The weather is warming up now, albeit we get days of the lingering cold that are reluctant to say goodbye. Generally, it’s warmer enough, and the days long enough, for the barbie to be fired up again. So, yesterday, after a “new comers’ lunch” at SBC, Tress and I went and got some steaks, salmon fillets, and other stuff to go a barbie for Kiddo and her mob.

I fired up the GA again and it was wonderful to have Kiddo, Mic and the girls in our home, eating and playing and allowing their full toddler and infant antics to be demonstrated unabated. It was a wonderful way to end the weekend.

This morning, Tress and I woke up earlier than usual, and trekked into the city. Steer Inc. sponsored a table at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Parliament House and Garth had asked if Tress and I would like to be there. It was good to see Garth again, and though the event was nice, it probably needed more work to have more traction as a prayer event.

The keynote address was delivered by John Dickson, a familiar voice for me as I’m a regular listener of his Undeceptions podcast.

There were also short talks by Michelle Rowland the Attorney General (which was underwhelming) and Susan Ley, the Opposition Leader, who must have thought she needed all the prayers she can get, as the Liberals tanked badly in the latest polls. Her speech was a bit better than the AG’s but that may have been because it was more heartfelt. It sounded like it came from her heart, much more than the AG’s speech was.

We had offered Garth to stay with us when he came up but he stayed with the parents of his daughter’s newly acquired husband. Graeme and Linda Tinney are Canberrans and they were at the event so I got to talking a bit with them. We also bumped into John Steenhof and his daughter Annaliese. Tress had a few of her World Vision Australia colleagues there too and we also spotted the likes of Andrew Hastie and Matt Canavan and of course, David Smith, our MP (Bean electorate) who is a co-chair of the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship (together with a Queensland rep). I haven’t been in a room with so many pollies for a long time. Thankfully, the Great Hall of the Parliament is cavernous so there was enough air to go around.

We got back around 9am and I quickly logged onto work.

It was a busy couple of weekends for us. Sunday before yesterday, we had a family (the Steenhofs, sans John) over for lunch at our place, together with Steve and Barbara. It was an interesting lunch. I hadn’t had a bunch all with strong young earth creationists bend, in our home for a long time. In fact, that was probably the first time. The Steenhofs in particular were interesting because other than the matriarch, the rest were all very young but young earth creationist leanings aside, they were just generally very/super conservative. The kids insisted on addressing us as Mr and Mrs Teh and their impeccable manners saw them eating everything that was offered on the table, even the chickpeas avocado and feta salad which had a large dose of parsley layered through.

Then this past Saturday, we had the Au’s over, together with Wesley. Au CL is a high ranking diplomat in an embassy here, and Wes is on the pastoral team of SBC. Again, we had an interesting interaction but less confronting than the previous mob. I guess that was confronting for me only because we’d been at St Alfred’s in Blackburn for so long, that ideas and beliefs like young earth creationist belief sounded so foreign. I had also been listening to the “Language of God” podcasts, with eminent scientists like Francis Collins. Dipping my toes in listening to and reading folks like John Lennox too, rendered the YEC view very foreign. So, to hear that theory/belief so strongly advocated, was something very different. Like I said, even confronting.

I don’t know what to make of the conservative flavour of SBC. It’s like living in a red belt American styled evangelical conservative zone. One where the views of the likes of Albert Mohler and Tim Keller – nay, John MacArthur more likely – prevail over others like NT Wright. No women in leadership or preaching roles and young earth creationist are the two that I have had to deal with to date. Perhaps I can just quietly go in and out of SBC meetings and not be too animated on any front. You know, survive.

So, these last two weekends were busy. I felt them too. I was tired, juiced out, on both Sunday evenings as we sat in front of the TV, unwinding. Last night we did that watching the auction on the home renovation show. Two of the properties were passed in. Inwardly, I thought little wonder – Daylesford is hardly the sort of area overflowing with investors pouring in north of $3million for lifestyle homes. It was probably one of the more underwhelming seasons of that show, at least in terms of financial outcomes for the contestants.

