OH HAPPY DAY!!!!

This is how I felt when I woke up today. It's the last day!!! Oh hoo-bloody-ray! O love my job, I really do, but I'm exhausted. I'm so glad the holidays are here... I'm planning a few days of sleeping, reading, knitting and sleeping, with a few nanna naps thrown in before the serious business of holidays kicks in. I have to finish 4 quilts for the boys because I told some people at work I would, and I have to do some painting around the place to stop my home looking like a slumlord's pre-renovation project, I have to catch up with people who probably think I've died because I haven't been in touch for so long, and who knows? I might even go on a date or two. I've had 18 months off but maybe I'd better get back on the horse. I've found that I really enjoy my life without the trauma of romance in it, but my dear friend Widget kindly informed me on the weekend that I was turning into a nanna. Just because I preferred to stay at home, watch 'Survivor' and knit on a Saturday night. Personally, I don't see what the resemblance is (my Grandma would rather die than watch 'Survivor'; especially a double episode) but perhaps she might have a point.

The VCE results came out this week. I was happy with how my English class went (5 kids scored over 40, which was nice, though only 1 of my ESLs did, which was disappointing). We're now busy getting class lists for next year. It looks like I'm going to be teaching the daughter of one of my besties, the blogless Sandy. I've known Kate since she was about 3 or 4, so it should be entertaining. Ohhh.... the skeletons I could drag out if she misbehaves in class..... I could bring in the happy snaps of the time it rained and she, her brother and my boys all ran out and danced in the rain in their underwear. Who cares if she was only 4 at the time? Other big school news is that we now know the name of our new principal. We're so fortunate that the current Assistant Principal was chosen by the selection committee. She is absolutely incredible at her job, works harder than anybody and I believe has been hugely instrumental in lifting the school to the current position it has. She really deserved to have the chance to have the top job and show what she can do, and I'm so pleased that she got it. It could've been a vastly unsettling year next year if the wrong person was given the job (I don't have any candidate in mind here, I'm just speaking generally), so I'm very happy that the decision fell how it did.

Here is a photo of Brennan (boy number 3) graduating from primary school last night. I snared front row seats for Connor and I, (Tony, Vivienne and the other two boys got the seats I grabbed for them 3 rows back.... well, that's what you get for being an ex husband...) and we had a lovely night. Brennan spoke really well, said his ambition was to be a guitarist and was one of the most confident actors in his little skit that he was in. I was so proud, though considering his mother is a Drama teacher you'd expect that performance would be tucked away in his genes somewhere. (I said g-e-n-e-s, not jeans. He's far too young for any of that nonsense.) I got slightly teary when a photo flashed up during the slide show of Brennan in prep. He was so gorgeous back then. How they change....

(That was a joke Bren, in case you ever read this. You're still gorgeous. Just taller.)

I'll finish with a photo of the Christmas gifts I made for the year 10 form captains to thank them for putting up with them. (No one thinks form assemblies are the highlight of the job.) Most student managers take the easy way out and buy bottles of wine or something, but I don't think form assemblies are so hideous that I have to spend half my week's grocery budget on people (there's 10 form groups at year 10) and so I made Christmas muffins instead. I invested my time, creativity and love in these gifts. I found these really stylish square china dishes and they were perfect for cradling a big colourful muffin. Who doesn't love a muffin with chocolate on the top at morning recess time?

I had a plan in my mind to make half the muffins with bright green icing and half with red, to make them all Christmassy, but my plan came unstuck when I was icing them at midnight. The school had its Presentation night to celebrate the high achievers, so i didn't get home till 11.30 or so. At that hour of the night, I made an executive decision that one colour only would do. I was also going to sift through the mini M&Ms to just use the Christmas colours, but that didn't happen either. Before school the next morning I was wrapping them with clear cellophane over the top, and that made the colours really zing! They looked fantastic. At midnight the previous night I was cursing my 'hand-made with love' idea, and if Dan Murphy's had've been open at that hour of the night I might've made a quick trip down to the bottle-o's; but once they were wrapped and I could see how bright they looked, I was rapt that I'd done it. Yes, it's true. Cooking can be fun.

The last post on Phukhet.

Poor Molly has come back from the eye doctor with LOTS of antibiotics, ointments and drops to put in her eyes. Her right eye has an ulcer on the cornea (how does that happen?) and she's got dry eye, so if we're lucky we'll avoid a 1K operation on her eye if we can get medication to fix it up instead of surgery. The poor love is so sick of things being squirted in her eye. Every time I go near the bureau where I keep her medicines her ears droop, (in fact everything seems to droop) and she looks miserable.

My essays are all marked. I went through them like a threshing machine yesterday. I had no classes, so I sat and read read read, stopping only for lunch, yard duty at the canteen (what a joy that was) and two cups of coffee. Good on me. That leaves the weekend free for a big Aldi shop, as we're out of food, and I'm going to weed the veggie patches and start a new knitting project.

