Gem made a challenge for everyone to blog so I am going to.

It’s pretty cold here in the Alice.  It was minus 1 when I left for work this morning.  I was pretty grateful that mum is a way so I could drive car instead of ride the motorbike, I think I might have froze to death on the bike.

Working four days is going pretty well.  There has been a lot of uncertainty about what I am supposed to be doing though.  I am working on a new Australia wide program and no one really knows what it would look like.  My colleague and I have slowly been coming up with ideas about how we might implement it and we finally have one I am feeling a bit excited about.  It was also very affirming this week as others seem to want to use our model to implement the program in their area.  Anyway, I guess we’ll see if it works in practice the way it does in theory but if it does I feel it could be quite engaging.  Not that’s going to change the world or anything but it could be kinda of fun and I’ll learn a lot.  I mis being at home more with Nina though.

Martin is still at home with her most days but currently has an application in for three great jobs.  He is working one or two weekends a month teaching motorbike riding which he likes but would like to be working more.  I mentioned on the last post he would be working 1 day a week with a scholarship program at CDU but that’s finished now so we are really hoping he gets one and would appreciate your prayers.

We have had some lovely visits in the last months too.  Gem, dad and Hayley were here for our birthday and recently Miriam, Steve and Shona were her and she and Nina had a pretty good time playing together (well most of the time) and they were so cute together. Nine continues to amaze me at how rapidly she grows and picks things up.  She truly has become such a delightful little person.

I give thanks for and all the continued blessings of living in this place.

This blog is in serious need of some love.  I just don’t seem to be able to get to it at the moment so here is a bit of love from Michael Franti.  Nina is really into the album “sound of sunshine” at the moment and I am really loving dancing along to it with her.  I think the song “Hey Hey Hey” is gold.  Here are some of the great lyrics:

“It’s been a long time coming that I had to say
When I wake up in the morning all I do is pray
For some guidance and protection on the streets today
And an answer to the questions I ask everyday

So tell me why do the birds that used to fly here
Tell me why do they come to die here?
And all the kids that used to run here
Tell me why do they load their guns here?

Hey, hey, hey
No matter how life is today
There’s just one thing that I got to say
I won’t let another moment slip away

From the tops of the buildings to the streets below
Between the Wall Street banks and the empty homes
Between the lines of the people standing all in a row
There’s a crack in the gutter where a flower grows

Reminding me that everything is possible
Yeah, reminding me that nothing is impossible
You gotta live for the one that you love you know
You gotta love for the life that you live you know”