Tue 21-Sep-10 (Fiji - first full day)

It’s just after 6:00pm and they have just had the daily pre-sunset firelighting ceremony. There is a cool breeze in the evenings, which is pleasant after what was a hot day. It’s not only the transition from the Canberra Winter/commencement of Spring but also the sun just feels hotter. The resort is full of mostly Aussies. When people are chatting around you, you could easily be somewhere back home.

I brought the laptop, not to keep up with the world, but rather to type a contemporaneous record of our trip to post when we return. I have disconnected the email/internet access to my phone (because of the download cost). To get wireless access for my laptop from the room is FJD 20.00 (AUD 15.00) for 24 hours, so I may do it once during our eight-day stay to catch up (more for the sport over the weekend), but am not desperate to do so.

To summarise the day, we’ll start with our sleep. We all seemed to have reasonably good sleeps. Gabi didn’t kick me much, so it wasn’t a bad night in the scheme of things. We woke before 8:30am (6:30am back home) and had breakfast before spending a lot of the day by the pool, in the pool and on the slide. Generally it was okay, except Gabi had a lot of demands that I had to discuss sternly or negotiate with her.

Before lunch the kids went back to the room to draw and I chose to do a slow 2km run to get back into some type of fitness. We’ll see if I can continue it throughout the trip.

The sun feels quite hot and although we were applying sunscreen at reasonable intervals, our faces were a little burnt. As I sit here typing and watching the sunset over the ocean, I think my back is also a little burnt. This happened later in the afternoon when I laid down after some time in the pool and fell asleep while listening to music. The next thing I knew someone was rubbing cream on my back. I jumped up startled to find Gabi helping me as she noticed my back was “getting red”.

In the afternoon before dinner we played pool (as in snooker) and played card and board games in the room. What a blessing not to have a TV in our room. The kids watched a movie, while I sat looking over the ocean typing and relaxing.

After the movie we went around asking at Reception and the Shop about hair braiding for Gabi. It was more expensive to have it done in the Boutique. One staffer mentioned a “friend” in Sigatoka who could do it for less than half the price, but with a $50 return taxi fare that didn’t seem like it would work either. I then found a “key contact” who mentioned someone I had seen before and suggested I chat with him. We went to his usual spot but someone else was there and directed us to his new location. He was actually performing so we had to wait until that had finished. The funny thing was that without knowing, he got Gabi up for a dance.

Afterwards we chatted and agreed to a clandestine meeting in the morning. We played some more pool and got to our room quite late. Ben is committed to Kids Club in the morning. I was really annoyed with myself to find the first piece of 1st Aid I pulled out (First Aid Cream) hadn’t been packed. I’m not sure how it happened. The shop had some Aloe Vera gel, so I’m hoping this will sooth our respective burns.

Mon 20-Sep-10 (Maria's "8 months", start Fiji holiday)

Eight (8) months since Maria passed away. Each month I experience a juxtaposition between having made it to another key date/milestone yet feel it is another lash of whip across an already badly scarred bad.

We woke at 5:00am to prepare for the 5:30am taxi pick-up. The check-in etc. all went quite smoothly. We were expecting for the flight to be basic in terms of viewing options, but were all pleasantly surprised with individual touch screens and options of games, movies, TV programs, music and even the ability to online chat between seats (Gabi and I engaged in this over the last half hour of the trip, albeit we were right next to each other).

The flight only took 3h17m (we arrived 30mins early), which the kids were a little disappointed about, but you wouldn't tell from this shot.

 After being greeted by Fijian music played live,

we entered the terminal and then lining up to get to Customs in the high heat (being blown around by the fans) and humidity we got through and were again greeted by people who gave us shell la-is. The kids thought this was magic as well as everyone waving and calling out “BULA!”.

The bus transported a group of us (all Aussies) going to four different resorts. About two-thirds of the way in we heard a tyre blow and upon inspection our thoughts were confirmed.

The driver (and another driver coming to assist) actually dealt with it in reasonable time. It was nice to have school buses of kids calling “Bula” out of the windows. The last time I was here was 20 years ago and not much seems to have changed, including their carefree and friendly attitudes.

Along the way you could see the poverty of some of the villages and dwellings, but this doesn’t seem to affect them. In fact the level of happiness and satisfaction could probably be more accurately measured against the “bling/stuff” we don’t have.

We arrived at the Resort, which in my rating of resorts (comparing with some other places we were blessed to visit) is probably a little lower on the scale, but the things to do and the pool with 15m slide is more than enough for the kids. They can’t stop commenting how awesome the holiday is and the friendliness of people.

After checking into our room, we got out of our long clothes and into swimmers. The kids were in the pool for quite a while before they had dinner.

As the kids “stay and eat free”, their dinner meal is 5:00-6:00pm so they can do other activities in the evening like watching a movie or playing table tennis. The adults meal time starts at 7:00pm, so it can be quite lonely. As I arranged an all-included package, I am wearing a fluoro green bracelet (like the ones given to hospital patients) that can’t be easily removed.

As the kids played in the pool I laid on one of the banana lounges and stared at the stars. I realised how far away they are and that I couldn’t reach any in my lifetime. I suddenly felt and pictured Maria in Heaven, which seems so much further away. That was quite an emotional thought. When I look at the families around and  the couples sharing responsibility for their kids (as Maria and I always did well together) it makes me feel claustrophobic. Another thing in all the things to work through.

The other thing I realised in all of this pondering is how I’ve separated myself from God a bit too far. I haven’t had a change in belief, but just find I don’t have the energy to do anything for me or the kids to further develop my faith. When I have the chance with the kids I just find a “cop out”. Hopefully there will be some rejuvenation from this trip.

Just to labour a bit more on the previous paragraph, Gabi has had some really emotional nights before bed, crying in her missing Maria. One night she looked at me and started crying (think I had just carried a basket of washing past her). She said that I am “the best Daddy in the world” and because of how I am and Maria was, “why would God do this and take Mummy away from us. It’s not fair.” We spoke and prayed about it. I have always been careful never to say God took Maria, but it’s not hard for them to join the dots. I have to say that drove me more into feeling the unfairness of it all, even though I try not to display such an attitude.

Getting back to the holiday, we are in one big room with a bathroom (shower and toilet), and interestingly a closed in outdoor shower and bath. Hopefully the photo explains that one a little better.

We crashed out after 10:00pm (as Fiji is 2 hours ahead of Australia, it was 8:00pm but had been a long day). I am sharing a bed with Gabi so I started drifting off at 11:00pm. All of a sudden I had a dream about a phone call when I realised it was the room phone. There was a kid at the other end who I think had dialed the wrong number.

Apart from a few clashes with the kids, the loneliness really hit me. I am trying to convince the kids to try the Kids Club, but they (particularly Gabi) are resisting. I think I’m in real need for some personal quiet time. We’ll see tomorrow goes.