I want to go back to Marta's yarns in Caulfield, but my frugality kick is still going strong, and I've got wool for a jumper that I haven't made yet, and there's wool left over from an afghan that I made Jack for Christmas. So, frugality tells me that I must use up what I've got before I go and indulge in beautiful, but sinfully expensive wool. So I'd better get started.

Back to Phukhet. This is the last post, because I'm pretty sure I've nearly finished putting down what I wrote in my notebook. There's sure to be pictures coming for MONTHS though.... poor Delmar from work spent ages getting them to transfer to my computer, so they're not going to waste! I'm not sure if that's my frugality kick speaking again, or just plain old bloody-mindedness.

Fantasea was a place worth going to. It's not cheap, but it's the gaudiest place you're ever likely to see. I was a bit worried that it would be a cultural theme park and show that would be a little TOO Thai, and end up being boring for the kids, but they loved it. It's an odd mix of Las Vegas and traditional Thai... especially the show. It has to be seen to be believed.

As soon as we stepped off the bus we were surrounded by tourists, neon lights, people in costumes and muzak. It's full on... the kids loved it! There were tigers, deer, the biggest goldfish I've ever seen, market stalls, shops, carnival games, fire jugglers and elephants. Lots of elephants.

Jordan bought a necklace that has his name written on a piece of rice. Just in case he forgets who he is. He's obviously not very bright.

We went to the restaurant for dinner. Bec from work said that it was the most amazing place she's ever been to, and we had to see for ourselves. There were literally hundreds of diners, yet the place ran like clockwork. There were multiple buffet stations, so you just chose the one nearest you and joined the queue. Chandeliers hung from everything, huge statues of chicken-footed gods were looming over us, piles of food , drink, people, lights, camera action! Again... full on glitz, with hundreds of people all over everywhere. As the man sitting on the table with us said, "If this place was in Australia, we'd be waiting to get fed for a week!" Yet everything moved with electric efficiency.

After dinner we went out to find our friends amongst the crowd. While we were looking for them, we wandered into the 'Luxury Goods Shop' to have a gander. Again, lots of glitz and sparkle (why wasn't that a surprise by now??) but there were some lovely bags, shawls and pearls. As I came through the door I noticed the most delicious pearl necklace - just 3 small pearls in different colours. Simple, and beautiful. I assumed they were too expensive and left. However, once we caught up with our friends, I dared Pitsa to go in there and buy something. She's laughing and saying "No. I'm not buying!!" but we all went in and yes... when I found out the pearls were only 1000 baht (about $40) I laid down the cash. I was so rapt. I've already got a silver chain from Bali, so I'm set. That was going to be my major present to myself. (Little did I know that the emerald and diamond ring was lurking in my future. )

We hung around together for about an hour before the show began. My family were up near the back, which was good because we got to see everything without craning our necks every which way. The show opened with a row of elephants parading through the theatre. Have to say that I've never seen this before. And they held the tail of the one in front of them with their trunks, just like in Dumbo. I was enchanted.

The show itself was interesting. A mix of traditional Thai dance and culture with trapeze, fireworks, magic and clowns thrown in. The colours were gorgeous, and there were huge amounts of performers on stage at any one time. Simple economics in Australia means that we never get to see theatre on this scale back home. However, it was the animals that made the show really amazing. Trained chickens (I know!!!! Real chickens!!!), doves and goats, and of course the elephants.

They were doing tricks like we've seen in old fashioned movies: rearing up and balancing on each other, standing on tiny little platforms, sitting down... and two baby ones actually stood on their hind legs waving their front legs in the air. All very spectacular and SO not what we'll ever see back home. After the show, Connor told me that the elephants made him feel sad, and I knew what he meant. While I was watching it I was torn between feeling amazement at the skill and dedication it would have taken to train these huge animals to do things like this, and a tinge of sadness that they were doing things that were obviously so totally alien to their natural inclinations. I still enjoyed it though, I think because even though it's so foreign to us, working with elephants is an integral part of the Thai culture, so it seemed natural.

On our last full day we went shopping in O-Top market. The boys had pretty much run out of money, so I gave them 1500 baht each and told them that they were doing Christmas shopping. That's around $60 to buy presents for me, their Dad and Vivienne, Gran and Grandpa, and the other three brothers. They could club together to buy things, or go it alone... it was up to them.

O-Top was practically deserted so they made some excellent buys. It was slightly nerve-racking though. They'd split up to buy for a particular brother, I'd lose sight of them and start calling, market stall owners would join in, minutes would tick by before the errant kid/s would appear with a puzzled look, "What's the problem? I was just over there..." It was all good. I finished my Christmas shopping too, so the plan is to wrap all the presents as soon as we get back, and then we'll have the most trouble-free, painless Christmas ever! (It worked, too. All presents are wrapped, and waiting for the tree to be put up in December. It's a good feeling.)

We went home via a 7-11 where we bought noodle cups for the boys' dinner. I was happy just to eat steamed rice after the big lunch we had at the market. Actually, it was funny watching the guys eat the noodles. Obviously the Asian people like a touch of chili in their flavourings, which was a tad unexpected for my namby-pamby skips. A few mouthfuls downed, and then they were scoffing steamed rice and gulping water as if it was an Olympic sport. We then watched the last Harry Potter movie all curled up in the lounge room together, and then it was off to bed.

