Another Crook and Law EPIC weekend

Oh wow... It has been another loooooooooooooooooooong delay between posts. Life has been busy trying to find the happy medium between work and life (and often feeling like THAT is impossible). So much to post about and yet I never seem to be able to make the time to stop to do so. This weekend is an acception though, I have found that moment to reflect, to sit and type, to capture the now. So here goes... Friday night we braved our local show, a wet and windy night with people everywhere. I worked up until 6pm at the local library so sadly missed out on the usual wandering around and checking out the local stalls, crafts, and displays. Our daughter entered some cakes and muffins, after having some success at last year's show. Sadly no luck this time with a million and one entries in her age group... We are super proud of her efforts though and we love the taste of everything she bakes. It was great fun spending some time with the Crook family... Even if for me if was just sharing hot chips for tea... Saturday saw us once again playing host to an epic Australian Football Grand Final party... Streamers, balloons, friends, drinks, and soooooooooo much food. Our team, the Geelong Cats, came to play, teaching the Sydney Swans a harsh lesson on how to play the game on the biggest stage of all. Geelong truly proved they are The Greatest Team of All (at least in 2022)... Again the Crook family were there with us, cheering at each goal. My brother-in-law Ben and I both married Gallasch sisters nineteen years ago and our friendship has grown stronger and stronger over the years. The girls sadly lost their mum (a HUGE Geelong Cats fan) mid last year and so watching the win was a very emotional one as the Cats did it for mum this year. We are sure that Barbara is up there looking down on us all, cheering as loudly as she can. We feel her presence always, but even more so yesterday during the game. Now on to today... Day three of our EPIC Crook and Law weekend... Today we are off to a FREE day at the Adelaide Zoo!! Thanks to the union that my wife and my daughter both belong to we have two free family passes to a day out at our local zoo... This is not the Monarto Open Range Zoological Park, more a traditional city zoo... We love seeing all of the animals, and the free sausage sizzle is an added bonus... Looking forward to the fun ahead as once again we have a solid catch up with the Crooks. Hoping you all are having a great time too... Hopefully soon I can jump back on and bring you up to speed on everything else that is happening in my world, the world of Tim the Wizard... :)

The Return of a Legend

I must apologise, I have been very lax in blogging as of late with at least six months between my last post and this one. To say I've been too busy writing seems ironic, but I guess in a way it is the truth... To boast about successes is not the reason I have returned to the blogger-sphere however, I am certainly not suggesting that I be the legend who has returned. No, no, certainly not... No, last night (Thursday, July 21st 2022), for the second time we had the pleasure and privilage of hosting the amazing Markus Hamence. This man oozes charisma, joy, and charm. His eye for design is evident in every project he sets his mind too; be it turning his Adelaide apartment into an indoor jungle, putting on stage shows with superstars, or creating a personal gallery in a nook in a house which is the focal point of the home... The man just knows what works... It ia such a shame that we have had to wait more than a year for Markus to grace us with his presence once more, a mistake I will not be making again in a hurry. Fear not, people of Murray Bridge!! You have shown your love for this man... Your local library is listening... Expect to see more Markus in the coming months as we stumble our way through what remains of 2022... The hair! The charisma! The legend! Markus shall return again...

The Laws go to the movies

The silly season has hit us and 2022 has begun pretty much in the same way that 2021 began (and ended). Mask up, sanitise and social distance. In Australia we have hit our long stretch of summer holidays. With two teens and a tween to keep entertained we have turned to the wonderful silver screen for help. Yes the Laws have left the house and ventured to the movies. First off I had the pleasure of taking Miss 11 and Miss 14 to see Sing 2... We all enjoyed this feel good sequel and I must confess the final scenes drew a tear or two from my normally dry eyes. Catchy songs and endearing characters means we give it a strong 4 stars out of 5... Venom next (Let there be Carnage)... Woody made this movie for me... I got flashbacks from a certain R rated film... Master 15 and I both enjoyed the craziness... Not too much beheading, more terrible oneliners... A tongue in (someone else's) cheek 3 star effort... In typical MARVEL style there is an intreaging end credit cut scene that I am glad we hung around for... Spiderman No Way Home was next and the best of what we have seen... Such a great homage to past films while dealing with the current universe arc... Fun! Fun! Fun! In fact such a great film that it inspired us to look back at all the previous spidey films... Master 15 said it is the best one yet... Looking forward to what happens next MARVELwise... Can I give a film 7 out of 5??? Maybe in another universe... Family fun for all next... Ghost Busters Afterlife... For those of us who have seen the original two (and the cartoon series that came after)... This film was so much fun... For the uninitiated I would say it is probably a 3 star effort at best... And today? The Law bus ventured back to our local cinema to see Clifford the BIG Red Dog... Clifford was BIG and Clifford was Red and I was happy to see that it stuck pretty close to the book... John Cleese was a lovely surprise and his appearance made a great kids film even better... For most of us it was at least 4 stars... For Master 15 (whom I was plesantly surprised came with us) it was probably a 2 or 3 star effort... So in a nutshell I would say catch all these films if you can... Cinema is fun for all!! Happy holidays <3 <3

Raya brings the whole clan together

 Well Disney here is a challenge for you... I have a family of five, three kids ages 11ish (going on 33) to almost 16 (I know everything and you can’t teach me anything at all)... I need a movie that will entertain the kids. Bonus points if it keeps the attention of my wife and me. The footy is on so don’t be offended if we miss half the film...

