I figured today that since I am not seeing J, that I would dedicate a post to him. Just because.

I don't think he even reads this blog - but it's more for me than for him, anyway. Today will be all about him, because he is sick this weekend and I haven't been able to see him since last week. Gah. I told you I was lonely!

J. and I met in 2002, and not in the place most people would think of. For certain reasons, when people I don't know ask how we met I usually just respond with oh - at a party, you know. Actually, it was fate. Or so I like to think, anyway.

My favourite band of 2001, was a band called Lifehouse. You might know of them. They are still around now, minus a member, adding on a new member, three albums later. I heard Hanging By A Moment and fell instantly in love, because that's what I wanted to feel right then. Back then I was with someone that I didn't really want to be with - and I wasn't feeling that way towards them. That song just stuck to me. Wouldn't you fall in love?

Forgetting all I'm lacking
Completely incomplete...
I'll take your invitation
You take all of me now...

I soon bought the album (No Name Face) and fell in love with all of the songs, especially Everything. To this day, that song is one of my ultimate favourites and never fails to give me chills. I did an internet search, and found that they had a message board. It does not exist anymore, however the site still does. That message board changed my life.

I met J. through there. Lifehouse was a very American band. I found out I was one of only a small group of Australians who had heard of the band (they never did get very big here) - and we started an "Aussie Thread". I met some absolutely amazing people on those boards, including Jen, who is one of my closest friends. I won't mention everyone because I would be here for days, so suffice it to say that even now, years after that board was closed down, I still keep in touch with many.

I had a bit of a crush on J, just through talking to him on the board. I knew he was Australian, but I never asked for any details on whereabouts he was from, because that just seemed to cross an invisible line for me. But he was polite, he loved the same band I loved, and we ended up emailing and talking through MSN. I remember having my 18th birthday party, and wishing he could be there, even though we had never met and that seemed a trifle strange. Turned out he only lived 30 minutes away, too. What are the odds?

Turns out that J sort of felt the same way, believe it or not. He swears that he invited me to meet up once, and I just sort of ignored him and changed the subject, so he didn't bother asking again. I swear that I don't remember that! Whatever the case, we had began text messaging via phone by then, and one afternoon in September, I was sitting in this dreadfully boring tutorial about philosophy, and I text messaged him asking would he like to come see a movie with me tonight? I sat there having heart palpitations wondering what I had done, when I got his reply - Sure. I'll call you.

He did, we met up, had dinner, saw a movie (XXX - worst first date movie ever, haha!) and it ended well. He was absolutely gorgeous (I'd never even seen a picture of him before!) and very quiet and gentlemanly. That was on a Tuesday night, and we had arranged a second meet-up on Saturday. He kissed me that night, and we've been together since.

In a few months, it will mark our 4th year anniversary. I still cannot believe that we were brought together by something as random as a band messageboard - of all the gin joints in all the world, isn't that what Humphrey says? I don't know. To me, it was fate. He's the person who knows all my weaknesses, but he knows my strengths too. He irritates me to no end, but is also the sweetest person I've met. He's just - himself. And I love that.

We have done so much together. We travelled to Europe in January of 2004, and I got to experience all of these wonderful new things with someone I had never dreamed of. I'd love to do that all over again, one day, if all goes well. Those memories are priceless.

We don't see each other as much as I'd like, despite our short distance apart. Because of work, seeing each other in the week is rare (especially since on little sleep and busy teaching, I tend to get cranky). Most of our time together is spent on weekends, where we can enjoy each other's company. We are similar in the way that we don't have big social lives, neither of us enjoy being the centre of attention. I can't speak for J of course, but I am content with that. We have our differences, and our expectations - sure. But they are something that every couple has, and I hope ours will make us stronger.

I do have wishes for us, like most females do. I won't go into them here because they are probably rather obvious, and I'm sure if you think hard enough you would figure them out. But let me just say that if there is someone I think is capable for putting up with me day in, and day out, I think I'd know who it would be. Who knows what will happen in the future? No-one can predict that. But I can hope that we will both be happy, and in love, and I can hope that we will stay together. I'd love to keep on sharing things with him.

