Football girls, Good Food & Wine Show, Fancy Dress and a new niece!

Phillipa Louise Chambers

You can see there has been lots going on, where should I start? With the most important news then...Ben & Kylie have new jobs....mummy & daddy. On Thursday 12th June Phillipa Louise Chambers was born. I can't remember all the stats, she was born in the afternoon and she's pretty cute. Here's some photos to confirm.

So we'll work backwards from that then, Chalky went to another Fancy Mess party...Retro theme, of course we managed to pull an outfit together with help from Robyn & Nicko's dressing up box.

Today (Sunday 22nd) Sarah & I went to the Food & Wine Show at Darling Harbour, we literally ate our way around the convention centre tasting all kinds of olive oils, breads, dips, apples, wine wine and more wine, and all kinds of other snack treats. There were 2 features for the day, a cooking session to learn how to cook a stuffed spatchcock, mediterranean vegetables and apple pies. I was really looking forward to it, I've never cooked a small bird before, actually I've never cooked a big bird either. And even after the class I still haven't, apparently the fridges weren't doing their job right and we couldn't risk it instead we had some lamb to cook...the lamb was delicious - but I still need to sort out the birds. Another time I guess. The other feature for the day was the Gordon Ramsay session, it wasn't an intimate session, we shared him with 2,500 others and mostly screaming desperate women - it was a little embarrassing but worth it to see him and watch him cook. So now Sarah & I are hoping to win one of the competitions that we entered otherwise we've both signed up for lots of random emails!

Football is still dominating our weekends, last weekend we even played in the rain. Chalky's team won a game this weekend (the first for the year) Mitch has hung up his premiership boots and has now joined the over 35's, this made a difference this weekend. Chalky's contribution was only from the sidelines or putting off the keeper as he's recovering from a blow to the ribs and hamstring. His girls on the other hand won again...Div2:9-1, Div1: 2-0, last weekend the Div2 game was captured on film.

Div 2 backline in action

Jenny (Div 4 helping out) gracefully winning the ball

Nellie super striker making a run

Nellie...shots...scores - please note Grandma keeper!

Nellie gets her hatrick...the keeper is broken. After getting her hatrick this week she scored 5!

Football football and more football.

So football is fair well dominating our time at the moment, Chalky trains the girls on a Wednesday and Bek goes to training (with a different manager) Chalky trains on Thursday, we sometimes have make up games on a Friday, Chalky plays on a Saturday and manages his sides on a Sunday whilst Bek is also playing. On top of that Chalky does the announcing in the Oaks on a Saturday afternoon for the 11 men's teams that have played and then on a Sunday for the 4 girls teams and 2 alternating men's fixtures, all in all it's quite a commitment.

The announcing involves giving the results for all the fixtures including the awards for 'Man' and 'Mug' of the day, both have which have to race down a beer against each other. It's good fun especially when you get some funny stories as to the Mugs, ie blokes missing the game to watch Beauty and the Beast on ice!!! Or getting a girls number in a bar then projectile vomiting all over her ( cos we are a class bunch).

All the women's teams are going well but unfortunately the only team in the club to not have won a game is Chalky's over 35's team, to be fair they've not played too bad and have never lost a game by more than 2 goals but just can't get that elusive win. In good news bad news Chalky tells me he was having a fantastic game the other week until he had to come off with a hamstring injury (not for the first time) .

Anyway here's a clip of Chalky doing the awards on s Sunday afternoon when it's a bit quieter than the Saturday awards. What you don't see on this brief clip is that Bek had to drink a schooner for being honourary 'Man' of the day by virtue of being the only player from her team to come back to the pub, to be fair she's being the only player a few times this season but I've been ordered by her not to keep making her race beers down in the middle of the pub.

It has been a lot of hard work the football season so far & I'll be quite glad when it ends not least for the fact that that's the week when we'll be getting on a plane and coming back to England for a month, Chalky's booked from Aug 28th to Sept 23rd but Bek has still to book as she's got staff travel with Qantas courtesy of Ben who's just been promoted to Captain, this means that Bek will pay 1/4 of what I will yet she is now guaranteed Business Class, imagine my delight!!!