Sun 19-Sep-10 (Gabi’s piano concert, finally meet Ingrid)

We packed in the morning for our first overseas holiday as a family of three. That meant skipping church (again).

Gabi’s piano teacher had her students performing at 1:00pm and 3:00pm. We chose the earlier session so we could get off to Sydney. Gabi had been nervous in the lead-up with much prayer involved. She even woke during the night (unusual) in anticipation of it.

The teacher had the kids perform two pieces each. They ranged from beginners like Gabi, all the way through to some quite amazing and experienced kids. Gabi did a duet with her teacher and then another simple piece alone. She was great! I got to video her with our new camera I purchased on Friday for the trip. Unfortunately I hadn’t used the HD video beforehand so when I started it was out of focus and took a little while to work it out. At least it got into focus just as they started the first piece. Here is the link if you’re interested in seeing it ("to come" when I get my at together).

We went home and changed before driving to Sydney to stay with Mark, Cass and the kids. We got to meet Ingrid, who is turning four weeks tomorrow. She is so cute and really alert. It was lovely to have a cuddle and have her fall asleep in my arms. It’s amazing how light babies weigh––something I miss as Ben and Gabi grow.

Fiji trip entries without photos (for now)

We are now home and I'm straight back at work, so I haven't had a chance to work on the uploading of photos. My first mission is to post what I had written while overseas and write about the last 24+ hours, which I never got to tackle.

We're in Fiji

Sorry that we've been offline for some time. We arrived in Fiji on the 20th and I have had email and Internet deactivated on my phone and laptop throughout our time here. I am blogging daily offline and will upload with photos some time after our return in a few days.

Sat 28-Aug-10 (Maria's 40th birthday)

We had a quiet morning. After a croissant breakfast we spent time making special birthday cards for Maria (see Ben's, Gabi's and mine). As you can see, the kids put in a big effort and wrote some brief, yet touching words.

We went for a drive, then had lunch followed by buying flowers and spending time at the Cemetery (photos). It was actually quite nice, finally being blessed with a beautiful day. We sat around the grave and chatted. The kids ran around playing (it was lovely to see they can enjoy themselves so much - it is a lovely location) while I sat with Maria and listened to "Sons of Korah".

Afterwards we went to the skatepark. That's when things went pear-shaped. I had fixed Gabi's scooter and put my iPhone in my pocket. She complained about it so I leaned over to check the problem and my phone fell and hit the ground. The bottom of the screen shattered, but is held in place by the anti-glare film the kids bought for my birthday. It still works!

You should never assume things, like "well as least it can't get worse", because it can. I was skating and Gabi called something and ran around the corner. As I looked up I hit a stone on the concrete and the board stopped, but I didn't. The good news was that I was wearing the helmet I bought on my birthday, which took some of the force (right side of head). The bad news was that I didn't have other padding so my right elbow, thigh and left hand also took the impact. After icing my elbow and hand, the elbow has improved a little (hopefully just end up with the grazing and some bruising). My left hand is quite swollen in a couple of spots on the palm. Typing has been manageable. My neck has been pretty bad all week from what I believe was last week's crash. It started to settle after commencing anti-inflammatories last night, but today's stack may have put me back to square one. I haven't hit the pain relief yet, but may need some to get through the night. Tomorrow morning I'll probably feel like a rugby forward the day after a big game.

Our dear friend Janelle travelled down to see us. It was great to see her––the first time since she married. We all had Indian for dinner while watching "The Pink Panther" (Steve Martin version). She will stay with friends tonight and will come to church with us, followed by a picnic.

Ben's sports future and how I fit in

I failed to mention that Ben finished his footy season last weekend. Due to inclement weather they didn't get to train in the last two weeks before their matches. They struggled all season against teams because of the lack of practice, but ironically they won both matches. Last week was 52-22, and the week before a ripper of a game where they pulled back a 27 point deficit in the final quarter to win by 7.

Ben actually started to really get into it and impress me. He took a couple of classic marks in the second-last game in particular. Ben's not sure about next year (no surprise as he can't seem to stick to anything for more than a year).

One thing he is getting into is spending time at skateparks. A work colleague/mate built him a skateboard but the poor weather has prevented them from getting together. Ben also bought a new expensive scooter and is spending more time on it. Gabi also bought a new scooter. I decided rather than sit around for 2+ hours at a time in the car that I'd get onto the skateboard and start to get used to it so I can do something productive with the kids. Not sure my body agrees with that choice at present.

A great mate has been chatting about buying longboards that we can use to skate around the lake with another dad. There are many jokes floating around from us about how we'd look and how we could use the time to share war stories about the days when our bodies coped with daring feats.

Mon 23-Aug-10 (two birthdays)

This morning my sister-in-law Cass gave birth to "Ingrid". It was an answer to our prayers because Ingrid is healthy. Gabi had an additional answer to prayer as she was so keen to have a younger female cousin after Mark and Cass started with two boys. We are blessed to have Ingrid as part of our family.

The less important news is that today also happens to be my birthday. I didn't share this for well wishes, but rather to say that I'm glad Ingrid is here to take the focus from me, as well as sharing how my day was and what the kids did for me.

I had a rough sleep (nothing unusual) due to a stack I had on the skateboard yesterday, which I think may have damaged my rotator cuff. That didn't stop me from kicking on yesterday and has given me more incentive in my time of taking on "new challenges" (thanks Janelle for pointing out it is not a "mid life crisis").

Gabi came in early and asking where the matches were as she needed them for school. I thought she's a bit young at 7 to be smoking behind the toilets (yes, I anticipated the true reason of her enquiry). The kids brought in a cake with candles lit and sang happy birthday. Gabi made the cake last night with a dear friend.

Gabi made me Vegemite toast (more Vegemite than toast). As I "enjoyed" it in front of her, I realised I needed to have cake to offset the salt overdose. The kids gave me lovely cards and a new screen protector for my phone, which is exactly what I've needed. I can see the screen better than I ever could previously (this is "anti glare" as opposed to the "reflective" one I bought). Wish I'd thought of this a few months ago.

They had a morning tea for me at work, which was nice. More food, just what I needed.

After school I took the kids to the Shopping Centre for afternoon tea. We tracked down a skate shop (had walked past it a million times and never noticed). We walked out with a pair of skate shoes each as well as a helmet for me (I keep on annoying the kids, so it was time to lead by example).

Before heading out to dinner another dear friend raced over with a cake she had made. The kids decorated it on the spot. Mel volunteered to make this an "annual tradition". Thought I'd record that so I don't forget. At dinner one of the teachers (also a friend) dropped in as she was having dinner next door. She had her camera for a family event, so was able to "snap" us as you can see below.