And so - I finish this entry feeling a bit emotional. Emotional because I miss being in J's company this weekend, emotional because this has made me remember some of the little things that remind me why I love him so much. And emotional because I am so damn lucky to have met someone who still makes me feel that way at all! Get well soon, babe.

I find this post very, very appropropriate!

Why, you may ask? Because as I type, I am staring rather fondly at my bed -- and looking very much forward to laying down for the night and dreaming. Yesterday's late night (ha!) at trivia has ensured that I am a very tired girl.

When I first read the topic today, I instantly knew what to write about. My inspiration came from my lovely mother who is possibly the most fantastic scrapbooker in the world. It's true. Sitting on her study desk right now, is a scrapbooking page which is almost completed. It talks about my whole family, and how different we are -- and how we sleep. Little quirky bits of trivia about each and every one of us which makes us unique, especially when it comes to our beds. I thought I'd think about my OWN stance on myself and sleeping, and write some facts that come to mind. Enjoy!

*********

# I cannot stand sleeping on soft, squooshy pillows. Give me a pillow that is firm, and I shall be off in dreamland in no time. I adore pillows. Still on the pillow topic, I also have a fascination with LOTS of them. At present, I have four and 2 cushions, however I have at times had up to six. I grumble each time we have guests stay over, seeing as my bed is the resident pillow-hotel. I lose one every time, guaranteed!

# I used to not be able to sleep at all in the daytime. Now, I can. It helps if I have one of those eye masks, but if I'm tired and sick, usually nothing can keep me from falling asleep.

# I prefer to sleep with lighter clothes on, but cuddle up under my lovely quilt. I usually don't wear warm clothes while I'm asleep. Strange, eh? I don't know why. Perhaps it's just the feel of the quilt on my skin? On particularly cold nights I've tried to dress more warmly, however I usually end up tossing half the bedcovers onto the floor and making a gigantic mess.

# Changing bedsheets is one of the most horrible house chores ever invented. It irritates me to no end and makes me whine lots, and I don't exactly know why.

# Although, come to think of it, sleeping in a freshly made bed is really, really good. If only someone invented the self-changing-sheets-and-pillowcases bed. That's something every household needs.

# I sleep on my stomach, with my arms tucked underneath the pillow (picture me sort of clinging onto it, for lack of a better description.) I cannot sleep on my back. I can only sleep on my sides if I'm sort of half squashed on my stomach at the same time, in a sort of twist. No doubt this has done wonders for my poor back!

# When I'm in my bed, I find it immensely hard to get out of it again. Especially in mornings. Being able to sleep in is wonderful, wasteful but wonderful! I am very blessed to have a lovely (non creaky) bed that I can rest in each day. I mention non creaky because the current bed I owned, went through a phase of being rather noisy. For no reason, other than it began to fall apart after only a month of owning it. It took a case of beer and some hearty negotiation by my dad with the neighbours to have the metal re-welded together. It is now fabulous (and quiet!) once again.

And now, as I try and think of other interesting tidbits to add to this post, I have suddenly come to realise that the very call of bed is interfering with my creativity tonight. What dreams await tonight, I wonder? Perhaps they will allow me to finish off my last "Scribbling" -- seeing as that inspiration also came from the land of Nod. One can only hope!!

Damnit. I have one late night and now I've missed a blogging day for the month of June. Gah!

But it was kind of nice to get out and have some (sort of) fun. I'll make this sort of short because it's past midnight and that is WAY past my teacher bedtime and because I'm cold and my bed is warm and therefore I need to go lie down soon.

J. wasn't feeling well after working late, so he didn't come. That was the saddest part of the evening. Because I missed him, lots. And because he is the sports whiz so we were sort of useless without him. And because I missed him. Did I mention that?

My good friend L. came though on last minute notice, which was awesome. I did my first team teaching prac with L. last year and we went from strangers to friends pretty quickly. She's really a fantastic chook and I love her alot. Turns out she's having dramas with her partner of over 6 years too which I wasn't aware of because teaching has turned me into a horrible, slack friend. I missed her too. So, it was good to catch up.