We also met some of the Billy Elliot cast recently - here's Bek with Richard who plays Billy's dad in the show, he grew up in Otley and we ended up drinking with him until the early hours of the morning - chatting mostly about Leeds and Leeds United...

Anzac Day, 2 up and Isla's Birthday

Sarah & Bek with some coin winnings, my first bet I won $5 off Sarah!


Betting around the ring

Friday was Anzac Day so we gathered a few friends together and headed to Cabana Bar for 2-up and beers and a few of us had some food - more on that later.

For those who don't know what 2 up is, two-up is thought to have originated in the early nineteenth century on the Australian goldfields. The game had its hey-day with the diggers stationed in Flanders in the first world war. It remained popular for Australian troops during WWII and is an institution in pubs and clubs on Anzac Day. Two-up is legal only on Anzac Day, it can be played with either two or three coins (again more on that later), "Come in spinner" is the call for the coins to be tossed, The object of the game is to spin a pair of heads and if you're playing it on any other day of the year than Anzac Day you're a cockatoo if you are the person who looks out for the police since playing would be illegal.

Jayne & Sarah

And if you're not sure what Anzac Day is about, it is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.

Chalky & Karl

Roxey, Rob & Dom were first at the club and Roxey was first to toss the coins for 2 up, here she is getting her lesson from the ringer or boxer (person who has organised the game).

Roxey learning how to hold the kip and toss the coins

With $5 Blue Tongue Beer we were all getting quite merry and Chalky decided on doing sobriety tests every hour, lucky for us he failed first in most cases forgetting that the hour mark had passed so we didn't have to 'walk the line!'

Chalky celebrating a win

Some of us were winners some were not so lucky but with only a $5 stake we were all betting within our limits. As the day wore on the most challenging job was remembering who you had placed your bet with!!

Chalky disputing that a coin was on the rope and it should be a re-toss

The ringer reminding Chalky that he had a bet on heads and the coins have landed nicely for him!

Chalk & Sarah enjoying their win - even if the coin was on the rope!

Most of us know it makes sense to have some food while drinking, the food will help soak up some alcohol and besides you get hungry. For Anzac Day the bar had a bbq going and some steaks sizzling so Roxey, myself and everyone else ordered and ate food (all bar Chalky who said eating was cheating) having said that he did try to steal quite a few mouthfuls from me! Then as the day went on we moved bars and by this stage it was now dinner time so a few of us ordered more food, all except Chalky?! Now those who know Chalky well know that he does love his food but on Anzac Day I think he was loving the beer just a little more!

We've had the first fine weekend in 3 but football games were still cancelled as the grounds were too wet! What a nuisance. It's also Isla's birthday today so Happy 2nd Birthday Isla hope you love all your presents, we know you managed a sneak peak earlier this week...we'll speak to you when you get back from holiday!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Well what's the lesson? Shall we have a drought on blog entries and then just do a text one - we get more comments that way. So this week has been full on - we've been to the opening of the new Great Southern Oceans display at Taronga Zoo. We saw a seal show, had a bbq dinner and some animal encounters while we were eating. Link to the new exhibit: http://www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/taronga-zoo/news/media-releases/great-southern-oceans.aspx we'll take you when you come and visit as my work have sponsored the display and I now have access to gold passes to the zoo! We got to see some of the animals on the way to the exhibit. Pictures and videos below.

