tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-321555032024-03-13T10:44:22.952+11:00Hairy Mountain FolkThe curly-haired ones, Bianca and Phil, bumble (Bianca) and stride (Phil) their way around the world.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506803740542991911noreply@blogger.comBlogger268125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-79717232321362017352015-05-25T20:19:00.002+10:002015-05-25T20:19:57.866+10:00Getting closer!!Our development application has been sent to the neighbours by the council for feedback. I guess this is a sign that we are in the final stages of the DA process! Eeeeek. The proposed house is over 100m away from the neighbours and they seem a friendly bunch so we don't expect any issues (famous last words). Fingers crossed for the 4th June - this is when the neighbours have to reply by. Bianca is finally getting excited :DPhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01821482494903178048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-74175520442614658512015-04-30T17:22:00.000+10:002015-04-30T17:22:16.571+10:00Development Application is in!The DA is in with the council! Along with Flora and Fauna report, Landscaping plan, Fire risk assessment, Basix report etc. Hoping to get the approval in a couple of days! :P It may take a bit longer than a couple of days though... Can't wait to find out if we can build where we want and what we want. It's weird to put so much work in and not really know if we can build it.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qyBJoREdIoHZPhW4mHB3ozAXhRgAppux3uWcuCR6rYftq62dcObnmpUCqV-uBoUjUdKWfrssb92gx688rT8mrkixGLyeolRV4R-Prdxh4Cfu-rUlfj86u7dSJRB9souhF_pH/s1600/IMG_2243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qyBJoREdIoHZPhW4mHB3ozAXhRgAppux3uWcuCR6rYftq62dcObnmpUCqV-uBoUjUdKWfrssb92gx688rT8mrkixGLyeolRV4R-Prdxh4Cfu-rUlfj86u7dSJRB9souhF_pH/s640/IMG_2243.JPG" /></a></div>Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01821482494903178048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-81626524276369090982015-03-16T13:44:00.001+11:002015-03-16T13:46:32.565+11:00Version 2 of the houseI think the house floor plan is pretty much locked in now. We are really happy with Ingrid's design <a href="http://ingriddonald.com.au/">ingriddonald.com.au</a>. Below is an animation of the rough 3d model of the house along with how the sun falls in winter and summer inside the house which is solar passive in design. <br />
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Here is the new floor plan too.</div>
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<br /></div>Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01821482494903178048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-77667352820828198502015-03-11T14:27:00.000+11:002015-03-11T14:27:37.641+11:00Flora & Fauna ReportWe have a copy of the draft flora and fauna report. Obviously we have protected trees :D Seems we also have a bower bird nest with blue junk around it and the remote cameras picked up a swamp wallaby at night. Here is the picture of the guilty looking critter - obviously the gate isn't working well and we still have uninvited visitors on the block ;)<br />
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<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01821482494903178048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-70699491201011799802015-03-08T14:22:00.001+11:002015-03-08T14:22:16.451+11:00The chestnut treesI have been working a lot on the chestnut area of the property. The chestnuts have had a good prune so they aren't touching the grass anymore. They hadn't been pruned at all and where they met the grass was full of blackberry and rotting leaves. I will wait until I can clear up the mess to show you what a change it makes but here is a before picture with the latest toy - a massive trampoline. <br />
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It seems to be coming into chestnut season too. They are beautiful and red brown.<br />
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<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01821482494903178048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-24237213892011084112015-03-08T14:09:00.002+11:002015-03-08T14:09:50.696+11:00New gates to Noginson ManorWe got our hands on some old steel gates (many thanks to Mark). After lots of sanding, cutting, welding (many thanks Scott), painting and digging I finally got them hung. Very pleased that they are level and meet in the middle. Just need to clad them with something now. Perfect fit :D<div>
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BTW Noginson Manor is just a working title and the creative team, Bianca, will get to it in her own time.<br /><div>
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Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01821482494903178048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-3577228085774474902015-03-03T07:58:00.001+11:002015-03-03T08:03:08.926+11:00Pizza oven(s)A few people have expressed concerns, rightly so, that they couldn't see a pizza oven on the plans. Well the architect was more interested in roof lines, pfff, than pizza ovens D:<br />
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I do have a two ovens in mind though. One is internal via a masonry heater oven which we will hopefully use for daily bread and maybe pizza. So when you look at the 3D model and see that column of brick in the main living area that would be slow combustion fire, thermal mass and winter oven.<br />
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The other will be on the south facing deck so its sheltered. The glass doors from the dinning room area will access that sheltered deck.<br />
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So don't worry the house is actually designed around pizza ovens :D<br />