We came third last. Which is the same as last year, so at least we didn't get worse. Heh. The emcee was lame, had lame jokes, had lame people dressed up as clowns but it was good fun. We had Subway for dinner and some snacks and carrots and stuff, and it was bloody cold in the hall. Only six rounds, but lots of activities in the middle and in between.

Because I am lazy I shall do the highlights of the evening in point form. Here goes. (No photo commentary today, thanks.)

# Mum, Nan, Alita and L. dancing the Nutbush and Macarena. Nan dancing with the help of her walking stick. L. winning a runner's up trophy for dancing in a trench coat.

# Me remembering (at least the first name of) that dude that stepped down so Ian Thorpe could swim at the Olympics?? What -- it's a sports question, I wasn't expecting to get any of them right but I KNEW his name was Craig. Go me!

# Winning very random prizes including a potplant, several boxes of cereal (possibly several dozen when we combine the family prizes together) as well as a free pass for a tour of the Museum of Contempory Arts, woohoo.

# BUYING $5 WORTH OF RAFFLE TICKETS AND RECIEVING NOT A SINGLE PRIZE. AND THERE WERE ABOUT FIVE BAZILLION PRIZES AND DAMNIT, NONE OF MY NUMBERS GOT CALLED. (I was quite peeved.)

Perhaps tomorrow I will provide you with a picture of the amount of cereal we won. I'm not joking, we won't need to buy anything for months. I'm all set with my NutraGrain, Rice Bubbles and Special K. Good prizes, I say. Very practical anyway.

Time for bed. And when tomorrow (ack, wait, that's today already!) comes, I'll see J. Finally! Miss him. Have I mentioned that? Goodnight!

I got bored yesterday afternoon.

So I decided to do two things. First, sign up for the whole DeviantArt thingy so I could comment on Jen's pictures and photographs. Second, make the potato bake. I actually did both. Are you proud?

Endeavour 1: The Deviantness.

You can visit my DeviantArt page by clicking on this very PRETTY PRETTY link right here. I don't have any skills in editing or anything other than clicking the camera and hitting the resize button, so don't expect wonders. But I'll add some random photos up whenever I get the chance. It's something fun and different. And woo! I have 20 page views in one day. I feel special!

Endeavour 2: The Potato Bake.

Sit back, enjoy and let me provide you with a small step by step (in big jumps) commentary of the whole ordeal.

Step 1: Find suitable potatoes ready to peel. Remember to pull up jumper sleeve even if it is cold. Otherwise it will get wet. True! Also get onions out, which you will actually not use because there are these wonderful things called "frozen sliced onions". So really, those onions in the pantry are for display only. No wonder they are growing things.

Step 2: Make sure your microwave is still in it's correct spot. If it is, take a picture of it just to set your mind at ease. (Including horrid reflection of yourself optional.) Realise just how dirty the outside of said microwave is, and put on to-do list. Or at least, someone else's to-do list.


Step 3: Peel the five thousand potatoes. Add flavouring by shaving off some of the skin off your left thumb for optional taste benefits. Chop up into teeny tiny pieces until a) They are all chopped, b) The knife breaks or c) Your hand falls off.

Step 4: Add things from your freezer - that wonderful invention known as frozen sliced onions, as well as some frozen diced bacon. Shove into bowl, slosh around. Add some cream and cheese and you're almost done. (You know, this wasn't so hard after all! Especially since I had thrown a tantrum and by now given the job of finishing off the Potato Bake to my mum, whose hands you can see in this picture.) Throw in the microwave.


Step 5: And there you have it. Potato Bake! Except by now we were so hungry that we just ate it with our chicken and bread rolls and took no pictures.

Wooo! It is 8.30pm (bedtime!) and I have absolutely nothing to blog about.

I was being creative. Truly, I was. I decided to make a potato bake to go with dinner, so endeavoured to get the camera and take "steps". Except. The camera is downstairs. I am upstairs. And I am tired. Perhaps the potato bake entry will come tomorrow. Or the day after.

So onto more rambling-ness.

