Areas of investigation September 2023

Transparency International 

Anat Admati 

Jasmine in the evening, and in the office

Jobs in Lombardy 

Jenolan caves

Have entered a limbo time at work. Spring is gorgeous, feelings are mixed up in the wind. 

Bedroom view. 

This is nine

Savoury breakfasts. 

She's never had a spider. 

Still runs everywhere, occasionally gets zoomies.

Can climb a 20 clean, indoors. 

Happy in the snow. Happy most places. 

Loving life. 

Nine. Snow camping trip to the Bluffs. July 2023. 

Wants to help cook. Does chores for Netflix, keeps a record that we countersign. So many things. Still loves to read. Loves her new watch and the independence of setting her own alarm. Still loves hugs and demands them constantly. Charlie quizzes her on times tables on the walks to school. Still runs the hallway. Brushes her teeth without complaint but not well. Wears a crop top every day. 

First school camp

Grade three, first school camp. So excited and thought she was nervous on Monday. Still chipper at pick up on Wednesday. 

45 minute drive away. 

Classic activities of making damper, flying fox, talent show, bunk room chatter about kissing. 

Didn't shower at all, the girls all took too long. 

Some others were homesick and 'we comforted them'. 

Wore all her clothes, had to borrow a toothbrush.  

Bed was small and hard as a plank. 

Pumped for first school camp 

Eight and a half and a bit

Remember the tears when the old kangaroo was going to be shot.

Making friendship bracelets.

Starting to learn cornet just before Christmas.

Seeing the wellbeing officer in the second week of school for friend troubles.

Joy at a playdate being arranged.

Making dresses in Fitzroy.

Grampians Paradise morning February 2023. 

Summer holidays when you're eight

Went Wandi for a week 

Went to Luna Park and Charlie and I went on first ride 

I had biggest fairy floss in world

Stayed a couple of nights at Grandma's in Chewton

Went to Buffalo Bouldering in Myrtleford

Went to see Lyle Lyle Crocodile and had sleepover Pop's

We went to Grampians and went to Venus Baths. 

We found at Tawny Frogmouth feather at Grampians Paradise

I got a remote control car

We got totem tennis

I had a cool playdate with the twins, we watched a movie (Matilda the Musical) and ate lollypops

We went to Freya's house, it was super fun, we went swimming at the beach. 

I had a bubblegum and English toffee ice-cream in Bright 

Ladies Bath Falls, Mount Buffalo, January 2023

Long service leave week one

Back at Blue Mountains, Milla has no memories of staying here as a baby during my maternity leave. But we are thinking of those stays.

Arriving at Airbnb in Mount Victoria 

Long drive from Woods Reserve in ACT, where we stayed for five nights. A new area, climbing and bouldering, hiking, waterfall, river and lots of quiet. 

Funny spot to camp as only 37k from Canberra, so people came just for dinner at the campground. 

A few nights here and we're planning snow camping and a Mount Kosciusko snow shoeing adventure.

Eight is the best age

I say it often, this is the best age.

This week she served her own breakfast. 

On her birthday had a two night sleepover for first time ever. 

She's funnier than ever. 

Puberty feels just around the corner.

Soup for breakfast, reading all the time, wants to play charades, watches the Giro and Tour with Charlie. Loves a cuddle, loves grandparents and cousins.

Week notes v1

Things on my mind this week. 

• Reading books again. 
• Thinking about a running comeback. 
• Waiting to be a landlord. 
• Feels like winter came quickly. Looking forward to winter holidays. 
• Recovering from Eurovision. Milla loved it.
• Belarus and the hijacking. 
• The new coronarvirus variant in Vietnam. 

Lockdown 2.0

Milla still enthusiastic to get into uniform, get to her desk in the morning. We have some projects in mind, letters to write.  

We start the next lockdown. We had a routine, we go back to it. We are now mid-winter but there's blossoms on the morning walk (feijoa were Lockdown 1.0).

41 days of lockdown

Milla at five years and ten months. School at home enters its fourth week.

Her favourite boat at Williamstown Marina, 'Lo-La'

Obsessed with reading, writing, spelling. This happened so fast.
Becomes intensely interested in science things: hurricanes, beavers, and spouts factoids.
Long bike rides, up to 2 hours, 18 kms today.
Seems to balance being social and solitary. Content in either.

Start of school and the virus comes

The start of school. Feeling optimistic and full hearted and grateful.

Then the virus in China. International education collapsing. Everyone rallying for China.
Went to physio and talked about how the Olympics might be cancelled. Went to Prep new families picnic and shaking hands was becoming unfashionable.

Then I read this article on Medium and didn't want to go into the office on Friday 13 March. I did, and told my staff that it would be the last day. After work I went to the supermarket to stock up and realised that would be the last time. Swimming lesson the next day, realised it would be the last. Stopped get public transport to work, started riding. Taking Milla to school was the only outing, felt ridiculous.

We wished for a decision, for school to close. And then it did. Homeschool started. Charlie drew up a program so we could balance our work and the Milla supervision. She lapped up the learning.

Term two is starting, remotely, with us parents supervising the learning. A different feel indeed.

Our new habits will hopefully run through: morning walks all together; cooked lunches; home yoga and rides in the middle of the day; Skype sessions with grandma.

End of kindergarten

End of kinder. End of an era.

Milla feeling emotional at drop off to RMIT childcare today. It's been 4.5 years of her life for most days of the week. She runs the place.