One of my birthday presents was the new Hillsong CD (A Beautiful Exchange). I was playing through it this morning and recognised a few tracks that were played at the Hillsong Men's Conference in Sydney last year (before this album was released). There was one track that we sang in real unison (15,000 of us). I wrote the lyrics of the chorus but couldn't find it. Then suddenly it appeared about a 1/3 of the way into the title track (see lyrics). The tears just started flowing as when we sang it in Sydney I had these visions of Maria (that was the first time I'd left Maria overnight since her diagnosis and just before the spread of the cancer to her spinal cord was identified). As I said it an email later this evening, it was pain as it brought back vivid memories of Maria and/or my emotions through the rollercoaster, but it's what I coined as "precious pain".

Thanks to those for the calls, SMSs, emails, cards and gifts. It was a great day because of Ingrid's birth and what the kids (and friends) have done for me. It is also mixed because Maria wasn't here to share it with us. Gabi expressed this at bed with a lot of tears. We were able to cry, talk and pray about it together.

Fri 20-Aug-10 (Month 7, upcoming birthday)

It's just after midnight, which means it is now the 20th––seven months since Maria went to be with the Lord. It is also eight days before Maria's 40th birthday, which will be the first she celebrates in heaven.

Up until a couple of days ago, things were going okay. All of a sudden things started to strike me, such as what would, in "normal" circumstances, have been the lead-up to a big party to celebrate Maria's 40th. My sleep has gone off-track and I'm sure it's affecting me in most areas of my life. I've had many flashbacks of the most difficult parts of our journey through Maria's illness and how she faced terminal illness and death with such courage and peace.

As I drove past the Cemetery on the way to work most days, I dropped in to visit Maria's grave site and was the most emotional I can remember for probably four months. I've so often heard that it isn't necessarily these key dates, but the lead-up to them. I'm feeling it enormously.

I should say at this point that we are okay. The kids get on each others' nerves every now and then (nothing different really) and I have moments where I lose my temper over the small, less important issues (also probably not too different from "before"). The way we "do" life is also so much different now. I feel Maria's absence (especially me) often. However, in the face of it all we continue to try and be joyful in all circumstances as a family unit. In His strength!

Gabi's new whiteboard - kids' art

Gabi wants to be a teacher when she grows up and loves to act out the role regularly. She saved up and bought herself her own whiteboard, which she uses daily.

Both she and Ben have also used it for some art work they have been getting into. Here are some examples. The theme is Teddy's (Ben's favourite toy) band.

(L) Gabi's drawing - (R) Ben's drawing

Gabi's dance boots

Teddy's band

Teddy the drummer

DJ Dog (Gabi's toy)

Wütsi the guitarist

Elle the percussionist

Mon 9-Aug-10 (Health update - praise God!)

I received a call from my GP this evening to advise that the results of the tests undertaken were generally excellent. I was confident those conducted for my heart (ECG), auto-immune disease, prostate and stomach ulcers would be normal. What I was blown away by was that my my cholesterol was perfect (apparently both the good and bad were great) and sugars as well. Although they have been good in the past, having put on so much weight and somewhat slipping into some bad habits was a slight concern. However, I won't be complacent because of this positive outcome.

The only glitch was a slightly abnormal liver function count. An ultrasound was offered as a follow-up, but as it appears the count is similar to results over the past (many) years, I have declined for now.

My punctured finger remains sore and has bled a little during the day (probably from typing) but the wounds is otherwise closing nicely.

Thanks to those who genuinely prayed over the tests.

Sun 8-Aug-10 (Ed's 60th, summary, my health scare)

It has been nearly three weeks since I've blogged. The main reason for my absence has been the more than intense workload, which has taken up a lot of my days and nights. I also experienced a health scare, which I'll write more about a little further on.

There is so much that has happened over the past three weeks and I don't intend to re-live it. I'm just going to touch on the key points:

• It was Eddie's 60th birthday today in Sydney, with Margrit holding a surprise lunch. I had planned to head down, but some other things happened during the week, which made it impossible to achieve. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ED!!
• The kids went back to school for third term. Gabi has a new classroom and teacher. She seems to be settling ok with the changes.
• Ben has started to get a little more physically involved in his AFL. He was very impressive, winning the team's Player of the Match Award on the weekend. The down-side was that his team were thrashed 120-7.
• One of my work colleagues built a skateboard for Ben and he and his son started to teach Ben to skate. Unfortunately Ben has sustained some injuries trying different tricks at skateparks (which I'm becoming accustomed hanging around - I may be making my own purchase soon to get involved), mostly on his scooter as he only has had a single lesson on the board. He has sustained some injuries (because he thinks he's too cool to wear his padding, which he is now seeing the value in). He is currently carrying a pretty banged up knee from an accident yesterday, which also led to a very bloody nose and mouth. He has bounced back and worked through the pain today, but seizes up when he cools down at home. The icepacks have been getting a good workout.
• Both kids have caught different viruses and infections, but both are well at present.

Saturday (week ago) we were at home and Ben begged me to ride his skateboard. I was in the backyard doing so without a huge amount of effort when I felt this very sharp chest pain. I had to lay down and it slowly dissipated, but hung around. The pain radiated up into my shoulders too.

It was scary for me as it started to make me think about what would happen with the kids if I wasn't around. It also created fear in the kids and brought back a flood of memories of discussions we had had throughout Maria's illness. That is, they started asking all the hard questions such as what would happen if I needed an operation or died.

God had timed things well as a dear friend (who is a nurse) was coming over to collect some excess milk to pass on to another family so she was able to take my blood pressure and pulse. The BP was fine and I had an ectopic pulse, but as I don't normally take my pulse, it wasn't necessarily anything to worry about. I was able to follow up with the GP by SMS on Sunday and visit her on Monday. She felt even before we saw each other that there may be a few events occurring simultaneously, but didn't feel the heart was part of it. She sent me off for tests (ECG, bloods and a Helicobacter test) more to rule things out and as part of a thorough health check, which I haven't had for quite a while. My GP felt it could be more like Costochondritis with some unrelated indigestion or reflux. I was hoping for the results by the end of the week. Nothing came. Perhaps no news is good news???

I've had some massive lower back pain in the last few days and put it down to too much time in chairs at work or home (work on all fronts).

To add insult to injury, this morning while preparing breakfast I managed to pierce my finger to the bone with my sharpest knife. Although deep, fortunately it wasn't too wide so I was able to finally stemmed the bleeding and tape the wound shut to prevent a hospital visit. We then met up with dear friends and walked around the lake (while Ben, Gabi and their kids scootered/rode).

It's now over a week since the initial chest incident. I have some soreness in the chest around the sternum cartilage area, a bit of heartburn and a very tender finger, but nothing that has bothered me too much. I have felt quite stress-free (thanks to the very small group of people I consulted for prayer over this issue).