My kids were really off the planet today. I jokingly told mum today was "National Feral Kid Day" because honestly, off the walls is an understatement. Even the Preschool where I had a lunchtime duty was insane, too! Must have been something in the air. Today's highlight was a spur of the moment art lesson which came to me after reading the kids "Elmer" - a book about a very cute patchwork elephant. We did our reading, our comprehension, and the kids really loved all the bright colours, so I whipped out my A3 paper and a pencil and proceeded to draw a very average sketch of Elmer. I photocopied them, and then we all grabbed the oil pastels and went on to make our very own herd of colourful elephants. Just in time for Parent-Teacher night in a few weeks, seeing as when they're done our classroom will look very, very bright. Was good!

Tomorrow after recess we get to sing and dance and watch a one hour show of performing arts, which basically means that tomorrow will also be a write off. The kidlets will be super excited (which is great) but it also means that afterwards, they'll be right off. That's ok. We'll have their performance, then we will be writing recounts about what happened. Sounds like a plan!

Speaking of (something being in the) air -- I woke up to ICE on my car windshield this morning. Standing in the 1 degree air holding a hose and spraying water everywhere is NOT my idea of a wake up call. Gah. Ice, can you believe it? It's not like we live in the mountains or anything, and it only frosts on the grass, never the roads but still. I guess now, it really is winter.

I've rounded up a few people we know (mainly family and friends of the family) to go to a Trivia Night on this Friday. A night out, yes! I am really really looking forward to it, we went to one last year and we sucked so much, it was hilarious. I am determined to do better than last time though, haha. So, if all goes well, Trivia Night will be a big success. I've got two days to memorise random facts.

So therefore, I ask:

Does anyone have any random facts I might need to know for a Trivia Night?

Comments welcomed, very very much.

Edit: Damn you Typepad, DAMN YOU for scaring me into believing my post was wiped when it was actually there all along except that I had accidently hit the back button instead of the re-edit and I was freaking out because damned if I was going to retype all the stuff I had just typed and I really probably wouldn't have remembered half the things I had posted in the first place anyway. -breathes-

The argument overall continues, in this hell
-- All of stand and point our fingers.

Why is it that this song has been in my head all day?? It's the new Eskimo Joe song. I heard it twice, and now it's apparently stuck. Gah. It could be worse, but I barely even know the lyrics. Only the main ones, anywho.

How I wish long weekends went for longer than a weekend. Today just felt like any other Monday (except that it's a Tuesday, ha!) -- meaning I still have lots more work to do and not much time to do it.

Parent teacher interviews are starting the week after next, meaning I have a crapload of work to do. I wanted to get the kids trays ready with everything neat and tidy, but the likelihood of that happening is rather slim. I need to check I've marked "most things", I need to get the room looking spiffy (well, even spiffier if you know what I mean) and I need to just be organised. If I were super organised I'd have a little portfolio made up for each of the kids but it's doubtful that'll happen. I am going to print out the report comments I wrote for each one, and have that there ready to talk about too. It's only for 15 minutes but that could take an awfully long time. I'm becoming slightly nervous.

This is a very random and sporadic post today with no real theme because that's a bit how I feel right now. Random and sporadic.

I am glad that my good friend Stefi is coming back to Australia in a few months. I didn't get to spend anywhere near as much time with her as I would have liked, and she was here for a good six months at least last time. =/ This trip is only a short visit I think, but I'm determined not to miss out this time around! I also want to eventually go for a road trip up to visit Jen too, although she doesn't know this yet. Mwahaha. Lots to do (or want to do) but not enough time.

I had my bunnies in last night and it was so nice. I wish they lived inside instead of outside, because it's a pain in the ass trying to get them out of the bloody hutch. Bella goes insane and I swear her eyes are one day going to bulge out of her pretty head. Lucy is so cute -- she spent ages last night licking mum's chin !! Don't ask me why she found that so appealing, haha, but bunny kisses are damn cute. Luce spends most time snuggling up with us (but don't let her on the floor because she is damn fast and hard to catch!) whereas Bella stays well away and just looks nervous all the time. Silly rabbit. I am in the mood for more bunny cuddles today so I think I'll get them in shortly. Yay.