The last day was spent at the resort, where I had my 'free' massage paid for by listening to two hours of buy-into-the-Marriott-holiday-club, (it was worth it when I was having the massage...pure bliss), we ate at the deli for lunch and dinner because I didn't have access to the kitchen anymore, and we lounged by the pools, bought a couple of emerald and garnet rings, sipped a cocktail by the infinity pool and read. Well, one of us did. It was a lovely way to finish the holiday, relaxing and simply enjoying each others company. Then it was off to the airport, and home.

All in all, I think it's been a good holiday. Obviously, the hotel's location spoiled it in a few different ways, (and when I wrote this, I had no idea that my credit card had been skimmed), but once we got away from that then everything came together.We all loved the shopping and the tours were fantastic. Especially the elephants. Those big feet! Those flappy ears and twinkly little eyes! I want one.

And we've only had two bouts of vomiting, which if you take into account that I'm travelling with 4 kids in Asia isn't bad. Brennan lost his dinner in the gutter of the main drag in Patong the second night we were there, and Connor chucked his cookies in the taxi on the way to do Christmas shopping. Too much Gameboy playing in the car and not enough looking out of the window. No mess though, much to the relief of the driver. I learned from poor Brennan and I had a plastic bag in my handbag.

It's been the time with the kids that has been the best thing, though. I'm so lucky to have such fun, mature and loving kids who are such good company. At least most of the time...They've been so agreeable, enthusiastic, co-operative and appreciative of the whole experience. The younger three haven't put a foot wrong, and Jack comes into his own when haggling is involved. He has a mind like a calculator, so he's our resource when it comes to converting how much things cost. He loves doing it for anyone, not just himself, so that's come in very handy.

Getting away from the day to day routine has been wonderful for reconnecting to them as people. It's also been wonderful watching them interact amongst themselves. They'd disappear off to the pool for ages and play together and just hang out. They like each other, and that makes me feel hopeful for the future. I'd love them to have a tight bond with their brothers that lasts.

Molly and more Phuket.

Well, I got an answer. Apparently my name has changed....

"Dear Valued Customer..."

Don't you love the personal touch? How hard is it to type my name at the top?

They're going to get back to me in 7-10 business days, which leads me to believe that they're waiting for me to calm down over time. (Which, of course, I already have. But a Drama teacher can get back into the zone any time she wants. It's a gift.)

It's going to be a busy day today. I've been a bit tired after Phukhet, so I haven't been up to correcting the 136 or so essays that my two classes of year 12s have poured out during their practise exams for English. The due date to hand them back is Monday, so today and the weekend are earmarked for some serious reading. The light at the end of the tunnel is that once these are knocked over, then the work for the year 12s is virtually done. Yay. There'll be kids writing practise essays before the exam, but they come in ones and twos, not hundreds.

This afternoon I've got to take Miss Molly to a canine opthamologist. Mum and Dad were looking after her while we were gone, and her eyes really flared up again, to the point where she was walking around with her eyes closed looking utterly miserable, and putting her head on Dad's knee whenever he sat down, begging for eye ointment. The vet said that she has an ulcer on the cornea. Can you imagine how awful that must feel? This makes me officially a Bad Mother to my furry-faced daughter. I'd include a photo of how crusty looking her eyes are, but someone reading this might be eating, and I'd hate for anything untoward to happen...

Hopefully we can fix this up fairly easily, though judging by the vet's sombre face, we might be up for many $$$$ and lots of mucking around with her poor eye. She's certainly still not back to her happy little self.

Still, maybe Mum's vet is a big panic merchant, and she'll be fine. Fingers crossed for Mollicent's sake.

I want to keep going with writing about the holiday, because I want to remember it. I very intelligently packed my video camera in my suitcase when packing for the holiday, and when we got to Thailand found that it always thinks the lens cap is on, so there's no video recording. So photos and this blog are all I've got. For a supposedly intelligent woman I certainly do my share of stupid things.

Brennan grew while we were there. That tropical climate is amazing. Before we left he was shorter than me, and now we're eyeball to eyeball. He's so rapt. But that only leaves one child that I tower over. (By about 2 cms.) What happened to those gorgeous chubby-kneed infants I made, and then dandled on my knee? Jordan sat on my lap for a joke the other night and I nearly disappeared.

Following are extracts from a notebook that I wrote in while we were there. I used to get up, make a cup of coffee and then sit out on the balcony outside my room, looking out across the gardens to the little stream that ran through the property. The air was always warm, humid and filled with tiny sounds of birds and the distant sea. Utterly relaxing and beautiful. I'd write about the previous day and wait for the boys to wake up.

Here goes...

I'm sitting on the balcony outside my room. I'm in my very shabby pjs and look hideous, but who cares? I can hear birds twittering, the wind gently moving the palm trees, and low... so low that it's barely there... I can hear the sound of the sea.

