Narangba Family Life

It's been a while

2009-02-19T06:14:00.002+10:00

Holy cow, forgot all about this blog. Been a while since the last update. 2008 was a crappy year anyway so you didn't miss much. New in 09? Probably the move to Brisbane. So much work to do to get the house ready for sale. With the housing market depressed in Gladstone I hope we can sell quickly. Looking forward to beginning a new chapter of our lives in the South East. Of course, I'm going to have to change the name of this blog.

Those crazy kids

2007-03-06T17:56:00.000+10:00

Jack

Charley

Deakin

Sydney

The Weary Travellers Return

2007-02-12T18:26:00.000+10:00

Ron & Jan have returned from their Australian holiday with many adventurous tales. Deakin has grown so much since the six months they've been away and they spent a few days here catching up with us all. Jan bought him a cubby house and he loves it.

Swimming Lessons

2007-02-01T14:31:00.001+10:00

Belinda and I took Deaky down to the pool today for his first swimming lesson for the year. Oh dear, not a happy boy. We probably should have gone to the pool with him at least a bit over the last six months.
I did the lesson with him while Belinda sat out (mainly because I'm on night shift at the moment and it would be one of the few times I'd get to go with him) and I did find out one new thing. He has an iron grip. I had to prise him from around my neck and unclench his hands from my shirt. I'm sure things will improve as he starts going more frequently.

A New Blog

2007-01-30T14:22:00.000+10:00

Welcome family from far and wide. My original blog, "The Daily Mercury" has sort of evolved into a soapbox for my latest project - global warming & the climate crisis.

Originally I only started a blog so we could keep our extended families abreast of the going's on of our family here in Gladstone. It became increasingly evident that I needed to create a second blog so I could devote specific space to our families without it becoming mixed up in any political and moral arguments I might want to voice.

And so, welcome to Gladstone Family Life, where you can read about our (very few) adventures in this wonderful city, find pictures of the family and generally keep up with the goss. All family content with be moved over from The Daily Mercury as time permits. New content will be added all the time, so be sure to check back from time to time.

Chris, Belinda & Deakin

Time to relax...Not

2007-01-20T14:25:00.000+10:00

Ahhh, a week off. How nice. It doesn't happen very often but I'm certainly going to enjoy it. Belinda is taking Outdoor Kids to the mall for the week so Deakin and I are going to get better acquainted. Now I'll find out how much work it really takes to raise a young boy, especially if he continues his current behaviour, which is energetic to say the least. Ah, the exuberance of youth!

Muddy Puddles

2007-01-19T14:23:00.000+10:00

What's this? Mud, no way. It hasn't been raining. What could cause this...oh yeah, maybe a young lad playing in the puddle that's coming from the telltale of a running outboard. In long pants no less. Oh dear, what a mess!

Welcome to the New Year

2007-01-08T14:22:00.000+10:00

Another year gone by...every year gets faster and faster. Well, we didn't get over to the island over Christmas. The test run in the boat didn't quite go according to plan. After about 5 minutes running the overheat buzzer sounded and smoke started pouring out from under the cowl. Not good. So at the moment the motor is out of commission with the head off it so I can clean all the water galleries, thermostat, etc. The internals of the motor are in pristine condition and it looks like it was overhauled before I bought it. Just need a couple of parts this week (head gasket, thermostat, temperature sender) and put it all back together and it should be right for another test run this weekend.
Deakin was very spoilt this Christmas with presents coming from far and wide. Ahh, wish I was a kid again!
Anyway here's a photo to keep you all up to date. This was taken Christmas morning. He had recently run into a sliding door with his head so once again he is covered in bruises.

Yay!!

2006-12-22T14:20:00.000+10:00

The boat lives onces again. After a hectic week of fitting the motor back on I tested it yesterday and after 12 months of being out of the water, the motor wound over three times and kicked to life. Good old 2 strokes. I was very relieved I can tell you. So now we are all go for Christmas.
I am taking it to work this morning and fitting the seat, then at 12pm I'll take it for a strap up the creek to make sure everything is going well.

Finally...

2006-12-16T14:19:00.000+10:00

After 12 months off the water the boat is finally nearing completion. the motor has been painted, the new floor in, the fuel system is renewed and the trailer is fixed. The motor goes back on on Sunday and just in time too as we are planning to spend Christmas day over at Facing Island. Now I have only one week to service the outboard as it hasn't run in 12 months. New spark plugs, new gaskets, new battery and a test run to make sure everything works as it should. Hope everything goes all right.

The Terrible Two's

2006-12-16T14:18:00.000+10:00

Well, I think the boy is entering the terrible two's a little ahead of schedule. The tantrum chucking of late is getting out of hand. He screams to be picked up, then when you pick him up he screams to get down. He screams when he's hungry but when you give him something to eat he throws it away. He screams when you take him outside but then screams when you bring him back in. You know he's tired, but when you put him to bed...he screams.

Super Cute

2006-11-29T15:29:00.000+10:00

Heading out to a birthday party. Present, check. Beer, check. Baby boy, check! Let's go.

Outdoor kids

2006-11-17T15:27:00.000+10:00

Well, our online business continues to go from strength to strength. Belinda hosted a fashion parade with Margo Mott at the Think Pink breakfast in aid of breast cancer research and the response was fantastic. The new brochure is out. Can you believe it's now expanded to 8 pages. We're going to have to buy a bigger house soon to store all the stuff.

Four Generations

2006-11-07T15:26:00.000+10:00

On Saturday Nanna & Pop visited and for the first time we had four generations together for the day. (Pop, Nanna, Dad, Mum, Karen, Sydney, Chris & Deakin).

New Additions

2006-10-29T15:25:00.000+10:00

Congratulations to my sister Karen and brother in law Nathan for the birth of their beautiful little baby girl Sydney Elizabeth and to my brother Mick and sister in law Michelle for the birth of their beautiful little girl Charley Rose.

Messy Moo

2006-10-22T15:24:00.000+10:00

I love chocolate. Give me more!

Lunch at the RG

2006-10-22T15:22:00.000+10:00

Yummy, lunch. Now where did I put my chippie?

1st Birthday

2006-10-22T15:21:00.000+10:00

Deaky's getting some attention from Nanny at his 1st birthday party.

Whale Watching

2006-10-10T15:14:00.000+10:00

Belinda and I went whale watching in Hervey Bay today. Started out a little slow but came good later in the afternoon when a mother and calf decided to entertain us with a few close up tricks. We went out on Quick Cat II and had a great time. Here's a photo of the calf doing a newly learned trick.