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<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01821482494903178048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-78191193752607637292015-03-02T16:39:00.000+11:002015-03-02T16:39:00.172+11:00BIG meeting with Architect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Things are starting to get serious. We own the land and we have the first real images of the new house design. These are still early designs and the model is done in SketchUp. They will be a bit confusing unless they are explained, and they have already changed, but I have attached a couple of pics below.</div>
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A rough estimate is a month until we can submit the Development Application (DA) to the Blue Mountains City Council. There is a lot of work to do so lets see how we go. </div>
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We are really glad we have a great architect to help us on this journey.</div>
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<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01821482494903178048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-19881930476702246392015-03-02T15:45:00.000+11:002015-03-02T15:45:18.146+11:00Death of a map<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We are entering a new phase of our lives and want to blog about our new house build. So the big interactive map is going. Here is a screenshot for those that don't know about the big trip we did. We have lots of lovely posts and pictures from the trip on this blog which you can read if you want by starting here <a href="http://www.hairymountainfolk.com/2006_08_01_archive.html">Aug 2006</a>.</div>
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<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01821482494903178048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-17170839120806222342013-01-29T18:03:00.000+11:002013-01-29T18:03:00.142+11:00Attack of the giant vegetables<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When it rains, it pours ... vegetables. After considerable effort and investment to get our vege patch up to scratch, it is now paying us back with mountains of zucchini (courgette), cucumbers, peas, beans, lettuce, carrots and is just now delivering the first tomatoes.<br />
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The kids love picking and snacking on snow peas and raspberries straight from the garden and are even taken with the novelty of eating raw carrot with the big bushy tops still attached.<br />
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The zucchini plants have been ridiculously prolific and despite my best efforts to pick them (and give them away), occasionally a few sneak through and go gangbusters. These three enormous marrows are the result of our week away on holiday. No idea what I'm going to do with them but as the family is well sick of zucchini, I think I'll have to hide them in muffins and loaves and fritters.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-65853212609882216062012-03-21T19:36:00.001+11:002012-03-21T19:36:24.386+11:00Nina's 3rd birthday<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/6845802292/" title="Nina's 3rd birthday"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/6845802292_edb1bc85ec.jpg" alt="Nina's 3rd birthday by Bianca Nogrady" /></a><br/><span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/6845802292/">Nina's 3rd birthday</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/">Bianca Nogrady</a> on Flickr.</span></div><p>Hard to believe but three years have passed since Phil and I were handed an utterly gorgeous little bundle of squirm called Nina and took our first tentative and terrified steps as parents. <br />In an appropriate fashion - namely in a house packed to the rafters with toddlers, babies and parents - we celebrated Nina's third birthday this week. Her party was one to remember ... our ears are still ringing after nearly 20 kids and 20 adults somehow managed to cram into our house. <br />Nina was showered with presents and rather enjoyed being the centre of attention when her Elmer the Patchwork Elephant cake was brought out and everyone sang 'Happy Birthday'. <br />It was a wonderful day, and a fitting salute to this beautiful, hilarious, precocious, cheeky , loving little girl.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-19499690096140438692011-11-26T17:59:00.001+11:002011-11-26T17:59:39.822+11:00'Gamma and Gamma' come to visit<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/6305046242/" title="Grandma and Nina in the garden"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6047/6305046242_8dea64d136.jpg" alt="Grandma and Nina in the garden by Mistress B" /></a><br/><span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/6305046242/">Grandma and Nina in the garden</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/">Mistress B</a> on Flickr.</span></div><p>Last time Pam and Keith Robinson saw Nina in the flesh, she was just six months old, while Pascal wasn't even a twinkle in his daddy's eye. <br />So there was plenty of catching up to do when they visited this time, and all parties made the most of it!<br />We've had a lovely nearly-four weeks with Pam and Keith staying at Casa Noginson, spoiling Nina and Pascal to within an inch of their lives, and generally making themselves incredibly useful around the house by tackling all those jobs that Phil and I just can't seem to find time to do. The bathroom has finally had the finishing paint touches put on, the lounge room has been repainted, the garden is looking better than ever, and now that they've departed back to the UK, we face the unwelcome prospect of doing the washing up ourselves for the first time in weeks.