Then on Friday we had tickets to see Graham Murphy's Swan Lake Ballet at the Opera House. We had dinner in a new bar inside Luna Park called Deck. The view of course was awesome and we were just a short ferry ride over to the Opera House. As this was Chalk's first ballet I went with the cheap seats - and they were partial view, after the first Act the woman who was sat next to us didn't come back so we slid along and had a better view. The Ballet was awesome, such a great setting and of course Chalk managed to be front of the line to get us a champagne or white wine in the breaks! Chalk was also in fine form with his clapping and is laying claim to be the 'principal clap starter' on most occasions, I'll also award him with principal whistler too! The culture didn't finish on Friday night - I was off to Billy Elliot on Saturday night with a few girlfriends, we met for Tapas first with some great Sangria and then went to the show. Of course I've already seen Billy before and it was just as good the 2nd time around. I'd had a tip off from Simon that the cast all goto The Chamberlain after the show for a quick drink...so I was on the look out. I chatted to Mrs Wilkinson and Billy's older brother - they were so pumped after the show but still had time to chat which was awesome.

The rest of the weekend was dominated by football, Chalky played on Saturday, managed on Sunday (his 2 girls teams), and I played my first football game. The North Sydney girls are awesome - Div 4 won 3-1, Div 3 won 7-1, Div 2 won 5-0, Div 1 won 8-0. I really enjoyed my match, despite the fact that we had a thunderstorm during the match...lightening and thunder and lots of rain, at least it wasn't cold. Then our poor linesman collapsed and needed medical assistance.

And of course the 13th April is mum's birthday, we celebrated with breakfast at Trav & Dan's new apartment, it was lovely to all catch up. Kylie is really pregnant now and it was great to see both her and Ben. Happy Birthday Mum - enjoy Billy Elliot (Chalk & I got mum 2 tickets to Billy for her birthday she'll be off there next Wednesday 23rd April.

We are still here

And we'll do a post soon...we're off to the Zoo this Thursday for the opening of the Great Southern Ocean and the football season has started so we'll be bombarding with those updates.
Love to everyone especially the Mortimers!

Some stuff that has been going on...Adele had a little girl Jodie Elizabeth, Maureen & John were over visiting so I caught up with them.

Robbie & Nick had a little boy...Cameron Toby and he's lovely.

Mum and Dad have sampled Skype and want to get on line now.

Ben has got his Captaincy and will be flying out of Sydney so it's full on training now for the next few months.

I've now done 6 months at my job and have passed my probation.

Weekend Cooking

Well it's been raining in Sydney this weekend...what to do?

Chalky came up with the plan - lets do some cooking together. What to cook? Lasagna, okay that's not too difficult, lets make it a challenge, so from the man who hasn't ever cooked a lasagna lets cook it all from scratch...and make the pasta!

So out came the Jamie Oliver cookbook, shopping list compiled and the fun began. I'll let the pictures and video tell the story.

the fast red pasta machine

Cookbook

Measuring the flour

Mixing in the eggs

The finished dough, my Jamie Oliver!

Drying out the pasta

Preparing the lasagna

The finished product..bon appetite

Then today it was pancake day...a reason for a cook off in the house!

Guess whose pancake is the big one...

And flipping the pancake.

Skype Crazy...Isla comes to life

Step 1 was to get Joan confident with using a computer - this started on her holiday here in 2006 when she kept her own blog.
Step 2 was to get Joan to buy a laptop so we could email her and she could follow our blog
Step 3 was to get Les & Andy to get a laptop so they could do the same
Step 4 was to get everyone using Skype so that we could talk for free and video call as well

It's all happenning!

Here's a shot we grabbed from one of the recent calls,

Isla knows who we are and blows us kisses, tries to kiss us on the screen, brush our hair and give us a hug! She also entertains us with making a cup of tea, giving us a hat parade and even once throwing a paddy!

Joan has also been making full use of all her digital technologies as for Isla she's been practicing how to put on make-up when she gets older.

This morning we had a conference call with Les & Joan. Who would have thought it would all catch on?

As you would expect Gadget Garth has been on Skype for quite a while, the downside to that is when we catch him in his boxer shorts having a nightcap chatting with us!

Chalky says that now everyone's on Skype and we can talk for free all the time all that everyone else has to do is become a bit more intersesting so they've actually got something to say!!!