Tired as we were, we revelled in and soaked up our time with the girls. Little Abby and Little Zoe continue to fill our lives with laughter, joy and loads of love. Often, I’d just retreat to a corner and take in the wonder of seeing them. I’d be so fulfilled to see Tress looking so happy to be with them all. Those little and not so little progress we see in those two little angels – physically, psychologically, emotionally, mentally and every-thing-else-cally. I’d find myself smiling as I immerse myself in the moment. For the umpteenth time, for all the issues confronting me at work, in SBC, and living in a bush capital generally, I found myself happy. And grateful.

Oh I should also mention it was a weekend where United won again. Goals galore too. 4-2 against Brighton, who have had our measure for so long. Have we turned the corner? Certainly, the tide and pendulum appear to have turned and swung, as Liverpool lost, again, and now sit below us on the table. Calls are now “Slot out” and no longer “Amorim out”. Yes, I’m happy for this reason too, but overwhelmingly, the girls have more to do with my happiness than even Manchester United winning.

A few months ago, I saw that Samara Joy was coming to the bush capital. I said to Tress I’d like to go and she said yeah sure (or something like that), so I jumped on the tix site and got us a couple of tickets.

Last night, we went to The Playhouse at the Canberra Theatre Centre to see her. We were treated to an evening of a gorgeous, rich and melodious voice, doing vocal acrobatics with amazing skills. Accompanying her was a band on the grand piano (probably a Steinway), 4 horn players (a trombone, a trumpet and a couple of sax), a double bass guy (who showed the most fun demeanour) and the drummer, whose dexterity belies the skills he obviously possesses in spades.

What a treat, and I hope we get to see her again… some time…

Tress is away for a few days this week. She went down to Melbourne yesterday for work, and will be there till Thursday. So the little fellow and I rule the roost and although he looks around every now and then and wears that “where has she gone?” look, he’s ok and I have been pleasantly surprised that he has gone for our usual morning walks these 2 past mornings, with only very small hitches.

The other event worth writing about is of course, Trump’s triumph in sealing the deal to end the war in Gaza. It looks like a raw deal for Israel, having to release close to 2,000 prisoners, most of whom would probably create a future terror risk for Israel. I guess the release of Israeli hostages was paramount. There have been back stories that probably added pressure for Hamas to come to the table and agree on the deal but for Trump to round it all up is surely an achievement that even his most vile detractors must recognise. Alas, probably not.

I have known Trump haters who recoil even at the mention of his name. These are the same people who uttered the word “conservative” like a swear word in the sense that it made them uncomfortable to even have that word come out of their mouths. Folks who by most accounts are decent, hardworking, smart, likeable and even appear to be godly in so many ways but are so hackneyed in the liberals/progressives take on conservatives, they simply cannot see or accept that conservatives can have any good in them. Yes, these are people I knew, socialised with, shared meals with and hold high office in the church/para church communities that I belonged to.

From The Australian newspaper today:

Well, Trump fans notwithstanding, Israel and the middle east can celebrate, at least for now, the triumph of peace and the end of horrible suffering.

We’ve had a couple of big weekends. Consecutively.

The weekend before last, we headed to Sydney. Tress and I joined a bunch of folks to trek up the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was to mark a milestone of sorts for yours truly. I turned 60. I had left “Q3” and entered “Q4”.

We checked into an AirBnB at Milsons Point on Friday arvo, took in the Hawks v Cats game at a local pub, and the next morning, walked across the bridge and did the climb.

It was very memorable. Windy as anything, but memorable. We’re glad we did it.

This last weekend, we scaled a different height. We trekked up the snowy mountains area, to Jindabyne, where we could see Mount Kosciusko – the highest peak in Oz. This time however, Kiddo and her mob were also there. We were all there for the Southside/SBC church camp. It was our first, and it was very good.