<br />Nina loved having her 'gamma and gamma' around, and had them jumping through all sorts of hoops. I'm not sure Keith's legs will ever be the same after running up and down a strip of bubble wrap for Nina's amusement ("Again, Grandad! Again!).<br />And Pascal was never short of someone to cuddle or feed him, so he was happy as a pig in mud.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-70497741154824900962011-11-26T15:02:00.001+11:002011-11-26T15:02:53.591+11:00Don't get between Pascal and a sandwich<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nospuds/6398913083/" title="megalong valley picnic"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6100/6398913083_073201545c.jpg" alt="megalong valley picnic by nospuds" /></a><br/><span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nospuds/6398913083/">megalong valley picnic</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nospuds/">nospuds</a> on Flickr.</span></div><p>Some of you may recall that we went through all sorts of grief over Nina's weight, or lack of it, when she was younger. She was always just hanging on to the bottom of the so-called 'healthy weight curve', barely eating enough to keep a sparrow alive yet somehow still having the energy to run rings around us on an hourly basis.<br />We don't have that problem with Pascal. In fact, Pascal is never happier than when seated in his high chair or on the floor with some kind of food in his hand. Sandwiches, bread crusts, fruit, cheese, vegetables, rice cakes, egg ... it all goes down without touching the sides, with great lip-smackings of approval.<br />Despite this consumption (which is currently about twice the volume that Nina consumes, and she's 3 times his age), he's right on average weight. Go figure. He does have those gorgeous little rolls of chub on his legs though, which I just adore.<br />Meanwhile, Nina still barely eats enough to fill a sparrow but still has the energy of a roomful of grasshoppers.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-442836410232148282011-05-20T15:24:00.001+10:002011-05-20T15:24:02.661+10:00Gumnut baby<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/5698079743/" title="Gumnut baby"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5187/5698079743_a560215784.jpg" alt="Gumnut baby by Mistress B" /></a><br/><span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/5698079743/">Gumnut baby</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/">Mistress B</a> on Flickr.</span></div><p>Pascal is growing so fast... one minute, he's a little wriggly newborn, the next he's a barrel with legs who's already outgrowing clothes his big sister was wearing not so long ago!<br />He's a better sleeper, and eater, than Nina ever was, although we're still getting nights where the longest stretch of sleep I get is one hour. But even in the wee hours, when I'm cross-eyed with tiredness, he just throws me one of his chubby-cheeked smiles and I melt all over the place.<br />Pascal's gorgeous babyness and Nina's wonderful exuberance are the perfect balance for the third baby occupying my time - my new book project. In contrast to The Sixth Wave, this book is about death - a bit of a change of subject matter.<br />I'm exploring the human experience of death from a range of perspectives, and to do that, I'm interviewing people from all over the world to talk about their personal experiences of death. It's inspiring, challenging, rewarding, exhausting and emotionally intense, but I'm incredibly excited about the project and can't wait to share some of the amazing stories and insights I've come across in my research so far.<br />The book has a publisher (hooray!) so all I have to do is find time in between nappy changes and cuddles to write it. Wish me luck!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-68837040913886434142011-03-02T12:47:00.001+11:002011-03-02T12:47:07.439+11:00Pack horse<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/5445583913/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5017/5445583913_dc0e00005b_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/5445583913/">Pack horse</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mistressb/">Mistress B</a></span></div>There are advantages to having broad shoulders and being a solidly-built Yorkshireman, as Phil has discovered now that he's the daddy to not one, but two little kiddies. Nina, despite weighing well over 10kgs, still loves riding on Daddy's shoulders (and why wouldn't you, when the view is so good!), and now Pascal is discovering the benefits of a broad warm chest, courtesy of our hug-a-bub sling.<br clear="all" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-26336692873528013872011-03-02T12:37:00.001+11:002011-03-02T12:37:59.716+11:00Pascal Oliver Robinson<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/5445580465/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/5445580465_969b317717_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/5445580465/">Pascal Oliver Robinson</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mistressb/">Mistress B</a></span></div>... born at 11.15am on Wednesday 9 February, 2011, weighing 3.6 kgs, displaying a healthy vocal ability and already looking as cute as his sister.<br />And so the Robinson/Nogrady family expands to a happy foursome with the arrival of Pascal. So far, he has proven a champion eater, sleeper and pooper, as most newborns do, but already seems to be showing signs of being a fairly calm little character. <br />Nina is being a gorgeous big sister, bestowing lots of gentle little kisses on Pascal's sleeping head, and is adjusting really well to having a little baby in the house.<br />Lots more pics and video to come!