It has been a very busy few weeks recently, and I have been constantly tired. Last week was no better, as I also had the privilege of leading the St Alf’s growth group discussion, as well as some activities in the Steer space, leading up to its AGM this weekend.

So on Friday night, Tress and I decided to have a poke at our usual Friday night unwinding attempts. This time, we headed to the Malaysian place in Donvale known as Laksa Village. We had been going for Sunday lunches there but recently, they decided to close on Sundays so we hadn’t been there for a while. It’s a small little place serving decent Malaysian food and as we are sort of regulars, the owners and staff have become friendly. That sense of familiarity and friendliness is what makes a joint a repeat visit place – not just the food or other elements. I guess those made it a regular spot for us but it whatever the reasons, it made for a nice “TGIF” dinner spot.

On Saturday we decided to sleep in a bit, especially as Tress has been nursing a bit of a cold. We then took the little guy for a walk, before heading out for lunch and grocery shopping. I also planned to do our usual Sunday arvo cook on Saturday instead, as there was a Hawks game we wanted to go on Sunday. Tress did most of the driving, so as to be familiar with the new ride. While walking the little guy, I took a call from Alex who asked us to come over for dinner that night. I said Tress has a bad cold so it would likely be just me.

At Alex & Li-Har’s, they had 3 other couples and 1 guy over so a good number to have decent conversations. They cooked a very good prawn noodles and one of their guests brought a popiah dish which was also really nice. I had that single glass of wine, as I was to drive home myself. I took away a couple of popiahs for Tress, which she enjoyed. We thought the heaped garlic paste probably did wonders for her cold…

The next day at St Alf’s we sat in a far corner by ourselves, just so Tress’ cold would have create less concerns. After the service we ducked out quickly, and headed for Marvel Stadium, where Hawks took on the Saints. We were obliterated in the first quarter but fought back well in the second and third but still lost by just under 30 points, which under the circumstances, wasn’t a wash out. We took the boys for a quick walk when we got home after the game, I then cooked their dinners, before settling down to watch Sam Pang do his monologue for the Logies. We then toggled between Sam and the Ashes, before retiring to bed. The weekend has been active enough to generate good sleeps but I still laboured in my morning run earlier today. I wonder when I’d feel less tired or more energised.

I have been wanting to return to driving an SUV for a few weeks/months now. With little Abby (sort of) in our lives now, I thought we could use a little more space in a vehicle and I also wanted to be able to get up and down the Hume in something more SUV like. I think the David and Co’s trip from Malaysia to see us in May, sort of etched in my head that this thought of a car with more space is not a bad one, so my efforts to look for a new ride crystallised.

After many weeks of to-ing and fro-ing between a couple (or more) of options, I landed on good old Mazda. We picked up the car on Friday arvo and it has been really nice.

On Saturday, we walked the little fellow after brekky, and on the way back, we stopped by FHC and picked up a couple of movie tickets. Then we headed home and cleaned the house. About a couple of hours, we got back to FHC, had a quick lunch and jumped into the wonderful movie that Oppenheimer is. The story of the scientist (Oppenheimer, played by the very intense Cillian Murphy) who lead the Manhattan Project and who was then a target of a scheming bureaucrat with a brittle ego (Strauss, played by Robert Downey Junior) and seeking to climb the Washington ladder was a captivating one, probably because it was crafted by the hands of Christopher Nolan. The edge around whether the atomic bomb was going to be successfully created by the Allies before the Nazis did, the moral dilemma Oppenheimer stared at endlessly, his personal life, his battles across so many fronts – there are so many things going on but all woven so well together. The cutting in between different times, the interaction of the famous names in science (including Einstein), the politics of senate committee hearing, the scandalous hearing to retain the security clearance of Oppenheimer… so many bits that just keep coming at you with unabated fascination. I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 hour film.

After the movie, we did a grocery shopping before coming home to walk the boys again. Later, we ducked out to pick up a “baby gym” for when little Abby visits in a few weeks.

Later that night, we picked up a call from someone in St Alf’s who asked me to replace him for communion duty the next day.

At St Alf’s the next day, it was the last Sunday on gifts before we return to Deuteronomy. We then went to lunch at Danny’s on Blackburn Road, before coming home to cook the week’s lunches. We tried adding red rice to the regular jasmine that we always used, and it took the rice cooker a lot longer to cook it but the results were very good. It’s supposed to be healthier (lower GI) so we should probably do this more from now.

It was a cold winter’s weekend and it had been a busy week.

On Friday, Tress and I caught up with Jason and Mel in a pub restaurant in a shopping centre in Burwood. We have been going to the pet friendly shopping centre a fair bit recently, to let the little fellow wander around when the weather is cold and wet. We talked and ate and had a lovely catch up. We talked about Sammi and Brendan’s preparations to head to HK, and about little Abby and her parents. We also talked about the sad case of Jasmine Loo and her being defended by an ex-colleague of mine. Jason and Mel have become our regular catch up company and it is always good. I’ve been keeping them in prayers too, mainly about their reconciliation with Tham Fuan and his wife.

