washing dishes is dangerous

Here's a new excuse: "I can't wash the dishes, I might get bitten by a redback spider." Now who would believe that one? Well it very well could be a valid excuse after my experience today. I filled the sink to wash the dishes at work today and then looked across the bench for the sponge. I found it and brought it over to the sink when I noticed a spider on the inside of the sink. Wierd place for it. Don't know where it came from. AND IT WAS A REDBACK! (Redbacks are one of our poisoness spiders.) I took a photo....coz I just had to. Pity my phone doesn't do close ups well. Then the kids came in and were naturally interested. While I asked the eldest not to lean across the bench explaining that this spider is poisoness I smooshed it with a spoon. Sorry spider, but you'd attack if I invaded your home.

pasta dessert

I cooked up the last of my chocolate pasta last night. Shared it with the others in the house. I made a marshmallow sauce with marshmallows, cream and vanilla essence which was super sweet and runnier than I had imagined. I mixed in some berries to counter all the sweetness too. It wasn't too bad but I still think chocolate pasta is a let down. There are other desserts that are so much more chocolatey than this. It really does taste like plain pasta with a hint of chocolate. Interesting to try.

That was the last of the gluten consumption for a while. My body has been wierd for a while now and bloating has become an all too common occurance. I got tested for coeliacs last week (as you have to be eating gluten to test for it) and those results came back fine. So now I'm testing for an intollerance. And the only way to test is by not eating it for a period of time and see if my body gets happier. We'll see how I go. I'm hoping I'll lose some weight as a by product coz I have to think a lot more about what I eat and I can't just eat anything. Gluten is in lots of stuff. The only gluten consumed today--to my knowledge--was in the ice cream I ate and THEN checked the ingredients list. (Glucose syrup from wheat). Tonight I'm gonna try a gluten free bread mix in the parents' bread maker. Maybe toast for breakfast? At least I have some gluten free chocolate cake to share at home group. :)

stage six complete

Second to last move! Moved back in with my parents for my last stint in Australia before my UK adventure begins. Still got a few pieces of furniture to move but I'll get them tomorrow. Sleeping here tonight in my old room (revamped to a couples guest room) with the remainder of my possessions piled all around the floor space. Now to sort and stack what's left and cull some more where I am willing. In the meantime, I'd appreciate responses from the contacted families in the UK. Thank you.

And thanks, Mum and Dad, for having me back again! ^^

fun food

Does this look delicious or what? I was given some rainbow pasta for Christmas and I finally cooked some of it up last night. I used pesto as my sauce so I could still see the stripes on my fettuccine and threw in what veggies I had in the fridge and ate a yummy and fun dinner. I'm gonna go eat the leftovers for lunch.

stage five complete

Fourteen little assignments later and I have successfully finished the online "Aupair in the UK" course I had to do with the Smart Aupairs programme. None of it was very difficult. I suppose it would be more useful for people from more different cultures or who haven't done a lot of childcare work. I did find some of the research informative though like this brilliant and fun website which is a great place to search for activities and things to do with children all over the UK.
Mostly, however, the completion of this course brings a breath of relief being able to tick another major step off my list. Now I shall continue my wait for a family match and hopefully land a job before I go.

walking at the wet lake

I got up early for a walk around the lake with my Viana recently. It was a lovely day. Not sun shiny but neither hot nor cold. The scene was a bit different after all the rain we've had lately.

The cygnets are teenagers now.

Don't walk there!! Stay on the path. The lake was covered with green plant stuff in areas. We went around Fairyland and only once we got to the other end did we see the no-go ribbon. Obviously had overflowed here. It was just a bit mucky as we stepped across.

The lake is sure full now. Complete opposite of what it was when I returned from the USA in 2008. See this post. It's nice to see it full of life again.

thinking pains

Honestly, I overthink things too often. I can end up getting lost in what usually becomes a downward spiral. These days I'm trying not to think too much and I'm learning to stop and get away when I feel myself losing it. It was a challenge one night last week. But somewhere in there, in the awareness of not being trusting of God and feeling disappointed with Him, I had an interesting thought: But if God is in essence good, loving and compassionate as the Bible says--among so much more--and that is simply who He is, then maybe it's not God who's let me down but my image of God, my limited understanding that is far from perfect.

Maybe I'm disappointed with God because He's not matching up to what I imagined. I mean, I even feel guilt and fear at times for not feeling the way I think I should as a follower of Christ. It's as if I had all my basic ideas of God and His character and the way life with Him is and now it's not adding up to what I've been experiencing. Maybe through these series of "disappointments" and human misunderstandings my ideas have been warped. Or maybe I'm actually a bit of a spoilt brat and getting all hung up coz things aren't going my way. Or maybe it's simply a part of growing up--from innocent childlike thinking to adult reasoning where life is sketched in shades of grey.

Surely God, being God, means that our tiny minds are incapable of the full comprehension of who He is. We have a very limited understanding. Our view of Him is also tainted by our human experiences and often warped by our misconceptions. Then how do we determine who God really is? Is it possible to separate my negative human experiences from my conclusions about God?