We stayed (Kiddo et all – all of us) in a “suite” called the Banjo Suite, away from the chalet we were meant to stay, as that was infected, apparently, with the chicken pox virus by previous guests. It had better facilities so although it was at the lower end of the camp ground which meant a walk up to where all meetings and meals were held, it was a good set up for us. Especially given I was a bit under the weather and had been coughing my lungs out most nights. It would have been extremely disruptive to the kiddos (and adults) had we been in one of the chalets. God has his ways in turning providence into blessings.

The camp gave us time to talk to numerous people with less time constrains so we got to know a few people better. Camp atmosphere is often positive (supercharged for the younger folks) so that paved the way for chats to happen easier I guess.

It was also the first time we were at a camp as grandparents, and to have kiddo, Mic, and those two little angels there constantly, certainly supercharged it for me. So much so that I was game enough to miss the game. Yes, SBC had so much respect for the AFL code it organised a church camp on Grand Final weekend. It transpired, through one of those chats, that there were hardly any AFL fans in this mob. So, despite the cough that keeps taking the wind out of me, and despite the big dance happening on Sat arvo, at that hour when the first bounce happened, I was up on one of the trails hiking up along with a couple of dozens of folks, huffing and puffing our way up and slipping and sliding our way down (it turned out I was also the oldest guy to do the hike…).

When we returned to the “suite” to freshen up, we caught the last 10 mins or so of the second quarter, and at half time, the score was even stevens and the stats were similarly poised. I couldn’t watch the rest of the game however as there were other scheduled programs on so by the time we checked the scores at dinner time, I was amazed the Lions romped home. It is the less painful outcome for yours truly, as it is never easy to see the Cats get up. Good on Fages, the ex GM of Football at Hawthorn, who has brought so much success to the Lions as head coach.

We got back late yesterday arvo. Tonight, Tress and I have a catch up with some old friends from St Alf’s. The Churchwards have been visiting Canberra for years, as they have family here, who are also somewhere in the Lanyon Valley. They visited our new home here earlier in the year and we had teed up this dinner catch up some time back. It’d be nice to see them again, and to see how St Alf’s has been travelling.

As I continue to nurse the sniffles and coughs, the battered body wonders if this is what the rest of Q4 will feel like. The spirits however, are still to descend – not sure from the steely heights of the bridge or the snowy caps of snowy mountains. The spirit is willing but… didn’t the Good Book had something to say about this…

My last work meeting as a person in his 50’s…

(scheduled to finish at noon)

On an ordinary Saturday morning, we’d sleep in a little bit, have a leisurely breakfast, and drive over to Kiddo’s. We’d get Milo, and together with Oreo, go for a walk towards the Kambah playing fields, which are just across the Drakeford Drive from the Kambah shopping village. It’s a gorgeous little spot and on sunny mornings, it’s brilliant for the dogs to run around. This past weekend included such an “ordinary” Saturday morning.

After the longish walk with the doggies, we went home to clean up and then go out for a spot of lunch and grocery shopping. We’d come to like the ramen shop in Woden – a place Kiddo and Mic first brought us to, a couple of years ago (I think). It’s just behind the Woden library and I had to return the book I had finished a couple of weeks earlier, so it was all really lined up conveniently. That book was Benjamin Netanyahu’s autobiography, titled “Bibi”. I also picked up Nikki Gemmell’s “Wing”, as I’m about to finish Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s “Prey”, which is a disturbing book about immigration sans integration and the religious-cultural reasons behind that. Woden library has provided me with many good night’s reads in recent months. Going to that library has been part of an ordinary Saturday morning.

_K

_{Kambah playing fields}

After Woden, we got back, Tress did some vacuuming while I prepped some pumpkin and sweet potato for a soup and titbits for the kiddos and did a quick mowing of the lawn, that has grown quickly with recent rains and emerging sunlit days. With the house cleaned and tidied and the soups and roasted veges done, we headed to Kiddo’s and spent time with that budding family. It’s what we have come to enjoy (very much) on an ordinary Saturday evening.

