Today is my first full study day!

Inigo listening to “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” by the Scissor Sisters while eating his weet bix. He now knows what mama’s headphones are for. Though I was using them for listening to lectures, honest!
There’s so much more to it than I ever thought possible.
Today is my first full study day!

Inigo listening to “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” by the Scissor Sisters while eating his weet bix. He now knows what mama’s headphones are for. Though I was using them for listening to lectures, honest!
if you don’t have have any chickens?
So cool that he has such a direct connection to where food comes from at such a young age 🙂
Granville Boys High School victim will survive stabbing.
I wondered why there were TV cameras outside the local high school when we went to playgroup this morning.
I know it’s a long time till the kid hits high school, but FAR OUT. Not OK.
Just in case you’re interested in cloth nappies, here is a deal that looks pretty attractive. Minkee pocket nappies for $6 US each, $5 if you buy more than 8, and free shipping if you buy more 12 or more.
And a free wetbag with orders over $99.
Almost makes me wish I had a baby…
Or just shock. The pretend kind. Inigo loves to act surprised. At length.
Recorded a couple of weeks ago when we first used our “outdoor lifestyle“.


I don’t believe in a higher power. I don’t believe in fate. I want to believe in karma, but I don’t. But sometimes, things fit together so perfectly, that you have to wonder if there is some crazy connection. Serendipity squared.
On Sunday night, I applied to study Psychology at uni. On Monday, I saw an offer on Freecycle of Psychology textbooks in Merrylands. I responded straight away, and the reply came back straight away with an address. Which was less than 500m from my front door.
I went to pick up the textbooks on Thursday afternoon. I met Ruth, who is a retired psychologist, and academic. She was lovely, and offered to help me with my homework! At this point I began to feel that this was really happening. I was going to go to uni – how could I not with such a positive “sign”.
And then I got home and checked my email. There was an email from UNE, and I logged in to my account to find out that I had been offered a place in the Social Work degree – and missed out on my first choice. Yes, a smart person would have thought a bit more about preferences, but hey, it was all very last minute.
But when I missed out, it just didn’t feel right. One of those “this isn’t the way this is supposed to happen” moments. Like when I went into labour with Archimedes. Not RIGHT. Not OK.
I couldn’t do anything to change the outcome for my beautiful Archie, but I could do something about this, so I did.
And in other news…

This is what happens when a small boy with good suction comes across a small Yakult bottle. Photographed in Hyde Park after Miriam’s birthday lunch.
When I was a kid, my maternal grandparents would collect spare change throughout the year in a big glass jar. Mostly copper coins, at the end of the year we would carry the jar on the train to Martin Place, where my grandmother would take us to the beautiful Commonwealth Bank Building. We’d meet Dad, who worked there, and he would put the money through the big counting machine and add it all up. It was then divided by two, Adam and I would each get half to buy ourselves a christmas present.
Then we’d have lunch (usually at the Woolies cateteria, or fish and chips that we would eat in the park). And then Nanna would take us to St Mary’s Cathedral, where we would light a candle. Nanna would pray, for Michael, for her mother, I never knew, but I knew it was a special place, and meaningful to her.
So after we had Miriam’s birthday lunch (at Bodhi, where Mark & I had our wedding reception almost 7 years ago), I took Inigo to the cathedral, where we lit a candle for Nanna, and one each for Archie and Aubrey.

Apparently, I just applied for university.
On Friday, I found out that UNE applications close tonight at midnight, so today, Inigo skipped his nap, and went to bed at 5.30 so mama could scan documents and talk herself up.
Number one on my list is a Bachelor of Psychology with Honours. This is either proof that I am completely unhinged, or a great way to distract myself from the inescapable pain of everyday life.

