaving in drips and drabs, but i guess it's not long till you two meet up!! Pippa assures me that she will crush your ribs from hugging you, not sure if anyone else warned you about that? I better go i have a feeling i'm not makng sense anymore... :)

Hey, Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Rod, happy birthday to you,............ hip hip hooraaayyyyyyy ! Given that I normally sing it to you, this is the closest I can get at the moment.

Now, speaking of deserts, (I've just checked out your latest photos), the east coast of Australia thought that for your birthday it would whip up the biggest sand storm we have ever seen, not to be outdone by yourself. I'm sure you've heard, but it was full of red dust from Qld to Vic, which had travelled from Lake Eyre and central Ozzie land, and was dumped on everything at such a rate (100km winds) that we may never see another one like it again. The car wash places and cleaning products are raking it in as people try and get red dirt/dust off everything. So now we have some appreciation of what you've got. ............ well ............. a little bit !!!

Hope you have a fantastic birthday and what ever you do it will be something new and exciting and which you've never done before so it'll be worth remembering.

Miss you heaps. Keep the blogs and photos coming, cheers Tina. xxx PS AJ loved the pool but reckoned it would be tooooo scarey to swim over the edge. Me on the other hand thought it was fantastic !

Hi Rod!

Happy Birthday form both of us! You must be about 25 now? Pippa is a cradle snatcher! Have a great day :)

Hello Angel!! Just wanted to say 'Hippo birdies two ewes' on your blog too! I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy the blue banana or whatever the restaurant is called!

I love you so much and am thinking of you all day! (Its my last at the CSIRO psych facility!!)

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Dear Rod,

I am now back in the real grownup world, as Max and Milly have left today boo hoo! I was absolutely shattered, I am not 35 any more, but I loved having them! I did originally think Pippi was going to be here, but I managed with wonderful support from my friends and neighbours, in the shape of eadible offerings on the kitchen table while I was bathing them, etc.! Culmstock is such a friendly place and full of community feeling. I love it! I am off to Marylands next weekend after babysitting Michael and Eve while C & J go to a wedding. They will be a doddle, as they can both WALK! Anyway, I will be in touch before I go. Saudi does sound to be certainly 'different'! I think it is hard to mix such opposing cultures: Aunt Anne had some very wise things to say about dealing with Arabs, including we don't understand their reasoning, and vice versa. Anyway, keep blogging as they say, they are fun! Love Katharine

Re: ski photos and videos

Unreal!!! Can we go sometime?? I love how your nose is red... or is that sunburn?

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The photos look wonderful sweetheart! I'm so glad you had such a good time in Dubai Did you get a photo of you skiing??

Can't wait to see you in November

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Dubai sounds friggin awesome, I like that pool idea. Take's your trunks off and sit on the bottom! Getting nude and pressing myself to the glass bottom was about the only thing that circulated my head when i read it. I'm such a simple creature really. Greg and I finally found our rings today! Yay! So we were both quite excited. Greg is currently en route to Sydney for a friend's buck's party, I'm staying home to keep up the puppy-proofing of the garden and kitchen. "Jazz" the puppy is coming home this sunday I have all the worries of an insecure parent, but I'm sure the dog will sort me out. I borrowed Anouk (well I was dog-sitting too) and attempted some therapy on the chickens. We had a new fence put in, and the tradies bought along a very cute, young american stafforshire terrier - who once off the lead decided the chickens needed to be extracted from their pen and destroyed. Thankfully he only succeeded in charging the cage and headbutting it, but the poor chooks now "Bok" quite severely when they see a dog. So, knowing anouk wouldn't be fussed at all by the chickens, I let her help me clean them out while the chooks hesistantly "bok"ed occaisionally. by the end of it anouk was lying down near the cage and henryetta almost walked past her to get some food i was offering her - success! I'm now not so worried about jazz VS the chooks. Speaking of therapy, I've just applied to go back to uni next year to study psychology, thought I'd give it a whirl. Most shrinks are nuts, so I'm off on the right track. Greg has had a crap time with his university stuff but I'll let him tel lyou more about that. You still don't show up as online on my skype - do you have another user name? I noticed that some people on my list have several and only one comes online when they are online. Keep enjoying Dubai, sounds like a blast!