Park Life

Today, Cillian and I went for a walk in nearby Trumper Park.
Trumper park consists of a cricket and football oval, cricket in the Summer and Aussie Rules Football in the Winter. Its also host to Little Athletics and of course, families out to kick a ball or through a frisbee.
Some people still throw frisbees.

Besides that there is a playground and on the escarpment that leads up to Edgecliff, a compact little park with wandering trails, a pond and many trees and shrubs.

We sat at the pond and watched Indian minah birds harass a peewit. Otherwise the park was very quiet. I had brought a book on the slim chance that our little hero would sleep, but no chance of that, so we played some games and had fun.

There aren't many flowers native to Sydney, but there are plenty of flowering shrubs.
The bottle brush that my mother kept as shrubs in the front garden grow as beautiful trees here and they are in bloom now. The frangipani, although not actually a native is very popular here and is nearer the end of its blossoming season.

Anzac Day

Last Friday was Anzac Day.
When I came to Sydney first there were still some of the original Anzacs, reverently chauffeured in old military vehicles at the head of the parade. The WWII veterans were sprightly men in their 70s and the Vietnam diggers were still relatively young men.
Now the Aussies who fought in the Great War are all gone, there are only 6 or 7 left in the world. The ranks of the Second World War soldiers are growing thinner at an exponential rate and even the men who fought in Vietnam have transitioned from middle age to seniority.
There were young marchers too, as Australians are involved in fresh conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan and in peace keeping duty in places like East Timor.
Mingled in the ranks were the descendants of those diggers that have passed on.

All marched proudly, smiling despite their weariness. Some of the old blokes looked worn out, but pleased as punch. Old mates helped each other along. Others look like they could have done a second lap of the CDB, buoyed up the claps and cheers of the crowd.

On a day that was at times wet and cool and at other times quite warm, Sydney turned out to pay respect to the men and women who put their lives on the line for this country.
In the late 60s, up until the last decade or so, Anzac Day fell out of favour with the public, seeing it as a glorification of war. This view had thankfully changed and though tones of nationalism have crept into the country, this day is still just one of thanks and remembrance.
There are no convoys of tanks or screaming jets or hovering choppers, just a procession of former and current soldiers, sailors and airman, marching with dignity, pride and good humour.

I brought Cillian along to see his first march and he enjoyed himself no end. He loved the bands, the crowds and some of the old diggers waved to him as I waved his little arm.

Lest we forget.

An Irish association marches.
l

One of many marching bands.

Must..get..to..the..phone!

Must..get..to..the..phone!
Originally uploaded by Anthony's World

I am very slack about phoning friends and family. Ok, next weekend I will call as many as possible. Talk to you then.

Baby is sleeping

Baby is sleeping
time is creeping.

Free time

Its 10:50am on Monday morning. Cillian's dream feed worked its charm again last night, with our little hero sleeping from about 12:30am to almost 7am. Sharon was kind enough to get up and place some toys in his cot and this amused him for a while, but at 7:30 I got up to placate his insistent calls and it was onto the bed for playtime with toys, then a quick nappy change, more play while I tried to dress him, which isn't easy as he keeps trying to roll to get at his toys. After that breakfast from mum, more play, this time on his play mat upstairs, then breakfast - rice and pumpkin which he enjoys, more play this time on his mat downstairs and tickles from Dad, before a bottle which sent him to sleep. And sleep he has, for over an hour and a half now, giving Dad a chance to get some tea, tidy and blog.

Sunshine after the rain

Thirteen consecutive wet days dispelled by a weekend of perfect Autumn weather. Warm but fresh, blue skies and runs in the park.

What I'm reading

Tobruk by Peter FitzSimons
Nancy Wake by Peter FitzSimons

Ask most Australians to name a military engagement which involved Australians and they will almost certainly say Gallipoli.
Ask again and they will probably mention Kokoda.
After that things get a little hazy.

