Anthony Malloy

Harry Potter in Yarraville…

(and it looks like I wasn’t the only blogger in The Sun this morning)

No, not for us or for Beth (congratulations Beth), I’m talking about Harry.

Tomorrow morning is Harry Potter time. At 9.01 the last Harry Potter (say it ain’t so Jo) is available to the world. I’m trying to avoid any spoilers that may be floating around as I’ve pre-bought our copy at the local book shop in Yarraville. I won’t be lining up at 9.01, I’ll let the kids crowd for their copy but I’ll be there not too much later.

Our only problem is who gets to read it first. I claim that as paid for it and I’m picking it up I get first dibs. Rae claims that as she’s at home with the kids she should get first go. The money or the kids, what a modern predicament.

Back in the mid 90’s I was having a talk with my mate Mark. He is a primary school teacher and had taken a record in to school that day to play to his kids. One of the kids piped up ‘Oh, I know that is. It’s a record, my mum and dad have some.”. He said that was the first day he felt old.

This week I bought a CD and I’m wondering if Bert, Henry and Kennedy will one day tell their teacher ‘Oh, my mum and dad had some of them. They’re what you listened to music on in the old days.’.

I’m hip, with-it and cool. I download my music, have two iPods and my radio station of choice streams from London (all hale 6 Music for getting me back in to music) but sometimes I just have to have that shiny silver thing you put in a machine. Thinking about it there are really on three acts I’d still buy the CD for – Paul Kelly (this weeks purchase), New Order (if they haven’t broken up for good this time) and Pet Shop Boys. Maybe Billy Bragg and Deb Conway too but that would be it. I almost succumbed and bought PK off iTunes, especially as the tracks weren’t hobbled with DRM restrictions, but just couldn’t bring myself to click that Buy Album link.

Maybe next time. Maybe…

“So, how are you going?” would be the question of the week.

The answer is, not too badly.

We’re at that great stage where the babies sleep most of the time, well, the day time any way. They seem to sleep just fine during the day but at night they take it in turns to keep mum and dad awake. Thanks to our fine national broadcaster’s habit of broadcasting British films from the 1930s and 40s in the wee small hours I am slowly becoming an expert on the career of Sir Alec Guinness. Last night he single handedly saved Malta from the evil Huns while wooing a local lass.

We’re both tired and by the evening fuses tend to be a fair bit shorter than they were in the morning but Rae is doing amazingly well for someone who can only get her sleep in two hour blocks. Things haven’t begun unraveling yet and there’s going to be some tough times ahead but we’ve survived a week at home and are almost half way through the first month.

 

Saturday night, Rae is feeding so I get started on the paperwork for registering the babies with our wonderful government.

Before getting past Q2 on the form I have to get a claim number. Okay. This can be done via the web or phone. Of course I choose the web option and find the link at the bottom of the page at www.familyassist.gov.au. Before proceeding I have to register to get a Customer Access Number. Okay. I click on that link and then nothing for a minute until I get either a invalid proxy server response message or a page not found error.

Great.

I jump on the phone (I can dream). Dial the number, 136 150, and all I get is ‘Thank you for ringing, goodbye.’ and the phone disconnects.

As you can see, we’re all home now and the real work begins.

I just want to say the hugest thank you to my beautiful wife. She has done an amazing job through a difficult pregnancy and she can still smile. She has given these beautiful young people the best start in life they could wish for and has, to use an old fashioned term, given me four wonderful children. There’s going to be challenging times ahead juggling twins, the terrible twos and traumatic tweens and teens but I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful woman to go through them with.

I love you Rae.

They’re all coming home tomorrow!

Day 2 quick update.

The names : Henry Robert for our boy and Kennedy Lois for our girl.

Mum is absolutely exhausted as the kids aren’t being kind with feeds. Nana Zita is keeping our home front together and I’m off to bed.