<br clear="all" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-51825951719598767092011-01-19T18:38:00.001+11:002011-01-19T18:38:36.038+11:00Choccy chops<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/5368935949/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5245/5368935949_ee8e7f3aef_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/5368935949/">Choccy chops</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mistressb/">Mistress B</a></span></div>So it has been a very VERY long time since we've added to this blog, and yes, we're very slack, but in our defence, it has been rather a busy time! <br />Phil has been burning the cerebral candle at both ends, working very hard as a consultant on HotFrog and also working hard on his own project nospuds (www.nospuds.com.au), which is coming along in leaps and bounds.<br />Bianca has been mothering, baking and travelling around the country talking about The Sixth Wave, and in the meantime, also brewing up another little person (aka Bob the Bump, due around February 13). <br />And Nina has been gorgeous, which takes a lot of effort. She is growing into a very affectionate, strong-willed, fun-loving, funny and absolutely delightful little individual who continues to charm the pants off both of us. <br />Anyway, that's about it for the time being but I thought I should probably update this blog before it became totally obsolete.<br clear="all" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-79656284468850259112010-05-10T11:42:00.000+10:002010-05-10T11:42:04.192+10:00The baby who walks<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r4nWmWG-P9w&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r4nWmWG-P9w&hl=en_US&fs=1" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>Finally, after making very certain she was going to be good at it, Nina has decided to walk by herself. It's a momentous occasion for Phil and me, as it means we no longer have to walk around hunched over like Quasimodo as Nina clings to our hands (Phil more hunched than me, obviously). </div><div>She seems a lot happier now that she's able to reach out with both hands and pull things off shelves, benches and out of cupboards. The house is a bombsite, but we've given up on maintaining any semblance of order during the day, and just wait until she's in bed before we put back the DVDs, put away her toys, put the cookware back in the cupboards, put all my carefully ordered paperwork back in my in-tray and retrieve my credit cards from the bin, where she's posted them.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-30042982618605623482010-03-10T14:24:00.002+11:002010-03-10T14:25:53.090+11:00The book is here!<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/4421571698/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4421571698_a9019ac43e_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/4421571698/">The book is here!</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mistressb/">Mistress B</a></span></div>It's hard to believe, but after nearly 2 years of work, The Sixth Wave is finally published! It isn't due to be released in bookstores until the beginning of April, but I have in my hot little hands one of the first copies off the press. The website is also up at <a href="http://www.sixthwave.org">www.sixthwave.org</a>.<br clear="all" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-15499405044095780072010-02-25T07:49:00.001+11:002010-02-25T07:49:54.812+11:00Nina pumpkinhead<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/4384993475/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2736/4384993475_66a1e41461_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/4384993475/">Nina pumpkinhead</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mistressb/">Mistress B</a></span></div>Nina's nickname of Nina Pumpkinhead (one of many terms of endearment we have for this little munchkin) is particularly appropriate since she absolutely loves pumpkin. It's like catnip for her - add it to any meal and you can guarantee most of it will go down, although she inevitably gets it all over her face and ends up with orange eyebrows.<br />These pumpkins are from our garden - first time I've grown them - so I'm pretty stoked. The garden has done magnificently this year thanks to good amounts of sun and rain. We got masses of snow peas, beans, broad beans, spinach, rhubarb, quite a few zucchini (courgettes), a few asparagus, quite a few raspberries and masses of blackberry (although these aren't technically in our garden but on the strip of council land next door)<br />We haven't blogged in ages but it's been a manic few months, especially with Nina waking up every 1-3 hours at night. But we've just finished 5 days at a residential sleep school and she now sleeps through the night ... hurrah!<br clear="all" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-52898440975470025642010-01-23T18:46:00.002+11:002010-01-23T19:22:51.946+11:00Why Bianca has been a bit quiet on the blogging front...... apart from the fact that the delightful Nina fills our every waking hour (and there are plenty of those) with smiles, giggles, crawling, the occasional tantrum and plenty of general babyness, I have also been occupied with writing a book. Call it insanity, call it overly ambitious, call it an exercise in time-management and dedication, but somehow I managed to co-author The Sixth Wave with my equally busy friend James Bradfield-Moody, scientist, engineer, ABC celebrity and whizz kid whose ideas form the foundation of the book.<br />And finally, it's nearly here! The Sixth Wave is due to be published by Random House Australia on 1 April this year (click <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/Books/Default.aspx?Page=Book&ID=9781741668896">here</a> for a sneak peek at the cover and contents).