Like most, I know that Tobruk saw fierce battles in WII and that Australians were involved, but little more than that.

Peter FitzSimons sets out to dispel the ignorance surrounding Tobruk and bring to public attention the men who fought there, those diggers known as the Rats of Tobruk.
Tobruk was a vital harbour port in North Africa. Rommel, at the head of his much vaunted and undefeated Afrika Korps, believed that he could take the city in 2 days. The Australians, along with British and Indians were asked to hold out for two weeks. They held on for eight months, against the might of the German panzer armies and Luftwafe.

This book is a page turner in the best sense. It reads more like a novel than a history and draws wonderful portraits of Australians in the battle and at home, Germans, Poles and British.
FitzSimons deep admiration for these men is obvious. He makes use of the vernacular and if the battle scenes sometimes read like something from Battle Action, the effect on the men who fought and their humanity is not forgotten.

I recommend this book to anybody with a love of history or just a good story.

Nancy Wake was born in New Zealand in 1912, her family moving to Sydney when she was two. She was a free spiritied young woman who paid little heed to convention and left for adventures in New York, London and Paris when she was 18. She became a journalist based in France, where she lived a part girl existence, before meeting and marrying Henri Fiocca. When the war came, Nancy and Henri helped to operate an escape line for Allied service men, Jewish and other refugees. With the Gestapo closing in, Nancy had to use the line herself to escape to London.
There she was recruited to the SOE and sent back to France where she lived and fought with the Resistance. She is highly decorated.

FitzSimons draws a portrait of an amazing woman, unorthodox, passionate and a fierce scourge of the Nazis.

Again, I highly recommend this book.

Welcome to Sydney, Ireland

Today is the twelfth consecutive day of rain in Sydney, the most successive wet April days since 1931, when there were 15. In 1893 there were 24.
It feels like Irish weather.

The dams, of course, have seen very little of the falls.

At swim two boys

Splish splashing
Originally uploaded by Anthony's World

This picture was taken on Cillian's first and so far only swim in the sea. It was late evening on New Year's Day and our little hero was tired. The water was cold and Cillian wasn't having a bar of it.

Today, we ventured back to the water, this time to the leisure pool at Cook and Phillip Park. We went with Magda and her baby boy Jan, who is a day older than Cillian. Jan has been swimming for a couple of months now and is very relaxed in the water.

Cillian was very good. He was a little apprehensive and was happy to cuddle up to me, but he did have a go at floating on his tummy and back and bobbing up and down in the water. He was happiest sitting in the shallow water, where he could splish splash away.

There were a few tears, but not too many and he was a contented little fellow when I swaddled him in a big towel.

It will be a regular thing for the four of us and hopefully Saoirse and Rex will join us soon.

Mad good chocolate cake

The before picture for the mad good chocolate cake.
Super nice.
There is no after picture.
Nothing remains.

Spuddy

Spuddy in Bedroom
Originally uploaded by Anthony's World

It’s almost four in the morning and Cillian has woken crying for the second time this night. I make my way carefully down the stairs to heat a bottle, the ground beneath my feet seeming to pitch and yaw, so tired do I feel.
It’s quiet now upstairs and I find Sharon in Cillian’s room, feeding him. As soon as the bottle is warm enough, she hands him to me and goes back to bed. She needs her rest, as she has returned to work. She turns off the little light on the baby monitor, but leaves the lower landing light on. The diminished glow ghosting through a small internal window above the bedroom door is more than enough for me to see.
Our baby is tired, thankfully, he had a big day at Magda, Francois and Jan’s apartment, playing with the other babies there.
His eyelids slowly lower till I can barely see his pupils, which scan left and right, seeing neither the real world nor the world of baby dreams. His suckling becomes reflexive and I speak to him gently and on a couple of occasions, wind him, hoping to make him slightly more alert so that he will feed well and sleep better.
His left hand, soft and warm, strokes my arm, but even that movement stills.
Outside the bedroom door, Spuddy starts to snore. Our big marmalade tom was mightily put out by the arrival of Cillian. He has come round, though he loves it when Cillian has gone to bed and its just Sharon and I in the living room. He shuttles back and forth between our laps, till he eventually finds the one that is warmest and settles down, basking in the attention.
Often, when Cillian is playing on the rug downstairs, he will share the space with the baby, not too put out by flailing feet or arms.
Shortly after Cillian moved into his cot and his own room just a few weeks ago, Spuddy took to sleeping outside the bedroom door. He won’t enter, at least not when I am there and even ignores the door to our bedroom if it stands ajar, denying himself what was once cat Nirvana. He prefers now to sleep outside the baby’s door.