I drove home today following someone who was driving the exact same car as me. Down the the colour and model and everything. And now I can definately say that my car is very stylish and sexy from behind. Except my number plates looked better than hers because hers were yucky yellow ones and mine are black and white. Non-biased view, of course.

A few people wrote to me and asked me to finish off my "Mystery" story that I wrote for Sunday Scribblings last weekend, which I found very flattering. It was nice of people to actually stop by and read it, so thanks if you left a comment or emailed me. Gives me the incentive to maybe finish it off one day, although I doubt the conclusion would be as fun to write as the beginning.

I think I'm just about done now. Time for bed? At 4.30pm? It's possible!

I think I forgot to mention in here that I managed to sell my old car, a couple of days ago.

We sold it to a teacher from my work's husband -- he is just starting a new job and needed a runaround car, so he grabbed it off me for $2000. Cash! So my first baby, my "May" as she used to be so lovingly called, my sort-of pride and joy, now belongs to someone else.

AND I GET $2000 OFF MY CAR DEBT! HOORAH!

It did get me thinking though about some things I will miss about my old car, and the experiences I had with it. So without further ado, I present to you; The Biography (or is it Auto-Biography, haha, get it, Auto?? -snicker-) of my White Corolla.

When I first turned 16 and got my Learners permit, my dad instantly made me attempt them in a manual (or stick shift) transmission. He said he learned that way, and that if I learned to drive in a manual, I'd be able to drive ANY car in the future. He also told me cars were cheaper in manual, so little old me said "Okie Doke" and off we went to look for cars. I don't remember how or where we found it, but not long after we started looking, we came across a little Red Corolla sports edition -- manual, with air conditioning, really cute little car. Dad bought it, and I was going to pay him back.

It was a really pretty car. I remember dad taking me out around the backstreets driving it. I remember me freaking out, because I couldn't figure out how much pressure to apply on the clutch and it was all too hard. I remember dad freaking out because I obviously wasn't picking up this whole manual thing as well as he had. I should also mention here that my father is a bit of a drama queen. He tends to throw himself forward and over exaggerate bumps and turns if he is in the passenger seat of a car -- really making the driver feel uncomfortable and quite useless. He still does that sometimes even now, although not as much.

I got lessons with a professional driving instructor. My first instructor was this balding old guy whose name was Philip (why do I remember that?) and he was terrifying. He screamed at me whilst driving, screamed at me when I did something wrong and even went so far as reaching over to the drivers side of the car and yanking the steering wheel to pull over. He didn't last long. The second driving instructor was also a manual, and he didn't speak much English and was sort of useless. He didn't last long. By now, I had sort of decided that driving a manual was too much and I JUST WANTED TO DRIVE AN AUTO SO I COULD PASS THE BLOODY TEST. Seriously. There was no way I was going to pass the actual test in a manual, I wasn't confident enough.

So, I broke the news to dad, who freaked and flipped. We sold the beautiful car. (I don't think dad has ever forgiven me for this, by the way.) We went looking for another one -- automatic transmission this time around. We found one in the city, owned by this lady who barely drove it anywhere. It had no air conditioning, but it was nice and white and in good shape, and only cost us about $5000. We took it. I got lessons with one last instructor (whose name was Bruce -- again, WHY can I remember that?) He had a nice car and didn't shout at me ever while I was driving with him, even when I miscalculated some islands in the middle of the road and gave his nice car a not-so-nice scrape down the side. -cough-

I went for my driving test when I was 18, and I got them. First go. I was very proud.

Since then, these are some amazing little facts that you know you want to know about my first car.