I look across, and it's all green. Rank, brilliant green.The thing I love most about looking at palm trees is that when I'm doing it I know without a doubt that I'm not at home. I'm overseas - and I love that feeling.

Down by the little stream there's plantings of a wieird lacy lily type thing. It's beautiful, but in a strange way. I'm really taken with them. They have an eeriness that I find appealing.

The kids have fallen in love with the pools here. Brennan doesn't go in much; they have too much chlorine in them and he hates getting his eyes red. This doesn't seem to bother the others. They're going every night - even Jack! There's a kids pool with slides, (the first night we were there, they had a baby elephant there), and the other pool near us is more for adults. It's quiet, with guys quietly coming up to refill your water glasses with iced water, (about the only complimentary thing the resort offered!), while the patrons sleep and read under umbrellas. This is where we had lunch the first day. The staff gave us 4 beach balls for the kids when we arrived, and the kids play pool volleyball and have a fantastic time. I'm so lucky that they genuinely like each other and get along. Most times, anyway.

Just a short walk from the pool is the beach. The kids didn't go there all holiday, and I only went once. We're not big beach people. On the first day after lunch the kids went back to the room to sleep and I went for a wander. It was pretty magical.

The beach is a turtle reserve, so there's no vendors or people offering massages. It's empty.Considering how crowded and bustling the rest of the island is, this is amazing. I dropped my things and ran to the water. I waded in - I've now been in another sea... the Andaman sea. I'm now in the northern hemisphere too, which is another thrill. I was going to swim, but the current was strong and was trying to pull me out, and the last thing I wanted was to be caught in a rip when no one knew where I was. Especially on the first day of the holiday. So I waded thigh high, and I was really, really happy. I got us all here. We made it.

A couple of days later Jordan and I were walking down the path beside the lake when a familiar, yet exotic scent wafted across. At first we couldn't identify it, but when we looked across to the middle of the lake we saw a Buddhist shrine, where someone had lit incense. Everything was quiet, the shrine was painted in vivid colours of red, gold and white, the lake was dotted with pinky/purply waterlillies, and Jordan and I just looked at each other and smiled. The aroma of incense added the last touch. It was definitely a moment.

Seeing one of the pools near the lobby being lit with many little fires at sunset was another. A man waded through with a long handled fire lighter and as he went, the fires lit up. (A stupid sentence, I know.) It was dusk and we were on our way to dinner at the buffet. All through our meal I could see the glow of the fires behind Brennan. It was undeniably beautiful. I took photos, but they don't do it justice.

Wherever Brennan goes he's getting called 'Harry Potter' by the Thais. It amused, then annoyed him, and now he's resigned to it and has started counting. I think he's up to 29 or so. (When I showed photos of the elephant ride to my classes, without fail at least one person in each class made the same remark. Looks like this might be something the poor child has to live with.) He's still bemused by it... "I don't look anything like Harry Potter..."

I'll have to continue with this in another post. It's time to wake the boys and officially start another day.

Elephants.

Well, I just wrote an email of complaint to the Marriott group. I rang the Marriott in Melbourne, and talked to a really helpful manager who gave me the best email address to get the attention I deserve, so I was free to let rip.

Those of us who have suffered through teaching the year 12 analytical/persuasive writing will be pleased to know that I utilised every emotive trick in the book. By the time I was half way through I'd convinced even myself that we'd had the most horrific holiday since someone staying in London in 1666 through the Black Plague and the Great Fire. By the time I'd finished I'd written myself into good humour. I was so tickled by what I'd written that I was in fits of laughter. Everything I said was the absolute truth, but it was the spin I put on the language.... by gum it was fun. Now we'll wait and see if I hear anything back.

But back to Phukhet. ELEPHANTS!!!! Easily the high point of the trip for me. This was the thing I was looking forward to the most when I booked this trip. They didn't disappoint. They were so elephanty... it was delightful. They are covered with thick coarse hair that sticks out.... I always thought they were bald. (But then again, I also didn't know that Thailand was in the northern hemisphere until I saw the map of the flight on the plane. I got very excited. Maybe ignorance is bliss, because it's so cool when you get a surprise. And the Simpsons were right.... the toilet DOES flush in the opposite direction. It was the first thing we checked out when we got to the room.)

But I digress. Not unusual, but I usually connect back up to where I was heading for in the beginning. Just ask my long-suffering students. That's right.... Elephants. How chunky and ear-flappy are they? Lots.

We first saw a show with three baby elephants, where they played mouth organs (harmonicas to any Americans out there), wore hats, kissed the audience, and gave one person a massage. Naturally my hand was up like a shot. I had to lie down, and the elephant raised one leg and repeatedly pressed quite firmly on my behind and back. I was lying there, and it occurred to me that it was possibly quite stupid to do this... if the elephant was so inclined, he could keep pressing until his foot met the ground.... right through my middle. Actually, it felt ok, and I was glad I'd done it. Another experience. I cuddled the little one after she massaged me, and her trunk curled around and nuzzled my face. The skin is thick and ridged. It was a special moment.

