Author: awmalloyadmin

These pencils were a present yesterday – my wife rocks.

7 years ago today these beautiful kids arrived.

Happy birthday to my two youngest, Mr Henry and my Moo.

This time last week I was in a bit of trouble.

It had been going a few days but last Thursday morning I admitted to myself that I really wasn’t seeing very well and with the looming Easter long weekend I’d better do something about it. So I made an appointment with my optometrist. I packed up the kids and we drove in to town after not being able to get a car park at the station I intended to go from. Of course this made what was becoming a stressful  situation even more so. 

After, eventually, making it in and having yelled at my poor wife who had no idea what was going and why I was so on edge I saw my optometrist. He had a quick look and said it’s either nothing or you’re off to the hospital.

It ended up not being nothing.

Apparently my retina had detached and things weren’t that good (“It’s not sight threatening, yet.”). Instead of sending me to emergency he suggested a clinic just around the corner that could see me straight away. So off we went and spent a couple of hours being scanned and then propped up to have the retina sealed back in to place by laser. And that hurt.

Now I’m stuck with a “massive” (their words) floater that may or may not go away over time. Things are still uncomfortable but I can mostly see what I need to. It was scary, and without a wonderful and understanding wife who forgives me for being a horrid husband, it would have been doubly so. I’ll be happier when the floater goes and my eyes aren’t so tired at the end of the day but until then I’ll be pleased it didn’t turn out a lot worse than it could have.

People collect many things but it seems I’ve inadvertently started collecting dead mice. I found these five in a drawer I was cleaning out and there are a couple more sitting next to the kids PC. Why on earth would I have kept them? I’m currently using a Microsoft Touch Mouse, although the battery life isn’t that great it’s a smooth mouse, but I’ll probably end up at back with the Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000 before too long.

Anyone have any ideas on what I can do with these? I wonder if they could be of use to anyone or if they should just go in the bin.

I walked out in to the kitchen just now and saw some Salada’s on the bench.

I had an instant flash back to my early teens. Mum and Dad had just bought a wonder of modern technology, a microwave oven. It was beige, had thick brown doors and a dial to set the time. My favourite thing to do was to grab a Salada, slice some tasty cheese and watch it bubble away as the biscuits slowly spun around. I must have eaten the entire Australian cheese industry production that year.

I’m so tempted to go and do it again right now…

Coles have recently released a range of Lego minifig like footy player characters, I think there’s 34 all up. I was shopping yesterday so I bought three packs. Each pack is sealed so you have no idea which of the players is inside, although by now I guess you can probably pick up whomever you want on Ebay.

Anyway….

I held out the three bags and kids each picked one.

You wouldn’t believe it but Moo picked her favourite player straight away. First go she got Jack Reiwoldt and boy, was she happy.

But the luck didn’t end there. Mr Henry managed to pick a Bulldog too (although not his favourite). Poor old Bert had to settle for a Saint.

It’s back – Tony’s Tipping has just been re-opened for what, I think, is it’s 10th anniversary.

Join up, the less you know about footy the better. http://www.footytips.com.au/comps/TonysT

This morning Henry and I went to the shops. I popped in to Toy World to buy him a Lego minifig and while there I remembered something I had seen with Bert. It’s been a rough week this week with the death of Brone and a crushing work load that ended late on Friday with an email that still has me grumpy for being so wrong and inconsiderate, so I had some fun.

I bought myself a model plane.

I haven’t built a model in what must be 20 years. I have two incomplete helicopters that have been living in the same plastic bag ever since I met Rae and I have vague memories of completing one helicopter when I lived in Kew oh so many years ago. Being rusty I bought a beginners kit that came complete with little pots of paint.

It started off like this

and ended up like this.

Not bad for a quick job on a Saturday afternoon. I haven’t applied the decals yet (I’m hopeless at that) but it’s painted and glued and I had a huge amount of relaxing, therapeutic fun sitting at my kitchen table and thinking of nothing else.

I have a funny feeling it won’t take so long to complete the next model and those helicopters may yet see the light of day.