On Saturday, the forecast had been rain but there appeared to be a window of the rain holding off – mainly in the morning. So I took the opportunity to work the gardens. The lawns had not been cared for properly for weeks and they have become unsightly. I had the misfortune of an empty fuel tank in the mower however, and the 3 litres of fuel were purchased at a princely rate of $2.06 a litre. Fuel prices have become a source of pain here in Melbourne.

Tress and I managed to work the gardens and pared back the mess. After over 3 hours, things looked much less messy and we cleaned up and headed for lunch at Brandon Park. We’ve been heading there for lunch on Saturdays in recent weeks, so we kept it up. We then got some groceries, came home and then went to the shopping centre in Burwood again, this time to walk the little fellow. He had had a good walk in the morning, before we started work on the lawns etc., but if he didn’t go for an evening walk, he’d be restless so we took him.

Later that night, we chilled out by feasting on Jack Ryan’s exploits through Myanmar. The last 2 episodes tied up in a neat finish and it turned out to be fun, a bit mindless and saccharine entertainment, which was perfect for two tired bodies needing to wind down.

Sunday at St Alf’s, it was a Ken Fish session on gifts. As expected, the link between gifts and power was emphasised and folks were invited to “come for prayers”. As usual, I sat tight, as I always do, during such events. I felt no inclination to be “empowered”.

Our usual Sunday lunch spot in Donvale has decided to close on Sundays. Good for them, but we then felt a bit lost. We took the easy option and headed to the FHC food court. Yawn, but such is our life at this point I guess, where it isn’t thrills and spills we’re after. Just regular activities in unspectacular spots. No colour needed. Grey is sometimes fine. Life chimes on regardless.

Over the past 10 years or so, “going bananas” have taken on a different meaning for us. It’s the annual winter school holidays program that St Alfred’s run for the local community. It is a major local community outreach program that galvanises the whole church every year, and the Melbourne Anglican has also written about its significance.

I had signed up, a few years ago, to volunteer for a mid week barbeque lunch. That was the extent of my involvement. This year however, over several Sundays, notices over the pulpit and in the weekly emails kept saying more volunteers were needed. So I decided to take some time off work (only a few hours) and did some car parking duties.

Along with 5-6 others, we managed the traffic flows in and out of a couple of car parks, and just sort of guided towards better organised car parking, as well as safety of kids getting in and out of cars and crossing pavements through the car parks. I went in on a Monday morning last week, when the program was starting and the atmosphere was buzzing. Some 150 kids had signed up and at least an equal number of volunteers were involved. I left within the hour however, as soon as the car park activities had ebbed, and got back to work, returning when the program was finishing and the car park activities flowed again. That took another hour or so. I repeated the task on Friday and the energy levels dipped noticeably. Tired faces were on display, yet the joy and satisfaction didn’t ebb.

Going Bananas does mean going a bit crazy, but in such a good way.

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Tress and I spent Saturday morning cleaning. The house had started to feel a bit off, with the constant wet and cold conditions locking us and the 2 boys indoor for the most part, and the dampness and canines getting in and out frequently, meant the house took a beating . It needed cleaning and we invested the time to freshen things up.

Later in the arvo, we went to lunch at Brandon Park and then did some grocery shopping there. Back home, we followed the footy on radio. We had been to the MCG the previous Sunday, where we took a beating at the hands of the Blues. They were very good and kept us goal-less for the entire first half. I don’t think I had seen our boys going the whole hour at the G without kicking a single major, so that was a first. Not at all in a good way, especially when you see Carlton (the Blues) are only a spot above us on the ladder. Well, we lost again to the Giants on their home ground up north in Sydney on Saturday. We continue to rebuild I guess.

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Yesterday arvo, after St Alf’s, we went to lunch at the Shangri La Inn, a place we hadn’t been to for a while. Then we went home and I did the usual cooking, before the cloudy overhang day, with threatening rain all day, took Tress and I and the little one to the Brickwork shopping centre, where they allow pooches to wander indoor. He had fun, and has become more confident riding in the car. Part of the reason we took him there is to get him used to rides in the car. He has been a nervous passenger but yesterday, he was more relaxed and didn’t shake at all, which is a bit step up. We probably don’t need to use any meds on him the next time we make the drive up north to Canberra. Fingers crossed. I said to Tress part of the reason why he is nervous and shakes a lot could be we went up in our little hatchback the last time, which being a small car, meant he was closer to the road and the engine noises. I have been on the lookout for a bigger car – probably back to an SUV again (after giving one up some 8 years ago now). That decision for an SUV (or a wagon) was also fuelled by the recent visit of my mum, David and Jean and others, to Melbourne. Our lifestyles as empty nesters had meant we dont need cars bigger than the hatchback that Tress rides in or the Lexus sports sedan that I use. They have however, become a bit small if we are to accommodate changing circumstances. Those beautiful cooing videos of little Abby we’ve been receiving in recent days, always make me want to see them more. They’ll be visiting in a few weeks, and we’re planning to go up again a few weeks after that. I love our cars but these changing circumstances warrant a reversion to a different set of wheels. In the meantime, I am still basking in the glow of how good it feels to be going bananas…