After the show, Jack bought a basket of fruit to feed them. See the delighted grin on his face? It's moments like this that make everything worthwhile. But more was to come.

The elephant trek through the jungle was great. The three younger boys were on one elephant, and Jack and I followed. It was magical. The movement was a forward/back motion that at first seemed rough, but it was surprisingly quick to get used to. The vegetation was thick, lush and GREEN. Coming from such a drought-parched place, I can't describe how wonderful the green was. (I thought of my poor vegie garden... how sad and suburban am I?)

The boys' elephant was hungry. It kept stopping and tearing branches from trees and stuffing them into its mouth. And then it started to fart. There's nothing 'silent but deadly' about an elephant fart. It could deafen you if you were too close.

"Great, guys", I called to them. "We have to walk through that!"

That appealed to Connor's funny bone.

I was glad that I experienced this with Jack.He was obviously loving it - he even said so, which for Jack is amazing. (He's usually very chary about giving me positive reinforcement.) But his smile and his engagement with the whole thing said it all.

I loved looking at the ears. They hung like heavy folds of material just in front of my feet. When the elephant flapped them back they hit its sides with the same sound as fingers flicking an empty plastic cola bottle. Weird, but true.

We'd had torrential rain the day before, (we'd had a day at the resort in our room, watching dvds, reading and sleeping) and the ground was really gluggy and muddy.Sometimes the track headed sharply down, and I couldn't help wondering what would happen if our elephant slipped.It's quite an ask to keep one's balance on such slippery paths while balancing three people and a seat on one's back. Though it didn't seem as if we were all that high up, because the track was cut into the hillside for much of the way, so the foliage (or as my friend Ian would say... the foilage) rose up beside us. It was only when I looked down at the glug that I saw how high up we really were.

It was fantastic. If you ever get the chance, then grab it with both hands and don't let go. (That applies to both the chance, and the elephant!)

Beware Beware Beware.

The Marriott in Phukhet is beautiful. Undeniably one of the most sumptuous, visually appealing and gorgeous places I've ever been to. Everywhere you walk, (and the grounds are huge... we kept getting lost for the first few days), there was yet another photo opportunity. Everything was obviously planned for maximum beauty, serenity and bliss. The service was impeccable, and the apartment was more luxurious than my own house. DON"T EVER STAY THERE. Seriously.

My tale of woe begins with the location of the resort. It's about 15 minutes from the airport, further up the coast than everything else. Practically on the mainland. That's fine in itself I guess. It's located on an empty beach which is a turtle reserve, so there's no vendors hassling you to buy their cheap watches or anything. That's great, right?

I thought so until I started getting the bills for food. There's nothing near this resort... no markets, shops or restaurants. You can't pop out for a cheap Thai meal at the little place down the road.... you're trapped at the resort. And the Marriott knows it. The first night I took the boys to a buffet meal. It was beautiful. We all ate up big, and when I signed for the bill I asked them how much I'd spent.

5,000 baht. Jack's eyebrows nearly disappeared around to the back of his head. I 'm not as quick at Maths as he is, so it took a little longer before I started to have my coronary. Who goes to Thailand expecting to pay $200 for dinner?

I thought back to the lunch we'd had by the pool. We weren't all that hungry, so we all had child-sized servings of fried rice. I did the maths, and 5 scoops of rice had cost us $60. I was in big trouble.

We wanted to go shopping the next day, so I planned to find a supermarket and cook as much as I could. We were in a two bedroom apartment that had a kitchen (thank God) so that was do-able. Bye bye to my holiday....

We went down to the desk and asked how much their shuttle bus was to get to Patong. Patong turned out to be an hour away, and the hotel was charging 700 baht ($28) per person for a round trip. Hmm... 28x5=$140. You've got to be kidding.

After this trip, we found out from other disgruntled patrons that if you ask for a LOCAL taxi you can get to Patong for 700 baht. So we all squeezed in taxis for the rest of the holiday. It still cost us $56 every time we left the resort. It kind of takes away the bargain part of the cheap shopping....

Anyway.... that first day we came back from Patong loaded up with dvds, woodcarvings, cheap t-shirts and breakfast cereals, noodles, pasta sauces, vegemite, peanut butter and the biggest bag of rice I've ever bought. Breakfast every day was cereal and a couple of $4 breadsticks bought from the deli at the resort the day before. Lunch was either a boring noodle or rice dish if we were at the resort, or if we were out I was saying "Eat, eat! This is your main meal for the day!!" Dinner was always back at the resort, yet another boring meal. It was so disappointing.

No one goes to a country like Thailand expecting to stress out over the cost of food!!! I got this accommodation through the holiday club I bought into (to make holidays affordable... well, the jokes on me!) My up-front cost for accommodation that would normally cost $750 was $169. What a bargain. My bill at the end of the week was almost $1000. That's with me doing everything as cheaply as I could. Imagine what some people's bills would be.

But the real kicker came on the last day.