Cillian is fast asleep and I place him in his cot, tuck him in and kiss him goodnight, wearily heading back to bed, turning off the landing light.

It’s four in the morning and Spuddy is snoring outside the baby’s door.

Another week begins

So much fun
Originally uploaded by Anthony's World

Today, Sunday, is the start of my second week looking after Cillian. I manged to get a long run in while Mum looked after Bub, then I baked some sinful chocolate cakes for a party at a friends house. The house was full of babies all around Cillian's age and he had a ball. He slept all of 10 minutes today and just crashed at around 9pm. Hopefully he will sleep well tonight.

Stay at home Dad

Oooo
Originally uploaded by Ant from Paddo

Sharon returned to work on Monday. She misses Cillian, though is quite engaged by her new role.
To their eternal credit, the company I work for give men three months paid parental leave, as long as they are the primary carer.
So this week, its was just the boys at home.
The days have taken on a rhythm, get up around seven or whenever Cillian wakes. In the morning he is usually happy to chatter away to himself for a while, before coughing to announce that he is ready to get up. Change nappies, dress the little man, dress myself and entertain Cillian while Sharon gets ready for work. Mum feeds the bub and then its the boys on their own.
We play, then either Cillian sleeps in his cot, or we go for a long walk, where hopfully he will crash.
Lunch, play and then an afternoon walk, hopefully with a snooze for the little fellow.
Then Mum is home.
It is full on , but a lot of fun and I'm so glad to have been given the opportunity to spend so much time with my baby. He is six months old now and becoming more and more aware of his world.

Taking a breaak

Taking a breaak
Originally uploaded by Ant from Paddo

Another big day of fun and games for Cillian. He is six months old now and is full of beans, a happy, inquisitive, playful baby.

Seven Marathons in seven days

I ran again today, a slow 10km, easing myself back from illness to fitness. Much of my run was in Centennial Park and I enjoyed myself, trotting along the tree lined paths. Also enjoying the warm, fresh Autumn morning was Dave Heeley. Dave, a 50 year old Briton was running a marathon, one of seven marathons he plans to run in seven days on seven continents. Dave is blind and is partnered on his epic quest by Malcolm Carr.
A small number of walkers and runners accompanied Dave today, among them members of Sydney's remarkable Achilles Running Club.
Dave is raising funds and awareness for the Guide Dogs Association.

What we did for Easter

This is Gerringong and Werri Beach, a two hour drive south of Sydney. We spent two nights here with our friends, Liz, Rhett and their children Liam and Erin. Its a lovley spot and we had a lot of fun. The neighbouring kids come to play and Cillian had a ball, particularly with Erin and four year old Bronte from next door.
We made a lot of balloon animals, swords and hats, had a run, a dip in the sea and a game of badminton and Easter mass at the lovely little Gerringong church of St Mary, Star of the Sea.

Cillian at work

Cillian at work
Originally uploaded by Ant from Paddo

Six months old and already a computer wizz.