# It had central locking which was always possessed and never worked properly.
# I had to change it's hubcaps a few times since I had nasty experiences with gutters.
# The dent which was at the rear of the car (which you can't see in this picture) happened when I was working at Jeanswest near J's house. It was a Thursday night shift, late, and it was just me and my workmate in the car park. We had a chat for a long time, then got into our own cars. I reversed (looked too, let me tell you) and put my foot down -- and reversed side on into a pole. Okay. So I still get tormented about this to this day. I said pole. It was actually a rather ginormous shopping centre pylon in the undercover car park. Shutup. Big dent. End of story.
# It was involved in my first ever accident at the end of last year. I wasn't at fault -- someone from America with an expired license decided to turn right from the left lane. It gets tricky explaining our road rules sometimes but suffice it to say it left me with a bent and battered old car which had to get repaired.
# J. was the first boyfriend to ever sit in this car.
# It had a CD player but it died and when I sold it last week, only played fuzzy radio stations.
# I blew the head gasket and the radiator on the car a few months ago which cost me over $1000 to repair. Nearly as much as what I sold the car for -- scary, eh?
# My car made the trek to Newcastle with me to visit Jen, and back, without blowing up! I am yet to do that mission yet with the new car, but I want to!!

Farewell, old friend. You will (sort of) be missed.

I found this nifty post from a fellow teacher out there (Thanks Kathy!) and thought I'd steal it, to post up here. It made me think alot, and it's funny how many things I agreed with from her blog! I'll try and think of some "unique" ones.. Enjoy!



My Top 5 Teaching Loves

1. Hearing the kidlets say that they missed me when I was off sick for a week.


2. When the kidlets amaze me, by being on task and doing exactly what I ask of them every so often! Most times, there is always at least one person who has a problem, sometimes it's all of them just having a bad day -- but those days where the lesson you had planned runs off without a hitch. Priceless!


3. When the kidlets get excited about their learning. "Miss, can we please do some more reading??"


4. When I get to use stamps, give stickers, give awards and give PRAISE. Love that!


5. The thousands of little drawings, anecdotes, stories and all that jazz that I have recieved, and it's only been six months!!

My Top 5 Teaching Peeves

1. THE HEADACHES. (And the sickness too, I suppose) I've gone through so much medicine this year -- and again, it's only been six months!!


2. The parents who expect miracles from their children when they don't: a) Send them to school with the right sorts of food to eat. b) Send them to school ON TIME. c) Send them to school with A FREAKING PENCIL. Gah.


3. Having no support for kids who NEED support.


4. Kidlets with messy books. Must have neatness! Must write on lines! Must not be messy. Ha. (Yes, I realise I have a Year 1/2 class - but some kidlets take their time and others just.. have icky books.)


5. People that tell me I have an easy job. ajshsajkhgffd.

This sounds rather lame, but I had a dream last night - and I thought about it the second I woke up, and figured it fit the bill of 'mystery'. We'll see! ((By the way, this is my first piece of writing in a long time, so bear with me on this one and be nice!))

****

How we got to this place, I don't know; it all seems too much like a dream. If I pinch myself, I know it is real - same as if I look at the expressions on my peer's faces, I know it is far from but a simple dream. Flashbacks come to me in the night. Flashbacks of a ship, of a storm, of a fury so great it hurts to think of. All I can do now, is wait. Wait to see what happens. Wait to see what is in store. Just wait. And while I do that, think about all that has happened. Think about all that may happen. Think about all that will happen. Wait. Just wait.

They looked around them, stunned. What they saw? A vast spread of lush, green grass with an array of plant life scattered around them. The air was quiet; the atmosphere calm. Even the sounds coming from the trees seemed to feel - right. The only factor that didn't seem right, was the table standing aloof in the centre of the grassy knoll. The old-fashioned table stacked high with fruits and vegetables of all descriptions, all in pristine condition, merely awaiting the individual to pick one up and devour it. It appeared a very inviting feast.

In a flash, it dawned on them why they felt so uneasy. Why was it, that though they had all been deposited in this place, wherever it was, none of them made a move to sample any of this awaiting cuisine? It was not through lack of hunger, for the gnawing had made itself apparent long before they found themselves staring at the spread. No, it was not hunger. It was something else. Something which stilled them from reaching over and taking their fill of the goods in front of them.

