.. last week i had volunteered (on behalf of our school community) to be part of a 'forum' discussing the problems and possible solutions in regard to papers that have been created to 'deliver' the much talked about (and extremely rushed because of politicians) ... 'Australian Curriculum' for Queensland... I'm one of many mum's (home tutors as we are called) who teach their own kids due to being Geographically Isolated...
Now I don't want to bore you with too many details, about the forum because if your kids are out of school, then number 1 - lucky you! and number 2 ... if I'm going to read a blog it's got to be interesting and possibly funny!
ok... so here was my 3 days in a nutshell ...
Wed ... 5am ... rise, dress and drive my husband's Toyota Hilux into Julia Creek (where the weather is a lovely 2 degrees yes, that's Celcius girls and boys !!!!) and leave the vehicle at the local workshop for a service ...
My fellow traveller (and also home tutor mum Kylie) is ready and waiting in her lovely warm Toyota and we head off to Mt Isa which is a few hours away to catch our plane to Brisbane ...
Amazement ... I haven't heard anyone screaming 'mum' for hours and feel slightly liberated ...
It's been a while since I've been on a jet anywhere, so very excited to see there's a tv touch screen in front of me and I can actually watch something that isn't animated ...
Nerd that I am, I decide instead to finish making my list of 'issues' and possible outcomes for the writers since i hadn't been organized enough to prepare it that earlier this week when I was pasting up signs in the kitchen all about jobs that needed to be done while I was away... Now, here comes the lovely flight attendant and oh... and what's for lunch ??? chicken curry ?? yes please!!!!
Arrival in Brisbane ... always fun to get a cab ride anywhere and the excitement of being in a city never fades for me... I used to live in Brisbane and so much has changed ... a new 'tunnel' for the traffic and just people watching in general is fun ... suddenly feeling like a bit of a 'bushie'.
After we drop our bags off and freshen up, it's off the the Queen Street Mall, where I'm 'power shopping' for our 7 yr old daughter's birthday presents ... I have a few backups at home, but should really look to seal the deal with some 'Pearlie' books that she loves so much...
OMG .. STARBUCKS !!! It's like heaven and Kylie and I indulge in a grande latte or something fancy like that...
Dinner in the city that night is fun with the other ladies who've come down for the forum. It's delicious and I'm loving the opportunity to wear my heaviest winter coat ... feeling a tad stylish and still no screaming 'mum' anywhere to be heard ...
The forum is a very busy day and a half which provides some good results, some average and all the while I'm thinking how far down the food chain we really are to be making much difference to what academics are writing for our children... Nevertheless, we all say our piece and gather valuable feedback from the other home tutors, and selected teachers and Principals, Head Mistresses who have attended. Could elaborate here, but like I said ... too boring for blog reading !
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| ... something very positive from the forum ... ;-) |
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More wonderful shopping fills the late afternoon and none of us waste an opportunity when we notice HUGE SALE signs in Myer and Queens Plaza ... it's our lucky day!!! (But yes, we really are focussed on the curriculum and our children's education ...really !!!)
More coffee, (in case I don't see a STARBUCKS for another 3 years ...)
An extra bonus is that my lovely cousin can spare the last evening to pick me up and we go to a fabulous restuarant (which means I'm not cooking again - yay!) and tonight I'm having risotto for the first time in ages! Red meat is almost always on our menu back home ...
The forum closes around 1.30pm on Friday, so just in time to get back to the airport and check ourselves in ... check our bags in ... get scanned for explosives by the local security man - because as mothers that's that we are usually carrying in our matching Prada bags... He amuses us no end and we race off to check out the news stands that seem to have so many more cool magazines than they do back home ... just need one more ...
I allow myself a nice restful flight home ... and work out how to watch "Safe Haven" suddenly realising what all the
hub-ub is about Josh Duhamel.
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| ... hmmmm |
Arrival in Mt Isa (I think the first officer is practicing his landings) and Kylie and I head for the highway. Her skilfull driving amazingly gets us back to Julia Creek (without wounding any of the huge kangaroos that are dangerously looming too close to the side of the road) by 11.30pm ish ... I figure they must see a lot of traffic, unlike the kangaroos I know I'll be encountering when I drive home on our bush road.
... and then ... it happens ... CRASH back to earth ... my husband's ute ... all loaded up with a new fridge, some ramps and other random 'farm' things has a flat tyre... nooooooooo ... I contemplate sleeping in the back since it's freezing and there is no such thing as RACQ out here. Kylie insists we try changing it, but I call my husband (thank GOD mobile phones work in this town!) my husband talks us into pumping the tyre up (since it may only be a slow leak you know ... ) with a little compressor I magically produce after working out how to pull the back seat out of the utility ... WOW ... I can't wait to do this...
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| OMG ... i can totally use this thing now... can you believe it ??? |
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| ... and here is my proof ... groan ... |
Tyre has what looks like enough air in it after we stand around shivering and recalling our fun 3 days away and so Kylie heads off to her family as I start my slow journey home.
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| ... ok, so this is not our car, but pretty similar ... you get the picture??? |
It wasn't the end of the world ... just had to drive pretty slow and keep stopping to check my tyre and load - luckily I had a cute little 'girly torch' in my handbag and only had to re-pump it up once along the way... Amazing ... I went from the highs of ordering a latte on the streets of Brisbane, to being out in the freezing cold in my swish 'town clothes' standing under a full moon while kangaroos bounded around me, waiting for my tyre to pump up again! ETA ... 2.30am ... girls ... they say our lives out here is "character building", but I can tell you some days, I'm just not that interested...
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... when I eventually find my mobile phone, I'll have to see if the picture I took worked or not ... and will replace, but basically this was my view ...
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| ... and there I am in my black stockings ... shoes surrounded by dirt ... yay! |
... thanks go to Google for {almost} all my images ...
~ so ... how was your week ???