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-28581306474131328852009-09-21T14:52:00.003+10:002009-09-21T15:00:33.914+10:00Nina Mobbed<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nospuds/3940261584/" title="Nina mobbed by Chinese tourists by nospuds, on Flickr" ><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2559/3940261584_a38cb8590a_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Nina mobbed by Chinese tourists" style="border: solid 2px #000000;"/></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nospuds/3939214209/" title="Nina mobbed by Chinese tourists by nospuds, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/3939214209_e90ee02261_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Nina mobbed by Chinese tourists" style="border: solid 2px #000000;"/></a><p>We have just been out to Katoomba for lunch with Nina in tow. Bianca and I have decided that we can't go travelling to Asian countries for a few years as we will never get out of the hotel lobby with locals going crazy over Nina. We have been out and about with Nina a couple of times around the Blue Mountains and been mobbed with enamoured Asian tourists. This lunchtime I got it on camera. Also got a short video of Nina eating a straw while we wait for food.</p><p>Bianca: What this photo doesn't show is me flapping in the background like a nervous mother hen as all these complete strangers pass Nina around like the latest accessory!</p> <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="400" style="border: solid 2px #000000;"data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=fa4d2b1819&photo_id=3940267228"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=fa4d2b1819&photo_id=3940267228" height="400" width="300"></embed></object>Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506803740542991911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-18747586201284042032009-08-28T09:40:00.002+10:002009-08-28T09:43:42.933+10:00Food wrangling<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/3862697171/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2640/3862697171_97ce0e94c8_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/3862697171/">Food wrangling</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/3863480842/" title="Phil trying to get some food into Nina by Mistress B, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2556/3863480842_da73f9714d_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" width="240" height="160" alt="Phil trying to get some food into Nina" /></a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mistressb/">Mistress B</a></span></div>Despite her parents' fondness for their tucker, Nina is far more interested in the world around her than she is in eating. We've been getting all sorts of grief from the childhood health nurses over her weight - she sits right on the bottom of the healthy weight curve and this week has actually dropped off the healthy weight curve. We've tried every trick in the book to cram more milk into her but we've come to the conclusion that she's such an active little thing that she just burns up way more calories than she eats.<br />So the latest solution is to start her on solids, seeing as she's nearly 6 months old. We're trying some baby cereal to try to get some more calories into her (but still breastfeeding as well), but it's easier said than done ... as these photos show. I think more of the cereal ended up on her face than in her mouth, and it was helped by the fact that she kept trying to grab the spoon and do it herself!<br clear="all" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-65734155390217916222009-07-21T15:20:00.001+10:002009-07-21T15:20:13.616+10:00First girlie outfit<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/3741950448/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2657/3741950448_68c44a61a8_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/3741950448/">First girlie outfit</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mistressb/">Mistress B</a></span></div>Poor Nina spent the first couple of months of her life largely in her pyjamas while we tried to get the hang of juggling it all, but we have become a little bit more adventurous with her outfits and she has acquired some rather stylish little numbers, including this cute knit dress. It's a long way from the 'funky goth chick' look that Phil is hoping for, but they don't really make baby clothes in black.<br clear="all" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155503.post-17589241653016079042009-07-07T21:11:00.001+10:002009-07-07T21:11:36.333+10:00Mothers' group<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/3662073250/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3644/3662073250_a4e98a336f_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressb/3662073250/">Mums and bubs yoga</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mistressb/">Mistress B</a></span></div>I haven't blogged about my fabulous mothers' group yet, and I don't know why because as Phil will attest, I never stop talking about it! <br />All new mums are put in touch with other new mums and bubs in the area (of the same bub age), via the childhood health nurses up here, and it's a fantastic program. It started with four get-togethers organised by the nurses, but now we organise our own get-togethers, and it's a non-stop social whirl. <br />We have a regular Friday get-together at someone's house, which is always a fabulous frenzy of babies and women (and some men) chattering, but then there's also mums and bubs yoga, bushwalks, gallery visit, movie excursions, endless excuses for lunches and home visits ... there's barely time for Nina to get her daily naps in!<br />It's exactly what we both hoped would happen when Nina came along - that we would meet other parents and finally start to establish our own social network in the mountains. <br />And it's lovely to think that these are the kids Nina will grow up with, go to school with, get into trouble with ... no, of course she won't be getting into trouble. With her innocent angel expression, she'll be the one standing in the middle of it all saying "moi?"<br clear="all" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0