Thoughts on work

With the end of the financial year looming I have to decide on my plan to reduce my hours. Originally I was deferring this to the end of the year, but I feel I can manage cutting down to 4 days a week now. I have a meeting with my boss on June 4th (been booked up for 3 months, so hope he's not whipped off to visit NSW; he's a big honcho in Paediatric examiners) to talk about this and get the OK to have someone work the one day. Although the funds are there the money saving establishment may feel they can get by on 4 days only.

My clinic with difficult feeding is going well. This is my cat with a open mouth or licking his lips as he rolls by.

I had some Prem (28wk) twins this week one of which is a very poor feeder.They are now 6 months and 3 corrected and the boy is doing very well but the girls is struggling It was lovely being with parents that were so psychologically minded, and aware of what the experience of it all may have had for the babies. They describe how the babies won't go to sleep alone, and had 2 beautiful photos. One of the big boy asleep on his back with his arm out to the head of his sister, who was holding his hand and looking at him. The other was of them asleep, swaddled up and she was spooned at his back her head against his shoulder, the bedroom lamp just skimming light across their cheeks. Photo competition material!!
I have met with my friend Anne who has a consulting room and will spend July getting organised and then start seeing private referrals on a Friday, in Balwyn 5 minutes off the Eastern freeway, among the monied masses!

Anne describes how some private health funds have 'discretionary rebate' which parents may use with agencies logged with them, so will follow that up.

As an aside I was thinking again about private health insurance, and realised there is a 2% surcharge on fees, 2% for every year you don't join after 31. That would be 60% increase with a maximum of 70%. How could it be worth it???? I better stay as well as I am!

A new route

After months of walking a varied but same route to and from work I sought out some variety on the morning trek.
From a friend’s suggestion I found a footbridge over the Kensington Rail lines, but found this was actually 5+ minutes shorter than my previous route. However I use this way if I want a quicker return to the car.
What I now do is walk north along the street adjacent (raised) to the line then cross at Macauley Road crossing. This is a single lane road connecting traffic from Geelong road to access to the city via Kings way and is busy in the morning. However it has TWO rail crossings, Kensington & Macaulay Stations and like yesterday may have 3 trains within 10 minutes so the traffic queue is loooong! Why anyone would go this way is beyond me! I tried it driving 15 years ago and quickly gave up. It is also the bus route from Footscray and the scheduled time of a trip of 20 minutes is a ludicrous piece of fiction at that hour! I have got caught by trains usually every second day but usually only at one line. With the Ipod playing the sudden clanging of the bells had me jumping as I approached today.
So my walk takes me along streets full of charming Victorian and Edwardian houses, as well as the industrial strip of Macauley Road. I noticed from the other side of the road a plaque in front of a factory, and yesterday went over to read it. It commemorates the death of two fighter pilots of a bomber that crashed in 1943 on a demo flight.
I have a small but steady climb up Canning Street, then down another small street of lovely houses and gardens beside another park, then out onto Flemington Road.
All in all it’s about 35 minutes; a change and 5 minutes more exercise each way.

Paul Kelly Concert

I had a great time on Friday seeing PAUL KELLY at the Palais in St Kilda. He was just performing the one night and the concert was almost booked out. He came on at 920 and went through till 1130, so a great evening.
He sang all my favourites, but except for the song for How to make Gravy had almost no talk just one song after another. He sang all my favourites, If I could start today again, Leaps & Bounds, When I met your ma ,To her door, Before too long etc and one I didn't know, They thought I was asleep.


The Palais is a great building; and with the previous owners lease expiring and talk of it being closed I don't quite know how it is still having shows. Last night was Gurrumul, but I didn't book two shows in a row!http://www.gurrumul.com/

Interiors and exteriors are inspired by Moorish architecture with twin dome towers, a theme shared by many surrounding buildings in the suburb, including Luna Park, the St Kilda Pavilion, St Kilda Baths. The exteriors also feature faux Egyptian elements, whilst the interiors also include Baroque inspired elements.

Di's Salon

With sailing over I was thinking about what I would do over the winter. Usually Spring comes around and I have not done anything in particular. So I decided I might get into my knitting, and had a search on the web for knitting activity; I found a shop in Albert Park called Wool Baa which has a few things going on. http://www.woolbaa.com/Then the following week I had an email from Di inviting me to her Salon 1 in her new studio and the craft was "knitting"!
It was a small gathering around her wonderful long table, and I got back into my jumper that had stalled. I had finished the sleeve following the decreasing and found it was only to my elbow, so I had unpicked it and done no more in 18months. . Just 3/4 of a sleeve to go. That's the purple in the foreground.

There were four of us and next month we may do more of the same, or as a new craft I was thinking of embroidery that I had done at school, or ribbon embroidery that always looks good on baby blankets etc.

Presentation Night

It has been many years since I have not been embroiled in all the preparations for the Yacht Club presentation night. This year all I did was fold about 50 paper cranes and help for 4 hours in getting the decor set up. No tables, no late comers, no catering , no volunteer gifts, no wine estimates, just turning up in my black dress (old favourite) and new red shoes!

2007 Jelly fish (a hazard as we sail) was very popular but this year's theme is based on the Wave, so we had Origami cranes as decoration, inspired by Di and executed by the usual suspects!

All her contribution over the years was acknowledged as last night Di Leighfield won the Phil Jacquemin Award, Club Member of the Year! She looked gobsmacked! The night was a great bash as usual, a balmy 14 degree evening meant a wind-less stroll on the decking was possible. The light shining on the water always looked good. This year there were dozens of seagulls after the moths etc. attracted there; they floated around in between snacks!

The decoration created a hanging screen as you enter the club and we had table pieces as well as activity for the non sailors this time Origami, of a bird that we had not been able to work out. It kept them busy and we did get 4 finished ones as well as decorated tables. Lots of prizes donated by the CFA (Amber's boss!)and a linen company whose owners are members.

The band was The Good Old Boys who had played at Di's 50th They kept everyone dancing! Left about 1am without doing all the clearing up that used to keep me till 2am!!

Choral Marathon

Thursday night was Kate & Nicholas' school Music competition. It was held at Hamer Hall, (previously known as the concert hall) home to many a famous concert performance.
Nick 7th from from L front row.
The music Competition is a compulsory subject (if it was a feature of my school days I would have been told to mime, or at least have a crib sheet), SO it was massed voices and school Houses were competing against each other from the whole of St Leonard's . Where Nick & Kate go is a smaller school down at Patterson Lakes with the main campus in Brighton. In past years Cornish Campus (being smaller and younger) were allowed to perform but not compete. Two years ago they entered as a whole school against the other Houses and won! Followed by what sounds like a lots of rules based on the ideology of Sour Grapes!

This year we (an unbiased group) were rating Cornish Campus or Munro as the best. Well Munro won and Cornish were second as well as winning some individual things and best conducting. They also had student accompanist that some houses didn't.
Kate 4th from L front row

Cornish's music piece was The flight of the bumble bee, really well done.

It was all really good but Oh so long!! 30 pieces in all ending with a parent band playing and singing "It's along way to the top" Their fantasies realised!
I am sure the kids slept on the way home, and Lynne as well, as she had been up most of the day after working Wednesday night!