Work and work

It cannot possibly be 10 days already since I last wrote a post - maybe I am in a parallel universe, lol - or it could it be because I am still working both ends of most days. Have not a day off since I last wrote though have had two only half days, woohoo.

I have just got in the door - not long after midnight, the second night in a row from the residential job. Tonight I had to negotiate round unfamiliar roads back here as there was some sort of drama at the second roundabout on the way home, with water flooding the road and I was diverted. Don't you just love driving around streets you have know idea where you are. I decided to head straight down to the waterfront knowing I would connect up to the main road a little further along sooner or later - whew. Although I miss the great outdoors at Tardun, there is a certain magic driving home along the waterfront on a clear night (which is most of them, lol) with all the lights of the port and the shipping lanes, combined with the lights of Geraldton at night - the colours are amazing and it looks like fairyland. The boys at school told me last week there was to be a special moon on Friday night - it was overcast so never saw it - and driving back tonight, I wasn't sure whether I saw a huge moon with a reddish light on the horizon like an upside down sickle shape but much bigger, or, was it was something to do with a ship maybe - it looked amazing whatever it was.

Last week did not start well, I think maybe tiredness had me at low ebb and missing contact with nearest and dearest due to my crazy work schedule at the moment. It also rained, lol and it seemed that the mood infiltrated both jobs. We had a new boy start at school and two less than compliant ones return so that completely changed the dynamics of the group. We had had a great week the week before so was quite a stark contrast. Kids that have been doing ok turned somewhat feral and the rest of the staff also struggled. We have strategised and debriefed at our Friday meeting so hopefully have come up with some positive ideas to better manage new enrolees and the comings and goings of others. The good news continues re attendance with our best lad reaching his 20th day in a row tomorrow and nearly 10 "ten day in a row" movie tickets have been given out.

I worked all bar Thursday and Friday evening at the residential home last week and that has been interesting too. We had two children arrive for a respite care situation - aged 1 and 4yrs old. It was full on as that meant there was three under four in the house. The 1 year old took her first steps at the beginning of the week she arrived and was doing up to 30 steps in a row by the time she left. I got heaps of work as it was decided to increase staff to three for morning and evening shifts and they had an extra person on nights sleeping over as well. Having the two new kids altered the dynamics in the home as well so reckon I could referee for FIFA by now, lol. I spent most of my time with the two older children so concentrated on homework, stories, and kept them amused with games outside in the afternoon.

We have had a game about snakes and rabbits going for about a week now - which began when I was trying to direct the boys in play without doing too much damage to each other. The round trampoline is on the ground at the moment as the netting needed replacing so that has become a burrow that a snake lives down. One boy was the snake, and the other two were rabbits who hopped near to the snake's lair, who could possibly be caught and eaten. We started with the snake asleep, in hibernation for winter (I have played with artistic licence here as not totally sure of snake facts, lol), then it would be spring, the snake would wake up, and pretend to be asleep so the rabbits would hop nearer and onto the trampoline where the snake would feel the vibrations as they were coming, wake up and with hissing and arm up in the air to be the head and teeth, and would try to leap onto the rabbits and be venomous (the boys word, lol although it was more like vemonous heh heh).

The following day, one of the boys had to go off site so they were a snake short and you guessed it, after one of the other staff had to go do another job, yours truly did not only have to continue to direct the game,(yelling out warnings to snake and rabbits,), I had to BE the snake. I was good at hibernation - ie lying and resting on the trampoline and waiting. One of the rabbits decided to gang up on me with the other and try and get me from behind. Managed to grab one and sink my fangs (fingers) into his leg whereupon he wanted to become a snake too. I was now a snake who got bitten by the other snake and hope you will be impressed to know I died brilliantly - arms and legs in the air,hissing and writhing in death throes to great appreciation from my audience. I thanked the almighty fervently that there were no cameras about, nor any other adult witnesses.

The following day it was decided to play pirates and superheroes again using dress ups. There was only one cape so improvised with a black wrap around skirt that I found and two pillowcases tied round the necks of the two smallest boys. The playground was used to good advantage and there happened to be foam swords in the toy cupboard so there was lots of slashing and sword fighting involved which went down a treat. One of the boys has a very interesting imagination and threads all sorts of stories into his play. Q Lynn, are pirates good guys? Hmmmm, thinking the only pirate that comes to mind of late is Capn Jack aka Johnny Depp so maybe I am biased but isn't he a good guy??? So, we decided sometimes they are good and if they are on the other side, sometimes they might be bad. Note to self - need to read some pirate books pronto. The sword play gave pause to the continuous noise of gunfire that emits from these lads as they spend hours shooting each other and laying waste to the planet. What ever happened to cowboys and indians???? Today the two older boys were being firemen and I had to have my cat rescued from up a tree and then to call them as my house was on fire. It is great to see these boys use their imaginations to play outside - it certainly keeps me on my mettle coming up with new ideas to keep one step ahead.

Last night unfortunately their play came to an abrupt halt as while I was in the kitchen getting the roast pork on for dinner (I know, and I am being paid as well, lol), the boys were playing swimming in the sea and jumping off the playground equipmentinto the sand below when the 3yr old jumped after the two bigger boys and broke his arm on landing. They were being watched by another staff member who immediately gave aid and took him to hospital where by some miracle he was seen straight away. He came back later that night with his arm in plaster happy enough to have been given an ice block by the Dr for being so good when his arm was set. Meanwhile, the two others decided they did not want to come inside for dinner and were going to camp out for the night. I finished cooking the dinner, served up mine and started eating and then decided to check where they were at - they were under the net on the trampoline so fished the younger of the two out, got him inside and when he saw my dinner, he immediately wanted his and the other one followed him so all was well.

The bonus of the week was having Jude come stay a couple of nights. She has a part time job cooking for a rest home just around the corner and coming up from Dongara each day did not make sense. We passed like ships in the night for most of the week until Thursday when she finished by 7pm and I had the night off. She had 6am starts so needless to say, I never heard her go in the mornings and got her to leave the tv on at night so she did not wake up when I got home. She will be back tomorrow I think and this week so far, I do not have any work in the evenings so hope to catch up with her a bit better.

Everywhere you look at the moment, there is news of the federal elections coming up next weekend. I am unable to vote as I am not a citizen and do not really understand the convoluted politics over here. There is federal government and then state government. There seems to be news coverage of Julia Guillard doing the rounds kissing babies, cracking jokes with blokes at work, mooching about schools and not much different with Tony Abott, the main opposition. Not sure either would be my choice if I could vote. Other news of note is that it is 30 years since Azaria Chamberlain was taken by a dingo and her mother Lindy Chamberlain was jailed for her alleged murder. I missed a documentary last week where she and her family returned together for the first time collectively since then to Ayers Rock where they were camping when the baby was taken. It is a case that has always fascinated me coming after the case that divided NZ not long before with Arthur Allen Thomas being incorrectly jailed for the alleged murder of his neighbours. What a toll it has taken on Lindy Chamberlain and her family.


I did catch up with Mum briefly during the week. I snuck on to msn in the morning when I woke up to check if I had any msgs and up she popped so went to skype but was busted as I was still in my pjs while it was after midday in NZ, lol. It was good to catch up on all her news. It is well beyond the witching hour so will sign off. I am working at school in the morning and have set up an anti-hag treatment at the hairdressers in the afternoon. Am really looking forwards to that.