Lovely Family Day Out

We all had a lie in yesterday and got away latish after we hung washing, loaded the dishwasher and put corned beef in the slow cooker for dinner.  We took two cars which was nice, Kate, Josh and I had an Emily free trip, she went with her dad.  We picked up some sausages and drinks from IGA but they had no bread rolls so we drove on to Temora and stopped at the supermarket there and got soft and crusty rolls, some more sausages, turkey chorizo, and some jam doughnuts and cheese and crackers.  We got to Centenary Park and it was cold and windy but we are die hard picnic/bbqers from way back and soldiered on.  We had packed out little bbq but decided to use the park ones under a shelter.

The kids played handball for ages.  Kate is a real motivator, gets everyone moving (and thinking).

Phill and Em put two crayfish traps in the lake with no luck.  When Em checked hers she threw it back in but let go of the rope.  Only Josh and I weren't wearing jeans so I  took my shoes and socks off and rolled up my trackies and waded in to get it.  The water was freezing but not unpleasant, I probably could have gone for a swim, I love really cold, cold water for swimming.

We had a really nice day, simple fun it was and just being together like the old days when we were a family of five.  Well we still are obviously but one of us doesn't live here anymore.

We drove home happily, and came in to the smell of corned beef cooking.  Later I cooked potatoes and carrots and Kate made a wonderful white parsley sauce, she is a great cook, I taught her well but she has honed her skills since being out on her own.

This volcanic ash business is a worry, she is supposed to be flying home on the weekend.  I've decided not to drive her up to Sydney, I will get her a ticket on the train and she is happy with that.  I just can't afford the time it would take me to drive up there and stay over and then drive back.  I'm hoping to start our lease this Friday and take our time moving in and cleaning this place.

Got a phone call from one of the police who attended on Friday.  He was disgusted, but not surprised, that we were brushed off yet again by mental health services.  I thanked him and his colleagues for their help and support, we really have the best of the best in this town regarding the police.  I joked and said they were almost like part of the family now they've been here so often and he joked back that they'd be moving in soon.  We both agreed we have to laugh as a survival mechanism sometimes.  My plan now is to take her to the doctor and tell our story and hope they can begin testing her for hormone levels (she still hasn't started menstruating), and anything else that may be affecting her mood and behaviour.  We've all agreed that we need to keep jumping up and down and demanding help from the services that our tax dollars pay for or help will never be forthcoming.

This is the futon we hope to be getting for the family room in the new house.  It folds down to a bed.

Phill has left this morning to go back up north, and I really didn't want him to go but hopefully he won't be gone long.  I have plenty to keep me busy in the meantime, I want to have some time with Kate without drama and conflict, poor thing hasn't had much of a holiday.  I'll take her out somewhere during the week and we can have lunch together just the two of us.

Yesterday at the park a group of disabled women were kicking a ball about across from where we were and Phill turned to me and said "And we think we have problems".  And we do, but then we looked over to our three healthy (physically) children playing together and got some perspective again.  Yes we have issues to address with Emily but we'll get there, we have a lot of love and we'll stick together and get through this.

Queen's Birthday holiday Monday today, sitting up in my warm bed while the kids sleep, with a hot cup of Lady Grey tea, the Sunday papers and the new tv on, going to enjoy some solitude and down time.