Dean is getting married

Yes, you read that right. Dean bowled us all over with his surprise announcement. He popped the question and Lisa said yes. Lisa now wears an enormous rock on her left hand, and they are spending their weekends scouting around Victoria looking for an appropriate venue. Everyone is very happy and excited about the event. I will get a photo of the happy couple and post it right here!

Larelle

On July 22, my oldest friend, Larelle, died at the age of 44. We met when my family moved in next door to hers when she and I were both 12. She had had kidney disease since she was 15, been on dialysis for most of the last 27 years, had three failed kidney transplants, two cardiac operations that she had not been expected to survive, and, finally, her liver stopped functioning. She was also the most delightful person anyone could meet. We investigated whether she would be able to go to New York last year, but she needed dialysis three times a week and the cost of dialysis for visitors to America was just too high. Then she started planning for a trip to Italy where dialysis is provided for Australian visitors, but it was not to be. She was witty, intelligent, loving, stylish, graceful, and brave beyond any measure. Although chronically ill for most of her life, she never allowed her illness to define her, and her good humour in the face of setbacks was extraordinary. She had two degrees, edited a magazine, and won gold medals for Australia at the World Transplant Games. And she could dance. Her partner of 17 years, Steve, is an outstanding bloke. The photo above shows Larelle with Steve in 1992.

Children at school

Here are the children outside our new house on their first day of school in new school uniforms. It is uncertain from this photograph whether or not Sam is wearing underpants - he seems to think going "commando" is great fun. They have both settled into the new school very well. Last week Sam won the "Star of the Week" award for his class for "persisting with all activities until they are completed to the best of his ability," and now has a large purple certificate recording his award. He has a new friend called Patrick who invites himself to our place on most nights and plays football with Sam at every opportunity. Hannah has had a couple of playdates with new friends, been to one birthday party and is looking forward to the class sleepover next term, when the class will spend the night in the classroom.

Blogging holiday

I took a blogging holiday - sorry. The last six weeks have been spent filling in forms and sitting across tables from bureaucrats and talking through those windows where there is a mike on one side but not the other. At the end of it all, we have Australian driver's licences, a car registered and insured in the state of Victoria, Medicare cards, children's immunization certificates, car parking permits, bank accounts, credit cards and all the sundry items necessary to live in the world's most livable city (oh, alright, second after Vancouver).