Raya you say? Raya and the Last Dragon... Hmmm... Young, fierce, female driven adventure... Quirky characters with a riveting story... What?! What?! Whaaaaaar?! No singing?

For my eldest child to say he liked it... Well Disney I think we just watched a winner... Daughter number one and daughter number two still talking about it the very next day... Yep, definitely a winner...

The greatest test of all my wife and I only spent the occasional moment checking the football scores...

Five stars for the five tribes, well done Disney... Well done indeed...

Sadly our last Sports Day at Jervois Primary

 Such a cold day today and a sad day too. As our Miss B is off to secondary school as of next year it was our last ever Sports Day at JPS today. I always try to be there for this day, a chance to help out the teachers and cheer on the kids. Our little school has a real mix of sporting superstars and those with far less interest (and skill) in sport. What I love most about Sports Day is that regardless of skill, interest and natural talent (or lack there of) each and every student is encouraged and everyone is applauded for giving something a go.

It was difficult to understand why a school would schedule Sports Day in the throws of the season of Winter, difficult for us Laws residing at Casa de Norman anyway who are not overly sporty and so have no real interest or comprehension of primary school sporting events that occur later in the school year. So it was though that the school decided the day pending what could be a mamoth storm was to be our 2021 Sports Day. In fact such was the uncertainty regarding a downpour of rain (that is still yet to unleash) that a back up day (also in Winter) was suggested. Luckily the cold came, the grey clouds came but there was not a single drop of that theatened rain all day.

Foolishly I though a beanie on my head and a long sleaved shirt would be enough to keep the near freezing temperatures at bay. I had left my thick jumper behind as I did not think I could force my yellow T-shirt (the only piece of clothing I own that is the colour of my daughter's team Sturt) would fit over the thickness of such warmth. In hindsight I realise I probably should have just worn the T-shirt underneath and the hidden my support. As at previous Sports Days my voice would always betray my aligience to YELLOW and Sturt, yelling out the team name passionately and proudly to every teacher, student and parent regardless of what colour clothing they wore. Last year I was informed due to COVID no shouting was allowed, a very quiet affair that year. 2021 was not the case here in South Australia and so I now sit by the heater at home pondering a port to sooth my throat.

For all my screaming, shouting and teaching my little niece to do the same unfortunately this year was not our year. It seems Sturt was competative until the team games and then it all seemed to unravel. So on such a sorrowful note we farewell the wonderful day that is Sports Day. So proud of Miss B for her efforts and so proud of my amazing wife who gathered together such a wonderful cheer squad for Boo today... Another farewell... Another step closer to our next chapter...

Discovering the legend of The Plant Guy

 Yesterday evening I had the privilege of meeting Adelaide resident and well respected ‘plant guy’ Markus Hamence (https://markushamence.com/). Markus appeared on my radar after he held a number of workshops at other libraries in and around the city of Adelaide. Prior to meeting this wonderful man I had seen a few things online but nothing prepares me for the real deal.

Markus is larger than life, the personification of friendliness and professionalism. He had our local crowd engaged (and in stitches) within moments of him beginning his presentation. A wealth of knowledge regarding indoor plants, indoor design, in fact I highly doubt that there is anything indoor related the man does not have a brilliant idea about. He comes across as zany, creative and energetic but his wisdom shines through all of this just like peering through the internal jungle of his two bedroom flat to discover the man that is hidden amongst the foliage.

Markus was the perfect presenter for a community so garden focused but he would be just as capable and comfortable in any scenario. Keenly we look forward to him returning regularly to the Murray Bridge Library, annually updating us on the latest trends. Thank you Markus Hamence for your visit, it was a true pleasure.

Thank You

 It has been a while since I have shared my thoughts to this blog but Anzac Day is one time where my thoughts come together in something I want to share. It is not much, but it is an opportunity to say thank you.

Today is the day we celebrate in New Zealand and Australia, a day for remembering the coming together of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corp) forces, their sacrifice in World War One and all of the many campaigns that have come after.

In memory of such courage, such sacrifice and such loss I wish to share a poem I have titled Thank You.

Thank You

For all the sacrifice of family and friends

We offer thanks

For Christmases, birthdays and occasions missed

We offer thanks

To those who left and never came back

Lest we forget the ultimate sacrifice

For all those who returned but were never the same

To those brave souls who left a piece of themselves behind

We cannot know, we cannot say that we understand

All we have is a moment, a candle and that haunting sound

The Last Post plays and the words are spoken

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them