Tue 20-Jul-10 (6 months)

I have so much to blog about, having last week off with the kids and all the fun we had. I'll get to that another time, when I'm more up to it.

On Sunday, Maria's "six month anniversary since going to be with the Lord" was remembered in a service held at the Greek Orthodox church, followed by the priest joining us at the Cemetery.

As it has just passed midnight (now the 20th), it is "officially" six months. How are we doing? The three of us are hanging in there and generally functioning reasonably well. We have our moments (me more than them), but we continue on as best we can as considering we've had a large part of our identity taken from us. I appreciate the legacy of Maria which is more precious than anything––it is the tangible that we three miss.

Although I feel distant from God at present and find it quite difficult to immerse myself in His word and love, ironically it is my faith in Him (and focus on the kids) which really keeps me going. How do you do it any other way?

After originally posting this just after midnight, I opened one of Maria's bibles and noted the following, which she had underlined. She continues to encourage me from afar, even when I am running on empty.

Psalm 62:5-8 (NLT)
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

I need to project back a little

Since the last time I blogged, things have been quite busy in a number of ways.

Firstly, Spain deservingly won the World Cup against a Dutch team that decided to put them off their game by playing rough (also understanding the referee is less inclined to book players). The Dutch had their chances but Spain stuck to their guns and overall had that much more class right across the field. I'm glad they won!

Germany had a thrilling 3-2 win over Uruguay in the play-off for 3rd place. It generally is an exciting game with plenty of goals, and we weren't disappointed. With the 2nd youngest team in the tournament, they were hoping to do well, but never expected to come 3rd overall. 2014 in Brazil should be an exciting tournament.

The kids were sick through to Thursday, when they were finally well enough to go to their pre-planned activities, but only got the last couple of days in. Maria's parents left us on Friday morning and were a huge blessing, especially as my work commitments were significant that week.

I had to go into work on Saturday to ensure everything was off my chest before commencing leave. I was so happy to achieve that. I'll leave the next entry for this week.

Congratulations Spain!

Well, I thought the Netherlands would win far more comfortably than they did. As it's the semi-finals of the most followed sporting event in the world, there would have to be nerves.

Spain really blitzed the Germans from the first seconds, and with their control of the ball (especially in the midfield) and pressure applied to regain possession and put the Germans off their game, the strategy worked. The Germans were certainly a more lethargic team and picked a bad time to have an average match. They missed Mueller more than they realised.

I was very impressed with the Spanish coach who, with 10mins left and up 1-0, substituted their best player this tournament (David Villa) with Torres (another class player, but overcoming knee surgery). The reason for my admiration was replacing one striker with another, rather than taking a defensive stance and replacing Villa with an attacking fullback.

The consolation with Spain's win means that one of my pre-tournament picks in now in the final and I expect them to win. The Dutch have a few players who play in La Liga, so it should be an exciting final. Hopefully Germany can account for Uruguay in the playoff for 3rd/4th place.

Please don't think that I've flipped my lid or am sleep deprived when you read the following. Can you believe that Paul the Octopus retains his 100% strike rate? When my brother was down, he spoke of Paul, but as I thought it was a gee-up, I didn't dare even contemplate googling it. I saw it on TV yesterday morning and was then sad to hear that Paul had chosen Spain. Anyway, rather than go on about it, here is one (of many) link that will help it make more sense.

World Cup (QF outcomes and SF picks)

Only 2/4 for the quarters. That said, even if I picked Germany to beat Argentina, there is no way in the world I considered the Netherlands would defeat Brazil.

How amazing that 4/8 teams were from South America and only one is left and they, Uruguay, were extremely fortunate to win. All three European teams made it through, so now the stats are 3/4 teams remaining are European. What a coup for us Europhiles.

THE SEMIS - No lengthy analysis due to fatigue.

Netherlands -v- Uruguay
I pick the Netherlands as they beat Brazil and seem to know how to put flary South American teams off their game. They have an overall stronger quality and depth of players. Uruguay had a dubious victory against Ghana. Suarez (Uruguay's phenomenal striker is suspended for this game). 

Germany -v- Spain

I pick Germany as they are able to destroy any team, are beaming with youthful confidence and are very quick on the counter attack. Even without Mueller (who has scored the most goals for the team) they have so much in the way of goal-scoring depth. Although Spain was one of my two picks before the tournament, I think this is where it is all going to end. David Villa is still playing unbelievably and there are quality players in the team, but I think they can be rattled. Paraguay gave them a run for their money, which I didn't expect. 

Tue 6-Jul-10 (Kids' ongoing illness, school reports, work)

I got the kids into the doctor last night (Monday) and discovered they both have a virus, that they'll have to ride through. They continue to be lethargic and not quite right, but slowly improving. They have missed the first two days of their holiday program and will more than likely miss tomorrow as well. Gabi vomited before bed tonight, but I think it was a combination of three servings of spag-bol combined with ice cream to top it off.

I received their school reports in the mail and went through them individually with the kids. They both did amazingly well. Ben was very contemplative and mature, identifying where he felt they may have been generous and areas where he considered himself stronger than the report's outcome. Overall they were both excellent results.

I've just finished work. Second night in a row past midnight after more than a full day in the office. My back/neck are struggling. I'm so exhausted and overwhelmed with work to the point that I intend to skip the first semi-final of the World Cup (Netherlands -v- Uruguay) in a few hours.

Wimbledon 2010 Men's final

It's about to start: Rafael Nadal -v- Tomas Berdych. If Rafa plays his best, then he'll win in straight sets, maybe four at worst. Berdych will need to fire and hope Rafa is off his game to beat him.

Sun 4-Jul-10 (busy weekend, kids' illness)

Mark, Cass and the boys stayed with us for the weekend and left after lunch today. Once again, all four kids got on like a house on fire. I've again been especially impressed with Ben taking the time to play with the boys and encouraging them. It's a real blessing to see and hear.

We had a couple of park plays over the weekend. Yesterday we went to Fadden Pines and Ben just loved hanging out at the small skatepark. Today he, Mark and the boys went to Tuggeranong Town Park and Ben spent a little time at the bigger skatepark. At Ben's insistence I took him and Gabi back to Fadden Pines this afternoon. Ben scootered around while Gabi and I hung out.

Ben and Gabi have fought illness since probably Friday morning. The Panadol and Nurofen seems to kick in and has done the trick up until late this afternoon. They both went to bed miserable, especially Ben claiming to feel as he did in Greece. In 2008 when we went there for Maria's dad's 70th Ben became extremely ill and was hospitalised.

They're both supposed to be attending a kids program at church for the week, but look far less than likely that they'll be well enough. I am also supposed to be taking over the reigns at work this week. Anyway, I called Maria's parents just to let them know how things were going and they graciously offered to come up first thing tomorrow morning to care for the kids, allowing me to get into work and hopefully sort out a medical appointment.