By then I knew we could have one resort day and we could afford it. Check out was at 11am, we didn't have to be at the airport till 8.30pm, so I planned a relaxing resort day by the pool. I had sat through a 2 hour Marriott Holiday Timeshare presentation to get the 4,000 baht free resort voucher, so I planned a 'free' 90 minute massage (which was pure indulgent bliss) and lunch and dinner at the deli.... hang the expense!! I was tired of waking up every day and stressing over how and where and what I was going to feed the kids. This day was a day for living like a decadent rich tourist family. Whoopee!

We had a lovely day. We ate beautiful meals... $14 for a subway-type sandwich, but who cares???... the kids played in the pools, I sipped a Pimms cocktail by the infinity pool after my massage.... so very relaxing. Then Connor and I went for a look at the shops.

In the jewelry shop was a diamond and emerald ring. The deepest green emerald I think I've ever seen. It was beautiful. Ever since I was twenty I've wanted an emerald ring... it's been a dream. This ring wasn't cheap... I'm not going to document how much it cost me. But I hadn't bought anything much for myself while we were there, and I knew I'd have this ring for life. So I bought it. Used my credit card for the first and only time in Thailand.

Yesterday the bank rang. My credit card had been skimmed.

The Marriott is going to get a vitriolic email today. All my bills are direct debited to that card. What a pain in the proverbial. Don't stay at the Marriott in Phuket unless you are very rich, don't mind getting ripped off and have a credit card that you use that is completely unencumbered by pesky direct debits. If those criteria fit you... then go for your life!

On another note... Lightening from 'Lightening's thoughts, musings and happenings' has given me an award... the 'you make me smile award'.


After reading this post, she'll probably take it back again...

Thanks Lightening. It certainly made ME smile when I got it!

(And a big thanks to Caitlin at work, who showed me how to get it on this blog.)

Phi Phi Island trip in Phuket.

I'm sending out a silent scream of frustration. I thought that digital cameras and computers were supposed to make life easier???????!!!!!!

I've been wrestling with my whizz-bang new camera ever since I got home from work. I think that I must have a faulty usb cable, because the computer doesn't want to acknowledge the camera despite my best efforts to introduce them. In desperation, I even contemplated putting a touch of lippy and some perfume on it to make it more attractive, but sanity prevailed. (But only just...)

Fortunately, the old camera has some shots of Phi Phi Island, so I'll talk about that, and hope that tomorrow I can get elephant shots up.

Phuket was fantastic. We had such a great time. We did a lot of shopping at the market in Patong, we rode on elephants, we snorkeled, went to Phantasea (if that's how it's spelled), and the rest of the time we watched dvds, lounged by the pool and just hung out together. The kids spent a lot of time together at the pools while I read or had nanna naps, and we all just relaxed and enjoyed ourselves.

We caught up with my friend from work, who happened to be there at the same time with her family. They have girls the same age as my oldest two, and they've known each other since they started secondary school together. We went shopping for a few hours at Patong, and it was hilarious. My kids couldn't believe how the girls kept disappearing into every shoe and handbag stall we came across. Connor (11) said, "Mum, when we're men and go shopping with women, will we have to camp out in front of every shop they go into?"

Of course, every electronic game and dvd stall we passed, my lot would dive in. The girls found that a little hard to fathom. We also spent Wednesday night together at Phantasea, which is like a big theme park full of garish sea creatures, elephants, tigers and people dressed in all sorts of costumes.

It was really nice having some familiar faces over there. We only saw each other a couple of times, but it was fun. The kids all liked having someone else to talk to, and so did we. Thanks to them, I learned to ask for a watch 'from the back', so I've bought a good quality 'Rolex' that should last me years, not just a few months like the ones I bought in Bali.

Phi Phi island was a good day. The night before I woke up at 4.30 and the rain was teeming down.... I had visions of children vomiting over the sides of boats dancing in my head. Then I thought, "Oh well, you can't control the weather", rolled over and went back to sleep. (Easy to do in my humungous KING SIZED bed. If I was there with a significant other I reckon we'd spend half the night just trying to find each other.) Thankfully when we woke up the rain had stopped, and although the sea was rough we all kept our cool. And our breakfasts.

The boat ride was long.... about two hours or so till we got there. It was boring in parts, but when we got to the islands it was spectacular. I've finally seen islands that rise vertically out of the sea, just like in the movies! Jack said to me, "I can't believe how many trees are on them", and he was right. Vegetation was clinging to the most impossible looking spots. I guess life finds a way....

