Never the Same

Click on Henry to see more of this wonderful adventure!

Welcome Henry Charles

And the remarkable thing is that there is so much wonder to come!

28th October 2006
4.1kgs
54cms

Apology

I, Jeff Jackson, with all solemnity and deepest regrets do apoligise unreservedly for the prior posting. What I can only explain as a stupid and uneccesary attack on Sue's wise and wonderful council I have bared to the world my shame and utter ignorance of all matters pertaining to plumbing.

Yes, Yarra Water has been called just a moment ago and will be sending out an emergency team. I recognise that there is no use mentioning the wisdom of my comments relating to the storm water when the sewerage is pouring across the front lawn. She was correct when she notted that I should have looked down rather than up to see the sewerage pumping from the ground!

With sincerity and a bottom lip curled, I hereby agree to defer all decisions relating to the plumbing directly to Sue prior to any further decisions.

What's that noise?

A person that I live with who is either about to have a baby or experiencing the effects of an abnormially large stomach goita and who hereafter remain nameless said a remarkable thing this morning! Having ventured to the shower first and hearing the sound of rain outside she made the worring remark, "I think that there is another water problem outside. Water is gushing down just outside the bathroom window." Having dug up nearly half the neighbourhood recently in search of broken and clogged pipes my eyes instantly rolled several times. I, like any super hero, leapt from the bed to explore.

It has been a long time since a downpour, even in Melbourne. It made some sense to the unmentionable person when I pointed out that the water did need to run somewhere after collecting in the roof gutters and probably the best place to run is into a downpipe just next to the bathroom window!

I recalled a moment when Braddon, 'Wise Soothsayer of the West', was explaining to a pregnant woman that their brains don't function as effectively as normal and pointing to a wide range of research pointing out this fact.

It was in this moment I thought not to dwell on this matter with her but to write it on my blog.

A Cry

Who's Counting? I am!

40 Years Young

Forty years, a Frenchman and two children down Sarah had reason to celebrate. A gentle evening of drinks and intelligent chat was a relaxed moment to stop and wonder at life. Sarah was game enough to say a few words and was able to present a list of wise learnings about her life. Perhaps the most pertinent fragment of wisdom was that after two children it was clear that deprevation of sleep is torture.

Very Exciting

The world has changed. The headlines blaze with news of atomic madness. Yet there is a dash of hope in the age today. A new bird has been discovered in Colombia. (The Age)


As excited as this is, and it is exciting, I was a little concerned at this odd note at the conclusion of the article.

'One of the two birds caught by the team was released unharmed after they took pictures and DNA samples, while the other died in captivity. Donegan said this is the first time researchers were able to confirm a new bird without having to kill it.'

Big Boys with Big Sticks

Like most other schools we have a rule in our school about not playing with sticks. Sticks can be dangerous. Anyone who has seen the energetic play of little boys in the playground will attest to the enthusiasism for most boys to cut and whoosh with anything from a twig to half a tree!

Hypothetically ...

A group of lads were armed with sticks were playing in worlds unseen as I rounded the corner of the playground. Another student bent down and picked up another twig to join the thrust and parry of the sword fight. It seemed the only reasonable thing to do as a teacher ... everyone had to put down their sticks, afterall they are dangerous.

Today the boy has been asked to put down his stick while the others have been encouraged to continue their games. I'm not an international expert on foriegn policy nor do I think the world can be seen purely through the actions on a school playground but it seems to me that in order to ask North Korea to surrender its nuclear program, the rest of the bullies must also be asked surrender their sticks!

I can't help but think the playground is run by bullies.

The Age

Year 4 Chemistry

Yesterday began the term. A little weary and dreading the initial weeks of routine I found myself, like Pavlov's dogs, becoming more anxious as the sound of the bell drew near.

Initial catchups over I thought it best to invite the students to brainstorm questions or 'wonderings' that they wanted to answer within the boundary of our topic for the term - 'Solids, Liquids and Gases - What is Our World Made Of?' Surely it can't be a bad way to start the term. Engaging them in the learning ahead, surrendering control over the planned outcomes and fostering creative and dynamic investigations. I wondered what lay ahead in our term when the first student to suggest a question perked up, "How do you make heroin?"