Deutschland, Deutschland (me of little faith)

4-0 

What destruction! While my brother Mark and I chatted through the day and read the media in the lead-up to this game, we felt that Germany certainly could win, but how many people would have guessed a 4-0 scoreline!

As Aussies we have one thing in common with Argentina and England. That is, Germany scored four goals against each of us.

Germany were nothing short of sensational. Maradona had a lot to say in the lead-up to the game and even put on a poor German accent, mocking Schweinsteiger in saying, "What's the matter Schweinsteiger? Are you nervoushh?". Well, Bastian's response came with the ball as he completely controlled the game from midfield. Klose was equal with Pele on 12 World Cup goals before the game. He scored two tonight to pass that milestone.

While the Argentinians were poor in defence, it was because the Germans completely dominated the game, applied relentless pressure and shut them down. They are playing such exciting football––nothing like the Germans of yesteryear. They came into the tournament with such a young team, just expecting to gain experience for the next World Cup. Now they are two matches away from winning this one.

I've back against the Germans for the last time in this tournament. Even if Spain (one of my pre-tournament choices) beats Paraguay 10-0, I wouldn't bet against the Germans.

The only downside to the game was that Mueller was yellow carded for a handball (I thought there was nothing in it), which means he'll miss the semi-final. He's only 20 y/o and is a goal-scoring machine (four goals in five games). The great thing about the Germans is that they have shown that anyone in the team can score.

It's just after 2:00am and I'm flicking between the beginning of the Tour de France and the cricket. I just witnessed the Aussies taking their 6th wicket in looking to secure the last game of the one-day series against England. Unfortunately this is a dead rubber, being down 3-1 coming into this game. Very unlike the Aussies to lose a cricket series.

I think it's time to catch up on some sleep.

Fri 2-Jul-10 (the week that was)

The kids are so fatigued at present. Their last day of the school term has come to an end and they can now kick back and relax a bit. Gabi was very sad as it was her teacher's last day at school before entering retirement. I attended a farewell afternoon tea, at which the kids danced to Beatles music. It was funny to see this generation of young kids so into music from so long ago.

Effie, Brian and the kids arrived around 5pm to stay overnight before a 4am start to get to the airport to fly out for a 10-day holiday in central Australia. The kids enjoyed pizza while us grown-ups had a great Indian takeaway. The kids were in bed by 9pm with the grown-ups (minus one :-p) in bed by 10pm.

After Sunday's broken window incident, we had two consecutive well below freezing nights. To give you an exmaple of how cold it was and the impact a small window pane had, I went to bed @ 2:30am after the soccer. I turned the heater off (temp was 22C - 71.6F). Four hours later the heater came on and the house was down to 15C (59F), although I had the bathroom door closed and the IXL Tastic on to take some of the edge off the icy breeze coming in. I learnt later from a footy mum that it got down to -7C (19.4F) overnight. It is possible as it was -1C (30F) when I dropped the kids off to school @ 9:00am!

On Tuesday night I prepared dinner and cooked it overnight in the slow cooker. This motivated the kids to concoct their own gooey messes. As you can see, they had a lot of fun.

I had a very busy work week as we were committed to going live with a new business process on 1 July. So far, so good. It could potentially create up to six times the number of assessments, but hopefully not all requiring further work. It looks like I'll be provided additional help as we move along and can show justification for it. Next week my boss will be away, so I take over the reigns, which means oversight of my own unit and some others. It will be the first real test week of our new process so juggling it all will require some prayer.

Apart from work, footy training and bible study, there is not much more to report.

Ben has footy tomorrow and was running a slight fever. There has been some rain today and might continue into the morning before clearing. I think we'll need a game cancellation to give Ben that break as he won't miss it even if he is unwell.

Mark, Cass and boys will be arriving tomorrow to spend the weekend with us. It should be fun, providing Ben overcomes his ailment. Mark and I will be up for the Germany -v- Argentina game tomorrow night. Speaking of sport, there is a lot of tennis and soccer this weekend. Brazil and the Netherlands start in an hour @ midnight, while the Men's Wimbledon semis are on right now. My sleep has fallen apart in recent times so I can ruin it that much more with a sleepless weekend...can I?

World Cup quarter-finals (and then there were eight)

Although my pre-game analysis was close to the money in all matches, I ended up with 5/8. My only regretful decision was going against Germany. Japan were pipped on penalties and the US lost in extra time. The upside is that I got my wish in not having to see Rooney or Ronaldo again for this tournament. They both chose the worse possible time to be out of form. I'm sure when they return to their high-paying clubs that their form will return.

Now it's time to take another stab. It's getting that much harder now we're down to the real quality. Of the eight remaining teams, the South Americans (4 teams) have the greatest representation, edging out the Europeans (3). At least the home continent of Africa has a team still in battle.

Before I launch into my picks, I have to sing the praises of the goal keepers in this tournament. The vast majority of those in these last eight teams have been in blistering form and some are the reason why their team is where they are right now.

Uruguay -v- Ghana

Uruguay look good in attack, but can be susceptible in defence. They have a habit of getting a goal ahead, then closing down and allowing the opposition to apply the pressure. Suarez who scored both the goals against Sth Korea has the world's most phenomenal scoring strike rate over the last 12 months. Ghana showed the support of the African continent helped them through against the US. They will need that support again as well as riding on the confidence that they were finally able to put goals into the back of the net without requiring penalties. They are on a high and realise that maybe their best opportunity ever to get to the semis. Obviously when it gets to this stage it becomes that much harder to call. I don't believe either of these teams will go any further than the semis. Getting back to this match, I think the South Americans have that little extra something that will see them through, providing they don't go into their shells. My pick: URUGUAY

Netherlands -v- Brazil

As I predicted, the Netherlands benefited immensely with Robben's return, scoring one goal and supplying the other. They look good in all areas of the park, but will be up against arguably the most potent team of the tournament. The coach will have to think through the tactics they'll need to employ to shut down and frustrate the Brazilians, leading to more turnover and less discipline. As I predicted, Brazil were that much better than an understrength Chilean team. They continue to improve and are looking in hot form. Although I didn't pick them in my top two at the beginning of the tournament, they are looking like potential champions already. That said, anything can happen in a game of football. I predict the winner of this match will go through to the final. As much as I hope for the Dutch to go that extra step, I think the climb may be too steep. My pick: BRAZIL