I was taking photos like a maniac. The scenes were so different from flat Australia. The shapes of the hills against the sky were angular and geometric. It's amazing to think that they happened naturally. Surely they're the product of some long-haired graphic designer in a Hollywood studio. Something so aesthetically beautiful must've been designed.... (Oh how I wish I could put in a shot of this from my new camera. I have about 50 to choose from. Maybe that squirt of perfume wasn't such a bad idea.... )

The water was a bit rough, so instead of going to a bay for photos we went straight for the snorkling. When we were pulling into the place, the guide pointed to a bay behind us where the most picturesque resort you've ever seen was nestled, and said, "This is Andaman resort, where the tsunami hit." I was gobsmacked. The sun was shining, everything was green, blue and sparkling, the buildings were placed on the beach with precision and beauty.... it was incredible (and I mean that in the sense that it was hard to comprehend) that death and devastation could come out from nowhere and hit a place such as this. For an instant, I put myself in their places. Here on a holiday, blissfully unaware of our fate...we've all seen the footage. The kids hadn't picked up what the tour guide said. When I told them, their reaction was the same as mine... eyes widened in shock, then the long look back as the resort disappeared behind us.

The kids took to the snorkeling straight away. I guess it must be like riding a bike- they learned in Bali over a few torturous minutes till they stopped drowning, and they haven't forgotten how. We had an hour before we had to leave for lunch, and I kid you not... it felt like it was just 20 minutes. There were so many fish, and they swam all around us. The ones that had bright yellow stripes were the bravest. The swam just out of reach, and a couple of times they even gave me a nibble. (Didn't hurt, but gave me a hell of a fright.. I heard a yeow! come out of the end of my snorkle tube.)

The coral itself was brown and cream and basically not all that interesting looking, but the fish were the most glorious colours. Yellows, blues, reds, and even some florescent ones in shades of peach and blue. I loved seeing those cool looking square fish with the stripes and the long snout. We could've drifted for hours, just gazing at them. I love dipping my head beneath the water and seeing all of the activity and life beneath the surface, and then lifting my head and looking at the tumbling blank waves. The waves give you no idea of what's going on just a few scant inches down. That was fun, but all too soon when I lifted my head everyone but myself and two others were swimming back to the boat. Bugger. I swam back, head down, looking in seventy different directions at once to try and prolong it as much as I could. But soon we were off to lunch.

We went to the other end of Phi Phi island for a buffet lunch, and then we had an hour or so on the beach. I wandered around with my old camera taking shots of the gardens and beach, (and these are some of the shots. The battery died on my new one), while the boys just played on the beach. It was nice.

Trouble with my new camera

Just a quick note...
we're back!!! I'm having trouble accessing my photos from my new camera. When I get the computer sorted out I'll be back with pictures and the story of our trip.
Luckily the sooky la la list was just a bunch of fears that didn't eventuate.
Now I'm off to wake up the kids and go to work. (sigh.)

Sooky la-la list.

Here's Molly when she got her new bandana collar. Sadly, Murphy ripped off the scarf part when he stayed... he's such a pup still. She's got a lot more coat now; I haven't bred or shown Cavaliers in fifteen years, but it still bugs me when my dogs are lacking in any 'show-y' area. She's got too much black on her body, and she's got ticking on her neck ruff. How awful. But she's the gentlest, sweetest thing in the world, and she loves us totally, which is what cavaliers do best.

Actually, it's unusual for us to have just one dog. (When I was breeding them, sometimes I'd have up to 20, including puppies. That was before I started breeding my own species.) Sometime after we get back from the holiday we're going to have to get a puppy. I think that dogs are happiest when they've got a mate to hang around with during the day. Molly and Murphy are always rapt when holidays come and they get to live with each other for a while. They snore as a duet, which is always charming, except when the tv gets drowned out and you have to wake them up. Selfishly though, I've enjoyed just having Molly. She's absolutely no trouble, knows the ropes and I have one area in my life that I don't have to juggle. She simply fits in, whereas a puppy will be work-- at least for a while. Sigh.

Our bags are pretty well packed, some of the cooking has been done, (no baking though... I'll do that today) and by tonight we'll be at the airport. Molly is wandering around, running towards the laundry whenever I look at her. The cats are still in there. I threw them their chicken necks and then slammed the door, (actually, that sounds more dramatic than it was. I gave them their chicken necks on saucers, as always, and then gently closed the door on them. You'd think I slammed it in their faces by the shocked looks they gave me, though!) I want to drop them off at the vets early, and if the kids forget and let them out they'll probably disappear for most of the day. They saw Jack bring in the pet crate from the garage last night, and that always means that they're off to live in the cat room for a while!

This holiday..... here's a list of scary things that might happen.....

