Chris turns 40 and there is a rose-breasted cockatoo on the lawn

Yes, Chris has caught me up again, with the big 40 today. His family managed to get their birthday cards to all turn up yesterday and today, which I found very impressive. The boys scrounged some bits of paper and made their own cards, with strong focus on the ageing aspect of the birthday. (We didn't bring paper with us, and haven't stocked up on craft supplies as part of our essentials shopping - I guess we're trying to figure out what we can live without for 6 months. It's kind of liberating, being free of stuff and having to improvise - although I have to admit I succumbed and bought a cookbook holder and apron today as they turn out to be essentials for me.)

It was a beautiful day today, at least the two ends of the day that I experienced outdoors. It was the perfect temperature for cycling in to work this morning, with enough sunshine that I didn't need to wear my jacket but not so much that I felt hot by the time I got to work. It was lovely and sunny at lunch when I went for a walk from the office, and still sunny at the end of the day for the ride home. In between, I could see some very dark and magnificent clouds passing through, but they didn't result in more than a passing shower. We do get good views of the skyscape from our 7th floor office space.

And what did I see on the lawn when I arrived home? A Galah, also known as rose-breasted cockatoo or Eolophus roseicapilla, happily chomping on a worm or some such.

Chris took the boys to their soccer practice after work, while I made black bean burritos, guacamole and chocolate mocha cake. The avocadoes are very nice here, and it's exciting to have lemons right in our garden - I'm trying to find lots of recipes involving lemon or substituting it into anything and everything. 

The few weeks here has made us realize how lucky we are in Victoria to be close enough to our various activities that the boys can get themselves to and from without us. Here, Chris has been doing lots of chauffeuring. Soccer is a 15 minute drive away, so he goes and stays there from 4:45 to 7:00 for the two practices. Yesterday they went to squash for the first time - it is the closest club to us with a junior program, and it's half an hour drive away (40 minutes on the way home as the traffic was bad). I'm back from work later than usual because it takes me a bit longer to get home and also longer to get out of the building once I leave my desk at 4:30 (bike locker and changerooms 8 floors down in the basement, with lots of swipe-card controlled automatic doors to get through). So I'm not able to do any of the chauffeuring, unless I work from home which I may request to do in a few weeks' time. I am very impressed with how accommodating the workplaces here seem to be with respect to flexible working schedules to allow families to meet their needs. At least half of the people in my unit have developed their own working schedule, and there is a complete acceptance of this at all levels, no sense of pressure or concern.

The soccer and squash have been interesting so far. Sol is on a Division 2 team, largely because that was the team that had room for him part way through the season (although this leaves them with 15 players and they are only allowed to bring 14 to each match, so if everyone is fit and available, someone will have to sit out). The team is mid-table, but I would say the level of play is not nearly as strong as his team from last year in Victoria. They would be the equivalent of a Division 1 team in this system (above it is the premier league, equivalent to HPL). Rio's team is in the top league for U9, the "A" level, but the level of play is lower than he is used to as well. But what they lack in skill, they make up for in equipment - the kit is quite impressive, with a special shirt for training and one for matches, a jacket, and for Sol, a kit bag. (Registration is a lot more expensive, to cover all of this stuff).

The squash is a select group of juniors, which will provide the boys with some challenge. The club has a Friday junior program, a select program on Wednesdays, and a round robin on Sundays - which is a bit similar to Cedar Hill, but far fewer programs. There is a one-day tournament coming up in a few weeks sponsored by Prince, called 'bronze' level, so hopefully it will be competitive. The boys found the courts very different, with very low bounce off the walls. 

I went to squash myself for the first time last night, and also found the courts really unusual - low bounce, and also the T is further back than I'm used to and the court is slightly larger. It will take a while to adjust, but suffice to say that low drops are highly effective in this set up. The social night was quite friendly and well organised, and we had the right number of people so no one had to sit out. This meant that after an hour and a half, I was pretty wiped out, that being my first squash in a month. I thought I would be very sore today but I did enough stretching so that I'm only a little bit sore.

Chris is intently watching the Ashes Third Test match at Old Trafford, which is a big news item here at the moment, with Australia trying to redeem its dignity after two losses. I hope that England give him a good birthday present and perform well, but at this point, the Aussies are looking more promising than they have for a while.