It’s 10.30 and I have already managed to hang out a load of washing and get it back in again all dry.  Living in a hot and dry climate does have some benefits although summer does seem to have come a little too early this year.

The weather is not the only thing that has been a bit full on at the moment.  My work is totally overwhelming.  Everyday there are new people arriving and others who have come don’t come back so I never really know who is going to be there and and what would be helpful to be teaching them.  In the last month there have been about 36 students come through which is way too much for one teacher especially as these days when every student requires so much paperwork.  Right now I could totally bury myself in paperwork that I haven’t done which stresses my boss out.  The problem is a lot of them haven’t actually been referred to the program and then most of them their attendance is sporadic so it seems the organisation is not even making enough to cover me.  Another thing that stresses my boss out.  There are a few students who come regularly and I feel there have been some good moments with some of them but unfortunately I spend most of my time having to deal with people who are only there because they have to be to get their payment so they coming in and out of the program.  It just feels like chaos.

Then I get home and there is a gorgeous but energetic three year old to look after and dinner to cook and all that.  She gets to bed at 8.00 and I find my self trying to make some headway into the paperwork but I am so tired I mostly don’t get any of it done.  So I go to bed and lie awake for hours worrying about it.  It’s pretty miserable and totally not the way I want to live.

Martin is still working a lot of weekends teaching the motor cycle riding and he is now also  doing some part time work at the flexible learning centre.  The flexible learning centre is a senior high school in Alice Springs that is trying to reengage youth, that have dropped out of school, back into the education system.  Martin is working there making a garden with the students.    He continues to look for full time work which would be good to get some day but I am pretty happy he is still able to be around for Nina a lot more.  While she does go to day care four days I am glad it is only for a few hours and not the whole day.  It also means he has the time for his studies. He got an HD in his last assessment so all the hard work definitely paid off.

Well I think that’s all for now…………..

Despite the fact that this blog doesn’t get a lot of attention these days I do really value it as a record of the last ten years especially the last three of Nina’s life. So I thought it was high time I wrote a little post about what Nina is up to these days.

Well she’s three.  There seemed to be a lot of celebrations for her birthday.  We went to Simpson’s Gap on the actual day.  In the morning she said that was what she wanted to do.  We go there for little walks and it is definitely one of her favourite places.  Jane and John were here and Pat and Jem too so that was a bit special.  (Jane if you are reading this she is loving the puzzle you gave her).  Then on the Saturday we had a party with her friends.

Nina at three is still a gorgeous delight.  She is really getting into her creative play and telling stories lately which is fun.  Although an awful lot of it is about food.  She really loves food.   For example, making ice cream with play doh or getting into the wash basket, pretending it is car and driving to town to eat hot chips.  The other day we got into the hammock which was a boat.  The boat ended up in Sydney where where we were eating hummus with Tia Loca.  She also loves all things music.  We often put on music and dance  or just sing songs.  She has also began picking up any musical instrument and playing it which is making me feel a bit limited in developing that interest due to my total lack of skills but here’s her getting some drum lessons from a guy in town who was doing some workshops at the desert festival.

She also had her first face painting there.

She still loves climbing anything.  We climb the hills all the time and the trees down in the gap.  I feel very lucky to live here in this environment.  Here she is climbing some red sand hills.