And here is a picture of a small boy in a home made tutu.
Inigo: Were you scared when you were in hospital mama?
Me: A little.
Inigo: You are a very brave girl mama.
Me: Were you scared Inigo?
Inigo: No, I was looking after you.
Funny how the kid doesn’t talk about the babies, or the hospital, or the doctors, or whatever for ages, then out of the blue, Bam! Clearly he is still processing…
I normally stay away from trite platitudes and I hate poetry. I can’t stand the bulk of crap that is forwarded on email, and I am generally quite cynical. But this is a simple way of describing how I am feeling to people who can’t imagine. It is like a wall hit me in the face, that I hurt all over, and I can’t go back to the way things were – while the rest of the world walks in the sun…
You are walking along fine with everyone else and the sun is shining and all is well, then you walk SLAM into a brick wall. And it hurts – it really hurts. It hurts your head and your chest where your heart is and your stomach. And it shocks you as only slamming into a brick wall can. It stops you dead in your tracts. And you stand there thinking, “How did I not see that coming? What the hell happened? How could someone just do that to me?” And you look around and everyone else seems to be walking round the wall. They are carrying on like nothing happened and the sun is still shining for them. They don’t even see the wall. They don’t even know it’s there. And you realise you didn’t even know it was there till you hit it – you didn’t even know there was a brick wall you could hit – not now, not at this stage. And slowly you pull yourself back together. The pain in your stomach has turned to a sick feeling and your heart still hurts, your mind racing with questions about this brick wall – How, What, Where, Why??? Mostly WHY??? Why on earth would someone make you walk into this wall – why did they have to put it in front of you and no-one else?
And you can walk again now the pain in your stomach and maybe your legs has lessened. So you slowly make your way around the wall and to the other side. But it doesn’t look the same on the other side. It’s greyer and emptier. And you know you’ve left something behind – something very precious and you want it back. So you turn round and there is the brick wall behind you and it seems to hit you with the same force again when you realise you can’t go back. It’s blocking your path and it will always be there. You pummel your fists on it and cry and shout at it but it’s unbreakable and absolute. It won’t let you get your precious bundle back – that has to stay on the other side and you must carry on without it. You can’t go back to the path you were on before you hit the brick wall – it’s impossible. So all you can do is go forward and walk on from it. But it’s hard going and your legs don’t seem to want to walk away from it. You know when you look over your shoulder it will always be there. It may fade a bit from view but if you look closely you will always be able to see it – even in the distance. And you look around you again and see all the people who never hit the brick wall carrying on too. You tell some of them about the brick wall and they sympathise – it must’ve hurt they say. You are looking very well despite this brick wall – you have no cuts or bruises on the outside because those heal. So you must be doing ok then now they say. But my wounds are on the inside you feel like screaming. How can you not know about this brick wall – why couldn’t you walk into instead of me? And then you feel bad – you know you wouldn’t really want anyone else to walk into that wall.
Some people are ok – maybe they have seen the wall themselves in the past or came close to it – maybe they are really good friends/family who close their eyes and do try to imagine walking into the wall. They are the ones who help you keep walking away from it. People tell you that you’ll never hit this brick wall again – it only appears once in your life. And you want to believe them even though you can’t ever be sure. Up ahead it looks like maybe your path does cross back into the sunshine again – the same sunshine that everyone else is basking in. And you can maybe just make out another bundle waiting for you to pick up and carry with you for the rest of your life. And maybe if you are strong and keep moving forward then you’ll reach it one day. But it’s not the same bundle as before – it can’t be. That one is behind the wall. The wall that’s always there if you look over your shoulder. And written on it forever more is the message in letters a mile high, that only you can see “My darling baby. RIP”.
Rachel Butterworth (written for her daughter Rhianna, born sleeping 16/10/05.)
Taken from SANDS newsletter “Footprints” 2006 issue 2.
Today was the babies due date. Most twins are born early, so the date has very little meaning, but still, I have been dreading this day, the last “anniversary” that connected me to this pregnancy, to the hope I had for my babies and the future of my family.
Today, we picked up their ashes. They sit behind the picture of Archie that graces the bookshelves in the living room. Just behind the front door when it opens.

So after we picked up the ashes, a dragonfly flew into my head. At the funeral, Steph brought stickers, some of which featured dragonflies, and since then I have seen dragonflies often when I have thought about the boys.
We found the grave that contains Nanna and Michael, and the ashes of George. Still unmarked, I was planning to add the boys ashes and add a headstone down the track.
Then we went up the hill to the Presbyterian section of the cemetery, and had a picnic in the rotunda.
Inigo went home with Nanna and Gonad for tonight (so Mark and I can go to the Opera in the Park), and I came home and put on the Joy Luck Club. The Joy Luck Club is my go to movie for when I am feeling sad and need a cry.