Argentina -v- Germany

Argentina still look like finalists to me. However, they will need their wits about them as they face a young, fearless and well-drilled outfit in the Germans. Tevez's goals were brilliant and Messi continues to mesmerise the opposition with his speed and agility. Germany had a well deserved win against the English and showed they won't go without a fight. I commented on the impact of Oezil and he showed it again. Germany's  advantage to me is that they can rely on a number of players to score, making them that much more unpredictable. Both of these nations are heavyweights of world football and are showing it again. If it comes down to penalties (I don't believe it will), the Germans may have that composure required. From memory they have one of the best (if not the best) penalty shootout records in major tournaments. I think that the experience of Argentina's big players is going to be the difference. The Germans didn't look too concerned when England applied pressure, albeit in small bursts. However, this is their first real test and I expect the Argentinians to apply relentless pressure. I'm hoping by going against my team that the "commentator's curse" will come into play. My pick: ARGENTINA

Paraguay -v- Spain

Paraguay needed a penalty shootout to beat Japan, although they probably created the better of the opportunities in the game. Their Argentinian coach seems to have them well drilled. This is the first time they have made the quarter finals of a World Cup and no doubt believe they can go even further. Spain has shown the class I expected before they arrived in South Africa. All biases aside, they were too good for Portugal. They controlled the ball and David Villa is arguably (alongside Lionel Messi) the player of the tournament to date, playing so well and scoring when it counts. This is Spain's fifth time in the World Cup quarters and should they win, would put them into the semis for the 2nd time (other time was in 1950, where they came fourth overall). For me, Spain has the overall strength and consistency. I am tipping against a South American clean sweep, but keeping that connection with a Spanish speaking country (each way bet as they both are). The Portuguese-speaking Brazilians ensure it won't be a clean sweep of Spanish speaking nations either. My pick: SPAIN

How wrong, but how happy am I!

The final whistle has just gone. I never imagined that if Germany was going to win that it would be a 4-1 scoreline?

There will no doubt be a lot of complaining and controversy surrounding a clear goal for England that would have made it 2-2 at half-time. However, the reality is that the older English team had no real imagination (apart from the last 10mins of the first half), while their far younger opponents played with pizazz and finesse. As one of the English commentators put it, "Outmanoeuvred, outsmarted, outskilled." The English showed really tired legs in the second half and the Germans toyed with them over the last 10 minutes.

I read a bit of English media where they spoke of how the Germans beat the Aussies 4-0 and that nothing should be taken from that game (rightly) because of the poor opposition (wrong), rather than because the Aussies got it all wrong with their tactics. We Aussies showed in our final two games that the first game was a severe aberration and that we are not the only country to concede four goals against the Deutsch.

If Argentina wins, what a quarter-final we'll have in store!!

Sun 27-Jun-10 (nice day)

We had our first bacon & eggs (and hash browns) breakfast for some time. After church we ended up at dear friends' for lunch. Afterwards, Gabi went shopping with Mel to Spotlight while I took one of the boys home with Ben. When the girls got to our place, they spent a bit of time knitting & cross-stitching while the boys played in and outside the house. Ben kicked the football right into the kids' bathroom window, breaking one of the panes. He was very quiet and upset. He was so worried I was going to be angry after our guests left, but I never felt that for a moment. In fact while I sat with him to talk through his emotions, I had to hold back the laughter when sharing my own youthful experience that led to a broken window. Will need to sort that out tomorrow.

I feel with all the busyness of our lives every day that I just miss quality time with the kids. This evening I made much more of an effort to have one-on-one time with both of them, playing a ball-catching game with Gabi and building a Lego base station with Ben (that's still a work in progress). 

I'm staying up for the Germany -v- England clash (midnight start). If they finish in regular time, then I (and many others) will get to bed by 2am. If it goes to extra time and/or penalties, well who knows? I'd love to watch Argentina -v- Mexico, but a 4:30am start would mean a completely sleepless night. 

World Cup (Round of 16) picks

I'm about to show you how poor I am when it come to picking winners (that's why I've never gambled with money). I have decided to pick all Round 16 results in advance, but with the disclaimer that should there be a change before the game (e.g. significant injury), then I'll reassess. Even with my biases, I have chosen being as object as possible.

Uruguay -v- Korea

When I reflect on how teams from the different parts of the world would fare, the South American teams have impressed me the most. They tend to be flamboyant, which leads sometimes to their downfall (as we see with African teams also). Uruguay started slowly, with their draw against France (the only team to do so), but took care of South Africa and followed up with a victory over the Mexicans. They haven't conceded a goal yet and have some classy players (unfortunately two of the forwards refuse to speak to each other). South Korea had a convincing win against an unconvincing Greek outfit, then were torn apart by Argentina before fighting back to draw with Nigeria. They can play exciting attacking football, but their defence is questionable, leaking six goals in their final two matches, and still qualifying. My pick: URUGUAY

USA -v- Ghana

USA - I expected the Americans would reach this stage, but not in front of England. That is a real blessing for them as I think the Germans would have been a tough opponent at this stage. If they ever considered progressing to the Quarters, this would be their best chance yet. They have impressed me with their draw against England (they could have beaten the Poms, just missing a shot near the end), comeback from 0-2 to draw with Slovenia and win over Algeria. Ghana is the only African team to get to this stage (I feel that Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa showed better form). They have some real talent and thrive on confidence. That said, two of their three goals in the group matches came from penalties. Australia showed in their game that they were able to nearly beat Ghana while we were 1 player short for most of the match. They will also have the Continental advantage. It's a close one to call, but I feel that discipline and patience will reap the reward. My pick: USA

Argentina -v- Mexico

Argentina was one of my two picks at the beginning of the tournament, albeit their form had been average coming into the tournament. In the group stage they won all three games, especially convincing against South Korea (who qualified 2nd in the group). They have some classy players, but none better than who I consider the best I've seen in my lifetime, Lionel Messi. There was a lot of talk about whether he could cope with the pressure and fatigue after a long year at Barcelona. He has shown that like Roger Federer in tennis, Messi can just crank up an extra notch at will. Providing he can remain injury free (he'll be a target), they are going to be hard to beat. Mexico made it through with a win, draw and loss. Their win came against a very poor French outfit, so not too much can be read into that. My pick: ARGENTINA

Germany -v- England

This will be the grudge match of the round, without equal. I have three biases I'll get off my chest before assessing this one. (1) With dad being of German heritage and Australia no longer there, this is who I'm supporting, albeit I don't expect them to win the Cup; (2) There is a long history of sporting animosity between Australia and England; and (3) The British media in all sports ALWAYS place their teams or individual sportsmen/women on pedestals before major events, but inevitably tear them to shreds when they don't perform to "the media's" expectations. I should therefore feel sorry for the team, but like with Andy Murray and Tim Henman before him, just sit back and delight in the antics (I should qualify that I really like Tim Henman, but have no time for Andy Murray). Back to business. England have been less than impressive, but scraped through to this stage. They have great players, including another of my least favourite people (Wayne Rooney the thug), but if in goal scoring form is sensational. Germany had an easy win against Australia, thanks to our coach playing a different structure and players out of position. They had a shock loss to Serbia and did enough against Ghana. They are a more exciting team than the historical German outfits (and young as well). Oezil has been especially impressive. Overall, both team haven't hit their best form yet, but they both will need to if they want to stay in the tournament. Could it come down to penalties? I hope not (although in my views the Germans would be favourites in this situation). I'm going against all of my intuition and sadly if my pick wins, we'll never heat the end of it. My pick: ENGLAND

