For Inspiration

Finishing Secondary School

My son finished secondary school on Friday. Now it's time to study hard to get into uni, but the highlight was Friday night when the school held the Formal Dinner and Dance for the students at Flemington Racecourse. The weather was awful, rain, wind, hail and cold, which did not allow for a lot of outdoor photography. So I couldn't get a variety of images of my 18 year old dressed in a suit and tie, but he still looked gorgeous and he accepted to pose for me and even put one or two "model-like" faces for my amusement. I can't believe Anton is so grown up! It's so hard to let go and to start treating him like an adult.

My hijo termino la secundaria el viernes. Ahora es hora de estudiar para entrar a la universidad, pero lo que se destaco esta semana fue el Viernes a la noche cuando la escuela realizo la Cena Formal y Baile para los estudiantes. El clima estuvo de lo peor, lluvia, viento, granizo y frio, por lo que no permitio mucha fotografia al aire libre. Asique no pude tender una variedad de imagenes de mi hijo de 18 anos vestido de traje y corbata. Esta hermoso y acepto posar para mi y hasta puso un par de caras de modelo para mi entretenimiento. No puedo creer que Anton este tan grande! Es tan dificil verlo tan grande y tratarlo como un adulto.

Los Primos

All together. The next generation.

Karaoke Night

Muy divertido estuvo la noche de karaoke para celebrar el cumpleanos de mi suegra, Susana. Mi cunado se compro un set the karaoke y despues de cenar nos reunimos en el living para cantar. La verdad fue desastroso pero super divertido. Es increible que de las paginas y paginas de canciones que habia y que yo pensaba que sabia...solo 2 salieron bien de principio a fin. Es un experimento interesante ese...cantar una cancion de principio a fin sin equivocase la letra y la melodia. Con mi cunado Alejandro logramos un temazo: You give love a bad name (Bon Jovi), con Andrea cantamos Money, Money, Money (Abba) sin errores y con Ricky Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple)! El resto salieron de terror. Pobre mi suegra que no habia letras en castellano, excepto los coros de The Cup of Life (Ricky Martin). Los vecinos estarian rogando que nos quedemos sin voz y nuestros hijos tambien.

How much fun it was last night! We had a karaoke night to celebrate my mother in law's birthday. Mi brother in law bought a karaoke set and after dinner we gathered in the living room to sing. The truth is that it was a disaster but incredibly funny. It's amazing that page after page of hundreds of songs I only really knew a few from beginning to end. Only 3 songs turned out fine. It's an interesting experiment, cause one thinks one knows all these songs, but to sing them, on the mic, without mistakes and sticking to the melody, from beginning to end is nearly impossible. With Alejandro (mi bro in law) we succeed with "YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME" Bon Jovi, with Andrea it was "MONEY, MONEY, MONEY" Abba and with Ric it was SMOKE ON THE WATER Deep Purple. The rest were so bad that are not even worth mentioning. I feel for my mother in law cause all the songs were in English, the only one she could join in was The cup of Life by Ricky Martin. The neighbours were praying that we lose our voices and so were our kids.

Completely burnt out

I cried a couple of hours ago. I cried out of tiredness from spending the whole weekend studying. I know am close to the end. I know it's only this set of 3 assignments and then is free time for quite a few weeks, but after spending the whole day in front of the computer, with a sore back, tight neck and a completely burnt out brain I realised that what I wrote today may have to be re-written. In light of a professional discussion with a fellow student I had to face the fact that being 100 words from the end I would have to consider spending a couple of extra hours today and more during the week to edit, check and re-write. I couldn't handle it. I walked out to the backyard and cried aloud, wanting to pull my hair out. A little calmer now I'm drinking a cup of tea and I am resigned to go over it all during the week. Friday is cut off day and then I swear I would have a drink. A big drink.

My new top

I love this top. My sister and mum sent it from Argentina via my mother in law. I love the colours and the fabric. It's so silky and fresh I think that I am going to wear it out like my other top from Rapsodia, in Buenos Aires. Thank you family!

Me encanta esta blusita. Mi hermana y mi mama me la mandaron desde Argentina por mi suegra. Me encantan los colores y la tela ademas del diseno. Es tan sedosa y fresquita que me parece que la voy a gastar como mi otra remera de Rapsodia de Buenos Aires. Gracias familia!

A 2 Day Vacation

A 2 day vacation does wonders for the soul. Visiting Cumberland River was enchanting. The place is nestled in the Great Ocean Road only 4 km from Lorne. The holiday park is beautiful, peaceful and isolated: the perfect recipe for a rest. We hired a cabin (which was comfortable but so small compared with the ones in Tatra and Merimbula) and had a king size Argentinian bbq for our dinner. What I love about this camp is that you can make a camp-fire. Every site has its own half drum where you can make your fire. It is an amazing site when the sun is setting and you walk around the place spotting smoke climbing to the sky here and there and you hear the sounds of nature dying down to be replaced by the distant crush of the waves and the hushed voices of the few people there cooking their dinners.

The second day we spent it in Lorne, walking and visiting the shops, eating chips and calamari and drinking coffees. I even fitted it some studying while overlooking the ocean and Ric and Anton descended the Erskine River bush track. It took them 2 hours. Now back at home with the cats who missed us and couldn't wait for a little bit of attention.

Unas vacaciones de dos dias hacen maravillas para el alma. Visitar Cumberland River fue encantador. El lugar esta anestado en la Gran Ruta Oeanica a 4 km de Lorne. El camping es hermoso, pacifico y aislado: perfecto para el descanso. Alquilamos una cabina (comoda pero super chica comparadas con las que alquilamos en Tatra y Merimbula) y comimos un gigante asado argentino para la cena sobre un fueguito de campo. Eso es lo que me gusta de este lugar que podes prender tu propio fueguito. Cada cabina y/o sitio de carpa tiene medio tanque sobre unas patas de fierro donde podes prender tu propio fuego a lena. Es hermoso cuando baja el sol y vas caminando por el lugar y ves el humo subiendo aqui y alla mientras escuchas lcomo os ruidos de la naturaleza se apagan y se reemplazan por el sonido de las olas rompiendo a lo lejos. El cielo se llena de estrellas y lo unico que queda son los sonidos de los pocos que quedan cocinando la cena.

El segundo dia lo pasamos en Lorne caminando, visitando negocios y comiendo papas fritas, calamares y tomando cafes. Yo pude incluso estudiar un poco mientras Ricky y Anton bajaron la camianata del rio Erskine. Les llevo 2 horas. Ahora de vuelta en casa con los gatos que nos extranaron mucho y no veian la hora de que les den un poco de atencion.