Tomorrow last day of her other kinder, the one we have loved, that has challenged and delighted us all.

Milla at the end of kinder.

• Loves to climb trees, be physical, dance. Runs everywhere. 
• Is full of joy, and swings of emotion. 
• Draws all day and loves to learn reading. 
• Monitors all the comings and goings. 
• Has some girl 'frenemies' that she feuds with and loves in a boring cycle. 
• Is tall, getting leaner, and finally rides without training wheels.  
• Gets up from her mezzanine bed and takes herself to the toilet in the middle of the night. 

Bright at Spring

Only two days in Wandiligong and we notice Milla seems older. Everytime we head away there is a leap. She is talking in a more sophisticated manner, she looks tall. She is so incredibly good at puzzles, keen to sound out words: the toilet block at Mount Buffalo 'w-o-m-e-n'!! So fast and confident in snowshoes and then infuriatingly stops. Maybe she just wants to play. Five years and two months old.

Milla at 5

Milla at five is great company.

Five years old 

Confident with other people
Still generous
Seems to be getting taller everyday. Definitely looking long.
Great generosity of spirit
Starting to enjoy trying, and can take direction
No interest in cycling
Great architectural drawings with increasing detail
Still loves camping and the outdoors
Love love loving learning to read
Puzzle champion.

Literacy at nearly five

And just like that, she's all about reading, writing, letters and spelling.

Reading everywhere. 

Over summer she gained the ability to listen to chapter books.

Over the past few weeks, a hunger to understand words.And remembering more and more.

She could write our names. Then 'love'. I started getting love letters last year 'Milla love Mum'.

Now birthday cards she can write, mostly unassisted, save for 'from': 'happy birthday Grandma, love from Milla'.

Reading my copy of the BFG, she's keen to pick out 'snozzcumber' on the page, and will find 'Sophie' very quickly.

What an electric time.

Pretty rapt to receive this card. 

Oxfam Trailwalker 2019

I'm feeling pretty much myself now. Two and a half days after finishing Oxfam Trailwalker. My first time, after a few years of aspiration, I finally did it.

One hundred kilometres walked, in twenty five hours.

It's hard to own it and figure out what made me successful. The text Charlie sent me saying 'full grit' totally resonates.

I was in pain from early on, blisters appearing on both feet. My muscles were better than I feared, quads getting achy in the final quarter. When it was cold.

We chatted. We remembered the trail. Just two small sections we'd never walked. We worried about the rain. We talked about the times. When support crew was coming. We ate heaps of sugar. We thought about Jen and how to keep her going and if she was going to make it.

I jogged up hills, it was easier on my body. I fell asleep and kept on walking. I couldn't think of anything.

I think I felt euphoric for the final 5-10km as I knew it was going to happen, I would complete.

Books at four and a half

Christmas booked devouring daily: 

• Georgia O'Keeffe
• Tintin The Black Island
• Rosie Revere chapter book
• Fantastic Mr Fox
• Reader's digest trees and shrubs (!!)

Four and a half exactly

Started to realise she's not a little kid and can differentiate judgement based on younger kid's ages, such a one and two year old cousins.
Needs interaction with peers, gets bored and frustrated by our compacted a few solid days, gets topped up and energised by playdates.
Some perfectionist tendencies.
Demonstrated shoelace tying much to our amazement. Probably has other secret skills that we don't know about.
Loves to be told stories from my childhood at bedtime.
Remembers everything. Very helpful for going shopping.
Just started on Roald Dahl after first encounter with Enormous Crocodile in Doune.
Loves loves the water and swimming.
Goes barmy when fed sugar.
Loves pink and twirling dresses.
Draws people - as of today - with wide smiling mouths.
Still with training wheels on bike.
Started rock climbing and is super enthusiastic about it.
Started whittling and sliced her thumb open but healed super fast.
Not very good at sharing with her two year old cousin.
Can play by herself on mornings when she wakes up early.

Four and a quarter

Milla at a four and a quarter.

Still runs to bed.
Had another haircut, but she wants it longer.
Is starting to enjoy maths ideas.
Has borrowed a bigger bike from a six year old friend, with a basket, still on training wheels.
Almost always will share her special thing with you.
Loves to take doll in for repeated show and tell.
Swimming lessons on Sundays and Chinese lessons Thursdays. But not regular.
Told the dentist her favourite food is broccoli. Is bragging to everyone about her upcoming trip to Scotland.
Occasionally pesters for a sibling.
Lots of new words that surprise us.
When she's really really excited or happy, her eyes start to turn up at the sides.
Getting better at the idea of practice. 

Four years old

Generous.

Perfectionist. Gets frustrated with a sub par effort.

Amazing memory.

Seems to be comfortable hanging out with different people. Adaptable. Hangs out with kinder friends and any visitors at home and seamlessly switches.

Practising the art of conversation.

Producing heaps of drawings. A week or two solid of the same thing at a time. A month of princesses. Then princesses with striped rainbow dresses. Then princesses with families. Then princesses with hair. Then princesses with castles. Castles with doors, door handles and windows. First buildings. Yellow sun up top and green grass underfoot. A flower with petals, and two leafs up its stalk.

Self portrait by Milla as a four year old. 

Scoots most days and tried to do tricks sometimes. Leans her chest on the handles and spreads out her arms like flying. Crouches down and wiggles her bum and kicks out her legs, dancing and rolling.

Her desk is always piled up with cutting, drawing, papers, textas, sticky-tape.

Friendly. Beautiful. Matter-of-fact.