Life between coffees.
An article, ‘Derrimut starts to come of age’ was in the Brimbank Leader 16/7/2010.
I was amazed to see that the population of Derrimut was only 9 in 2001 – the year I met my wife. When our estate, Brimbank Gardens, is finished next year it’s population alone will be 4500 residents.
Watching the live coverage of Julia Gillard heading off to Canberra on Saturday was great, minute by minute updates as she moved from her home to Canberra. As the car pulled out of her Altona house I noticed the C1 numberplate. A couple of hours later her car pulled out of Parliament House, complete with C1 number plates. Now I really have to know – how many C1 cars are there dotted around Australia or do the plates follow her wherever she goes?
Here’s a list of the most recent items I have bought on Ebay.
So I’m just wondering why Ebay displayed this to me when I logged in today.
When we first moved to the lovely suburb of Derrimut it was us, a few houses and lots of empty space. While that seems oh so long ago it’s less than two years now. In that time the empty space has all but disappeared; it won’t be long until the final subdivision is completed and the builders move a little further out.
There was nothing much here then. We had to go to Deer Park for shopping and Phee elected to stay at her old high school rather than try a local one. Now we have a shiny new primary school just around the corner that’s had a year to prepare itself for Bert’s arrival and cluster of shops has appeared at Foleys Rd offering car washes, pizzas, fish and chips and a convenience store for the locals, but today is the big one.
We get a shopping centre.
Coles is opening today, just a few blocks easy stroll away. No more calling Rae to pick up the missing ingredient for dinner, no more late night or early morning drives when we run out of milk. No more twenty minute round trips for a few items. Now, all within a ten minute walk, we have a supermarket, a train station and a school (with more shops being built opposite it). I don’t think we can quite throw away one of our cars yet, but the times, they are a changin’.
UDPATE
Just back from a quick look. It’s a really impressive shop. Light, bright and the deli/meat/fresh produce area looks brilliant. Lots of people, the car park was full, although half seemed to be Coles execs/employees looking at the place. Their employment ads sais it was ‘start of the art’ for supermarkets and they may just be right. Here is the outside on opening day.
Happy 3rd birthday to our twins, Miss Kennedy (Moo Moo) and Mr Henry.
Sometimes you strike gold. Rae’s off at the movies with a girlfriend tonigh, Phee is at Nana’s so it’s just me and the kids. The cupboard and fridge are pretty much bare as it’s the end of the shopping fortnight so I was bit stumped for what to do for dinner. I decided pizza was the way to go so I made some dough. One base fine; bit of cheese, some mushies, capsicum and the kids are happy. Then I had a spare base. I could have frozen it but I decided to try something a bit different. I drizzled and rubbed in in olive oil, rubbed in some crushed garlic and then three different cheeses on top.
Oh my god.
It’s amazing. The kids have finished the Three Cheese Garlic Pizza and left the other on their plates. I should keep some for Rae to try but I’m not sure my will power can stretch that far.
I am desperately trying not to eat the whole box in one afternoon.
(Just another reason I love my wife, she bought them for me.)
Bon Voyage Uncle Rob.
We all went out to the airport this morning to say bye to Rob as he left for his and Nigel’s big European adventure. Have a great trip Rob, can’t wait to hear the stories when you get back.
How great was that, we got to go on a date!
Thanks to Zita baby sitting I actually got to go out to dinner and a movie with my wife, just my wife, no kids. Those who have grown up kids or lots of babysitters on tap may wonder what the fuss is about but to us a night together alone is more valuable than gold. We got to have proper grown up food (no fries!), proper grown up conversation, a stroll along the street and then to watch a film that didn’t feature talking frogs. Mind you Animal Kingdom isn’t what you’d call a date movie, at least not in our books, but it was a sensational film.
Best part of the night was the fog covering the freeway on the way home. It brought back memories of nights long ago, driving out in the cold and fog, trying to remember which was the Deer Park exit so I wouldn’t miss my date with this amazing girl I’d just met.
Funny how things come full circle.
The most amusing postcard has just turned up in the mail. It’s from V/Line (the state’s country rail operator) and they are offering us the chance to win ‘a family trip to Melbourne’.
Just where do they think we are? Derrimut is approximately 20k from the city as the crow flies – I can see the lights on the Eureka tower from our driveway. I bet they’re not letterboxing Oakleigh!