I ran today

Over the last six months, my running has been blighted by injury, illness and work.
Two weeks ago, I started an eight week schedule to get me ready for a half marathon in late May. Unfortunately, after a single run, I came down with the flu, not a cold mind, but the flu. I tried an easy jog last Tuesday, pushing Cillian in his jogger, it went well, but the following day I paid for it, with a return of the flu at its most virulent.
So a week later I ran again, the same easy flat run around Rushcutters Bay, with its marina and views over the water to the city and Manly. My legs felt tight and heavy, like I had already been running for two hours. But it was a beautiful morning, the rain giving way to warm sunshine and towards the end of the run, I felt a tiny little bounce come back into my stride. I feel good now, writing this several hours later. Hopefully, tomorrow I will still feel good and go for another run.

Arachnaphobia 2

Scores more baby huntsman appeared overnight, speckling the hall ceiling. I should point out that they are tiny and harmless. For the most part, I used a brush to get them outside, the brushhead streaming with mite sized spiders decending on silken threads, like commandos from a helicopter. Unfortunately, a obstinate few tucked themselves out of reach of the brush, so I had to get a ladder and a vacuum cleaner. I would have preferred if they'd have come quietly.
By the way, mummy huntsman protects her egg sacs for three weeks.

What I'm reading

Thirteen Days
A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis
by Robert F. Kennedy

This is a spare and illuminating account of thirteen days in October 1962 when the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war.

Arachnaphobia

Sharon was not impressed to find about 200 baby Huntsman spiders covering part of the sitting room wall this morning. They are tiny, just a few mms across. However, this afternoon we found Mum, or at least we think it was Mum. She was trying to hide from me and was sprinting across our hall wall and with Sharon anxious to have her out of the house (I trapped her in a lunch box and released her outside), I didn't manage to take a picture.
However, I've added a picture of an adult huntsman to give you an idea of what they look like. Our one had a body about3-4cms wide and her leg span was wider than my hand.

Cillian's Christening

Everybody
Originally uploaded by Ant from Paddo

Cillian was christened by Fr Peter McGrath in the church of St. Francis of Assisi, Oxford St, Paddington, Sydney on Apr 06 2008.
Ingrid van der Lee and David Behan are his godparents.

Fr Peter, Kumar, Richard, Saoirse, Francois, Jan, Magda, Mike, Ingrid, David, Annie, Joe, Sonya, Farzaneh, Tony, Therese, Madeleine, Genevieve, Sharon, Cillian, Emily, Angela, Niamh (missing are Phong looking after Rchel and Tanya, taking the picture)

Mum and Cillian

Mum and Cillian
Originally uploaded by Ant from Paddo

Check out Cillian's rosy cheeks. He is cutting a tooth. He is very good about it, but is waking three times a night now, rather than once. Mum is looking good for a woman who is getting 3 hours sleep in a stretch.

Flu

One and a half weeks later and I still have the flu. Not just a common cold, thank you, but the flu, the third time in six months, which is frustrating for someone who normally doesn't get ill and is trying to establish some decent running fitness.
Perhaps Monday I will try a little run.

Big week for the little man

Its been a big week for Cillian; moving into his cot, trying solids and liking them, cutting his first tooth, which he is very good about and moving from the capsule to a proper car seat. Yesterday he was six months old and tomorrow he will be baptised.
Its all happening.

Snoozing in the park

Snoozing in the park
Originally uploaded by Ant from Paddo

We had a little stroll to Trumper Park, a cricket oval just a few minutes from where we live. One side of the park is a steep escarpment that rises to Edgecliff. This escarpment has some walking tracks and a little pond. It is very small and yet despite being in the middle of a densely populated area, you really feel like you are away from it all. Cillian feel asleep, a big bonus. He is a little dynamo, requiring little sleep in the day, but lots of stimulation and activity.

What mischief can I get into next?

What mischief can I get into next?
Originally uploaded by Ant from Paddo

Easter at Gerringong. We visited Liz, Rhett, Liam and Erin at their house near Werri Beach. WE had a lot of fun and I made a lot of balloon animals, hats and swords for the kids. Cillian had a ball, particularly with Erin and 4 year old Bronte from next door. He loves watching and playing with the older kids.