Still Crook, Phill's Birthday, Sad News and Katy's Homecoming

We're still all sick, more so Josh and me.  It's a funny bug, it kind of comes and goes.  We'll be alright for part of one day and then it comes back again the next.  Phill got a bit of it when he was home but he didn't complain about it this morning before he left again.
Katy came home on the train on Saturday afternoon.  It's been a few years since we've seen her but nothing has changed at all.  She slotted right back into the family although she obviously doesn't have her own room, we have her on Em's old mattress in the dining room with the table pushed up against the sliding doors but she's warm and cosy out there.

I must have knocked the camera off its setting because some photos are really blurry.  That's Kate with her red bag walking towards us.  It was a very happy reunion.

We had a roast pork dinner that night with chocolate pudding in spite of me feeling awful.  Emily has been at odds with her sister recently and all but ignored her when she first arrived (she came to the station with us mind you) but it wasn't long before Kate had won her over and they are all getting along so well.  Kate is really sweet with them, it makes Phill and me so proud to see it.  We all have the same sense of humour so all we've done is laugh and laugh.  Kate dyed Em's hair, and brushed it and styled it and she has had some lovely talks with Josh (they are very similar). 

Sunday was Phill's 52nd birthday.  Kate got the portable Ipod speakers he wanted to take on the train, and we got him a nice bottle of port, some chocolate macadamias and some scratchies and the kids wrapped it all up pretty and wrote on their card for him.

We went out for lunch at the club and it was really nice.  I can't describe what it is for me to have our little family back together again.  Nothing has changed except we're all a bit older and wiser and more appreciative of each other.

Poor Kate really came at the wrong time with us sick, we were all home in our pjs today, but she went down and got groceries and some nausea tablets for us.  We made Spaghetti Bol for dinner with garlic bread and the kids had leftover chocolate pudding.  Then we watched some tv and the girls are out there now laughing at "House" and Josh is in the bath poor little man.

Phill went back up north this morning and rang tonight again going on and on and on about finding a house and moving etc.  I am just so over it, it's ridiculous and when I was disinterested he had the hide to say "thanks for your input".  Grrrrrr......I told him I don't know what he wants me to say, he wants this not me so don't expect me to get all excited about it.  He is now (again) talking about pulling the pin and just coming home.  I wish.

Kids and I are planning a trip up to Sydney at the end of the week, not sure if we'll go and see Nick off overseas, or just go up to the mountains and see my girls and the grandbabies.  It will be fun to do a road trip now I have my car back!!!

I am loving having my girl back home, even for just a little while, but I suspect she will come back to NSW in the future.  I think being here is making her see what she is missing having a family who just love and accept and appreciate her.  She will never live at home again, permanently anyway, as she will be 22 in September and that is as it should be, but to just have her a car journey away, instead of a six hour flight would be wonderful.

Kids playing the chocolate machine.  Kate is taller than me now.

And the sad news of the death of one of  Kate's schoolfriends from her first school in Junee.  Michaeli died in a car crash Friday week ago.  She was the most beautiful, little blonde girl when Kate knew her in year 5 or so.  She married young, but was only 21 when she died.  Kate ran into one of her other Junee friends who works in the local supermarket here and Carley mentioned she'd been to Michaeli's funeral on Friday, and another one of that group had said something cryptic on FB.  I did some googling and we found to our shock that it was indeed Kate's old friend.  Kate went quiet and I remembered hearing news of old school mates of mine who'd died young and it's such a shock. 

Rest in peace Michaeli.