One of the men looked indecisive, his face a mixture of expressions. He stepped forward, faltered, and paused in his stride. The others stared at him - wondering what his plans were, all hoping there would be no repercussions for his action. The man shook his head as though clearing his mind. The rest watched, silent. In a flash, the man had moved. The others glanced around, and found him on hands and knees underneath the broad wooden table. One woman gasped.

The man arose, a blank look on his face. In his arms, he carried a handful of rope, fastened tightly together with cord and shaped to form crude nets. Without thought, the rest of the group came forward to recieve a net, and went to work packing them gently with the food provided. Still, not one dared to sample the fruit, until all was placed neatly away.

The group looked towards the man who had made the first move. Without a word being said, it was apparent that he was their leader, their saviour perhaps? He appeared to take this shift of leadership in his stride, and with a tilt of his head, turned to face the trees behind them. He set off, the others following. As they trekked through the forest, netting bags hoisted on their shoulders, it occurred to several of the group that they had yet to utter a single sound. They walked on.

The man stopped at the first clearing they passed. It was filled with an array of plantlife, however appeared to be less harsh than the terrain they had been walking through previously. Hearing a familiar sound in the distance, he pushed back an overhanging fern and was greeted with a sight which brought relief to his heart. A river awaited them, far below the ground on which they walked. A few hundred yards to the right of their position was a waterfall, not a fierce one but a gentle one, which trickled across the cliff and joined it's river-partner with splashes of greeting. Water was something they needed. They would stay here.

The group continued working without speaking. They did not need to speak to know that this would be their place of rest. They did not need to speak to know that how long they would reside here would be unknown. They did not need to speak to realise that the vegetation they carried in their netting was not for eating, but for planting. They did not need to speak to feel that still, something did not feel quite right. They each fell to a job in silence.

The group was small. Only now that they had stopped moving, did they look around to observe one another. The leader stood silent, facing the waterfall with not a movement. The other men appeared in control, busy taming the ferns and plantlife in order to make shelter. The women bustled around, still in utter silence, performing tasks they did not realise they needed to do. One woman instructed her two children, with no words, to stay out the way and stay quiet. The young boy and girl merely accepted this fate, and sat. The clearing was eerily still.

Nightfall came.

The group sat nestled together in the clearing, sheltered by branches of pine and fronds of fern. A fire had been lit. One section of the clearing had already been turned into a would-be harvesting area. Awaiting plantation, it sat, rows of fine soil already paved into crude lots. Buckets created from wood, sat waiting - waiting to be filled with water. The waterfall continued to trickle knowingly into the river. One by one, they drifted into sleep.

Morning came.

The leader awoke with an abrupt start. He was not alone. A glance showed two young children sitting in the rear of the shelter, eyes alert, watching him. Gone, were the other group members. Rising to his feet, the leader observed the boy and girl curiously. They too, had risen when he had, expectant eyes watching, waiting to see what he would do next. For the first time since they had arrived here, wherever here was, the man opened his mouth to speak. Sensing this, the girl halted him with just a look. The boy moved towards the opening of the shelter. He pulled back the branch flap, and with a look, invited the leader to observe what lay awaiting outside.

With a sense of dread, the man clenched his teeth and peered outside..

Gah! I am a bad Aly who almost forgot to update for.. a whole day! -gasp-

I woke up this morning with a headache, it started pinging me with tiny little ouches from about 7.30am when I was driving to work. Got to school, did my pre-school preparation, went to Buddy Reading and did all of that, and then 9am came.

And with it, the horrible, very ouchy headache that was probably a migraine that grew constantly worse all day which left me being at home by 3.20pm with a night mask on. It was absolutely horrid. I am writing this now at 7pm, as I was knocked out by Panadeine Forte (or something, I don't remember) at around 4.20pm. I guess the Panadeine Forte mixed with the Panadol and the Nurofen I had going around in my system across the day, worked.

Why is that the days I have a headache, the kids were completely rowdy and off the walls? My little hand-bell is all rung out after today, but ugh. I'm keeping this short because tomorrow I'm going to write a Sunday Scribblings and because I'm still really, really tired. Back to bed I go (after eating some NutraGrain cereal for dinner since mum didn't cook for me).