Netherlands -v- Slovakia

Should be a ripper of a game. Netherlands always impress me, but like the South African cricket team, seem to choke when it comes to big tournaments. Apart from looking a little shaky in their win over Denmark, they seemed comfortable in their other two wins. They have a strong team and quality off the bench. Robben coming into the tournament in the last game is a big plus (he showed it) and Huntelaar is a fantastic coming off the bench. Slovakia My pick: NETHERLANDS

Brazil -v- Chile

Brazil have come into this tournament as one of the favourites and have lived up to expectations by winning all three games. They have exciting players and will be entertaining. Chile came second (tied first with Spain, but missed out on goal difference) in what I would consider one of the weak groups. The game against Spain was quite spiteful at times and Chile lost players coming into this match because of their lack of discipline. This will cost them severely, coming up against a team already a league above them. My pick: BRAZIL

Paraguay -v- Japan

Paraguay topped their group, which was a surprise––especially as Italy crashed out. I still expected them to be at this stage. They had a good win against Slovakia (who came in 2nd) and drew with Italy and NZ. I expect them to be a technical class above the Japanese. Japan have really surprised me. With their lead-in form and problems with their autocratic coach, I didn't expect they would lift as they have and get through to this stage for the first time playing outside their Continent. They took Denmark apart in their last game (who were playing to get through) and looked very dangerous in set pieces. I think they have clicked at the right time. I found this a really tough call and will go against the grain. My pick: JAPAN

Spain -v- Portugal

This will be a cracker. Spain is the other team I have picked to win this tournament. After the first game when they dominated like I've never seen yet lost to Switzerland, I thought they'd still qualify but probably get through 2nd in their group. They did what was expected in the last two games and put themselves on top, where they belonged in that group. Portugal thrashed North Korea 7-0, but played two scoreless draws in their other games. They are the only team besides Uruguay not to have conceded a goal, yet. I like the team, but have a strong bias against Ronaldo (can't stand him). His form hasn't been great, finally scoring at the end of the one-sided game––his first goal for his country in nearly two years. Perhaps that was the sniff he needed? Alternatively, he'll be playing against a group of guys who know him very well from La Liga (Spanish Premier League). Both teams are dangerous in attack and defence. It is too close to call on paper, but I feel it will come down to team (-v- individual) brilliance. My pick: SPAIN

Sat 26-Jun-10 (illness, footy, art show)

I went to the doctor last night and discovered I have a chest infection. I started antibiotics but can't say I feel too much better, yet. I had a sleep in the afternoon and slept through the alarm for another hour. Although I've been awake for more than three hours, I'm still quite exhausted.

It poured for half of the night, but the sun broke out and the kids were able to play. Ben put more effort in at footy and although they were thrashed, he found himself receiving the "Good Sport" award for the second week running.

After footy we went to school to see an Art Show (exhibition) that the kids had items displayed in. Some of the work from the students all the way through to Year 12 and teachers (including some fabulous quilting) was phenomenal!

The photos below are of Ben and Gabi's works as well as Ben's class paper machete "Planet X".

Thu 24-Jun-10 (Gabi's classwork, Oz politics, tennis, health)

Projecting back a day, I received a call from the school to let me know about an incident. Apparently Gabi's teacher had resigned due to personal reasons, to take effect at end this term (end of next week) and announced it to the class. Gabi and a few classmates were overwhelmed. For Gabi it was another "loss" and "change". I was able to chat over the phone with her and ensure she was okay. A dear friend collected the kids so I gave her a heads-up and was told there would be plenty of hugs if required (thanks Gill). Gabi adores her teacher and goes out of her way to give her gifts and share many stories with me. I have been told that a young new teacher will be taking over (we get to meet her next week), who previously worked out at the recreational retreat where Ben had his school camp, and she loves kids. I think God's hand is over this whole scenario. Thanks also to those who I was able to share with for prayer.

Last night after Bible Study I took the kids to McDonalds for a Malteser Sundae as a special treat. Unfortunately we got home late as the ice cream machine at the first Maccas had broken down.

This morning we got to school early as the kids had their "Learning Journeys", an opportunity to show what they've been doing all year. Ben's had been postponed until next term as they are moving into a newly constructed building and their current rooms have been stripped bare. I really enjoyed spending that time with Gabi and am looking forward to Ben's.

Gabi's sock puppet is the pink dog with the floppy ears (rear left).


I was leaving when Gabi remembered she left something at home. I had to rush back for it, which meant I was a little late to work...

...What it also meant was that I got to hear the outcome of a Prime Ministerial leadership challenge live. Our Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (who came to office less than three years ago as our most popular PM) did not contest the challenge, realising Julia Gillard had the numbers. He our first PM in Australian history not to see out a full first term. We now have our first female PM, but not "elected". What do I think? I may have views on the cunning and clinical approach used, but in terms of the new PM all I can say is that it's too early to judge.

I have been fighting what appeared to be a possible sinus infection, but seems to have now moved to my chest. I'm also losing my voice and am very strained and husky. I think women's husky voices (like Demi Moore, for example) can be considered quite sexy. This is not so in my case. I'm sure there will be some people out there happy to hear about my pending silence.

Now I have got some urgent work out of the way, I think I'll hit the sack. I'd love to stay up and watch the end of the longest tennis match in history, but that's going to be possible. Wimbledon 2010, 1st Round, Isner -v- Mahut. They've broken almost every record you can think of (been on the court more than 10 hours over two days, most aces, winners, games, and the list goes on). It is 59-59 in the final set!! Shame there has to be a loser. I would like to be the guy drawn to play the winner.

Gabi and Ben have both independently reported that some kids from Ben's school camp asked them to to let me know that I'm "cool". I feel so young at heart. If only my body would follow suit! In all seriousness, it's nice to have that type of reputation with the kids.

Aussies out of the World Cup

We pulled off a 2-1 win over Serbia and showed what we were capable of. Unfortunately our massive 4-0 loss to Germany in the first game cruelled us as we tied for second place but were knocked out due to goal difference. I was hoping that Germany would do us a favour and have a big win over Ghana, but looked happy for a win but also struggled. I'm not sure how they'll fare against England. They have some exciting players, but still a way to go. What I do know is that they are who I'll be supporting now Australia is out. I still am confident as I said at the beginning of the tournament that Argentina or Spain will be the ones to beat. I know Brazil are running hot and Portugal and the Netherlands are coming into form. We'll see.