As the kids fed on the soups and other stuff, and we then played with them, I saw again, those happy and fulfilled faces. Faces of people that matter most to me in this life. People who made me leave Melbourne (and all its footy foolishness and fun), a city I had come to enjoy a love hate relationship with. People who made this bush capital an endearing love hate prospect. People who make my Saturdays ordinary and extraordinary.

It’s the pointy end of the football season here Down Under, and Hawks hold up the rear as the 8th team on the ladder. It matched up with GWS, the Greater Western Sydney team, aka The Giants. As the 5th team on the ladder, it gets to host the one-chance game and ironically, it’s the game that is closest to us. Lucky me. The other games were at Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. So off to Sydney we went.

Tress and I got up early on Sat, walked the little fellow, then dropped him off at Virginia’s. We then drove to Sydney, getting there around noon to catch a lovely lunch at the Peranakan Place. We then made that short drive to the Olympic Park near the old Homebush area. I said to Tress, that I remembered Homebush as the old abattoir that was developed to be host the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The NSW government did a great job and the whole area felt a well thought out and functional and pleasant place to be. Numerous sporting facilities (including the Accor and the Engie, where Hawks played the Giants) and wide open spaces are, I thought, really good as public event places, particularly for sporting events.

We stayed at the Pullman,

which was only a few minutes walk from the Engie – probably a touch longer than the Marvel from Spencer Street station in Melbourne.

The team stayed there too, and a number or rooms/dining/lounges were decked out in Hawks colours. Our request for early check in was met with gracious and efficient staff. So, even though it was just a bit after 1pm when we arrived and check-in time was 3pm (the game started at 3.20) we made good time and could leisurely walk across to acquaint ourselves with the venue and settle into our seats.

It was a a comfortable game for the most part but late in the 3rd quarter, the Giants staged a comeback and kicked 7 straight goals to edge ahead halfway through the 4th. Sam Mitchell did some magic and we then kicked 3 goals to hold off the fightback. It made the win so much more satisfying. The 2,000+ Hawks fans that made the trip were loud and happy. We won, to play again – Adelaide Crows, in SA.

We left Sydney around noon, and got back late in the arvo. We picked up the little guy and after a quick grocery pickup, went and saw the girls and their mum and dad.

Adelaide on Friday night would be a different ball game but who knows. We lived to fight again and often, that is what counts. Go Hawks.

It’s coming to the end of winter. It’s coming to the end of our first winter here in Canberra. Well, it’s really the second one for me but this time around, it has been both feet firmly planted in this the bush capital.

We have both been a bit worse for wear – the new surrounds, the quick and emotionally draining trip for Tress’ dad’s passing, the whirlwind and the eventful Melbourne soiree to celebrate Nic and Jon’s wedding all added to a worn out feeling. Plus, it just feels draining to be working remotely on a permanent full time basis. The zero in-person contact has not been good for me. I feel disconnected and drained.

So, a few weeks ago, we decided that we needed to go away for a wee break. Somewhere near. Somewhere with “…how’s the serenity….” So we made a quick trip to Batemans Bay this past weekend. It was a good break. We walked on the beach, ate fresh oysters, had lots of coffee and some ice cream, and generally just wandered through the beaches (with little Oreo) and town with nary a care. Lots of fun pictures too.

We stayed in a little Airbnb place perched up in a court aptly named Hawks Nest Place, with a peek into the Surfside beach a stone’s throw away. It was beautiful. The fauna was abundant, with Kookaburras perched on the tall gum trees in the backyard and generally all through the neighbourhood.

We’re back in the BC now, on a sunny day. We reconnected with the girls last night and it felt wonderful. Being with Kiddo and her mob is always good, especially after a refreshing break. I am grateful again.