• I don't have transfers from the airport organised. What if there's trouble getting us to the Marriott, and we have to live at the airport for a week like Tom Hanks did? Maybe we could walk. Phuket's an island... how big can it be?
• What if the elephant we're riding suddenly runs amok and squashes one of the boys?
• What if there's nothing I want to buy? Or worse, nothing the boys want to buy?
• Wouldn't it be awful if the boys find what they're getting for Christmas? I bought a padlock to put on the bag, but I won't rest until we're home and the presents are stashed away safely.
• What if I get home and my vegie garden has shrivelled into nothingness?
• What if we somehow drink the water and spend all week writhing in agony, unable to stray more than three feet from a loo? We could do this at home... could've saved myself 6K on airfares....
• What if someone drags Jack and Jordan off the street and into a strip club? This happened to a kid in Jack's class. The boys are tall now.... I know they're male, with everything that entails, but I'd prefer that some doors remain closed for them for a little while longer.....
• What if my skull gets sunburned? Thommo at work told me to rub sunblock through my stubble. He says that's what he does. It'd be ironic if I initially shaved my head to raise $$ for cancer research, and end up dying of it myself.
• Maybe Phuket is boring, and Bali is the best trip ever, so this'll be an anticlimax. I've only ever been to Bali, when I was 19 at uni, and last year. Perhaps people are lying about how much fun it'll be.
• What if we get seasick going to Phi Phi island? (Is that how it's spelled?) We'll be there all day, throwing up and wishing for death...
• What if I don't have enough spending money? Maybe there'll be too many good things to buy.
• What if I come home with fewer kids than when I left? I'm reasonably fond of all of them. I don't want to spend the rest of my life missing someone. No tsunamis, mad terrorists or runaway donkeys please.
• And the scariest one of all... what if I run out of books to read? (That's a fear I have every day, not just for when I'm overseas.)

There. I think that about covers it. This list is written with the hope that if I write them down, then Murphy's law will dictate that they won't happen. Unless I've jinxed it by writing this paragraph down...

See you when we get back!

Duty-free madness.

Well, it's official. I've gone mental.

Nothing to do with the guy on the left. He was our waiter last year in Bali. I included him because I'm finally getting excited about our trip to Phuket. No, my slip from sanity is all to do with the duty free shopping I did this morning.

My friend Pitsa is going to Phuket with her family at the same time we are, so we were on the phone yesterday trying to work out where we could catch up. (We're staying a mere 120km away from each other. It's like from here to Ballarat, so who knows if we'll manage it?) Anyway, she told me that you don't have to go to an official Duty Free shop anymore... you can buy stuff anywhere and just take what you bought and the receipts to the airport and they post a cheque for the GST or whatever it is. So naturally I popped in to Harvey Norman to look for a Christmas present for Connor.

$1500 later I leave, staggering slightly at the thought of how much money I'd spent. $350 was for a camera for me... but the rest is all for the boys. At least Christmas is now taken care of. The only challenge ahead of me is how to take their presents to Thailand and back again without them noticing. I'd tell you what I bought for them, but then I'd have to kill you. Nothing spoils Christmas in this house. Seriously though, Connor sometimes has a read of the things I write, and I'd hate for him to scroll down and find out. Lets just say that 'Santa' (attractive woman that she is) will only be leaving one very small box for each of the boys. But I think they'll be rapt when they see what's inside.

I was going to get so much done around here today, but I was at least 2 hours in Harvey Norman, agonising over choices. They had a big sale that finishes today, so I had to get in quick. When I finish this I'll be making pet food, which will be another hour or so, and then I'll be racing around making up the boys' beds and folding all their washing before they get home from their Dad's. Jack rang last night... Port Adelaide are in the Grand Final. Just my luck! I hope for his sake that Thai tv shows it. At least we can tape it, so he can see it when we get home, but it won't be the same.

My sister and the girls are coming tomorrow, so I'd better make sure the house looks respectable. Her place always looks immaculate, so the bar is raised very high. At least I've made a start with lunch. I made 3 huge pots of chicken stock yesterday. Two are divided up in the freezer, but we're having home made chicken noodle soup tomorrow for lunch. Yum!

When will the holidays arrive????

Is anyone else desperate for the school holidays to start?

Don't get me wrong; I'm a dedicated educationalist with my whole being focussed towards my students, their wellbeing and their VCE results. I think of nothing else.

But I want this term to stop dragging its feet and just END! Here's a shot of Jack in school uniform, looking how I feel.....

It's not because we're flying off to Phuket in a week, to spend 9 days in another country with elephants, green foliage and ultra-cheap shopping. I'm so busy racing around that the reality of Phuket hasn't quite surfaced. My brain knows that it's coming soon, but my stomach is lagging behind. When I feel the butterflies I'll know that I'm excited. But at the moment it's all school.

I'm trying to get all of my year 12 essays marked before the holidays. That on its own would be no problem. It's the fact of cross-marking. To make sure the marks the year 12s get are fair, every essay is marked by two teachers, and if those marks differ by more than 3... then they're set aside to be marked by a third teacher. (And occasionally a fourth, if opinions are passionate.... doesn't happen often, thankfully!) To sum up... at certain times of the year there's a bucketful of work to mark.

My ESL (English as a Second Language... ie. migrant kids) have been marked/cross marked and are OFF the radar (yay! I was up at 4.30am on Monday to get those ones out of the way), and now I'm grimly chipping away at the English ones. Though I have to say it's lovely when you get a good one to read... when the student really engages with the novel/film and writes beautifully; it makes it all worthwhile. I won't comment on the ones that are an excercise in endurance for me to get through, (and probably the writer as well.) I've got 12 more to mark for other teachers, then I'll tackle my class of 22, and then I'll be FREE!!!!!!

Today and tomorrow to go...... counting down.....