Thu 24-Jun-10 (World Cup – our final group game)

Australia -v- Serbia & Germany -v- Ghana

For us to qualify, here are the scenarios:

• Ghana beat Germany –– we only need to beat Serbia
• Germany beat Ghana –– we need to have an overall 5 goal turnaround
• Ghana-Germany draw –– we need to beat Serbia by 7 goals

It's a massive challenge as we are relying on the outcome of the other game. I feel a little pessimistic as I can't see Ghana beating Germany. However, nothing is impossible.

Congrats to the US and England for getting through in their group.

Mon 21-Jun-10 (gastro?)

Gabi woke up fine, unlike me. My stomach just didn't feel right. No coffee and no breakfast for me. I ate dry salada crackers at work and drank water, yet I was having an increase in nausea and my body started to weaken. By the time I left work I was feeling rotten and in need of sleep.

Ben went for a play date and Gabi stayed home. I tried to play "teachers" with her, but was a little useless, as I kept falling asleep on the lounge.

It is now 7pm and I still haven't had coffee since Friday afternoon. Whatever it is, it's just lingering and annoying me.

I have an all-day work commitment outside of the office tomorrow that I can't miss, so my plan is to get into bed just after the kids (in the next hour).

Sun 20-Jun-10 (5mth anniversary)

We went to church in the morning after I (like many Australians) stayed up to watch the Aussies at the World Cup, and again come up against poor refereeing decisions. This referee (Italian) was pathetic. They did very well to end up with a 1-1 draw after playing most of the match one man down. They probably would have won with 11 on 11, or 10 on 10 had the referee done his job and sent off one of the Ghanaians for such a shocking tackle (10 times worse than what Tim Cahill was sent off for in the previous match).

Before heading to church I prayed for God to give me a real blessing, given it was another anniversary day we had to get through. We arrived a little late, just in time to see the kids straight to Sunday School. I bumped into a young lady who I last saw in the first or second week after we started attending (just after Maria's funeral). Without going into a lot of detail, I discovered she was pregnant (something I had prayed about after meeting her as I learnt that she was unable to conceive––but I said that nothing was impossible for God). I told her that her news was the blessing I had sought for today.

After church we went to Geoff and Jenny's home for lunch and I finally got to meet Jenny's dad, who is nearly 90 and just an amazing man. I was going to attend my first mid-afternoon touch footy game  with some guys from church, but it started at the time we left lunch and I was well and truly stuffed.

We had a lazy afternoon and evening, with Gabi feeling a little funny in the tummy at bed time. I hadn't had any coffee since Friday as I have felt a little the same.

Around 11pm Gabi came out while I was watching soccer complaining about her tummy and feeling nauseas. I put her into bed and gave her an anti-spasmodic, which seemed to do the trick.

Sat 19-Jun-10 (footy, sleep, soccer, 5mth anniversary approaches)

Ben played in the coldest conditions this season. His team were comprehensively beaten by a team that hasn't lost a match. They had a few good moments, but all seemed less hungry than the opposition. Ben had a very quiet match, apart from a great mark he took the final quarter. Sadly for him, his resulting kick went to the other team, who ran with it and scored. Ben's head went down, but I was so proud of the mark. He got the coach's good sport award at the end of the game.

We went to the local shopping centre to get a couple of things and had lunch out. We got home around 2pm and I could barely keep my eyes open. I sorted the kids out and embarrassingly slept for nearly three hours.

We had a quiet evening. I planned to go to bed after the kids in preparation for the midnight kickoff between the Socceroos and Ghana, but the afternoon nap has kept me wide awake. I've taken that opportunity to get some washing done.

It is now less than 10mins from kick-off, which will also see us move into Sunday the 20th. That means it will now be 5 months since Maria went to be with the Lord.

For those of you following this blog, I want to thank you for keeping posted. We are generally doing well. The kids are so resilient. All said, there isn't a day that goes by that we don't miss Maria.

Ben's school camp (17 & 18-Jun-10)

I went to bed around 2am and woke some time after 5am to the sound of torrential rain.

On Thursday morning I dropped the kids off at school (still raining heavily), then headed home to wait for one of the teachers (Ms M) to come by and pick me up to travel to camp. We ended up travelling in my car because of the amount of equipment we had to take out. It was raining steadily and heavily, but the drive to camp was a nice one.

The kids were buzzing and so excited about their first school camp. For some of the kids it was the first "sleepover". With the heavy rain, the program (Stations of the Cross bushwalk, Orienteering, Obstacle Challenge, Web of Life, Archery) was amended. For Ben's group this meant that they had to the Stations indoors and miss the Web of Life in exchange for some indoor team initiative challenges. The bad weather also led to indoor free time, which turned into a massive handball tournament. I got involved and it was a lot of fun. Didn't realise until the next morning how many muscles I hadn't used for such a long time!

Got to meet some other parents and spend time getting to know some of the kids a lot more. There was a bush dance, which Ben funnily enough got into with his mates. He was quite oblivious to all the "girl stuff", namely them asking some boys to dance or talking about dates. These are 10 year olds! Way too young in my view.

The kids went off to bed with some trying to stay up as late as possible. Ben was one of the boys who just crashed out (as expected) without fuss. One of the teachers Mr T, myself and a group of parents played a card game he taught us that night called "31 Horse". It was very addictive to the point that we didn't get to bed until 1am. There were a couple of boys we had to lift into their bunks as we had them in their sleeping bags in the hallway earlier on.

On Friday, the kids were up early-ish and excited about the day ahead. The boys in my room (I slept in the bunk under Ben) were great and had their room immaculate well before morning inspection.

The weather was much kinder to us and the kids got to squeeze in an extra activity.

I took some photos and video with my phone but won't post any of it as there are quite a few kids in the shots and I am conscious of the school policy and also my ongoing intention of clearing photos with individuals involved (or parents if they're kids).

Everyone involved was so exhausted by the end of this overnighter. Just before we got the kids on the bus one of the girls was stung by a bee. Fortunately it was the fourth occasion and she had no allergies. Fortunately even without fingernails I was able to remove the stinger.

Ms M and I got back to school a little before the buses to unload and await the kids' arrival. When the bell finally went, Gabi came flying over––very excited to see me. She even found Ben on the oval and went and gave him a huge hug. We shared how much we missed each other (first time she's been away from me without Ben, since Maria's passing).

I planned to sleep early, but ended up in bed after 2am because of soccer.

Go New Zealand!

The heading is absolutely unique, coming from my lips. You need to understand that we (Australia) and NZ are the fiercest of rivals in sport, but tonight was the first time I got to support them. They struggled with not having the same skill-set as Slovakia, but scored in the dying seconds to pull off a 1-1 draw! Good on them for their persistence. I just hope the Australian coaching staff and players were watching and drawing some inspiration from it.