Fun and games and a special party

Another wonderful gathering of family and friends this weekend just gone. We headed over to Casa de Crook as their youngest took the lime light upon turning one year old. A great afternoon with fine food and company. The girl of the hour was in fine form entertaining all with her older siblings keeping the younger visitors on their toes. The after party in true Crook/Law style consisted of amazing pizza, gossip and a board game or two. Hicksy and I managed finally to defeat the initial scenario of Mansion of Madness and Hicksy also managed to introduce me to a new Sci-Fi (space) themed game. A massive day extended to yet another great night.

Sunday has been a day of clean up and tidy with my angel and I getting stuck into rearranging our robe so it is no longer an obstacle course getting things in and out. Our little rabbit got a much needed run around the backyard and we got a semi-planned visit from those Crooks. Rabbit caught with no trouble (too cold and too indecisive) but I got a lesson in gaming from Ben. We couldn't venture into the Manson of Madness for scenario two so gave Space Race another run. I was cruising to an epic victory until I opened my big mouth... "How do you get Victory Points, Ben?" was my question before the man himself pulled off the comeback of all comebacks... I take my hat off to the true MASTER of board games... I'll think twice in future before saying what's on my mind...

Cats and Crows good wins... Aussies doing well in the cricket and tennis... And the musician that played at work for our Sunday Sessions at the Library sounds like a hit... All in all a brilliant long weekend.

Happy birthday to Her Majesty the Queen!

Cannot wait until my birthday when I can be King for the day...

Signing off until next time, Tim the Wizard!

A great recommendation - The Painted Man

It has been quite a while between posts, busy with home life and a big project at work. Somehow I have managed to fit in a great recommendation from a great mate, The Painted Man written by Peter V Brett (cheers Matt for the suggestion). This top notch fantasy has rekindled my love for the genre.

The trio of main characters are well written and their individual stories unfold in a very clever fashion. I love the way the enemies (demons) are described, creating a fearful tingle down my spine each time they appear.

If you are a fan of Tolkien, Martin and the like then Peter V Brett's Demon Saga is well worth a read.

Five wards out of five for The Painted Man!

The weekend of nothing

Sometimes we have a weekend that starts on Friday and doesn't stop until Sunday night. Fun social catchups so full to bursting that by the time Monday rolls around again you feel like yo need another weekend to recover. This Friday was unique though. When a colleague from work asked "What is on THIS weekend..?" I thought for a moment and realised we had nothing planned... Indeed a rarity, or at least so it seems lately. Nothing planned never means a truly lazy weekend though.

This was our nothing planned... After knocking off at 6 from work I got home to a delicious lamb shank pie (buy local... support local) with an easy night of TV watching with the loves of my life, my wife and kids (well at least two of the three). Saturday was a day of pottering, Thumpy our rabbit had a day out the cage and aside from tidying a bit around the house, cooking up damper for breakfast and BBQ T-bone steaks for tea the most memorable thing we did as a family was movie night. Spider Man into the Spiderverse was a flick we had not been sure of when it hit cinemas but there was enough interest from me and my son to convince everyone to give it a go once it came out on DVD. A memorable weekend moment for us since it was not the film that I expected and it was a film that all five of the family sat down together and watched. I love that time we all spend together doing something that we all enjoy.

Sunday has been great too, the Laws hitting the local country market and catching up with the Crook family. Lots to buy (again buy local... support local) with yummy doughnuts, cheese cake, pasties and other goodies as well as candles, bath bombs and things that smell yum.

Now I feel slightly rested and ready for a full on week ahead. Networking in Adelaide on Monday (where I am the final presenter of the day), jam packed Tuesday, day off Wednesday for Sports Day with the girls (Go Sturt!!!), Thursday another crazy day at work with Friday Law pizzeria where we (Miss H and I) cook up a storm and basically feed the school (students and teachers) with healthy and yummy home made pizzas. Follow this with library shifts on the Saturday and Sunday and I'll be done.

Wish me luck!!!

Two birthdays and a sad farewell

This weekend has seen the Laws celebrating the glorious Saturday sunshine helping our young friend celebrate down by the river. Lots of fun party games with a unicorn twist and one of the heartiest piñatas I have seen in quite some time. It was great to see the river busy and all the kids there seemed to have a wonderful time. Well done to the mum and dad for creating such a fun day for their daughter and for everyone who came along...

Straight home from a day in the sun to pick up the boy and then off to the Community Center to help our dear friend Paul mark an important birthday ending in an O... Fine food, fun company and stage for the kids to dance upon...

Then home again to decide we are far too full for tea before I took my wonderful son to the movies to see Captain Marvel (me for the second time, Master 12 for the first time). A brilliant film at a great price (thanks Choovie), this time I remembered to wait to the very end of the credits for both cut scenes and not just one...

Today we had another celebration, this one hosted at our local Girl Guide Hall. A fond farewell and a true acknowledgment of an epic career tinged with an undertone of sadness and frustration. A truly amazing woman whose dedication to Guides was cut short... Their loss is the gain of our local library... I look forward to working with Tawny now and far into the future...

Such a massive weekend...

The Magic of Music at the Library

I love the Sunday Sessions we put on at work. The second Sunday of each month for a little while now the hallowed halls of the Library where I work have been ringing with the sweet sounds of local talent as musicians known and unknown set up in our meeting rooms and play out to our café and kids area. It helps the Sunday shift fly past quicker, creates a delightful atmosphere and will quite often draw quite a crowd. This weekend just gone those who graced the Library with their visitation were lucky enough to get a double dose. We had a ukulele group play followed by a local star destined for the big time just before we lost him back to Victoria. Just another reason why I love my job...

One epic cat party

How does it feel to be hit by a train... I honestly don't know (thankfully) but it might be something similar to hosting a nine year old birthday sleepover followed by a full blown birthday party the following day. It has been a very fun filled two days with Miss Boo turning 9 earlier in the week and the excitement building for a sleep over with three close friends and then a MASSIVE Cat themed birthday with so many kids running around our yard. It was great to see so many friends and family gathered to help us celebrate.

We had all the usuals, pass the parcel (to Queen's Somebody to Love), a cat piñata (quite the drama when it lost its head) and pin the tail on Pusheen… A truly epic way to turn 9 years old.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our darling daughter... A super leopard and true cat enthusiast... I hear that train a coming... Toot! Toot! Meow!!

The Marketing Magician (or how to pull an interested crowd out of your hat)...

One of the BIGGEST challenges of libraries today is to get bodies through the door, physical visitations are dropping as members choose to access offered online services choosing a 24 hour service over actually walking into a library for face to face. One of the major worries I have is how do we get big crowds to consistently attend our events (author visits, guest speakers, children's activities and sessions for youth). It is so frustrating when a free film that has been booked out for weeks has no kids show up for because it is way too hot and everyone is down at the pool or river cooling off.

We have an amazing event coming up on Sunday next week where (thanks to Penguin Publishing) author Molly Murn is appearing to promote her new novel Heart of the Glass Tree and I am hoping for quite a crowd but with only a week to promote my fingers, toes and other appendages are firmly crossed awaiting that miracle every marketing magician hopes for.

Wish me luck!